(Topic ID: 279083)

Monty Python & The Holy Grail - Retheme of Demolition Man

By Tranquilize

3 years ago


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There are 93 posts in this topic. You are on page 2 of 2.
#51 3 years ago

Cool, you found my avatar

#52 3 years ago

Small setback... I read on MPF that I should install a diode on the magnet coil to prevent blowing up the board. Well, I thought the cathode side (-) would naturally go to (-) on the coil. Well... as you can likely guess, this is not the case. Guess what a backwards diode does? IT BLOWS UP THE BOARD!

Funny thing is that it was a bad blowup but an easy fix. It didn't blow the fuse or any of the transistors. Instead, it literally blew apart the trace on the board just before the resistor in line with the c36 transistor. Never seen this before. When I flipped the board, I found it had already been hacked before, so I didn't feel so bad doing my first hack. It was easy, ugly and works well I should have taken pics, but I'm new to this pinball blogging thing. I keep forgetting!

Anway, I have some time this weekend to get the code for the drops and magnet runing. I'll do my best to shoot a video on Sunday, even if it's crap. You guys can at least see the thing in action.

#53 3 years ago

Great project - great progress - following.

#54 3 years ago

You're pretty far along for a wish list item: Castle Anthrax Zoot Mode. "I'll take the peril" would be a great shoutout.

#55 3 years ago
Quoted from ss-pinball:

You're pretty far along for a wish list item: Castle Anthrax Zoot Mode. "I'll take the peril" would be a great shoutout.

No, it's too perilous.

Great project, following!

#56 3 years ago

"I'm not dead yet"
"You'll be stone dead in a moment"
ball save callouts would be great...

15
#57 3 years ago

Video is up!

Please, no complaints about verticle video. You're only missing out on my messy office, which you've already seen!

#58 3 years ago

Ahh, now we can see the violence inherent in the system.... awesome work so far, cant wait for updates!

#59 3 years ago

Looking good!
the inline drop targets should have been on the original, brilliant!

You should do a switch frenzy on the black knight.

#60 3 years ago

Truly an epic idea! And a Dayglo shirt! I thought I was the only one still rolling with those in 2020...

#61 3 years ago
Quoted from eggs4sale:

Truly an epic idea! And a Dayglo shirt! I thought I was the only one still rolling with those in 2020...

Haha, I long for the days of Jimbo and The Cretin!

#62 3 years ago
Quoted from Axl:

Looking good!
the inline drop targets should have been on the original, brilliant!
You should do a switch frenzy on the black knight.

Do you mean building up the value of the shot with switch hits or something similar?

I'm definitely interested in suggestions for the Black Knight Mode. I'll probably finish it as it is, but there's a good chance I'll replace it with something else. I'll have to see how people like it. I've also considered give a little more time before the mode begins and shooting all five (you get one extra try) in succession. This would speed up the mode. The only issue is how to get rid of the extra balls on the pf.

#63 3 years ago

Gotta have a Castle Anthrax mode for sure. "A spanking! A spanking!" would be an epic callout.

... and after the spanking...

#64 3 years ago

Seeing that I'm getting closer to getting the bulk of the logic done in coding, I decided to install the sound system so that I can start working seriously on sound. After some research, I chose Logitec Z533 speakers based on quality and size. By measurements, the system would just barely fit without alteration.

z533-speaker-system (resized).pngz533-speaker-system (resized).png

#65 3 years ago

First thing I needed to do was to get rid of the old speaker, its platform and the glue used to hold the platform.

IMG_20201121_104911 (resized).jpgIMG_20201121_104911 (resized).jpg

IMG_20201121_105400 (resized).jpgIMG_20201121_105400 (resized).jpg

#66 3 years ago

Doh! The lower eject popper mech is about 3/4 cm too long for the sub to fit! SHIT!

IMG_20201121_114016 (resized).jpgIMG_20201121_114016 (resized).jpg

#67 3 years ago

So I made a quick template of the size of the bottom of the bracket. Time to remove some of the sub!

IMG_20201121_110959 (resized).jpgIMG_20201121_110959 (resized).jpg

A few checks and adjustments until the lines match up.

IMG_20201121_114037 (resized).jpgIMG_20201121_114037 (resized).jpg

#68 3 years ago

Then it was time to get the dremel out.

IMG_20201121_125350 (resized).jpgIMG_20201121_125350 (resized).jpg

This 3m respirator/face shield was one of the best investments EVER! If you grind, drill, saw, smash, burn and/or crawl around in attics, get one! No fogging, crazy easy to put on, and great protection!

IMG_20201121_125446_1 (resized).jpgIMG_20201121_125446_1 (resized).jpg

#69 3 years ago

satellite speakers mounted to the speaker panel. The closest any plugs from the board get is about 1/2 cm. Close, but just enough space.

IMG_20201121_202227 (resized).jpgIMG_20201121_202227 (resized).jpg

#70 3 years ago

Video of speakers and sound. 6 mins.

2 weeks later
#71 3 years ago

Going on three weeks since your flurry of updates, everything ok?

#72 3 years ago
Quoted from DanQverymuch:

Going on three weeks since your flurry of updates, everything ok?

All good. I've been working on the modes and the drop multiball. If I get done what I hope to tomorrow, I'll try to make a video Sunday.

As a preview:

- I ditched the old Black Knight mode and made it a right ramp, to hand of god, to cave shot mode. Similar to before, but you must shoot for the shots instead of the game just giving them to you.

- I made the Robin mode from the video into the knights of Ni, which is what it should have been in the first place.

- The old Robin mode has been redesigned to be pretty close to STTNG worm hole mode: right orbit to side ramp combo (Picard manoeuvre) to complete. L & R ramps crank up the value. It will be the most difficult mode but the most rewarding if you can crank it up and nail it.

- The logic for the Black Beast mode is finally done. It is a roaming shot mode, which ended up being far more complex than I thought it would be. The good news is that it taught me some pretty powerful parts of MPF.

Cheers,

Lance

#73 3 years ago

Sorry, no video over weekend. I want there to be more to show before I put in the time.

I'm currently working on the million little things I have on my "to do" list.

- Mode scoring - All mode scores will be bonus so that tilting will be costly (my fav. in games). I have to code the scoring as seperate variables and then code to display this during the modes and during bonus. Bonus is done, working on modes.

- DMD breaks - During modes, when you score something or hit something or finish the mode, there will be DMD changes. Just getting the timing down on these is time consuming. This is without any actual DMD graphics, just the logic in the modes.

- Sound - Sounds need to fade in and out and interrupt other sounds. MPF has a powerful sound player, but it takes a lot of time to code individual sounds over music etc.

- Callouts and making sense of the modes to work with what happens in a seriously messed up plot. This part is FUN!

- Once I get a bunch of this done, I'll go back to the hardware side and get the magnet (or up post) done and add the switches for the subway multiball.

I'll get something up this week for sure, but I need to get a lot of these nit-picky things out of the way that don't really add much for your guys to see.

2 weeks later
#74 3 years ago

Amazing... just wished someone would recode demoman someday. Added dots would be a bonus.

9 months later
1 week later
#76 2 years ago

Yes! But nothing too exciting.

Just finished pulling a ton of video assets from the film. Long process as each clip must be edited so that it looks good on a dmd. Editing involves resizing, reframing, brightness, contrast, audio levels etc. Clips are also prone to ugly artifacts.

Tweaking modes and chasing bugs.

Still working on fixing the added magnet and coding drop target functionality. Have a new coil to try. Just need to install.

Things are slower as I don't have as much time these days. I'll try to post a video soonish.

2 months later
#77 2 years ago

Great stuff! Looking forward to seeing this at Yegpin.

#78 2 years ago

What program are you using to pull and edit video?

#79 2 years ago
Quoted from Mbecker:

What program are you using to pull and edit video?

Adobe premiere

#80 2 years ago

Well, life got in the way for quite a while with Covid etc., but I have been chipping away at the game.

Here's what I've been up to:

1. I finished ripping and editing all the video from the film. I have a total of 169 clips edited and tested on the DMD. Let's just say that it was days of work!

2. The magnet didn't work out, so I changed it to an up-post. After playtesting, I've decided to remove that as well. The left loop is the hardest shot in the game, so there is no point in using it to set up the top flipper. Also, the occasional dirty-pool sneak in from the centre ramp will be fine. This was a ton of effort to learn, but I did learn a lot about magnets and design.

3. I thought long and hard about the new sewer switches. I decided to install only an entrance switch opto. This will let me know if the ball is coming in from the rear scoop. This then left me with the issue of the side flipper hole entrance (cave), so I installed a gate and switch for that. Now I'll know if the ball is coming from the Simon hole (claw), the rear scoop or the side shot (cave).

4. The trough for Demo is the same as STTNG. Demo takes 5 balls and STTNG takes 6. I wired up the last opto and made the game 6-ball. This will work well as I have two physical ball locks that hold two balls each and a two-ball mode.

5. I'm currently working on the logic for the new sewer lock and mulitiball. I'll be able to set up staging for the popper at the end of the subway system when balls are locked and shots come in from elsewhere. This will be crazy cool but a challenge to code. MPF handles ball counts kinda funny, at least to me.

PICS:

This is the prototype gate:
20211212_130753 (resized).jpg20211212_130753 (resized).jpg

Here is the final gate with switch. The gate was made to match the gate of the centre ramp. Notice the metal/gorilla switch mount and ghetto hot-glue switch attachment!
20211212_214241 (resized).jpg20211212_214241 (resized).jpg

Here is the gate and switch again:
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Here are a couple of shots of the opto. My garage is not set up for welding, so I did a temporary mount. If it lasts, I might just leave it.
20211212_214421 (resized).jpg20211212_214421 (resized).jpg20211212_214538 (resized).jpg20211212_214538 (resized).jpg

The gorilla tape is to combat noise. The metal is way noisier than I thought it would be. The tape doesn't seem to wear almost at all. We'll see.

That's it for now. I'm going to be working on the code over the next few months to get it to a solid, playable state. Hopefully I'll have most of the code done before June so that I can get at least some of the art done in time for Yegpin in July. I'll post a vid or two before then, but I want to save a lot as a surprise. The videos that I've added in some of the modes are fucking hilarious. Should be a great pin.

#81 2 years ago

If the tape doesn't hold up in the subway, you could always line it with a thin piece of polycarbonate or other plastic. That would greatly help with noise. Heck it could even go on there sides as well and the optos will still see through it if it's clear.

#82 2 years ago
Quoted from tjw998:

If the tape doesn't hold up in the subway, you could always line it with a thin piece of polycarbonate or other plastic. That would greatly help with noise. Heck it could even go on there sides as well and the optos will still see through it if it's clear.

That's great idea. I was thinking maybe mylar on the tape, but the poly might be better. I may have a problem with ball height though as there is a rollover switch that sits inside the sewer.

2 weeks later
#83 2 years ago

Okay, I have another pretty big update. I was working on code, and after installing that other switch for the main multiball lock, I thought, "it sure would be nice to have something similar for the drops." Then I remembered that I still have the original scoop from the machine. It was just sitting on my desk. Hmmm... So I thought, why not replace the double car crash standup with the scoop?

playfield (resized).jpgplayfield (resized).jpg

I did a little measuring, and although it would be pretty tight, it looked like it would fit.

The first thing I had to do was to cut off the eject ledge that faced the pops on demo man. It was there to prevent sneak-ins.

Halfway there:
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Nice!
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I decided to cut the PF from the bottom as I wouldn't have to take apart the upper PF for the zillionth time. Coming from the bottom can chip the top, so I stayed inside the cut zone pretty far.

Angry cutzone!
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Take that!
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To my horror, it still chipped it pretty badly outside of my cut zone. Lesson learned! The good news is that this will be rediculously easy to fix. I just did a way bigger repair on my DrWho with no issues.
20220107_193937 (resized).jpg20220107_193937 (resized).jpg

After I cleaned up the hole with the dremel, the scoop fit nicely! Notice my silver and black sharpie touch ups. I'm a fucking pro!
20220108_141652 (resized).jpg20220108_141652 (resized).jpg

Here's an underside shot of the mech. Look at that tight clearance! I had to take off the rest post to the left to predrill the screw holes. Pretty tight with the insert as well, but it all worked out great!
20220107_233323 (resized).jpg20220107_233323 (resized).jpg

Here are a couple last shots to give you a better idea of functionality.
20220107_205005 (resized).jpg20220107_205005 (resized).jpg
20220108_003344 (resized).jpg20220108_003344 (resized).jpg

So far, the scoop works great. It rarely rejects, but it does occasionally happen when the ball hits the right side of the scoop first and ricochets horizontally or when the ball enters with dead-on, high velocity and bounces straight back out. Again, these are pretty rare, but I'll likely have to modify the scoop so that the right side is angled outward, toward the ball guide and the rear so that it is rounded where the ball enters.

Lots of hardware work... ugggg, but it's almost there!

#84 2 years ago

The game has the red lights above the flippers (ball save) wired on a single line, so I had to add the right hand side one to the light matrix. I have one slot left in case I need another light later. Cuttin' er close.

As of now, it looks like I'm done with all the wiring on this thing! YAY! Here's the final product. Looks somewhat clean.

20220107_232711 (resized).jpg20220107_232711 (resized).jpg

Here is what my office looks like. Chaos!

20220107_222343 (resized).jpg20220107_222343 (resized).jpg

I'm now back to software. 4 modes 90% done, including logic, sound and video. I just added a playfield multiplier. All five lanes (three upper and inlanes) rotate with flipper buttons. Complete all five to light 2x at retina standup (left). Do it again to light 3x. Again will lengthen the timer. 3x is max.

I've also recoded a lot of the French drops multiball. I'm about 60% on code.

#85 2 years ago

What do you use for the video editing?

#86 2 years ago

Cool thread.

#87 2 years ago
Quoted from mattbot:

What do you use for the video editing?

Premiere.

The videos are sized to the DMD so they are under 1mb each. Still, with over 100 in the game, it makes booting times a little longer (15-17 seconds).

6 months later
#88 1 year ago

Worked on the game to take it to Yegpin 2022. I'd say its about 85% done.

- Tuned 7 of 8 modes to the point that they are about 85% done
- Both multiballs were functional, although they were shut off during modes (no stacking)
- Worked on the cabinet and added some visuals to the PF.

I removed the handles as well. It was a shit-ton of work to get it ready for the show, and some bugs made the game break now and then. I kept it running most of the time though. I had some great feedback, and one dude put up 70 million, a way higher score than I've ever achieved. He utilized the multipliers and finished a mode by comboing the entire mode, which doubles your points. Cool to see!

--------------------------------------
** Pics of cab alterations etc **
--------------------------------------

Here is a pic of a handle plate with a plug attached:

20220713_193636 (resized).jpg20220713_193636 (resized).jpg

Had to find some flathead bolts and cut them to size.

20220713_193934 (resized).jpg20220713_193934 (resized).jpg

After some quickwood and some sanding:

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No decal? No worries! Just use castle wall peel-and-stick wallpaper!

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Also plugged the routing plate holes in the front of the cab:

20220713_220858 (resized).jpg20220713_220858 (resized).jpg

Wallpapered front:

20220714_160956 (resized).jpg20220714_160956 (resized).jpg

Added a top for the cave and a castle - both customized from aquarium models off amazon:
20220717_105930 (resized).jpg20220717_105930 (resized).jpg
20220717_110006 (resized).jpg20220717_110006 (resized).jpg
20220717_120130 (resized).jpg20220717_120130 (resized).jpg
20220717_120155 (resized).jpg20220717_120155 (resized).jpg

Current status at the show with blue armour:

20220720_174104 (resized).jpg20220720_174104 (resized).jpg

I also added castle brick to the drop target lane, french dudes on the drop targets, inserts for the modes and a grail on the pf (you can kinda see it in the pic). These are temporary as I'll be sanding the PF and replacing quite a few inserts.

#89 1 year ago

I was lucky enough to get to try this at yegpin. You should be extremely proud of your work so far. The dmd work and modes blew me away. I look forward to seeing more progress as it comes.

#90 1 year ago
Quoted from sixtyfourbits:

I was lucky enough to get to try this at yegpin. You should be extremely proud of your work so far. The dmd work and modes blew me away. I look forward to seeing more progress as it comes.

Thanks!

#91 1 year ago
Quoted from Tranquilize:

Worked on the game to take it to Yegpin 2022. I'd say its about 85% done.
- Tuned 7 of 8 modes to the point that they are about 85% done
- Both multiballs were functional, although they were shut off during modes (no stacking)
- Worked on the cabinet and added some visuals to the PF.
I removed the handles as well. It was a shit-ton of work to get it ready for the show, and some bugs made the game break now and then. I kept it running most of the time though. I had some great feedback, and one dude put up 70 million, a way higher score than I've ever achieved. He utilized the multipliers and finished a mode by comboing the entire mode, which doubles your points. Cool to see!
--------------------------------------
** Pics of cab alterations etc **
--------------------------------------
Here is a pic of a handle plate with a plug attached:
[quoted image]
Had to find some flathead bolts and cut them to size.
[quoted image]
After some quickwood and some sanding:
[quoted image]
No decal? No worries! Just use castle wall peel-and-stick wallpaper!
[quoted image]
Also plugged the routing plate holes in the front of the cab:
[quoted image]
Wallpapered front:
[quoted image]
Added a top for the cave and a castle - both customized from aquarium models off amazon:
[quoted image]
[quoted image]
[quoted image]
[quoted image]
Current status at the show with blue armour:
[quoted image]
I also added castle brick to the drop target lane, french dudes on the drop targets, inserts for the modes and a grail on the pf (you can kinda see it in the pic). These are temporary as I'll be sanding the PF and replacing quite a few inserts.

This is one of the coolest things I've ever seen wow!!

#92 1 year ago

Totally approve!

castle copy (resized).jpgcastle copy (resized).jpg

#93 1 year ago
Quoted from xsvtoys:

Totally approve!
[quoted image]

I have him on the drops. The castle barely fits, but I'm hoping to get him up there somehow.

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