(Topic ID: 333224)
Monroe Township, NJ
heard about this project from the homebrew podcast and now seeing the thread - looks awesome and great progress
thanks for sharing your journey - great family project
Is the pop bumper area trapped away from other stuff, or does it have other entry areas? I'm actually digging the trapped area, and pops being a separate "zone" if that's the case.
Your ideas are coming to life, and I'm really excited for you. Getting to finally play mine was just exhilarating, especially with my best friend. Can't wait to see you get this to the place you want, and watch the boys light up.
Quoted from MrBigg:Is the pop bumper area trapped away from other stuff, or does it have other entry areas? I'm actually digging the trapped area, and pops being a separate "zone" if that's the case.
Your ideas are coming to life, and I'm really excited for you. Getting to finally play mine was just exhilarating, especially with my best friend. Can't wait to see you get this to the place you want, and watch the boys light up.
Thanks! So there will be two small entryways into the pops. From above that inner orbit will actually have a diverter and small opening for it to drop into. And to the right of D.Va Podium/scoop there is a small, tight shot into pops (like Jurassic Park). So entry to pops is limited!
Our podcast with Dan clearly got us some exposure…
The Eclectic Gamers Podcast just covered our homebrew (around 28 min mark) and they have some great ideas for the game code. It was awesome to hear ideas from fellow gamers who also love both pinball and Overwatch (maybe there are more of us out there than we thought!). The boys were smiling ear to ear and are so excited!
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/eclectic-gamers-podcast-pinball-video-games/id1088802706?i=1000611209325
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Quoted from DaddyManD:Our podcast with Dan clearly got us some exposure…
The Eclectic Gamers Podcast just covered our homebrew (around 28 min mark) and they have some great ideas for the game code. It was awesome to hear ideas from fellow gamers who also love both pinball and Overwatch (maybe there are more of us out there than we thought!). The boys were smiling ear to ear and are so excited!
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/eclectic-gamers-podcast-pinball-video-games/id1088802706?i=1000611209325
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You 3 will be too famous for us small time guys before long. Don't forget about us little people when you hit the Bigg time!
Quoted from MrBigg:You 3 will be too famous for us small time guys before long. Don't forget about us little people when you hit the Bigg time!
Haha ok Mr Bigg! You are the larger than life guy in the Homebrew world!
Quoted from DaddyManD:With the help of Pinball Life’s Big Bag of Everything (BBOE), was able to make custom mounts for the FAST boards! Got the Playfield Interchange board, and two I/O boards mounted!
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One comment I have is that the metal brackets here appear to be overlapping board components. This can be dangerous, risking electrical shorts or accidentally knocking parts off the board. You don't want to have metal touching components or exposed metal on the PCBs.
We designed the mounting holes to fit a slimmer bracket that doesn't touch anything dangerous. Here is a link to a part:
https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/keystone-electronics/1564/268617
Aaron
FAST Pinball
Quoted from fastpinball:One comment I have is that the metal brackets here appear to be overlapping board components. This can be dangerous, risking electrical shorts or accidentally knocking parts off the board. You don't want to have metal touching components or exposed metal on the PCBs.
We designed the mounting holes to fit a slimmer bracket that doesn't touch anything dangerous. Here is a link to a part:
https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/keystone-electronics/1564/268617
Aaron
FAST Pinball
Thanks, Aaron! Just messaged you regarding this.
Quoted from DaddyManD:Haha ok Mr Bigg! You are the larger than life guy in the Homebrew world!
I'm a walking disaster. I'm like the Rodney Dangerfield of homebrew lol. If only I had been born rich, instead of so good looking?
Airball protector protoypes for left and right ramp are done and really working well! Whew! We were getting worried that our tight ramp turns might result in too many airballs or balls jumping off the wireforms. Used some PETG squares we had from a prior project, drill, scissors, zip ties and double sided tape.
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Quoted from DaddyManD:Our podcast with Dan clearly got us some exposure…
The Eclectic Gamers Podcast just covered our homebrew (around 28 min mark) and they have some great ideas for the game code. It was awesome to hear ideas from fellow gamers who also love both pinball and Overwatch (maybe there are more of us out there than we thought!). The boys were smiling ear to ear and are so excited!
Was nice to hear about your project. Overwatch was a huge deal when it launched (and was the first game from Blizzard I recall that had a huge push for console players, not just PC). Tony didn't mention in the episode that they have dogs named after Overwatch characters. I have always felt it would make for a great pin theme.
Quoted from DennisK:Was nice to hear about your project. Overwatch was a huge deal when it launched (and was the first game from Blizzard I recall that had a huge push for console players, not just PC). Tony didn't mention in the episode that they have dogs named after Overwatch characters. I have always felt it would make for a great pin theme.
Thanks, Dennis! And thanks for covering our build! It was soooo fun to sit with my boys and listen to your ideas and shared excitement for the endless possibilities that the concept brings!
Been following this project; as a fellow Overwatch addict and Pinball enthusiast, I can't wait to see where it ends up!
Also, I'm going to be annoyingly pedantic but for the sake of your rule sheet: Ana was not in the original 21, she was #22, the first new hero after the release of the game
Just spitballing some character select ideas here. Some could definitely be massively OP depending on modes. Was super fun though to think of the heroes and how their characteristics and strengths in the game would translate to a pinball ruleset.
Genji:
- Perk: In modes, drop targets shots worth 2x
- Ultimate: Dragon Blade - All shots double in value with each successive hit for 20 seconds, resetting after a miss or a small period of time with no hits (5 seconds, maybe)
Mei:
- Perk: All timers 20% longer; Widow shot worth 2x
- Ultimate: Blizzard - Pause all timers for 10 seconds
Zarya:
- Perk: Maybe one less shot required to qualify modes at Dva scoop, if something like that is applicable. Otherwise, 2x Dva scoop value during modes
- Ultimate: Graviton Surge - Within 10 seconds, the next lit shot made combines the nearest adjacent lit shots (max 2) into the made shot. A subsequent hit to the shot (within the same 20 second window) will spot the values for the combined adjacent shots, plus the original shot value again
Roadhog:
- Perk: In modes, Genji pops worth 2x
- Ultimate: Whole Hog - For 10 seconds, making a lit shot also spots the nearest random adjacent lit shot
Lucio:
- Perk: Inlane switches count for both inlanes, but required activations for ballsave/playfield multiplier raised to 5 total
- Ultimate: Sound Barrier - Used during a multiball, ball save timer extended 10 seconds
Pharah:
- Perk: Zenyatta/Mercy lane save now covers both lanes without needing to lane change
- Ultimate: Rocket Barrage - Collect up to 3 random lit shots
Reaper:
- Perk: Hitting lit shots extend mode timers by 2s
- Ultimate: Death Blossom - The next drop target shot collects the value for and drops all other raised drop targets (this would be neat, but would required knock down coils on the drops. Could just spot their values instead)
Tracer:
- Perk: First 3 switches hit during a ball extends ball save timer 2 seconds each
- Ultimate: Pulse Bomb - Spot 10 hits on each Genji pop
Junkrat:
- Perk: Roving shots move slower
- Ultimate: RIP-Tire - Next hit lit shot within 10 seconds is worth 3x
Quoted from johnnytruant:Been following this project; as a fellow Overwatch addict and Pinball enthusiast, I can't wait to see where it ends up!
Also, I'm going to be annoyingly pedantic but for the sake of your rule sheet: Ana was not in the original 21, she was #22, the first new hero after the release of the game
Just spitballing some character select ideas here. Some could definitely be massively OP depending on modes. Was super fun though to think of the heroes and how their characteristics and strengths in the game would translate to a pinball ruleset.
Genji:
- Perk: In modes, drop targets shots worth 2x
- Ultimate: Dragon Blade - All shots double in value with each successive hit for 20 seconds, resetting after a miss or a small period of time with no hits (5 seconds, maybe)
Mei:
- Perk: All timers 20% longer; Window shot worth 2x
- Ultimate: Blizzard - Pause all timers for 10 seconds
Zarya:
- Perk: Maybe one less shot required to qualify modes at Dva scoop, if something like that is applicable. Otherwise, 2x Dva scoop value during modes
- Ultimate: Graviton Surge - Within 10 seconds, the next lit shot made combines the nearest adjacent lit shots (max 2) into the made shot. A subsequent hit to the shot (within the same 20 second window) will spot the values for the combined adjacent shots, plus the original shot value again
Roadhog:
- Perk: In modes, Genji pops worth 2x
- Ultimate: Whole Hog - For 10 seconds, making a lit shot also spots the nearest random adjacent lit shot
Lucio:
- Perk: Inlane switches count for both inlanes, but required activations for ballsave/playfield multiplier raised to 5 total
- Ultimate: Sound Barrier - Used during a multiball, ball save timer extended 10 seconds
Pharah:
- Perk: Zenyatta/Mercy lane save now covers both lanes without needing to lane change
- Ultimate: Rocket Barrage - Collect up to 3 random lit shots
Reaper:
- Perk: Hitting lit shots extend mode timers by 2s
- Ultimate: Death Blossom - The next drop target shot collects the value for and drops all other raised drop targets (this would be neat, but would required knock down coils on the drops. Could just spot their values instead)
Tracer:
- Perk: First 3 switches hit during a ball extends ball save timer 2 seconds each
- Ultimate: Pulse Bomb - Spot 10 hits on each Genji pop
Junkrat:
- Perk: Roving shots move slower
- Ultimate: RIP-Tire - Next hit lit shot within 10 seconds is worth 3x
Hey fellow Overwatch-pinballer! WOW! Thank you for the thoughtfulness and for putting your ideas out there! Some great ideas here and I will share them with the boys. I have to say that my favorite ideas here are the Lucio perk (genius will definitely make this his perk!), Zarya Ult (if codeable! I am a novice coder!) and the idea that perks that can extend mode timers.
Regarding Ana, you are right she was released 2 months after the original game release (but we needed 4 support heroes for the heal lanes)! And as I am going through to figure out how/why I have 21 characters in our ruleset and not 22 (inlc. Ana) I realized we left Soldier 76 out of the rules accidentally (haha). He has his own ramp shot and we missed him. Will add something for him and bring in some ideas in the next round! Thanks for following and for taking the time. Keep it coming throughout this process (I really hope we have a flippin game in a cabinet with art and code 1.0) by end of year.
We developed this creative guide for our artist to help convey the vision that the boys and I have for the layout. Sharing for anyone interested and specifically for newbies (like us!) to see the work that goes into creating a playfield layout in collaboration with an artist. While we hired an artist to take the project forward, we spent hours talking through this and also developing this guide as a family. It may be overkill but we want to maximize the time the artist is working on the actual art vs understanding our vision. We have a call with the artist in about 2 weeks to walk him through the guide (meanwhile he is downloading Overwatch to get familiar with the characters/theme)!
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pasted_image (resized).pngQuoted from DaddyManD:We developed this creative guide for our artist to help convey the vision that the boys and I have for the layout. Sharing for anyone interested and specifically for newbies (like us!) to see the work that goes into creating a playfield layout in collaboration with an artist. While we hired an artist to take the project forward, we spent hours talking through this and also developing this guide as a family. It may be overkill but we want to maximize the time the artist is working on the actual art vs understanding our vision. We have a call with the artist in about 2 weeks to walk him through the guide (meanwhile he is downloading Overwatch to get familiar with the characters/theme)!
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Wow, that's a great idea! The art will take some time but it will be so worth it.
I am sure Brian is super glad you put that together, as I am sure it will help him deliver exactly what you're hoping for. The playfield art you listed as your favorites are also some of my favorites and design. I cannot wait to see what he comes up with!
We are working up a basic user interface for character select at game start. Will be 22 characters from the original game, each with starting perk and "ultimate" ability perk. Found a nice Overwatch font generator tool online which is super helpful (our new MacPook Pro is helpful too!).
pasted_image (resized).pngQuoted from DaddyManD:We are working up a basic user interface for character select at game start. Will be 22 characters from the original game, each with starting perk and "ultimate" ability perk. Found a nice Overwatch font generator tool online which is super helpful (our new MacPook Pro is helpful too!).
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Some people are mental giants. I can barely make a paper airplane. Others have this crazy, awesome ability. I love it! Lol
This is really coming out awesome. Incredible job. This is going to be amazing when it's done. 
#Following
1 week later
Clermont-ferrand
Wow! Haven't popped in here in a bit. This is so thoughtfully done, and planned out. A true inspiration.
I'm loving the art PDF placement idea!
I now also need to ask my son if he's familiar with Overwatch, as I am not.
Cam and I created our own custom Overwatch water slide decals to use for the light inserts. Plan to try to print these at home and use on our Whitewood #2 which is coming any day. I thought creating these would be much more complicated but in Adobe Illustrator we just copy/pasted the insert holes from the CNC cut file and used those as out template. Found the Overwatch "spray" icons and pasted them in, along with an Overwatch font creator tool for the callouts. Can't wait to see how these are integrated with the playfield art when it's ready!
Water slides-1.pdfThese look amazing. New Playfield will hopefully be in my hands this weekend! I may have to get a larger cnc of my own so I don’t have to outsource!
I'm impressed everytime I open this thread. You 3 are doing so much, so professionally, and so incredibly on point. This will be an amazing pin, and I'm really glad yall allow us to go along the ride with you. Super impressed guys!
Quoted from MrBigg:I'm impressed everytime I open this thread. You 3 are doing so much, so professionally, and so incredibly on point. This will be an amazing pin, and I'm really glad yall allow us to go along the ride with you. Super impressed guys!
Aww shucks! Thanks Bigg Daddy! Appreciate the support which genuinely feels like family!
The last few days we spent time working on the gameplay screens. Since this is a live first-person hero shooter we have been debating the best way to integrate this into the machine knowing we won't have the ability to have live video, aiming, shooting etc. Made some mock-ups of the 4 main modes with a few characters and maps from the game. Work in progress. Will definitely integrate animations and cinematic clips from the video game. Next few days we are going to try to get MPF up and running "virtually" since we are waiting on our cabinet and hopefully start dropping assets in to the software.
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Reichenau Im Mühlkreis
less than a week into learning MPF. super humbling and painstakingly slow process. But we have an attract mode, mapped all switches to the PF, have scoring and super modes registering. Added some music and sound effects too! Was initially very discouraged but now this is fun!!!
A773A49F-BA8A-4B7D-B182-CC600BAFC68F (resized).jpeg
93D8DF59-2FEE-4719-A9BF-452C05F98CDD (resized).jpeg12932CE6-0903-4832-A179-51449603A934 (resized).jpeg56BB0872-026B-4A7E-A497-227C7643A8E1 (resized).jpegD.Va “Nerf This” multiball start sequence is coded! Balls locking correctly after qualifying the scoop via left and right target hits. Now need to code the actual MB mode (jackpots, super jackpots, scoring, lights, music and animations). MPF is fun but painstakingly slow and one mistake can set you back hours!
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47EAE2D2-F9A6-440B-8DDE-73FB14361BD4 (resized).jpegLooking good! I’ve been wrestling with MPF for a few days. There is amazing potential, and even as good as the tutorials are, I’m struggling with aspects of how the framework is structured. I just need to get a few more solid modes under my belt and use those as templates.
Quoted from Mudflaps:Looking good! I’ve been wrestling with MPF for a few days. There is amazing potential, and even as good as the tutorials are, I’m struggling with aspects of how the framework is structured. I just need to get a few more solid modes under my belt and use those as templates.
same experience here. also found some things in tutorial that are no longer valid or accurate apparently. The Discord group and especially the FAST slack group have been the most helpful resources. and honestly just grabbing MPF examples from others. Happy to share anything you would like! Hang in there!
Quoted from DaddyManD:same experience here. also found some things in tutorial that are no longer valid or accurate apparently. The Discord group and especially the FAST slack group have been the most helpful resources. and honestly just grabbing MPF examples from others. Happy to share anything you would like! Hang in there!
Yes, please pm me the Slack link!
1 week later
Whitewood #2 is here! Thanks Octomodz
Plan to glue inserts in & sand this weekend. Hopefully do a light (less hazardous spray can Verothane clear coat for this temp playfield) and water slide decals next week, then playfield swap.
Quoted from DaddyManD:a light (less hazardous Home Depot clear coat)
What specifically are you using for clear coat?
Quoted from MOSFET:What specifically are you using for clear coat?
This is what our good friend Mudflaps recommends after much experience. Hope to do next week and will report back.
https://www.amazon.com/Rust-Oleum-Varathane-200081-Polyurethane-Water-Based/dp/B0002YQ4OK/ref=sr_1_3
Wear a mask and goggles but not the radioactive suit needed for automotive clear
67CEC2DA-FD7C-446D-A53A-2ABDB43C0E86 (resized).pngQuoted from DaddyManD:This is what our good friend Mudflaps recommends after much experience. Hope to do next week and will report back.
amazon.com link »
Wear a mask and goggles but not the radioactive suit needed for automotive clear
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Make sure when you do your final board, to take it to a pro. Preferably an automotive guy if you know one. Final board, and clear coat will be so important, and key to the life of the playfield. That store can stuff is fine for a practice run, but won't stand the test of time against a steel ball. It is more advantageous to do a 2k automotive grade clear from a gun, that can lay that stuff down in several mills of thickness at once. It's strong, durable, and like hard plastic once it cures. Not to mention the depth, and ability to polish over and over for years to come. I've painted cars, guitars, etc for 20+ years, and did my playfield with 4 coats of Nasan 2 stage urethane ultra gloss, and it is crazy hard, and super durable. Not to mention it's really slick, the ball spins endlessly.
Can't wait to see your board setup, and this project is really looking great, you guys have done such a fantastic job, and an incredible team effort. So impressed by your proving such a short time. Definitely something to be very proud of.
Quoted from MrBigg:Make sure when you do your final board, to take it to a pro. Preferably an automotive guy if you know one. Final board, and clear coat will be so important, and key to the life of the playfield. That store can stuff is fine for a practice run, but won't stand the test of time against a steel ball. It is more advantageous to do a 2k automotive grade clear from a gun, that can lay that stuff down in several mills of thickness at once. It's strong, durable, and like hard plastic once it cures. Not to mention the depth, and ability to polish over and over for years to come. I've painted cars, guitars, etc for 20+ years, and did my playfield with 4 coats of Nasan 2 stage urethane ultra gloss, and it is crazy hard, and super durable. Not to mention it's really slick, the ball spins endlessly.
Can't wait to see your board setup, and this project is really looking great, you guys have done such a fantastic job, and an incredible team effort. So impressed by your proving such a short time. Definitely something to be very proud of.
DaddyManD Good luck! You’ll learn a ton prepping and clearing the first playfield.
MrBigg Yeah, an automotive clear on the final playfield is a no brainer, especially with Brian Allen’s art. I cleared my prototype playfield with 2 part auto clear, but it was overkill. I’ll go through another 1-2 playfields before the final version.
Anyway, the project is coming along great!
Quoted from MrBigg:Make sure when you do your final board, to take it to a pro. Preferably an automotive guy if you know one. Final board, and clear coat will be so important, and key to the life of the playfield. That store can stuff is fine for a practice run, but won't stand the test of time against a steel ball. It is more advantageous to do a 2k automotive grade clear from a gun, that can lay that stuff down in several mills of thickness at once. It's strong, durable, and like hard plastic once it cures. Not to mention the depth, and ability to polish over and over for years to come. I've painted cars, guitars, etc for 20+ years, and did my playfield with 4 coats of Nasan 2 stage urethane ultra gloss, and it is crazy hard, and super durable. Not to mention it's really slick, the ball spins endlessly.
Can't wait to see your board setup, and this project is really looking great, you guys have done such a fantastic job, and an incredible team effort. So impressed by your proving such a short time. Definitely something to be very proud of.
Thanks Biggs! 10000% going to a Pro for final playfield. This is just for us to learn and also have a whitewood which “feels” closer to the real thing!
Man we lost so much time the last few weeks due to my damn full time job and work travel
Can’t wait to go full throttle next couple of weeks!
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