How can I improve my Pinball skills?

[gjarnling]

apart from the very good advice above you need to practice when and how to change the course of the ball by nudging the table. can see on your profile you play TPA on your iPad/iPhone and many (if not most) are not satisfied with the nudging on iOS as it is. even so it can help you by saving the ball from obvious drains, both SDTM and outlanes. and timing is everything, as always with pinball.

 

[mfk]

I was experimenting with nudging today. With different results.
Here are my thoughts. And again I would like to emphasize that I'm totally new to advanced skills

Example: If the ball is about to hit the left outlane, one has to hit the flipper from the right side. The table is pushed to the left and the ball - because of its inertia - stays at the same (or almost the same) horizontal position and will not go into the outlane.
Did I got this right? Then timing is more than critical for successful nudging.

The problem is: when I hit my iPad on the right side, the table is moving to the left for a fraction of a second and then moves back to the original position.
Is this behavior the same on a real table? I have to admit that I never tried it on a real table.
(That would mean that the pedestals of the table are on the same position at every time and the table is only moving because of the resilience of the whole system).

Nevertheless I think I made some progress today (only played BoP).
Stopping the ball first and then aim for the ramp makes a big difference to shooting as fast as possible - which I did before.
I also tried to get a "live catch", unfortunately this did not work so far (maybe it's not possible in TPA or my method is not advanced enough yet.

In summary, I think that I'm on the right way - thanks to your help


Regards


Michael

 

[mmmagnetic]

Another tip:

Simple, open tables like Gorgar are great for learning ball physics. Since there are only a handful of shots to aim for and a very clear layout with lots of room, you can really see the ball moving, how it bounces, and how it ricochets off obstacles.

For instance, you can practice shooting the spinner (which has a super nice sound effect and helps increasing your bonus by sending it to the upper lanes), or hitting the GOR and GAR targets. Shoot the lower ones at the right angle and the ball will fly straigh to the upper targets! Or try hitting the snake pit with a direct shot.

The pure simplicity and the terrific art just makes me come back to this table, and it's very refreshing to get away from complex mode stacking and inflated scoring and just shoot some simple balls

 

[bavelb]

Apart from the fact Gorgar is pretty brutal on the drains and therefor can feel like you are not making any progress skillwise

 

[mmmagnetic]

Well, the games are over a lot quicker than on most modern tables, that's for sure, and the drains can be pretty random too, but I still think it's a great table to focus on what you're actually doing with your ball and the flippers, where you're not constantly distracted by flashing DMD animations, "SHOOT HERE NOW!!!" sounds and blinking inserts. (Don't get me wrong, I love "loud" tables, but I can see beginners easily getting lost there.)

In a way, Gorgar feels almost a bit like a training course to me. Again, not in the difficulty sense, but in the more naked setup. It's the most basic table on both TPA and PHOF (not counting Jive Time).

 

[bavelb]

Well, the games are over a lot quicker than on most modern tables, that's for sure, and the drains can be pretty random too, but I still think it's a great table to focus on what you're actually doing with your ball and the flippers, where you're not constantly distracted by flashing DMD animations, "SHOOT HERE NOW!!!" sounds and blinking inserts. (Don't get me wrong, I love "loud" tables, but I can see beginners easily getting lost there.)

In a way, Gorgar feels almost a bit like a training course to me. Again, not in the difficulty sense, but in the more naked setup. It's the most basic table on both TPA and PHOF (not counting Jive Time).

Once Space Shuttle is out, I can easily see that as a good trainingground. I know not everyone is a fan, but there is not much wrong with it. It's a good "simple" table, with added bonus like multiball and a hurry-up.

 

[Matt McIrvin]

In a way, Gorgar feels almost a bit like a training course to me. Again, not in the difficulty sense, but in the more naked setup. It's the most basic table on both TPA and PHOF (not counting Jive Time).

In PHoF, I thought of Firepower as a kind of training ground, just because it was very close to being the minimal table with all the gameplay features we think of a modern pinball machine as having: some targets and orbits to hit, rollover lanes at the top with lane-change, and a simple main goal progression culminating in multiball. Very good for aiming practice (though Gorgar works for that too).

Once I got TPA, I started playing a lot on my phone in environments where I couldn't reasonably have the sound on. I found that playing Funhouse with the sound off is great for building skills, because Rudy can't get under your skin with his jibes and complaints. Then when you go back to the full experience, you've got the confidence necessary to play past the distractions.

 

[Carl Spiby]

Taxi is another good training table.

 

[Matt McIrvin]

Something I have a lot of fun with learning is trapping one or two balls during multiball, while trying to hit the jackpot shots with the other ball. It's very easy to lose your head and just rapid-flip all three (or more!) balls around blindly, but juggling the balls in a more careful, controlled manner is hard, but very satisfying.

Two-ball multiballs, like in the Pin*Bot family or Creature from the Black Lagoon, are great for practicing this skill. There aren't any additional balls to freak you out, but you really, really have to deliberately manage those balls to get the big scores, because draining one will end multiball and multiball is half of the game. It's the thinking player's multiball.

 

[SoonPoker]

Two-ball multiballs, like in the Pin*Bot family or Creature from the Black Lagoon, are great for practicing this skill. There aren't any additional balls to freak you out, but you really, really have to deliberately manage those balls to get the big scores, because draining one will end multiball and multiball is half of the game. It's the thinking player's multiball.

Totally agree with you ! Same feeling for me.

I succeeded, sometimes, to do something I saw in PAPA's videos : you have two balls controlled on the same flip. Actionning (very) quickly the flip "possibly" (just for the moment due to my amature skill ! ) send the first ball vertically. During this (short) time, you could aim and shot the second ball where you want, and after that control again the first ball on the same flip when it come back.

I don't know the name for that skill, but it's realy a great moment when I succeed. On the right flip in Bride of Pin*bot, it's just amazing !

 

[Carl Spiby]

I don't know the name for that skill, but it's realy a great moment when I succeed. On the right flip in Bride of Pin*bot, it's just amazing !

Juggling?

 

[Richard B]

Start here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5u9jUywUpsI&feature=relmfu

Once you've got that down, go to this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0XwpTp66vs&feature=relmfu

Of course, my all time favorite is this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snH6Ayvg1Gc&feature=relmfu

 

[Sean DonCarlos]

In PHoF, I thought of Firepower as a kind of training ground, just because it was very close to being the minimal table with all the gameplay features we think of a modern pinball machine as having: some targets and orbits to hit, rollover lanes at the top with lane-change, and a simple main goal progression culminating in multiball. Very good for aiming practice (though Gorgar works for that too).

At the other end of the complexity spectrum, Twilight Zone has a variety of precision shots at both short and long range (the Lock shot, for example, is the diagonal length of the table into a lane that's a hair wider than the ball), its regular multiball will teach you everything you want to know about horizontal play and managing trapped balls, and the Powerball is good for exploring the limits of when you can get control and when you just need to take a running shot. In addition, the table is extremely unforgiving of inaccurate play - even something as innocent as landing in the bumpers will often result in a quick drain.

If I haven't scared you away yet and you have a TZ on location, feed it some coins and watch it pay you back in knowledge and experience that will transfer to pretty much any table.

 

[Squid]

Just to reply to the title question, just keep playing and never stop learning/adapting.

Keep things simple. Trick out one table at a time if you need to.

 

[bavelb]

Juggling?

Juggling is playing multiball without trapping balls. What Soonpoker is talking about is Cradle Separation: having 2 (or even 3?) balls trapped on 1 flipper, and releasing one of them without shooting the other(s).

I find a good way to do cradle saparation in tpa is (because the way people do it playing real pinball doesnt work very well) to nudge the first ball up, release the flipper and let the second ball roll down and shoot, then hold the flipper again to catch the ball that was nudged up.

 

[SoonPoker]

What Soonpoker is talking about is Cradle Separation: having 2 (or even 3?) balls trapped on 1 flipper, and releasing one of them without shooting the other(s).

Yes, that's it !

I found yesterday in CFTBL that cradle separation looks pretty easy during multiball when the 2 balls are on the right flip. Shooting very quickly causes the first ball goes through the right ramp, while the second don't move (sometimes the second ball go to the left flip) ! I think I succeed to do this in over 80 cases poucent. After that, it's a very good situation for shooting the scoop with the left flip or growing the everything's multiplier with the whirlpool's shot.

Try it on, it's nice !

I find a good way to do cradle saparation in tpa is (because the way people do it playing real pinball doesnt work very well) to nudge the first ball up, release the flipper and let the second ball roll down and shoot, then hold the flipper again to catch the ball that was nudged up.

Sorry for the noob question but ... how do you do a nudge to the top to nudge the first ball up ? The only nudge I found on my Ipad is a side nudge and it does not help me much ...

 

[jaredmorgs]

Found this in one of my G+ contact's feeds. I haven't seen anything so self-contained and wonderful for new pinball fans. I learned technical names for many of the things I do when playing pinball from this infographic.

http://funwithbonus.com/the-ultimate-pinball-infographic/

 

[Epsilon]

I'd second the advice to not quit or get frustrated if you get a quick drain, or even two. Many of the tables have relatively easy extra balls to achieve. My best scores on both Funhouse and Bride of Pinbot both came when I was on Ball 3 within a couple minutes. All it takes is one good ball and you can rack up several extra balls and get a really good game going. It's kind of like baseball. You get 3 outs for a reason, and anything's possible as long as you only have 2.

 

[Tuomas Hämäläinen]

I'd second the advice to not quit or get frustrated if you get a quick drain, or even two. Many of the tables have relatively easy extra balls to achieve. My best scores on both Funhouse and Bride of Pinbot both came when I was on Ball 3 within a couple minutes. All it takes is one good ball and you can rack up several extra balls and get a really good game going. It's kind of like baseball. You get 3 outs for a reason, and anything's possible as long as you only have 2.

True. Whenever it happens that I have many bad games in a row I just get angry at myself for not doing as well as I would've wanted and won't stop playing until I've either had a decent game or I'm too tired to play anymore ("maybe tomorrow's a better day")

Sometimes the machine is a real *****, draining all balls within seconds, sometimes it gives me extra balls like crazy and those last a long time too.