When I play older games that reset all progress between balls I feel like I am playing three separate single-ball games (in the case of a 3-ball game). This is quite a different mental and strategic feel to newer games that hold your progress between balls.

Taxi is a great example where you really want to earn that 'Carry Passengers' award. About the only progress that still resets between balls in newer games is bonus multiplayer and target bank awards.

I think you may have a valid point. There is another recent post talking about AAB games vs replay games. On member mentioned he though Gold Strike was too easy and actually preferred Target Alpha. This is a good example where I think it may be true. TA better than El Dorado maybe another story.

One case that this is certainly sure is for Jack in the Box/ Jumping Jack where no single player version (other than its close cousin King Pin/Pin up) exists. Perhaps it is because Ed just couldn't come up with a decent rule set for a single player version.

Another example, although I know I am in the minority here, is Lawman/Sherrif vs Atlantis. For whatever reason, I find it more fun to play with the end of ball bonus as opposed to the 1-9 sequence. And the 5000 dual color DT feature doesn't really add too much fun factor either. It is certainly a great game for competition.

There also is no real single player counterpart to Fast/Quick Draw. But that is true of many of the later Gott. EM Multiplayer layouts. It would appear that Single Player, for the most part, fell out of fashion by then. Maybe with Multiplayer sales being typically 4X that of the single players, there was no reason for them to try to recycle playfield layouts like before.

Anyone who has a "too easy Gold Strike" that they wish to unload, please PM me!

I thought I saw on for sale recently?

To me single player vs multiplayer; replay vs AAB and so on - they all have their place with pros & cons. That is great and that is what has made pinball history and we can now canvass the merits or otherwise.
But I love' em (excuse the pun) all!! My Super Spin multi player with its diverse features roto target; vari-target, fixed targets and extra ball is just a great game and sits proudly & appropriately with the wedgeheads.

Well, Just finished playing my Sure Shot, Klondike, and CC Casino tonight and it was big fun on all 3!

Different Rulesets and Gameplay for Single and Multiplayers means variety which equals no borefest and always a challenge as long as it is a good title to begin with.

Just my 2 cents

Ken

i developed my preference for single player machines when i was pretty young, so i doubt i was putting too much thought into rulesets (although maybe there was some subconscious thought there)...

1) single players were what i primarily came across
and
2) i didn't find it more fun to compete... i always preferred to play "alone", i didn't want to play against my brother or whoever else was tagging along... my preference was to play a "whole game", and then wait til it was my turn to drop a dime...

now that i am old, and own my own machines, that preference is even stronger...

3) single player machines are easier to fix and maintain...
4) rulesets tend to be better...
5) i prefer the looks of single player heads, i find the larger mp heads to look out of proportion with the rest of the machine...

to this day, #2 is true... i like having other people in my gameroom, but i want them to be playing their own machine...

I too have played some multi-players that deserve attention including a few of my favorites.

Quick Draw/Fast Draw
Jumping Jack/Jack in the Box
Royal Flush
Super Spin/Jet Spin

I think it's nice to have at least one multi-player around for friends and family.

Like most here, I prefer single players for all the reasons listed and I particularly like playing accomplish the game design objective (i.e. light the special) much more than getting points. I tend to have my point levels set pretty low (as encouragement for people who come over to play), but they are secondary to getting a replay via the special.

That said I agree with Hoov that it's nice (if you have space) to have at least one multi-player around as a change of pace and for parties. I have had a slew of good ones (Royal Flush, Jack in the Box) and have currently have a Quick Draw. All my other games are 60's 2" flipper so it also represents a change there. With only room for 5 games (really 4 put I pushed it), I'm trying to create a range of game play/playfield toys:

Drop Target (QD)
Roto Target (KOD)
Swinging Target (Heat Wave)
Kickout Hole (Sing Along)
+ Nags which has the turntable and novelty of horse racing.

Bottom line, they are all good. As I always say, if I had room for 20 games, I had 20 games.

Yeah, you're old! Just added another year too. HBTY!!!

The multi-players sound way better when resetting at the start of a game... all those score reels and the player clacking away for several seconds!!! Single player games sound incomplete when they reset almost immediately by comparison

older and older by the day, judging by the way i feel when i wake up in the mornings...

thanks!

I tell you none of my other pins build my anxiety level more so than Target Alpha when almost all the targets are dropped and I know they're coming right back up if the ball drains. On the flip side the simple rule set of Buccaneer and having 5 balls to achieve it is awesome as well, it's extremely magnetic. A good game to me is when it brings out any emotion, comfortable or not.