Initial Thoughts
If there was at least one thing that I wanted to try with my advanced design, that was using ramps to get to a second level of the playing field. There was something about having multiple levels that always fascinated me when I see machines implement them in their own style and I wanted to give that a try.
Initially, I thought about what I specifically liked about machines with an upper level and how they handled it and narrowed it down to a few features;
- A skill shot ramp that leads up to the upper level
- Interactable objects on the upper level
- A fun way for the ball to drop back down to the lower level
After deciding on what I wanted, I started crafting.
Actually Making it
The first part wasn’t hard to implement as I just connected the lower back hole that was for the battle mode with a ramp that leads up to the upper back holes.
I did spend a little too much time though making it functional. I initially built the ramps out of cardboard but they were too stiff to bend in the steep ramps I wanted them to be and the way cardboard bends usually ended with the result of the pinball not even being able to reach the upper level at all.
Next, I tried 3D printing it but immediately gave up due to time restraints and eventually settled for lightweight cardboard. They were easy to work with and would maintain smooth curves for the pinball to reach the upper level.
After that was the objects I would populate the upper levels with. I originally wanted some sort of spinners but couldn’t get them to work smoothly. So I opted for golf tees and a hole in the center to make it like a mini bagatelle game in parallel with the pinball.
Then the last part was the method for the pinball to return to the lower level. I decided to make a half pipe as it was easy to implement as opposed to the railings I thought I could have made but I couldn’t figure out how I would’ve implemented them. Functionally though, they are identical so I don’t think it makes too much of a difference.
Lastly, this was something I added towards the end but I created a very steep angled ramp that would act as a skill shot and another means to gain access to the upper level. I threw this in to add emphasis that the skill shots that lead to the upper levels aren’t just about precision, but also the amount of power is required to reach the upper level.
Similar to sports, the idea I wanted to convey was that not only do you have to “swing” hard at the ball, but you had to stay precise with your “swing” at the same time to hit the target.
Wrapping Up
Overall, I’d like to think I had built a machine that achieved everything that I initially wanted for most parts. But I think I’ve had enough of the Pinbox for now and am looking forward to working with Visual Pinball.