Fog, The (Gottlieb 1979)

PLEASE READ – IMPORTANT INSTRUCTIONS INCLUDED:

This VPX is a re-skin / re-theme of BorgDog’s Space Walk (Gottlieb 1979) table. If Gottlieb had made this table back in the day … this is what it SHOULD have looked like – with some extra modern features.

A couple weeks ago, my wife an I had our weekly “date night” and decided to watch John Carpenter’s original The Fog (1980) on Blu-Ray after not have seeing it for many years. I had forgotten how good a movie it is. In 1980 it was labelled as a gorey horror movie by critics, BUT, much like Halloween, there is practically no gore at all – and by today’s standards – it is VERY tame in comparison. It is more of a creepy ‘ghost story’ than a ‘horror movie’.

The film relied on darkness, likable characters, story, and jump scares for it’s driving force – and because visual pinball is a great platform to preserve a better / basic time of our lives … I wanted to make a Fog pinball.

Originally shot and slated for release in 1979 (which is why I chose a 1979 table to start with as a basis) the movies release date was pushed back several months into 1980 so the film makers could re-shoot / add some additional scenes and elements to compete with other ‘horror’ movies of the time.

I decided to go with the very last EM table Gottlieb released as my basic starting point, keeping all the original basic integrity of an EM functionality – with some new bells and whistles – but not too much that would destroy / overwhelm the player. Kiss = Keep it simple, stupid.

I wanted to start with a BASIC table with very simple rules and easy to play so you can actually enjoy the game. Call me old-fashioned.

After being granted permission by BorgDog to use his original Space Walk table – I went through and redesigned all the artwork for the playfield, plastics, apron, backglass, etc.

Because there are some ‘bugs’ with how a totally scripted table / b2s work – with the assistance of Loserman76’s and Rascal’s scripting knowledge – we went through and completely updated the script driven table, fixing some existing bugs, and improving on some functionality, added a load of features, updated SSF, and overall player experience.

Because I am a ‘cabinet’ pinball user – I relied on Rascal to make sure everything worked properly for Desktop users as any cab user would as well.

As I said, this was not just a re-skin / theme – this was a overhaul and update.

TABLE ADDITIONS:

– – – – – – – – –

– New playfield, plastics, backglass, etc graphics.

– Added 13 LUT Brightness / Contrast Adjustments that can be done during Gameplay.

– Added Flipper Shadows that can be turned ON or OFF at the top of the table script.

– Added Ball Shadows that can be turned ON or OFF at the top of the table script.

– Added Score and Settings saving to the VPX Users folder as text file instead of Registry.

– Fixed Desktop SSF and B2S when playing in Desktop Mode.

– Added Alternate Flipper Color options that can be changed at the top of the table script.

– Adjusted Hundreds of Playfield Parts, Lights and Options for smoother gameplay.

– Enhanced GI Lighting.

– Fixed Scoring and Player error.

– Added Startup, Game Play, and Gave Over music / audio – Each able to be turned ON or OFF at the top of the table script.

USING LUT OPTIONS (VERY IMPORTANT):

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

When you boot the table for the first time, the table might appear a lot brighter than it is intended.

Hold down the LEFT MAGNASAVE and then press the RIGHT MAGNASAVE to cycle through the 13 LUT options. This bypasses the need of using the Day / Night slider. Depending on the resolution of your playfield monitor, everyones preferred LUT setting is different. When you cycle through the LUT options, when you select the one you prefer for your setup – it will automatically be saved when you exit / quit the table for the next time you play the table. You can adjust the LUT Option at any time when the table is loaded, even during gameplay.

PLEASE NOTE: Pressing the LEFT MAGNASAVE will shut off the music as well. Simply press the RIGHT MAGNASAVE (without the LEFT MAGNASAVE pressed) to resume music playback.

MUSIC OPTION:

– – – – – – – – – –

I opted NOT to use sound fx and dialog from the movie within the table itself, i.e.: hitting bumpers or slingshots, etc. I wanted to keep all the original EM sound fx and not overwhelm the gameplay.

The addition of music and dialog to this table is done in the background ambient audio tracks to create a ‘mood’ and NOT a sound fx and music extravaganza. It successfully creates an overall tone for the table very well, especially if you dim your lights in the room and play practically in the dark.

By default, the table is set up to play one of several random startup tracks, cycled Game Play tracks, and several random Game Over tracks. Instead of giving the option to turn ON or OFF all music, we split the options up at the top of the table script. You can adjust each type of music playback based on your preference. You can isolate and turn ON or OFF either the 3 options at the top of the script.

If you want to temporarily turn off the music, press the LEFT MAGNASAVE and it will stop the CURRENT music track. You can then press the RIGHT MAGNASAVE (without the LEFT MAGNASAVE pressed) to resume music playback.

During gameplay, and ONLY during gameplay, you can change the music track by pressing the RIGHT MAGNASAVE to switch to one of 6 music tracks. During actual gameplay is the only time this feature works.

All music and audio has been properly balanced, equalized, and completely re-mixed so no audio ‘interferes’ with the sounds of the game itself.

OPTIONS MENU:

– – – – – – – – – –

When NOT in gameplay (i.e.: no ball in the plunger lane or game started) you can access the Game Options Menu by holding down the LEFT FLIPPER for 2 – 3 seconds. This allows you to change the number of balls, free play or coin play, high score visible setting, or Replay Score settings.

INSTALLATION (VERY IMPORTANT):

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

The install is fairly standard and straight forward, except for 1 IMPORTANT thing, the Music folder for VPX. In order to avoid the growing ‘mess’ of a million .mp3 files in your Music folder, the additional audio / music files for this table NEED TO BE INSIDE a folder called ‘fog’. This reduced adding to the clutter and global warming problem.

So when you unzip the music / audio for this table, the directory structure should look like this when installed ‘Visual Pinball / Music / fog’.

You will get an error when you boot the table if the mp3 files are simply dumped into the Music folder.

DOF CONTROL:

– – – – – – –

I didn’t want this new version of the table to compete or interfere with the existing Space Walk (Gottlieb) table. So I have renamed the cGameName and all associate reference to Space Walk to “the_fog_1979”.

Until DOF is updated with this new table to be included, but you just can’t wait – open your DOFConfig.ini and copy the command line for SpaceWalk_1979, paste it to a new line – and change ‘SpaceWalk_1979’ to ‘the_fog_1979’.

FINAL NOTES:

– – – – – – –

Overall – the table turnout out exactly as I envisioned. The look, features, sound, music, graphics and gameplay are how “I” wanted it for my cab. This was all my preference, and may differ from your tastes of preferences, which is one of the reasons why I included multiple options.

This was also a HUGE learning experience for me. I have never really touched scripting prior and only concentrated on the graphics for tables I was a part of making. I started with an EM table because I ‘thought’ it would be an easier learning curve. I was wrong, because EVERYTHING is driven from the script and not reliant on a ROM to do the calculations and workload.

Even though I had some help with Rascal and advice from Loserman76 (the EM guru) on some more complex things I wanted to add / change with the table, I am very proud how it turned out and now have a lot more confidence in myself to make MORE tables of this caliber in the future.

“Rascal who? Crank Caller, Crank Caller! Just kidding.” – Inside joke.

– Enjoy the table.

FILES INCLUDED:

– – – – – – – – – –

I have included enough extra materials / goodies as a complete package to fill out every screen of your cab (if you are playing in a cab), with 2 wheels styles for PinballX and Popper front ends, RealColorDMD and Toppers or Over / Unders for LCD screens, Video Backglass for your front end (PinballX users should use the additional mp3 file as ‘Table Audio’ for backglass video), and some other things.

Fog, The (Gottlieb 1979).vpx

Fog, The (Gottlieb 1979).directB2S

Fog, The (Gottlieb 1979) Flyer 1.png

Fog, The (Gottlieb 1979) Flyer 2.png

Fog, The (Gottlieb 1979) RealColorDMD – 128×32.avi

Fog, The (Gottlieb 1979) Topper or DMD – 1280×390.mp4

Fog, The (Gottlieb 1979) Video Backglass.mp3

Fog, The (Gottlieb 1979) Video Backglass.mp4

Fog, The (Gottlieb 1979) Wheel 1.png

Fog, The (Gottlieb 1979) Wheel 2.png

Gottlieb-EM-Topper-Fog-Colors-Large.mp4

Gottlieb-EM-Topper-Fog-Colors-Small.mp4

CREDITS:

– – – – –

BorgDog – Original Space Walk table

HiRez00 – Table Re-Theme / Re-Designs

Rascal – Scripting, Updates, and Testing

Loserman76 – EM Knowledge / Advice

JP Salas – LUT Selector Enhancement

– – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Permission to Mod: NO

– – – – – – – – – – – – – –

This project took considerable time and I wanted to share it with everyone … so “thanks” or comments in the support topic would be greatly appreciated.

PLEASE NOTE: I create these image, videos, tables and backglass files for fun and for the dedicated VPX pinball users on this and other forum. I DID NOT create this for you to download as SELL, MAKE MONEY OR PROFIT ON … You have been warned!

DO NOT include any of these files with other downloads or projects without asking / getting permission first.

All Logos, Copyrights and Trademarks are property of their respective owners.

PROVIDED STRICTLY FOR PERSONAL / HOME USE AND NOT FOR COMMERCIAL SALE / RE-SALE OR DISTRIBUTION!