Play Meter

domain for the younger player, pins
are finding a new market while,
surprisingly for video games, the
influx of new players, many ot them
older (in the college age and young
executive range) are slowly turning,
n ot totally away from, but more
toward pinball and less to video. It's
almost as if they are finding the TV
games less intriguing or different per
se, and now are suddenly seeing
these steel ball wonders that seem to
have everything under the sun.
And even the games themselves
are reflecting this by their reliance on
more complex and difficult play
strategy and design. The result can
be seen as two-fold, since the games
are moving in specific patterns, but
along with this must come the
realization and acceptance, if the
trend is to continue,that some
players are going to be frightened
and intimidated by the new
applications of technology and
design. It's why balance becomes
such a key to-all future equipment.
There must always be a full spectrum
of games, both video and pinball,
that can appeal to their own unique
type of players. There are so many
players hungering for a game they
can readily understand, might not
so readily beat, but which can be a
bit of calm from the storm.
This even comes into play in
looking at this month's game,
Williams' Jungle Lord which is a
multi-level, multi-ball effort that's
crammed to the gills with some
innovative touches, but is a really a
difficult machine to get comfortable
and close with. There's just so much
happening , and happening so
quickly, that there's no time to
breathe and lay back for the most
part in trying to develop a style of
play. And most of your frequent pin
ball players-as well as video player-
s, I would venture to guess-are will-
ing to invest some amount of money
into each new game to see what it
has to offer and whether it will be on
their list of "must plays" when the go
to their favorite place of play.
It all comes down to balance and
not trying to blow everybody out of
the race with each new game. There
has to be a give and take in terms of
design and programming that takes
into account how quickly (or slowly)
the player is in catching on to the
new nuances and whether he feels
he's getting his money's worth. And
this isn't to suggest that I am trying to
match up or compare Jungle Lord
with Eight Ball Deluxe, because both
are valid efforts on their own but
rather that the type of games' they
represent is indicative of the schizo-
phrenic changes pinbaJJ is going
66
through in its attempt to regain its
market appeal and create some
design image and foundation for
itself.
After all, what is pinball today?
There are a lot of answers to that
when you look at what the games are
offering, and that's the key problem
and salvation of the equipment for
the future .
Unfortunately, there is no clear-
cut direction for the games only
because the audience is still growing
and being redefined. Since earnings,
for the most part, are still less than
what they were, say, a year and a half
ago, there is still that wait-and-see
attitude of trying to compete with
some creation against the earnings
figures of video. The challenge is mis-
placed only because of the nature of
the games and their individual
audiences. But the bottom line still
rules, and so the search continues
for that right touch which will
catapult pinball back into the main-
stream. It will never be one single
effort or innovation that will turn
around pinball's fortunes, but rather
a methodical evolution of ideas and
refined technology that will allow
players to grow with the games.
Hopefully it would happen this way,
but I fear that the haphazard
approach will remain at least for the
time being while manufacturers try
to get some solid footing .
One can almost sense the
tentativeness from machine
introduction to machine introduc-
tion and from company to company.
Each game is an uncertain adventure
for those outside the factory walls
and it is this unpredictability that has
kept things in a state of flux for
pinball in general because no one
really does know what to expect
from anyone. It is a situation vastly
different from past eras when
everyone knew what a Gottlieb
game meant, or a Williams, Bally,
Stern, or whatever. There was a
corporate personality that somehow
came through with the finished
product, and that has now changed
to uncertainty and an overall lack of
continuity or rationale for why things
are the way they are.
Williams has attemped to keep
things rolling following Black Knight
with its newest double-level game
which takes center stage in this
edition of the Corner. So, enough
philosopizing and on the game at
hand.
Williams' JUNGLE LORD
This company continues to refine
its innovations from game to game,
as well as trying new wrinkles to keep
the momentum going. The hope is
that it won't feel locked into an
irreversible dirction that could
ultimately lessen the excitement it
has created in recent years and
continues to enjoy.
PLA YFIELD : The action begins on
the top level of this two-tiered
machine with an entry that leads
directly to a top set of flippers. Over
in the right corner is a kick-out hole,
while right in the middle is a drop
target bank of "double trouble
targets" which begin with one
standing and build up to a five -drop
target bank. At the left is a self-con-
tained mini-playfield, complete with
its own little mini-ball and four lanes
(L-0-R-D) . Just above the left
top flipper is a target(l) and the first
of three ramps on the field. There's
another ramp in between these flip-
pers, and over on the right side is a
kick-out hole at the top of a third ramp.
Move down to the lower playfield
and there's a three-drop-target bank
on the right of the base of the ramp,
and just across this is a bulls-eye (3}.
Move between the middle ramp and
the left ramp and there's another
bulls-eye (2) just in front of a hidden
loop-around horseshoe shot that
controls a timed multiplier value
when lit. Farther over to the left is
another access point to the
horseshoe which lights a "drain
shield" on the outlanes for continued
play on "lost" balls,and along with
this is another three-drop-target
bank. The bottom is a conventional
set up of lanes ( 4 & 5) leading down
to the flippers, as well as the return of
a slightly changed Magna Save which
first appeared on Black Knight.
ANAL YSIS:There's a lot going on in
Jungle Lord. In fact, almost too
much. The basic strategy of this
multi-level, multi-ball game is tied
into landing in the kick-out holes
which propels the mini-ball onto the
mini-field in order to light up the
lanes and spell out L-0-R-D, with the
letters also being spotted when
either of the lower playfield target
banks are completed. Get this going
and there's the potential for multi-
ball, two ball play complete with a
timer that offers 35 seconds but is
operator adjustable. And if a ball
drains during this, lock up the other
and the player can continue for the
length of the time remaining. Add to
this the scoring of double values
during the duration of time, and
that's one aspect of this complex
chock-full of almost everything
game.
Another feature is the top playfield
"double trouble" drop target bank
which is reminiscent of Stern's
Trident. Here, the deal is first to get
one target, then two, three, four, and
PLAY METER, june 15, 1981