Flipperless I've been asked a few questions so here are the answers.

druadic

20+ YEARS as a VP author. How time flies...
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Favorite Pinball Machine
Anything before 1939 (pre war), Firepower II, Agents 777
Folks have been asking me a ton of stuff, but here are a few questions I will answer reguarding my tables / works in VPX.

Q. What version am I using?
A. VPX 6

Q. What screen size do you use?
A. 1920x1080 HD. If you use lower end screen sizes you may not get the full effect of my work. Play using a 1920x1080 HD dpi monitor.

Q. Do you make full screen or cab tables?
A. No an I never will - my tables are made for the computer desktop players who have been so terribly ignored since the "cab" boom.

Q. Where can I get cab games of your work?
A. The ONLY person allowed to make ANY of my works to cabs is Itchigo at Rogue Pinball. He is the ONLY PERSON who has permission to do so otherwise you're out of luck. Start playing my tables on a computer screen. I do. Like I said, I make tables for those folks who use a PC.

Q. Do you allow "modding" of any of your tables?
A. Yes as long as you keep it to yourself, otherwise I don't care. Graphics are NOT allowed to be tampered with without MY VERBAL PERMISSION and the reason for this is that if I can find proper images, ask for images or even redraw images you can do the same. Remember, I am doing all the work for the table I am giving to you free of charge, I'm not asking for anything else in return. I SHARE what I make and make tables play as properly and correctly as possible. I even ask for rules and how a table plays according to those rules from people WHO OWN actual machines. I strive for REALISM in my relelases and if they don't play properly or look properly I normally will not release a table. I also UPDATE tables over time; something many authors won't do.

Q. Do you actually redraw play fields and everything else on them?
A. Depends on the image or graphic found. If the image is "skewed" or way off from being absolutely usable I WILL redraw an entire play field to the best of my ability and for as much realism as possible. I will also draw wood and labels as well by hand. I love to draw but HATE scripting.

Q. What is the longest period of time it has taken you to release a single table?
A. TWO YEARS. Exhibit's Contact was the table to be exact. This table is coming to VPX asap.

Q. What tables do you support from the past that you have created?
A. VP9 and VPX only. Older works I no longer support.

Q. Are you the only pre war pin machine author?
A. Not exactly but I am extremely fond of these machines from the 1940's and older as long as they are coin operated. I also enjoy making vertical skill pin machines and scramball type of machines as well. I've done a few puzzle games as well for VP as I am a puzzle fanatic.

Q. How many people ASK for your tables or are you asked to make them?
A. Both actually. I have a TON folks asking for my tables (at the site that shall not be named). I've also been asked to make over 100 tables that are 1940's or earlier pre war pin machines. I am currently backlogged on works in progress for VPX 6.

Q. Do you play your own releases?
A. All the time. Especially when I'm bored or my health takes a downturn and I need something to pass the time. I enjoy all of them.

Q. What kind of machine are you using to make your tables?
A. A Dell Precision 7500 (50 pound server computer). 12 cores at 2.66GHz (two processors). An MSI/ATI GX Radeon 480 with 8GB of memory and 24GB of RAM on the motherboard. 7 hard drives; one SAS platter drive, one regular SATA platter drive. 5 are SSD. I use all this with Windows 7 64 bit OS.

I hope this answers a lot of questions I've been asked and if not, please feel free to post below or contact me via email. I am trying my best to get tables out (which many of you have been asking for more) but with my current health issues it has been slow. Please be patient and please give me time. I have some nice stuff coming and hope you'll like it. I will not go into specifics about my health since explaining it would not be a nice thing to read. Sorry about that.

Anyway, a bit more patience and time and you'll see the tables come. I'll see you on the "nudging" side of pre war pin machines and how much fun they really are.

Yes, I'll say it for those folks at the site that doesn't want to be named; "Long live flipperless and pre war machines forever".

Thanks guys.
 
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I have been asked three more questions that I'll answer here:

Q. Do you make tables for Future Pinball?
A. Nope. I have no desire to use FP or even try using it. Visual Pinball does everything just as well as FP. I've been using VP for 20 years so I have no desire to learn to use FP whatsoever. Perhaps in the future I may look at it.

Q. Do you play anything other than pre war pin machines or flipperless tables?
A. You betcha and I would be lying if I didn't. Some of my favorite flippered tables are Agents 777 by Gameplan, Firepower II by Williams and Xenon by Bally. Even Fireball has a place in my heart. I've gotten to play all these games in the past and still love them. Of course there are TONS of AWESOME flippered tables out there that I have not even played yet but hope to in the future.

Q. Have you or will you play any original tables from VP?
A. I already have and enjoy them as well. I've played tons of them and found tables by Kinsey and Starman's homebrew tables just a complete blast so I can tell you I still play these now and then too. I won't lie about that!

Thanks for the emails guys. Keep them coming as it's much appreciated.
 
I will always do these table justice by posting a Gameplay video and linking to the download here.
 
@druadic,
Got time for another question, Will?

I'm wondering what plunger tech you're using in your VPX tables. Me, I've played a couple VPX tables recently, and noticed that they're using (the default, I think?) plunger, in which you can only hold the launch key down and the plunger automatically moves further back with each moment, until the release.

Problem-- that's always been inadequate for tables that require more precise plunges, like for skill shots and for your flipperless games.

IIRC people have indeed come up with more realistic plunger models, but I don't remember who that was or what some example tables were. Any thoughts on all that?
 
@druadic,
Got time for another question, Will?

I'm wondering what plunger tech you're using in your VPX tables. Me, I've played a couple VPX tables recently, and noticed that they're using (the default, I think?) plunger, in which you can only hold the launch key down and the plunger automatically moves further back with each moment, until the release.

Problem-- that's always been inadequate for tables that require more precise plunges, like for skill shots and for your flipperless games.

IIRC people have indeed come up with more realistic plunger models, but I don't remember who that was or what some example tables were. Any thoughts on all that?
Ike,

I just use a BASIC setting of 0.25 usually. Works for me. Of course folks can change this to any setting they want once they download any table. I've no issues with folks playing around with settings for the reason folks have different needs to play they way they want.

Of course I prefer a nicer and more precise shot so I always change the setting to something that is visible to watch and more to control. For me anyway. If I can't see the plunger BARELY moving for more precise shots then it goes to fast for me.

PS: I found the plunger is less of a detail than nudging is when it comes to pre war pin machines but that's just me. I enjoy the nudging more than the plunging. :p
 
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A few more questions folks have asked:

Q: Do you use VPinMame with any of your tables?
A: Nope and never will. It's not needed. If the tables were newer than the 1950's I could pretty much understand but I don't work on those.

Q: What graphics programs do you use for your tables?
A: MS Paint (VERY basic paint program) and GIMP 2.10. MS Paint has been no issue since the beginning but GIMP can be quite a daunting program to use considering there are so many buttons, settings and other things I have barely dug into BUT - GIMP has no real color palette so MS Paint is needed to get the proper colors. I've been learning to use GIMP for over 5 years now and am STILL learning how to use it. I recently learned how to "feather" images onto transparent layers. At first this wasn't fun but now since I can really blend colors into existing images to sure looks so much nicer. You'll notice this when my new table releases come out. They look so much more realistic.

Q: Do you redraw all your play fields or do you use actual photograph images?
A: Both actually. If I can find a NICE, CLEAN AND CLEAR play field photograph I can use it. If not and I like the table enough I love to redraw them BUT - some of these older machines have very intricate colors and images that are very tough to replicate so sometimes this can take a long period of time to redraw. I've had numerous folks come to me with pictures of their machines and they ask me to make VP tables for them. I've been doing this for many years of course without telling anyone until now. To this day I STILL have folks come to me with this request.

Q: Have you released any other tables on other sites that are not available at Pinball Nirvana and Rogue Pinball?
A: Yes. What you see at Pinball Nirvana and Rogue Pinball is only a FRACTION of what I have made. There is one particular site that asked me to join them and make nothing but pre war pins for them but I cannot tell you the name. They are INVITE ONLY through members who actually own the machines I have made tables for in VP/VPX. I can't tell you what tables I have released at the "other site" but so you know it is TEN TIMES the amount Pinball Nirvana and Rogue Pinball have. I ALWAYS SHARE what I make, but the tables at this "unnamed site" can only be shared if I am allowed to do so with the permission of the original machine owner. It is a policy they have that I will not break out of respect. I would LOVE to share all those tables from there to Pinball Nirvana and Rogue Pinball but alas, I cannot. I won't break that trust. Rest assured that Pinball Nirvana and Rogue Pinball will NEVER be neglected when it comes to as many table creations I can make and release without the permission of this "not to be named" website AND - folks THINK they know the name but they don't. I've had folks tell me a name and not a single person has gotten close to figuring them out or even where they are located online. I also didn't even know they existed until I was invited to make tables for them. I have NO IDEA why they are so secretive on their existence but this is what they want and what I will respect.

Q: WHY do you make pre war pin machines or pinballs? WHAT is the attraction to them?
A: To be honest it's not only the simplicity of the machines themselves but they didn't need electricity, flippers, EM reels or any of that crap to make something that was amusing and fun for everyone. Oh please excuse the word "crap" as that's not exactly what I meant, but I find that these "oldie but goodie" machines just withstood the test of time. The simplicity, the elegant cabinet designs (which died after the 1950's) the simple but just gorgeous artwork and a simple, basic and downright NORMAL type of machine for everyone to have fun with. Of course this is how I feel about these machines but not everyone has the same sentiment. I can't blame them; they love what they do and I love what I do. I say power to ALL authors who make what they do and why. I'll just say RESPECT TO ALL AUTHORS no matter what you make. It's all cool and it's all for fun.

Q: You're never over at VP Forums. Reason?
A: Well for one folks over there have no desire to play pre war pin machines. Secondly, it's pretty much all cabs at this point. It USED to be a place to go for desktop releases but I just don't see it. Third, I've been chased off that site more times than I can count. I have NOTHING against the owner who is a really nice guy but some of the users over there have no respect for the older authors. Fourth, now and then I stop by to answer a post or something but that's about it. Fifth; you can find many of my older releases there but I don't support them.

Keep sending me more questions. I'll be glad to answer them to the best of my ability. Thanks!
 
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I was just asked by a few people:

Q: WHAT did you use for the pinheads on Boop-A-Doop? (Seems folks have issues with this as much I had in the past).

A: Primitives. I'll TRY to do a small tutorial on these asap to explain how they work. I'll try! These can be a bit confusing, but they are so much nicer to use and stay decent looking no matter where you place them - they just work so much better than walls.
 
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