VP8 Flipperless Recreation Gumball Baseball released

[tiltjlp]

Trade stimulators did their jobs by entertaining customers with the promise of something for nothing, at least in most cases. A few trade stimulators were made simply to attract people to a certain product. Gumball Baseball is a perfect example, and I know first hand, because several stores had this or other game gumball machines when I was a youngster.

If I recall, for your penny, you got a gumball and one "at bat" to see if you could hit the elusive and nearly impossible home run, which I never did. I don't remember any of my friends hitting a homer either. Rumor was that if you did land your ball in the Home Run slot, that besides your regular gumball, you'd also get the Blue Gumball, which you then traded the merchant for a prize.

The story was that your prize would be a baseball autographed by our beloved Cincinnati Redlegs, which they were known as back then. Needless to say, with a supposed prize like that, a Gumball Baseball machine really racked in the pennies, back when pennies were still worth something.

In my version of Gumball Baseball, you play until you get three outs. As you'll notice from the SS, both a regular pin game score is kept, as well as game stats. There is no tilt for this game, to give you a better chance to nudge a Homer. Play Ball! You can download your own copy of Gumball Baseball at the bottom of this page:

http://www.pinballnirvana.com/index.php?name=UpDownload&req=viewsdownload&sid=7

 

[Shockman]

I downloaded it. these things you do are cool. simple but cool. I swear though man, I had a shot going right into the center of the home run slot and the thing bounced stright back out. I looked in the editor, thanks to your not locking it and saw that the wall is way out of place. The graphics will be a guide there. This is a machine that I would have at least kicked in real life, if not took a hammer to and got my reward. Don't worry though, I have been ripped off by real machines too.

Thanks for making this. It would be nice to see it fixed, assumming you agree after inspection.

Oh. I could make that door open and really vend (did I say really?) a gumball and a blue ball (I hate blue balls) if you like.

 

[tiltjlp]

Sure, it would be cool to have it "vend" a gumball. And while you're at it, fix the wall or walls, if you would. My vision isn't the best, and the tremors in my mouse hand makes precise detail work extremely difficult for me. But keep in mind that it's supposed to be tough game. I'm always on the lookout for unusual games and really enjoy doing trade stimulators. My motto is the simpler the better.

I don't see much sense in locking tables, they're only games, not uncut diamomds.

 

[Shockman]

Or maybe you just don't want to fight over locks, cause ya know you would lose?

If you can make the shot it's fine. You crank these things out man, like lots and lots. You do a swell job on them to, they sure catch my interest. Invisable wall do need to be placed fairly close to source graphics, more so than building models with the source graphic extruded onto them or other graphic texures applied.

I think if you have a pic as square as what you used, a nice pic, that if the walls are placed with them and I mean as exact as possible that only then can you get a feel that something is being re-created.

I can help. If they are my only redeeming qualities, I can see sharp, and can outline a nat's scrotum (or a pic of one, anyway) with a VP wall. Send me anything you would like some outline work and I will get it right back to you.

Thanks again for gumball baseball, man.

 

[tiltjlp]

The secret to my profusion of tables is that I have 20 different starter templates, for every kind of table I make, some just wider versions of others. So then all I usually have to do is slap in a new images, move kickers, cups, and walls a bit, and adapt the script. Not that it's always as easy as that makes it sound. This one gave me a fit trying to get the game play right. Do you need me to send you the source image? And as in the past, thanks loads for your help.

And no, I really don't see any need for locks. but I try not to mention it too often to avoid a war of words with folks you perfer using them.

 

[Shockman]

I don't need the pics, unless you would like some work done to them.
I feel bad now saying what I did. They do play nice, and I should not say they should be better, or even could be better. They are good enough that I would not know about your sight and motivity, I thought you were just more into getting them done than being anal (can I still use that word) about it.
You have the slope set to one point something. This looks like an upright gumball machine with a vertical game, was it sloped more than a head-on pic would show?

There is newer versions. If you could call it a version. put a quarter in and you get a gumball fed to a plunger and shoot it into a spiral lane. Holes on the bottom of a couple of loops and one winner on the botton of the last loop before a center hole that is a bust, tough shot it is. And if you get the 'money hole' you get the gumball, that's all, same as any other hole. not even a sound or light. It was all I could do to not take a hammer to it.

 

[tiltjlp]

I don't need the pics, unless you would like some work done to them.
I feel bad now saying what I did. They do play nice, and I should not say they should be better, or even could be better. They are good enough that I would not know about your sight and motivity, I thought you were just more into getting them done than being anal (can I still use that word) about it.
You have the slope set to one point something. This looks like an upright gumball machine with a vertical game, was it sloped more than a head-on pic would show?

There is newer versions. If you could call it a version. put a quarter in and you get a gumball fed to a plunger and shoot it into a spiral lane. Holes on the bottom of a couple of loops and one winner on the botton of the last loop before a center hole that is a bust, tough shot it is. And if you get the 'money hole' you get the gumball, that's all, same as any other hole. not even a sound or light. It was all I could do to not take a hammer to it.

Hey, don't feel bad, because I would make them with a lot more attention to detail if I could. Some tables are easier than others, and on my better days, I probably do a bit better work than other days. As for the slope, most of my upright games have a slope of between 1.5 and 2.5, because they need a relaxed slope for the gameplay to be realistic. Try setting the slope to 8, and notice that without nudging, the ball will most often score a single, or at least it did with me. But that's another reason I don't lock my tables, so folks can customize the settings.

Especially on my upright games, I always adjust but the slope and ball release speed, as well as elsticity and force setting of walls, to make them play as realistically as I either remember them, or suspect that they should be. With Gumball, the Home Run was designed to be extremely rare, which I tried to mimick. I appreciate not only that you like my work, but that you're willing to help me improve them when possible. In fact I'm going to send you a table and image of another game I'm planning to do, which needs a moving ball catcher. I'm hoping that you'll be willing and able to make one for me.

I've seen some of those modern gum ball gizmos on TV specials. As the cost of the machines and gumballs have increased the cost of playing, they've had to make the games flashier and more entertaining to pull in the coins.