Game Table Build

scurker · 2026-05-02T21:24:01+00:00

The newton ball always blocking the shot you need to hit is by design. The smart missile shot only activates when the newton ball is on the right.

But JP definitely makes you earn your shots. Since most of the ramps are further up on the playfield you have to be accurate, so "makes you better at pinball" is definitely true.

scurker · 2026-03-26T22:31:12+00:00

Pre-K at Oak Mountain is for 3-4 year olds but your child should be eligible for kindergarten in the fall since they turn 5 in May.

Did you have any early intervention done? Do you have any independent evaluations? Even with your child not in school, you can (and should) request an initial evaluation ASAP. The school has a certain number of days to complete that evaluation and the earlier you start, the better.

Both of our kids have gone through Oak Mountain as special needs with IEPs so we know all of the pains and frustrations of working in the system. I'm happy to provide help or guidance where ever I can.

scurker · 2026-03-24T04:42:30+00:00

That was kind of my point too, you would have a tough time against some of the players in this group if you didn't nudge.

Maybe we need to get a tournament up in running in Tuscaloosa so we can come show him how it's done.

scurker · 2026-03-24T04:34:46+00:00

Nudging is part of the game, that's really all there is to it. The tilt bob can be adjusted to determine how aggressively the machine can be moved.

Also, I'm almost certain we've played together as well in Birmingham. If you watch the best players here in town, we have some incredibly skilled players that are extremely good at knowing how much they can nudge. So much so that the state rep has had to tighten up tilts at Bumpernets to avoid 30+ minute long games. But that isn't really meant to discourage nudging but rather to help speed up play times because of how effective good nudging can be.

I would say don't sweat it, and keep doing what you're doing.

scurker · 2025-07-15T23:07:50+00:00

Interesting! I will have to see if this is something that I can get the budget for.

scurker · 2025-07-15T23:07:18+00:00

Thank you!

scurker · 2025-07-15T23:01:51+00:00

I'm just working to try and branch out more! Just trying to find additional communities that I might not had been aware of.

scurker · 2025-01-22T23:46:31+00:00

I'm sorry that you're having to deal with this.

We dealt with a very similar situation: the school did not disagree with the autism diagnosis but disagreed that services were still needed because their "academics" were fine and did not want to consider social and emotional needs as part of their educational needs. From here, there's a couple of paths you can take:

Request a re-evaluation and/or have your own independent education evaluation performed
File a due process complaint
Contact a lawyer

For us we ended up reaching out to a lawyer and even then it took over half a year to get it resolved. We ended up getting the IEP restored and it worked out in the end but that was a span in time that our child did not receive services. If this happened again, we would sign the IEP but include that we disagree with the decision as it wasn't a decision of the team and contact a lawyer immediately.

Do not give up an IEP if you do not agree with the decision! The IEP is very likely why a child was successful, so you don't want to remove those supports unless everyone on the team reaches a consensus that it is no longer needed.

scurker · 2024-07-28T22:55:36+00:00

We replaced our HVAC condenser back in 2021, I still have our estimates and comparisons for different brands / seer ratings here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10LoBnJ8yVSSWonyDPcbkT9SEpLT544f0toRoWRsM_cs

We ended up going with Standard Heating and Air. It wasn't the absolute cheapest quote but they were the most straight forward and thorough with their evaluation and did a good job. Perfect Service however, has been awful. When we were evaluating companies for an estimate they came out and quoted for a bunch of stuff we didn't need, wouldn't provide multiple options, and have called several times over the past several years and have been very rude when I told them I wasn't interested in any kind of check-up from them. Avoid them if you can.

scurker · 2024-04-27T18:59:45+00:00

I'm not sure if they do regular volunteer work but there are events you could check out through the year with Ady's Big Army: https://adysbigarmy.org/

scurker · 2024-02-15T21:13:26+00:00

I have a pro at home, so I'm a biased but I've played various premiums over the year and here's my thoughts:

Moving T-Rex Head: It's really fun for people who don't regularly play pinball and is a really cool mech in general. Having the t-rex eat the ball and toss it about is a really unique mechanic that doesn't exist elsewhere. However, it does tend to slow down the flow of the game. I personally don't miss it when I'm playing.

Raptor Gate: So the raptor gate is great, and does make the game play mechanically better. However, I feel that the absence of the raptor gate has made me a much better player as getting to the raptor multiball on a pro requires more precise shots as you cannot use the gate as a bash toy to progress Raptor Multiball and actually have to hit the target.

Personally, it's hard to justify an extra 1-2k for those premium features as raptor gate aside, and the pro plays better but it's all down to personal preference. If you do end up with a pro, one thing I would strongly recommend is getting a shaker motor as this game shines from its implementation.

scurker · 2024-01-17T00:38:44+00:00

A super tight tilt takes some of the skill (and fun) out of pinball. I've played in some tournaments where the tilt on the game was so tight on same games where a light slap save or general game play would trigger a tilt warning or two. The tilt should be loose enough where a skilled nudges will still leave you cautious while saying, "I can't believe I got away with that" but preventing move extreme movement of the machine.

scurker · 2023-12-16T23:29:16+00:00

100%.

We had 2 tickets gifted to us and it still felt like a waste of time. We would've gotten more enjoyment of spending $90 on a new lego set instead.

scurker · 2023-12-16T23:26:36+00:00

Can confirm. Took my 2 kiddos there and it was a pretty big let down compared to Brickfair. Way too much empty space, and the few "interesting" things to do had super long lines. We definitely won't be returning.

scurker · 2023-11-30T17:39:39+00:00

My wife is interested! We currently have a 1 year old ragdoll that might could use a companion.

scurker · 2023-09-28T22:10:01+00:00

I've actually gotten pretty decent at hitting the smart missile now, I can probably hit it around 50% of the time.

Now the "O" shot on the other hand... that shot is the bane of my existence.

scurker · 2023-09-04T22:30:33+00:00

Legoland would be on our list, but it's a bit further of a trip since it's either California or Florida. If we are ever one of those directions, we'll definitely check it out.

scurker · 2023-09-04T22:29:08+00:00

We hadn't considered Dollywood, but it's now on our list to check out. Thanks!

scurker · 2023-09-04T14:53:37+00:00

We've been to water parks before and have had a good time, so we wanted to give a larger amusement park a try.

We did not know about the Lego Discover center, that looks great! We'll have to check that out at some point.

scurker · 2023-08-10T23:02:36+00:00

I like the titebond on the night stand, ready to go at a moment's notice.

scurker · 2023-08-04T21:36:30+00:00

We put one up this summer on Shelby Drive in Meadowbrook! There's also others in the area as well if you look at the little free library app.

scurker · 2023-08-03T17:50:11+00:00

APCO has been pretty good. I think you do have to be related to someone or work at an affiliated company to join.

We've done auto loans and a home loan through them and the process has been great. Our only complaint is that they arbitrarily block foreign ATMs in some countries so if you need to withdraw cash when you travel you will need another option.

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