Anti-Game Request (anti-cheat sheet) Thread

[websherpa]

I'm curious to know if there are any other player/collectors who, like me, are PURPOSELY NOT reading Adam's (apparently) terrific posts on how to master and exploit the vulnerabilities on specific pinball games to achieve higher scores! :lol:

No offence intended or implied, and Adam knows I like to rib him, but... I "almost" snuck a read at the STTNG thread , but when I perceived the words "flawed" and "exploit" I immediately scrolled to the bottom to read Chris' comment then clicked away. Not before I caught a glimpse of a couple DMD image spoilers. :FP:

Since I'm not a league / tournament player, (well I like the occasional league play but am not a "regular") and because I get bored easily with games that I have "discovered" all the modes, I like to purposely remain innocent, in-the-dark about a game's charms, modes and exploits until I discover them for myself through play. Likewise I no longer review the game play sheets (or even the rule set in the manuals) that are available for each game.

That means that there are some modes I may never see or achieve. It's one reason STTNG remains intriguing to me (it was my grail machine), I don't even know how to acheive some of the hidden DMD features (which are button click sequences I think ). I think that's the reason games stay longer in my collection if I store them at friend's houses... I don't give myself much of a chance to play any one game to death. I have done this, and then proceeded to sell or trade away some games that I now truly miss.

Are there others out there that take this "preserve my innocence" approach to Adam's forum section (and/or similar sources of insight into a machine's scoring vulnerabilities).

 

[frolic]

I find my brain just doesn't retain those types of details on games, nor do I play that way. Adam showed me the TOM exploit on my machine when I owned it, but I honestly never played a single game that way even afterwards.

I realize that means I will never be a super competitive player and be ranked anywhere, but that is ok, there are lots of reasons to enjoy pinball, so for me it ends at the fun of playing. TOPL is a fun night out because it gets me out of the house and there are worse things in the world than hanging out talking pinball for 3 hours .

 

[DRANO]

I'd be happy just understanding the rules/objectives on some games and leave the exploits out of the discussion.
There are games that I have shyed away from simply because I didn't get them. Having someone explain them to me has often resulted in a much greater appreciation for the title... sometimes even leading me to buy one (Shadow: case in point).

There are plenty of pins that I'd love to learn more about. Take RBION for example. I walk up to that game and nothing makes sense to me :?

 

[REVOLUTION]

There are plenty of pins that I'd love to learn more about. Take RBION for example. I walk up to that game and nothing makes sense to me :?

That's because it's a Lawlor :lol:

But seriously, I appreciate Adam's point of view on games and do enjoy reading his articles.. but honestly most exploits require you to make the same shot over and over again, which is a skill I simply don't have. I'm lucky to make the same shot twice, let alone 20 times. I'm just not that good of a player. But you know what, I'm ok with that. These exploits really only apply if you're playing for points anyway. Some could argue "what's the point in playing if you're not playing for points?". Well since I'm not a consistent player, I'd rather try and play to "beat the game". I guess this comes more from my love for videogames, I didn't learn to appreciate pins until about 6 years ago. I see the wizard mode as the "final boss", and I love the rush of making it to that stage and trying to keep the ball alive. It also makes it that much more exciting to me when I actually DO hit the same shot twice.

To each their own though. Adam is a competitive player, so I can appreciate that points mean most to him.

 

[DRANO]

I don't mind learning about an exploit, so to speak.
But I prefer to know all about a particular game and then decide for myself if it's something I want to spend time on. Or maybe I'll look at the game differenty as a result.

That's one thing I love about Bowen's PAPA videos. For the most part, he offers a well balanced review of the pin. He shows you what most guys will do in competition and often moves onto other approaches that, while they may not be AS lucrative, still offer a decent alternative to the competitive player who may have a different style or strength... all the while, still showing you almost everything the table has to offer.

With my Banzai Run hopefully being ready in a few weeks, I spent 30 minutes last night watching him review that game. It was awesome!

 

[WARLOCK]

I like "skimming" Adam's review's. They are a good read.
I don't dwell on all the exploits, and I don't pay much
attention to the rules. I would rather play the pin and
figure it out over time, then decide to like it or not.

I don't intend to compete until 2015. I will read and
review the rules for pins approaching that time, but
not much before that. Fixing things in 2014 is the goal.

I have never watched a pinball gameplay video yet either.
Looking forward to Bowen tutorials in about a year or so.

 

[brewmanager]

I will confess that watching the wh20 papa video gave me some really valuable tips when I owned one.

I won't pretend to be in Adams league, but I do enjoy playing for points to try and better my score.

 

[Chris Bardon]

I will confess that watching the wh20 papa video gave me some really valuable tips when I owned one.

That video was actually what pushed me over the edge to buy the game in the first place.

 

[websherpa]

Everyone has their own approach and story, Adam has a very unique, enjoyable and valid story to tell, that's his forte.

My fear is actually less about high scoring exploits than it is about learning all about a game without actually playing it ( or worse yet after I have acquired it). If I know that a shot or mode is there to be had, and I learn how to make it, the game is a little less magical to me (as a lone player; competition with friends is a very different thing).

I find nothing more enjoyable about playing than discovering a new mode, new music, a new shot, new DMD video - it immediately renews my interest in playing a game more, and pushes me to play better.

So I rather enjoy not knowing a lot about a game before buying or playing it and have gone through quit a few turds this way. But hey, as much as it can be disappointing to learn that a game doesn't have depth or appeal, it makes sense for me as I have come to appreciate games that others never used to take second looks at.

I still generally watch an amateur video or two before acquiring a game to get a flavour for It, if I can't play it, but often I have passed over available games that I HAVE played at league or friends just to acquire a game I have never played before.

Admittedly, not being exceptionally skilled keeps games interesting for me because I too can't hit the same shot more than 4 or 5 times in a row before I am distracted by the pretty lights and sounds and drain SDTM.

However I have learned two truisms (for me). Games I have passed on previously that I found difficult are my new gold. Hard May mean some frustration, but it also means longevity in a collection. And the other truism, for me, is that the best game experiences come for me with any game where only one out of every four or five games is a relative high scoring one. Any higher ratio and I used to get frustrated and pass on playing it, and any lower ration and I tend to get bored and sell it on.