Madison, WI
Quoted from pinmister:That's funny-I used to be like you when I first got into the hobby(self-proclaimed purist). I had the perception that a game should be set up as close to what people would play at a tournament or event. 3 Ball, wide open lanes, no ball save, no extra balls, basically kick you in the nuts on every game. I then had the realization that I do not give a shit if it set up as "Tournament" style or not. To me I would rather have fun and progress further. Star Wars is a game where(unless you are a really good player) that it is almost mandatory to set up on five ball. The game is so fast and has some cheap drains which can be frustrating when you are trying to progress. So I have it on five ball and out of almost every game played, I get at least two cheap drains-so it evens out. Are all of my games on 5 ball-hell no. I can't imagine LOTR and others on 5 ball-it would be torture. I have also decided to leave my out lanes wide open and I like my games at a slightly aggressive pitch.
Long story short-Guys don't be afraid to change your settings to 5 ball or adjust your out lanes, etc. on this title. Do what YOU have to do to make the game fun to play. Now make those adjustments and destroy that damn Death Star!
I've always thought setting a hard game to 5 balls is a lot better than adjusting the outlanes, etc. . First it's relatively easy to know how you stand against 3 ball players, just note your score after three balls (maybe extra balls complicate things, but still). You are also playing the game at the same difficulty per ball, so nudging, etc. remains the same so the skills you're practicing are directly applicable to the machine at 3 balls. Not saying you should put it to five balls, but I'd do that first before closing the outlanes on a machine.
Oh and I finally played Star Wars on location -- it's fun, I'm jealous of you guys.
