(Topic ID: 203335)

Playfield design: "Long-Shots"

By mof

6 years ago


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  • 43 posts
  • 19 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 5 years ago by mof
  • Topic is favorited by 1 Pinsider

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#1 6 years ago

I was thinking about one aspect of pinball that I think is very enjoyable: the number of "long-shots" in a game...
(If there's a more standard name for it, I'm happy to adjust.)

If I go around my collection, and count the number of "long-shots" -- shots from the lower 2 main flippers -- more than 2/3 of the way up the playfield, nearly ALL of my games have 4 or more long shots. The only exceptions are Embryon and Black Knight with 3 each.

Here's my question: What SSs have only 2 longs-shots in the game?

thanks,
mof

#2 6 years ago

I've come up with five classic games with only two long-shots:

Bally Silverball Mania
Stern Lightning
Stern Iron Maiden
Bally Flash Gordon
Alien Star

#4 6 years ago

I feel like a lot of Gottlieb System 3 games have lots of short shots. At least, they feel like they do. Maybe it's the flippers, or something else, but those games always feel super chunky and clunky when playing. B/W seem to have a "smoother" feel to them.

#5 6 years ago
Quoted from mbaumle:

Gottlieb System 3

Do any system 3's have only 2 long-shots?

#6 6 years ago

Centaur

#8 6 years ago
Quoted from mof:

Centuar has 4 long-shots.
-mof

The shot to the rollovers and the multiball start, (forget the name). I don't count a captive ball half way up the playfield as a long shot

#9 6 years ago
Quoted from mof:

Do any system 3's have only 2 long-shots?

I'd argue that my Lights Camera Action has maybe 1.5 long shots. The first being the shot to the spinner, and the .5 being the shot up the ramp back to the gunfight hole. It's a half because it's a rotating playfield diverter that diverts the ball to the left flipper half the time, and I wouldn't call that a long shot.

The rest of the game is super tight, even the shot from the upper left flipper to the loop.

#10 6 years ago
Quoted from Frippertron:

I don't count a captive ball half way up the playfield as a long shot

Agree.

1. Shot to one-way gate for rollover lanes
2. Shot up middle between drops
3. Shot to spot target
4. Shot to orbs release magnet

Four.

-mof

#11 6 years ago

Night Moves

Caribbean Cruise.

0 long shots.

#13 6 years ago

Cute! Ok, so by 2 long-shots I mean 2 long-shots, and no cocktail pins.

thanks,
haha
mof

#14 6 years ago

Has 4 or 5 from what I can see. Standard fare.
mof

#15 6 years ago
Quoted from mof:

Has 4 or 5 from what I can see. Standard fare.
mof

Mix in the difficulty factor and its not standard to the other pins i have

#16 6 years ago

Bally Night Rider, spinner shots

#17 6 years ago

Strikes and Spares too. Similar to Night Rider

#18 6 years ago
Quoted from patrickvc:

Bally Night Rider, spinner shots

Close, if we continue to use 2/3's of the way up as a guideline, those pop shots count (even if they are not uber-satisfying -- they are SAFE shots)

4+
-mof

#19 6 years ago
Quoted from mof:

Agree.
1. Shot to one-way gate for rollover lanes
2. Shot up middle between drops
3. Shot to spot target
4. Shot to orbs release magnet
Four.
-mof

Wow, stand up targets are a little extreme. I don't think anyone thinks "shot" when seeing a stand up. So is every stand up and drop its own shot? ( not trying to be a jerk , just having fun smeg head!)

#20 6 years ago
Quoted from Frippertron:

seeing a stand up

I would consider each group of targets a shot, not each drop or each individual standup, but that's my brain.
-mof

3 weeks later
#21 6 years ago

Stern Lightning = 2 long shots
Creature FTBL = 2

#22 6 years ago
Quoted from mof:

The only exceptions are Embryon and Black Knight with 3 each.

What are the 3 longshots for Embryon? The captive balls and lower drop targets are about half way up, so they're not longshots. That only leaves the spinner and saucer as longshots. What's the third one?

#23 6 years ago
Quoted from pinplayer01:

What's the third one?

Shot to the middle rollover?

#24 6 years ago

F-14 has the longshot of the LAUNCH in the farthest upper right corner of the playfield.

Then it has the longshot Kill General in the upper left corner.

#25 6 years ago

Does it have only 2 possible shots total from the lower flippers, or can two more be made to just inside of the upper flippers? (I haven't played it in years)
-mof

#26 6 years ago

Williams Grand Prix. You got the left spinner and the right spinner. Everything else near the top is hit off a rebound. And yes, it came as a solid state.

image-6 (resized).jpgimage-6 (resized).jpg

#27 6 years ago

Disagree. You can ht the top drops cleanly from the flippers- it's tight but it's a shot... but mostly it's a rebound. I think you can argue that each spinner is a different shot and the drops probably count as one since they are a group - so that's three?

2 weeks later
#28 6 years ago

And the total game count with 2 total long-shots holds FIRM at 5.
Fascinating...
-mof

#29 6 years ago

All those games you mentioned have at least three by your definition-

"long-shots" -- shots that travel more than 2/3 of the way up the playfield

Because the shooter itself is a shot.

#30 6 years ago

Center ramps and head in RBIoN and center ramp in ST:TNG come to mind. Hidden hallway in FH is a crucial shot that's long and needs a fairly precise trajectory.

#32 6 years ago

Judge Dredd sniper shot is long.
Batman Forever 4th ramp shot is long.
The Metallica left ramp shot is long.
Radical! Snake Run shot is long.
Pinbot eye lock shots are long.

#33 6 years ago

TNA = 2
left orbit
right orbit

#34 6 years ago
Quoted from greenhornet:

TNA = 2
left orbit
right orbit

I would venture to also say the right scoop when all the drops are down.

#38 6 years ago
Quoted from mof:

Here's my question: What SSs have only 2 longs-shots in the game?

1 month later
1 month later
#41 5 years ago

Gottlieb Circus? Is there more than 2 worthwhile long shots?

1 month later
#42 5 years ago

Skateball... spinner and drops... doesn't look like you can make the orbit from the lower right flipper...?
(adding reluctantly -- as the shots are wide open to the top, so it's more like 2.5++ shots...)
2

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