2020 TWIPYs Ballot

I started July 2019 Aladdin because I always wanted to do that remake and noticed that it was a wpc 95 game instead of the older wpc system. For my version from TOTAN Aladdin I wanted the jets always accessible because I like jets. Second, I don't like the lucky shot in the harem in the original. So I placed it right near the Genie (sneakin) that you can shoot for it for 2ball multiball. and shoot the jets to get a big jackpot value. And I always want as many shots I can fit on a playfield. To do that I had to lower the playfield so I can fit the Genie lower under the glass. And reinvented the genie meg (magnet is in the genie) and made a hatch to get more space. Now I have space to make some extra shots. I also like more flippers,the upper left extra flipper is needed in my version for the sneakin and extra ball and lock. AND LAST, the original is too easy to finish the wizard mode. In my version you have to battle to win, you can't wait for the genie almost to win and try again you will lose.

Some 18 months ago I embarked on a long project idea that had been sitting with me for a while. Building a Mad Max pinball. It has finally come to its finish in December 2020. I wanted it to be based solely on the original movie as this is my favourite by far. I tossed around the idea of a scratch build with a pc based system but my knowledge in this area was limited ( and still is). Maybe for Mad Max 2... So I decided to retheme Getaway as it seemed a perfect fit. The blower being the obvious, but the rule base and layout worked as well. I actually built two machines, one for my brother and one for me. Sadly his circumstances changed and now his is in the hands of a local guy who is a Mad Max nut so it is in good hands and he has done his own thing with mods and lighting

I decided to build the cab from scratch to get the best finish possible, rather than restore the old cabs. These were made in Furniture grade A/B ply with the help of an old school friend who now works in a cnc shop. I took all my ideas and sketches to a local playfield restorer. He translated these into the overlay which was attached to a brand new repro playfield with custom inserts and then cleared etc. I commissioned two friends to assist with the art for the cab and plastics etc. My graphic skills are limited to pencil and paper and mspaint at a push. They translated my ideas and sketches perfectly. Also commissioned a great guy to help with the animation changes by means of pin2dmd.....a very long and expensive process but the results are great. I put about 120 hours of programming into the pinsound mix and shaker routines. I think the highlight is the ball waiting with the machine physically rumbling like V8. The blower was hand cut, folded and polished on my workbench.

The essence of the game is the traffic lights have changed to the bad guys, Nightrider, Bubba and Johnny the boy which you have to kill one by one and then the final scene is the Tocutter chase.

The Steamboat Willie pinball machine combines the nostalgic feel of classic pinball with the sights and sounds of a modern machine. It features the warm hum and vibrations of electromagnetic flippers and bumpers while your game status is displayed on a video screen along with the full-motion video of the beloved first appearance of Mickey Mouse. The gameplay has the classic objective of hitting targets to increase your score but adds modern scenarios and shot combinations in order to add multipliers and extra balls. Enter "Save Minnie Mode" and attempt to turn on the crane to save your love and earn an extra ball. "Musical Mouse Mode" allows you to double your score while Mickey uses household items and the occasional animal to play a song.

The playfield art contains sharpened images from the classic cartoon lit by warm white LEDs giving this machine a roaring 20's feel. The only color displayed is the pair of red/green lights that indicate the status of the crane while in "Save Minnie Mode". The display is a 19-inch LED monitor. The topper features a 3D printed statue of the iconic Disney character and a pair of working smokestacks (humidifiers) that puff out a small cloud every few seconds. The game runs using a set of custom scripts in NodeJS powering an Arduino board. The display is a local HTML5 webpage that responds to the inputs from the switches allowing synchronized video and music. Finally, a camera records the players' game during various achievements to allow the player to relive key moments of their experience.

Steamboat Willie was on display at the Louisville Arcade Expo where it was playtested by hundreds of players. This easy to learn, difficult to master game was a hit with little kids experiencing their first pinball action and seasoned pros playing a modern take on an old classic formula. The global pandemic prevented the machine from making the rounds this year, so the fan base for the game has been limited to the Ohio Valley region. As events start popping back up, this game will get the plays it desperately wants.

We, 3 friends who come together every friday started our journey as The Pinball Amigos , who started this Crazy Mansion build after successfully finishing “Despicable Me Pinball Maddness”. We had no clue if we could pull it off but we got it working and flipping.

We really wanted to put our new found skills to the test and started on build nr.2 , Crazy Mansion. In short: -hand build cabinet and backbox -this machine is an abandoned insane asylum owned by lord Grimm. -lord Grimm is a powerful spirit who up till this day holds the deceased patients of the crazy mansion hostage. -your object in the game is to free the wandering spirits in the Crazy Mansion by lowering lord Grimm’s paranormal activity meter....thát moment is the window to free a patient. -2 of the ghost patients are situated in the animated backbox and have servo controlled facial movements. -the backbox also features opening and closing front doors and emit real smoke during this motion. -4 servo controlled rattling shutters -a ufo flying over the mansion backbox with a rotating green minion in it(a blink to our first build) -a servo controlled evil eye(lord grimm) that follows you. -plus a ton of rgb to light the backbox in different colors per mode. The playfield features: -4 directions of playfield (east west north south) -a real flying ufo that “abducts you” (the ball) with its electromagnet. -a playfield mansion that rises from the playfield -a coffin that steals your ball during gameplay and drains it. -a lower playfield that lowers to reveal full screen lcd during animations -6 flippers and 6 flipper buttons -a 3d printed blinder mech from France to cover the main flippers at times -a trapdoor ramp with 3 ball lock. -a fireplace bash toy created by Swinks. -as said,a smoke machine that also fills the playfield with smoke and 4 fans in the backboard to clear it.

We had a lot of fun building it and will attend upcoming shows after corona wherever we get invited.

My game Dragonballz has an Electro Mechanical heart beat with some off the shelf solid state flare for sounds and relay timing, it's using around 60 relays to accomplish all the features and rules. If you make all the top Lanes then shoot Goku you turn super saiyan and the whole game turns yellow enabling the spinners on my 1 point scoring system which is huge. There is also a 2x scoring feature for a time shooting the top loop. The chimes mixed in with sound effects are certainly fresh. This "street level" game took me a total of three months from start to this point, I just have to send home the art package, it's playing the way I envisioned!

Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball is "The game that should have been" in the 90's when Sega was making pinball. Now Sonic super-fan turned designer Ryan McQuaid is bringing it to life. He combines new and old ideas to make a unique experience that is both innovative and familiar.

Speed through flowing ramps, a metal loop, a custom (moving!) horizontal spinner, and colorful game worlds as your favorite blue hedgehog. With the unique speed based multiplier system you won't ever want to slow down! Defeat the evil Dr. Robonik and save your animal friends! Batteries not included.

Gottlieb's Gladiators was meant to be Legend of Zelda but the project's theme got shifted around several times. All that remained of Zelda was the Gladiators playfield. Years ago, I contacted Jon Norris asking for a little input and he told me the SNES classic was to be the source theme. I love A Link to the Past and it's my personal favorite Zelda game, so I went for it. I started this project not knowing what I was getting into, never having once coded anything in my life. In 2015, I obtained a rough shape Gladiators and began the transformation. The entire game has been rewired, re-coded, and given a larger display to help tell the story while the player progresses. This machine is powered by FAST Pinball and uses MPF for all the new code. The rules of the game are designed for very linear progression. You must follow the prompts on screen to finish modes, sometimes shot for shot, before continuing on to others. This game is not coded to be endless, you can beat it, if you can reach the end. Zelda has been to SFGE the last 3 years and was fully playable in 2019.