File Name: Twilight Zone (Bally, 1993)
File Submitter: GeorgeH
File Submitted: 16 Jun 2021
File Category: Future Pinball
Author(s): Francisco666<br />ROM<br />Slamt1lt<br />GeorgeH<br />AnonTetManufacturer: Bally
Year: 1993
Permission to MOD?: Yes, without approval
Note that BAM (Better Arcade Mode) must be installed for this table to operate properly.
This table has a menu that is accessed by pressing the Special 2 key.
Many of the guys who compete in pinball championships consider "Twilight Zone" to be one of the most difficult tables to play. I suppose that might be true but it is still really fun to play which I think is due to its incredible design. The FP version of the table was originally built by Francisco666 and the models were built by ROM. The basic rules are also not all that difficult to remember either. The center of the playfield has a door with lights around the perimeter. The lights display most of the available modes. During game play, one of these lights is usually blinking. Hitting the bumpers will move the blinking light around the perimeter of the door. You can start a mode of whatever light is blinking by hitting the kicker under the piano. The kicker under the slot machine may also start the modes randomly also. Any mode that you complete will change the blinking light to be lit solid. There are more rules but this will get you started.
The quality of the original voice quotes was pretty bad but Francisco probably used the best available audio files at the time. I reworked the audio to provide a much cleaner sound. I found about 7 or 8 different versions of audio so I selected the best sounds from each. The new sounds are included in the new library, DIMENSION_SONIDOS.
When I got to the music, I decided to provide two versions of music libraries in addition to the original music. All three music libraries have the same name but I changed the case of some of the letters so you can identify the version. All of the libraries are compatible with the older versions of the table. You can only save one of these versions of the music to your library folder at a time so you might want to save them the other versions to a subfolder.
Original Remix - DIMENSION_MUSICA.fpl
Alternate - DIMension_musica.fpl
Rock - DIMENSion_musica.fpl
I added Shiva flippers to this table that are switchable to the standard Gimli/George dynamic flippers. Shiva flippers have more power in the center of the flippers than at the tip and base. The Gimli/George flippers has the least power at the tip and the most power at the base. I also added a flipper rotation speed chart that I think will be used for the first time on this table. I am using a slightly modified version of a chart that JLou5641 developed. The chart changes the way a flipper accelerates and moves. It helps to improve the accuracy of the shots. I recommend that you try the options for physics in the menu shortly after you download the table because it doesn't take long for your mind to get locked into a certain way of playing the table. There is also menu switchable music that play the original rock song, "The Twilight Zone". It will replace some of the music selections in the music libraries listed above.
There are a few changes I made that couldn't be done when the table was created. The real table has a "power ball" that is made of white ceramic and is much lighter than a steel ball. When this FP table was built, a white ball was impossible to create so they offered a choice of different colored balls. For this table, I created a white ball using a photograph of an ceramic ball used on the real table. I also changed the physics of it when it is released onto the table so it is lighter.
My friend, AnonTet, performed a lot of testing on this table but he also figured out a way to make the dynamic flippers more efficient. This became necessary when I tried to add Wild's code that adds a sound when the ball hits the flipper. Wild also made a change to the model used on the side blades. He took a model that had the best fit I could find and made it fit perfectly.
I added two new table loading textures that you can select on the Table Information screen of the FP editor:
LoadingLandscape – For desktop usage
LoadingPortrait – For pinball cabinet usage
Of course, the table has the same lighting options I have added to other tables. I added a spotlight for the first time on the miniplayfield. It will probably use it again on other tables.
Included in the download is a zip file that contains a file that changes the unlit pixels of the DMD. It changes the color of them to be the same color as the background. If you choose to use it, it must remain zipped, have the same name as the table and be placed in the same folder as the table.
You can download a different version of the table that is called "rotated display". This is for a desktop PC with a single monitor that can be rotated so the monitor is in portrait format. You will have to download here because I am only able to upload one file on this forum:
https://pinballnirva...ally-1993.6028/
Pat Lawlor designed a beautiful table that really needs no enhancements. If you play this table a lot, you might get tired of the same music so I added some options there. Even though Slamt1lt added some video and music, the game play of this table is the same as the original. My objective here was to make the table look, sound and perform better. I think you will agree that this objective has been met. I hope you enjoy it!
More detail about the development of this mod is available at this link:
https://pinballnirva...ght-zone.20208/
George
Click here to download this file
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