15 replies to this topic

[Noah Fentz]

Comments

He had a lot of drive to get his favorite games into VP, namely early Williams solid state system 6-system 9. He still updates them on occasion but has not had enough time to continue with it. One thing that really sticks out, his work on Lights Camera Action is amazing, and his backglass decal work is one of a kind in the history of Visual Pinball table design.

- destruk

Didn't work much with him.
But in earlier times he has updated my bad playfield pics. And i am wondering how he has done it ... Thanks.
Now hoping he gives us new tables again!

-TAB

Kristian's version of Black Knight was always one of my favorite tables to play, or if nothing else just stare at. His style seems to capture the essence of that particular era and makes you feel like you're standing in front of the real game. I'd have to say his tables sparked my interest in 80's games like Alien Poker and Black Knight, and I'd imagine his work has done the same for many others over the years as well!

-UncleReamus

Great pinball, watch, ice hockey enthusiast and he has a cute girlfriend too. He created some of the best looking VPM tables after perfecting the decal overlay technique a few years back, most notable was his version of Black Knight, the ramp rendering is unsurpassed. Also he has provided me with some very useful advise when building those few originals I've made which leads me to say he does provide some of the most informative posts on all the forums.

-StevOz

Kristian was very active making tables before I started, that's 4 years ago. He is always helpful with his hints and comments. I don't know much about him, but his tables speak for himself, and his updates for VP9 tells us that he is still active and I hope he gets some free time in the future to make a new table, but I guess he already made the tables he wanted to do.

-jpsalas

Well, what's there to say about Kristian .. open his upload list and you know enough!
Very strong in teaming up with others and takes recreation of the 'less known' Tables as a challenge!
Don't know him in person but it must be a pleasure working with him ..

-Flying Dutchman

Kristian shows a great attitude - "Get the job done, quietly with little fanfare" You will doubtless have played many great recreations he was involved in in some way..... and seen many interesting posts to boot!

-Anthias

He put in a lot of work during the early days of VP, aproaching being almost a prolific as Destruk & TAB during the first half of the current decade plus he never bothered to mince words, he was always brutally honest no matter what the subject...

-Valamir Cleaver

[Mrhide]

*BECAUSE* of him, I now own "the awesome foursome". Thank you...or curse you! same thing

[Lord Hiryu]

I saw a lot of tables made by this "table magician".
He is a Big one of the scene....and also, gains the aproval of the rest of the pack...(destruk, JPSalas, UR, Pacdude, Scpainos,Groni)

Wow....this is the kind of makers who I like to inspire me!!!!

[Bob5453]

When I think of Kristian, I think of hockey pucks, Mickey Mouse watches, great VP tables and good times at VPFF.

Congrats on the new marriage! When the honeymoon is over and the wife puts on a few pounds, you can always spend your nights creating VP tables.

Kristian's definitely in my VP Hall Of Fame!

[kristian]

Thanks to Noah Fenz for this author spotlight... it's a real honor. And thanks also for the comments guys... they all deserve a proper reply. And I guess most new members don't know me that well anyway... so here you are:

He had a lot of drive to get his favorite games into VP, namely early Williams solid state system 6-system 9. He still updates them on occasion but has not had enough time to continue with it. One thing that really sticks out, his work on Lights Camera Action is amazing, and his backglass decal work is one of a kind in the history of Visual Pinball table design. - destruk

Thanks Brian. But you're way too kind... the backglass decal stuff was nothing that I invented... Guittar and Nicky Special used that before me... I probably just found a new way to execute it (to get it more accurate). And you're absolutely correct. I've said it before... I have always been into emulation because I want to play the games. I'm a HC video/pinball gamer and I wanted to PLAY all those Williams solid state tables to be in great condition. They were, after all, the tables that made me a pinball fan. I mean, look at even those lesser known System6 tables like Warlok, Time Fantasy and Cosmic Gunfight... the atmosphere, table artwork and sounds are so... well... full of certain "mystique". It's difficult to explain... I guess it has a lot to do with how you experienced these games when you were 10-15 years old.

And even taste things aside, playability in tables like Alien Poker and Firepower is just second to none. It was actually VP that made me discover how amazing those newer tables like TZ, ToM, TAF, TOTAN etc. etc. are. I always kept playing pinball in the 90's... played them all... but it was VP that brought the hardcore enthusiasm back. It has always been a honor and pleasure to work with you... I guess we made a few tables, eh? It was a great time and who knows... maybe we'll work together eventually again? It's not like VP and us are going anywhere... not me anyway...

Come to think of it... I've spent 3/4 of my life playing these games and I've been a member of this community 1/4 of my life... VP is a lifestyle... and an endless "documentation" project as the MAME guys nicely put it. I have always felt that we have rewritten pinball history... and gave pinball another lifespan... the real success isn't measured in money, numbers or download volumes... there's many kind of success and in my eyes VP & VPM has definitely been a smashing success...!! And as much as we have to thank Randy... I think he just gave us the pen and canvas... VPM team & authors created the actual painting...!!

These days my life is a bit busy. Like I said, I just got married and my wife is excepting our first child. My first one too. But I still play VP at least a few hours every week. Lately I've been playing PacDude's Dirty Harry a lot... some of his old tables play so amazingly well... and like I said, I will never leave the community... it means a lot to me. And VP is still alone at the top when it comes to pinball simulation in PC. Such an amazing program..!!

Didn't work much with him.
But in earlier times he has updated my bad playfield pics. And i am wondering how he has done it ... Thanks.
Now hoping he gives us new tables again! -TAB

Vielen Dank TAB. Ich hörte über Ihre Gesundheitsprobleme. Das war schreckhaft, aber ich hoffe, dass es nichts wirklich Ernstes war. Die ganze beste und schnelle Wiederherstellung ... und erhält die gute Arbeit mit den Tischen aufrecht.

Kristian's version of Black Knight was always one of my favorite tables to play, or if nothing else just stare at. His style seems to capture the essence of that particular era and makes you feel like you're standing in front of the real game. I'd have to say his tables sparked my interest in 80's games like Alien Poker and Black Knight, and I'd imagine his work has done the same for many others over the years as well! -UncleReamus

Thanks Uncle... a lot of time was spent with it. I remember when the community was waiting for the PinMAME emulation of system7 tables to be released... Neurokinetik and Brian gave the script... PE86 (was it 86) gave me the sounds... the emulation wasn't officially ready so I had time to polish Black Knight during those long winter nights... I remember that period of my life very well... even the music I was listening back then. I had just divorced from my 1st wife, moved to my new flat and retired from hockey because of back problems... and I guess due to these dramatic changes in my life I was a bit depressed in some ways (if a guy like me can even get depressed). Well anyway... working on with tables was great therapy... those Sys7's especially... I used PacDude's fading dropwall light system and those very unique looking BK lights probably turned out ok. BK is one of my most played real tables. It's the Twilight Zone of the 80's... a revolutionary machine in so many ways. I recall me and Brian also released Solar Fire, Pharaoh and Jungle Lord at the same time (greetings MrHide...!!) Getting those sys7 tables emulated was a similar VPM milestone as Baby Pac-Man I guess... Jungle Lord is still a bit "unpolished" but SF and Pharaoh... I'm quite happy with them.

Great pinball, watch, ice hockey enthusiast and he has a cute girlfriend too. He created some of the best looking VPM tables after perfecting the decal overlay technique a few years back, most notable was his version of Black Knight, the ramp rendering is unsurpassed. Also he has provided me with some very useful advise when building those few originals I've made which leads me to say he does provide some of the most informative posts on all the forums. -StevOz

Thanks Steve. You've always been a good friend. Appreciate those words man...!! And I'm now married to that "cute girlfriend". We have quite an age difference but it has been great because men are about 10+ years behind... at least emotionally.

When I think of Kristian, I think of hockey pucks, Mickey Mouse watches, great VP tables and good times at VPFF.
Congrats on the new marriage! When the honeymoon is over and the wife puts on a few pounds, you can always spend your nights creating VP tables.

Yeah she probably gets fat eventually but it doesn't really matter. There's always the XXX porn sites (forgot to thank you for those passwords btw)... when she gets fat (and I get old) those sites help to keep my left hand busy and my "Mickey Mouse" automatic watches wound...!!

Kristian was very active making tables before I started, that's 4 years ago. He is always helpful with his hints and comments. I don't know much about him, but his tables speak for himself, and his updates for VP9 tells us that he is still active and I hope he gets some free time in the future to make a new table, but I guess he already made the tables he wanted to do. -jpsalas

One main reason I haven't done much table work lately is you (and the new tables overall)... you do everything so much better than I ever did (back then). This is not flattery, it's the honest truth... when I open your tables I often think "damn... I couldn't do this". LOL. So I just leech the tables and enjoy playing them. I think all your modern Stern tables are just unreal... please make them all...!! Groni's new tables are amazing too.

Well, what's there to say about Kristian .. open his upload list and you know enough!
Very strong in teaming up with others and takes recreation of the 'less known' Tables as a challenge!
Don't know him in person but it must be a pleasure working with him .. -Flying Dutchman

Thanks man... looking forward to getting to know you better...!! I haven't been very active lately but that applies to whole internet/computer... there can be WEEKS that I don't even open the Internet. I guess it goes in cycles...

Kristian shows a great attitude - "Get the job done, quietly with little fanfare" You will doubtless have played many great recreations he was involved in in some way..... and seen many interesting posts to boot!

-Anthias

Thanks Anthias... we had a group of people who never cared about who gets the credit and glory for whatever... Destruk, Apocalypse, Gaston, LTX, TAB, IRPinball/EM guys and even PacDude (although having a huge ego) was always behind this mentality... Eala, Kurt and many other talented guys releasing their stuff... we had a common goal, and that was to get all the major tables done. Most old tables have stuff from many people... we shared absolutely everything with eachother because it was the only way to get even close to that goal. When tables started to become better generally it was a great feeling... we pushed the limits every day. Just remember how terrible most old VPM tables were graphically (save Scapino's stuff of course). I'm really happy that this same drive seems to be there still... among the new guys... the standards are just so much higher today (which is just natural progress).

He put in a lot of work during the early days of VP, aproaching being almost a prolific as Destruk & TAB during the first half of the current decade plus he never bothered to mince words, he was always brutally honest no matter what the subject... -Valamir Cleaver

Thanks VC. "Brutally honest"... that's a nice way putting it my friend... actually I have regretted some of the stuff I have said... but at one point the VP community was pretty disturbing. There was a good reason for the frustrations once... but later (when the new moderators started running VPF) there definitely wasn't... I just hate drama queens, gossip and stupid virtual handbag fighting. I mean, aren't women like that... when things are great and mellow they always have to fabricate some kind of stupid crap out of nothing... I never understood why some people were whining and complaining so much... they had the best pinball simulator in the world and all those hundreds of amazing recreations for it... good people around working on them passionately... for free... good forum with liberal, relaxed atmosphere and rules... I mean, what was the reason for all that negativity and frustration? Of course things will slow down when you already have most major tables done... same as when you compare your first 2 months and last 2 years with your girlfriend/wife... it's different but still good...!!

And besides... I much rather flame "all out", spit it out... wham-bam-thank-you-ma'm and leave it at that... I do it in real life too and none of the people who know me have a problem with it... and I always meant well for the community (even when I got a bit carried away). I appreciate people who are honest and straightforward... and calling spade a spade and endlessly trolling for flames and useless arguments are two different things. I probably crossed the line a few times but I have no sympathy for people who are acting like asses on purpose... day in-day out... it's mathemathics... why should we members and moderators waste our positive energy on people who have no manners... but then again some of the past "heated arguments" were actually pretty funny and entertaining... especially the VPFF stuff (looking back at those now)... and most of my "rough stuff" was written tongue-in-cheek...!! And I have shook hands with many of the past opponents... I doubt anyone holds any grudges... I know I don't.

About emulation generally... it's a terrible cliché straight from the Reader's Digest... but you gotta learn how to appreciate what you have instead of what you don't have... it's so true... and it applies to all parts of life... some people are greedy because they're spoiled... this emulation has spoiled them... look at the MAME forums and people whining about not having one or two Mahjong bootleg roms emulated yet... I'm still extremely grateful for all this stuff every single day... when I was 13 years old and crazy about Bally, Williams, Atari and Namco I never even dreamed of having these games emulated in my own computer... I still have to pinch myself sometimes... it's so amazing... I play lots of new games (just got PES 2010 and NFS: Shift btw) but NOTHING comes even close to these revolutionary games that started it all...!!

Thanks for all the comments guys... much appreciated. Great to be part of this great community and among all the good friends (way too many to list here)...here's to another (almost) 10 years...!! And special mention and thanks to my good friend Lander who's not among us anymore...!!

K

[Noah Fentz]

Thanks to Noah Fenz for this author spotlight... it's a real honor.

The honor is all mine, Kristian.

[ValamirCleaver]

[Pin-Pete]

You are one of the top table authors,Kristian.
It's always fun to play those older Williams SS
tables.BTW.Congrats for the marriage.

[TAB]

Thanks for your nice comment.
What about doing a new table together

[Pinball Ken]

Nicely put, kristian

But don't put yourself down, as a lot of the early work, yours included, put those real pinball tables before the public in VP/VPM.

Every happiness in your new marriage!

Cheers

PK

[unclewilly]

I'm glad they did this spotlight on you. You and Tab are the 2 authors that inspired me to learn to build tables back in the day when i first found vp. Your tables were brilliant and pioneered a lot of techniques us new authors use today. I appreciate all the work you put into this community.

[humid]

Hey Kristian. First and foremost congrats on a healthy 2nd marriage. My 2nd has been going 15 years and still delivers an amazing contentment. Hope yours flows with magic for many many years.

I agree with all you have stated about how crazy wonderful it is to have the tables played in our youth available here. And your contributions from that great era of 80's Williams energy is my favorite layer of icing. Though that ball issue with Defender is still niggling, because I love that table. LOL. So good to read all the above comments that properly frame the ongoing appreciation of your work. The ovation and respect is much deserved.

[The Loafer]

A well deserved honor. I have to tell you I think your black knight was at one point the most played table in my VPM tables collection. So very well done. There are so many people that have impacted this community in a positive manner and you sir were (correction, ARE) one of them.

p.s. so you got hitched eh? I remember that pic you posted, I don't blame you!

[kristian]

Thanks again, all.. appreciated...

@humid: I'd love to fix Defender but I wasn't able to duplicate the problem last time... I'm still not sure what the problem is exactly... is it both in VP8 and VP9? Destruk could probably help if it's a tech (and not a layout) issue.

@Loafer: Thanks man... you were the biggest reason why the whole VPFF gang felt like home in the "new" VPF... you did hell of a job as a moderator... that was very important work back then. BTW I've been watching Senators a lot these days as Jarkko Ruutu plays there now... he's bit of a rat and dirty player... but very entertaining at times... one of those guys that everyone loves to hate (like Matthew Barnaby used to be)... guys that make the league entertaining... he was playing for my hometown team (HIFK) in the 90's... there was never a dull moment when he was on the ice. WATCH

@Unclewilly: When I have more time, we can polish your Baby Pacman even more. It plays really well... I love it.

[The Loafer]

Ruutu had another goal yesterday, he seems to be more offensive (in more ways then one eheh) under Coach Clouston's pressure system. Good, they need him!

[tguittar]

I've always enjoyed Kristians work. I respect him as a person as well. He helped me alot in my early days of decal modding. guittar.