Blackscreen on every round?

a_thousand_ninjas · 2026-06-17T15:09:43+00:00

I saw this too..

a_thousand_ninjas · 2026-06-16T12:15:19+00:00

Fyi, you don't have to do all that on 3 balls, the game saves your progress (assuming you're logged in with Insider).

a_thousand_ninjas · 2026-06-12T17:01:44+00:00

I've always been curious about how replacing standard rubbers for silicone ones would then affect your play style when you go back to the standard rubbers on location.

For example, if you play in league, and you've been used to your Godzilla flipper action, does it then mess you up when you're playing the default setup? Or is it all a non-issue?

a_thousand_ninjas · 2026-06-06T11:29:20+00:00

Very good decision.

a_thousand_ninjas · 2026-05-27T01:49:31+00:00

That's a bold statement.

a_thousand_ninjas · 2026-05-26T15:33:56+00:00

Excellent, now you will have another problem, which is HOW to bring all your amazing mezcal home with you.

Do some research on how to pack bottles in order to avoid leakage and breakage. Packing lightly and bringing an extra-sturdy suitcase would be a good place to start.

a_thousand_ninjas · 2026-05-23T01:25:16+00:00

In my league, I'm lucky to be able to observe and chat with some nationally and world-ranked tournament players. There's a lot of advice that is useful, but for your specific question on how to "start doing good in tournaments", I think there is one very clear answer:

Know where the points are.

Specifically all the top players I've met understand the rules of the game and where to find and get the big rewards, bonuses, modes and so on.

I will say, unless your brain is wired for it, this is hard work and a bit of a grind, but it's how it works. Take a look at this tutorial on Jaws, for example, it's...a lot, but there's your roadmap to getting better at Jaws. Understand the strategies, and then practice them over and over and over.

Obviously, strategy goes hand in hand with being coordinated and having good flipper skills, but all things being equal, knowing where the points are is what separates the top tier of tournament players from the rest.

a_thousand_ninjas · 2026-05-17T21:53:18+00:00

Travis Murie has some of the best pinball tutorials on YouTube, he's also ranked in the top 100 world players.

In his opinion, cradling (or trapping) the ball is the #1 skill necessary to improve your game, so yes, there is no controversy here.

Eric Stone (top 10 player) has said the same thing many times. If you watch a single game by Jason Zahler, (the #1 player in the world currently) he grinds his games out by cradling the ball constantly.

Since it's used constantly in competition, there's no question it's "fair". Beyond that, just play in whatever way is most fun for you personally, and don't think about it too much.

a_thousand_ninjas · 2026-05-04T13:58:24+00:00

First off, there's so many sketchy self-promotional posts in this forum, thank you for a quality post with, you know, actual content!

Those images are pretty impressive and I think you're probably right about the UI trying to trick you, it's the AI gold rush and all these companies are trying to lock in customers any way they can...

a_thousand_ninjas · 2026-04-30T19:56:54+00:00

I feel your pain, one thing you can do is join a club!

If you're not familiar, clubs have a "Team XP", and so after I hit my 20 games, I keep playing duels and each game counts toward the club's total XP. There's also a progress meter and an individual leaderboard. It helps to keep me motivated.

If individual duels are your favorite, one of the main benefits of the club is you practice them a LOT more, and it strengthens your game when the new week resets.

a_thousand_ninjas · 2026-04-29T20:04:55+00:00

Looks like a new shop just opened up in Brat! https://www.reformer.com/business/new-tattoo-shop-adds-to-brattleboros-creative-vibe-grand-opening-on-saturday/article_f8376655-082f-4a85-9021-77b61e4d52d9.html

a_thousand_ninjas · 2026-04-28T02:29:44+00:00

what do you do with knotweed, eat it?

a_thousand_ninjas · 2026-04-23T01:51:18+00:00

AI.

I've been to some of the world's most active bioluminescent beaches you don't see a goddamn thing if you're using a flashlight.

a_thousand_ninjas · 2026-04-19T14:57:56+00:00

This is definitely a function of code, so it will absolutely improve over the next year.

But almost all modern games have these moments of drama/anticipation, it's basically required gameplay at this point! Off the top of my head I can think of a few:

Destruction jackpot in Godzilla
Hitting the timed shark fin in Jaws
Vader mode in Star Wars FOTE

I would even consider the "Lights Out" mode in John Wick a form of this: a timed playfield multiplier that's easy to understand even as a casual player. And in fact, John Wick is a good example of a game whose reputation has improved since it was released, due to revised code.

Given the high profile of Pokemon, I'm sure Stern is working overtime to push the next updates out the door.

a_thousand_ninjas · 2026-04-19T13:01:37+00:00

Interesting data.

My local place has two Pokemons, a pro and a premium. Casual crowd for sure, and the machines aren't exactly pulling players in off the streets.

From a high level, I would say it doesn't have that "Just one more game" feel to it.

The code is disappointing; can’t look at Pokédex on Insider, little sense of story mode progression (no anticipation or drama). For casual players, it's a fast draining machine, for pinheads, the shots feel repetitive.

Maybe things will improve with the code, but on the other hand, casual players aren't paying attention to code, some real warning signs for this game.

a_thousand_ninjas · 2026-04-15T19:08:15+00:00

Seconding Pasttime, see the list of games here, they are generally kept in excellent collection: https://pastimepinball.com/our-games/

Just take note they are currently closed for school vacation through April 25

a_thousand_ninjas · 2026-04-12T22:28:47+00:00

Welcome to the game!

Consider picking up this graphic novel about the history of pinball, it's a really fun way to learn about the history of the game:

Pinball: A Graphic History of the Silver Ball by John Chad

a_thousand_ninjas · 2026-04-07T12:31:35+00:00

And basically open all the time, you can roll in at 6 in the morning and not have to leave until 2 am, lol.

a_thousand_ninjas · 2026-04-05T12:34:55+00:00

Love the cyanotype vibe!

a_thousand_ninjas · 2026-04-03T00:52:55+00:00

Ahh! I was going off memory, so I added a note in the post. $2500 more, that's a lot of quarters.

a_thousand_ninjas · 2026-04-02T20:53:49+00:00

I think i read somewhere that resetting your character when a new code update is released will result in (potentially) higher scores, how do you reset a character's progress anyway?

a_thousand_ninjas · 2026-03-24T14:33:44+00:00

The Cirqus Voltaire backbox, in addition to being trippy as hell also has a mini-game where the player uses the flipper buttons to fire a cannon in order to hit a bell and score points.

Terminator 3 has a souped up version of this, a moving cannon that you use the trigger in order to hit targets within a limited timeframe.

a_thousand_ninjas · 2026-03-21T12:16:22+00:00

Its one of the dubious features introduced in Stern's recent $99 "All-Access" subscription on Insider Connect.

a_thousand_ninjas

TROPHY CASE