WELCOME
TO THE FIRST EVER STERN PINBALL NEWSLETTER
STERN AND PLD UNITE TO MAKE MONOPOLY PINBALL
The best-selling board game in history is now the
hottest pinball machine on the boardwalk.
The MONOPOLY pinball game is Stern Pinball's first collaboration
with Pat Lawlor Design. Pat Lawlor, designer of The Addams Family
and
Twilight Zone and several other of the most successful pinball
machines of all-time, along with his team of Mechanical Engineer
John
Krutsch and Software Engineers Louis Zoziarz and Greg Dunlap,
have put
together a pinball machine worth its weight in $$$. Featuring
Free
Parking, Electric Company, and Break the Bank ramp shots, a
MONOPOLY
game board in the center of the playfield, and the voice of
MR. MONOPOLY
making all sales final, MONOPOLY pinball is classic and modern
pinball
all wrapped up into one.
In this, the first Stern Pinball Newsletter, we have interviewed
Pat Lawlor on MONOPOLY pinball and a few other things as well.
Let's
hear what he had to say.
STERN NEWS: Pat, what led you to become a pinball designer?
PAT LAWLOR: I had been working in the coin-op business since
1980
when I was hired by a group that was part of Bally to do video
games.
That lasted until the industry's video collapse in 1984. In
1986, I met
one of Williams' premier software designers, Larry DeMar, and
we built a
prototype for what was to become Banzai Run. Larry sold the
idea to
Williams and I began my career as a pinball designer at that
point.
SN: What do you feel are some of the key elements that go into
making a great pinball machine?
PL: Great coin-op games by definition are those which collect
the
most money for their operators. Everything we do is designed
to enhance
the player's experience so that he is willing to spend as much
time as
possible with the game. The game MUST be challenging, but not
intimidating. It must also be accessible so that a great deal
of time
need not be spent learning its basic elements. Once those elements
are
learned, however, the game must have enough depth to earn for
its
operator for an extended period. All of this is a balancing
act that is
carried out with the goal of a fun game that hopefully translates
into a
strong collecting career for the piece.
SN: Having been the designer of such classic hits as The Addams
FamilyAE and Twilight ZoneAE, how would you characterize the
MONOPOLY
pinball? Is this a continuation of your past work, or is MONOPOLY
pinball something new altogether?
PL: Everything that is done in Pinball is a continuation of
the
games that have come before. The game (Pinball) has been in
its current
form, more or less, for 50+ years. I have been lucky enough
to work with
and learn from some of the pinball greats. People like Steve
Kordek,
Steve Ritchie, Larry DeMar, and others. So yes, MONOPOLY pinball
is a
continuation of mine and other peoples work.
SN: Could you tell us a little bit about your newest game,
MONOPOLY pinball?
PL: It isn't often that a game designer has the opportunity
to do
a variation on a classic theme. MONOPOLY pinball allowed us
to do a
three-dimensional representation of the items contained in the
MONOPOLY
board game. Railroads, the utilities, rolling the dice, and
the very
concept of passing GO are all included in our pinball machine.
The
challenge in the design of the game was to keep the game simple
enough
for a casual player, yet deep enough for the dedicated street
player. We
think we have accomplished that to a large degree. The shots
and rules
are such that just shooting the ball around the playfield will
start
various fun things. But to be really good at the game a player
must come
back again and again. This translates to strong earnings for
an
operator. It was an honor to design for the MONOPOLY license
and we hope
players have as much fun playing as we did making the game.
SN: Thank you Pat for taking the time to speak with us and much
success with MONOPOLY pinball and any other future projects
you have in
store.
PL: Well thank you for this opportunity to speak with you and
everyone in the pinball community.
TIPS AND TRICKS #1
THE BUBBLE LEVEL IS BACK!
From the MONOPOLY pinball onward, you will notice that there
is a
level located on the lower right side of each playfield. This
level
allows for accurate pitch adjustment of the playfield. And without
proper playfield pitch, the game can either play too fast or
too slow.
The bubble level will, therefore, help you maximize revenue
and keep
your pinball machine challenging and fun for a longer period
of time.
QUOTE OF THE MONTH
"The
ball is wild!"
-Harry Williams
MONOPOLY AND MR. MONOPOLY are trademarks of Hasbro, Inc.
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