Stern please don't count down timer while ball trapped

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.pinball (More info?)

A request for Stern, in future games.

Please don't count down game timers while the ball is trapped, or
otherwise out of the control of the player?

I was playing RCT the other day, and got the ball stuck... during Park
Tycoon! It was less than fun, watching my precious Park Tycoon time
count down to nothing, while the ball was trapped.

Suggested rule:

If switches aren't hit within 2-or-so seconds, and during that time
flippers aren't being hit or held up, can all timers please be frozen?

Some of the old WMS games used this rule, and it really does make a
difference in how the game plays. Much less frustrating....

Thanks!

Josh

 

[cah]

Archived from groups: rec.games.pinball (More info?)

Krellan wrote:
> A request for Stern, in future games.
>
> Please don't count down game timers while the ball is trapped, or
> otherwise out of the control of the player?
>
> I was playing RCT the other day, and got the ball stuck... during Park
> Tycoon! It was less than fun, watching my precious Park Tycoon time
> count down to nothing, while the ball was trapped.
>
> Suggested rule:
>
> If switches aren't hit within 2-or-so seconds, and during that time
> flippers aren't being hit or held up, can all timers please be frozen?

I do believe it was more like 6 or 7 seconds, but I see your point

>
> Some of the old WMS games used this rule, and it really does make a
> difference in how the game plays. Much less frustrating....
>

Is it possible WMS has a patent on this "feature"?

> Thanks!
>
> Josh

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.pinball (More info?)

During Park Tycoon you should have 4 balls going, not one.
-Mike
"Krellan" <krellan@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1122890077.052939.117010@g43g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> A request for Stern, in future games.
>
> Please don't count down game timers while the ball is trapped, or
> otherwise out of the control of the player?
>
> I was playing RCT the other day, and got the ball stuck... during Park
> Tycoon! It was less than fun, watching my precious Park Tycoon time
> count down to nothing, while the ball was trapped.
>
> Suggested rule:
>
> If switches aren't hit within 2-or-so seconds, and during that time
> flippers aren't being hit or held up, can all timers please be frozen?
>
> Some of the old WMS games used this rule, and it really does make a
> difference in how the game plays. Much less frustrating....
>
> Thanks!
>
> Josh
>

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.pinball (More info?)

I know I should have had 4 balls during Park Tycoon, but this was a
seriously broken RCT... in particular, the Map scoop had a faulty
switch, so balls that entered there (or rolled down via the Enter Here
scoop above) had to wait for a ball search in order to be kicked out!
I stacked all 4 of them up in the scoop and was waiting for them to
kick out.

Yes, this machine was hosed, but still, the "friendly timers" software
feature I proposed would go a long way towards giving Stern games that
"Williams feel".

Josh

 

[frenchy]

Archived from groups: rec.games.pinball (More info?)

<<Is it possible WMS has a patent on this "feature"? >>

Maybe get around it by adding a decimal point to timers, then if no
activity from ball, change to counting the 1/10ths down instead, then
you aren't actually freezing the timers, just slowing them down? I
mean if the patent specifically says "stop the timers"...Frenchy