Dr Rollover's Laboratory - 20th anniversary edition

Anthias

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I know it's hard to believe, but twenty years ago I discovered VP!

Count it, twenty years!

If I recall correctly, my first released VP table was Dr Rollover's Laboratory. I created it in 2001, uploading it to my personal website for users to download. I then slightly tweaked some of its features and rereleased it to the old VPF in 2002. It is so old, and so badly outdated, that when you run it, it comes up with a dialog box to enter the number of players. If you remember seeing tables do that, you are as ancient as me. In spite of all that, it had some interesting features, like a reversing playfield and a half decent rule set, if lacking in playability or visual appeal compared to my tables that came later, when I knew what I was doing.

Well, I have decided to return to VP for a brief moment to celebrate this enormous milestone of twenty years, to make a twentieth anniversary version of Dr Rollover's Laboratory. How long it will take, I can't say. If I will roll on to do twentieth anniversary editions of any other tables from '01, '02 etc, I also can not say. (If you feel the urge to pick up one of those tables to do yourself, have at it.) Whether this table can be made playable in VPX, I have no idea. I will work on it in vp8 initially, to reclaim my understanding of it, and decide on the path to take once I have it looking somewhat ok.

I hope I can bring it forward to ressemble something more in keeping with the modern standards. I can barely remember how to do any of this, so please be patient.

ADDITIONAL: So far I have made changes to the lower third, to improve gameplay significantly, made modifications to the construction of the table, added a sweet little multiball mode, and tweaked and fiddled things to get the entire show operational in VP9, including the signature playfield reversal. VPX I don't know a thing about, so I will likely stay out of that, at least till I get this beast to a pressentable state. At that time, it may be worth looking into it, but we'll see.

Screenshot does not show current progress, but reflects more the original table, and then a hint at the new lower third.
 

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Great to see a creative original get an upgrade!

There's quite a few others from this era that were fun to play back in the day, but seem a little underfinished by modern standards. Very cool that this one will get some new life breathed in to it.

Btw, it seems like a fair number of original tables and non-VPM tables work just fine going from VP8 to VPX, so it's possible this one won't need any special modification to do so. Come to think of it, I don't think I ever did find a document that describes what the differences between versions were at any of the VP sites, including VPF. If such information exists, we could definitely use it being reposted over here.
 
There is still a LOOONG way to go. But there are some obvious graphic changes so far. Most of the work has been "under the hood" but I figured its long enough to show an update. Tweaks around the playfield have made enormous improvements on playability. THere is a three ball multiball added, a skill shot added, the obvious previously mentioned flipper area changes, physics changes with better ball speed and the like from slope settings adjustments, and obviously a new playfield mat, still in progress and subject to dumping.



At this time, it is still in VP9. VPX doesn't seem to like it, and it becomes a pink, flattened mess. I've fiddled with materials, and a bunch of things to no avail, and am thinking I might have a hardware issue, so for now its staying VP9. We'll see what happens.
 

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FRAPS decided not to work so I sat my phone in front of the PC. Still a way to go, but this video will give you an idea of the progress at least. Except that I'm tired and I suck, so I don't go too well playing lol.
 
looks impressive, like the multiball.
 
This has been released at the other site. I won't get in front of the computer again till sometime tomorrow but will release here too. Feel free to beat me to it lol. It's a big improvement. I enjoy playing it at least lol. Is free to MOD also.
 
This has been released at the other site. I won't get in front of the computer again till sometime tomorrow but will release here too. Feel free to beat me to it lol. It's a big improvement. I enjoy playing it at least lol. Is free to MOD also.
I'm borderline-baffled when someone says things like this.

Like-- suggestive that there's a rich, deep, intricate backstory upon this business that we should all know about. Like...huh...?

I have no idea, myself.

Yo, Martin / Anthias,
Maybe give us a clue, mate...?
 
Lol Nuh. No backstory. Our community kept all that shut right up front.

In this context... This is THE site. Everything else on the Internuts is the OTHER site lol.

Like that Adelle song. Hello from the other site.

I just uploaded to one, then got called away from the computer by the missus, before I could upload it here. So I commented here it was out in case anybody interested (a bit of vanity to assume such people exist, I know.) might come here but rarely look around the pinneighbours.
 
I just uploaded to one, then got called away from the computer by the missus, before I could upload it here. So I commented here it was out in case anybody interested (a bit of vanity to assume such people exist, I know.) might come here but rarely look around the pinneighbours.
Ah well-- then please tell the missus that hubby designed a bunch of cool, fascinating, pinball originals, before some asshole (like nicolas.b) intruded upon the situation.
 
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