My brother works in a bar in a small resort town. He visited me this week and told me they have an AC-DC pinball in the bar (since he knows I collect pins) and that my brother asked the operator if the operator could turn down the volume on the attract mode and/or play mode (not sure), because my brother thought it was too loud for him and/or the bar patrons (not sure) and the operator flat out said no. Seems to me like the pin should not rule the air waves in a bar where most folks probably want to hear the juke box and/or talk. What should my brother tell the Op, besides threatening to take steps to have the machine taken out. Now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure my brother didn't mistake the Op's comment for meaning the volume can't be turned down any lower, but that the op wouldn't turn it lower; however, once again I am not sure how my brother "took" the Op's reply as he told the story to me, since my brother may think there was a low volume limit....we did not dwell on the story, but only later did I think about asking pinside for opinions about what to tell the Op, since clearly he could turn the volume down.

It took me awhile to get back with my brother about some of the details that came up during the discussion of this story, since he was traveling. He is the day manager bartender. Worked his way up from being a musician; he books the bands and if one has trouble showing up, he plays the gig. He says that he's always adjusting volumes for the juke-box, whether it's for the dancing chick that wants it cranked up, or the old guy that thinks modern music these days is mixed just too damn loud. Maybe that old guy also likes pinball, because my brother said the customers playing the machine complained that the pin volume was set too loud. Now, my brother didn't know I was going to post this here, because he doesn't know these forums exist, or he would have finished the story. Initially I guess my brother was just relating to me that the Op was a prick when he asked about having it turned down, so he didn't go into any more details. I'm happy to report that reason prevailed, eventually the Op lowered the volume, but only after the cord had been cut, holes had been punched into the speakers, and the machine moved into the dry storage room. (sorry, I really don't know why the change of heart, probably just caught the Op on a better day.)

My brother and I talked about another complaint when I called him to discuss the original story; people don't know they've won a game because the knocker solenoid has been eliminated. I explained to him why it made sense for the company to eliminate a component if it could be done in software. Later I started wondering if the manufacture could use software to give the player some leeway with a few game functions; like a volume nudge up or down that reverts back after a few minutes of inactivity (certainly not enough control to do a full blast setting that would be too extreme for known local game location) on titles that are clearly music themed? Has this topic (player controls) ever been discussed in the forum? I know the player has access to some limited high score or game rules information by holding the flipper button, though I can't say that info has ever been helpful to me. What game settings could the player (flipper button) or location owner (access code) have access to through software?

Yeah, I am usually too subtle with my jokes...I try to craft jokes in emails so that the give away is not too obvious as one first reads through it. I always know to add smiley face for a Joke, but I can see how smiley face was too subtle here because it could have referred to the "happy" outcome; while the sarcasm guy cannot be be misunderstood very easily, I wasn't being sarcastic, I was trying to be funny.