Pinball 2000
Encyclopedia
Pinball 2000 is the last pinball
hardware and software platform developed by major pinball manufacturer Williams
, and was used in the machines Revenge From Mars
(under the brand name Bally) and Star Wars Episode I
(under the brand name Williams) before Williams exited the pinball business on October 25, 1999. It is the successor to the Williams Pinball Controller
platform.
Unlike previous pinball machines, Pinball 2000 machines feature a computer monitor to display animations, scores, and other information. The player perceives this video to be integrated with the playfield, due to a mirrored playfield glass (utilizing an illusion called "Pepper's Ghost
") that reflects the monitor hung in the head of the machine. This allows the display of virtual game targets in the playfield's upper third that can be "hit" by the machine's physical steel ball. "Impacts" on these targets are detected by physical targets in the middle of the playfield, and by recognizing successful shots up the left and right ramps and orbits/loops.
This innovative integration of pinball and video was inspired by the Asteroids Deluxe arcade machine, which used a one-way mirror to add a static background graphic to the game's animated vector graphics.
Revenge from Mars, the first of the two released games, sold a promising 6,878 units. However, Star Wars Episode I suffered from a rushed and top-secret production cycle and sold only about half as many units (3,525), leading to Williams' decision to close down its historic pinball division.
Planned (unreleased)
Pinball
Pinball is a type of arcade game, usually coin-operated, where a player attempts to score points by manipulating one or more metal balls on a playfield inside a glass-covered case called a pinball machine. The primary objective of the game is to score as many points as possible...
hardware and software platform developed by major pinball manufacturer Williams
Williams (gaming company)
WMS Industries, Inc. is an American electronic gaming and amusement company based in Waukegan, Illinois. The company's main operating subsidiaries are WMS Gaming and Orion Gaming. WMS traces its roots as far back as 1943, the Williams Manufacturing Company, founded by Harry E. Williams...
, and was used in the machines Revenge From Mars
Revenge From Mars
Revenge from Mars is a 2000 pinball machine manufactured by Midway . It is the sequel to Attack from Mars, that also has the same theme....
(under the brand name Bally) and Star Wars Episode I
Star Wars Episode I (pinball)
Star Wars Episode I is a 1999 pinball game released by Williams and the second machine to use the Pinball 2000 hardware platform. It is based in the Star Wars film The Phantom Menace....
(under the brand name Williams) before Williams exited the pinball business on October 25, 1999. It is the successor to the Williams Pinball Controller
Williams Pinball Controller
The Williams Pinball Controller is an arcade system board used for several pinball games designed by Williams and Midway between 1990 and early-1999. It is the successor to their earlier System 11 hardware...
platform.
Unlike previous pinball machines, Pinball 2000 machines feature a computer monitor to display animations, scores, and other information. The player perceives this video to be integrated with the playfield, due to a mirrored playfield glass (utilizing an illusion called "Pepper's Ghost
Pepper's ghost
Pepper's ghost is an illusionary technique used in theatre and in some magic tricks. Using a plate glass and special lighting techniques, it can make objects seem to appear or disappear, transparent, or make one object seem to morph into another...
") that reflects the monitor hung in the head of the machine. This allows the display of virtual game targets in the playfield's upper third that can be "hit" by the machine's physical steel ball. "Impacts" on these targets are detected by physical targets in the middle of the playfield, and by recognizing successful shots up the left and right ramps and orbits/loops.
This innovative integration of pinball and video was inspired by the Asteroids Deluxe arcade machine, which used a one-way mirror to add a static background graphic to the game's animated vector graphics.
Revenge from Mars, the first of the two released games, sold a promising 6,878 units. However, Star Wars Episode I suffered from a rushed and top-secret production cycle and sold only about half as many units (3,525), leading to Williams' decision to close down its historic pinball division.
Technical details
- Computer: The machine's head contains an IBM-PC based computer consisting mainly of a BAT style PC mainboard running a CyrixCyrixCyrix Corporation was a microprocessor developer that was founded in 1988 in Richardson, Texas as a specialist supplier of high-performance math coprocessors for 286 and 386 microprocessors. The company was founded by former Texas Instruments staff members and had a long but troubled relationship...
Media GX CPU connected to a Cyrix CX5520 bridge. A PCI-PRISM card holds the game ROMRead-only memoryRead-only memory is a class of storage medium used in computers and other electronic devices. Data stored in ROM cannot be modified, or can be modified only slowly or with difficulty, so it is mainly used to distribute firmware .In its strictest sense, ROM refers only...
s and DCS2Digital Compression SystemDigital Compression System, or DCS, is a sound system developed by Williams Electronics. This advanced sound board, used for Williams and Bally pinball games and coin-op arcade video games by Midway Manufacturing, became the standard sound system for these names.The DCS Sound system was created by...
sound hardware. - Video: Pinball 2000 uses a 19-inch CGAColor Graphics AdapterThe Color Graphics Adapter , originally also called the Color/Graphics Adapter or IBM Color/Graphics Monitor Adapter, introduced in 1981, was IBM's first color graphics card, and the first color computer display standard for the IBM PC....
color monitor. It is possible to exchange the built-in monitor with an LCD display, provided it can handle the low refresh rate (15 kHz) and resolution (640x240) of an arcade CGA monitor. - Audio: DCS2 audio hardware provides full stereo output, compared to the old WPC system's mono. The Pinball 2000 cabinet was the first to be equipped with a real subwoofer, where prior machines used a less-expensive broadband speaker.
- Software management: Software can be updated via a serial cable connected to a second PC, so no ROM exchanges are necessary as in previous generations.
- Network support: Pinball 2000 machines can be networked, enabling them to be set up for game tournaments where each machine displays all highscores and even optional player pictures. It is also possible to play a machine from another computer—for example, over the Internet—using the TelnetTELNETTelnet is a network protocol used on the Internet or local area networks to provide a bidirectional interactive text-oriented communications facility using a virtual terminal connection...
protocol and a webcam. - Maintenance innovations: Broken lamps and fuses are listed in the service menu. Other broken hardware, such as switches and solenoids, are listed on the display and indicated on a playfield diagram.
- Quick game swapping: Playfields and software can be quickly swapped, theoretically enabling operators to convert an existing game into a new one in just 5 to 10 minutes. A conversion kit for Revenge from Mars was released so it could be converted into a Star Wars Episode I. The kit included a new playfield, ROMs, cabinet decals and a manual plunger.
Games
Released- Revenge From MarsRevenge From MarsRevenge from Mars is a 2000 pinball machine manufactured by Midway . It is the sequel to Attack from Mars, that also has the same theme....
(1999) - Star Wars Episode IStar Wars Episode I (pinball)Star Wars Episode I is a 1999 pinball game released by Williams and the second machine to use the Pinball 2000 hardware platform. It is based in the Star Wars film The Phantom Menace....
(1999)
Planned (unreleased)
- Wizard Blocks – A prototype exists, owned by Gene Cunningham/Illinois Pinball.
- Playboy –A prototype exists, owned by Gene Cunningham/Illinois Pinball.
- Wild Toys – Registered as a trademark to Williams Pinball but later abandoned in favor of Wizard Blocks.
- Monopoly – Stern later released their own (MonopolyMonopoly (pinball)Monopoly is a Stern pinball machine released in September 2001. It is based on the board game of the same name.-External links:**...
) pinball. Although it uses a traditional dot matrix display, rumours exist that it is otherwise based on the Pinball 2000 design.
Trivia
- The Pinball 2000 platform was originally designed to use a backbox video display (replacing the standard dot matrix display) but without the mirroring technique, as seen in Bally's Baby Pac Man and Granny and the Gators.
- The first-generation mockupMockupIn manufacturing and design, a mockup, or mock-up, is a scale or full-size model of a design or device, used for teaching, demonstration, design evaluation, promotion, and other purposes...
prototype of the Pinball 2000 architecture was called Holopin. It used main designer George GomezGeorge GomezGeorge Gomez is an industrial designer, video game designer, and pinball designer who has worked for Bally, Williams, and Stern Pinball, among other companies. He worked on the team that created the Tron video game, and headed the team that created Spy Hunter. In 1984 after the 1983 video game...
's old AmigaAmigaThe Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
computer to drive the video display, and a No Good GofersNo Good GofersNo Good Gofers is a Williams pinball machine released in December 1997.-External links:**...
whitewood prototype playfield.
External links
- Pinball 2000 official site
- TILT: The Battle to Save Pinball, a documentary that tells the story of the development of Pinball 2000.
- myPinballs Tournament System - Live tournament system for Pinball 2000 games
- Nucore - The Pinball 2000 emulation project