(Topic ID: 79581)

Why does pinball need outlanes??

By CraZ4Pin

10 years ago

Topic Stats

95 posts
55 Pinsiders participating
Latest reply 10 years ago by PinballManiac40
Topic is favorited by 1 Pinsider

You

You are not signed in!

Find in topic

Linked Games

No games have been linked to this topic.

Topic Gallery

View topic image gallery

You're currently viewing posts by Pinsider markmon.
Click here to go back to viewing the entire thread.

OP
Quoted from CraZ4Pin:
Just another related pet peeve ... nudging. Shouldn't be needed. A little boy should be able to play the game just as easily as a 6 ft. 200 lb. muscular guy can. If you eliminate the outlanes and make the rules themselves the determining factor when your ball ends then you eliminate the need to nudge. Additionally, with no nudging, you eliminate the tilt mechanism altogether and now have a more consistent game from one location to the next. I hate walking into 1 location where you can practically slide the game around the floor and another where if you sneeze you get a tilt warning. Get rid of it.
I know all the pinball purists are out there screaming they love outlanes and nudging and pinball just the way it is. But if pinball never evolved it would not be anything like it is today (no flippers, no pop bumpers, etc. etc). Pinball is due for some new thinking out of the box.

So I don't think defending that pinball isn't all luck to a guy that doesn't understand this point is a goal of pinball design. Nor should it be.

Outlanes reduce the ball time. They also enforce a decent play strategy that avoids slingshots and general left to right movement. Nudging is part of the game. If you want to take away outlanes, nudging, and have goals on a timer then maybe you should buy a video game console.

If anyone thinks the game is all luck and no skill then we should be able to play against each other for money giving them odds in their favor

OP
Quoted from CraZ4Pin:
So did nobody enjoy pinball before flippers were introduced?

I imagine not. It sounds horrible. Seriously.

OP
Quoted from CraZ4Pin:
While nudging has come to be regarded as acceptable I don't think it was ever intended to be part of the game. The tilt mechanism itself had to be invented to keep people from knocking the hell out of a game. But the tilt mechanism was just a band-aid for what the real problem was ... why were people nudging to begin with?? Outlanes.

If the only time you nudge is to avoid outlanes, you probably need to learn to play a lot better. Seriously. Nudging is used throughout the game not just in area of saving the outlane drains. This whole premise is false, therefore its conclusion cannot be accepted. Further, if nudging was not intended to be part of the game, a tilt bob would be implemented that was not adjustable. Havent you seen games like lord of the rings, batman dark knight, pirates of the Caribbean where nudging is encouraged *by game design* to hit switches or get the ball into the right lane?

OP
Quoted from CraZ4Pin:
nudging is very easy for larger/stronger folks ... unfortunately young kids don't have quite that strength and thus, don't get to play the game like we think it is meant to be played.

If you think it requires strength to nudge a pinball game, you are already doing it wrong. And having a game designed for little kids isn't necessarily part of the design goal of the game. If a kid needs a stool to play properly, he is too young for the game. And if he doesn't need a stool, he is strong enough to nudge. Any 8 year old can nudge properly and even tilt a game.

OP
Quoted from CraZ4Pin:
Got it. Okay. In general it seems folks believe YES, pinball must have outlanes. Fair enough I guess. I've just had the feeling (since ST was revealed really) that we've pretty much beaten to death every original pinball design/layout given the current pinball elements people believe are required (pop bumpers, outlanes, at least 2 flippers, etc). All the crazy LED's, LCD, and bling don't change the fundamental game objectives and skill required.
I was only trying to think of something new ... some sort of new game design that still included a pinball and at least 2 flippers (because that's what I care about most) but was a somewhat radical departure from how pinball is played today. I think there could be an even better style game (and it's likely up to a new botique-style shop to create it.)
I guess it's time for me to buy a P-ROC and make my own game, lol!

Unfortunately, you didn't present your case well. You have a thread about outlanes and then go off on wild tangents about nudging and crazy rules where hitting the wrong target drains the ball. I am ok with a design that doesn't have an outlane. I am against the argument that the lack of the outlane has anything to do with the amount of nudging required. I hate the idea that accidentally hitting some target can end my ball. And I disagree with the premise that adding outlanes increases luck vs skill.

You're currently viewing posts by Pinsider markmon.
Click here to go back to viewing the entire thread.

Reply

Wanna join the discussion? Please sign in to reply to this topic.

Hey there! Welcome to Pinside!

Donate to Pinside

Great to see you're enjoying Pinside! Did you know Pinside is able to run without any 3rd-party banners or ads, thanks to the support from our visitors? Please consider a donation to Pinside and get anext to your username to show for it! Or better yet, subscribe to Pinside+!

Help – Contact – About Pinside – Support Pinside – Top