I have a Gottlieb Hot Shot, 4 player EM.
I like the play of Pro Pool, the wedgehead single player better.
I've toyed with the idea of adding a switch to switch between the two rule sets.
Inserts are different, etc...but it would be a neat project.
--
Chris Hibler - CARGPB #31
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Stay tempted but don't do it, I think you'll find it's a lot more involved than that. It's easier to convert a multi player game to a single player because the rules are much simpler and more rules depth can be added in to work with a bonus unit if needed. A single player allows for more depth so the rules are already based on that.

When converting any single player to multi player type game, it has to reset after each ball played since you don't have memory from player to player. I don't remember Golden Arrow having a bonus count so modifying it to multi player with the game resetting after each ball for another player to step in might be a bad idea. Basically, you'll end up with a really low scoring game most of the time.

As Chris (above) knows, normally, I love EM hacks but I don't think it'll translate well. I applaud your efforts and look forward to seeing your progress should you proceed.

Steve

DF David Gottlieb is turning in his grave and other noted purists are in despair at the time of year for joy & celebration!!

Joker Poker EM and Golden Arrow are both good games that should be left as-is IMO. Any spare Heads or Cabinets from those games should be used to raise yet another good EM of the same from the dead.

If you want a real project why not turn a trashed Gottlieb Magotron or a Wild Life into a single player and make it more fun while your it.

Ken

I wouldn't do it, especially if the choice of machine is based on games that may not have the greatest respect. If there's one thing that I've learnt it's that one persons or many peoples opinions aren't necessarily what I'm going to think. Now if you built one out of a bunch of non distinguishable wrecks of whatever games that IMO would be a good place to hang some parts. Opening the conversion door in your mind is quite a thought provoker though, I can see how ones mind could come up with a lot of cool ideas.

now come on!! i am rather intrigued by this idea... even if "we" don't do an actual conversion, it would be fun to figure it out...

Jungle King is a wedgehead with a Bonus count...

it would not be easy but if you were willing to put in the time very doable
i believe you are the guy for the job though
i wouldn't try it a popular title rather on a sub par machine

Dirt you're about as purist as anyone I know, but also one of those guys that is sharp enough to pull this off. If one could procure an orphaned head that could be swapped in temporarily for the experiment, why not. I think most of us here are ok with easily reversible mods. It would be great fun to go to a show and see a single player Joker Poker EM.

What I found Joker Poker really needed was a drop target reset during each ball in play. After you knock them all down, there really isn't much left to do. They addressed this with the solid state version. It is what it is.

I am not real familiar with Golden Arrow other than it bored me so I can't comment on its re-creation. I know a friend that loves the carry over feature of Scuba as a 2 player.

However, I think a good alternative to your idea would be to find a Late model Wedge head that is thrashed (or even a multi player if you want to do a bit more hacking) and then locate a Solid State Joker Poker Playfield. And then begin the metamorphosis from there. It would be a challenge but would be interesting to see the end result. It may help the project to go over the relay logic of other late single player Drop Target games or even sequence games and see if the relay logic is mostly there for the drop target feature. Drop targets themselves serve to replace a large bank used for rollover or target sequences. Perhaps a Card Whiz or Royal Flush would be the best bottom cabinet donner as it pretty much already supports most of the card scan bonus feature. And Thrashed Royal Flushes are plentiful out there.

A friend of mine plans to transplant a Jacks Open into the classic wedge head cabinet without the recessed door. He can't stand that late model cabinet and doesn't want it to be the only game in his wedge head line-up. He is starting with a badly weathered original cabinet so it really doesn't matter if he is doing a repaint of the deep or the shallow cabinet.

I have a Top Card with a 10 Backglass, a 9.5 cabinet but a 4.5 playfield. And Top Cards with nice playfields don't show up reasonably priced in So Cal. I was given a Drop A Card playfield and I have already mapped out all the necessary logic changes to put the Drop A Card into the Top Card. The only problem (besides time) is the 4 digit vs. 5 Digit scoring. I also plan to modify the rules to be a bit more like an Add A Ball as far as target reset goes. I also want to put 3" flippers on the DAC. After all, if you are going to Frankenstein something, why not go all out! It would be easy to drop the Top Card playfield back in and remove the mods if a nice playfield ever came my way.

Jumping Jack / Jack in the Box is one game I would like to have seen in a Single Player format. While I love King Pin, I love the Jack games better. However, as they sit, it is a game you can actually complete the drop targets multiple times in 1 Ball. Therefore, you would probably have to adapt the idea of first time down, "award something" 2nd time down, "award something better" and then 3rd and each additional time down, award Replay/Special.

Of course Lawman/Sheriff, which I prefer over Atlantis, already exists as a Wedge Head (Texas Ranger) albeit a very rare export. And, I don't see much benefit in changing a Multiplayer game like Fast Draw, over to single player.

With Joker Poker, I think you have selected the 2nd best Title to attempt such a conversion. The first would be to take a SS Count Down and make a Single Player Space Walk out of it. Both, based on the current value of each of the EM counterparts. The effort would probably be greatly rewarded financially if it were ever done.

Could be worse. He could be trying to turn an EM into a f*cking solid state game.

Yes High Hand would certainly work as a multi player but I reckon its great as a single player. Ok the targets don't reset and drains are plentiful but in many respects its my favourite machine.

c37 would of been a better multi player game imo
jet spin would of been cool as a wedgehead

Yes Super Spin/Jet Spin would be a great donor as a wedgehead and I think plenty around. I cant figure out a backglass though

We're really thinking "outside the box" today aren't we?

yes shay ran very small run of space walk all were sold prior to the run

289176-i.jpg

they were not the normal price either if I recall shay charged 575 per glass and it only had a 6 glass run

Looks to me like Mustang would be the best Donner game to begin a EM countdown/Space Walk. While it may take some interesting relay/stepper logic to support the 2X-5X bonus multiplier, a good majority of the other support logic is already there. It appears the score reels should line up okay.

I wonder if there were any NOS Space Walk playfields in the stuff Steve got from archives of Mondial/Premier? If there were, I am sure they have long since been installed in actual S/W games. But might mean there are some used pulls out there somewhere????

Not as much as you might think, Wayner. My reputation as a purist aside, there are some headless and bodyless games out there that would only be used for parts otherwise. A "Frankenstein" experiment which could put those games to use doesn't upset me. I have a headless "Pleasure Isle". I toyed with the idea of making a single player wedgehead out of it. Now THAT would be cool!
Many years ago, my brother had a headless "Ice Revue". He managed to find a lightbox insert for an
"Ice Show". He got an empty backbox, and cobbled together a working pin. It had an "IR" backglass in it. Eventually he got an "Ice Revue" lightbox insert and made the game right, but he was able to enjoy a "Frankenstein Ice Thing" for a while in the interim.

I think I'll "pass" on that experiment!

I typed "doner" and a red line appeared below it. I added another N and the red line went away. So I moved on........ Guess I needed one more "o" and one less "e".

A-gu-gu-gu....

--
Chris Hibler - CARGPB #31
ttp://www.Team-EM.com
http://webpages.charter.net/chibler/Pinball/index.htm
htp://www.PinWiki.com - The Place to go for Pinball Repair Info