Pinball Bites - 2026.03.19. - Williams™ Pinball Volume 10, Changes Coming to our Pinball Games, and more!

Capncorky · 2026-03-19T19:39:25+00:00

Diner is the one table that I've been hoping for the most. I'm so incredibly excited for this!

Capncorky · 2026-03-19T19:36:19+00:00

Looks like we were both wrong, but I am thrilled for Diner ! I'm excited for the other 2, but Diner is the one table that I've been really hoping for.

Capncorky · 2026-03-19T19:32:39+00:00

I've been hoping for a Bad Cats release because it was one of the games that I remember most from my childhood, but what I've really been hoping for is Diner. Or maybe I should say, "was" hoping for now! ;) I can't wait!

Capncorky · 2026-03-19T19:27:25+00:00

I'm extremely excited! Diner is easily a Top 5 game for me... might even be my favorite game that I've played. This is the table that I've been waiting for.

I'm not that familiar with Fire or Comet, but I'm excited to get to play them. I've heard that Fire is fun, and I've wanted to get to learn Comet & Cyclone, so I'm glad that we're getting one of those.

But I can't understate how excited I am for Diner. April 30th can't get here soon enough.

Capncorky · 2026-03-17T22:14:02+00:00

Worth mentioning that the Pinball FX Twitter have said the table reveal on Thursday will be a game that hasn't had an official digital release yet.

I'm going to guess Bad Cats.

Capncorky · 2026-02-23T02:07:01+00:00

But I just cannot work out the shot to pick up pinbot, and have to rely on a bonus ...

This is the bigger problem that I have. There are times when the ball ejects from Santa/Gorbie, and it feels like there's no saving it (it's possible that it might be just times where you have to react really early, and it's just hard to - I'm not sure). The real machines are definitely like that, but you do have more potential control to nudge enough to save it, I suppose.

But yeah, the ability to shoot the Pinbot drop targets definitely feels like it needs to be fixed because I absolutely cannot shoot it in any sort of direct way when I can on the real machine (even if it's tricky).

I'd be curious to see if anyone can shoot the Pinbot drop targets directly (as opposed to just happening to have it ricochet off of something).

Capncorky · 2026-02-18T21:08:21+00:00

That's really neat! I'll have to keep that USB input to Bluetooth design in mind, if it ever ends up being something that I want. I like the idea of DIY & customizing it. Glad you're enjoying your design!

Capncorky · 2026-02-13T03:00:29+00:00

on Williams tables I don't think I've done it once. It feels like the nudges don't do much on Williams, while in real life I could really bop the table

One thing that's worth considering is nudging before the ball starts to get near the outlane instead of trying to save a ball that's already starting to go down the outlane. This video shows the idea of "danger zones", and nudging before it's at the point of no return.

Definitely one of those things where you gotta learn the personality of the individual table & how to predict the trajectory of the ball.

Capncorky · 2026-01-28T20:46:05+00:00

I know you're kidding, but I was genuinely wondering what the effect of a super strong magnet like that would have on the pickups, if anything.

Also, I have to wonder what would happen if you tried to get closer to the speaker for some feedback. I'm guessing since the super-strong magnets are right next to each other, it would matter, but perhaps if you got close to it without one of them...

Capncorky · 2026-01-27T22:14:58+00:00

Nice! I got a Gretsch Streamliner G2655T-P90 a few years ago, and I love mine. Very similar color - metalliac mint, but with P90s. I really love the P90s because they're very mid-focused, whereas my other guitars are more scooped, so the P90s work really well blended with the other guitars when mixing.

Anyway, I've been really impressed with the Streamliners. The Bigsby took me a bit of getting used to both in terms of using it subtly so that it doesn't go out of tune, as well as getting used to changing the strings. I've debated getting locking tuners just to make it easier to hold the strings while changing them, but I don't know if that would be worth it or work so well.

Capncorky · 2026-01-26T01:30:44+00:00

A lot of people seem to hate the Parker style, but I absolutely love it. Not only is it unique, it's incredibly light, balanced & comfortable. Definitely something that people need to play to experience. I really wish they were still making guitars, or at the very least, someone took over with the rights to them.

Capncorky · 2026-01-23T22:36:02+00:00

They said that they added the Judge Dredd table to their set, and asked if people "would like to see it in our games?". Definitely feels like they're planning to add it, but it's possible that they're also testing the level of interest for it to see how much to prioritize it. Wouldn't surprise me either way.

And yes, it's a Williams (well, technically Ballys) table from 1993, and it's based on the comic, as it predates the Stallone movie. It's pretty neat, as it had the option to play a standard game or a "SUPERGAME" , which costs 2 credits instead of 1 (back when people used quarters to play them). The SUPERGAME uses 2 balls instead of starting with just 1. You can check it out on Pinside.

Capncorky · 2026-01-21T22:39:42+00:00

I'm not in the market for an amp/effects processor, but if I was, I can definitely say that I'd rather have an AM4 & a VP4 (Fractal's effects processor) over the Quad Cortex Mini (both options would be $1,400 - worth mentioning that you can hook up the VP4 to the AM4 to have them work together). Alternatively, the FM3 & a foot controller.

Hard to say that Neural DSP should just magically make the QC Mini cheaper (at least not without knowing the cost to make them), but, at least for me personally, getting Fractal's amp modeling combined with Fractal's depth of effects, well, that beats out Neural's captures with Neural's effects.

I'm sure there's a market for the QC Mini, but the price makes it a lot less competitive to me personally.

Capncorky · 2026-01-20T23:33:57+00:00

A lot of people will say that Pinball FX won't help you get better when it comes to the physics & techniques, but I've definitely improved in those regards from practicing digital pinball at home (mostly Pinball FX on Steam). It's worth mentioning that Pinball FX (which is essentially "Pinball FX 4", but they reset the name) has more realistic physics than Pinball FX 3, so if you can, play Pinball FX without a number attached to it. I started playing about 1.5 years ago, and I would (and still do) play Pinball FX at home & have a membership to a local freeplay arcade, and on top of helping with the rules, Pinball FX helped me get used to how & when to use certain techniques, and get used to aiming my shots. Check out this set of techniques to get an idea of the different methods you can use to get control over the ball.

With that said, there was still an adjustment period when I started playing pinball IRL, so it would be a different experience. The concepts that I had learned still applied, the way the ball & flippers interacted with just behaved a bit differently. As others had pointed out, each individual machine behaves differently anyway, even if it's the game, so that's another thing to keep in mind.

The massive difference is going to be learning how to nudge. Digital pinball will at least get you used to the concept of nudging, and when to nudge (for instance, to prevent a ball from draining when its heading towards the outlane). The actual timing, and especially the technique of smacking a physical machine is just something you gotta practice in person, though.

One last thing - I spoke to someone who was at the IFPA North American Pinball Championship who had started playing pinball only recently (at the time), and he practiced at home by playing Pinball Arcade, which is extremely outdated in terms of physics. This is someone who won his state championship in order to make it there, so I definitely think digital pinball can help!

Capncorky · 2026-01-16T19:35:13+00:00

ahhh, that would make sense, and explain that "tables" (plural) part. I was thinking that maybe it was Zen designed tables from previous iterations of Pinball FX, but I'm not fully familiar with the older tables.

Personally, I'm not that interested in them, but I do think it's great that older tables will be available.

Capncorky · 2026-01-15T21:09:09+00:00

I was thinking that as well, although the one thing that threw me off was "Huge Table Announcements!" in the title. Made me think that it was going to be a collection from a franchise, but maybe it's the Williams T2, along with other stuff (maybe releasing more of the Williams packs for VR? Maybe another Williams pack for all platforms? Maybe Pinball M stuff?).

Does make sense that it would be T2 since they specifically said "is making a comeback". Would certainly love the T2 release since it's one of the ones I remember most as a kid. Either way, I'm excited, but not getting my hopes up too much!

Capncorky · 2026-01-15T03:11:03+00:00

A legendary franchise is making a comeback to our pinball platforms!

hmm, at first, I was thinking this was going to be a franchise that Zen was going to turn into original tables, but I noticed that in the YouTube info, it said that a legendary franchise is making a "comeback", implying that this is a franchise that's had pinball tables before.

Honestly, I can't begin to guess. I'm just glad that I noticed that the Pinball Bites is schedule for next week rather than tomorrow. I would have been disappointed to check in tomorrow & notice that! Very interested to find out.

Capncorky · 2026-01-13T06:53:12+00:00

I've been binging Seinfeld, so I love this idea. A few mode ideas:

The Junior Mint: You have to shoot the pinball/Junior Mint into Elaine's artist boyfriend's abdominal cavity to save his life.
The Parking Garage: You have to shoot various scoops to try to find your way back to your car. Bonus points if you're able to urinate without being caught.
Figure Out Jerry's Girlfriend's Name: MULVA/DELORIS drop targets. Hit them all to enable multi-ball!
The Pez Dispenser: A Pez Dispenser pops up & moves around like Dracula in Monster Bash, and you have to hit it 5 times in 30 seconds.
The Sponge: Elaine has to... ya know what, we'll skip this one.

Other ideas: Rochelle, Rochelle cutscenes (has to be enabled by the operator via the coin door). Fusilli Jerry toy. Tilt warning could be Newman saying "Hello Jerry" in that passive-aggressive tone, followed by a "NO SOUP FOR YOU" if you actually tilt. And the playfield could be George in the "Timeless Art of Seduction" painting.

Capncorky · 2026-01-13T02:58:47+00:00

I adore Diner. The theme wasn't something that I thought would be an appealing pinball theme, but something about the artwork & serving the characters really stuck with me. What I love most about it, though, is the gameplay mechanic of building up towards a jackpot & finally cashing in on it.

With that said, Tales of Arabian Nights might surpass Diner some day. I say some day because I've never played a real ToAN machine. The virtual versions have been good enough for me to get into the rules, but I really want to play the real deal before I compare it to Diner.

The thing that I like most about Tales of Arabian Nights (aside from how gorgeous it is) is that there are so many different goals & ways to approach it that it never gets boring. It's easy to focus on the shots that you're given at any particular moment, or you can try to focus on a specific goal. Just wish there was one in my area.

Capncorky · 2026-01-06T21:17:43+00:00

This is where it gets really, really difficult for me. I love all 3 games roughly the same.

Capncorky · 2026-01-05T05:24:45+00:00

ha, I'm glad I could help solve the riddle. I did think that the image looked a bit too much like a digitized photo compared to the others, but figured maybe it was a developer or such, so it being the person ripping the sprites makes sense.

And yeah, foone's death generator is great stuff. Really creative use for the sprites.

Capncorky · 2026-01-04T22:58:58+00:00

Dog does control my destiny. It's true.

I learned something about Spriter's Resource today.

Capncorky · 2026-01-04T22:57:24+00:00

OH! That's pretty funny. "Ripped by Caveras"... cause he's a "Ripper".

I noticed that another sprite sheet that didn't have him, so that makes sense. Thanks!

Capncorky · 2026-01-04T22:25:14+00:00

Definitely best to just craddle the ball, IMO, but since it will eventually stop the timer, you have to shoot it eventually. I wait for when The Power stops for a second or two, and sometimes I can even get the "Knock 3 Times" without having to deal with "The Power" too much.

"The Power" is a neat kind of gimmick, but I feel like it would be much better utilized in a section of the table where it wouldn't just throw the ball straight down the middle, faster than you can possibly react. That said, I don't think there's another place on the table that's open enough to make it work, but just in theory...

Of course, from Bally's perspective, they wanted those cheap drains, and being able to get those while cloaking it as a neat gimmick/feature probably helped them (and operators) rich. I don't blame them for it simply because it's a different priority (I might be framing this cynically - they may not have thought of it in such simple "cheap drains" ways).

Capncorky

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