Quoted from Collin:I recall in a previous thread there was some discrepancy as to what people think makes a pinball deep, so I also want to know why you would say that particular game is so deep?
Since I was going to reply to some newer posts in the thread, this old original question is worth answering first:
It's somehow subjective how you define a deep pin. Many seem to think that any game with a lot of things to do has a deep ruleset. Or any feature that is really hard to reach makes a game deep.
I think that a ruleset is deep only if there are a many things to do, the tasks make sense and in the end, if you have played all the parts of the game well enough, you'll get a huge final reward (i.e. wizard mode).
I'd say that LOTR is about the perfect example of a deep ruleset: you have to go trough everything in the game (modes, multiballs, gifts, DTR) and do well enough in every part (play all modes, finish all multiballs, collect all gifts, finish DTR) to fulfill all the requirements for reaching the wizard mode.
Also the other keefer masterpieces already mentioned in this thread are good examples of deep rulesets, TSPP probably being the most insane task to finish.
Some say that IM has a deep ruleset, because its DoD multiball is nearly impossible to reach. IM is awesome game, but a wizard mode with unrealistic requirements without any sense (collect all drones four times) don't make a game deep in my opinion.
Stargate has quite many things in the ruleset, but none of the goals are that hard to reach, imho. I wouldn't say the ruleset is that deep.
Mentioning Baywatch in this thread was a joke originally, but I'd still like to clarify that it's a game where the wizard mode could basically be reached with 16 shots (and a lot of timeouting of modes). Definitely not a deep ruleset.
Quoted from BestShot31:I consider myself a beginner-intermediate level player and among the pins mentioned here in my collection, I completed only the Williams IJ and TSPP. Have come close to completing TZ, LOTR and WPT, but WOZ, not close, yet...
I'm pretty sure you didn't complete TSPP. You probably started some mini-wizard mode (Alien Invasion I'd guess), and finishing it is only one requirement towards the near impossible wizard mode SDMEWM. I can be totally wrong and you could have reached the super duper mega extreme wizard mode, but then you should consider yourself a world class player, not beginner-intermediate...