Great topic, Paul - and I agree with you 100%.
DMDs are a little difficult for old school pinheads and newbies to master. They can sometimes be a little "intimidating" with all the bells and whistles, and some of the rulesets require a Rhodes Scholar to decipher. But they are value for money, and someone has to pay for the R&D !
Single playfield machines with simple designs require skills, not flashing lights and Video Modes to keep the player's attention. Strangely enough, back in the late 70's the BIG earners were simple games like KISS, Mata Hari, 6MDM, BOPP - Games with symmetrical playfields borrowing heavily from the golden Gottlieb era - just electronic.
Unfortunately, the time and effort - particularly the artist's work, does not exist anymore. Most of the artwork on Sterns looks like it was printed on a cheap inkjet. Half the fun of playing Paragon, is just to sit back and look at that great artwork while playing. No - I don't think we can ever go back to the "simpler design" - The artists and the designers are not around anymore, and the reliance on toys, gimmicks and rulesets to entice the players is too much of an influence these days. "skill shot" is not a word I would use on today's pins, but talk to just about any "old school" pinhead and they will instantly remember a "skill shot" on just about any title - Like the top target bank shot from the lower RHS flipper on a Genie..
I would LOVE a simple remake of a "Spirit of 76" - a simple game, yet loads of fun !
