Had a stuck ball on a Bond some time ago. After some ball searches the game gives up and supplies a compensation ball. Nothing new. This is a fine feature that has been on games since the 90's. But this time around, the game went to end-of-ball while at it. So the served ball is the next ball-in-play. And I got pretty f****** angry.

I have not seen this compensation ball behaviour before. And thought it was a fluke that had gotten into the Bond code somehow. But today I had the same on Foo Fighters. Stuck ball - a handful of ball searches - end-of-ball - next ball served up.

And to make matters worse. If you knock the stuck ball loose, the game will go to end-of-ball when you drain down to one ball-in-play. It has to. Per the compensation rule. But then you feel ripped of again.

So, two games - aha, makes me conclude this is Stern framework implementation, deliberate design and here to stay. This is bunkers! Wrong-wrong-wrong. And I will highly encourage Stern to change this. A compensation ball is a compensation(!!!), dude. Not a rip-off. I foresee complaints on location. At best players discouraged to play these games. Fix it!

Like I said. I do not remember seeing compensation ball = end-of-ball before. Does anyone know what Stern games does this?

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Dude. This is game on location. In a home setting - never relevant. In a public coin play, yes, compensation ball makes sense. But it fries by brain why anyone would even consider having this costing the current ball-in-play. Stupid. And deeply discouraging.

No. There is no gain to be had from a stuck ball on location play. Other than a current multiball if it happens on a multiball. And that is pretty slim - all considered.

On plunging a compensation ball you actually hope that the stuck ball do not come free. As the first ball to drain, of those now two fake multiball, is end-of-ball.

Besides. This happens, or should happen, so rarely, why punish the player any further. I bet you, any operator would rather have happy customers than shortened play time like this. Nonsense.

For a stuck ball to be advantageous it has to 1) occure during a multiball. And 2) not come loose and back into play after the compensation ball has been served. And then it is not even as clear cut. As you miss oppertunity on some games like stashing a ball for timed 2x ect. (like of FF). And the stuck ball should not block shots or disable mechs. And you have to discover it to take the advantage of it.

Needless to say, a stuck ball in coin play pinball is rarely anything but crap. Dont see much sense in taking the measure of double-punishing the player to save the integrety of some leaderboard. For the odd chance that someone blows up the game under stuck ball and takes the GC. Let alone to prevent paying a credit to someone not really deserving it. That is drastic. And bad for location play.

I am not a casual player. I am an eager pinhead. I play on location at least once a week. I support location pinball. I play the new releases. And this is discouraging.

I guess from now on I will have to stick to try and free the ball myself. Roughly if I have to. I am going to loose the ball-in-play anyway.