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(Topic ID: 54588)

Are 90s DMDs aging poorly? Trying to assemble a top 3 for basement arcade.

By Russell

10 years ago

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77 posts
49 Pinsiders participating
Latest reply 10 years ago by PinballMolly
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#2 10 years ago

RAS

Well, I think you need to switch your judgment of what a good machine is by how it looks. Sure, the DMD is important, but most importantly is how fun the machine is for you to play. Personally, I really like the DMD displays and the creativity that the programmers had/have. I think LCD's look odd in a pin, but, I'm sure that will change as the devs come up to speed with that technology.

Pick games you like to play, not games high on the list or ultimately you will be disappointed with anything you choose. Along with an empty wallet...

Personally, some of the system 11 machines are my favorites, with the 'basic' alphanumeric displays, the devs really pushed the limits of those too.

#22 10 years ago

RAS

Matt_Rasmussen

Pinside member

11y 64,300 2,388

OP
Quoted from Russell:
I agree that the most important factor is how a game plays. I specifically stated that I didn't like EMs despite loving the art. MM and MB are definitely super fun games. I simply think that, due to the now dated-looking DMDs, they won't age well once newer technology takes over. This, coupled with the current exorbitant prices for these "top-tier" 90s era DMD machines, is making me rethink my list. I certainly wish I could've played WOZ, but the lines were VERY long. I am not sure about AC/DC. I love the band, but I'll bet those songs would get old quickly in a small collection. I did play Spider Man recently at Eric's, a bar in Breckenridge. It was definitely fun, but it was sitting next to AC/DC, LOTR and Transformers. I found myself returning to AC/DC and LOTR more than Spider Man or Transformers. Also, I played Iron Man recently at a local movie theater, and found it to be VERY fun. Not crazy about the theme, though.

i personally think that this 'new technology' will never take over.

#32 10 years ago

RAS

Matt_Rasmussen

Pinside member

11y 64,300 2,388

Quoted from Evoga:
I too find the pinball world bizarre coming into it from the home gaming and arcade scene. It is very user unfriendly with old fashioned dmd screens and to the beginner it is impossible to work out how to play them with lights just flashing everywhere.
You really have to put time into them to work out the rules which for arcade use means people just won't waste quarters on it.

I'm afraid to say, if you don't like that, pinball isn't for you. It can be a very complex game if you want it to be. Unlike video games which can be beaten once and boring to play again. Pinball can be played for fun, or to squeeze every possible point on the best way to stack 'stuff' together to maximize points etc.

I think it's somewhat a reflection of today's society of impatience.

#42 10 years ago

RAS

Matt_Rasmussen

Pinside member

11y 64,300 2,388

I think there is more of an availability factor why sys 11 machines are going up in price, but I also think people are realizing how fun those classic games really are. Some, if not most, of my favorite games are sys 11, or early DMD around the same era.

#54 10 years ago

RAS

Matt_Rasmussen

Pinside member

11y 64,300 2,388

OP
Quoted from Russell:
No, from my experience with vids, I fully understand that this collection will not be static. I know it will evolve over time. I'm just trying to establish a nice starting point. As a matter of fact, I spent all afternoon playing pinball. I played: T2, Metallica, Tron, Indiana Jones, AC/DC, X-Men, Getaway 2, Spider-Man and Dirty Harry. I have a lot of reviewing to do.

Awesome, HS2 (getaway) is one of my favorites of all time. Of that list I'd take a MET, SM, and DH. Never been a big fan of ACDC, game is fun, but it's so much about the music that I would never fully enjoy it.

#58 10 years ago

RAS

Matt_Rasmussen

Pinside member

11y 64,300 2,388

Quoted from roc-noc:
We had a vid collection with about 20 great classics that we kept at work in the mid 1990s. Was forced to liquidate it in 1997. It was great while we had them but I had not yet discovered pins.
I had always planned to build that arcade again when I had the space and could afford it. Funny thing happened when I finally could afford it. I had a Galaga, added a stand up Joust, but then I bought an RFM on Ebay. Figured a vid/pin combination could be cool. Since I had to travel about 8 hours to pick it up, the seller offered me 2 more pins from his collection for a full van load. I did some research and chose TZ and TAF.
4 years later I still have the same two vids but my pin collection has grown to about 65 machines.
What can I say, I'm addicted. Pinball is art in motion. I love the speed, I love the sounds, I love the lights. I love the action.
And my point is, that when you buy art, you don't look for the picture with the highest resolution. You buy art that moves you. Like Picasso, Warhol, Monet, ... old school artists that tug at you.
So forget about the latest and greatest technology. It may be cool but this is not a computer and we are not concerned about MIPS or FLOPS. This is PINBALL.

Very well said, kudos to you my friend!

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