5 replies to this topic

[anthias]

LH9 will feature the most ambitious ramp build in the LH saga to date. Donor table still under consideration.

The album for LH9 is now complete and available in mp3 form from the bands Mega, linked at lunarhowlmusic.wordpress.com.

This is an album entirely written by Sakura, with the support of the full band and my own careful input. It is a gentle but deeply honest exploration of her internal world of learned survival patterns, identity, and the slow process of stepping out of long-held ways of seeing herself. At its core, it is about the emergence of an interior self that was previously kept hidden, and the shift from performance to presence.

That philosophy heavily shaped the design direction of the table itself.

The central theme of LH9 is:
systems learning how to exist together without being forced into order.

LH9s core mechanic is built around an evolving network of ramps, diverters, hidden pathways and unfolding geometry that gradually transforms across the game.

The table begins intentionally sparse and readable classic SS-inspired geometry with isolated shots, open space, and simple flow. But as pack phases progress, new pathways begin opening:

* hidden VUKs emerge,
* flat ramps unfold into the playfield,
* diverters gain new routing options,
* and separate shots begin overlapping and interconnecting.

What starts as two distinct ramps slowly becomes three, then four, then five interconnected flow paths each tied to different wolves and pack identities, each changing how the table moves and breathes.

The goal is not traditional mode progression. The table is designed to feel increasingly alive and relational as play continues:
not a machine unlocking content,
but a system learning new ways to move.

Importantly, the table never fully resolves into rigid structure. Pathways intersect, drift, reconnect and partially compete. The player is not mastering a fixed layout so much as participating inside an evolving one.

Mechanically and thematically, LH9 is designed to mirror the album itself:
messy, tangled, personal, alive and ultimately unarranged.

Attached Files

•  IMG_0139.jpeg   244.87KB   0 downloads

Edited by anthias, 27 May 2026 - 01:10 AM.

[anthias]

Donor table confirmed: Space Invaders (Bally 1978) It has the correct geometry to support the folding ramp structure I envisioned above. Might take some time but it’s going to be amazing.

[Breadbox64]

Sounds absolutely incredible! Pretty sure I will create a seperate  Lunar Howl section when I setup a frontend on my machine.

[anthias]

While developing is slowed down here is something for those interested:

https://lunarhowlmus...coming-a-story/

Its a companion piece to the album Im slowly releasing. The first two parts of five (possibly 6) are up already.
From the page description:


This is a dramatised retelling of events surrounding the creation of LH9. While presented as prose, it is drawn from the conversations, discoveries, and moments that shaped the album as it emerged. It is not intended as a definitive history, but as a companion piece: the story behind a story.

LH9 did not begin with a song.

It began with a cup of tea.

-

And of course dont forget the full album can be downloaded from the mega link on that sites homepage or heard a track at a time on TikTok via lunarhowlmusic.


Crossing fingers I can get table building happening again soon.

[anthias]

 Sakura LH9 beginning.png   256.07KB   0 downloads

I have migrated my pinball related materials off the VP cabinet which is now retired until such time as finances improve, and recommenced table development at a much slower pace on my desktop. SO this is underway again and the unfolding ramp structure has begun to take shape.

[anthias]

Table so far (full ramp assembly not unfolded in this photo but yes its all done! )  IMG_0267.jpeg   210.61KB   1 downloads