Mine only kicks just slightly up, like an inch maybe before the mode starts, didn't know it was supposed to kick more...

Did you ever sort this out? I'd be interested in the fix and am hoping it may be involved in other odd behavior I see from the Doctor:

It seems that Doc Ock's up/down position isn't definitively controlled for multiball launch--he is frequently in the 'up' position, so that the multiball launch shot is a hole shot rather than being blocked to the magnet. This is true for all the Doc Ock multiballs, including the Bank Bust, where I am still messaged 'Hit Ball to Start Multiball' (in which case I have to hit the Doc Ock hole to add a ball or 2).

It is not always the case, though, and seems to almost be random. And it is a digital problem; it's not like he's part way up or down--he's either definitely up or definitely down.

So the question is, what could lead Doc Ock's control to not understand the state he should be in? I can't see how this can be optos or really anything other than game code.

I haven't checked my firmware version, but I've never seen this referenced in any game code update threads. I will check that tonight and load the 2.6164 if I'm not running it, and retest.

Thanks for any help SM experts!

OK, I think I found the issue. There must be a switch that tells Doc Ock when he's down (57), and that's failing in the game test--he moves up and down fine, but occasionally, I guess, switch #57 doesn't trigger telling him he's down (so he goes back up?). I also updated from game code 2.4 to the new one (2.6164, I believe it is). I'll finish trouble-shooting the switch tomorrow...

This is incorrect. The magnet does not kick to doc Ock for score. Instead, the magnet holds the ball and you, the player, are to knock the ball into doc Ock with the ball that's released into the shooter lane. If you fail to do so in the given time then you lose the score opportunity.

This sounds like the Bank Bust multiball, but it's not how the Fusion multiball starts AFAIK.

None of the multiballs hold the ball, then put a ball into the shooter lane, then intentionally pulse the ball into doc Ock for points.

What should happen is on the first Doc-Oc multiball (Fusion malfunction, 2 ball) is the ball is held by the magnet whilst the DMD animation plays, once finished it should throw the ball into the opto above the magnet giving you a jackpot and then auto-launch a 2nd ball.

On the second Doc-Oc multiball (bank bust, 3 ball), the ball is held by the magnet whilst the DMD animation plays, a ball is auto-launched and the player has to knock the first ball off the magnet which holds it for a period of time whilst a jackpot score counts down. The sooner you hit the ball off the magnet, the bigger any jackpots will be. If you don't knock it off quickly enough, the ball held by the magnet will be released and the jackpot value will be its minimum (250k?). Once the ball is off the magnet a 3rd ball will be auto-launched.

Where is this documented? I believe it just pulses the magnet not that it needs to make a shot for you.

Happened on the one I owned and also watch the PAPA tutorial video, happens on that one too

Yes, the Doc magnet is supposed to throw the ball into Ock when it releases for the first multiball. It is an intended feature.

I don't believe that a single magnet can actually pick a direction to throw the ball. What happens is that it holds the ball, then releases it. As the ball is rolling away, it activates again, pulling the ball back toward the center of the magnet. So, if your magnet surface is sloped sightly towards doc ock, then the ball might roll towards him when released, and then when the magnet activates, it will pull the ball down, towards the flippers...if that makes sense.

That makes sense. Maybe it's a simple matter of leveling the game + setting an appropriate slope to bump up the odds that the ball is pulsed into the opto.

I believe the ball being flung toward the Doc Ock hole is done by releasing the ball from the magnet and as gravity is pulling the ball away toward the flippers the magnet is then pulsed and turned off quickly to cause the ball to get pulled toward and then past the magnet by the pulse. In other words the ball is pulled toward the magnet by the quick turn on of the magnet but goes past the magnet toward Doc Ock because the magnet is turned off before the ball has time to be caught and slowed down by the magnet. If I recall correctly, it does it for the jackpot sometimes.

Yeah, that's exactly what I was trying to communicate. However, if the magnet or the machine is sloped differently, then the ball will start to roll in the wrong direction when released.

I think it's all activation/de-activation timing on the magnet's part, as indicated by the other posts. I do see the pull-back into the VUK hole occasionally during multi-ball play, but the Fusion start is always a "gentle" pull-up that is always short of the VUK hold, but does break the optos line (as windoesnot mentioned). If the magnet surface is actually sloped upward, that might be worth attempting to flatten, since it has to be more than about 6 degrees from flat if so.

Proof? Just saying so doesn't make it true. At this point, I will disbelieve this is an intended feature.

I shouldn't bother answering a response with that kind of attitude, but what the heck. My machine works correctly. Most of the machines I've played work correctly. Just because yours doesn't does not mean the feature doesn't exist. Search youtube and you'll find some working correctly (and some not). Here's one that clearly shows it at the 1:00 mark for multiball start and again at 1:30 for super jackpot:

(hope that works...manually copying the link from my phone..if not search for Spider-Man Pinball - Doc Ock "Fling Trick" by PacDork)

Search around RGP...there are plenty of posts referencing it back when the game was new. It's a feature that many have had problems with working correctly, but it IS a feature. Would a post from Steve Ritchie himself about it and why some do not work right be enough "proof" for you? OK then...here you go:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HELP! Spidey "Magnet Fling" not working

•From: Rare Hero <rarehero_99@xxxxxxxxx>
•Date: Sat, 14 Jun 2008 18:19:24 -0700 (PDT)

So, on Spider-Man, when the magnet grabs the ball, it flings it toward
Doc Ock...this sometimes happens for a Super-Jackpot as well.
However, as of the other day, my magnet isn't flinging anymore. It
grabs and holds the ball, and it seems to do a "Wind up" (that ball
drops back a bit), but instead of flinging at Doc Ock, it just gets a
limp "pull back" to the magnet and then drops.

What should I be looking at here as a problem? What about the magnet
mechanism would allow it to hold but not fling?

Thanks!

Greg

From: Rare Hero <rarehero_99@xxxxxxxxx>
•Date: Sat, 14 Jun 2008 21:21:39 -0700 (PDT)

The only thing "different" is that I put a new circle of stealth mylar
over the magnet ....I had one on there, and it worked fine, but the
mylar was bubbling a bit so I replaced it. That's when the mag
trouble started. So - I took the mylar off...and it worked fine
again. Weird that it worked w/ mylar before but now it wont. What's
up w/ that?!

Greg

From: Steve <kingndi@xxxxxxx>
•Date: Mon, 16 Jun 2008 00:12:50 -0700 (PDT)

On Jun 14, 9:21 pm, Rare Hero <rarehero...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

The only thing "different" is that I put a new circle of stealth mylar
over the magnet ....I had one on there, and it worked fine, but the
mylar was bubbling a bit so I replaced it. That's when the mag
trouble started. So - I took the mylar off...and it worked fine
again. Weird that it worked w/ mylar before but now it wont. What's
up w/ that?!

Greg

You are adding distance between the ball and the magnet, adding an
"indentation-allowable" substance between the ball and the magnet that
probably causes drag, and disallowing direct metal-to-metal contact
which substantially changes the strength/distance/direction of the
ball during "flings". You may expect problems continuously with the
mylar there. You got lucky with the first mylar. If you dump the
mylar, the game will work correctly.

Steve
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here's the link for that. Sorry I do not have access to google groups right now, but this is a different usenet archive:
http://newsgroups.derkeiler.com/Archive/Rec/rec.games.pinball/2008-06/msg08232.html

Not enough? How about a couple quotes from Pinball News's in-depth review parts 1 and 2?

"Doc Ock also has a trick up his sleeve in the form of a magnet set into the playfield. This is used to trap the ball when - once enough hits have been made - one of his modes is started. In some cases the magnet only holds the ball for a brief moment before doing a "shadow lock" fling of the ball against the Doc, but in others it is held there until knocked off by another ball during multiball. "

http://www.pinballnews.com/games/spiderman/index5.html

and..

"Doc Ock lowers to block subsequent shots, but the next time the ball hits him it is grabbed by the magnet in front while the quote "The power of the Sun.... in the palm of my hand" is spoken

A second ball is auto-launched onto the playfield but the first ball is flung by the magnet against Doc Ock to score an immediate jackpot which starts at 250K."

http://www.pinballnews.com/games/spiderman/index6.html

If that's not enough, I'm out of ideas for proof. Steve Ritchie is a pretty easy dude to get ahold of and I'm sure he could set the record straight. Email or Facebook him and I bet he'll respond when he gets a chance. Or ask him at Expo if you get there.

Thank you for the detailed data above. That's a good list and quite compelling. But it's all still antidotal data. Just because a number of machines work that way doesn't mean it's an intended feature rather than a side effect. Pinball news is not a reliable source. They've gotten a number of things wrong. I guess Lyman is the one to ask.

I was playing my SM last night and it clearly flung the ball into the Doc Ock blue pad at the beginning of the first multiball. It sure seemed like it was intentional. I watched closely as the magnet let the ball go for a portion of a second and then pulsed it back and past the magnet with some force.

I remember when the games was new how cool it was that the game make the first shot for you by flinging the ball at doc ock

The really cool thing is that I've finally gotten my Doc Ock frame to trip the bottom switch, so every Bank Bust multi-ball now starts with a ball on the magnet. (Even if I did have to epoxy a piece of lexan to the bottom of the frame to reach the switch reliably.) Now to get my butt back to SuperHero mode, which seems suddenly elusive.

I can't believe I'm replying to this thread 5 years later, but I will 2nd ryanwanger 's assertion that it's a pulsing of the magnet, but the only nuance I'd add:
- When I first got my SM, it would throw the ball away from the VUK. (And I just thought that was the gameplay.)
- Replaced the core at one point and got similar results.
- When I installed a Cliffy carbon fiber ring, I had to slightly raise the core by rotating it to make it even.

It was only when I rotated the core did I finally get the desired throw into the VUK... So perhaps there's an orientation aspect to this as well. I'm not going to mess with mine to find out.