Difference between revisions of "EM / SS Pinball Comparison"

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(First draft of comparison table)
 
Line 16: Line 16:
 
|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
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|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 || Licensed themes
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|Display || Light up or mechanical score reels || Gas plasma numeric, alphanumeric, dot matrix
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|-
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|Theme || Original themes || Original and licensed themes
 
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|-
 
|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.