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never owned a pin want to create my own

leftramprightorbit

New Member
Apr 5, 2016
7
1
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58
SCARBOROUGH, ONTARIO
Hello all, I'm a local casual pay for play pinball player and am shopping for a house that will have room for a pinball machine.

When I read about the operating system that can reprogram machines (I can't remember the name of it right now) it peaked my interest in buying my own machine.

Here's what I'd like to do, and any input and resource direction from this community would be most appreciated:

Buy one of any number of flow machines I like that the operating system is compatible with.
Have someone install and replace any parts that will make the machine play ridiculously fast.

Have someone program and install the software I want. The game rules I want are relatively simple compared to modern rulesets. It's basically two modes. A race mode where you complete shots to finish stages. The other is a multiball ball mode where every switch is lit for a reward and a collect reward has to be shot.

So a relatively simple Ruleset plus music, sounds and lights and all the other elements of a complete machine. Except for callouts. Don't like em.

All this can be done without physically altering the machine, if it turns out as enjoyable as I think it will be, I'd like the playfield and back glass re-themed.

The questions I have are:

Has anyone local done something like this or have the skills to do it? Programmers are easy to find but I imagine a non pinball programmer
Could use a hand from someone who has a thorough knowledge of pinball controls and operating systems.

The other questions are what are your guys rates for work like this? Would it be an hourly thing or would someone quote on blocks of the project?

If anyone has the time to fill in the blanks and tell me how doable they think it is, I'd be most appreciative.
 

leftramprightorbit

New Member
Apr 5, 2016
7
1
3
58
SCARBOROUGH, ONTARIO
For sure, but how much? I'd be willing to spent the money up to certain point. Let's break it down a bit just to get an idea. What would someone charge to unpopulate a playfield, remove it and put it all back together after I've put the graphics on it?
 

Menace

Well-Known Member
Staff member
Nov 14, 2012
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Santiago de Aurora
That is essentially a playfield swap, and I charge my clients 1K minimum for a PF swap. (this is top and bottom teardown, which might be required depending on how you plan to apply custom graphics)

D
 

SuperPinball

Active Member
Feb 3, 2015
348
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Richmond Hill
So if I understand you correctly, you want to buy a machine where someone grabs all the parts and assembles it for you as well as have a guy program it for you with some sort of rule set. Hmmm...... couple of guys I know that fit the bill are Gary Stern and Jersey Jack.;)
 

leftramprightorbit

New Member
Apr 5, 2016
7
1
3
58
SCARBOROUGH, ONTARIO
Yeah for sure. If it could happen on a machine like no fear for somewhere around the price of a new premium I'd rather do that. The thing I want to try is instead of a score it's a race to complete the stages in the lowest time. The multiball mode awards reductions in your time when you complete the next stage. I pretty much love hitting combos and I'm not big on the adolescent themes and trying to rack up scores by stacking this and that.
 

mwong168

Administrator
Staff member
Nov 14, 2012
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Toronto
I recommend reading the following custom pinball builds from scratch threads:

The Nightmare Before Christmas
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/the-nightmare-before-christmas

Wrath of Olympus
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/wrath-of-olympus-original-custom-pinball-development

This should give you an idea of what resources and time are required to build your own custom pinball machine. If you want to take an existing WPC game you like the "flow" off like No Fear and swap in a P-ROC to write a new rule set you can too.

Here is another thread showing you how you can breathe some new life in an older game Williams Sys11a game

Pinbot 2.0 P-ROC Edition
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/annoucing-pinbot-20-p-roc-edition
 

leftramprightorbit

New Member
Apr 5, 2016
7
1
3
58
SCARBOROUGH, ONTARIO
Thanks for the threads, some nice machines happening there. For myself, the p-roc is what I'm interested in.

So the basic idea is a good shop of the machine and someone to code the p-roc. I'll write the Ruleset, get the music and sound effect files and I'll need someone to code it. I'd rather pay someone to code it than try it myself.

If that goes well, I'll decide whether or not to re-theme the playfield.

Thanks for the info.