BlahCade Weekly Zen Tournament

[shutyertrap]

Sorry for the delay folks, screaming back pain kept me from even sitting at the computer on Monday. Here's how things shook out with A New Hope:

1. XAF//SMerrell>> 394 million
2. TritiumLUPsClub 283 million
3. Pinballwiz45b 199 million
4. Hiob1971 76 million
5. NimbleLee 64 million

So this week I'm well aware you all are gonna want to be playing the new Williams tables, so I set this tournament to a single entry so you can get back to playing what you wanted to anyway! Continuing with our run of Star Wars tables, it's The Empire Strikes Back and you can use whatever upgrades you'd like, but again you only get one shot at this. Good luck!

On a side note, I'm starting to see a bunch of your names hosting tournaments. I encourage everyone to join in when you spot them! And to those hosting, feel free to use the sub thread to draw attention to it like Pinballwiz45b has started doing.

[shutyertrap]

So Empire Strikes Back had a rather large gap between 2nd and 3rd place. It's kinda why I like 1 chance tourneys now and then!

1. ThaShizzel420 114 million
2. Kab00m2013 100 million
3. NimbleLee 39 million
4. jlb6915 20 million
5. Chrisbizarre 19 million

Time to finish out the original trilogy with Return of the Jedi. I actually think this is in the running for 'best' of the film based tables. Classic mode, 3 balls, no extra ball, 5 attempts.

[steven120566]

Sorry for the delay folks, screaming back pain kept me from even sitting at the computer on Monday. Here's how things shook out with A New Hope:

1. XAF//SMerrell>> 394 million
2. TritiumLUPsClub 283 million
3. Pinballwiz45b 199 million
4. Hiob1971 76 million
5. NimbleLee 64 million

So this week I'm well aware you all are gonna want to be playing the new Williams tables, so I set this tournament to a single entry so you can get back to playing what you wanted to anyway! Continuing with our run of Star Wars tables, it's The Empire Strikes Back and you can use whatever upgrades you'd like, but again you only get one shot at this. Good luck!

On a side note, I'm starting to see a bunch of your names hosting tournaments. I encourage everyone to join in when you spot them! And to those hosting, feel free to use the sub thread to draw attention to it like Pinballwiz45b has started doing.

I have been playing in Pinballwiz45b, SYT, and many others. I am no threat to win even in my own, but have cracked a few top 5s. So, alrighty, I don't need a whole thread, but will in general do a plug for mine here. I do short, 3 day max tourneys on many of the older original and licensed tables. Since there are plenty of contests for newer tables, I won't do those until they become older themselves. Always classic or limited power ups, always 3 ball. I have been getting good participation from xbox one players and some steam as well. So if you are in the mood for tables at least 3 years old and older, Search for: "MC Hannie B" Thanks!

[steven120566]

I have been playing in Pinballwiz45b, SYT, and many others. I am no threat to win even in my own, but have cracked a few top 5s. So, alrighty, I don't need a whole thread, but will in general do a plug for mine here. I do short, 3 day max tourneys on many of the older original and licensed tables. Since there are plenty of contests for newer tables, I won't do those until they become older themselves. Always classic or limited power ups, always 3 ball. I have been getting good participation from xbox one players and some steam as well. So if you are in the mood for tables at least 3 years old and older, Search for: "MC Hannie B" Thanks!

Ugh! My xbox one is no more, perished Christmas Eve. I may replace it but probably not for awhile. I got a switch as a gift, and building the collection back up gradually seems more financially feasible than just buying a new Xbox One. I'll now be playing as "Schmitzy" and looking up the tourneys from the Nintendo side of this game. See y'all on the boards.

[shutyertrap]

Sorry, but the scores for Return of the Jedi are completely eluding me. This is what happens when 2 weeks of holiday completely dominate your normal routine.

Speaking of normal routine, let's get back to playing weekly! Continuing with the Star Wars movie tables, this week it's The Force Awakens in classic 3 ball with 10 attempts.

[Crazy Newt]

While I have purchased all of the Pinball FX tables going back to the beginning, I haven't played all of them. I just automatically purchase any new content, as I know one day I will get around to playing the table. These tourneys are good fun and I really enjoy having some purpose to playing, though video pinball is something I will play just to pass some time while listening to music or watching a sporting event on TV. Your tourney is probably the best format I have played. I like limiting the number of play attempts, though I wish it were possible to see the number of attempts remaining from everyone that has played at least one game. It would be interesting to see a bonus applied to those that played fewer games than the max. Something like game 1 being 100% of your score, game 2 being 99%, 3 98%, etc. Just a little knock on your score if you play multiple times, but nothing so severe as erasing your current score to put up a new score.

[shutyertrap]

That’s not a terrible suggestion Newt. I would love for Zen to allow us all sort of tourney customization. Imagine if we could set up a bracket system! I too have had times where I’ve wondered how many attempts another player has left, if for no other reason than to know if it’s worth my effort to try on tables that kick my arse.

And yeah, having a reason to play the tables helps. Over time those random names you see playing too become targets to take down. Pinball rivalry is a fun thing.

[Xanija]

Another idea would be to have the possibility only to register the last attempt rather that the best of all attempts. Do I risk a good score hoping to get a better one?

There are surely many ideas which could be implemented fairly easy, as it's not complex. Not sure if this is something that could get some priority right now.

[shutyertrap]

Another idea would be to have the possibility only to register the last attempt rather that the best of all attempts. Do I risk a good score hoping to get a better one?

There are surely many ideas which could be implemented fairly easy, as it's not complex. Not sure if this is something that could get some priority right now.

What we could do is collect a bunch of such ideas as then present them to Mel. They’ve already added things to tourney, so we know it’s not set in stone.

[wilbers]

What we could do is collect a bunch of such ideas as then present them to Mel. They’ve already added things to tourney, so we know it’s not set in stone.

Seems it would do better to have a new thread to kick around ideas and see what comes out of it. Dare I say it, but it would also make a good subject for a podcast section.

[shutyertrap]

Seems it would do better to have a new thread to kick around ideas and see what comes out of it. Dare I say it, but it would also make a good subject for a podcast section.

Boom.

http://www.digitalpinballfans.com/sh...907#post282907

[shutyertrap]

Here's the results from The Force Awakens...

1. CrimsonKing2187 198 million
2. XAF//SMerrell>> 185 million
3. Xanija 178 million
4. zmcvay 173 million
5. BennyBaroni 129 million

Does anyone actually look at these results I post each time or can I stop posting them? Just curious.

Next up in the Star Wars saga is The Last Jedi, and inspired by the movie we'll be playing Survival Mode! 5 attempts, no upgrades. And yes, I actually do really like the movie.

[Xanija]

I always look at the results, even when I didn't play. My score was the second game, by the way. I gave it 2 more tries, but I didn't even come close. If there was a mode "only the last posted score counts" I would have stopped after game 2.
I don't think I have played The Last Jedi a lot - at least I don't remember the layout. Or it's me getting old.

[tritium03]

ya, same thing like xanija. Always look the results.

[shutyertrap]

Well since a couple of you like results, I guess I'll keep posting them! Here's what went down with The Last Jedi...

1. Xanija 61 million
2. ricardo.labbe 47 million
3. NimbleLee 44 million
4. XAF//SMerrell>> 40.4 million
5. xxxsmileyonexxx 40.1 million

I've had enough of Star Wars tables for a while, how 'bout all of you? Instead let's play something new to Zen, Black Rose. Just last week I played the actual machines of all 7 of the WMS tables, and I'm even more impressed with the job Zen did. The Black Rose I played had black flippers with black rubber in a dim light setting, so it was super hard. What we'll be doing is anything goes, but you only get 3 attempts.

[Xanija]

Well, I even enjoy seeing the list more, if my name is at No. 1

[wilbers]

Was beginning to think I'd got a decent score for a moment, but my 88M was on The Force Awakens, not the Last Jedi - just got back from a weeks holiday (including a safari) and got out of sync.

[Xanija]

I like the table, although I'm not really good at it. Good enough to beat SYT's score though (unless you have attempts left and kill my score).

But there was something weird: I had double scoring active all the time. When I sunk the first ship, I had the double score wizard mode active and the 20m counted to 80m, instead of 40m. Same was with the broadside shots. I didn't have a multiball active, so I don't see a reason why that happened. I assume everybody has the same scoring, right?

Sounds like a bug to me, or does anybody understand that?

[shutyertrap]

I like the table, although I'm not really good at it. Good enough to beat SYT's score though (unless you have attempts left and kill my score).

But there was something weird: I had double scoring active all the time. When I sunk the first ship, I had the double score wizard mode active and the 20m counted to 80m, instead of 40m. Same was with the broadside shots. I didn't have a multiball active, so I don't see a reason why that happened. I assume everybody has the same scoring, right?

Sounds like a bug to me, or does anybody understand that?

Nope, no more attempts left. I was playing on my Micro Cab and the right flipper switch started bugging out on me. Contacts had gotten dirty. That was on my 3rd attempt.

And yes, I had the same thing happen to the score. It happens outside the tourney too, but I’ve never experimented to see if it’s only when you’ve got score boost as your option or not.

[Xanija]

I wrote a bug report on the Williams forum. It's the multiball upgrade, which isn't working right.

[wilbers]

Same thing happened to me but I had rewind (and multiball) power-up, not score boost. Thought I'd got an OK score as it was 2/3rd high score at the time, but Tarek has had a go and blown everyone else out of the water by a factor of over 10!

[shutyertrap]

Whoops, somehow a week vanished without me realizing it! Here's the shakeout from Black Rose, where there was zero chance anyone was catching #1...

TarekOberdieck 6.1 Billion
BennyBaroni 601 million
TheHatchet18 576 million
NimbleLee 319 million
00100100 312 million

Time to use the wayback machine and visit an early Zen offering that clearly took some inspiration from Junk Yard, Secrets of the Deep. There's a couple of tables where it's obvious Zen took 'inspiration' from a real table, this just happens to be one of the better examples. Classic 3 ball, 5 attempts.

[wilbers]

A not close 6th place for me, Bruce went hungry in most of my games. Oddly enough in my best game I scored about 2M with first 2 balls after a terrible start, then got 3 multiballs on ball 3 (missed out on getting extra balls though) to take it to 38M.

Still thanks for picking that table, great fun and I'd not played it properly before.