I have always wanted to get into pinball. But the few times I decided to really give it a go. I could do alright but most of my games seemed to end with a bounce that went straight down the middle out with nothing I can do about it.
When you watch professional pinball players. It doesnt matter what game it is they always seem to be able to avoid those shots even if its their first time on a machine.
So there has to be a method or developable skill to it. But I cant for the life of me understand it.
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WPPR high level pinball player at one point here. Never a great, but once placed around top 100 in the worlds largest pinball tournament.
The real answer is you move the machine. If you watch pro pinball players, if they ever get into the position where the ball is heading straight between the flippers… they will do some quick mental calculus and decide if shoving the machine an inch to the side is worth the risk of tilting the game and losing the bonus points.
This definitely comes with a lot of practice, and knowing the rules of the individual pinball game you are playing. But one thing you will notice when watching excellent players is how much they bump and move the machine as they play. They are doing things to effect and change where the pinball is going. Keep it away from the out-lanes and center drain and back to the safety of their controlled flipper area.
Remember, nudging and bumping the machine around is part of the game, thats why most machines give you 2 Dangers before tilting!
Looking at the top comments I’m surprised that most answers are to simply not hit the ball in a place that will create a “middle ball” situation. I don’t know much about pinball but always assumed that bumping and pushing the machine was a major way to avoid this as well, is that not correct?
From my experience, you learn to avoid specific moves.
For example, one pinball machine I played a lot with had a ramp in the middle going up to a scoring zone.
However, if the ball didn’t have enough momentum to go all the way up, it would roll back down directly between the flippers.
So I learned to avoid sending the ball to the ramp unless I was sure it was at the correct angle to go all the way.
Hi there! Competitive pinball player here.
I think the big thing that people aren’t saying is this:
***You’re allowed to move the game***
On most games you will get two warnings before you’ve moved it too much and your ball ends (“Tilt”), and even on older games without warnings you can bump and nudge them a little without tilting.
First players will prioritize safer shots to minimize how often the ball goes toward the middle, but eventually it will. When that happens players will move the actual machine to “close” the gap. Often this is what’s called a “Slap Save” where you slap the hell out of each side to move it a bit one way and then a bit back. But sometimes (particularly on newer games) you’ll see people slide the machine or rock it really hard to move it such that the ball hits a flipper instead of the middle.
You can also move it *before* it’s coming down the middle. You’ll see some players smack up on the side of the machine so instead of getting fed down the middle it will bounce off something higher on the playfield and end up on a flipper instead.
Other than that the biggest difference between high level players and us mere mortals is control. The slower you play, the more accurate you are, the less time the ball is in space and in danger of draining. Things like flipper transfers, drop/live catches, or simply letting the ball bounce instead of flipping at it can drastically decrease the amount of time your ball is in danger.
Play slow. Have fun. If you’re not tilting you’re not trying.
Since I don’t see it mentioned, and everyone seems to have a rough idea but not an exact idea of how “tilt” works, it’s a plumb bob. If you shake the machine, this pendulum swings back and forth; the pendulum is metal. There is a metal ring surrounding it. If the pendulum hits the metal ring, it registers as a warning on “newer” machines. Get a couple of warnings, and the machine “tilts”. The game owner can move the pendulum up and down within the metal ring to make the game “tighter” or “looser”.
https://www.arcadexpress.com/en/pinball/540-suzo-happ-pinball-tilt-plumb-bob-assembly-pendulum-mechanism.html
You get good at pinball by playing slow.
Find a table which allows you to keep a flipper extended (some you push the button and the flipper swings and then returns. Most you push the button and the flipper swings out, it won’t swing back until you release).
Trap the ball behind a raised flipper, then let the ball free and swing the flipper when the ball is at a specific location on the flipper. The ball will consistently go to the same place on the game field.
After doing the trap and release enough, you have a good feel for where on the flipper you want to hit, and can get reaction speeds up to the point that trapping isn’t needed any longer to launch when and where you want reliably.
Pinball is one of those games like poker where there is skill and luck involved. A lot of times the bad bounces happen when you barely miss the ramp you are aiming for, so a good player hits the ramp at a higher percentage than a bad player. The one pinball game I play is called Pro Pinball Timeshock. Highly recommend as it’s very high skill ceiling and there is just an insane amount of content in it. Several explorations, video mode, several rewards that I won’t spoil. I have never “beaten” the game, but I’ve had like 4 locked balls and I don’t think I had enough tachyonium or souvenirs to get to the dawn of time. Crazy game
Slow the ball down by catching it and choose your shots. Use the nudges to keep it away from the outlanes. Avoid the risky shots that are more likely to ricochet right down the middle. Backflip whenever possible, as those are usually putting the ball away from the centerline.
You can also bump the machine to a certain degree – hence the invention of the “tilt” anti-cheat feature, but there is still a certain amount of play with how much you can jostle the machine without getting a “tilt”
There’s nothing random about it. You just keep the ball out of the paths that can cause it to get sent down the middle.
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