(Topic ID: 270471)

Steve Ritchie's pins

By Antoshka

3 years ago

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62 posts
39 Pinsiders participating
Latest reply 2 years ago by frenchmarky
Topic is favorited by 1 Pinsider

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Linked Games

Airborne Avenger Atari, 1977
Black Knight Williams, 1980
Black Knight 2000 Williams, 1989
Black Knight Sword of Rage (Pro) Stern, 2019
Firepower Williams, 1980
Firepower II Williams, 1983
Flash Williams, 1979
Getaway: High Speed II, The Williams, 1992

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I had a HS for a LONG time and it was still a lot of fun to play even when I finally sold it after 20+ years. I'd like to own an HS2 at some point as that is a super-fun shooter too but I still think STTNG is his masterpiece. Dwight, the mechanical engineers like Biagi and the licensing folks deserve a ton of credit too but since he was the "director" he still deserves credit for the overall experience. I've played everyone of his games except for the Atari ones and I think SW is the only one I hate though GOT is close because the theme means I have no idea what the hell is going on.

Quoted from Mardi-Gras-Man:
My respect for you! I can't stand this permanent bashing of FLASH anymore. If one is too young to simply understand how importatnt this machine was and still is than he should be quiet. A "poop-game" ? Gee-Whizz look at that boring and terrible sounding Four-Letter-Bally-machine from the same year. (Of course, that machine sold 17.000 units too but in this case it was the name and a clever strategy that made big numbers - FLASH had nothing of that)
If FLASH really is that bad how could it be that it sold over 19.000 units?
And please no one should forget (Steve Ritchie confirmed this) that Williams stopped the production-run because they "wanted to leave the market still demanding" - so it is a fact that FLASH could be the most-produced Flipper-Game ever topping Eight Ball and TAF. And when you keep in mind that there were also some FLASH-licensed machines in Brazil and Europe like Super-Zeus, Zeus and Storm, it will even be the most produced machine ever. A "poop-game"? Hahaha!
And as you said, Williams did not have a hit for a couple of years. Who knows what could have happened to Williams if they did not hire Steve Ritchie with his idea for FLASH, and the fantastic new sound-system ? Anyone who bashes that great new sound - compare it to Bally's from the same time!
Williams surely made tons of money with FLASH and that money helped Williams through the very bad years 83 and 84. There would have been no High Speed, no success, no DMD. no WPC, nothing. Pinball could have gone in a completely other direction if it wasn't for Williams and Steve Ritchie who invented High Speed in late 85. And all this only happened because he went to Williams and designed FLASH. So please give FLASH a break, OK?

I don't think I've ever really read about this game being such a big hit or a turning point for WMS at the time so thanks for the background on it.

Quoted from WJxxxx:
If I ever lost my left arm in an accident BK2K would be the machine I would buy, extremely 1 dimensional.
No doubt SR has designed some great games, and I've owned a fair few of them - but I feel that he recycles his designs more than other.
Barring a few tweaks:
HS = Getaway
SM = STTNG = ST
T2 = T3 = ACDC
Favourites of his:
GoT
WPT
F14
ACDC
Misses:
BK2K
SW
BK:SOR

He certainly does re-use certain elements but of your comparisons I have to say that I don't think T2, T3 and ACDC play at all alike. They have some similar shots for sure but that's about where it ends. I also think that ST, SM and STTNG play completely differently (I have STTNG and SM) mainly because the shot off the upper flipper goes somwhere different on each game and in the case of TNG it can go two different places with a diverter plus you have two other shot options off of it.

Quoted from attyrhodes:
T2 & T3 have very minimal similarities (outside theme of course). Completely different layouts.

"Shoot here and here".

Quoted from Mardi-Gras-Man:
Another question - anybody got an idea if Steve Ritchie is on Pinside?
Please do not get me wrong - I've got no intention to stalk him, therefore I respect him too much, but I think it would be very interesting if he reads all our shit. And why shouldn't he, this might be one of the best places for market-research here.
There are other discussions if Gary Stern is a Pinsider, someone wrote he got proof, and why not.
I think I remember a post where someone wrote he got a PM from Steve Ritchie, but I forgot what toppic this was.

He's been very critical of this forum, or maybe more accurately the majority of posters on here in the past so I doubt he spends much of his time here.

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