Speed Way (Williams, 1948) VP8 v1.0
IPD No. 2281
New VP8 build of the Williams game Speed Way. designed by Harry Williams with art by George Molentin Speed Way was released in September 1948. It is unknown how many were produced but this game is very rare to see today. I was drawn to this game by the unique ball entry and skill shot of circling the field (as in a race track). I've left the art on this playfield looking a bit beat up and old to honor the age of this game (it was created when I was only 2 years old). This was Harry Williams fourth flipper game, and it shows some of the early evolution of flipper games from flipperless pinball games. Being designed only a year after the invention of the flipper, it still has a lot of the flipperless rolldown game feel to it, but the flippers are starting to play a significant role in making it more of a skill game. This is the era of games giving the possibility of a very large number of relays. This is because pinball was still gambing inspired, something that would last into the 1950's. Speed Way has the Williams "impulse flippers" which he used for a few years, possibly inspired by the Williams history of ball and bat coin op games. While usually annoying, in this game, they seem appropriate. I have provided an option to toggle the flipper operation between "impulse" and modern "press and hold" operation to compare the two. In this game, it makes little difference, indicating that Williams designed Speed Way with the impulse operation in mind.
IPD No. 2281
New VP8 build of the Williams game Speed Way. designed by Harry Williams with art by George Molentin Speed Way was released in September 1948. It is unknown how many were produced but this game is very rare to see today. I was drawn to this game by the unique ball entry and skill shot of circling the field (as in a race track). I've left the art on this playfield looking a bit beat up and old to honor the age of this game (it was created when I was only 2 years old). This was Harry Williams fourth flipper game, and it shows some of the early evolution of flipper games from flipperless pinball games. Being designed only a year after the invention of the flipper, it still has a lot of the flipperless rolldown game feel to it, but the flippers are starting to play a significant role in making it more of a skill game. This is the era of games giving the possibility of a very large number of relays. This is because pinball was still gambing inspired, something that would last into the 1950's. Speed Way has the Williams "impulse flippers" which he used for a few years, possibly inspired by the Williams history of ball and bat coin op games. While usually annoying, in this game, they seem appropriate. I have provided an option to toggle the flipper operation between "impulse" and modern "press and hold" operation to compare the two. In this game, it makes little difference, indicating that Williams designed Speed Way with the impulse operation in mind.
