Shoyer.com

Pinball

The Princess Bride Pinball Project

 

backbox warning, silkscreened

This project started in 2009. I thought it would be fun to build my own pinball machine, with my kids. They like playing pinball, to an extent, and I imagined that being able to create and play a machine would be a good project for us to work on. It's my obsession, so I expect that I'll wind up doing a lot of the work, but that's OK with me.

 

I was trying to think of a good theme. One day the book "The Princess Bride" came to mind, which I think will be a good one - we all like the book/movie, and the story is rich with ideas for game features. I don't think anyone says, "Extra Ball" or "Jackpot!" so we'll have to be creative. As long as it says, "Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die." we should be happy.

 

The game is based on the book, not on the movie (which was also based on the book). The book cut out a lot of things that would be fun (Sandy Sterling, the bald princess, Buttercup becoming the most beautiful woman in Florin, the silent sharks, the zoo of death), and while I know there are more fans of the movie than of the book, this game is not for them. Kind of like the Judge Dread game, based on the comic rather than the movie.

 

Here are my goals:

We'll see if we are successful.

 

(Goal tracking to date (5/2023): About a C+/B-. Not quite a commercial quality game (but it's not done), learned a lot, bought mostly available parts with some wheel reinvention, not a low cost endevour, and total fail on the shared project experience (unless you think 14 years (and counting) is a reasonable timeframe, and if so, let me know if you're hiring))

 

Update May 2012:

 

I've been stockpiling parts for years. I picked up a trashed WSC-94 without any boards but with most of the playfield components, the transformer, and a fairly decent cabinet. I stripped the playfield, repaired the cabinet, and painted it a glossy black so the artwork decals should be smooth. Still trying to figure out the artwork (not one of my skills) but there's no rush.

The electronics for the game are based on a WPC-type machine. I've got a P-ROC controller with mostly aftermarket boards (Rottendog power and Fliptronics-II boards, GLM flipper boards, trough boards, and opto boards) plus a few used Williams boards. It is wired like a WPC game, so it should be easy enough to work on since most of my games are from that era.

 

Update Dec 2018:

 

Well, it's been about a decade so far. Here's the current state of the machine:

 

game in progress

 

I've made progress, but not too much. I had selected the P-ROC controller in 2009 and have been very happy with that choice. I've made a flipping whitewood but haven't gotten the CAD skills yet to be able to cut the playfield on the CNC. I had an artist make a backglass image, using my kids (they were much younger at the time) as models. I came up with some ideas for the playfield layout but haven't completed that.

 

Not completing things on this project is a common theme. Because the project requires a lot of different components, I've gone off into different drections and haven't gotten too far with any of them. I've built three CNC machines to use to cut the playfield. I picked up a laser cutter to be able to cut plastics. I picked up a welder to use for fabricating metal parts. I've bought lots of parts but most of them are still in boxes, unused. Basically, I've learned a lot but haven't really accomplished my goal.

 

No one else cares too much about the project. My kids have moved on. My father, who was interested in suggesting ways to do things (mostly printing - he was pushing for screenprinting the playfield) passed away years ago. No one is pushing me to complete the game, so I'm happy to continue the learning exercise. Still, it would be great to finish the thing at some point just to get it off my to-do list.

 

Animation files for P-ROC

 

Here are the files I used to create a short animated sequence for the DMD:

 

Update Jan 2020:

 

The cabinet is pretty much done, and I finished silkscreening the caution label onto the backbox. This is an example of why the project is taking so long, although it was an enjoyable learning experience. I decided to swap out the DMD and use an LCD screen. It's a little more modern, but it should be easier to create content for it. The problem (like there's only one problem) is that the LCD screen is taller than the DMD, so the speaker panel needs to get larger and the translite needs to get smaller. The translite artwork will need to be resized and reprinted, and I'll need to modify the backbox for a taller speaker panel.

 

Update Sep 2021:

 

Finally got some music - I had someone on Fiverr make a tune for "drain" which is a tribute to Lick My Love Pump from Spinal Tap. It was an amusing exercise to try to explain the context without sounding too creepy - "Ignore the name of the tune, it's a tribute to the actor and director of a different movie that's the same as the one that I'm not using for my game ..." OK, that just sounds dumb rather than creepy; time to move on.

 

Update May 2023:

 

Someone suggested using a DTS printer to get the artwork directly onto the playfield, so everything is apart while I get a printed playfield. I still need new artwork and music - I have a couple of tunes but not enough, and the person who did the translite art isn't available to redo it to fit with the new LCD speaker panel size. Always something.

 

No recent pictures to show, mostly piles of parts.

 

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