2 replies to this topic

[PinballGizzard]

Hey Kids. I have a VirtuaPin digital plunger kit that works great, but not on certain tables like the Bally Star Trek 1979 and Dolly Parton. I did some prowling around the threads, and it looks like certain older VP tables don't work with the plunger (but fine with the ball launcher). The apparent solution is to go into the editor and swap plungers, but that's more than this green vp builder wants to mess with right now. Paul at VirtuaPin seems to recall that there was an update on the threads that fixes this, but couldn't remember when or where. I couldn't find it either.

Anyone have any remedies to get the plunger working?

[mjr]

Sorry to confirm that editing tables that don't work is indeed the only solution.  The root of the problem is that many tables implement their plunger objects with ad hoc scripting to work around deficiencies in the older VP plunger object, and they didn't include support for mechanical plungers in the scripts.  The even more irritating part is that there are numerous versions of those ad hoc scripts.  That's why there's no one-size-fits-all solution.  You just have to go into each table, figure out its unique and nefarious plunger scripting scheme, and "fix" it.  

 

Starting with VP 9.9.1, the built-in plunger was overhauled to correct (hopefully) all of the old deficiencies that drove people to said nefarious schemes.  *And* it works great with mechanical plungers.  So my basic procedure for fixing a table with a non-working scripted plunger is to delete the scripts and replace them with a shiny new 9.9.1 built-in plunger.

 

Before you start - preparation for all tables

1.  Make sure you're running 9.9.1 or newer

2.  Create a default table

3.  Open the image manager

4.  Find the Custom Black Tip and Custom White Tip plunger images and export them to local files so that you can import them into other tables

 

For each broken table:

1.  Open the table in the VP editor

2.  Find all of the on-screen plunger objects and delete them

3.  Find all of the scripting code related to the plunger and delete it

  3a.  Except for the very most basic lines that do "Plunger.PullBack" and "Plunger.Fire" in the key handlers

4.  Insert a new VP plunger object

5.  Set the new object to type Custom

6.  Import the Custom White Tip or Custom Black Tip image file and set the new plunger's image

7.  Set the plunger's other visual properties to get it to look right (run to test)

8.  Make sure that Mechanical Plunger is enabled

 

*Almost* all of these steps are really easy once you've done it a couple of times.  The snag is that steps 2 and 3 aren't always easy.  The problem is the multitude of nefarious schemes I mentioned above.  For many tables, the on-screen objects are easy to identify and remove, and the scripting code is all in one place (searching through the script code for "plunger" usually turns it up immediately).  But there are some tables where you have to really dig to figure out the bizarre set of hidden objects that get moved around and otherwise manipulated to do the on-screen animation.

 

Sorry that I can't provide a simpler recipe than this!  I really made an effort a while back to come up with a more "mechanical" set of steps that didn't require so much hand-waving to describe, to help Pinscape plunger people deal with this same problem, but this is the best I was able to come up with.

[PinballGizzard]

Thank you Mjr. It doesn't look too complex, to tell the truth. Back in my younger days, I was able to figure out shareware map editors for Doom and Duke Nukem 3D. Maybe I can use this as my first lesson in table construction. Anyway, I'll save all your great info and take a look at it when the holidays are over and I have time. Thank you very much.