ContributorQUOTE
This is an edited version of our chat with Steve Ritchie. Content has been removed, edited, rearranged to provide the best possible record.
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
(Noah Fentz): Hey, Steve! Thanks for joining us again!
(Steve Ritchie): Hey Doods! (Intentional misspelling)
(moogster66): Hello
(pinjan): Hi Steve !
(Pinballman): Pinballman Cooll!
(The Hermit): Hello Steve!
(subzero1970): shhh everyone, hes here.....
(EalaDubhSidhe): Eh Steve
(gaminglord): Hello Steve
(Pinballman): Hi Steve!!!
(subzero1970): hello
(KEG): Hello Steve
(realitybytes): hello steve
(TheMcD): G'day Steve!
(Harakiri): Hello Steve!
(Wizards_Hat) : Good day Mr Ritchie
(pinball buzz): Nice to see you around Steve
(flippymcflipflip): Don't be shy !
(Theguyoverthere): Big fan of your games Steve!
(subzero1970): he makes video games right?
(Rawd): Yo!
(Harakiri) : High Speed 2 changed my life Mr. Steve!
(destruk): hello
(EalaDubhSidhe): "I was a skinny 98 pound weakling until I discovered... THE GETAWAY"
(moogster66): We are all glad you are with us today Steve!
(Joe): hi
(Steve Ritchie): Thanks for the intro, Noah.
(Steve Ritchie): Glad to be here
(Bob5453): Steve, since you are even older than me.
What's your favorite EM machine?(Steve Ritchie): I liked Fireball, Capt. Fantatstic, they are up there...
(Bob5453): Were you hooked on pinball at an early age
(Steve Ritchie): Old as the hills, just like Bob said...
(Steve Ritchie): Yes. I played at a bowling alley while my folks bowled in a league. The alley only had Gottlieb games, and they were mostly card games....
(Bob5453): Thanks Steve, I'm 56 and loved those EM's
(EalaDubhSidhe): Steve, tell us a bit about the early days at Atari. What was it like working with Eugene Jarvis, did it feel like a big change after Nolan Bushnell sold the company? Was the attitude then towards pinball different from when video games took over?
(EalaDubhSidhe): (If that's not too much for one topic...)
(Noah Fentz): Steve is being held captive, so no topic is too long
(Harakiri) 1:05 pm: :grin:
(Steve Ritchie): Working with Eugene was always good. We made our first game together, Airborne Avenger, then Superman. Since Nolan was still at the company after the sale, there wern't too many changes that I remember. The attitude was pinball and video were equally capable of being a success.
(EalaDubhSidhe): You won a design contest to earn the right to do Superman, I believe. Was this kind of friendly (or otherwise) competition encouraged a lot at Atari?
(Steve Ritchie): it was friendly.
(Steve Ritchie): Gary Slater was the competitior and we were all friends.
(Steve Ritchie): It took 3 WW's before SM was even kinda good!!!
(EalaDubhSidhe): Did the basic gameplay change at all from whiteboard to whiteboard?
(Steve Ritchie): It was fun to make, but management was crappy at times.
(EalaDubhSidhe): Was the letter spotting for SUPER and MAN always there?
(Steve Ritchie): Yes. Pretty much all features were there.
(Harakiri): First of all let me tell you Mr. Ritchie it's a honour for me to be asking you these questions.
(Harakiri): What's your biggest fear regarding pinball industry?
(Steve Ritchie): That it will disappear completely.
(Steve Ritchie): I am not a part of it anymore, but there might be some hope with the new Spanish company.
(Harakiri): That's true, but do you think that Stern is a sustainable company with capability to survive in this fierce videogame industry?
(Steve Ritchie): I don't know if they will survive or not. I have no clue.
(Harakiri): Do you play pinball often?
(Steve Ritchie): Not too much lately. I don't have any at present.
(Steve Ritchie): Matt Christiano has a place nearby with tons of machines, and that's where I play now.
(Noah Fentz): We have hundreds here, Steve
(Harakiri): Why is the T2 music so different from the original movie soundtrack?
(Steve Ritchie): In answer to the T2 music question. The sound man couldn't find much of a hook in the movie score.
(Steve Ritchie): He wrote his own, some I like, some I don't.
(Harakiri): i would totally change it...
(Theguyoverthere): I really like the music in T2
(Harakiri): but it's a epic table nonetheless
(EalaDubhSidhe): Chris Granner, isn't it?
(Harakiri): thank you for your time Mr. Ritchie
(Theguyoverthere): I love the LOCK THE BALL NOW music
(Steve Ritchie): There are some good tunes, but the tech wasn't as good as later systems either.
(Joe): What Ideas do you have for a game (can be anything) even high cost sutff
(Steve Ritchie): I try to keep new ideas to myself at this point. Who knows when I might be back making pins again?
(Noah Fentz): SOON! We all hope!
(Harakiri): AMEN
(UncleReamus): AMEN!
(The Hermit): Well said
(subzero1970): steve, mr steve if you will...of all the tables youve worked on what one have you HATED most of all?
(Steve Ritchie): I don't hate any, but
(subzero1970): theres always a but
(Steve Ritchie): lots of trouble with Stellar Wars, and the Rollerpile theme/show death
(subzero1970): i only have one other question...
(Steve Ritchie): yes..
(subzero1970): steve...do you like cheese?
(Theguyoverthere): ...
(moogster66): LOL
(pinball buzz): LOL
subzero1970 is very silly!!!
(Bob5453): American cheese!
(subzero1970): a cheese themed pinball would be awesome
(subzero1970): thanks steve, laptop battery about to die..goodbye all, enjoy CHEESE!!!
(Steve Ritchie): Love cheese, all kinds too. Lately I eat 2% lo fat cheese
(Steve Ritchie): I hate American Cheese! It is nothing compared to Euro cheeses.
subzero1970 is scottish, best cheese ever
(Noah Fentz): Subzero is cheesy, but the best Scot ever
(Noah Fentz): Has there ever been a time you looked back after a release and saw a feature or features and thought "What the hell was I thinking?"
(Steve Ritchie): Yeah. The Airborne Avenger spell out.
(KEG): What do you think about Ben Hecks home brew pinball machine, Bill Paxton? Have you seen it?
(Steve Ritchie): Love Scottish cheese, but there are many types.... I have not seen Ben's machine, maybe Bill's
(KEG): Ok thanks steve
(Noah Fentz): Ben custom built a Bill Paxton pinball machine. You'll have to Google it later...looks pretty cool.
(Steve Ritchie): Scottish cheese is good, but I don't know about Cubzero!
(Rawd) : lol
(Noah Fentz): I have a question...
(Noah Fentz): Steve...I'd like to know what your straight opinion is of the last couple of Stern releases...
(Noah Fentz): Do you feel they are doing the industry any good, or quite the contrary?
(Steve Ritchie): I don't like them much. I haven't seen IM yet.
(Steve Ritchie): I am not sure anyone could do any good for the industry. It isn't likely that any pinball company could get more operators to operate them.
(Steve Ritchie): There is a small group of enthusiasts who are.
(Joe): Pinball have been in few tv commercials latey is that good or bad for pinball?
(Steve Ritchie): Pinball in advertising has to be a good thing.
(Noah Fentz): Personally I feel the only chance the industry has involves you. If Vegas were to set the odds of you getting back to doing what you do best, what do you think they would be?
(Steve Ritchie): I don't know the odds. Stern doesn't want me there. I buck his whole system of cheating customers of rich pinball play.
(Theguyoverthere): Do you think Stern would be better off focusing on the home market?
(Steve Ritchie): Pretty much supporting the business.
(Steve Ritchie): I think that Stern is focusing on the home market, but in the wrong manner,
(Joe): In what way?
(Steve Ritchie): One ramp games don't get it, and other cost reductions mean 1 toy per game at Stern.
(Joe): What should be cut to put more into the play field?
(Steve Ritchie): I might find myself doing mobile games for iphone, etc. We will see how it goes.
(kruge99): Thanks, Noah, and thank you for showing up a second time Steve.
(kruge99): So Steve, going back to what you said a moment ago, do you feel that the players have let the industry down then? by not showing up at the operator's establishments?
(Steve Ritchie): Not at all. There just aren't enough players, and not enough operators to support a pinball biz outside of a minimal amount of machines.
(Shooby Doo): I have to drive 30 miles for the closest pin
(kruge99): I see your point now Steve. Thank you.
(panootz): I was at a Florida Casino were i go all the time and Williams and Bally make tons of slot machines, if they won't get back into pinball, then how about a pinball slot machine. You know half pinball and half slot machine pinball would be the bonus.
(Steve Ritchie): Slot machines have to be strictly chance machines, no skill involved. There were some pin/slot hybrids once.
(Pinballman): I just have to say that I've been one of your greatest fans, Steve! I've owned virtually every pin you designed at one time or another. I'll never forget when you called me personally when I had a minor problem with my ST:TNG back in January 1994; what a thrill it was for me to talk to a legend!!!
(Steve Ritchie): I am glad to have fans like you guys. I miss pinball a great deal...
(Noah Fentz): We miss you, too, Steve. I always say to myself "I wish Steve had designed for this license"
(kruge99): I believe many of us share the same sentiment...
(panootz): and have you tried visual pinball
(The Hermit):
(Noah Fentz): Anything else Pinballman?
(Pinballman) 1:36 pm: No, that's it. Thank you Noah and Steve!!!!!
(Steve Ritchie): I have tried VP, but I like designing them more than playing. I know there are some great VP games.
(Noah Fentz): You can always help design one with UncleReamus and I
(Steve Ritchie): I mean to earn a living!!!
(Noah Fentz): heh
(panootz): That would be cool
(Rawd): Nice to meet you Steve. You have made some of my very favorite machines.. so Thanks.......I just read on Wiki, that your brother worked for Incredible Technologies. So between the two of you, your family has provided me with alot of entertainment over the years. (and alot of smashed knuckles on the fronts of cabinets).........Question #1 of 3.........I have recently started trying to design original tables in the Future Pinball software, and I am having the time of my life with it!......I have quickly noticed how 1 millimetre can make a drastic difference in design and game flow..........I have no idea how Pinball tables are really designed.. or have been designed in the past. Can you briefly explain how the technique has changed over the years? Are you using sophisticated physics software to design tables now? Were older tables purely trial and error?
(Steve Ritchie): The process of designing pinballs hasn't changed much at all. The big change was moving to CAD which made the process faster and easier on the designer.
(Harakiri): so i assume it was pencil and paper in the 70s heh?
(Steve Ritchie): Designing a great game comes from the heart and creative abilities which cannot be taught. Some people are born with thew right ingredients, and I am lucky to say that Pinball has been good to me.
(Rawd): Question #2......I recently re-dicovered Future Pinball and Visual Pinball 9 and built both a full sized (40" monitor) and a miniature video pinball cabinet. Personally, I don't think it will ever beat the real thing, but I am sure having alot of fun discovering all of the old tables that I never knew before.......... Have you ever Used an Ultra-pin or something similar? Have you seen our Youtube videos? What do you think of virtual pinball on a life sized machine?
(Steve Ritchie) 1:40 pm: We used drafting machines and pencils, electric erasers and templates.
(EalaDubhSidhe): The designer best friend is a template.
(Steve Ritchie): I think that life size virtual has a future, but not on Ultra-pin. Too slow. The madness of some designers drives me nuts also. It is hard to type all my feelings here, some of the games on Ultrapin are well done, others are clueless, and too frikken busy to see what is going on!!
(Steve Ritchie): The artwork on some games competes with the ball movement, and many designs hide the ball for too long....
(Steve Ritchie): rookie mistakes...
(Rawd): Understand. Thanks!.. One last quick qustion..
(EalaDubhSidhe): I didn't know there were any originals on Ultrapin?
(kruge99): some of us need to learn to strike a balance
(EalaDubhSidhe): Or do you mean Multipin?
(Steve Ritchie): Sorry, I mean Multipin...
(Rawd): I have always been a firm believer that placing a ($) bet on a game of pinball between friends is the way that it was meant to be played.
Thoughts?(Steve Ritchie): Betting is great on a pinball, and it happened every day at all the companies. If only betting could have been used as a legal feature!
(Noah Fentz): No doubt!
(Steve Ritchie): We thought it would be a bad influence on kids, but also, not legal anywhere....
(Steve Ritchie): yet everyone does it in bars everywhere
(Rawd):
They always had strict instructions not to bet.. I thought that was funny. (Rawd): Thanks for your time Steve.. and everyone else.
(panootz): Steve i have to say that Uncle reamus and Noah Fentz did an Outstanding job with your T2 pinball machine, it almost feels real except for the keyboard.
(Steve Ritchie): I can believe it. I haven't had time to play much of anything, I have my website to run, and submit lots of resumes to lots of companies...still no job!
(mars007): Hello everyone.
(Steve Ritchie) 1:47 pm: Dood!
(panootz): You'll get a job and it will be a pinball job i know it.
(Harakiri): i find it very sad that a skilled person like you, a true Jedi of Pinball is jobless...
(Steve Ritchie): From your lips to God's ears!
(Harakiri): this economy is really fudged up
(moogster66): agreed
(Harakiri): this world doesn't recognize talent anymore
(Pinballman): Use us as references :grin:
(Steve Ritchie) : Economy is really bad in California
(The Hermit) : As your Avatar pinball was canceled will you use that layout again in the future or maybe sell it for use on a virtual machine?
(Steve Ritchie) : I have other layouts in mind now that I don't have to live with Gary Stern's ridiculous requirements and limitations.
(The Hermit) :
Do you have an ideal number of ramps/loops/targets/etc. that you like to use?(Steve Ritchie) : No ideal number. The game gets drawn and massaged until it becomes a good fun working system....
(Steve Ritchie) : I let games evolve.
(The Hermit) : Thank you for your answers!
(TheMcD) : Anyhoo, I've got two questions.
(Steve Ritchie) : yes
(TheMcD) : One: What license/theme would you like to see made in a pinball?
(TheMcD) : Disregarding Avatar
(Steve Ritchie) : Xmen would have been good, a little old now. Upcoming stuff I will never talk about. Avatar was waay off the radar when I learned of it almost 3 years ago....
(Joe) : any non licensed ideas?
(Steve Ritchie) : Licenses nedd to be current and cool to work best.
(TheMcD) : And question Nr 2 - an obvious one for me...
(Steve Ritchie) : As far as original themes, I would love it!! I have a few in mind. I can only wish!!
(TheMcD) : What's your favorite music out of a pinball?
(Steve Ritchie) : It sounds like I am blowing my own horn, but BK200 gets it for me. It got an award for best sound music in a pinball all-time.
(TheMcD) : Alright, gotta put that one on my list for recording.
(TheMcD) : I'm falling WAY back on schedule.
(Steve Ritchie) : Can I help?
(Noah Fentz) : Do you think a license is all that important, or can games like Medieval Madness still cut it on the market?
(Steve Ritchie) : A game can be GREAT with or without a great license.
(Theguyoverthere) : How much of a game that you design do you do the rules on? Or do you mostly do layout only?
(Steve Ritchie) : I don't dominate the rules much. I always have rule and scoring ideas, but the gifted programmers that I have worked with have good ideas. We talk about the the rules and let the game evolve around really good ones.
(Joe) : What some rule ideas that have been under used / not used?
(Joe) : What are some good ones that you have?
(Steve Ritchie) : None exist!
(Steve Ritchie) : Hope you see the humor there.
(Steve Ritchie) : My favorite rule is one flip from each flipper then game over
(Noah Fentz) : lol
(The Hermit) : :roll:
(Noah Fentz) : That must get expensive to play
(Shooby Doo) : Or you're really good!
(Wizards_Hat) : I've played a few games like that
(Steve Ritchie) : machine with my new rule would work perfectly with the new Stern earning model....
(Wizards_Hat) :
(Noah Fentz) : heh
(UncleReamus) : LOL
(pinball buzz) : Bet that rule is out of Gary`s rulebook !
(Theguyoverthere) : I mentioned it earlier, how much do you think it would cost to make a game that has the best toys, super fun, and built to last?
(Steve Ritchie) : I would love to have a $3000 bill of materials.
(Noah Fentz) : What would that retail for? (approx)
(Steve Ritchie) : Retail: Maybe $6000
(Noah Fentz) : I could live with 6G for a GREAT table vs 4.7G for crap
(moogster66) : We've heard complaints about some of Stern's limitations. Is there a Stern table that you like within the last 10 years? Sorry to jump in but I have to go.
(Steve Ritchie) : I like LOTR, SM, T3, TSPP
(moogster66) : Thanks Steve, great chatting with you!
(Steve Ritchie) : I think most people would love it, if it had a full year or more of development and good toys and rules that don't get boring...
(moogster66) : Later everone!
(Steve Ritchie) : Good talking with you moogster
(UncleReamus) : Hi again, Steve! Between you and your brother Mark, the two you have created some of the most popular and fun games in pinball. Did the two of you ever work together or collaborate on game designs, or were you influenced by each other’s work?
(panootz) : Well i gotta get going Steve i'll see you on facebook like i do, and everybody else i'll see you here or if you want me as a friend on Facebook my name is David Pannozzo
(Steve Ritchie) : We influenced each other, but didn't really work together. Mark is his own man. His games are his. He has the pin gene also.
(UncleReamus) : What are your favorite individual features of each others’ games, and favorite game of each others’ overall?
(Steve Ritchie) : I knew it was you Pannozo!
(Steve Ritchie) : I don't know what Mark likes about my games. He liked T2. I liked Taxi, and Sorcerer, IJ, FT etc.
(Wizards_Hat) : With STTNG (my favourite machine), how much influence did the Star Trek cast have over the voice clips used on the machine? e.g. I vaguely remember reading about "Troy" not liking the clip of hers that is used in the sound test ("I believe they have evil intentions") and that it was removed from the game on her request??...I was wondering if they had much influence over any other aspects of the game aswell? (Dan)
(Steve Ritchie) : We wrote the script. Some of the clips they came up with were better than ours, especially from Patrick Stewart. He was great and totally cooperative.
(Wizards_Hat) : (no follow up) Thanks Steve
(humid) : Loved the sound on Sorcerer
(Steve Ritchie) : Me too
(Steve Ritchie) : Mark's voice
(destruk) : Pinball game sales for Stern were doing fine with LOTR and the Whitestar 2 System, so what was the main driving force behind creating SAM? Do you consider SAM development something that was absolutely necessary to keep pinball alive? If you had to guess, do you think Stern will survive through the end of this year?
(Steve Ritchie) : The newer system made things easier to program mainly, plus expnsions in some areas.
(Steve Ritchie) : I don't know what will happen at Stern. They have a new investor that has bought into Gary's scheme. It too bad really.
(destruk) : I guess what I'm getting at is that these developments are related.
(destruk) : If SAM hadn't arrived on the scene, Stern might have more money left, and wouldn't need outsourced investors.
(destruk) : So was it necessary?
(Steve Ritchie) : Related to what?
(Steve Ritchie) : I don't know if it was necessary, I know Lyman wanted the system revamped...
(destruk) : thanks
(humid) : Did you have any input on the introduction of lane change in Firepower, and did you think it would be so thoroughly incorporated into all machines? BTW a great machine for adrenaline
(Steve Ritchie) : I invented Lane Change on FP. Eugene wrote the code in one hour to my request.
(Theguyoverthere) : I freaking LOVE lane change
(Noah Fentz) : Indeed!
(Steve Ritchie) : Some people think that it was a terrible thing to do. I think it's fun and gives the player a little more control.
(humid) : Thanks Steve
(destruk) : We can script lane change in VP and FP in about 30 seconds...
(EalaDubhSidhe) : Was Lane Change trademarked or patented?
(Steve Ritchie) : There was no patent for lane change. Everyone copied the feature.
(Noah Fentz) : It's not just control but players get more 'actively' involved in my opinion...
(pharaoh) : Steve, thanks for taking the time to chat with us here. Are you good at magna save?
(Steve Ritchie) : I am.
(Steve Ritchie) : I still have the skills to slap the button at the right moment.....another hated (by some) feature...
(Shooby Doo) : Pinball is about physics, and putting a magnet in there is genious
(pharaoh) : Steve, can you explain why detailed information on backglass flash and lamp placements...were normally left out of most pinball manuals? Was it a trade secret to keep that...information under wraps, or was it considered un necessary or what? It would seem logical...to me for every pinball manual to have a detailed map/image of all the bulbs and what they...were on the lightboard. Thanks - ps. love all your pins
(Steve Ritchie) : I have no idea why lamp placement was not in the manuals. Since it is possible for virtually anyone to see what goes where, it wasn't about security.
(pharaoh) : i love magna save - thanks for your time steve - have a great day
(pinball buzz) : Hi Steve
(Steve Ritchie) : hi
(pinball buzz) : Talking the other day, got around to the Muppet Show, was this show ever considered as a pinball theme....Do you think it would make a good pinball ?? ...what makes a good theme - sci-fi,Gambling,Horror, Comedy,Cartoon ?
(Steve Ritchie) : The Muppets wa never an option for me, I don't do cute!s
(Steve Ritchie) : Good themes to me are warlike, where an enemy presents itself that you must defeat.
(pinball buzz) : Good over Evil then ?
(Steve Ritchie) : Always good over evil.
(pinball buzz) : Darker themes make for more excitement
(Steve Ritchie) : They do!
(pinball buzz) : You worked on the 1st multiball game, was there any opposition to the idea of adding...more than 1 ball to the playfield. Did anyone think this would never catch on ?
(Steve Ritchie) : Actually, I didn't make the first multiball machine, I made the first solid state multiball machine. I was influenced by Fireball.
(realitybytes) : hi steve, do u think virtualized pinball like the cabs people are building is the only realistic future for mass produced global machines, if there near photo realistic with great physics.
(Steve Ritchie) : I think that virtual pinball can be very successful..They all need "magic" features IMO.
(pinball buzz) : Say like Hologram effects for one
(Steve Ritchie) : hey, anything can be done in virtual pinball....
(pinball buzz) : Steve Paradis has done some great effects work in Future Pinball for cabs - have you had chance to look at his latest
(Steve Ritchie) : No i have not.
(Joe) : What is a good number of balls in multiball 3? 4? 5? 6? more?
(Steve Ritchie) : I like 3 ball multiball. 12 was stupid. 6 was barely manageable. We were caught up once in a multiball competition. 3 is plenty, and the original amount.
(pharaoh) : what table had the most multiballs. was it indy?
(UncleReamus) : Apollo 13
(destruk) : Apollo 13 - 13 balls
(Noah Fentz) : Apollo 13, I thought
(destruk) : IJ4 has 8
(Steve Ritchie) : I think it was a data east game...Apollo maybe?
(Steve Ritchie) : 12 balls. A mess to play...
(EalaDubhSidhe) : Steve, this may sound like sacrilege a bit, but what do you think of conversion kit games? Do you think there may be a viable niche market for new games from another company to come out in an economicaly-priced, easy to set up conversion kit form?
(Steve Ritchie) : Conversion games will never happen. There is not enough profit in it to sustain a pinball company..
(EalaDubhSidhe) : Right
(destruk) : You must mean in the future, as conversion games were quite successful in the past...look at Bell Games for one.
(EalaDubhSidhe) : Of the conversion games that did appear, were there any that you liked?
(Steve Ritchie) : No. What conversion games? This did not work for Stern, Williams, Bally, Gottlieb, no one.....
(Steve Ritchie) : What conversion games were "quite successful"?
(EalaDubhSidhe) : Italian ones, primarily.
(EalaDubhSidhe) : This was in the 80s.
(Steve Ritchie) : Maybe in other countries...not in the US.
(Steve Ritchie) : The Italians copied tons of games. Pinball was making a lot of money in those days and Italy had really cheap labor...
(destruk) : Bell Games - half their games they made were conversion kits of existing games, over a period of six years, one conversion kit had a run of 1200 for them.
(Steve Ritchie) : There was money to be made by them with such a rich market and low overhead...a special case in a tiny era in pinball history.
(destruk) : Pinball 2000 would be considered a conversion kit game IMO
(Steve Ritchie) : It was, but it didn't sell enough to sustain the pinball biz at Williams.
(pinball buzz) : Sorry to but in, what did you think of Zaccaria and Lorenzo`s work he did such as Pinball Champ, Farfalla etc Steve
(Steve Ritchie) : I think Zaccaria's and Lorenzo's work was very good, very entertaining, everything but theme, music, sounds, and a few other fine points
(pinball buzz) : I have a pinball champ I love it to bits
(Pinballman) : Steve, what's your feeling on the Pinball 2000 platform? I thought Williams was on the right track with the idea of combining 3D objects with traditional pinball aspects which may have sparked more interest in bringing new players to pinball with potentially less maintenance to operators.
(Steve Ritchie) : I think that the loss of P2K playfield space to the virtual features was not appreciated by many.
(Steve Ritchie) : Anyone has a right to enjoy what they like, but pinball success has always depended on the broadest demographic appeal to maximize sales. That is what kept pinball factories churning out games....or not.
(Noah Fentz) : Also, guys, don't forget to check Steve's site http://www.steveritchiepinball.com/! There's a lot of cool stuff on there that he can personalize for you, as well!
(UncleReamus) : Steve, do you think that pinball would benifit from a new scoring display, such as an LCD screen that fills in the backglass. Pinball2000 without the intrusiveness, perhaps?
(Steve Ritchie) : I doubt it would change enough about the game to "bring pins back" wholesale.
(Steve Ritchie) : What the pinball business needs is more paying customers. If all young people decided to like pinball one day, it could change everything. The truth is most young people could care less about pinball. They grew up with nintendo and cheat codes, and never having to get up off their asses to play a physical game. That is their perogative.
(kruge99) : Hi Steve, I have changed my question, I was going to ask something mundane about the development process that let to Black Knight, instead, perhaps, what do you think would get us away from our computers and back into "arcades" to play more pinball?
(pharaoh) : Its those kids and thier damn cellphones
(Shooby Doo) : These days the difference between real pinball and video games is that video games exist in nearly every home. Regular people can't put a real pinball machine in there homes. There aren't arcades anymore. I would love to drop some quarters but there isn't anywhere to do it.
(kruge99) : LoL @ Pharaoh! too true
(Steve Ritchie) : Not that sitting playing video games is a bad thing...I love them...to this day!! All forms. Have you guys played Doodle Jump on an iphone? Wow! Fun! innovative....great stuff.
(UncleReamus) : (head to app store...)
(Steve Ritchie) : You won't be disappointed.
(destruk) : that sounds about as fun as say, Robotic Unicorn Attack
(destruk) : games.adultswim.com/robot-unicorn-attack-twitchy-online-game.html
(Steve Ritchie) : I don't know of this game, but Doodle Jump is a fun little game. making millions on a weekly basis, too!
(destruk) : actually, 3 million sales. But it's more like space invaders - there is no end, no skill, simple reflextes and it never ends.
(destruk) : Wii Fit is just as successful
(Steve Ritchie) : There is definitely skill involved, but I am not defending the game. I don't need to. The point is that this is where the money is going...not in the cashboxes of pinball. It takes $$ to survive in business.
(destruk) : 3 million in sales over the course of a year is probably a tenth of what Stern made over the same timeframe.
(Joe) : Steve have you even see / play the sigma derby game? It is a electro-mechanical (SS based) slot / horse race game?
(Steve Ritchie) : I may have seen it a gaming show...
(Joe) : It still at the MGM Grand Las Vegas
(Noah Fentz) : Wii Fit would have helped me back in the day...I have a gut to match my huge thumbs from playing too much Nintendo
(UncleReamus) : Heh, grew up in an arcade with a T2, Fish Tales, and DDR. Helped me stay fit
(humid) : Any chance you could use your clout to secure a rare ROM for our VP use, like King Kong or Circus? Maybe Arnold would listen to you and see our point of view that it only helps the pinheads.
(Steve Ritchie) : No chance of getting roms, sorry. I wish I had the clout you guys attribute to me in many situations!
(humid) : Just a hopeful request
(destruk) : Is there hope for pinball to make a comeback?
(kruge99) : ie - what can we do to help bring pinball - real pinball - to the mass market?
(Steve Ritchie) : kruge: There is nothing you can do IMO. We need more guys like you, but they won't just appear.
(kruge99) : sad but true - my 14 year old has never played a real pinball machine... and because I talk about it, he wants to know!!
(destruk) : There are more people on the planet now than there were in 1980, so just going off numbers, it makes sense that pinball can survive with a smaller percentage of people's discretionary income. ?
(Noah Fentz) : Sad thing is...I believe once it's gone from new production status, pinball will make a comeback.
(Steve Ritchie) : I know plenty of big fat pinball players and so do you. Pinball is harder to play than video modes, and it isn't easy to cheat. It is a macho game, but women love them too.
(humid) : Do you think something like Zen Pinball will lead to mre general interest from the young generation into 'real' machines?
(Steve Ritchie) : Pinball isn't going to keep anyone in shape, but it takes more effort to play than any video game outside of Wii games.
(UncleReamus) : Was there, or has there EVER been an initiative to advertise pinball machines on a national scale? Say in, print, TV, etc. and do you think it could help?
(Noah Fentz) : Put a treadmill in front to power the game
(kruge99) : LMAO
(kruge99) : OMG
(Steve Ritchie) : I have to call it quits here, but I am going to put a story up here for you guys. I just have to find it and transfer it.
(Noah Fentz) : Awesome! Thanks so much Steve for joining us again!
(Pinballman) : Thank you so much Steve!!!
(Steve Ritchie) : Ha! Treadmilll!! That's funny. I run on one everyday, and it could work well!!
(Shooby Doo) : Thanks!
(humid) : Thanks for the amazing visit Steve
(Steve Ritchie) : Let me look for the story
(Steve Ritchie) : .Here's the story, all true!!!!!
(Steve Ritchie) : The Black Knight 2000 Story......
Williams/Bally/Midway had distribution offices all around the world, but the third largest buyer of our pinball machines was a company called Player Special Diffusion or PSD located in Paris.
Pierre was the proprietor of PSD and was a dynamic and flamboyant guy who also happened to be blatantly homosexual, (as in flaming), much of the time. I don’t give a hoot about sexual preferences; I grew up in California, and “accidentally” rented an apartment in the area known as Swish Valley with my wife when we were young. I also grew up in a tolerant family. Pierre was a successful guy, and his distributorship and pinball in general were doing very well in France in the late eighties.
When we finished BK2K and had made a few prototypes, he came to visit us at Williams and fell in love with BK2K. Pierre was quite a good player and he promised that he would have a big show in Paris for the game’s debut. We had no idea what he had in mind, but we were excited too.
The day came when Marty Glazeman, (VP of Williams Sales) and I boarded a plane to begin the European promotional tour for Black Knight 2000. Our first stop was Paris and Pierre had arranged a limo to pick us up accompanied by Bruno, his #1 salesman. We drove straight to the venue for the BK2K debut show.
The venue was “L’espace Elysee” a large café/dinner club with many convertible glass doors that opened onto the Champs-Elysees with all the traffic, bright lights, and hoards of Parisians strolling along the sidewalk. There were at least 75 outdoor tables and all were packed with people eating, drinking, and talking. It was about 8 PM when we arrived on a cool evening in June, and the crowd was happy and boisterous.
We were handed drinks and introduced around the room. Hundreds of people were there, and we could see that Pierre spared no expense. We ate an unforgettably sumptuous meal at the head table with Pierre and his minions. Pierre had “borrowed” his first liutenant’s lovely wife to sit next to him to keep up appearances, and his boyfriend was calmly fuming a few tables away.
During dinner and after, there was an excellent orchestra playing. Dancing followed the meal, and many couples were out on the floor. There were 15 shrouded BK2K’s spread around the venue in groups of 3 machines, but no one was paying attention to them. This was a happy, inebriated group of people and they were obviously enjoying themselves.
At 9:30 PM the lights went down and Pierre had taken the cleared stage and began speaking in excited tones. After a few moments the BK2K music blasted through the room, the curtain opened, and Pierre stepped to the side.
To our amazement, a mighty black stallion carrying The Black Knight in full armor and lance appeared on the stage. The horse reared up and a huge roar of pleasure erupted from the crowd. It was amazing! The horse pranced around and seemed a bit nervous, especially with the loud music and the roar of the crowd.
Right at the time the music hit the… “Beat the Black Knight!” and then the chorus of “ahhhs”, the horse assumed a weird tail-up stance and let fly with every drop of liquid and everything it had eaten onto the stage! Pierre screamed like a girl as the urine stream (which was garden-hose sized) began to splash onto the stage and dance floor. A huge steaming pile to the rear of the horse plopped onto the stage. The crowd roared, and all the horrified partiers were on their feet and running for the doors! The smell was just killer and filled the whole room aided by a backstage breeze that pushed the stench onto the audience.
Pierre began wringing his hands as the stage crew came running out with shovels, buckets, mops, and disinfectant. We were all standing out in front of the restaurant, and the crowd noise changed from screams to laughs! After about 15 minutes the smell was gone and the crowd went back inside.
Pierre apologized to the crowd and to me in particular from the stage. I smiled back as he began speaking in French again and 15 waiters came out to unveil the games as the BK2K music blared again. The crowd rushed to the games and began playing them. They loved the game, and made it obvious to me with handshakes and congratulations.
The games were on and played constantly until we left at 3 AM or so, tired but happy.
It turned out to be a great evening after all. PSD sold a total of 2400 BK2Ks in France, nearly a third of the run. I will never forget the night Black Knight 2000 was first seen in Paris!
(Theguyoverthere) : lol, Bruno
(Steve Ritchie) : Thanks for being patient.
(Noah Fentz) : OMG...LOL
(destruk) : heh
(Theguyoverthere) : hahaha nice story
(Steve Ritchie) : Take Care all....thanks for having me!!!!
(Noah Fentz) : Maybe THAT's what's missing ... unveiling parties like that!
(Noah Fentz) : Thank YOU, Steve
(Joe) : How about on line live unveilings?
(kruge99) : that is SO amazing!!
(realitybytes) : thx for taking the time out to speak to us
(Bob5453) : Thanks Steve!
(destruk) : Thanks Steve
(Joe) : thanks
(B C) : Thank you
(UncleReamus) : Yes, thanks Steve! Best of luck and godspeed!
(Mudfinger) : Thanks Steve!
(EalaDubhSidhe) : That was an awesome session.
(kruge99) : Thank you Kindly Steve
(EalaDubhSidhe) : Thanks for bearing with us fanboys all that time, Steve.
(humid) : And thanks to you as well Noah
(kruge99) : agreed! thanks Noah!!
(EalaDubhSidhe) :
(kruge99) : it couldn't have happened without you!
(Noah Fentz) : You guys should know that Steve is one of the nicest guys you could ever meet. You should hit an Expo he's at and meet him personally!
(Theguyoverthere) : I've seen him at the northwest show last year and the year before...awesome guy...gives an awesome seminar
(EalaDubhSidhe) : Noah and I spent a lot of time talking to Steve at the Expo.
(Theguyoverthere) : Noah, you should come to the northwest pinball and gameroom show
(Noah Fentz) : I'll be at the Pinball at the 'Zoo, Michigan Pinball Expo, and the Chicago Expo
(Noah Fentz) : Back to all the thanks...I have to thank YOU GUYS for being so great and so involved around here.
(Harakiri) : hey Steve
(Harakiri) : what's your favourite food?
(Steve Ritchie) : My favorite dish is a large steaming pile of NOT!
(Noah Fentz) : heh
(kruge99) : heh
(UncleReamus) : Hilarious!
(Harakiri) : what's a large steaming pile of NOT?
(Steve Ritchie) : I like sushi, most all Asian food, great ribs, I try everything, and there isn't much I don't like except insects.....
(Noah Fentz) : I'm with you every step on that, Steve
(UncleReamus) : you need to write and autobiography, Steve
(Steve Ritchie) : I do need to write a book.. I have a ton of stories and revelations....
(Noah Fentz) : I hope you do, Steve
(kruge99) : good night Steve!! best wishes
(Harakiri) : A book would be great about the crazy years of pinball around the world
(Steve Ritchie) : Take Care and have a great day/night!!
(Steve Ritchie) : Later, thanks Noah and the rest of you!
(B C) : Steve also has a great interview in the newest PinGame Journal. It's great that he is so approachable and willing to talk with the fans.
Nice interview in the PGJ, too, I just read it. Thanks for mentioning it, Brian.
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