(Topic ID: 252232)

"Smacking" the plunger

By joelbob

4 years ago


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    There are 85 posts in this topic. You are on page 1 of 2.
    #1 4 years ago

    I was playing on location last night and the guy next to me would smack or hit the plunger in instead of pulling it back and letting it go. Why would you do that? First it seems to be hard on the plunger and the spring. Is that actually a purposeful technique or was the guy just angry and taking it out every plunge?

    #2 4 years ago

    I do it when there's a reason to do it. Typically, that means a game like Jackbot where the soft plunge requires a light touch to escape the shooter lane without hitting a pop bumper. The main plunger spring on Jackbot is generally pretty firm and makes dialing in the regular plunge much harder than popping it gently.

    #3 4 years ago

    If they really don't want it, there's always the pointy plunger knob:

    https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/ball-shoot-plunger-with-the-point-on-it

    I think it's ok in general. For the majority of cases, it is a less consistent and reliable plunge, but so long as the springs are ok, I don't think it will particularly damage it much. Sometimes it can be handy if the main plunger spring is weakened or broken whcih I have unfortunately seen in the wild .

    #4 4 years ago

    The guy was doing it because he was just too cool to pull it back.

    #5 4 years ago

    He's used to playing games with launch buttons.

    #6 4 years ago

    It’s dumb and I’ve never seen the point.

    You can injure your hand doing it.

    #7 4 years ago

    I've yet to see this, but I have seen guys take there hand and smack the side of the cabinet REALLY HARD in some sort of save effort. Not the side as in flipper button area but further up in the middle of the cabinet. I think it was Metallica they were playing.

    #8 4 years ago

    On my old #PitStop, I used to have the center 200 shot down cold when I smacked the plunger.

    #9 4 years ago

    Just something people do, no big deal.

    Rarely I do it now unless one of those gaudy mod plungers is on there

    #10 4 years ago

    We used to do that back in the 70s to show everyone how cool and experienced you were. The pointy plungers put an end to that.

    #11 4 years ago

    I actually did this on one of my machines before I shopped it because the auto launch was weak and the ball wouldn't reach the top.

    #12 4 years ago

    There are plenty of games that are poorly maintained and a full plunge doesn't put the ball in play. Whether the plunger is sticky, or misaligned or whatever, and not functioning as designed. With that said, if the plunger isn't working properly, the rest of the game is probably in the same shitty condition. One game is all I'll play if that's the case.

    #13 4 years ago

    I only do it when the plunger is super weak and you need a powerful plunge example like taxi. If the plunger is plunging fine I won't do that just pull it back.

    #14 4 years ago
    Quoted from CrazyLevi:

    It’s dumb and I’ve never seen the point.
    You can injure your hand doing it.

    LOL

    #15 4 years ago

    To clarify: This was on a BKSOR and when I played it I didn't notice any issues with the plunger. He was an older guy so maybe he just thinks its cool.

    #16 4 years ago

    It was more common when I was younger to see people doing that.

    I do it occasionally when a regular plunge wont get it done.

    #17 4 years ago
    Quoted from joelbob:

    To clarify: This was on a BKSOR and when I played it I didn't notice any issues with the plunger. He was an older guy so maybe he just thinks its cool.

    Maybe he was trying to impress the onlookers noticing him

    #18 4 years ago
    Quoted from CrazyLevi:

    It’s dumb and I’ve never seen the point.
    You can injure your hand doing it.

    The only time I do it is on WCS when I need the farthest back yellow light on the skill shot to complete the three and light the next city. Most of the time the plunger spring isn't strong enough to get it back there on a normal plunge.

    #19 4 years ago
    Quoted from TheLaw:

    Maybe he was trying to impress the onlookers noticing him

    He was there with a lady friend so maybe... I don't think I was his type.

    #20 4 years ago
    Quoted from CrazyLevi:

    You can injure your hand doing it.

    Probably not on the flat or round knobs.

    The pointy one - yes, I've seen people punch a hole in their hand winding up on one of them.

    LTG : )

    #21 4 years ago

    If I need a plunge that’s stronger than a full plunge, I pull it back all the way with my right hand and, using my left hand with the thumb on the knob, give it some extra help.

    For instance, on Volley often a full plunge gets you the centre yellow lane consistently. Once I have the yellow targets lit I’ll use that method to go for one of the other lanes. I get more consistent results than if I try to dial the plunge back a little.

    And yeah I smack a(non pointy) plunger once in a while, for various reasons....

    #22 4 years ago

    I do it if it's a plunger that has no tension even if pulled all the way back. Yea, there is a purpose for this. Smack that thang!!

    #23 4 years ago

    It usually doesn’t matter; but it will for sure smash in the outer spring eventually. Most annoying thing about it is it will cause the shooter lane switch to misfire due to the misalignment of the shooter rod from the smashed spring.

    GOT auto selecting houses or GOTG auto selecting modes sucks.

    #24 4 years ago

    I just pull it back like normal with my right hand and hold it back while I place my left thumb on the end of the shooter rod handle and when I let go with my right hand I'll give it that extra push with my left thumb. Much easier on my dish pan hands then smacking it like an idiot.

    John

    #25 4 years ago

    I’ve seen it on the PAPA videos, it’s called a Power Plunge and as others said it’s basically for when you need a deep shot that a normal plunge won’t reliably hit.
    For me I’ve managed a decent power plunge on Dialed In for a reliable skill shot award. I’m surprised at how many folks have never heard of a Power Plunge!

    #26 4 years ago

    Pro-tip: there is actually one good use of this technique that I've found -- getting balls out of the WCS '94 shooter lane if you end up with 2 in there somehow. A normal plunge won't get them out, but a good smack will

    #27 4 years ago

    I do this occasionally. Yet another prefectly fine thing that would never damage a game in any way. I dont do it every time, just if I feel like it would help my plunge shot control or if I feel like I need to kick the games ass a bit.

    No harm no foul.

    #28 4 years ago
    Quoted from joelbob:

    He was there with a lady friend

    O.K., so it IS cool, and now I have to start doing that.

    #29 4 years ago

    I only do that if the game has been a naughty girl...… Sorry had to say that All joking aside, I've only done that on really beat up games on route that had no spring left in them.

    #30 4 years ago

    It’s just plain cheating the game.

    #31 4 years ago
    Quoted from RetroGamerJP:

    I've yet to see this, but I have seen guys take there hand and smack the side of the cabinet REALLY HARD in some sort of save effort. Not the side as in flipper button area but further up in the middle of the cabinet. I think it was Metallica they were playing.

    This is just a nudging technique to get the ball off the orbit rail so it doesn't come down and hit the slingshots and go wild. You'll see it in tournaments when players are shooting orbit shots.

    #32 4 years ago
    Quoted from DNO:

    It’s just plain cheating the game.

    How is that?

    I thought these were coin operated machines meant to be left in public unattended 24/7 with everything they could think of designed into them to prevent cheating. And the plunger itself has been in them since day one.

    #33 4 years ago
    Quoted from speederice:

    This is just a nudging technique to get the ball off the orbit rail so it doesn't come down and hit the slingshots and go wild. You'll see it in tournaments when players are shooting orbit shots.

    ah, interesting. thanks for the clarification.

    #34 4 years ago

    We all did this in the '70s. It was the cool thing to do to impress the girls about your indifference to the game.
    You really banged the game around after it was launched and it was the real gameplay instead of the skill shot.

    #35 4 years ago
    Quoted from jbovenzi:

    We all did this in the '70s. It was the cool thing to do to impress the girls about your indifference to the game.
    You really banged the game around after it was launched and it was the real gameplay instead of the skill shot.

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    #36 4 years ago

    I’ve done it before to beat an auto plunge into pops

    #37 4 years ago

    Since I've been a member of pinside I've seen more worries about abuse and other aspects of these machines, and others telling others what is right or wrong, and what they should do or shouldn't do, than we ever could have possibly imagined when the only thing in our minds was how to win a replay.

    #38 4 years ago
    Quoted from o-din:

    [quoted image]

    Priceless.

    So close to my picture back then. I think that I did actually have a white belt during that time...

    #39 4 years ago
    Quoted from jbovenzi:

    Priceless.

    So close to my picture back then. I think that I did actually have a white belt during that time...

    Honestly, the spectator is a dead ringer for myself sophomore year in high school. Before I grew my hair long again. I had to do a double take.

    If you weren't playing pinball in the 1970s, you may never understand. And that goes for a lot of things.

    #40 4 years ago
    Quoted from o-din:

    [quoted image]

    The hair, the paneling, the belt, ahhh, the 70s. We thought (I mean, KNEW) we were so cool.

    #41 4 years ago

    We were (are) too cool for school.

    #42 4 years ago

    If you really want to look like a douchebag playing on location do the two handed plunger shot. We did this as punk kids in the 70's when Bally used pointed plungers. Right hand index and middle finger pull plunger. Left thumb on plunger, rest of fingers on lock down bar. Release right hand and slam left thumb forward. Ball will launch like a rocket. Impress your friends!

    #43 4 years ago

    Oh the memories are pouring out of my brain now!

    And some of you wonder why we don't need any stinking dream themes.

    #44 4 years ago

    Some games you have to do it on if the spring isn't strong enough. I've played a roller games before and whirlwind, where you could not get up and around on a full plunge. You had to smacked the hell out of it, or there was no way you were getting around. Sometimes it's not just the spring that causes this. If the fingers of the shooter cover are bent out to far. The tip of the plunger actually doesn't even touch the ball or barely touches. In this case. Smacking the plunger, actually compresses the smaller spring and extends the plunger deeper into the shooter lane. Giving it more impact.

    #45 4 years ago
    Quoted from joelbob:

    To clarify: This was on a BKSOR and when I played it I didn't notice any issues with the plunger. He was an older guy so maybe he just thinks its cool.

    If he scored over 100M, then hes doing something right. I've seen one of these where the shooter was inconsistent at making the orbit for the flipper skill shot.

    #46 4 years ago

    I always hate it when people do that.

    #47 4 years ago

    When my pops who is 74 comes over
    and plays he does that on my old games.
    Its funny and dad says that's how him
    and his cool cronies played back in the sixties.

    #48 4 years ago

    When I see the pointy plunger on games, it turns me off. Kinda informs me the game has had a hard life.

    #49 4 years ago
    Quoted from Electrocute:

    When I see the pointy plunger on games, it turns me off. Kinda informs me the game has had a hard life.

    Not necessarily. Bally shipped some games with it. Could have cut down on abuse.

    LTG : )

    #50 4 years ago
    Quoted from RetroGamerJP:

    I've yet to see this, but I have seen guys take there hand and smack the side of the cabinet REALLY HARD in some sort of save effort. Not the side as in flipper button area but further up in the middle of the cabinet. I think it was Metallica they were playing.

    Which...actually does something...instead of slapping or punching the plunger, which only makes you look like a total douche.

    There are 85 posts in this topic. You are on page 1 of 2.

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