Everyone ready for the shows?
(Topic ID: 257587)
Linked Games
Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball
Ryan McQuaid , 2020
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2 days!
Today I finished CFD Multiball and callouts (callout preview a few posts up)
I also vanquished the ancient bug of "dont tilt during special stage or you break the game"
Only thing left of my "nice to have" list are some CFD GI light shows. I am super happy to be in a place that I am even thinking about that.
Kansas City, KS
I noticed when you were packing up spin ball you padded between the playfield and the glass. I am curious why. I am packing up my home brew tomorrow.
Quoted from Cmartin1235:I noticed when you were packing up spin ball you padded between the playfield and the glass. I am curious why. I am packing up my home brew tomorrow.
Just to minimize the possibility of anything rattling arround, or if for example a part broke off (like robotnik or something) It wouldnt be able to break anything else. Call it paranoia? It took an extra 10 minutes so I figured "why not?"
Great work. Wish I could have made the trip to see this beauty. I hope one of the big players picks up your game and makes a full commercial version, cause I'd be on that! Enjoy the Expo!
Quoted from STLOkie:Great work. Wish I could have made the trip to see this beauty. I hope one of the big players picks up your game and makes a full commercial version, cause I'd be on that! Enjoy the Expo!
Same! It'll print money for whoever picks it up!
Great to meet you Ryan! Sonic is awesome — the work you’ve put into it really shows and is impressive! I wish there hadn’t been so many people wanting to play it so I could have gotten more time on it though lol — literally everytime I walked back to the hombrews there was a longer line on sonic than any other game in the place, minus maybe ccr. It usually looked like this:
1EA4E4F8-283C-463B-BC5B-CB9AA91EFF06 (resized).jpeg
I'm super glad to see that everyone enjoyed the game as much as I enjoyed building it. Thank you everyone who visits this thread for the continued support. This Expo was better than I ever could have hoped for.
I'll be posting analytics and pictures from the show when I get home. See you at Pintastic!
FJIMG_20211031_011009 (resized).jpgRyan -- I was talking it over with Mallory and something came up I forgot to ask you about:
When you choose the game and then go to level select, why aren't the levels in the order that they are in the game? I was seeking out specific levels and they weren't where I'd expected.
Congrats again, it was great to finally meet you and play this absolutely amazing machine! Mallory is super duper jealous.
Quoted from SkyKing2301:Ryan -- I was talking it over with Mallory and something came up I forgot to ask you about:
When you choose the game and then go to level select, why aren't the levels in the order that they are in the game? I was seeking out specific levels and they weren't where I'd expected.
Congrats again, it was great to finally meet you and play this absolutely amazing machine! Mallory is super duper jealous.
it does not have all levels from each game.
Quoted from Joe_Blasi:it does not have all levels from each game.
Even so, the levels it does have are not in the correct order.
Sonic Spinball Expo Statistics:
Total plays: 346
Vendor hall was open for 24 total hours, so roughly one game played every 4.16 minutes
Highest score: 77,782,900
Average score: 9,685,918
Game choices:
Sonic 1: 157
Sonic 2: 56
Sonic 3: 25
Sonic 3D Blast: 4
Sonic CD: 10
Sonic & Knuckles: 18
Sonic Mania: 11
Sonic Spinball: 10
CFD: 46
Freedom Planet: 3
Ristar: 7
Modes played:
Green (Orbits): 224
Blue (Water): 39
Yellow (Combos): 28
Red (Fire): 7
Cyan (Ice): 25
Purple (Blackout): 35
Mania Multiball: 67
Switch Multiball: 17
Loop Multiball: 3
Badnik Frenzy Multiball: (accidentally untracked)
Bonus Pipe: 32
Bonus Slots: 21
Bonus Sphere: 11
Left flips: 25,515
Right flips: 38,339
Spinner spins: 191,495
Pops: 14,126
Slings: 7,714
Left ramps: 2,261
Right Ramps: 1081
Loops: 1001
Scoops: 829
Left orbits: 5,316
Right orbits: 3,461
Left outlanes: 388
Right outlanes: 430
Tilt warnings: 392
Tilts: 18
Balls locked: 462
Super jackpots: 56
Amy add-a-balls: 18
Mystery awards: 164
Loop awards: 270
Rings collected: 11,721
Shields collected: 682
Bump slots secret: 2
Uptime: 99.97%
Software Crashes: 1
Stuck balls: 1 (resolved itself)
Glass removed for service: 0
Broken parts: 1 (Signpost spinner peg fell out, still worked with only 3)
So many spins. My favorite stat on the list.
Quoted from McSquid:Sonic Spinball Expo Statistics:
Total plays: 346
Vendor hall was open for 24 total hours, so roughly one game played every 4.16 minutes
Highest score: 77,782,900
Average score: 9,685,918
Game choices:
Sonic 1: 157
Sonic 2: 56
Sonic 3: 25
Sonic 3D Blast: 4
Sonic CD: 10
Sonic & Knuckles: 18
Sonic Mania: 11
Sonic Spinball: 10
CFD: 46
Freedom Planet: 3
Ristar: 7
Modes played:
Green (Orbits): 224
Blue (Water): 39
Yellow (Combos): 28
Red (Fire): 7
Cyan (Ice): 25
Purple (Blackout): 35
Mania Multiball: 67
Switch Multiball: 17
Loop Multiball: 3
Badnik Frenzy Multiball: (accidentally untracked)
Bonus Pipe: 32
Bonus Slots: 21
Bonus Sphere: 11
Left flips: 25,515
Right flips: 38,339
Spinner spins: 191,495
Pops: 14,126
Slings: 7,714
Left ramps: 2,261
Right Ramps: 1081
Loops: 1001
Scoops: 829
Left orbits: 5,316
Right orbits: 3,461
Left outlanes: 388
Right outlanes: 430
Tilt warnings: 392
Tilts: 18
Balls locked: 462
Super jackpots: 56
Amy add-a-balls: 18
Mystery awards: 164
Loop awards: 270
Rings collected: 11,721
Shields collected: 682
Bump slots secret: 2
Uptime: 99.97%
Software Crashes: 1
Stuck balls: 1 (resolved itself)
Glass removed for service: 0
Broken parts: 1 (Signpost spinner peg fell out, still worked with only 3)
Quoted from SkyKing2301:Ryan -- I was talking it over with Mallory and something came up I forgot to ask you about:
When you choose the game and then go to level select, why aren't the levels in the order that they are in the game? I was seeking out specific levels and they weren't where I'd expected.
Congrats again, it was great to finally meet you and play this absolutely amazing machine! Mallory is super duper jealous.
The levels are in order based on their color. Since each game is just a media pack, they cannot be sorted chronologically by in-game order.
For example, Chemical plant is the 2nd level in Sonic 2, but Hydrocity in Sonic mania is the 7th zone. Since these are each a Blue (water) zone, it is impossible to put them both in the correct order.
The levels are assigned based on which of the (currently) 6 modes they fit best
The choices for zone select go in a circle based on the zone's emerald position on the playfield.
Quoted from McSquid:Bump slots secret: 2
any stats on number of times people bombed out?
At first I looked at the number of flips and thought that was super high...
185 flips per game. Would be interesting to know the average ball time/game time to see the average number of flips per ball.
Quoted from P1nhead:At first I looked at the number of flips and thought that was super high...
185 flips per game. Would be interesting to know the average ball time/game time to see the average number of flips per ball.
does useing flippers to make choices count in that?
Quoted from Joe_Blasi:any stats on number of times people bombed out?
Unfortunately no, there are a lot of things I wish I captured that I didn't. I'm going to overhaul the analytics for Pintastic. If you have any wish list items let me know
Quoted from P1nhead:At first I looked at the number of flips and thought that was super high...
185 flips per game. Would be interesting to know the average ball time/game time to see the average number of flips per ball.
Right flips also includes upper right flips (there were only ~150 staged flips)
I'll try to track ball time next show but no promises.
Quoted from McSquid:Unfortunately no, there are a lot of things I wish I captured that I didn't. I'm going to overhaul the analytics for Pintastic. If you have any wish list items let me know
Like the game and it's cool that stacking Multiballs does not have an lot of blockers.
Bonus lost on tilt (show on screen to player)
Some things there is always more
extra balls
levels won
wizard mode played times
dirty pools
number of Multiballs stacked and at each level of stacking
balls saved (Bonus maybe not counted in it)
balls saved in muitball (Bonus pipe maybe not counted in it)
kickbacks (Shields used)
Fun flips while slots are spinning (on screen flipper is cool)
ball searches
Bonus Pipe stats for levels gotten to too.
slots jackpots
slots timed out
slots bombed out
Quoted from McSquid:Unfortunately no, there are a lot of things I wish I captured that I didn't. I'm going to overhaul the analytics for Pintastic. If you have any wish list items let me know
I have one! When can I buy a Sonic Spinball? Looks like so much fun. 
Quoted from pickleric:I have one! When can I buy a Sonic Spinball? Looks like so much fun.
Made to order for $25k? Market behavior makes this no longer an insane notion.
Quoted from UNCgump:Made to order for $25k? Market behavior makes this no longer an insane notion
Not a bad idea here. Go boutique. License it yourself. Have HEP or Kelly make them one by one. Go $25k. I like it. I won’t be in at that price, but I’d consider running the biz that way. Low volume high margin baby.
Quoted from Riefepeters:Not a bad idea here. Go boutique. License it yourself. Have HEP or Kelly make them one by one. Go $25k. I like it. I won’t be in at that price, but I’d consider running the biz that way. Low volume high margin baby.
This doesn't really get me where I want to be though. I want to go career. Yes it would be nice if Sonic got produced, but it's more a resume than a product to me.
Quoted from McSquid:This doesn't really get me where I want to be though. I want to go career. Yes it would be nice if Sonic got produced, but it's more a resume than a product to me.
You've certainly made your case.
Question is: Build your own operation or join an established one? Very different paths, obviously.
Quoted from McSquid:This doesn't really get me where I want to be though. I want to go career. Yes it would be nice if Sonic got produced, but it's more a resume than a product to me.
All i can say is if this gets made by an existing company (stern, jjp, cgc, american ect) i will buy one instantly as long as its Sonic. If its gets rethemed to something else, the way Elwins Archer did to Maiden (which is an amazing game as Maiden and i wouldnt have bought it as Archer) then pick the theme carefully. I dont see how it can be anything but sonic with the the ramp and stuff in it but this game looks so much fun! I want to play it!
Quoted from McSquid:Unfortunately no, there are a lot of things I wish I captured that I didn't. I'm going to overhaul the analytics for Pintastic. If you have any wish list items let me know
Reactors Destroyed 
Quoted from McSquid:The levels are in order based on their color. Since each game is just a media pack, they cannot be sorted chronologically by in-game order.
Ah, ok. Thanks for taking the time to explain this!
Quoted from McSquid:Sonic Spinball Expo Statistics:
Stuck balls: 1 (resolved itself)
Woohoo, I was the only stuck ball, what do I win? lol
Quoted from SkyKing2301:Ah, ok. Thanks for taking the time to explain this!
Woohoo, I was the only stuck ball, what do I win? lol
no it was the ball on the spinner sticker
Quoted from McSquid:This doesn't really get me where I want to be though. I want to go career. Yes it would be nice if Sonic got produced, but it's more a resume than a product to me.
Props to you on this, and I hope it gets you there. You clearly have talent!
The thing I don't get about this, is why do you have to build a machine to prove this. This isn't a question to you, but the manufacturers. The entry point is completely wrong. You should have a catalog of 10 designs ready to go, and then maybe something half baked to show it actually works with real physics. If you get picked up, you won't be doing engineering, coding, building, etc. So you show you have a lot of skills that will then never be used.
The process seems to be grabbing a jack of all trades and making them a design king, when instead to me it would make more sense to get someone with 10 good designs, argue through them, and find two that make good titles. Then learn from that and others within the team to create more designs.
But I digress, once again, your work is amazing, and I hope this is a nice stepping stone for you, as clearly there are some great ideas that you can execute on!
Quoted from atum:Props to you on this, and I hope it gets you there. You clearly have talent!
The thing I don't get about this, is why do you have to build a machine to prove this. This isn't a question to you, but the manufacturers. The entry point is completely wrong. You should have a catalog of 10 designs ready to go, and then maybe something half baked to show it actually works with real physics. If you get picked up, you won't be doing engineering, coding, building, etc. So you show you have a lot of skills that will then never be used.
The process seems to be grabbing a jack of all trades and making them a design king, when instead to me it would make more sense to get someone with 10 good designs, argue through them, and find two that make good titles. Then learn from that and others within the team to create more designs.
But I digress, once again, your work is amazing, and I hope this is a nice stepping stone for you, as clearly there are some great ideas that you can execute on!
This may be the case if the companies were larger, but everyone in the pinball industry wears many hats. I fully expect I would be doing or at least helping/consulting on a lot of the things that aren't strictly "design." I forget which company it was (either JJP or AP) talked about how many of their employees got forklift certified because there was a need. In addition, Why wouldn't you hire someone who has proven they understand enough about pinball to build an entire machine themselves vs someone who only has designs on paper? My machine sitting in front of you is a WAY better resume than any that are just made of paper.
Didnt get to play your game....IT WAS TOO BUSY! Even my teenage cousin was diggin it though. Wish Sega would make this. 10k SEGA LETS GOOOO
Quoted from McSquid:This may be the case if the companies were larger, but everyone in the pinball industry wears many hats. I fully expect I would be doing or at least helping/consulting on a lot of the things that aren't strictly "design." I forget which company it was (either JJP or AP) talked about how many of their employees got forklift certified because there was a need. In addition, Why wouldn't you hire someone who has proven they understand enough about pinball to build an entire machine themselves vs someone who only has designs on paper? My machine sitting in front of you is a WAY better resume than any that are just made of paper.
There are certainly benefits, and it helps round out. Yeah, everyone pitches in as needed. But a designer doesn’t lead electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, or video/programming. So you demonstrating those skills is great, but also shouldn’t be a barrier to entry.
Like any job posting, if our designs are both good, but you have these other skills, you’ll get the job every time. Nothing beats showing a physical machine, as your many awards prove!
I agree with Atum. Instead of making an award winning lusted after homebrew. You should of drawn some concepts on a napkin.
Better yet, just comment on pinside. I bet the talent scouts would read the posts and see the passion you have for pinball.
Kidding aside, have you put it out there to mfgs you want a job?
I can’t believe they haven’t taken you up on that.
Quoted from SkyKing2301:Woohoo, I was the only stuck ball, what do I win? lol
Quoted from Joe_Blasi:no it was the ball on the spinner sticker
Oh bummer, I thought it was mine, where I snuck it in under Robotnik immediately after defeating him, but before the target bank could rise back up. Ball got trapped in there until ball search pulled the bank back down, allowing it to roll out.
Quoted from SkyKing2301:Oh bummer, I thought it was mine, where I snuck it in under Robotnik immediately after defeating him, but before the target bank could rise back up. Ball got trapped in there until ball search pulled the bank back down, allowing it to roll out.
Nope. Anything ball search finds isn't stuck as far as Im concerned.
FJIMG_20211030_212638 (resized).jpgQuoted from McSquid:Nope. Anything ball search finds isn't stuck as far as Im concerned.[quoted image]
You should really be proud of your accomplishments. Sometimes, it only takes one thing to make or break a pinball machine. Your bash toy up the middle is what every manufacturer should strive for. You took Attack From Mars, and made it better.
Reichenau Im Mühlkreis
Quoted from McSquid:Nope. Anything ball search finds isn't stuck as far as Im concerned.[quoted image]
that is a really cool wireramp and switch bracket you have there, any chance that i could get the 3d file for that?
Mcsquid, serious question, did you apply to a company and make some calls or are you waiting for them to "reach out"?
Quoted from stefanmader:that is a really cool wireramp and switch bracket you have there, any chance that i could get the 3d file for that?
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