Buck Rogers (Gottlieb 1980)

[BorgDog]

Buck Rogers (Gottlieb 1980)

So I believe I first played this machine at the Pacific NW Pinball show last June.  Kriss and I both really enjoyed it, along with Count-Down as two of our favorites of the show (also Capersville and Laser Cue, yes we are old :) ).  While I now own a Count-Down machine, Buck Rogers is still at the top of my list of system 1 machines to acquire.  In the mean time having them done in VPX  will be a fun alternative.

This started out as an upgrade to Sindbad’s vp9 table found over on VPF.  Hauntfreaks did the inital layout and lighting etc in VPX last summer from a beta sindbad had put out during the vp10 beta phase and it’s been mostly hanging out since then. I rebuilt all the code, keeping mainly the vari-target scripting form Sindbad’s table, found some nicer plastic images courtesy of the interwebs and went to town this week.

New the top of the script is a line that currently reads “Const VT_Delay_Factor = .88”.  What this line does is controls how fast the vari-target slows down the captive ball that hit’s it.  The smaller the number the more it slows it down.  I’m not sure exactly where this number should be, but I do know a couple things: 1. it is possible to set the vari-target to the very back in one shot, I’ve seen it done in videos, 2. .8 I think makes it too hard to every achieve the 1 shot reset of the vari-target, 3. .95 makes it too easy to make that shot.  So somewhere in the middle is where we sit.  I have not yet made it in one hit with the current settings, but I have come close, it takes a timing shot with momentum on the ball to make it happen.  Feel free to play with this variable and report back what happens.

While I have an image that I believe is slightly better, wildman has a nice db2s over on VPU, http://vpuniverse.com/forums/files/file/2342-buck-rogersgottlieb-1980/  I did use my image for making the desktop backdrop.

As usual my settings are for portrait mode, I have included a landscape.xml that you can import an get you close if you have your cabinet setup the wrong way.

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Total of 22 users thanked author for this post. Here are last 20 listed.

DrRetro, Marcio, CrunchyGlass, davadruix, pacboy, ashleyb, kwaaizaat, gavb73, polo, xenonph, Mark70, Al, takut, Johngreve, Naboodiver, Thalamus, Fulltilt, STAT, Koolywiz, Laylow

[bord]

Man, you’re on a hot streak lately. Can’t wait to pour a beer tonight and fire this up.

Nice to see a little more work by the departed @hauntfreaks, too. That guy did great work.

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[Jeremy]

Thanks!  This is a great table.  I was wondering if the replays are only scored at the end of the game or should they be scored when you reach the various point thresholds.  Solid work by the way!

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[randr]

Great table choices you have @borgdog . Thanks for the time you put into this it looks great!

********************************************************
Messing with the VPinball app and push notifications.
So if you haven't downloaded app yet what are you waiting for!?
for IOS and Android

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[Laylow]

Thanks for finishing this great table. Looks and plays fantastic! 

Ah

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Ben Logan2

[BorgDog]

Jeremy wrote:

Thanks! This is a great table. I was wondering if the replays are only scored at the end of the game or should they be scored when you reach the various point thresholds. Solid work by the way!

To be honest I have no idea what the default replay levels are, nor how the change them in vp anyway, something to look into I guess, but I had noticed that as well. I just picked a replay card basically at random. If I figure it out I’ll update the card to match.

 

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Jeremy

[Sliderpoint]

Lookout @borgdog has come into a new decade, the 1980’s!!

Sweet! Nice work!

Question, flippers are always on. Is that correct?

-Mike

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[BorgDog]

So it appears that by default the replay levels are all set at zero.  the procedures to change them are found on vpf HERE  I assume it keeps that settings in the nvram file in the vpinmamenvram folder.  I have set mine to match the replay card in the system, if you want you can just copy my nvram over your’s and it will set those levels.  My file attached (remove from zip to use, put in visual pinballvpinmamenvram). Of course you will also get my current high score with that but the directions linked above also tell how to reset that.  There are also some dip switch settings for sound, replay vs extra ball etc that can be gotten by pressing F6 while the table is running.

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Attachments:

1. buckrgrs.zip

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Jeremy

[BorgDog]

Sliderpoint wrote:

Lookout @borgdog has come into a new decade, the 1980’s!! Sweet! Nice work! Question, flippers are always on. Is that correct? -Mike

Sort of, I am bypassing the calls to vpinmame for the flippers, and using the Game Over and Tilt lights as indicators as to when they are active.  so when you first start the table until gottliebs 5 second “check” is over and Game Over is lit they will be active.  Other than that you should not be able to flip…. hmm now that I think about it I haven’t checked on my cab, I think the current way its setup they may always be active with a b2s running… let me look into that.

- Star Wars Wedgehead cab build

- Alien Star Resurrection!

 

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[BorgDog]

yeah, i need to fix that.

- Star Wars Wedgehead cab build

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[Pinbolt]

Thank you so much for this great table. Buck Rogers is cool.

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[STAT]

Thank you BorgDog, Thank you HauntFreaks
HS today: 579.000

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[Drybonz]

Thanks, BorgDog… you are on a roll!

I have the VP9 version, and had downloaded the early beta VPX version, but it always gave me a bunch of errors… really glad to have a working VPX version.

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[BorgDog]

Just uploaded v1.1 that fixes the issue with the flippers always active when b2s is on (thanks @sliderpoint).  Also included a nvram file that sets the replay levels to what is shown on the cards (and high score at 100,000).

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[Badfinger]

Thanks!

Totally forgot about this one, the art style is definitely same folks that did Count Down?

When I finally can manage an actual table buy, this will be on my list.

 

1968 - 1991 seems to be my favorite ERA of pinball machines.

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[STAT]

heres my (imo) better landscape XML File for Cab Players …

Attachments:

1. Buck-Rogers.zip

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xenonph

[BorgDog]

Badfinger wrote:

Thanks! Totally forgot about this one, the art style is definitely same folks that did Count Down? When I finally can manage an actual table buy, this will be on my list.

yup, most Gottlieb’s of the time have artwork by Gordon Morison, this one, Count Down, Joker Poker, Pinball Pool, the list goes on. A quick search on ipdb shows 149 machines from ’71 to ’80 with Gordon Morison attached to them.

 

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[STAT]

BorgDog, please how can i Change back to 3-Ball ?
Key 7 is ok, but then …

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[BorgDog]

F6 brings up the Dip switch options, 3 or 5 ball is in there.

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[STAT]

Ah ok, completely forgotten, F6 … thanks

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