That's still not cheating. You pushed it, and you lose. Pretty sure that's the rules.

I continue to be amazed at the number of pinsiders (not regular folk) who insist that pinball is EVER random or luck. I've never seen a pinball vaporize and reappear elsewhere in the game. It is 100% always physics. Our inability to predict the ball's motion does not mean that it isn't governed by physics. Power outages...I guess that's random luck.

OTOH, who am I to shake my fist at your voodoo?

Have fun and don't sweat it!

That is the key. I have trouble with insomnia at times. The difference between "rested pinball" and "insomnia pinball" is almost beyond belief.

The tired eye/ brain just cannot keep up with pinball even though it does pretty well at more typical day to day activities.

My views on this are reinforced for me by my experiences with another precision activity that folks usually assume is all about brute strength (Thanks Stallone), namely rock climbing. While strength to weight is important, I never completed a climbing project because I was suddenly stronger that day- it was always because my mind was working better, though it all obviously plays a role. The ability to visualize the fine points of what is happening cannot be underestimated. (Sadly, those days are long past, btw. )

It's all about physics and the brain's ability to calculate without numbers.

You are correct, sir. I wish I knew what this meant.

???

Of course. Your point is understood, but I think it's clear from the context that what we're talking about is the motion of the ball.

Clearly, my blanket statement does not take this into account, but had I written it differently...

I don't think the mystery awards are nearly as "random" as we tend to think anyway. It seems to me that various awards are usually tied to other game factors in the code even if they're not abundantly obvious to casual the player. The "pity" extra ball light in PinBot is the first thing to come to mind for me here. My guests think the light just came on, while I realize that it's on because I suck.