Difference between revisions of "EM / SS Pinball Comparison"
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(First draft of comparison table) |
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|Game play || No memory from ball-to-ball for multi-player machines || Player state tracked from ball-to-ball | |Game play || No memory from ball-to-ball for multi-player machines || Player state tracked from ball-to-ball | ||
|- | |- | ||
− | |Objectives || Easy to understand, difficult to master || Deep rule sets | + | |Objectives || Easy to understand, difficult to master || Deep rule sets, complete missions or goals |
|- | |- | ||
|New Players || Easy to see game objectives || Often overwhelmed | |New Players || Easy to see game objectives || Often overwhelmed | ||
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|Lights || On, Off, When-Lit, and blinking || broad range of light shows and attract modes | |Lights || On, Off, When-Lit, and blinking || broad range of light shows and attract modes | ||
|- | |- | ||
− | |Theme || Original themes || | + | |Display || Light up or mechanical score reels || Gas plasma numeric, alphanumeric, dot matrix |
+ | |- | ||
+ | |Theme || Original themes || Original and licensed themes | ||
|- | |- | ||
|Artwork || Original artwork || Cut-and-paste from stock theme artwork | |Artwork || Original artwork || Cut-and-paste from stock theme artwork |
Revision as of 08:43, 1 December 2011
The table below provides a very general comparison of Electro-Mechanical and Solid State pinball machines. Like all generalizations there are many exceptions. During the change-over from EM to SS in the late 1970s the new machines were not that different from a look and play point-of-view. The goal here is to capture the common cases of comparison between a 70s EM and a 90s or later SS machine.
This table summarizes an RGP discussion started on 11/29/2011 by Kirkd2.
Category | EM | SS / DMD |
---|---|---|
Ball Time | Short, design is about 30 seconds per ball | Games tend to be longer |
Speed | Slower, playfield slope about 3.5 degrees (1) | Fast, playfield slope about 6.5 degrees |
Randomness | The ball is wild | Typically have shots that return the ball to a flipper |
Game play | No memory from ball-to-ball for multi-player machines | Player state tracked from ball-to-ball |
Objectives | Easy to understand, difficult to master | Deep rule sets, complete missions or goals |
New Players | Easy to see game objectives | Often overwhelmed |
Sounds | Mechanical bells, chimes, and score reels | Broad range of electronic sounds, including voice and high-quality music |
Lights | On, Off, When-Lit, and blinking | broad range of light shows and attract modes |
Display | Light up or mechanical score reels | Gas plasma numeric, alphanumeric, dot matrix |
Theme | Original themes | Original and licensed themes |
Artwork | Original artwork | Cut-and-paste from stock theme artwork |
Playfield | High-quality multi-color screen printing | Lower-quality dithered color screen printing |
Maintenance | No diagnostics, need to trace problem on schematics | Built-in diagnostic modes |
Repair | Rarely need parts replacement other than maintenance | Transistor replacement on driver boards |
Longevity | Could still be working 100 years from now | Electronics will eventually fail |
(1) Later EMs can have fast play if they are set up and adjusted correctly.