Quoted from OTTOgd

If we bring a pin, what are the chances it will get engraved (OZZY RULEZ), gum collected underneath and/or trashed?

I guess the real question is, should we bring a Bally and keep the Gottliebs safe at home??? Graffiti might actually raise the value of a classic Stern - adds character!

Hey my Fathom has AC/DC scribed on the side! Must be worth a fortune now  ......Oh yeah........there was some gum underneath it too  

Quoted from shock_me

Oh yeah........there was some gum underneath it too  

Congrats! Hopefully it wasn't Big League Chew? Bubblicious retains its flavour much better. Watermelon + me = big fan.

Quoted from Vengeance

That's not true at all, there are any number of items that make a good tournament game.  

You don't want games with repeatable shots, you don't want games where one feature is way overpowering in the scoring.  Games with cumulative jackpots are also bad for tournaments.  

Examples of games that make really bad tournament games:

No Fear
Star Wars
Champion Pub
Theater of Magic
Revenge From Mars
Etc, Etc

Can you provide some quick reasons why those games are not good for tourneys? I'm curious.

Quoted from jonny_eh

Can you provide some quick reasons why those games are not good for tourneys? I'm curious.

NF & ST:TNG

Both fall into the category of the wizard mode being worth more then anything else and it is fairly easy to get there.  If you watch my ST:TNG video on you tube, you'll see I employ the same method of starting a mode, catching the ball, and the waiting for the mode to timeout.  I take it one step further in the video and try and complete the mode to gain an artifact to increase my wizard mode score, but it turns the game into an exercise in tedium.  Start the mode, catch the ball, wait, lather rinse repeat.  

CP
I like this game but it's HORRIBLE for a tournament.  Reason is the only thing worth doing is catching the ball and shooting it into the left saucer, over and over and over again.  Reason is it up's your purse value by 500,000 every time after the first fight.  So your rack up your purse value to say 15 million, so think about it, that's 30 shots to the scoop and nothing else.  Then you lock the ball and choose 2x Purse value on the skill shot now your purse is 30 million.  Lock another ball and your purse value is 60 million, start your fight and win and bang 60 million.  Again it's another excersice in tedium and it gets to a point where once one person does it everyone has to for risk of not being able to score as effectivly.  

TOM
Common misconception with TOM, shot the trunk, shoot the trunk.  Actually what you should be doing is shooting the left orbit and nothing else. Left orbits spot Theater letters, it also spots multipliers, it also starts a 50 million hurry up and if you do it over and over again you are building up combos.  The theater letters add toward your bonus and since you are getting X's as well, it makes for massive bonus counts upwards of 500 million or more, so you end up with players doing nothing but shooting the left loop over and over again and once one person does it every starts because you need to be able to keep up with the scoring.  

RFM
Similar problem as TOM, only thing worth shooting for is the lock shot.  If you have a good working RFM where the lock shot registers reliably. Shot the lock shot, catch the ball, shoot the lock shot, lock a ball.  Pass the ball over, rinse repeat.  It's a much safer shot then anything else on the machine, bashing at the modes on the middle targets is very risky as keeping control of the ball is difficult, so players take the safe bet.  

Playing in a tournament is very different then playing at home or even in a league.  Where there is big cash prizes on the line, repition be dammed, you are going to do what you need to do to win that game, even if it is an exercise in tedium.  

That's why tournament organizers strive to use games that are good for tournaments where no one strategy dominates play, so you don't end up in a situation where all players do is shoot one shot, over and over and over again.  

Adam, I'd love to hear your thoughts on Stargate (seriously).  I noticed that getting to Wizard mode is similar to your description of STTNG

Quoted from machine.slave

Adam, I'd love to hear your thoughts on Stargate (seriously).  I noticed that getting to Wizard mode is similar to your description of STTNG

And I'd love to share my opinion, but I don't have one.  I have yet to ever play a fully working Stargate so I don't really have any kind of opinion on the game.  

Bowen wrote a great article on bad Tournament games, that is where my information on the RFM came from

http://tiltwarning.com/blog/2010/01/tournament-approaches-one-hit-wonders/

Thanks for the explanations and link!

Quoted from Vengeance

Bowen wrote a great article on bad Tournament games, that is where my information on the RFM came from

http://tiltwarning.com/blog/2010/01/tournament-approaches-one-hit-wonders/

Thanks, Adam, for effectively destroying the fun-factor on many of my favorite pins. Now, who wants to buy my CBW?

jk. Sort of. Unfortunately, like the HD on the LOTR LE, I will never look at these games the same way knowing their design 'weaknesses'. It's kinda nice knowing ahead of time (before buying them). I have considered waiting out the modes on my CBW but where's the fun in that? But, like you mentioned, when the tournament is on, you gotta do what you gotta do.

Bowen also mentions Police Force's main ramp millions. I understand its failing but easy to choke with that darn cumulative music but I still think it's exciting. Although I suppose that would ebb over time.

Quoted from OTTOgd

Thanks, Adam, for effectively destroying the fun-factor on many of my favorite pins. Now, who wants to buy my CBW?

jk. Sort of. Unfortunately, like the HD on the LOTR LE, I will never look at these games the same way knowing their design 'weaknesses'. It's kinda nice knowing ahead of time (before buying them). I have considered waiting out the modes on my CBW but where's the fun in that? But, like you mentioned, when the tournament is on, you gotta do what you gotta do.

I think the key is also having the skill to make the same shot 30 - 40 times in a row.. which I don't have, so these exploits don't apply to me  (yet)  

Quoted from OTTOgd

Thanks, Adam, for effectively destroying the fun-factor on many of my favorite pins. Now, who wants to buy my CBW?

You still have your slam tilt option