Not an operator... I just play (badly). I really do not care for buy-in options on any game.

1) if you get a high score you will always have an * next to it. Maybe not on the marquee but mentally YOU know.
2) the delay caused by the buy-in option is just annoying if I'm never going to choose the option. And if there's some button sequence to bypass the wait, I'd end up pushing the wrong button and continuing the game or agree to gift all my credits to a super-mode.

When I play route games (and I do pretty regularly) I have a roll of quarters and that's it... when the roll is gone, it's gone. So, getting more money out of me is not going to happen. As for trying to spin this to the players advantage ...

My 2¢.
faz

I've never used the buy in option on a game, I feel like I need to accomplish the goal under the standard parameters of the settings or it doesnt count.

I'd rather use my quarters to start a new game then waste them for a ball on a game that the score (to me) is rendered invalid. I do approve of games that have this feature having a separate high scores board for buy in games, a few games do not so you can get the Grand Champ by buying in, I think that is ridiculous.

If it makes ops more money, go for it. If they did institute it I would hope for separate high score boards tho

I seem to recall that these didn't work well for operators as people would buy there way to a wizard mode then stop playing. I have routed games with buy a ball feature and always turned it off.

The first time I heard of it/saw it I thought it was a cheap tactic to try and squeeze out another quarter, seemed greedy. I wonder what a random non-pinhead person thinks of it. There is a place in Wyoming that has Replays set to give an extra ball instead, I think that is way stupid and I'd much rather have a 3 ball game than 1 more ball for a replay.

Regarding the tournament button hole, I bought the tournament button and installed it on my Star Trek just so it didnt have the plug there haha. If they used that spot for more useful things that would be cool.

EDIT: if anyone wants to get further in their game at home just set it up to 5 ball with extra balls turned on to max. Its essentially the same thing as buying in 2 more balls without the coding being there. Obviously this doesnt pertain to the route part of the question.

I have thought aboot this question a lot actually and your response is pretty much what I've been told as well

no but a safe cracker type option would be cool, get to a certain point in the game and you are given a token. Then insert the token to start at that point would be cool to play at your leisure eg finish all three ladders in ghostbusters and the coin gives you 1 x chance to play 3 balls at the wizard mode.

The buy-ins were generally 1/2 the game price right? If I was an OP I'd probably rather have them buy another full game. If a player is excited enough to reach into their pocket to continue playing, they'd probably pay for a whole game; unless you got them down to the change left in their pocket. If I had the option I don't think I would enable it.

I never use the buy in feature on my theater of magic. But others have.

If I was an operator I would want to compare sales. With and without.

It would seem like on location, it would be a good thing.

I would like it.

As an operator.

As a player I don't care, or like it. I pass and go for another full game, personally.

Options are good.

Question answered!

Really? That is surprising. I know my friends and I would use it on route back in the day. I would use it primarily when I was close to replay, then I would buy in and essentially get to play another ball (maybe more) for free or when I had played a long time and didn't want to play full games anymore I would just buy in to use that last credit. I'm sure I used it to get to a wizard mode before, but that never made me not want to try to get back there again on a 3 ball game. Buying in can be limited to 1-3 games, so if people really are buying their way to a wizard mode to stop playing, just limit it to one buy in. One ball really isn't going to be the difference maker to a casual person to see a wizard mode and pinball fans will keep playing anyway. If I was an operator I would want it available and turned on. I would always want the potential for a customer to pay full price for a single ball. That said, I am and was always a fan of separate high score boards for normal and buy in scores too.

That's interesting info. I would have thought it would earn more money, never considered the opposite effect.

As a player and collector I have no interest in this feature. As previously mentioned I don't like the delay and the potential to accidentally waste credits. It seems like the OP wants it and there are probably others that do as well. Maybe it could be like ticket dispensers - a button could be added by the operator and features turned on in the software for those that want it. It just don't want it to be standard like it was on some of the 90s BW games.

Like I said that's what I have been told, seems strange to me too.