CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Stern, 2008It's cool to see so many posts lately about my favorite Lawlor pin, CSI. Let's use this thread to share discussions about strategy, tweaks, mods, gripes and brags. I've done a playfield swap on mine; I need to post pics!
Here are a few suggested topics to start:
- orbit posts: friend or foe?
- common problems and fixes (e.g. ball hangs)
I had a ball hang on the magnet in the Microscope shot. I started by trying to adjust the magnet under the playfield, but then decided that job was over my head. So instead, I built up layers of mylar on the magnet until the problem went away.
I also had a ball hang at the DNA drop targets. This one was really easy to fix: there are 2 screws for adjusting the height of the targets.
Have you done any tweaking to make CSI more fun (like TFA's orbit trick)? I adjusted the metal guide at the bottom of the right orbit, so that the ball doesn't bounce off the slingshot when it comes down the right side.
I adjusted the right orbit as well. I never understand it when the orbits don't feed the flippers on games. I guess it's to help them earn.
I gave the black rubber surface of the centrifuge a good cleaning. CSI gets real dirty from the rubber (check you shooter lane!) and this helps alot.
I LED'd all inserts with ablaze 3's from PBL. Almost no ghosting, and what is there is negligible. GI is a mix of stuff. I think CT frosted look best, but I mainly used what I had. Used some UVs (flex and retros) towards the back for some nice effects.
Put a red flasher under the DNA lab. So when the gun fires it draws blood!
Green undercab lighting. Green translucent shooter rod.
I have some small gripes about CSI, and was wondering if anyone had workarounds for these.
1. When I shoot the left spinner, the up-post often comes up just in time to launch the ball into the glass and on top of the centrifuge. It's rather alarming. 
2. The DNA lab scoop has a lot of bounce-outs when shot with the right flipper. Pretty much the only way to stick it is from the left flipper.
3. I wish the centrifuge drained in some other direction. It's not too bad though, maybe one SDTM for every 10 centrifuge drains. Definitely a risk/reward thing.
4. The right orbit is just about impossible to hit on purpose.
I'm guessing the answer to 3 and 4 is "play better".
I have a CSI. Will never get rid of it. (My wife won't let me).
I like the game, but it really, really feels like a missed opportunity.
It COULD have had this great "solve the mystery" angle to it...kind of like a modern-day WhoDunnit, or something. Instead, I'm collecting evidence and lighting things in the center of the playfield for no real reason.
Really...WhoDunnit was the perfect murder-solving model for this. CSI could have been awesome - - You could head down this path to collect evidence, or another path to question a suspect, or whatever.
Don't get me wrong...I LIKE the game. It's kind of a throwback to a simpler era...like a System 11, or something. It's got some cool toys, and is a quick pick-up-and-play game where you just have a lot of fun.
There just isn't much there outside of what you see on the surface. After a few plays, you've kind of seen everything the game has to offer. There is no "deeper layer" that you stumble across....like there is in many other games of the era.
Still, the skull lock and centrifuge are cool, the sounds are well done, and the shots are pretty satisfying.
Pete
Quoted from swampfire:4. The right orbit is just about impossible to hit on purpose.
Holy crap...yes.
The "deeper layers" of CSI are definitely the MBs. I've never completed Skull MB or Microscope MB. Microscope MB is pretty much a wizard mode in itself. I've been within a few shots of finishing, but never completed it. It takes really good aim and planning (priming the Centrifuge and DNA for add-a-balls).
I've started using MindMaps to create simple schematics of pinball rules, and I think CSI may be as complex as IM, just not as easy to access. Not many people get to hear "Bullet Jackpot!", for example.
Quoted from bellbrand:A wanna be that's want to be in the club... Anyone selling?
CSI fans are also welcome on this thread. Good luck with the hunt!
Another happy CSI owner checking in! I really enjoy the unique/strange layout, excellent toys, straight-forward yet fun ruleset, beautiful cab and playfield art, great music/sounds/dots/lightshow, and quirky sense of humor that captures the theme so very well. My wife and I are fans of the show, so that definitely helps our enjoyment of the pin. I can understand how non-fans might just not get it.
It's a shame so many people have never played it and automatically assume that it sucks. I have brought mine to MGC a few times to give people a chance to try it out. I have had many people tell me how much they enjoyed it and how much better it is than the "popular opinion" makes it sound. Whatcha gonna do...hater's gonna hate.
The only mods I have done are added cliffy posts. The previous owner put in LED flashers which really put on a heck of a show...especially at skull multiball start. Great stuff. I was also lucky enough to buy one with the ultra-rare Matt McKee topper. From what I hear he only made 10 of them.
Quoted from swampfire:I have some small gripes about CSI, and was wondering if anyone had workarounds for these.
1. When I shoot the left spinner, the up-post often comes up just in time to launch the ball into the glass and on top of the centrifuge. It's rather alarming.
2. The DNA lab scoop has a lot of bounce-outs when shot with the right flipper. Pretty much the only way to stick it is from the left flipper.
3. I wish the centrifuge drained in some other direction. It's not too bad though, maybe one SDTM for every 10 centrifuge drains. Definitely a risk/reward thing.
4. The right orbit is just about impossible to hit on purpose.
I'm guessing the answer to 3 and 4 is "play better".
1) Not sure on this one...I haven't had this problem. Is the post actually triggered by the spinner, or is there a switch closer to the post? If there is a switch, you could try making it a bit more sensitive which should make the post pop a little sooner.
2) If I remember right, there is a small amount of play where the scoop is mounted under the playfield. Try loosening up the screws and pushing the scoop back as far as you can while you retighten the screws. That hair of extra room might make a difference. I still get a few bounce-outs but not nearly as many since doing that.
3) I believe I read somewhere that Borg added the center post (between the flippers) specifically because of the centrifuge drains. Of course it has to be a perfectly centered drain for that to work!
4) Can't help you there...that shot is nearly impossible for me too. I think the geometry makes in almost unshootable.
I do agree with pmWolf that some really cool and crazy things could have been done with the rules on this pin. I am happy with what we have, but it could have been pretty epic.
Quoted from swampfire:The "deeper layers" of CSI are definitely the MBs. I've never completed Skull MB or Microscope MB. Microscope MB is pretty much a wizard mode in itself. I've been within a few shots of finishing, but never completed it. It takes really good aim and planning (priming the Centrifuge and DNA for add-a-balls).
I've started using MindMaps to create simple schematics of pinball rules, and I think CSI may be as complex as IM, just not as easy to access. Not many people get to hear "Bullet Jackpot!", for example.
Absolutely! The overall ruleset may be simple, but the multiball rules are pretty deep. I have also only completed centrifuge multiball. I think I have been close on skull, but no where near finishing microscope. At this point I can't imagine completing them all in one game. The stacking opportunities are also pretty awesome.
Quoted from Jediturtle:Absolutely! The overall ruleset may be simple, but the multiball rules are pretty deep. I have also only completed centrifuge multiball. I think I have been close on skull, but no where near finishing microscope. At this point I can't imagine completing them all in one game. The stacking opportunities are also pretty awesome.
The Multiball inserts by the flippers light up if you finish the MB, right? I had Centrifuge lit so I guess I finished it...lol. So - does anything happen when you light all 3?
Quoted from Rarehero:The Multiball inserts by the flippers light up if you finish the MB, right? I had Centrifuge lit so I guess I finished it...lol. So - does anything happen when you light all 3?
From http://www.pinballnews.com/games/csi/index6.html:
"When you've got to the required levels in the three multiballs and all three multiball inserts are lit, the inserts in front of the bullet scoop strobe to indicate something good is available there. Shoot the scoop and you'll get a wizard points award of 50M"
Quoted from swampfire:From http://www.pinballnews.com/games/csi/index6.html:
"When you've got to the required levels in the three multiballs and all three multiball inserts are lit, the inserts in front of the bullet scoop strobe to indicate something good is available there. Shoot the scoop and you'll get a wizard points award of 50M"
Yup...shoot the scoop is the extent of the wizard mode (or so I have read...LOL!). I guarantee that if I ever actually get that lit, I will drain instantly without collecting it. That's just how I roll. LOL!
TFA, I think you posted in another thread that you'd gotten some scores near 100M. Was that on 5-ball or 3-ball? I don't think I've cracked 50M yet.
Quoted from Jediturtle:I was also lucky enough to buy one with the ultra-rare Matt McKee topper.
Pix or......
Swampfire re: orbits posts- disable them and apply my blue nubs and velcro squares mod! re: right orbit...play better! In all seriousness, it's very hard but totally make-able. And it advances the pops value by 1K..up to 10K. Serious points action.
RareHero: half of the thumb print on mine was rubbed out. I agree it's cool....but mine wasn't anymore. Probably from being routed awhile. I was told it was only routed a few weeks (when Mike Pupo owned it, had it in his shop), and it was also taken to the Allentown pin show one or two years...but HUO for the last few years.
pmwolf: I agree with everything you said re: solving a mystery
Bullet and Microscope Multiball are awesome. I've never finished them either. Come so close a few times...VERY gut wrenching to fail after coming close.
Here's a link to TFA's thread:
http://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/csi-better
Yeah, I will definitely try this. And I LOVE the blood in the test tube effect!
Oh yeah, another gripe...the "blue" inserts are more purple on my game. I tried blue NoFlix Plus LEDs, which fixed that problem but ruined the attract mode fade effects.
Quoted from swampfire:Here's a link to TFA's thread:
http://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/csi-better
Yeah, I will definitely try this. And I LOVE the blood in the test tube effect!
Thank you!
I think that CSI and SM are two games that look absolutely stunning with standard incandescent lighting. My "blues" were purple too. However, I succumbed and LED's both of them and they both look fabulous. I guess it would be nice to have the fading effect...but the LED's are quite striking.
Quoted from TheFamilyArcade:Thank you!
I think that CSI and SM are two games that look absolutely stunning with standard incandescent lighting. My "blues" were purple too. However, I succumbed and LED's both of them and they both look fabulous. I guess it would be nice to have the fading effect...but the LED's are quite striking.
I agree LEDs in mine as well. Their that much better.
The guy I got it from did a bad LED job (sorry if you're reading, man lol) ...but one thing that I found interesting and might keep - he put green LEDs under the yellow arrow inserts, which sorta make them a neon-ish green when lit, which matches the flasher domes...kinda cool.
Here's the titty translite & topper that it came with. I was gonna put the original back on...but it's not like that one is that great w/ all the heads....whatchoo think? Original or keep the Titty Edition LE lol 
Is that a green DMD? If so....NNNIIICCCEEE!
Wife nixed the alternate translite for our home (young kids).
The original TL isn't bad, but I'm planning to make my own alternate. Love the city scene, hate the girl and the crime tape.
I have a Stern CSI playfield sticker set for sale- $30 includes shipping in US.
It has everything but only 1 centrifuge decal that does not come with the game.
here is a pic of the set...
http://www.marcospecialties.com//images/products/802-5000-A2/large.jpg
thanks
Scott
Detroit Pinball
I considered a green DMD to go with my green under cab lighting. I also considered the back alley
caution tape Powdercoat. But in all honesty, I can't put all that effort and money into a game I know I'm not keeping long term. Green DMD would be bad ass though!
I think an alternate translite gives you the biggest bang for the buck, as far as cosmetic mods go. The actors are already on the playfield, so they're a little redundant on the backglass. I just can't do tits in my gameroom (unless they come with the game).
I like the boobs, but does that woman have anything to do with the show/pin?
Never watched the tv show, so no clue. The woman just looks out of place on that TL from only seeing a picture.
I like the game because the shots/returns are different and game has a different feel to it. Not sure how to describe that feeling using words, so sorry.
Skull lock is awesome!
Hey so I've got a buncha games on my CSI now...noticed a few bugs, wondering if you guys have noticed these things:
-Right as Skull Multiball had ended, I shot the remaining ball into the Bullet Saucer while DNA was lit. It awarded me the Add-a-Ball...but, didn't 'grace period' restart the Multiball. So, I had 2 balls in normal non-MB play.
-If you shoot the Bullet Saucer while "CSI Bonus X" and other stuff is lit...the timed Bonus X insert will light on the right orbit and time out while the DNA or Ballistics animation plays out. By the time the ball kicks out, the shot is unlit.
Yeah, I've experienced the add-a-ball bug. I don't mind this since it doesn't go to the bonus countdown until both balls drain. I consider it a feature. I never noticed the right orbit bug, because I hate that shot! 
The audio bugs are the ones that annoy me. I've seen them in other people's videos too, so I'm pretty sure they're common:
1. Volume level suddenly goes up, but then goes back down.
2. Music randomly changes to "ball in shooter lane" for a few seconds.
3. "Pre-echo" when ball is stopped at the microscope magnet.
Quoted from Skulz:I like the boobs, but does that woman have anything to do with the show/pin?
no but the hottie on the show Marg Helgenberger was a prostitute on my favorite show....CHINA BEACH!
David Thiel created some original music, but also pulled heavily from the series. I can't seem to find his site anymore; he explained it there.
Quoted from swampfire:David Thiel created some original music, but also pulled heavily from the series. I can't seem to find his site anymore; he explained it there.
I just love the piano music w/ the guitar riffs and synthy warbley stuff....I dunno, it's just really unique and cool sounding.
If you haven't seen the skull test rig video yet, definitely check it out!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=zXIQKSdhFjA#t=22s
Quoted from Rarehero:I just love the piano music w/ the guitar riffs and synthy warbley stuff....I dunno, it's just really unique and cool sounding.
csi was highly underrated. I made a huge post on rgp after i got mine. It was bigger than one of DEREKS BIG REVIEWS!
Oh, back to gameplay ....is there any advantage to collecting more than 1 color of Evidence before starting Microscope? Let's say you're in "Blue Evidence is LIT" - after you hit a blue, it sometimes turns red or green and you can collect those too. Any advantage to doing that?
Here's another question...when the ball locks for Centrifuge Multiball - it lets the ball out right away. I looked at some vids and it seems like it's supposed to hold the ball in there for a bit? I wonder if there's a setting that was changed on mine - or if the optos are flakey. I've seen a few times where the Centrifuge starts to spin even if I haven't hit the ball thru the optos.
Yes, it should hold the ball in until you hit the post with another ball. It does sound like you may have flaky optos.
There's a separate problem that I assume is common: if the ball hits the wire guide running along the right side of the centrifuge, it can push the opto out of alignment and register a switch closure. I think this kit is supposed to fix it:
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