This topic has come up a lot over the years, and we always rehash the same arguments.

My fundamental feeling is you can't compare games. Even the same machine can play differently from week to week. Dirty and needs a shop vs freshly waxed alone is gonna play differently.

I understand the appeal, but to me at least if you want to compete with someone you gotta be there, on the same game, playing at the same time. Anything else just introduces so many variables that kills the legitimacy of the competition for me. You want to do it for fun and don't care? Hey cool. But it seems somewhat pointless to me really.

But maybe I'm missing different possibilities, I'm open to learning more. Just feels like that basic "compete over the internet" part is built upon a shaky foundation, whether it's my machine vs your machine, or me vs you on the same game on location but at different times.

That's not the issue. Game to game to game, they don't play the same. It's not about being maintained, it's just the nature of the beast. Have you ever gone to a location or someone's house and played their Pinball Party or WOZ and it feels different? The kickout of a saucer doesn't go where you thought, or the pitch is a little different, it's faster, or has more side to side action, or the flippers feel a little weaker, that ramp shot you usually nail is harder? Some games play easier, some play harder, even when they're not set up that different. And realistically they probably are set up different, everyone like to tweak the pitch and settings.

I play a lot of Street Fighter myself. When I play people, online or offline, we're playing the same game. I don't have to worry that they have faster frames, or that their DP comes out a little slower or anything else. When there's one sided lag though? That sucks, and it's no longer a fair fight, and sucks the fun out of it. That's the concern. When things aren't equal they aren't really competitive any longer.

Anyways, I'm talking to one of the devs in another thread and it sounds like this aspect isn't maybe their focus. Curious to see where it goes, that's just my concern when I hear this stuff.

Can you name one example that works like this, I can’t think of one.

All physical sports are head to head that I can think of, same play field. Closest example I can think of is maybe bowling side by side lanes?

All eSports have level playing fields, same conditions for all players.

Really can’t think of where your thought applies.

It’s one of the things that makes pinball a difficult thing to grow competitively, there really isn’t much in the way of true head to head play. It’s you vs the machine in the end.

All playing at the same time in the same place in the same conditions though. Not really relevant.