3 replies to this topic

[jpsalas]

File Name: Close Encounters of the Third Kind EM (Gottlieb 1978)

File Submitter: jpsalas

File Submitted: 30 Sep 2025

File Category: VPX Recreations

Author(s): jpsalas
Manufacturer: Gottlieb
Year: 1978
Permission to MOD?: Yes, with approval

Based on the table by Gottlieb from 1978.
 
VPX, B2S and graphics by me.
Feel free to enhance the B2S  And thanks to Halen for the new B2S
 
The ROTO targets animation is from the Bord's mod of the SS table by Pinuck

Click here to download this file

[jpsalas]

New B2S file in the download!

 

Thanks Halen for the new B2S!

[haggi]

First of all, many thanks to jpsalas, Halen, Bord, Pinuck, and everyone else involved.
The implementation is going great. I'm thrilled.

Today I set up the table and the b2s on my notebook.
For my personal enjoyment: I made the b2s a little more colorful (not original but more like the table). 
Made some things a little bigger, and added light effects. I edited the image of the dmd and added a slight light effect.

 

For inspiration:
When playing with multiple players, I noticed that when you achieve a high score and lose the ball, the ball is released for the next player.
However, they cannot play because the flipper are not unlocked before the high score is entered.
I think it would be better to enter the high score only after all players have finished playing, or to release the next player only after the high score has been entered.

Since it's relatively easy to get 200,000 points, it would be nice if not only 100,000 were displayed in b2s
but also 200,000, 300,000, etc. I know this isn't available in the original, but it's virtual and I would appreciate it.

Attached Files

•  Close Encounters of the Third Kind EM (Gottlieb 1978) jp 1.0.0 Vpx8.jpg   125.07KB   0 downloads

[jpsalas]

About the highscore entry: I know that the way I scripted is not the best, but for now it is like this in all my tables. I'll see later if I can do something with it. Even after 20 years making tables I still struggle with this kind of programming based on events that can happen anytime

 

I also think that those EM tables, including this one, could benefit from an extra reel, 6 istedenfor 5, to show the real score. But all the people I have talked to prefer to keep the tables like the real ones. A good thing is that I can always make a "JP's ...." version