36 replies to this topic

[Shoopity]

Cleared out the original post as that thing is toast.

 

Wow, 9 years later and I decide to start fresh.  This is Ben Heck's Bill Paxton Pinball.

 

Here's what I got so far:

https://youtu.be/_mOBrhsvXOM

 

Please, I am very open to help, suggestions, whatever.  I've never been good with making things look good.  I need models (Corvette, a good fish head model, among others).  Let's get this thread back up and alive again.

 

Oh, here's the file if you wanna check it out.  Lemme know what you think.

 

No additional files are required.  This does use FlexDMD, so that does need to be installed.

Edited by Shoopity, 15 August 2022 - 12:41 AM.

[Zablon]

Good luck! I think it's cool Ben is willing to let the table be recreated, it looks like a fun table.

[faralos]

Why not use one of the premade table templates?

they already have a start and end game written in

 along with things like scoring, extra ball, specials, some sounds etc.

scoring displays, along with numerous items you may need

like posts, rubber rings for them, etc.

try Itchigos four player one

 I almost always use his as they are easy to understand and are written out nicely

they are up top of this page under Design Resources

now is this pin gonna' be for a FS (full screen as in a cab) or desktop?

sounds like a kewl idea though to convert it into vp for us!

Good luck and any help you need just ask and someone here will help you

[Shoopity]

I've "stolen" some things (like posts) from other tables, for some reason I just hadn't really thought about using the templates.  I'll go take a look

 

Of course, one of the motivational issues is just converting Ben's code, written in Spin, to VB.  Probably shouldn't be very hard, like I said, it's more motivational.  Although, he's got a lot of code that physical tables need that we don't (like, he's included code to detect the bouncing of wall triggers because that happens physically, but in VP, that doesn't happen).

 

Having never done a table before, I'm pretty sure everything is going to be easy to convert to FS (just change the View settings).  I've looked how, for example, Scapino does his AMAZING looking tables, all with EM Reels, so I understand why some tables are un-convert-able to FS.  But so far everything in this table is done using in-game objects (e.g. just the simple light objects, just the primitives, etc.), no trickery yet (of course that means it doesn't look as pretty as it could).

 

Any instructions on how to post screen shots or upload the table within the forums, or is that something only available to paying members?

 

Also, are there any instructions on primitives?  I've looked around and couldn't find any so I had to look for tables that use them and glean info off of them.  For example, I was trying to make one spin, so I using primitive.RotZ but that wasn't working; I found a table that used primitive.rotandtran2... how did that author know to use that??  One reason I'm asking right now is because I'm trying to figure out how to texture one (or make a texture appropriately).

Edited by Shoopity, 19 June 2013 - 06:30 PM.

[Joe]

What about running the code in pinmame or some other run time linked to VP.

[Nemo]

Ben Heck is a real pinhead, love his show on Element 14 which occasionally features pinstuff, great guy......

[faralos]

when you reply hit the "More Reply Options button you see there in the lower right corner

now scroll down a bit to the "Attach Files" area just below this hit browse

 to call up your computer then just find the file image

or whatever it is you are trying to post

 then hit "Attach This File"

 you can only load a max of 1 meg to here though so be forewarned

anything larger you can always post a link to wherever you uploaded it to
 I prefer SpeedyShare a free upload site

but there are tons out there I am sure that you can use

Attached Files

•  uploads.JPG   106.47KB   17 downloads

[Shoopity]

Yeah, don't have that option faralos, must be for paying members.  I've uploaded the screens and the table to my Google Drive

 

Screen1

Screen 2 

 

Yes, the Hamm's can is a primitive (took too much time to get the texture so it wrapped right, although it doesn't wrap all the way around), so it does "crush".

 

And here's the link to the table:

 

Bill Paxton Table

 

Pushing M ejects the ball from the Wife holes (hee hee), but it also triggers the Wheel O Fate and the can crushing; usually those things only happen if you go up the right ramp and hit the Hamm's targets on the far left (can pretty much only be hit by ricoche) respectively.

 

Joe, I haven't even looked at existing pinmame code.  Is that written in Spin too?  Would it be easy to code stuff for pinmame (vs. HyperDMD)?

... OK, I just tried looking at some of the ROM files (just randomly picked the Bad Cats ROM), it's jibberish.  I don't think there's really a way for a commoner like me to write something for pinmame.

Edited by Shoopity, 28 June 2013 - 03:50 PM.

[Themer]

A ROM set is the original code of a certain game / application compiled against a certain processor or operating system. The SPIN code has to be compiled as well before it can be used in a real pinball table. In contrast with other pinball tables though, Ben has published the original source code. Now this source code can be compiled and converted into a ROM set, which than can be used by PinMAME. That is, if the Parallax Propeller is already emulated. For this you can contact Destruk, who is very knowledgeable about PinMAME. 

[Shoopity]

OOOhhhh, sweet idea Themer, thanks.  I didn't even consider PinMame might already emulate the Propeller.  I'm sending a message right now.

 

Awww :-(, sad panda.  Destruk says they don't support it.  Oh well, back to the scripting...

Edited by Shoopity, 20 June 2013 - 05:39 PM.

[faralos]

if I remember correctly roms are in hex for the most part

 you can get into a rom but we usually do that for sounds only

okay I got the table and will play test it for you

kewl looking pin btw!!

[Shoopity]

I just updated some things Farlos.

 

Added the gate that apparently gets randomly closed when the machine magically decides to start U-571 mode

Added some sounds just mainly for testing purposes

Added some code (mainly variables from Ben's code, but also some intro multiplayer stuff as well as some pre-game and in-game statuses).

 

I just realized I saved this table with the wrong picture for the main table graphic, feel free to change it.

 

Use the same link from above (I think, I've never used Drive's ability to update files before).

Edited by Shoopity, 20 June 2013 - 11:09 PM.

[Themer]

@Shoopity: Have you asked if support will be added in the near future, so that Bill Paxton can be executed by PinMAME? That the Parallax Propeller isn't emulated as of yet, may be because there was no known ROM set using this hardware, so there was no reason to emulate it. The source code of the Bill Paxton table may change this.

 

@faralos: What you say is incorrect. First of all the compilation of software means the translation of source code into hexadecimals. The reason for this is that hardware requires bits and hexadecimals are representations of bit arrays. The meaning of these hexadecimals, however, depends on the hardware / OS against which it is compiled. This means you can't simply generalize ROM sets. Furthermore we use everything from a ROM set, that is the game logic, the visualizations (DMD display) and the sound. This allows us to create exact recreations of pinball tables and to use different rules without having to reprogram the table. Furthermore it would be nearly impossible to use only the sound of a ROM set, because the sounds are called upon only in certain situations which are dependent on the logic.

[Shoopity]

Themer, I didn't ask, but I wouldn't think they'd take the time to emulate one chipset just because one pinball machine uses it.  In his latest pin, Ghost Squad, he's using a forwent the Propeller and is using a Pic32.

[Joe]

@Shoopity: Have you asked if support will be added in the near future, so that Bill Paxton can be executed by PinMAME? That the Parallax Propeller isn't emulated as of yet, may be because there was no known ROM set using this hardware, so there was no reason to emulate it. The source code of the Bill Paxton table may change this.

 

@faralos: What you say is incorrect. First of all the compilation of software means the translation of source code into hexadecimals. The reason for this is that hardware requires bits and hexadecimals are representations of bit arrays. The meaning of these hexadecimals, however, depends on the hardware / OS against which it is compiled. This means you can't simply generalize ROM sets. Furthermore we use everything from a ROM set, that is the game logic, the visualizations (DMD display) and the sound. This allows us to create exact recreations of pinball tables and to use different rules without having to reprogram the table. Furthermore it would be nearly impossible to use only the sound of a ROM set, because the sounds are called upon only in certain situations which are dependent on the logic.

I think the sound was just wave files on a SD card in the bill paxton table (game rom sends out play commands)

[faralos]

pressing the M key is a pain while playing for me anyways

 are you going to be changing that option?

 otherwise it plays well  

I think it takes away from smooth ball flow

when I must hunt down a key press while playing

[Shoopity]

It's just for testing purposes.  The three wife holes are for Big Love mode;  I guess you can lock either wife 1 and 2 (order doesn't matter), then when you lock wife 3 (if you hit wife 3 prior to locking both 1 and 2 you just get a little bonus) you start Big Love mode (just a 3 ball multiball).

 

Since I don't have the logic in for the multiball yet, I just have that in there so you can keep playing.

[Shoopity]

OK, just uploaded a newer version.  Added some music (which is picked randomly), but these are wave files inside the table itself it increased the size by about 10 megs; in the final version I'll just use the MP3 format, for now, I just wanted some sound.  I added some sound for the bumpers, and I added in some scoring (it's a little tough discerning Ben's code especially since everything scores differently depending on what mode you're in).  Not everything makes sounds or scores yet.

 

Again, just use the link from above as that file has been updated even though it's the same link.

Edited by Shoopity, 21 June 2013 - 10:41 PM.

[faralos]

I always have to use wavs as The mp3's tend not to play at all

in any of my pin builds which sucks to put it nicely

 and yes wav. files can make a small pin a huge one due to their sizes

and wav files are lesser quality most of the time

so thanks for giving mp3's some thought 

[StevOz]

Thing to remember is VP can only play one .mp3 at any time, where as with .wav there is no such restriction, .wav files can be played simultaneously and/or overlapped. 

Edited by StevOz, 24 June 2013 - 01:45 PM.