Frankfort, NY
That’s looking great keep it up. 
(Topic ID: 257587)
Linked Games
Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball
Ryan McQuaid , 2020
Topic Gallery
Quoted from Xantari:What kind of 3D printer is that? How will you fuse the slides to make them larger?
Its a FolgerTech FT5-R2
not sure what you mean by fuse the slides?
Quoted from Xantari:In one of the pictures, the blue slide just ends. My guess is your printing more of the slide and will need to connect them... Just wondering how you do that.
OHHHH. No those blue ramps are the prototypes for the metal ramps. They will connect to wireform ramps like this one I just tested:
FJIMG_20200413_210137 (resized).jpgMcSquid Dude I've been following this for a while and it's totally sick.
That wire form got me thinking. What would you think about making gold rings around the wire form? Like you're going through them, or collecting them. I remember parts of the game(s) having to "go through" the rings. Would be a pretty sick way of doing it and add a lot to it imho.
Keep it up bro!
Quoted from Ecw0930:McSquid Dude I've been following this for a while and it's totally sick.
That wire form got me thinking. What would you think about making gold rings around the wire form? Like you're going through them, or collecting them. I remember parts of the game(s) having to "go through" the rings. Would be a pretty sick way of doing it and add a lot to it imho.
Keep it up bro!
Have a switch at each gold ring that produces a “ring” sound as it passes... or just one switch that starts a sound effect of timed ring sounds
Quoted from McSquid:One down. More of a pain than I expected but it still worked out well.[quoted image][quoted image]
How did you manage to bend those rails so perfectly when everybody else's custom rails, including my own, have exit ends that are in some way bent or misshapen?
Quoted from Gornkleschnitzer:How did you manage to bend those rails so perfectly when everybody else's custom rails, including my own, have exit ends that are in some way bent or misshapen?
uhhh I don't know? You aren't the first to ask me this. I bent them by hand. no jigs, except the loops at the end where I bent them around a wooden dowel. I admittedly have a fair bit of experience bending wire with two pairs of pliers but I'm not sure why my results are so much nicer.
Quoted from Ecw0930:McSquid Dude I've been following this for a while and it's totally sick.
That wire form got me thinking. What would you think about making gold rings around the wire form? Like you're going through them, or collecting them. I remember parts of the game(s) having to "go through" the rings. Would be a pretty sick way of doing it and add a lot to it imho.
Keep it up bro!
This was also brought up by someone else the other day. I think im sold on the rings for the ramps being gold. Not going to have switches though. Would look super ugly, and would make ramps overpowered since rings are part of the game rules.
Both ramps are done and mounted. The left ramp had to be made in two parts bridged by a clip but its pretty sturdy anyways. I opted to make the ramp two parts and keep the end loops instead of making the 4 rails continuous. I may cut the side rails down to just curved areas for the final product, but I wanted 4 rails while using 3d printed clips for stability and to resist twisting. I'm currently printing a better joining clip for the spot the two parts of the left ramp combine (the seam is next to the right ramps entrance)
Really loving this project and totally loving the minimalist approach to the artwork! Can't wait to see this completed through. If you're located in the Midwest, hopefully I'll get a chance to flip it one day.
Quoted from FatPanda:Really loving this project and totally loving the minimalist approach to the artwork! Can't wait to see this completed through. If you're located in the Midwest, hopefully I'll get a chance to flip it one day.
This isn't the final artwork. Just the concept art. I figured a whitewood is the place to test things. Why not test the art as well.
Quoted from McSquid:This isn't the final artwork. Just the concept art. I figured a whitewood is the place to test things. Why not test the art as well.
Gotcha. Well, then I'm curious to see what you end up with 
For the record, I'd be happy with what you have right now lol. I think it looks great.
Quoted from Linolium:Notice the exit of the loop is always going down-hill up the table! that way the ball can "never" get stuck as long as the table angle is correct. And, no the loop positioning isn't correct, this is a rough mockup to give you a visual of my thoughts.
Also: My loop not being drawn round is not an error. Round loops == bad & bumpy motion. Ellipsoid loops == smooth motion. I recommend watching and reading about rollercoaster loop design. The principles would be the same here.
[quoted image]
I discovered the same thing when I created a loop-da-loop
http://homebrewpinball.blogspot.com/2016/08/remember-that-loop-da-loop-ramp.html
Here's my upload:
loop ramp (resized).pngQuoted from toyotaboy:I discovered the same thing when I created a loop-da-loop
http://homebrewpinball.blogspot.com/2016/08/remember-that-loop-da-loop-ramp.html
Here's my upload:[quoted image]
That is awesome! What game did you use it for? Did it work well?
Quoted from McSquid:That is awesome! What game did you use it for? Did it work well?
Homebrew project.. and it did work when you shot it decently.. I needed to adjust my flipper angle and also it needs some wall lead-ins so you don't have to be so precise.. but yes when you got it lined up, the ball would go right through and keep the velocity built up.
pasted_image (resized).pngLots of progress.
-Scoop area done
-Left ramp stop designed and installed
-Loop kicker area mostly populated
FJIMG_20200418_204907 (resized).jpgFJIMG_20200418_204955 (2) (resized).jpgFJIMG_20200418_205008 (2) (resized).jpgFJIMG_20200418_205014 (2) (resized).jpgFJIMG_20200422_194716 (resized).jpgFJIMG_20200422_211323 (resized).jpgFJIMG_20200425_005513 (resized).jpgI have decided to release the VPX demo for Sonic Spinball. I was originally going to delay doing so until the game could make its physical debut, but the world is a different place than it was when I made those plans. I hope this can entertain you for a little while.
https://www.vpforums.org/index.php?app=downloads&showfile=14921
Edit: Google Drive alternate DL link
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1pjgDd3it0UEbHRFXHQI3HJmsy_6h81FM
VPXDemo (resized).png
Quoted from McSquid:I have decided to release the VPX demo for Sonic Spinball. I was originally going to delay doing so until the game could make its physical debut, but the world is a different place than it was when I made those plans. I hope this can entertain you for a little while.
https://www.vpforums.org/index.php?app=downloads&showfile=14921
Edit: Google Drive alternate DL link
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1pjgDd3it0UEbHRFXHQI3HJmsy_6h81FM
[quoted image]
thanks for making that available, it's a blast to play. Was getting music errors for some reason so I had to turn it off.
Quoted from toyotaboy:thanks for making that available, it's a blast to play. Was getting music errors for some reason so I had to turn it off.
There is an instruction file in the download. It tells you where to place the music files in the music folder.
Power terminal blocks added. The jumpers that were supposed to come with it didn't so I had to recreate them. I finished wiring up the cabinet switches, power, and coil control wires for the lower half. In theory the game is ready to flip. All it needs is dummy code.
FJIMG_20200427_225253 (resized).jpgFJIMG_20200427_225301 (resized).jpgFJIMG_20200427_225307 (resized).jpgFJIMG_20200427_225313 (resized).jpg
Milestone reached. It flips. Basking in the glory for a bit then time to wire up the rest of the coils, and switches.
Thought it was broken for a bit til I realized my EOS switches were in backwards (normally open instead of normally closed)
2 weeks later
A lot has happened in the previous 2 weeks. Been dealing with some quarantine depression, got a new job, quit the old one, etc. I have been working on Sonic but Ive mostly been streaming the work instead of documenting it. I'll do my best to catch this thread up now.
Since we got the game flipping, several more things have been worked on. All switches have been wired up, this includes adding ramp switches. The door motor arrived, was modified to fit in that tight mess in that part of the PF, hooked up, and integrated into test code. I serviced the drop target unit, replaced the drop coil, installed the opto, and added it to test code. and I built a shitty protoype loop that actually worked! Other than iterating on the loop, I'm not making any significant progress on it right now. I'm waiting for prepinned wires to hook up lights, a spot welding unit, and a few other things to arrive. Here is a pic dump from the last few weeks. I'll try to do a better job documenting once things calm down.
95120064_10157146133265060_5639213680789815296_n (resized).jpg95493036_745468419143_778762671246802944_o (resized).jpg96813307_746792176323_1395308933144379392_o (resized).jpg97309817_746792146383_605981471278104576_o (resized).jpgFJIMG_20200505_220411 (resized).jpgFJIMG_20200505_222246 (resized).jpgFJIMG_20200505_232426 (resized).jpgFJIMG_20200505_232440 (resized).jpgFJIMG_20200505_232446 (resized).jpgFJIMG_20200511_200737 (resized).jpgFJIMG_20200511_200745 (resized).jpgFJIMG_20200511_201316 (resized).jpgSpinners!
They work quite well aside from the occasional reject from hitting an edge when they are already spinning. I'll see what I can do to minimize that. I'm excited I got these figured out. I do need to print a new right ramp for everything to fit though.
FJIMG_20200514_011052 (resized).jpgFJIMG_20200514_011056 (resized).jpgQuoted from McSquid:Spinners!
They work quite well aside from the occasional reject from hitting an edge when they are already spinning. I'll see what I can do to minimize that. I'm excited I got these figured out. I do need to print a new right ramp for everything to fit though.
[quoted image][quoted image]
Think you could round the edge off some not sure if it would help.
1 week later
Got some major updates! The code has been ported to FAST and now we have a functional pinball machine! Here is some footage of some initial gameplay by my wife.
Also finished coding the concept version of the Elemental shield ball savers and Mania Multiball (though no jackpots yet)
No loop yet, but I tried my welder out tonight!
FJIMG_20200529_202158 (resized).jpg 1 week later
Loop works! A lot of bending, cutting, breaking clips, swearing, and bleeding later it's all trimmed down and installed.
Annecy
And American pinball said a loop would not work!!! It clearly does!
Loving the audio in this game proper feels like sonic.
Keep up the great work
Nijmegen
Working on a feature that is totally not important... but I'm tired of listening to the same music. Game select implemented along with a bunch of level backgrounds. Doesn't actually change the assets yet, but the menu and assets are there. Working on custom code to handle choosing assets in a smart way.
spinball game select (resized).pngsonic_1_11 (resized).pngsonic_1_12 (resized).pngsonic_1_61 (resized).pngsonic_1_62 (resized).pngsonic_sb_12 (resized).pngsonic_sb_11 (resized).pngsonic_sb_61 (resized).pngsonic_sb_62 (resized).pngQuoted from McSquid:Working on custom code to handle choosing assets in a smart way.
Let me know if you want us to upstream anything. Sounds a bit like a carousel.
Jan
Quoted from toyotaboy:Is there any plans for video modes using the bonus levels from the game? I'm guessing that would be quite a challenge
no video modes planned. Anything I could do could be experienced better by just playing the video games.
Bonus levels are mini wizard modes. Pipe run bonus multiball is already coded and implemented
Looking at the box art, do you plan to implement a volcano somewhere in the art? Also are you going to use the same flipper color (decal maybe) as on the box?
I was a huge Sonic fan as a kid -- lost count of how many times I played through Sonic 3 / S&K (and enjoyed the idea of, but got quickly bored with, Sonic Spinball) ... so now that I have young kids of my own, I've turned them into Sonic fans also.
The other day, while working on one of our pins together, my 9-year-old daughter asked me, "Is there a Sonic pinball machine out there, and if not, WHY NOT?!" (It never made sense to me either why Sega never made one.) We chatted about fun ideas for what a Sonic pinball would look like -- including a vertical loop, a bash toy (like AfM) for Robotnik, colored balls for "characters" (Sonic, Tails, Knuckles) and a multiball mode with all three of them out there at once.
On a whim, I decided to search out here on Pinside today to see if there were any rumors / plans for a Sonic machine. And I found your thread.
I called my daughter in here and we walked through your development and videos together; WE ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS. We love that you had some of the same ideas we had, and we love your integration of even more of the original games' features -- the spin dash, the end of stage gate, the music from S3/S&K. She said "I totally want to buy this game" at least 20 times (and I had to explain that it likely wouldn't be for sale, nor could we afford it if it were, lol).
(Per my daughter's request: she would like you consider colored balls for each character, though you may be too far along and/or don't want to complicate it further. I don't know the mechanics of those games that utilize different balls, e.g., TZ, Avatar. In our fantasy version, the game can either sort the ball(s) and/or tell which ball is in play next and updates your on-screen character.)
We are SO following this thread and are looking forward to seeing further progression. VERY WELL DONE, we applaud your hard work. From these Sonic fans to you, thanks for bringing to life what we were only dreaming about!
Quoted from SkyKing2301:I was a huge Sonic fan as a kid -- lost count of how many times I played through Sonic 3 / S&K (and enjoyed the idea of, but got quickly bored with, Sonic Spinball) ... so now that I have young kids of my own, I've turned them into Sonic fans also.
The other day, while working on one of our pins together, my 9-year-old daughter asked me, "Is there a Sonic pinball machine out there, and if not, WHY NOT?!" (It never made sense to me either why Sega never made one.) We chatted about fun ideas for what a Sonic pinball would look like -- including a vertical loop, a bash toy (like AfM) for Robotnik, colored balls for "characters" (Sonic, Tails, Knuckles) and a multiball mode with all three of them out there at once.
On a whim, I decided to search out here on Pinside today to see if there were any rumors / plans for a Sonic machine. And I found your thread.
I called my daughter in here and we walked through your development and videos together; WE ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS. We love that you had some of the same ideas we had, and we love your integration of even more of the original games' features -- the spin dash, the end of stage gate, the music from S3/S&K. She said "I totally want to buy this game" at least 20 times (and I had to explain that it likely wouldn't be for sale, nor could we afford it if it were, lol).
(Per my daughter's request: she would like you consider colored balls for each character, though you may be too far along and/or don't want to complicate it further. I don't know the mechanics of those games that utilize different balls, e.g., TZ, Avatar. In our fantasy version, the game can either sort the ball(s) and/or tell which ball is in play next and updates your on-screen character.)
We are SO following this thread and are looking forward to seeing further progression. VERY WELL DONE, we applaud your hard work. From these Sonic fans to you, thanks for bringing to life what we were only dreaming about!
Thank you for the kind words. I'm really glad you are enjoying the build. If you and your daughter have any other ideas let me know! it seems like you have good taste! To answer her question, I had considered different colored balls but unfortunately there isn't really a good source for colored pinballs other than the white powerball from TZ and avatar. You can get colored balls, but they are usually coated in plastic and don't last long enough to be a viable option. I heard rumors that Bally/Williams created a prototype blue powerball, but made less than a dozen of them before considering the experiment a failure, so HIGHLY unlikely I'd be able to find one. Instead of colored balls, I decided to make the 4 players represent each character, and have each of them be a lock for Mania Multiball (with Amy as the add-a-ball) I just realized I have not properly documented the progress on that, so I'll shoot a video update soon
I'm currently taking a short break as I got frustrated by coding errors. But once I'm done with some side projects I'll be back with some more development updates.
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