EM game play

[pinball god]

The EM is SS, Andrew.

OK, the title is confusing then - it does say EM game play???

Don't know why I put that when I knew it was an SS machine (Mata Hari), but my opinion applies to both EM & SS games. I haven't played an EM game in since I was a kid but think my thoughts would be the same.
Sorry for the confusion

[pinball god]

I don't want to upset anyone, but after having a game at Marks (Marta Hari), I found it extremely easy and boring. I remember plaing these games and thinking they were fun, but since the advent of DMD, I can't get into them. I reckon I could have played this game for ever without too much trouble keeping the ball in play.

Sounds like the MH needs some attention then. Because all those late 70's Bally symmetrical layouts had pretty unforgiving outlanes. It should be the case where you can kick it's arse one minute and the next it will make you look like a noob.

 

Mata Hari and Hot Hand needed work. In all fairness, comparing a reconditioned DMD to a reconditioned (or non reconditioned) SS or EM is not an even playing field. To get an SS up to a standard of a machine 17 years its junior requires more time spent on it.

Hey Nino, what could I have expected from a recon MH just out of interest? Reason being is that I have looked on ebay and see games like MH, Buck Rogers, Centaur etc that I have fond memories of, and considered adding one to my collection, but after playingone game and scoring 200+K on the first ball and letting it drain kinda changed my thinking. Maybe it was playing slow or something. Mate I knocked down all the targets heaps of times and completed A & B even more times. I'd love to be swayed into dreaming of owning an SS or even an EM if possible

[Strangeways]

didnt this machine come out in both em and ss?

That is correct - although the one Rob was playing at Marks was SS

[Strangeways]

I don't want to upset anyone, but after having a game at Marks (Marta Hari), I found it extremely easy and boring. I remember plaing these games and thinking they were fun, but since the advent of DMD, I can't get into them. I reckon I could have played this game for ever without too much trouble keeping the ball in play.

Sounds like the MH needs some attention then. Because all those late 70's Bally symmetrical layouts had pretty unforgiving outlanes. It should be the case where you can kick it's arse one minute and the next it will make you look like a noob.

 

Mata Hari and Hot Hand needed work. In all fairness, comparing a reconditioned DMD to a reconditioned (or non reconditioned) SS or EM is not an even playing field. To get an SS up to a standard of a machine 17 years its junior requires more time spent on it.

Hey Nino, what could I have expected from a recon MH just out of interest? Reason being is that I have looked on ebay and see games like MH, Buck Rogers, Centaur etc that I have fond memories of, and considered adding one to my collection, but after playingone game and scoring 200+K on the first ball and letting it drain kinda changed my thinking. Maybe it was playing slow or something. Mate I knocked down all the targets heaps of times and completed A & B even more times. I'd love to be swayed into dreaming of owning an SS or even an EM if possible

Rob - I've seen them go for $750 - $1000 but needing some work. Let's say a machine was cosmetically 8/10, with clean boards - You should be able to pick one up from between $1700 - $2100.

Don't judge MH one one game, and if it was not set up correctly, then that's the problem. It DID play slow because the incline was not right - and let's be honest, the techs at Childs worked nearly 10 days straight to have the games ready for the Bushfire Fundraiser. I would have dropped the front leg levellers, thus making the game faster.

What you need to do is search through sites like www.ipdb.org - sort by "year" and look for games you can remember. Then track down a member that has the game and "invite" yourself over 

I think once we get the "mini meets" organized, we can have access to machines we would otherwise not come in contact with. Once I've done my Medusa and Fathom - I'll shoot you an invite. Along with Paragon, they are three of the best from around that era.

[pinnies4me]

Whether it be EMs or solid state - it is more than just the game. It is knowing that the big clunky thing has stood somewhere and witnessed kids growing up or men refusing to. I love my EMs because they remind me of a time gone by; I love the smell inside the cabinet; I love how making a switch open or shut can make all sorts of things happen. Call it nostalgia - EMs were part of my "wonder years". But it is still more: its the artwork, its the thrill of lighting specials, its know the history of how these things developed.

Nominated for April's post of the month.

While I'm still waiting to find my first EM, I do recall the feel and fun as a little kid at the milk bar, the way the score clicked over, and all those solenoids resetting. I have a number of DMD's, and as may early SS. Frankly, the most played game is Asteroid Annie - an SS with an EM layout and rules, and just **hard** to play well and beat. DMD's offer a pinball entertainment more in line with competing with the feedback given by the (yuck) video games with which they were needing to compete. I love AFM, but I get as much fun out of Asteroid Annie. Just different. As long as the main game is controlling a silver ball with flippers, then it's all good.

[pinball god]

Yep, agreed Nino, hopefully we get these mini meets happening as I'm sure you're 100% in what you say. That's why I set up this thread coz I was a little bewildered why I didn't get a buzz out of the SS like I once did. And I understand the workings of CA, lots of machines and little time to get them all up for the meet. But I do appreciate the opprtunity Mark gives me to play an array of machines (....and to spend my hard earned).

[goodolddays]

I love EM's because in my experience
a) they are much more challenging to play .. you must think about your game play a lot more

b) they are easier to fix when they break down and they are more reliable 

c) the artwork

d) the history

e) the noise they make (love those chimes)

f) the score reels

g) the smell

b to g in no particular order

[ddstoys]

Yeah you cant beat the smell

[Strangeways]

I love EM's because in my experience
a) they are much more challenging to play .. you must think about your game play a lot more

b) they are easier to fix when they break down and they are more reliable 

c) the artwork

d) the history

e) the noise they make (love those chimes)

f) the score reels

g) the smell

b to g in no particular order

Great Post.

There's also the issue that most younger enthusiasts and collectors have never "grown up" with an older game. It the 70's and 80's, there used to be walls full of EMs and SS machines in just about every arcade. A game might sit in a Milk Bar or Pub for years - literally - "part of the furniture". The machine "has" a history. Newer games never had that exposure. They were often moved around if they were not taking money. so it was hard to grow up with a particular DMD title. so I do feel sorry for the younger guys.

Another point is that there are not many really good EM techs around. No where near as many DMD repairers. Seriously, DMDs are fairly easy to repair - but they breakdown more often than SS and EM. Clay's guides are a great resource and so are places like RGP and here ! But you need a lot more experience to understand and repair an EM. Most of that experience will be found online rather than at a dealer - that's why they are very rarely sourced - and when they are - they are never a cost effective process to have them reconditioned or restored.

You can shop out a DMD very easily. SS and EMs that have been sitting idle need a lot more work - after all - they are older ! I'm seldom surprised to hear that an EM has been sitting in storage for 15 years and simply "worked" when plugged in. Can't say that for a DMD.

It is a bit of a niche market - but I feel it is now getting the attention it deserves - and credit goes out to all the guys that share the knowledge, and the newbies that take on the challenge. Thanks to one particular dealer who sources them for us !

I'll ALWAYS have a DMD in my collection, as they are a PINBALL ( I love my CV ), but I will mostly have SS an some EMs. I would ideally like a game from each era, each manufacturer - but games I have a "history" with, or have a story to tell.

[ajlaird]

didnt this machine come out in both em and ss?

Yep, sure did. But the EM version is very rare.

Don't know why I put that when I knew it was an SS machine (Mata Hari), but my opinion applies to both EM & SS games. I haven't played an EM game in since I was a kid but think my thoughts would be the same.
Sorry for the confusion

I guess as this is an early SS the gameplay would be similar to an EM anyway, so point taken.

At the BAMAG (Bushfire Aid Meet and Greet) I played an early Stern SS (Hot Hand) - and even though the gameplay was relatively simple it was still challenging and interesting enough to be really enjoyable. If I ever came across this title at a really good price I would snap it up straight away. I also really enjoyed POTC, had great fun playing it and racking up a half-decent score. Some I didn't enjoy so much (TOTAN and SOF were two I couldn't get in to for whatever reason).

[Strangeways]

didnt this machine come out in both em and ss?

Yep, sure did. But the EM version is very rare.

Don't know why I put that when I knew it was an SS machine (Mata Hari), but my opinion applies to both EM & SS games. I haven't played an EM game in since I was a kid but think my thoughts would be the same.
Sorry for the confusion

I guess as this is an early SS the gameplay would be similar to an EM anyway, so point taken.

At the BAMAG (Bushfire Aid Meet and Greet) I played an early Stern SS (Hot Hand) - and even though the gameplay was relatively simple it was still challenging and interesting enough to be really enjoyable. If I ever came across this title at a really good price I would snap it up straight away. I also really enjoyed POTC, had great fun playing it and racking up a half-decent score. Some I didn't enjoy so much (TOTAN and SOF were two I couldn't get in to for whatever reason).

TOTAN is a tough nut to crack - as is CFTBL. I could not stand TOTAN, but I've grown to enjoy it. If you get a chance to play a reconditioned CFTBL - give that a go as well - I think it is fairly similar to TOTAN - It needs TIME. CV and SS are "walk up" winners for me. I never get sick of them, whereas I'll have 2 balls on a ST TNG or IJ and I'm bored !

POTC and Sopranos are really poor machines, I just walk past them. But I do enjoy LOTR and WoF. Especially WoF !

[ajlaird]

didnt this machine come out in both em and ss?

Yep, sure did. But the EM version is very rare.

Don't know why I put that when I knew it was an SS machine (Mata Hari), but my opinion applies to both EM & SS games. I haven't played an EM game in since I was a kid but think my thoughts would be the same.
Sorry for the confusion

I guess as this is an early SS the gameplay would be similar to an EM anyway, so point taken.

At the BAMAG (Bushfire Aid Meet and Greet) I played an early Stern SS (Hot Hand) - and even though the gameplay was relatively simple it was still challenging and interesting enough to be really enjoyable. If I ever came across this title at a really good price I would snap it up straight away. I also really enjoyed POTC, had great fun playing it and racking up a half-decent score. Some I didn't enjoy so much (TOTAN and SOF were two I couldn't get in to for whatever reason).

TOTAN is a tough nut to crack - as is CFTBL. I could not stand TOTAN, but I've grown to enjoy it. If you get a chance to play a reconditioned CFTBL - give that a go as well - I think it is fairly similar to TOTAN - It needs TIME. CV and SS are "walk up" winners for me. I never get sick of them, whereas I'll have 2 balls on a ST TNG or IJ and I'm bored !

POTC and Sopranos are really poor machines, I just walk past them. But I do enjoy LOTR and WoF. Especially WoF !

Heh, funny you mention CFTBL - I did get to play one for about 20 minutes about a month ago. It was interesting to play and I could see that with a bit more time I could really get into it. But seriously, I thought it was at least twice as good as TOTAN (but fair enough re the time comment).

I would be interested to know why you don't like POTC? I did enjoy LOTR but honestly I enjoyed POTC more - maybe over the longer term my opinion would change.

Never played Wheel of Fortune - I didn't think people admitted to enjoying that pin, but the theme does interest me.

[Strangeways]

didnt this machine come out in both em and ss?

Yep, sure did. But the EM version is very rare.

Don't know why I put that when I knew it was an SS machine (Mata Hari), but my opinion applies to both EM & SS games. I haven't played an EM game in since I was a kid but think my thoughts would be the same.
Sorry for the confusion

I guess as this is an early SS the gameplay would be similar to an EM anyway, so point taken.

At the BAMAG (Bushfire Aid Meet and Greet) I played an early Stern SS (Hot Hand) - and even though the gameplay was relatively simple it was still challenging and interesting enough to be really enjoyable. If I ever came across this title at a really good price I would snap it up straight away. I also really enjoyed POTC, had great fun playing it and racking up a half-decent score. Some I didn't enjoy so much (TOTAN and SOF were two I couldn't get in to for whatever reason).

TOTAN is a tough nut to crack - as is CFTBL. I could not stand TOTAN, but I've grown to enjoy it. If you get a chance to play a reconditioned CFTBL - give that a go as well - I think it is fairly similar to TOTAN - It needs TIME. CV and SS are "walk up" winners for me. I never get sick of them, whereas I'll have 2 balls on a ST TNG or IJ and I'm bored !

POTC and Sopranos are really poor machines, I just walk past them. But I do enjoy LOTR and WoF. Especially WoF !

Heh, funny you mention CFTBL - I did get to play one for about 20 minutes about a month ago. It was interesting to play and I could see that with a bit more time I could really get into it. But seriously, I thought it was at least twice as good as TOTAN (but fair enough re the time comment).

I would be interested to know why you don't like POTC? I did enjoy LOTR but honestly I enjoyed POTC more - maybe over the longer term my opinion would change.

Never played Wheel of Fortune - I didn't think people admitted to enjoying that pin, but the theme does interest me.

I've POTC plenty of time, and it is a machine I just don't like. That massive transparent shroud in front of the ship and the ball draining horseshoe on the RHS - Just really poor design. I loved the movies BTW - it is the pin that is poor.

WoF is just a really nice flowing machine. It has outlanes that remind me of a 60's EM title that escapes me at the moment. The theme is crap, but the game is really nice and "family" friendly as well.

LOTR is a game that I need to spend more time on as I've only played it once, and it was unshopped. I prefer "rating" a game when is is shopped and working 100%.

[ajlaird]

I've POTC plenty of time, and it is a machine I just don't like. That massive transparent shroud in front of the ship and the ball draining horseshoe on the RHS - Just really poor design. I loved the movies BTW - it is the pin that is poor.

WoF is just a really nice flowing machine. It has outlanes that remind me of a 60's EM title that escapes me at the moment. The theme is crap, but the game is really nice and "family" friendly as well.

I guess the thing about pinball is that there is a variety of pins and a variety of people; I just really enjoyed POTC - didn't notice the horseshoe ball draining at all.

I will keep in mind what you have said re WoF as I imagine they would be a bit cheaper than some of the other later pins.

[pinballowner]

I love EM's because in my experience
a) they are much more challenging to play .. you must think about your game play a lot more

b) they are easier to fix when they break down and they are more reliable 

c) the artwork

d) the history

e) the noise they make (love those chimes)

f) the score reels

g) the smell

b to g in no particular order

Love the noise, Love working on them, Love the artwork but don't particularly like the smell.