Path: rcfnews.cs.umass.edu!barrett From: hog@aqu.bekkoame.or.jp (Hidehiko Ogata) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.reviews Subject: REVIEW: Pinball Illusions version 1.5 Followup-To: comp.sys.amiga.games Date: 20 Apr 1995 18:07:04 GMT Organization: The Amiga Online Review Column - ed. Daniel Barrett Lines: 390 Sender: amiga-reviews@math.uh.edu (comp.sys.amiga.reviews moderator) Distribution: world Message-ID: <3n67s8$f5v@kernighan.cs.umass.edu> Reply-To: hog@aqu.bekkoame.or.jp (Hidehiko Ogata) NNTP-Posting-Host: astro.cs.umass.edu Keywords: game, arcade, pinball, simulation, AGA, commercial Originator: barrett@astro.cs.umass.edu PRODUCT NAME Pinball Illusions version 1.5 BRIEF DESCRIPTION The third incarnation of computerized pinball by Digital Illusions. AUTHOR/COMPANY INFORMATION Name: Digital Illusions Published by 21st Century Entertainment Ltd. Address: 21st Century Entertainment Ltd. Westbrook Street Blewbury Oxon OX11 9QB UK Telephone: +44 (0) 1235 851852 FAX: +44 (0) 1235 851473 LIST PRICE 29.99 (UK pounds). I paid 4700 yen (Japan). SPECIAL HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS HARDWARE AGA Amiga required. About 3.2MB of hard disk space required, if you install the program on your hard disk. Works with 68040 and 32bit RAM (no VBR/cache hassles whatsoever). SOFTWARE "LIBS:lowlevel.library" and "LIBS:nonvolatile.library" required; both are included in the package. SYSTEM FRIENDLINESS o Can be started from Workbench, and exits to Workbench. o Does not multitask during play. o Can be iconified to return temporarily to Workbench. o Runs on a PAL screen even on a NTSC machine. o Cannot be run on graphic cards. o Does work with the AutoSwitch option of PicassoII. COPY PROTECTION None. In any form. Wow. Hard disk installable. MACHINE USED FOR TESTING Amiga 4000 with 2MB Chip RAM and 16MB Fast RAM. WarpEngine 040/40 with 32MB 32bit RAM. Western Digital "Caviar" AC2420H IDE hard drive. PicassoII graphic board. IDEK MF-5017 monitor. Kickstart 40.68 (3.1), Workbench 40.42 (3.1). INSTALLATION The game comes as standard AmigaDOS files on four 2 double-density FFS floppy disks, and can be run from backups. Installation to the hard disk is quite easy with the Commodore Installer on Disk 4 (though the manual states it's on Disk 1). The directory where high scores are saved is configurable. It defaults to "PIN3001:Scores" when booted from floppy disk, and to "ENVARC:Highscores" when installed on hard disk. STARTING UP Ever since I laid my hands on Black Knight, I have regarded pinball as serious sport and thought no computerized ones could match the real experience... until 12 years later, in 1992 a program named Pinball Dreams (PD) came around from then-unknown company Digital Illusions (DI). By now, almost every Amigoid knows PD and its sequel, Pinball Fantasies (PF), are the closest (if not equal) to the real thing. Naturally I've been waiting eagerly for its third incarnation, Pinball Illusions (PI), which finally materialized on the shelves of my local dealer. I literally grabbed it instantly (and paid for it on the way out :)). The game starts with a short, yet nice, intro (which looks suspiciously like LightWave rendering). It can be skipped by pressing a mouse button. Next comes a simple menu, in the spirit of megademo. Somehow, controls are limited to cursor keys and space bar; it could be a sad reminder that the world is dominated by The Unspeakably Lame Platform (TM). Fortunately function keys put you right in front of one of three available tables, which are: Law 'n Justice (LnJ) Babewatch (BW) Extreme Sports (ES) GENERAL IMPROVEMENTS All tables now feature the much-requested multiball play, when up to 3 balls can be in play at one time. A more subtle, yet very important addition is the ability to nudge table the sideways; combined with forward push (which was the only movement allowed in PD/PF), you can nudge the table now in five directions. Consequently, bangbacks require more skill than in PD/PF. Other new pinball features include: autoplunger, diverter and "video mode." Unlike PF, combo shots are clearly indicated with red lighted arrows. Gone are center post and status report. Tilt has become much more sensitive. The screen arrangement hasn't been changed; at the top is a thin, horizontal, lo-res score panel which mimics the antics on the dot-matrix display of the latest real pinball pretty well. The rest of the screen is dedicated to the top-down, zoomed-in view of the playfield where all the action happens. This part is normally in lo-res and shows about 40% as tall as the whole table, and scrolls vertically (and very smoothly) following the ball movement. New in PI is the ability to put this area in hi-res interlaced mode, allowing much taller view (about 80%) over the playfield. This feature kicks in automatically with multiball play, yet can be switched manually, too. Graphics are good as ever; from translucency of bumpers to shadows of ramps, the attention to detail is incredible, and really benefits from AGA treatment. Slingshots are now animated, and the way flashing lights illuminate their surroundings adds to the drama. Music and sound effects are nice too, and go with the themes of the tables very well. The music changes the mood according to modes of the playfield, and flows better than in PD/PF because other events don't restart the music from the beginning. Somehow, it cannot be turned off now (which was possible in PD/PF). Sound effects feel somewhat subdued behind continuous music, yet they are quite adequate as well. There are lots of speech samples. The following is a quick summary of each table, intended for serious pinballers. It's riddled with pinball jargons so beware. :) LAW 'N JUSTICE This is a single playfield table with a "future cop" theme. Your goal is to deal with 8 situations (modes). From left to right: above left inlane there is a 3rd flipper, and further above is the left spiral. To the right of it are two holes; one is used to start modes, and the other acts as "jail" in various modes. Two ramps, center and right, are actually U-turns overlapping each other. Between them is the right spiral that has to be cleared to qualify for modes. It also covers another hole which is used to lock balls. One of 8 modes is a "video mode," and various awards are available with repeated shots to the left spiral. This table seems to punish players a bit too much. Uncleared balls to the right spiral head straight down the left outlane, and 3 ganged-up bumpers at the mouth of the right ramp kick any inaccurate shots right back to the center drain (which does have a ballsaver, perhaps as compensation). You have to be very alert to stay alive... I guess it's not called "Law 'n Justice" for nothing. :) This is the simplest table of the three. BABEWATCH This is a dual-playfield table with a "beach boys" theme. Your aim is to impress beach babes with just about every "he-man" feature conceivable. :} It's somewhat symmetrical; pairs of lanes and spirals, to the left and right. Between them is a raised playfield which looks like a roulette table. It's entered via the left lane and has a flipper of its own, which you use to enter a big casino building at the top left corner to try your luck. In the bottom right corner of the raised playfield is an entry to another gimmick: a working jukebox (with the proper amount of "coins," of course :). Above it are some regular rollovers and bumpers. Above them, there is a hole to lock balls which can be reached via plunger/right lane. Two more holes are hidden beneath the raised playfield. There seems to be some wasted space above the left outlane, but there is a kickback at the bottom of it. Each of the 4 modes actually goes through 2 stages, so lots of effort is needed to go through them. Additionally, shots to the left spiral trigger "chicken race" mode, which has a nice flow with a proper sense of speed. There also is an unique hunt-for-hidden-item feature. Lanes/spirals are somewhat narrower than other tables, demanding more accurate shots. Still, this table has a laid-back feel to it, mainly because of the large space around the centerfield; this feeling goes along with the theme very well. With lots of goals to achieve and nice flows, this table would have been my favorite of the three if it wasn't so bug-ridden (see BUGS). EXTREME SPORTS This is another dual-playfield table, where you have to survive 6 eccentric sports (modes) in one piece. The upper half of the playfield is a raised one. It has rollovers to the right, a hole sandwiched by two lanes (leading down to inlanes) to the left, and a flipper at the bottom center. On the bottom half, from left to right: left ramp to upper rollovers, left passage to start modes, center ramp to the upper playfield, a steep, dead-end center ramp which qualifies you for modes, the right spiral, and bumpers behind it, where the left passage loops back. There is a diverter between the right outlane and the plunger lane (hmmm... Playboy :)). In addition to 6 modes, there is a "speed" mode triggered by shots to the right spiral, and a spell-out. This is a challenging, fast-paced table. Quick shots to just about every lane/ramp are required, yet none of them is too acrobatic (like "Billion Dollar Game Show" in PF). Shots to the dead-end center ramp seem to be a bit too delicate (or I'm getting old :)), but it's nothing serious. This table is my favorite of the three. DOCUMENTATION The package contains a 64-page manual and a quick-start sheet (with false information, see INSTALLATION). Both are in four languages. Each table's rules are explained in detail, and major features are clearly noted in the accompanying illustrations. Pinball jargon abounds, but you're not reading rules if you're not serious about pinball, are you? :) Some documented rules don't coincide with that of the actual table; perhaps the manual was written before the rules had been finalized. Prepare to be surprised with what you don't earn which you thought you did. One major omission from the manual is the ability to iconify the whole program and go back to Workbench, with a press of the Tab key. It's noted on the dot-matrix display, though. LIKES The game's level of realism is simply amazing. Although flippers are not perfect yet (see below), they feel natural quite enough. The ball feels a bit too light sometimes; otherwise I would say its movement is near perfect, even in multiball play (yes you can billiard-block :)). Of course, the big plus is the multiball play, but I eventually found the hi-res mode and 5-way nudge to be the most important additions. Wider view over the playfield combined with additional control makes PI all the more a test of skill, which real pinball truly is. Many real technique can be adapted successfully, from slapsaves to bangbacks. All three tables flow much better than those of PD/PF. No more meaningless spaces as in PD, or too acrobatic shots so prominent in PF. DI have yet to achieve the flow of Steve Ritchie pins, but their designing skill is getting better. As noted above, this is the system-friendliest game in a long time (perhaps since CubeMaster... remember that one?). You can even iconify it, which I'm doing right now to write this review :) For the last, I have to say something about copy protection... or total lack of it. Cheers to 21st Century Entertainment for such a decision; I hope this practice is welcomed by Amigoids with respect, rather than taken advantage of. DISLIKES AND SUGGESTIONS My main gripe is the feel of flippers; backhand redirection is noticeably too strong, whereas shots to the centerfield are surprisingly weak (most noticeable in "Law 'n Justice"). Hold-trapped ball barely clears the center ramps. Some modes don't flow well. For example, in hover chase mode of LnJ, repeated shots from the right flipper to the left ramp are required; yet each successful shot puts the ball down into the left inlane, and any delicate pass to the right ruins the illusion of speed. There isn't any counter on playfield to keep track of loops/spells (and in BW, no indicator light for ballsaver). This is especially odd in ES, where the word "extreme" is written in your face between slingshots, yet not utilized at all. Now that status report is no more, you have to pay more attention to the realtime dot-matrix display. Rules are somewhat too linear. 90's pins have become more complex with multi-threaded rules and short/long-term goals to achieve. There are some surprising omission from essentials of pinball, like: o Bonus countdown (inexcusable, isn't it? :) o Lane change is (still) one-way. o Status report (was in both PD and PF). Other minor gripes are: o Some drop/standup targets lack sound effects. o Menu supports only keyboard control. o Music cannot be turned off (was possible in PD and PF). o The playfield stays in hi-res mode after multiball play (should revert to the pre-multiball status). o Dot-matrix animations cannot be skipped. One suggestion is devising more eccentric gimmicks, like turbocharger in High Speed II, or Hand in The Addams Family (both real pins). They characterize each table so much nowadays, and this I think is where computerized pins could improve upon real ones. One table with more relaxed design in line with classics in the 70's would have been a nice deviation. PD had one spacy gem named Ignition, which I enjoyed enormously :) COMPARISON TO OTHER SIMILAR PRODUCTS Still no match for the real pins, and it shouldn't be; yet very nice compensation indeed (and you don't have to worry about shoddy maintenance :) BUGS The sound engine is flaky. Sometimes it gets out of sync with ongoing events, in rare occasions it dies off completely (particularly in LnJ). Several in BW: o Further modes become unattainable if the table is tilted during "pump-up" stage of the mode 1. o As above, if 3rd ball is locked during "chicken race" mode. o Ball tend to be get stuck around saucers. o Ball can be pushed out of the raised playfield with the underside of the flipper. This sometimes results in a ball trapped in the railworks and puts the program in a very busy loop (can be pushed out of it though). In ES, "restart Iron Man" feature doesn't work. If a table is tilted in the attraction mode, you will be penalized at the start of a game. If the game is iconified in the attraction mode, sounds get stuck. If a game is aborted with a ball in the plunger lane, only the "intro" music is played in the attraction mode. VENDOR SUPPORT The telephone number of customer service is given in the manual. I haven't tried to call. WARRANTY The package does contain the warranty registration card, but no detail is mentioned. CONCLUSIONS This is a good stuff. I have griped a bit (?), but it should be seen as the evidence how close this game is to the real thing; close enough for minor differences to become evident. Another must for AGA owners. COPYRIGHT NOTICE Copyright 1995 Hidehiko Ogata. All rights reserved. // }{idehiko ()gata "They live. We sleep..." \X/ hog@aqu.bekkoame.or.jp - John Carpenter --- Daniel Barrett, Moderator, comp.sys.amiga.reviews Send reviews to: amiga-reviews-submissions@math.uh.edu Request information: amiga-reviews-requests@math.uh.edu Moderator mail: amiga-reviews@math.uh.edu Anonymous ftp site: math.uh.edu, in /pub/Amiga/comp.sys.amiga.reviews