21 replies to this topic

[scottacus]

My Capersville table has been sent to Arngrim to check over my DOF code before release so it is time to try to make another VP10 EM table.  This time I chose what is probablhy my all time favorite EM, Williams OXO.  Freneticamnesic made an awesome vp9 version of this table and he has given me permission to make it into a VP 10 version.

 

It is so much nicer working on a table that has good documentation for it.  I can find lots of photos and videos of guys taking this table apart to restore them so it is easy to see "what is under the hood."  I found a set of vector art files of the playfield and plastics which is a real luxury.  HauntFreaks took the playfield and resized it and add screw hole indexes for me so I am now populating the playfield.

 

I don't know the first thing about making primitives in blender and I'd like to add metal wire guides in three locations on the table.  I tried pulling Fren's but for some reason or other I'm having problems getting them to work in VPX.  I'll take a look around other VPX tables to see if I can lift them from them but for the time being does anyone know where I can find primitives for these wires (top guide wire and left and right lower guide wires)? 

 

 

 

Here is a screen shot of the table as I am starting to populate it.

 

[kiwi]

These guides can now be done with VPX wire ramps.
The new default table has wire guides between in and out lanes,

copy a guide to your table, to keep the shape you need to move or rotate the 5 control points all together, the 5 points that form the curve and the peg,

then add other control points in the horizontal part and move them to bend the guide.
For straight guides you only have to move 5 points to adjust the length, and rotate the guide if you need it.

Edited by kiwi, 16 September 2017 - 06:10 PM.

[ganjafarmer]

Make it with vpx '1 wire ramp' and use 'Height offset' for side points.

 

 

[hanzoverfist]

your PM is full so I PM'ed you on VPB

[bord]

Make it with vpx '1 wire ramp' and use 'Height offset' for side points.

 

This is a good option. If there is a specific reason you need a mesh for it let me know. I can make them in Blender.

[scottacus]

Thanks Bord I'll keep that in mind if I need any special primitives.  The single wire ramps seem to work well, what heights above the playfield are recommended for the various types of wire guides?

[scottacus]

OXO is coming along very well thus far.  With one table under my belt, the second one is a lot easier to deal with.  My main learning experience with this table is dealing with timers.  I guess I really didn't have a very good understanding of how they worked when I made Capersville and I didn't know when to use a timer vs using a subroutine.  It seems from looking through a bunch of tables that builders either use a ton of timers or very few.  I find that I am in the very few camp.  Here is what I've learned thus far (this took me several days to figure this out)

 

-always be sure to turn the timer off when it is done (name.enabled = 0 [or False if you prefer])

-don't put for-to-next loops in a timer, the timer will blow through them at processor speed rather...

-use incremented variables to step through whatever the timer is doing if it is an animation

-if the timer is for an animation, do not call other subroutines with the timer

-run the animation several times and vary the timer's length to get things to look the way you want them to

 

Having said all of this I have a pretty much playable version of OXO that is ready for HauntFreak's graphical and lighting magic.  The tic tac toe board is just a series of text boxes for now but those sub routines will get changed to driving lighting once he makes the lighting for them.  Here is what the table looks like for now.

 

 

I found that primitives have strange collision properties so I put in a dropable gate by the lower right "AB Gate" since that gate is a primitive that I set to "toy" to avoid collisions with it (gate swings open when both the A and B targets have been hit).  The pink stripe in the playfield is the top of the dropped wall.  The other pink wall blocks are just there for testing so I can play without any drains if I want to.  The various other text boxes are variable that I want to keep track of to make sure my logic is running the way I think it should be running.

 

Now to see what HauntFreaks has in mind...

Edited by scottacus, 23 September 2017 - 04:15 PM.

[markrock76]

Thanks for doing this one.  It is very fun and one of my favorites.  Great theme and art.  Capersville turn out great so this one will be as well I'm sure.

[scottacus]

I really like Pointy People art too.  When I see pinball art like this from Data East's Torpedo Alley:

 

 

I feel like this:

 

[batch]

So nice looking I couldn't resist doing a backdrop !

 

I remember someone on VPForums calling it the "ugly backglass"

 

[scottacus]

The original game had a plastic mask under the playfield that allowed the inner X and outer O show up for each square in the grid.  The O's had two lights on opposite corners of the outer mask.

 

 

HauntFreaks was able to reproduce this with his lighting effects, very cool!

 

 

The code to support this has been written so HauntFreaks is working on the next installation of lighting and graphics.

[hauntfreaks]

I really like Pointy People art too.  When I see pinball art like this from Data East's Torpedo Alley:

 

 

 

i'm not a fan of any machine that uses photos, over art.... the best pins have handcrafted art, its great to see Dirty Donny trying to keep that alive even with modern machines like Metallica, Can Crusher and Aerosmith.... 

[scottacus]

We're making very good progress on the table.  HauntFreak's artwork and lighting is really stunning, here is a screen shot of the playfield from a couple of days ago

 

 

He's done all of the little details like primitive cut out holes with plywood sides for the targets exceedingly well.  He really brings this table to life!

 

I'm just about done with the code.  I just finished writing the high score save and load routines as well as the player initial's entry routines.  If I don't find any more bugs I think we can send the table out to beta testers to see if they can break it.  If it passes that, we'll do a general release.

 

Hauntfreaks is also making a new B2S backglass and Wheel logo for the release.  If the backglass turns out as good as the Capersville update that he did to my original, it should be really nice.

[scottacus]

I worked with Bord who has a chime unit and added full DOF integration for chime units.  This involved a re-write of the scoring code but I think that the final product is better than before.  The table will be released soon.

 

 

Here is what HauntFreaks new Back Glass with third monitor DMD looks like

 

 

[Outhere]

Do you have a picture of this - chime unit

[scottacus]

They are old Gottlieb or other manufacturers units that are installed in the cab and controlled by DOF.

[BorgDog]

Do you have a picture of this - chime unit

 

Here is a quick video of testing my chimes and stuff before putting them in the cab.

 

https://youtu.be/iueybbQJvIo

[Outhere]

Thank you and Thank you for the great game

I have one of those chime units but wasn't sure if you were referring to the same thing and I used to have one of them Bells but I have no idea where I put it

But i have a Knocker

Edited by Outhere, 07 October 2017 - 12:57 AM.

[BorgDog]

I like knockers.  

[Outhere]

Double the fun