To a lot of people (myself included) having an extremely challenging game is much better than a game you can get to the wizard mode easily on. So what do people do to make games tougher? Big yellow rubber posts? Remove outlane posts? Set tilts extremely tight? No extra balls?
Or do you guys just like to set it to 5 balls and go to town?
3 balls, set incline to 6.5-8 deg, steeper for more challenge, *some games need to 6.5 to play correctly*. Set tilt, open outlanes, adjust rules from factory, extra ball settings, ball save timer, mode requirements etc.
I have all my machines on Tournament mode, no extra balls, posts out on LOTR, rules on Hard, tilts are not crazy tight - but your not sliding the game across the floor, outlane posts are up on games like RBION - Its challenging for sure but if your going to play in tournaments this is what you need to do.
Everything waxed and always playing fast.
45 minute games on LOTR has been brought back to reality normal 10 minute game, destroy the ring is actually hard to get to once again.
Quoted from Pinballrus:To a lot of people (myself included) having an extremely challenging game is much better than a game you can get to the wizard mode easily on. So what do people do to make games tougher? Big yellow rubber posts? Remove outlane posts? Set tilts extremely tight? No extra balls?
Or do you guys just like to set it to 5 balls and go to town?
I set them to factory settings. I like to experience the game the way it was designed for and the way I remember it on route.
Mostly factory as the most difficult, as I have non-pinball player family...so I sacrifice to make it easier for them to play the games and get any kind of extra balls, etc..
I usually set them to extra easy when I first get them, and then creep up to factory; after they play a few times.
If I make them difficult for me, I reset them when visitors come.
Robert
Quoted from MrSanRamon:Mostly factory as the most difficult, as I have non-pinball player family...so I sacrifice to make it easier for them to play the games and get any kind of extra balls, etc..
I usually set them to extra easy when I first get them, and then creep up to factory; after they play a few times.
If I make them difficult for me, I reset them when visitors come.
Robert
Ditto for me. Start easy and get harder over time, but always easier for guests.
Quoted from LesManley:I set them to factory settings. I like to experience the game the way it was designed for and the way I remember it on route.
Now if Les Manly is coming over, then it is tilts tight, no extra balls, outlane posts removed, setting to HARD!! 
Factory settings for me as well. I set the tilts ultra tight though since I also play on other tables with very tight tilts and I don't want to get into bad nudging habits.
I set everything on factory settings for the most part, unless other pinball forum guys are coming over- then I set everything to difficult to hopefully prevent someone from beating my high scores so I don't become pissed off and obsessive about beating it! 
5 Balls for all and pretty hard.
Usually max out ball save since that eases the pain on tourneys when someone has a instant drain.
Lots more folks leaving them on factory settings than I would have predicted. I usually set it to 1 extra ball at some pretty high, but attainable score, set the tilt nice and tight, 3 balls, make the settings pretty much as hard as possible, put tournament mode on, and have big wide outlanes. I think I would get bored of a game if it wasn't a challenge. But everyone wants different things out of their games
Quoted from LesManley:I set them to factory settings. I like to experience the game the way it was designed for and the way I remember it on route.
+1
Factory settings, but if I find a game especially challenging, I'm not against tightening up the outlanes and dropping the plumb bob a touch. A least until I get more used to it.
There's nothing more frustrating than trying to get into a game and learn the ruleset with 10 second ball times.
Once it gets easy, just set it to normal or difficult and raise it up a bit.
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