I've decided to jump in and retheme my Demolition Man into a Monty Python and the Holy Grail. I thought I'd share my progress here. I've been at it about a month so far.
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PHYSICAL PLANS
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1. The biggest change is probably the car crash lane. I plan to add two controllable drop targets to this lane. I'll be using the drops as locks for MB, similar to TNA. There are already optos there, which will add even more data for the machine to locate balls.
Here are pics of the plan and the drops:
Controllable drops from pinball life:
I also plan to turn the rear upkick into a scoop that feeds the primary lower upkick via a new sewer that I'll weld out of metal. I'm also going to add a magnet or up-post to redirect the ball to the pops when needed. This gets rid of the Demo Man reject issue and adds a ball-lock mech.
Here are some pics of the plan:
Sewer plans:
And lastly, I'm going to do my best to turn the lower upick into a scoop. This one will be tough, but I think it will improve the claustrophobic feel of the center of the PF. If it won't work, I may just leave it as standups. The angle might be weird, but it might work.
Here's a pic of the plan:
It may bum some people out, but I'm removing the handles/triggers. I thought of many uses, but after playing the game with normal buttons, I've realized that they actually take away from gameplay. Use of the claw is covered below in rules.
Oh, and I've taken out the metal piece for the eyeball shot. It is now just a standup shot and works great.
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HARDWARE
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I'm using a P-ROC and remaining WPC boards. I'll be retrofitting custom speakers for good stereo sound out of the back box and a really nice sub. I may just go with a good set of stereo computer speakers that come with a good sub.
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SOFTWARE
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I'm coding it with MPF, which has been a blast so far. The framework is amazing and challenging at the same time.
Here are a few DMD pics from attract mode:
A placeholder image from Sir Lancelot mode. The timer for the mode is on the left, player score on right. I also have videos that play for the modes when shots are hit.
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RULES
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- The game is presented as you being King Arthur, and you are gathering the Knights of the Round Table and to seek the grail.
- There are 8 modes in the game: Sir Bedevere, Sir Lancelot, Sir Galahad, Sir Robin, tim and the killer rabbit, the black knight, the knights who say ni!, and the black beast.
- The claw will become the hand of God (Deus ex machina). Modes of course have shots, and the claw has paths to almost every area of the playfield. So, the right ramp (God) will allow God to help you. For example, if you are in a mode that requires pops, send it up to god, and he'll automatically drop it into the pops and increase the scoring. Need to shoot the side ramp? God will drop it to the upper flipper to set you up for a big score if you nail it. I have this working well in code, and it is WAY better the controlling the claw.
- One example mode that I'm working on is the black night. For this mode, you must shoot the left ramp, followed by the right ramp (directed by God to your left flipper), followed by right ramp again (directed by God to side flipper), followed by either cave (computer scoop) or side ramp twice. Each shot is a limb hacked off of the black knight. If you finish any of the last two hits after God drops, double points for scoop and triple for side ramp. Regular points if you just shoot either during the mode (without God drop). Hope that makes sense-ish.
- There are 2 main multiballs in the game (and one two-ball in a mode). The drop targets will be the French castle. So in there you will lock balls and get insulted. The MB will involve the drops and trying to defeat the French. The Trojan bunny will be involved as well. The second multiball is Patsy MB and is related to the rear scoop and the pops. Standups will light lock. Two balls locked lights Patsy MB at the rear scoop. MB involves a pop countdown, with the magnet and God delivering shots to the pops. Once the countdown is reached, jackpot is lit at the scoop.
- Other miscellaneous rules: Upper lanes light multiplier Xs in the inlanes. These will be 30 secs-ish pf multipliers. You can light both for up to 3x, and if you're quick enough while it's running, you can light more. The usual max will be 3x though.
- Currently, I have the basic logic for four modes done and most of the fifth. It's pretty scant right now, but it's still pretty fun to play so far.
- The eyeball shot will function as a place for extra ball and potentially add-a-ball during multiballs. I may also move the playfield X shot to the eyeball as it is decently tough. We'll see.
I have all the plans for converting the inserts to function with the game, but I won't bore you with that. I have the translite about half done and a bunch of other art that I'm working on.
I can post a video of some of the gameplay etc. if anyone is interested.
Oh, and I'm likely going to need a second playfield to prep for the final conversion, so if anyone has one that's in good shape, please let me know. I'm also on the lookout for the three python figures (toys) from series one to put in the game.
Cheers,
-Lance