Quoted from Law:I do not have a good handle on what you're trying to tell me. I've used the advanced search multiple times. I have never heard of the compete pinball book before and I'm not sure what comparisons you are referring to.. My apologies if I offended you in any way, I was just saying it *seemed* to me that the information in the database was incomplete due to the partial entries, and there was hope for the OP to find his remembered game.
No worries! I always try to inform and educate. I worry what to say so that I do not make someone feel bad that I responded! Using Advanced Search, you can search by any span of years to compare how many games are inventoried on the site. That way, you can compare decade by decade (1965-1975, 1975-1985, or anything) to assess historical manufacturer activity. The Complete Pinball Book shows graphs such as the average yearly pinball production from 1935 to the end of 1998, and other interesting graphs and pie charts. There are many pinball books that have been published, several get deeper into pinball history than others. To see a partial list of books (which needs updating), go to Advanced Search and click on the question mark (?) next to Photo References to open a Help window. In that window, click on the words "this page" and you will find a list of pinball books and links to Amazon (where applicable). Or, click on the book titles that appear in the listings, when they appear as links. You can also shop for pinball books at http://www.crowriver.com/books/pinball.htm.
You are correct that many listings on the IPDB do not have images or have few images. It is because these games are not often seen and, if seen, the persons who see them do not have the IPDB in mind. It's as simple as that. We rely on users of our site to photograph games that they own or see and submit their images to us. This includes people outside of the USA who have better access to games made in other countries. Let me tease you by saying that it's not like I travel around the globe and search in old barns and warehouses looking for the games for which we lack pictures. Although I do attend the shows and snap pictures, and I did go to Japan once for the Sega of Tokyo games there, but I was going to Japan anyway. LOL. It takes a village. Once you realize how this works, you will no doubt be impressed with the level of user effort it took to assemble the vast amount of information that we do have. To throw some numbers at you, when we took over from our predecessor, the Pinball Pasture, in 2002, we inherited 3000 images from them. We now have over 60,000 images and over 4,000 game-related files.
I invite you to continue to explore Advanced Search and even peruse our Glossary because there is history tucked within those definitions. I don't know what era of games that you fancy but no doubt this hobby has information somewhere waiting for you. Seek, ask, you shall find. You can email me with questions anytime you like.
Happy Holidays.
Jay
