Ward also designed Fathom. Although the art package of Fathom is arguably the best artwork on any pinball (from any period), the game itself is brilliant. He also designed Hardbody (the worst artwork on any pinball) and the exact same layout - BMX - which is a very rare and desirable game. As mentioned - Dungeons and Dragons. Even if the designer comes up with a great layout, the artists are the dudes responsible for presenting the artwork that goes on top of the layout. Many games are judged on artwork alone. Hardbody VS BMX is a great example
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It seems he liked to carry over playfield design elements from game to game such as his inline drops. Who can forget about the 'flex save' in Hardbody, brilliant thinking. The innovative selection process on Riverboat. Reusing the old fashioned saucer at the top of gilligan's. He seemed to really think outside the box, particularly on mechanical features. Looking over the dates of all his designs, there isn't much flow to the notion of him being a full time designer. Health issues in 91' didn't help with the Gilligan's design but would be interesting to find out the reasons for inconsistencies of his time in the industry and the swaps between companies.
