Awesome theme I thought about doing as well. Your initial progress is getting me stoked as I just became job free and will have time to work on mine. I've been designing (mostlly brainstorming and writing down ideas, nothing physical yet) for the last 4 years (lots of distractions).

Can't wait to see what you come up with! I'm using the P-3roc and mostly likely mission pinball with lots of mods. Trying to design what I envision a HUO pinball machine would be. No monetary aspect, so how would that change the design? Very hard and very long games are what I'm looking at joining together (chain them together). For example, my coin door will have a finger print scanner instead for saved games and settings/etc. I'll start a thread of my own sometime soon...

Keep the updates coming!
--Kevin

I've thought long and hard about what to do with these. Normally I think they are used for two reasons:
1) Change the pace of the game
2) Randomize the ball path

I have a STLE and the bumpers there seem pointless as they all drain in 1 direction, but on IMVE, LOTR, and TH, there are multiple paths out that the ball can take.

My pop bumper area will have a sudo captive ball on a drop target at the bottom with a magnet above it (to pull the ball back up and get it flinging around the bumpers more/ think ST's vengeance ship). Once the ball settles behind the drop target, when a new ball enters the top hitting the switch as it enters the pop bumper area, the drop target will release the ball at the bottom then raise to trap this ball once its done doing its thing. No rest for the player! I have balls staged in several locations on the PF, so when you drain the next ball is already in play. I really love the LOTR mechanic of when a ball is held on the sword and a new ball comes down the ramp, one of the trapped balls is released early and the new ball coming down the ramp takes its place being captive/held. It has a steampunk sort of clockwork movement that I want to have in several areas in my game. I'll post a diagram once I get it a bit more finalized.

Sorry to highjack. Your build is looking good/promising and there is tons of material for the theme (and awesome music, The Seatbelts rock!).

--Kevin

You could add another captive ball bracket under the ramp so you are moving a captive ball from one position to the other. I thought about this as well for my pin (simulate picking chambers on a lock, ball has to move through different captive positions with 1 way gates to insure the correct direction of travel -- also had a scoop at the end to shoot the ball back to the initial position when completed).