Oakland, CA
Quoted from StevenP:The cannon in the Pro model looks incredibly cheezy. (Top and side views on flat plastics with obtrusive, ugly screws everywhere? Really!) Not a big fan of cannons in pins anyway. This one might be OK, as it appears to be a 'side' feature; the cannon shot is WAY too prominent/critical in T2 imo. The critical shots for scoring/modes in pinball should be made with a flipper, not a pivoting toy that causes many people to do the asinine "T2 Twist" and lean way forward over the right side of the game to line up the critical shots.
It looks positively wretched. I'm dumbfounded by it. With all the rivets, brackets, bolts and associated labor that go into it, how could it possibly be cheaper than a molded piece?
My guess is it went like this:
Steve: The design really needs a cannon. Look at these shots I've mapped out.
Bean Counter: Cannons cost money. No.
Steve: Seriously, it needs a cannon. It will suck without it.
Bean Counter: <sigh>. Look we spent the whole budget on the license. Your per game budget is 74 cents. Considering making a flipper-less game to save money. You know, like retro.
Steve: Give me a cannon or I'll kill your dog.
Bean Counter: I don't have a dog. Dogs cost money. Okay <turns to mechanical engineer> make Steve a cannon. I am miserable and want Steve to be miserable too. Make the most miserable cannon you can think of. Oh, and file one pound of metal out of the legs and coin door. We can sell it at the scrap yard and save 38 cents per game. Also, reduce the number of dots in the DMD. Eight dots. Eight dots is all the game will have. Players will simply have to learn binary.
