VP8 Bally SS Recreation Playboy se Released v1.0se VPM 2020-01-28

[shiva]

Merry Christmas.

I am pleased to announce that Playboy se is now available for Visual Pinball and VPinMAME. This is a completely new version, so I hope people get some enjoyment from it. Please make sure you read the text file included with the file, as there are several custom options available, all designed to modify settings and allow fine tuning the play style and speeds of the game. There's also a experimental system that controls ball behavior and a better gravity effect, though it's a basic beginning version.
here's a copy of the read me file included:

PlayBoy se
by shiva
version VPM.1
December 2005

* Playboy *
Bally
IPD No. 1823
rom name: playboy

Date Of Manufacture: December 9, 1979
Design by: Jim Patla
Art by: Paul Faris

* PLAYBOY se Version *
- se version by: p.d.sanderson (shiva)
- Orginal versions: Mad Gun, Jouster, Gaston and Guittar (ocx version) Scapino (3.1 version)
- IPDB Info: http://www.ipdb.org/machine.cgi?id=1823

* Copyright *
This game in whole or in part, including all custom script code, layout or graphics may not be duplicated in any form or made available in other tables without the express written permission of the author. This table or any contents within is not to be distributed, sold, modified or offered for sale in any form or format other than by the author of Playboy se.
This program is free for all to use and enjoy
The author claims artistic copyright on all custom portions of this file, including layout, graphics and script code that were made exclusively for this file. Unauthorized reproduction and/or distribution in whole or in part is strictly forbidden.
Exclusive content, design and graphics are copyright 2005 by Paul D. Sanderson.
Playboy copyright - Playboy
All Rights reserved.

Thanks to the authors for the previous versions.
Thanks to Destruk for the code help
Thanks to Joxer for the sharpest eyes in the community and the honest opinions during the graphics stage
Thanks to Pacdude for the light fade script used in this game for the light object control, as well as the menu system I based mine on.

* To play this game *

This table is computer intensive. If you have a slower computer, or have problems with this table stuttering during game play, you can adjust the table settings by pressing F6. Bally sound emulation is quite intensive, so try different settings. Note that this also affects some rules in the game as well.

If you have a slow computer, you can also hit F1 and change the synclevel setting to match the refresh rate of your monitor, usually 60. VPinmame will ignore any yieldtime settings if it's over a value of 0 for synclevel, so there's no need to adjust the yieldtime settings. Yieldtime is automatically set to 1, but you can switch it off in the F6 menu.

Place the VPT file in your Tables folder. Make sure you have the proper vbs files included in the same folder as this game. (This era of Bally games uses the Bally.vbs file) Also make sure you have the playboy.zip file in the roms folder. You can find the rom file at the IPDB site, just make sure it's the 6 digit rom file, and not the 7 digit hacked file, as Playboy se only supports the orginal 6 digit scoring display.

* Keys *
The keys are set to default as set in the Preferences menu in the Visual Pinball Editor.

Note that depending on the pin settings, (adjustable with the F6 menu) the coin in key will give either 1 credit, or if you have it on maximum settings, 7 credits are given. Additional keys used by Playboy se:

"F6" key - Change the pin settings and sound
"7" key - Operators menu controlled by the rom
'R" key - Rules and copyright/table info.

* The F6 Menu *
Pressing the F6 key will call up a menu that adjusts the various play settings for the game by simulating the settings of the actual dip switches. The Menu layout is modified from Incochnito's version for better display purposes, as well as the addition of more options for game play. The game will read the same settings as what the other versions are set to, as they share the same file, but Playboy se has additional options, and it will be stored in that file.

The standard options as written by Incochnito are pretty self explanatory, but Playboy se adds a 4th column for it's exclusive options. Other versions of this table will not display or use these options, but will use the shared options from the first 3 columns. Below is a list of the Playboy se options, and a brief description:

* Table Specific Options *

The first group handles settings for your computer. If you have a slower computer, certain features that don't affect game play can be set off, and generally will reduce the load on your computer, so you can avoid slow down problems.

- Disable All Lights: generic testing, this stops all lights from turning on. This is mainly a debugging feature, and not very useful

- Disable Fading Light Effect: Playboy se uses the stacked light technique, to simulate a glow in/glow out effect with the lights when they turn on and off. You can switch this off if you have a slow computer and have slow down problems, but the load on the computer is minimal if you have it on.

- Enable VPM Display: This turns on the standard default VPM scoring display if you have a problem displaying the reel image display system and can not view the score. Deselect this option if you wish the display to be off

- Disable Reel Display: Some graphic cards have problems displaying reels in Visual Pinball, usually ATI based cards. People with this problem get a white blank image instead of the actual digits. Always check with the ATI web site for the latest drivers for your graphics card, as new drivers have been released that fixes this problem with some models. If you still have this problem, selecting this will disable the reel display completely (assuming I did it right of course, I do not have the bug, so it's rather hard to test) If you want the score to be displayed, select the "Enable VPM Display" for the standard VPinMAME display instead. Note that you can have both the reels and the VPM display running at the same time. You may need to exit the game and restart for this to take effect.

- Disable YieldTime: If you have a faster computer, you can disable YieldTime, which helps prevent slow down on slower, older computers. It is recommended that you disable yieldtime if you don't need it, as it may slow down a faster computer. YieldTime is set to "1" by default.

* Gameplay Specific Options*

The second group are specialized settings for the game play itself. Because the table is locked, you can not adjust elements of the game play, so this section handles that, as well as enable or disable specialized features. Because of the nature of this system, it's actually easier and faster to adjust the settings than through the script, and there's a wide range of combinations as well.

Because of the way Visual Pinball handles physics, there are some real world type problems in terms of game play in comparison to the actual arcade game. Playboy se not only has adjustments for the general speed of the game (slope) and flipper strength, but also has code to shape game play to be more accurate to the actual game. This isn't just a effect on speed, because it also adds a gravity effect as well, which changes the behavior of the ball in relationship with the ball's interaction with various objects, and table slope.

If all 4 options are unchecked, this is the default, or "balanced" version, but selecting a option (or all for that matter) will change the behavior of the game greatly. Because you can mix and match your selections, you have a wide range of settings for game play, from very slow to VERY fast, and almost completely different ball hit/game play behavior.

Please note that only if all the selections are unchecked are the balanced game as I intended. Because of all the combinations, and the changes it makes, I was able to do only a rough balance, as there are roughly over 40 different combinations, not including the shared pin settings. This is a experimental system, and you may find some problems depending on the selections you have.

All 4 options un-selected will give you the slowest game play, but as balanced as possible. Each selection will increase the overall speed as well, so all 4 options selected will play VERY fast. You can experiment with these options, and adjust the game to your liking.

- Disable Play Balance Code: The layout for Playboy se was balanced as much as possible, but this option will disable the SCRIPT based code that was used to fine tune the game play/ball behavior and to work around the physics problems that Visual Pinball has. This not only will affect speed, but also how the ball moves around the table, as well as gravity based simulation code for areas like the grotto kicker. Because a new version of Visual Pinball may be released, with reports of far better physics, that new version may cause certain aspects of this system to change, and game play may be badly affected as a result. Selecting this option will turn off the additional code if that should happen, or you want faster behavior with ball flow, movement, or behavior.

- Disable Plunger Speed Control: By default (de-selected) a coded system is in place that simulates a gravity effect for the plunger. Though it's a lot more realistic than the standard plunger, you can disable this feature if you wish to have a higher force with a plunger pullback. If you have "Steeper Table Slope" selected, there is a third force setting for the plunger speed coded in, so you have basically 4 different plunger force settings. If you have "Disable Play Balance Code" de-selected, the ball behavior will change after a plunger shot slightly as well.

- Steeper Table Slope: Increases the table slope from the standard settings. Early Bally SS tables were electromechanical tables with digital scoring, and never that fast in comparison with the modern games. This is like adjusting the back legs of a actual game higher, so game play will be faster. If "Disable Play Balance Code" is selected, the game will play even faster, though the game may be more wild and unbalanced as a result. If you wish to have just a slightly faster speed than the defaults, leave "Disable Play Balance Code" de-selected, while selecting this option.

- Stronger Flippers: Like Steeper Table Slope, another speed option. The flippers are a lot stronger with this selected, so shots are a lot faster from the flippers. Note that the game is balanced with this DE-SELECTED, and you may or may not find playability problems with certain features, especially if all the other options are selected. You have been warned...

You can view the full sized screenshot (1280 by 1024) here (click the picture to get a full sized image):
http://img393.imageshack.us/my.php?image=pb1225054jj.jpg

The table file (5753 KB) is available at the below link, but may be subject to being removed after a period of time, so better get it while you can. The table file and full screenshot is available at my personal site: http://www.shivasite.byethost22.com/

shiva's Playboy has been added to the VPM download section, so the attached table file has been removed from this post. The link to the table download is:

http://www.pinballnirvana.com/index.php?name=UpDownload&req=viewsdownload&sid=39

edit: Updated credits and thank you's
edit2: Chanaged the link

 

[StevOz]

Thanks blue, though you may want to check that upload, I think you may have uploaded the wrong version, check your PMs. Also we really need to get this upload sorted here, anybody should be able to upload.

Merry Christmas.

 

[shiva]

Thanks, I looked at it, and decided to just replace it, and then checked it by downloading again and running it in VP, so it should have no problems now.

 

[Petri]

Thanks for release,Shiva.
Looks stunning. :thumright:
D'loading it right now and
Merry X-mas all.

 

[Phoenixx]

Id like to mention a few things if im allowed:

1.) Gameplay -
Seems a bit too 'unforgiving' at times in comparison to the real machine.
This is probably due to the fact that a VP/VPM table will never have the correct proportions due to slightly different positions of objects, which in this case seems to affect the overall gameplay experience a lot more than it usually does on other tables.
Also it 'feels' totally different than what i remember from the real machine. What i actually mean is hard to explain in words, because it is more a subjective feeling, but simplified expressed i would say that the ball often tends to take strange and totally unexpected ways as it deflects from certain positions of certain objects, and some objects in general.
This can also often lead to drains when it almost certainly wouldnt have drained on a real machine.
IMO tweaking the table to get it closer to the real machines behavior and 'feel' is still neccessairy, because at the moment it doesnt match what i remember from the real machine at all.
Of course im not saying that it plays bad, not at all, just totally different and much more unforgiving than i, personally, remember the real machine.


2.) The first key in the upper row -
I played about 15 five-ball games and didnt make it once.


3.) The White Lights -
Almost all of the white lights on the table (including bumpers and rolloverlane caps, etc.) are almost snow-white, which makes them look almost 'blinding'. (Most of all the slingshot areas.)
The table would gain another full 100% of realism if the white lights were made more yellowish, like they are on a real machine when lit from the yellowish bulb underneath. (See attached screenshot for a direct-comparison.)
As you can see, these bulbs are also rather 'weak' in comparison (as in they do not shine very bright) which means they should not look like a yellow 1000W neon tube (so to speak) when applied.




Hope it is O.K. with you when i speak my mind so honestly,...this is of course not remotely meant to put your table down in any way,...its just what i observed and thought when i played it,...:)

Merry Christmas, and thanks for still spending your time and effort to make tables.

 

[PacDude]

It looks great, Shiva. Merry Christmas.

 

[shiva]

Thanks

Phoenixx, your points are noted, but, they are also wrong to a certain degree. You didn't take into account that lens covers age and yellow over time, if you look at the flyer (which is what I based my colors on), and images of restored games with replacement proper Bally white caps, the lights were a strong white, with a ever so slightly tinge of light yellow at the edges.
I can see why though, i had about 100 images to base things from, and they were all different (In fact, they varied quite wildly in color, especially the pink and blue main colors)

As to the 1 key, just change the setting. I can get it with the plunger, and my version is set to 1 and 4 key tied in, which is what I remember my game as having. The grotto kicker will make that everyonce in a while as well (it's a random force)

As to feel, that's the way I remember it, and it is switchable in the menu as well. If you select and deselect the options in Gameplay Specific Options (F6) you will notice that the extra gravity effect can be switched off (Disable Play Balance Code) as VP was worked out to have a gravity of about 60% actual earth gravity, while this system adds up to a additional 20%. Just find the combination you like.

The layout was as accurate as I could make it. I had a stripped image, t-nutted and drilled, that's what I based the object locations on, before I drew the graphics based on it. It may be off, ever so slightly, as I assumed that things like the posts had the holding screw at a slight angle into the wood, I assumed they were straight.

The combination of VP behavior, and the fact that Playboy had the largest drain lanes I can remember for a bally, concerned me a bit. People are so use to VPM games being far to easy, and I remembered those lanes. That could be said to be a flaw from Bally, a wide open lane at the left, that worked out to be around 4 times the width of the ball, and a straight horizontal right drain (as opposed to a angled downward lane like Star Trek) so the game was designed to hit the woods at the drain with nothing to bounce off. If I designed it, I would have placed the bottom post at the left more towards the center, so it protected the drain, as the entire design angle on that side points downward directly into the drain.

I did consider it, but decided instead to move the bottom post down a bit more. It does drain a lot though, but it happens from the top bumper as well, nothing you can do about that. (Happened a bit in the real game, my hands were usually red and painful after playing the game from having to hit the side all the time)

 

[Phoenixx]

O.K.,...)


But i have a question,...
Would it be O.K. with you if i use your posts and the rubbers and the caps of the rolloverlanes (and maybe one or two other parts) in another table,...?

(BTW, I think your objects there would really make a nice Object-Template-Kit,...i really LOVE these rubbers, for example...)

Im asking because i finally have a bit motivation for VP stuff again (which i didnt have anymore at all after doing FirePhoenix back then) and id like to use some of your objects to make a more decent version of NitroGroundShaker, which has been my very first try with VP back then, and which looks almost embarassing to me now when i look at it,...
And your objects would fit perfectly in this case, because the design of the posts, rolloverlane caps, etc. are matching 100% as far as i can see,...(maybe all that i had to do was a recoloring job here and there),...

If you do not want your objects being (mis-)used in any other table just say NO and its accepted,...(of course),... )

Thank You.

 

[Liteuser.]

Looks nice shiva

I've had no luck getting the table yet , download gets to halfway and stops but I will keep trying. I've had this problem before (slow connection) I just need to keep trying. I'm sure I'll get the table. Thanks :)

 

[tiltjlp]

Looks nice shiva

I've had no luck getting the table yet , download gets to halfway and stops but I will keep trying. I've had this problem before (slow connection) I just need to keep trying. I'm sure I'll get the table. Thanks :)

You might want to consider using Opera as you browser Liteuser. It has a built in download manager, and when I was on dial-up, it never failed to allow me to resume paused or broken downloads. Others might work too, but Opera is the only Browser based one I have ever used. Non-browser based download managers never worked very well for me.

John

 

[shiva]

the posts are easy enough, a redish gradient, a second gradiant at a different angle, and faded in, and I used a distinct pattern to define the glow. PacDude's table has a similar effect (more than likely where I got the idea from) but I believe it uses a gradient with several colors, with a white glow effect. Anyone can make it in photoshop if they take the time to learn.

Caps and rubbers though are made custom for each rubber, and they are not useable the way I use to do it for other tables, as they are "fitted" now. In other words, the graphics are custom made for each table, and for each rubber piece, including rings, and dependant on lighting as well (they have shadows on them from the post, but VP's lower resolution doesn't show it well) it's a new process I'm using and trying to develop further, a lot more work, but far better results.
Most of the parts are made from scratch, because other than target buttons, most of the parts were different sizes and widths from year to year, so the companies could make money in after sales, or their 3rd party suppliers changed tooling in the factory etc. No set sizes mean that new graphics have to be made, which is just as fast, and better looking than rescaling a image. Besides, it's more fun this way. :)
Try download accelerator lite. Free version doesn't have all the fancy features, but it works well. Look for it at download.com. This website I have had no problems, but then not sure if there are resume capabilities with this site either

 

[Liteuser.]

Thanks guys

I have Opera , firefox and download accelerator and tried them all. Since download resume is being listed as not supported for this and a few other sites, I cant resume a broken download however I did get the table, 5th time was a charm. Plays great here thanks.

 

[tiltjlp]

Thanks guys

I have Opera , firefox and download accelerator and tried them all. Since download resume is being listed as not supported for this and a few other sites, I cant resume a broken download however I did get the table, 5th time was a charm. Plays great here thanks.

Glad you finally got it, but it seems odd you had all that trouble and I never had a bit of trouble resuming DL with Opera anywhere. Guess I'm just lucky.

John

 

[shiva]

Updated top post, as I forgot to properly thank Joxer. know him since the early days (before vp came out, when vpm was called wpcMAME) and like me a old time arcade op, so he really helps me in fine tuning the graphics, and hunting for improvements. Couldn't ask for a better second pair of eyes.