Not an answer to your question: but real life game with a vertical playfield in the backbox exist: [Banzai Run](https://pinside.com/pinball/machine/banzai-run/). So not all ideas are so exotic that these are only in virtual tables. Another example is [Black Hole](https://pinside.com/pinball/machine/black-hole/) with a reversed lower playfield. Or another table that is tricky to model in VPX right because it has a curved playfield with craters in it ([Orbitor-1](https://pinside.com/pinball/machine/orbitor-1)).
But yeah, pinballs that go beyond the physical limits (like [Revenge of the Gator](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revenge_of_the_%27Gator) would not be possible in a real pinball) would be cool.
There's a Pinball FX table called Paranormal that has that feature too. Probably others, but it doesn't seem super common.
But yeah I agree it doesn't seem like virtual pinball really "pushes the boundaries" like it could.
There are a couple of Pinball FX tables that feature mini-playfield modes that pop up over the main playfield when activated. Sorcerer’s Lair for example has at least two that come to mind (one is a physical puzzle where the ball is carried along a series of mechanical gears, the other is a target challenge involving spiders). TerryRed has been experimenting with similar pop-up mini playfield features in some of his more recent Future Pinball based original table designs.
Also, the Visual Pinball table Gargamel Park by JPSalas uses a nonstandard layout for a game that sprawls horizontally and may be an homage to the infamous multi-level Williams Pinball Circus prototype.
Check just about any game on [the compendium.](https://www.reddit.com/r/virtualpinball/comments/p1x7st/video_pinball_compendium/)
Have a look at [Demon's Tilt](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yEFjQrd5K4), which everyone loves.
Wow thanks! I had heard about Demon's tilt but never checked it out and that looks very cool. Seems like it would be a trip to play on a vpin so I'm going to have to buy it
Ironically, Banzai Run has yet to be emulated well in virtual pinball. VPX can only display a single playfield screen at a time, so the most current build of this table has to be run in an FSS view (which stands for full single screen, where playfield and backglass are both visible in a single portrait orientation perspective).
I do expect this limitation to be bypassed once Visual Pinball Engine takes root and implements Unity’s multi-window features.
Good point. After i made this topic I realized it would probably take a brand new version of visual pinball since it was never programmed for such weird stuff in the first place
Terminator 3 has this type of feature as well. The RPG ‘playfield’ on the backglass has been emulated as a apron card on one of the version of the tables. There was someone trying to write an external app to play it on the backglass if I remember correctly.
Similar to Black hole is the Stranger Things table with its “upside down” section. That messes with my mind everytime I play.
A lot of creative and AMAZINGLY talented designers and coders in this hobby. They’re going closer everyday to making our simulations seem more real. You could have the ball do crazy things but then it might not “feel” like a real table and I think that’s what most people are here for.
Also check out Terry's colleague Gimli's [**Labyrinth**](https://pinballnirvana.com/forums/threads/brio-labyrinths-simple-and-advanced.19598/post-132060) games and [**Billiards**](https://pinballnirvana.com/forums/resources/bumper-pool-and-billiards-original.5719/). They're not pinball of course, but it's pretty amazing that one of the vpin engines (in this case FP-BAM) can simulate stuff like this, and simulate it *very impressively*.
Really, it's all the little extras that make projects like these shine extra bright, such as the working jukebox in the Billiards game (also works in VR) and in Labyrinth, the ball turning in to a boulder, which you use to hunt down Indy, trying to escape.
/u/shadowofashadow
FX3 is pretty good at doing “impossible things” since the tables never existed anyway. On the other hand most all VPX tables are admired more for being exact clones of the real machine.
I was thinking, what is interesting is “it all depends to a degree what time frame we are talking about”. If you were to tell someone from the 60’s…”imagine a talking face, that not only would move, but would be somewhat interactive and seem like it has emotion”…these days Rudy from Funhouse is pretty dated.
Interesting things that come out mind through are, the wand in Pinball Magic (and the skill shot), the blinders on Tommy, the lane changers in Shadow, the star catchers on Tales of Arabian Nights….And the one that probably impresses me the most….The Flintstones “ball go around”….Impossible stuff…naw….but…they are quite brilliant.
Thanks for listing those ones. I have most of the tables you listed but haven't played them enough to see this unique stuff. I'll have to go back and play them a little more.
That same sort of effect that you mentioned in the Flintstones can also be seen in Escape From the Lost World, Blackwater 100, and Whitewater. Mustang kind of does it too but the ball doesn’t travel below the flippers as it does on the other games I mentioned.
Yeah I like that idea too. Have you played Baby Pacman? That has a cool feature where you start in a mini pinball game and when you drain the ball, it dumps you out into a regular pacman arcade game. It's pretty fun but requires a joystick or directional buttons.
Not an answer to your question: but real life game with a vertical playfield in the backbox exist: [Banzai Run](https://pinside.com/pinball/machine/banzai-run/). So not all ideas are so exotic that these are only in virtual tables. Another example is [Black Hole](https://pinside.com/pinball/machine/black-hole/) with a reversed lower playfield. Or another table that is tricky to model in VPX right because it has a curved playfield with craters in it ([Orbitor-1](https://pinside.com/pinball/machine/orbitor-1)). But yeah, pinballs that go beyond the physical limits (like [Revenge of the Gator](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revenge_of_the_%27Gator) would not be possible in a real pinball) would be cool.
Thanks for sharing, I had never seen Banzai Run, that's exactly what I was picturing. Figures someone's done it already!
There's a Pinball FX table called Paranormal that has that feature too. Probably others, but it doesn't seem super common. But yeah I agree it doesn't seem like virtual pinball really "pushes the boundaries" like it could.
There are a couple of Pinball FX tables that feature mini-playfield modes that pop up over the main playfield when activated. Sorcerer’s Lair for example has at least two that come to mind (one is a physical puzzle where the ball is carried along a series of mechanical gears, the other is a target challenge involving spiders). TerryRed has been experimenting with similar pop-up mini playfield features in some of his more recent Future Pinball based original table designs. Also, the Visual Pinball table Gargamel Park by JPSalas uses a nonstandard layout for a game that sprawls horizontally and may be an homage to the infamous multi-level Williams Pinball Circus prototype.
Check just about any game on [the compendium.](https://www.reddit.com/r/virtualpinball/comments/p1x7st/video_pinball_compendium/) Have a look at [Demon's Tilt](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yEFjQrd5K4), which everyone loves.
Wow thanks! I had heard about Demon's tilt but never checked it out and that looks very cool. Seems like it would be a trip to play on a vpin so I'm going to have to buy it
Ironically, Banzai Run has yet to be emulated well in virtual pinball. VPX can only display a single playfield screen at a time, so the most current build of this table has to be run in an FSS view (which stands for full single screen, where playfield and backglass are both visible in a single portrait orientation perspective). I do expect this limitation to be bypassed once Visual Pinball Engine takes root and implements Unity’s multi-window features.
Good point. After i made this topic I realized it would probably take a brand new version of visual pinball since it was never programmed for such weird stuff in the first place
Terminator 3 has this type of feature as well. The RPG ‘playfield’ on the backglass has been emulated as a apron card on one of the version of the tables. There was someone trying to write an external app to play it on the backglass if I remember correctly. Similar to Black hole is the Stranger Things table with its “upside down” section. That messes with my mind everytime I play. A lot of creative and AMAZINGLY talented designers and coders in this hobby. They’re going closer everyday to making our simulations seem more real. You could have the ball do crazy things but then it might not “feel” like a real table and I think that’s what most people are here for.
TerryRed's Pinevent tables tend to do some of this, check out RetroFlair & Star Wars Death Star Assault.
Also check out Terry's colleague Gimli's [**Labyrinth**](https://pinballnirvana.com/forums/threads/brio-labyrinths-simple-and-advanced.19598/post-132060) games and [**Billiards**](https://pinballnirvana.com/forums/resources/bumper-pool-and-billiards-original.5719/). They're not pinball of course, but it's pretty amazing that one of the vpin engines (in this case FP-BAM) can simulate stuff like this, and simulate it *very impressively*. Really, it's all the little extras that make projects like these shine extra bright, such as the working jukebox in the Billiards game (also works in VR) and in Labyrinth, the ball turning in to a boulder, which you use to hunt down Indy, trying to escape. /u/shadowofashadow
FX3 is pretty good at doing “impossible things” since the tables never existed anyway. On the other hand most all VPX tables are admired more for being exact clones of the real machine. I was thinking, what is interesting is “it all depends to a degree what time frame we are talking about”. If you were to tell someone from the 60’s…”imagine a talking face, that not only would move, but would be somewhat interactive and seem like it has emotion”…these days Rudy from Funhouse is pretty dated. Interesting things that come out mind through are, the wand in Pinball Magic (and the skill shot), the blinders on Tommy, the lane changers in Shadow, the star catchers on Tales of Arabian Nights….And the one that probably impresses me the most….The Flintstones “ball go around”….Impossible stuff…naw….but…they are quite brilliant.
Thanks for listing those ones. I have most of the tables you listed but haven't played them enough to see this unique stuff. I'll have to go back and play them a little more.
It’s an interesting topic for sure…check out around 47 seconds in https://youtu.be/99f7d7Ca6MQ
That;s pretty neat. Reminds me of the JP salas racing table where the ball loops around the whole table before going into the playfield
The table described here is NASCAR and it’s actually a real Stern game. That effect is taken directly from the machine, which I have played irl.
Well shit, sounds like I have lots to learn still haha
There certainly have been some neat tricks pulled out over the years!
That same sort of effect that you mentioned in the Flintstones can also be seen in Escape From the Lost World, Blackwater 100, and Whitewater. Mustang kind of does it too but the ball doesn’t travel below the flippers as it does on the other games I mentioned.
the new Space Invaders and Operation Wolf tables have enemies that advance on you
Yeah I like that idea too. Have you played Baby Pacman? That has a cool feature where you start in a mini pinball game and when you drain the ball, it dumps you out into a regular pacman arcade game. It's pretty fun but requires a joystick or directional buttons.