35 replies to this topic

[somnia]

Hi everyone,
Im currently working on a VPX recreation of The Pinball Circus(WIP the pinball circus some VPW spirit - YouTube). Its a fascinating and unique machine, and Im trying my best to make this version as authentic as possible.
Progress is going well, but Ive hit a roadblock regarding the Video Mode assets. Specifically, I am looking for high-quality references or footage for:

• The Mechanical Giraffe video mode
• Pinbo video mode
• Mystery Wheel video mode (15 Apr 2026 edited)

I have searched extensively and only managed to find a partial clip of the Giraffe's video mode in this YouTube video at 8:37 (Pinball Circus PHOF - Game play 1 - YouTube). Unfortunately, I haven't found any clear footage of Pinbo (& Mystery Wheel) yet.
Since this is such a rare prototype machine, I was wondering if anyone in the community happens to have high-quality recordings, raw assets, or perhaps knows someone who owns the physical machine and might be willing to capture some footage?
Any help, information, or leads would be greatly appreciated. I'm excited to bring this rare gem to the VPX community!

Thanks in advance,
Somnia

Edited by somnia, 28 May 2026 - 12:44 PM.

[jpsalas]

I started with this table too, but it soon evolved into Gargamel Park You may use any part of my table if you want. Good luck!

[scutters]

This might help;https://web.archive....s/doho/pbc.html

 

(seems like for me at least not all gifs load with different ones showing each time so you might need to reload the page a few times to see everything)

 

Good luck!

[somnia]

I started with this table too, but it soon evolved into Gargamel Park You may use any part of my table if you want. Good luck!

Oh, the legendary JP! I have played many of the VPX tables you created. It’s an honor to receive your reply, and thank you very much for your support. I’ve also been playing your Gargamel Park.

This might help;https://web.archive....s/doho/pbc.html

 

(seems like for me at least not all gifs load with different ones showing each time so you might need to reload the page a few times to see everything)

 

Good luck!

Thank you, this is exactly the time machine website I didn’t know how to use! I asked an AI and it also mentioned this site, but I didn’t understand how to operate it. Thank you so much for helping me find it for real.

[BostonBuckeye]

Wow! This can’t be an easy table to create. I don’t think anyone has done it yet. Were you able to get a hold of the rom? 

[somnia]

Wow! This can’t be an easy table to create. I don’t think anyone has done it yet. Were you able to get a hold of the rom?

I haven’t been able to find the ROM for The Pinball Circus, and there’s no news that these two pinball machines will ever be freely duplicated. I’ll have to watch countless playthroughs myself in order to recreate the DMD animations and logic.

[htamas]

Hats off to you for even trying to recreate this. I'm curious how this will go, it must be surely difficult.

There are only two of these in existence as far as I'm aware, so it wouldn't be easy to get a ROM drop. One is in a private collection, the other one is in the Pinball Hall of Fame in Las Vegas, where it is playable by anyone. It's a fun game, I dropped quite a few quarters into it

[somnia]

Hats off to you for even trying to recreate this. I'm curious how this will go, it must be surely difficult.
There are only two of these in existence as far as I'm aware, so it wouldn't be easy to get a ROM drop. One is in a private collection, the other one is in the Pinball Hall of Fame in Las Vegas, where it is playable by anyone. It's a fun game, I dropped quite a few quarters into it

The whole playfield isnt that hard, the 3D mesh isnt hard either since AI can help with the artwork. But the toughest part is I dont want to come up with PINBOs video mode myself, because I feel it wouldnt be faithful to the original. Also, the video mode of the mechanical giraffe only shows the animation of eating bad apples, but its missing the animation of eating good apples. So I really want to see the real deal for both the mechanical giraffe and PINBOs video modes.

[Fusionwerks]

Have you tried contacting the owner of The Pinball hall of fame in Vegas? He MIGHT just help you get a rom dump. Or a good video of what you need. You never know...

Edited by Fusionwerks, 22 March 2026 - 03:39 PM.

[somnia]

Have you tried contacting the owner of The Pinball hall of fame in Vegas? He MIGHT just help you get a rom dump. Or a good video of what you need. You never know...

That rom has remained unreleased since 1993, and the DMD animations have never been completely captured. Being a newcomer to VPX, I wonder if it’s truly possible for me to obtain it? I’m going to try and see.

Edited by somnia, 23 March 2026 - 02:07 AM.

[fourbanks]

The address is here to contact Tim. If the rom were to be released to us, we would have to pay a substantial amount. I have previously contacted other manufacturers, but the response has consistently been no.

 

Since it would take a long time to manufacture the table without the rom, it would be ideal if someone who lived nearby could visit the showroom. At best, this would require quality video footage and still images, from a skilled player so that we could see the table in action.

 

Support Las Vegas Pinball Hall of Fame Pinball Museum, Nevada NV, Tim Arnold

 

 

Arcade Holy Grail: The Pinball Circus – The Arcade Blogger

Edited by fourbanks, 25 March 2026 - 03:38 PM.

[somnia]

The address is here to contact Tim. If the rom were to be released to us, we would have to pay a substantial amount. I have previously contacted other manufacturers, but the response has consistently been no.

 

Since it would take a long time to manufacture the table without the rom, it would be ideal if someone who lived nearby could visit the showroom. At best, this would require quality video footage and still images, from a skilled player so that we could see the table in action.

 

Support Las Vegas Pinball Hall of Fame Pinball Museum, Nevada NV, Tim Arnold

 

 

Arcade Holy Grail: The Pinball Circus – The Arcade Blogger

Exactly. I've already contacted both Tim and Rick. It turns out the digital rights are held by a major corporation (WMS), which makes a formal license for a non-commercial project quite complex.

There is also a technical uncertainty: I'm not even sure if the 'Pinbo' and 'Mechanical Giraffe' video modes are accessible via Test Mode. Since this was a prototype, these animations might be hidden or rarely seen—it seems almost no one in the community has a clear record of them.

I’m going to do some more deep-diving and research. If anyone here has ever seen these modes in action or has any leads, please let me know! In the meantime, I’ll keep pushing for any visual reference I can find.

Edited by somnia, 26 March 2026 - 08:21 AM.

[fourbanks]

 

The address is here to contact Tim. If the rom were to be released to us, we would have to pay a substantial amount. I have previously contacted other manufacturers, but the response has consistently been no.

 

Since it would take a long time to manufacture the table without the rom, it would be ideal if someone who lived nearby could visit the showroom. At best, this would require quality video footage and still images, from a skilled player so that we could see the table in action.

 

Support Las Vegas Pinball Hall of Fame Pinball Museum, Nevada NV, Tim Arnold

 

 

Arcade Holy Grail: The Pinball Circus – The Arcade Blogger

Exactly. I've already contacted both Tim and Rick. It turns out the digital rights are held by a major corporation (WMS), which makes a formal license for a non-commercial project quite complex.

There is also a technical uncertainty: I'm not even sure if the 'Pinbo' and 'Mechanical Giraffe' video modes are accessible via Test Mode. Since this was a prototype, these animations might be hidden or rarely seen—it seems almost no one in the community has a clear record of them.

I’m going to do some more deep-diving and research. If anyone here has ever seen these modes in action or has any leads, please let me know! In the meantime, I’ll keep pushing for any visual reference I can find.

 

good luck

 

WMS Industries - Wikipedia

 

For everyone's benefit, you would think they would go above and beyond to assist us restore the table to its former beauty. I just don't understand that kind of thinking and keeping it to themselves for no reason at all.

Edited by fourbanks, 26 March 2026 - 10:39 AM.

[scutters]

 

The address is here to contact Tim. If the rom were to be released to us, we would have to pay a substantial amount. I have previously contacted other manufacturers, but the response has consistently been no.

 

Since it would take a long time to manufacture the table without the rom, it would be ideal if someone who lived nearby could visit the showroom. At best, this would require quality video footage and still images, from a skilled player so that we could see the table in action.

 

Support Las Vegas Pinball Hall of Fame Pinball Museum, Nevada NV, Tim Arnold

 

 

Arcade Holy Grail: The Pinball Circus – The Arcade Blogger

Exactly. I've already contacted both Tim and Rick. It turns out the digital rights are held by a major corporation (WMS), which makes a formal license for a non-commercial project quite complex.

There is also a technical uncertainty: I'm not even sure if the 'Pinbo' and 'Mechanical Giraffe' video modes are accessible via Test Mode. Since this was a prototype, these animations might be hidden or rarely seen—it seems almost no one in the community has a clear record of them.

I’m going to do some more deep-diving and research. If anyone here has ever seen these modes in action or has any leads, please let me know! In the meantime, I’ll keep pushing for any visual reference I can find.

 

 

Have you tried John Manuelian? He made a homebrew version, so i guess he has some resources / knowledge of the original

 

https://www.youtube....h?v=Nr5feB4dj0s

https://www.facebook...heRealLinolium/

Edited by scutters, 26 March 2026 - 10:43 AM.

[fourbanks]

 

 

The address is here to contact Tim. If the rom were to be released to us, we would have to pay a substantial amount. I have previously contacted other manufacturers, but the response has consistently been no.

 

Since it would take a long time to manufacture the table without the rom, it would be ideal if someone who lived nearby could visit the showroom. At best, this would require quality video footage and still images, from a skilled player so that we could see the table in action.

 

Support Las Vegas Pinball Hall of Fame Pinball Museum, Nevada NV, Tim Arnold

 

 

Arcade Holy Grail: The Pinball Circus – The Arcade Blogger

Exactly. I've already contacted both Tim and Rick. It turns out the digital rights are held by a major corporation (WMS), which makes a formal license for a non-commercial project quite complex.

There is also a technical uncertainty: I'm not even sure if the 'Pinbo' and 'Mechanical Giraffe' video modes are accessible via Test Mode. Since this was a prototype, these animations might be hidden or rarely seen—it seems almost no one in the community has a clear record of them.

I’m going to do some more deep-diving and research. If anyone here has ever seen these modes in action or has any leads, please let me know! In the meantime, I’ll keep pushing for any visual reference I can find.

 

 

Have you tried John Manuelian? He made a homebrew version, so i guess he has some resources / knowledge of the original

 

https://www.youtube....h?v=Nr5feB4dj0s

https://www.facebook...heRealLinolium/

 

I've messaged John, and I'll update you when I hear back. 

[fourbanks]

you're doing incredibly well 

 

[somnia]

you're doing incredibly well 
 

Thanks to VPX’s powerful performance, with no lag, everything goes exactly as I planned, step by step. I inoticed that the elevated platforms didn’t leave shadows on the first layer. Also, the ramps have no shadows—only the pinball has them. Is there a way for me to add all the shadows at once?

[jpsalas]

The shadows are configured in the video preferences, Ambient Occlusion. Many people simply disable that, and then there is no shadows at all, others set it to Static AO, then only the static objects will give a shadow, these are the objects which do not have a material with the transparency enabled. The third option is Dynamic AO, now also the "dynamic" objects, which have the transparency enabled it its material, will also cast a shadow.

 

In your case I guess your ramps are transparent and you have the Ambient Occlusion set to Static AO. Change it to Dynamic AO

 

[somnia]

The shadows are configured in the video preferences, Ambient Occlusion. Many people simply disable that, and then there is no shadows at all, others set it to Static AO, then only the static objects will give a shadow, these are the objects which do not have a material with the transparency enabled. The third option is Dynamic AO, now also the "dynamic" objects, which have the transparency enabled it its material, will also cast a shadow.
 
In your case I guess your ramps are transparent and you have the Ambient Occlusion set to Static AO. Change it to Dynamic AO
 

Thank you, JP. Even though I tried dynamic AO, static AO, and disable AO, they all turned out the same—no shadows. It seems this issue can only be postponed for now, as I realized some of my settings are quite unreasonable. I will refer to other TABLEs to improve my own.

[jpsalas]

You also need to enable it in the table's properties

 

 

I use a value of 3 or 4, depending of the table.