121 episodes tracked since 2023 about →
Episode 92 - Programmers: The Unsung Heroes of Pinball
PodcastAnalysis updated yesterday51 min listen
Highlights
- George Gomez stated that the lead programmer on most pinball machines has roughly the same amount of influence over how a machine turns out as the lead designer does.
- The shift toward home pinball sales (rather than purely location-based play) has driven the trend toward deeper, more complex rule sets in modern pinball.
- Programming can save a playfield that players don't think is fun to shoot (example: Jackbot's redesign of Pinbot by Larry DeMar).
- The dot matrix programmer role at classic manufacturers was originally given to junior team members partly to ensure they wouldn't cause equipment damage ('not set anything on fire').
- Modern pinball complexity often obscures gameplay because information can no longer be communicated via playfield inserts alone and requires display lookup.
Notable quotes
“George Gomez a lead designer told us on this very show that he views the lead programmer on most pinball machines to have pretty much the same amount of influence over how a pinball machine eventually turns out as the lead designer does.”
“Software can make a bad play field fun, right?”
“I think that any product needs a visionary, basically... the person who brings together all of the other visionaries and puts them together in a way that makes their vision come true.”
“We're starting to see that happen in pinball as well, because the people who bring games home don't want to see the whole game in a week. They've paid 65, 75, 10 grand for this game.”
“I shouldn't have to look up at the display to find out what's going on; I'm used to seeing it all right there in front of me laid out.”
“I equate... that the original star wars movie was said to have been saved in the editing room... without richard shu paul hirsch and marcia lucas that original movie wouldn't have really been that good either.”
Entities
- Wedgehead Pinball· company
- Attack from Mars· game
- Dungeons & Dragons: The Tyrant's Eye· game
- Ghostbusters· game
- Godzilla (SEGA)· game
- Jack·Bot· game
- John Wick· game
- Jurassic Park· game
- King Kong· game
- Pinbot· game
- Whodunit· game
- Alan· person
- Alex· person
- Barry Oursler· person
- Dwight Sullivan· person
- George Gomez· person
- Greg Dunlap· person
- Larry DeMar· person
- Lyman F. Sheats Jr.· person
- Steve Ritchie· person
