Wip - Groni Pinball - Stern - Family Guy

[Parabolic]

Vett - thanks SOOO much for the tutorial!! 

I so want to start making tables but I have no idea where to begin. Now that VP10 is almost ready Id like to try to convert tables - I figured that would be the best way to reverse engineer and start.

Ill mess with this and hopefully it will open my eyes up a bit.

Thanks again!!

[connorsdad]

85Vett - Thank you you weren't joking about saving often am I right in thinking I need not worry about rotation ? I have the size set to 55 for both width and height, looks about right to me. 

[Parabolic]

Yeah, no kidding! Damn thing crashed about 10 times on me.

Your instructions were spot on!! Worked great! Now I just need to figure out why the ball save plunger sticks. I know there was a writeup on new code for it, but I dont know where to insert it.

[ICPjuggla]

Welcome to the life of a table builder! Always save before you hit play! lol I've lost an hours work a few time b/c I've forgotten to hit save...

[edizzle]

Hello 85Vett.  Thanks for the info!  Just out of curiosity, how did you discover those Flasher numbers?  Once I read that the mini playfield lights weren't controlled by the lamp matrix, I figured the mini pf lights either could not be emulated in vp, or there would be some weird workaround.  I think something similar had to be done for the auxiliary boards on Gottlieb's system 3 tables.

[85vett]

Yeah, no kidding! Damn thing crashed about 10 times on me.

Your instructions were spot on!! Worked great! Now I just need to figure out why the ball save plunger sticks. I know there was a writeup on new code for it, but I dont know where to insert it.

 

Yup.  This is another one of those nails in the coffin that got me out of building tables.  All these newer VP's crash every other time you try to make a change.  When trying to do detail work it can take 4-5 hours to complete something that should take only 1.  Way to much frustration from it.  Doesn't seem like it needs to be like that.

 

 

Hello 85Vett.  Thanks for the info!  Just out of curiosity, how did you discover those Flasher numbers?  Once I read that the mini playfield lights weren't controlled by the lamp matrix, I figured the mini pf lights either could not be emulated in vp, or there would be some weird workaround.  I think something similar had to be done for the auxiliary boards on Gottlieb's system 3 tables.

 I've found in the past some lights work on higher numbers than what is in the manual.   This is what a friend of mine discovered when helping me with my Tron LE script so I now check for this on each table I work on that some of the lights wont work.  On Tron, each aspect of the RGB was a different number but was higher than the lamp matrix showed.  Because of this past experience  I just used a test table and put lights on it from the last known good light number (don't recall which one) and went up to 100.  Played the test table and found some were working.  Had to add a few more lights since it went past 100 but once I get enough lights flashing to cover the inserts I then placed them on the PF and played some games and watched for which lights were lighting up when I made the shots.  Was kind of a PITA but sometimes it's necessary to get something to work. 

 

 

85Vett - Thank you you weren't joking about saving often am I right in thinking I need not worry about rotation ? I have the size set to 55 for both width and height, looks about right to me. 

 

Rotation should be fine as the factory angle when you create the flasher.  You can spin it but since the image is a circle it really doesn't change much.  The size is something that is personal to each person.  The stock unit of 50 by 50 is fine.  Going larger or smaller is OK as well.

[85vett]

Yeah, no kidding! Damn thing crashed about 10 times on me.

Your instructions were spot on!! Worked great! Now I just need to figure out why the ball save plunger sticks. I know there was a writeup on new code for it, but I dont know where to insert it.

 

I'll check on this as well to see if it's an easy fix or not. 

[mpad]

Is groni out for good?

[freneticamnesic]

VP10 really never crashes for me. It's much much much better.

[vampirolatino2]

Thanks a lot 85vett, I updated the table and I got lucky, cero crach for me yey

[jimmyfingers]

The crashing of VP is indeed much less in VP10 as Toxie and fuzzel nailed down some really key things to get that pesky behaviour almost abolished.  Can still do it once in a while and saving frequently is still a good call, however, it is a different story than from any VP9 or PM5 aspects.  That's another pros for the VP10 learning curve - and those increasingly awesome bulb light objects

[85vett]

Took a peak at the script and I didn't see anything that should be causing a sticky center post. 

[grunger106]

DJRobX explained the ROM was firing the post up and down at the same time and suggested using a 'latch'

He posted a code extract in the other thread, but I'm not quite sure what do with it!

 

Also I'm pretty sure Groni posted this one with permission to mod, so if there is one with working mini-playfield lights I'd love a copy, and I think it would be OK to upload here?

[William]

Excuse the noob question, but how do you find the mini playfield in the editor to put the flashers on it? I discovered you can remove the layers, but the mini playfield is gone and it only shows the main playfield.

[85vett]

Excuse the noob question, but how do you find the mini playfield in the editor to put the flashers on it? I discovered you can remove the layers, but the mini playfield is gone and it only shows the main playfield.

 

It's a primative so you wont have an image to work with.  You just have to eyeball it the best you can and then test and tune it.  The first couple of lights are the hardest.  After that it get's easier as you get a better idea on where they should be to start with.

 

 

Also I'm pretty sure Groni posted this one with permission to mod, so if there is one with working mini-playfield lights I'd love a copy, and I think it would be OK to upload here?

 

Sorry, with my history with Groni I'm not touching this with a 10 foot pole.  If someone else wants to take my instructions (or their own) and make the mod that is on them but I'm not going there.

[jukedock]

If you have the flashers working, any chance of uploading the file please?
Thank you.

Thanks a lot 85vett, I updated the table and I got lucky, cero crach for me yey

[Parabolic]

Guys..try what vett outlined...it is easy and works great!! Plus you'll learn somethin!

[32assassin]

did anyone get light (flasher) 125 to show.  The ramp covers flasher 125, and the flasher will not show.  I tried to change the Deph bias on the ramp primitive and the hidden ramp with no luck.

[aldiode]

DJRobX explained the ROM was firing the post up and down at the same time and suggested using a 'latch'

He posted a code extract in the other thread, but I'm not quite sure what do with it!

 

Grunger,

 

This is what I did to make the post work correctly using DJRobX's code:

 

Insert this part of the code after line 66 of the script under VARIABLES

Dim SaverPos, SaverTime    
     SaverPos = 0
     SaverTime = Now

Then replace Groni's Center Post script (around line 840ish) with this

'******************************************************
'* CENTER POST ****************************************
'******************************************************

Sub CPDSol (enabled)
                If enabled then 
                       SaverTime = DateAdd("s",3, Now)
                       CPUSol(true)
                End If
        End Sub   
       
Sub CPUSol (enabled)

If enabled then
	If SaverTime > Now then
		if SaverPos = 1 then
			Controller.Switch(2)=1:Controller.Switch(1)=0
            ' ** Move Saver Down **'     
            SaverPos=0
			CenterpostDown.Enabled=1
			CPC.isdropped=1
			CenterPost.Z=-26:CPDPos=0:CenterpostDown.Enabled=0
			If CPDPos=>0 then CPDPos=CPDPos+1
			CPUSol(true)
			Playsound"Stern_Centerpost_Down"
		end if 
	else
          if SaverPos = 0 then 
				Controller.Switch(2)=0:Controller.Switch(1)=1
				' ** Move Saver Up ** '
				CenterpostUp.Enabled=1	
				CPC.isdropped=0
				CenterPost.Z=0:CPUPos=0:CenterpostUp.Enabled=0
				If CPUPos=>0 then CPUPos=CPUPos+1
				SaverPos=1
				Playsound"Stern_Centerpost_Up"
          end if 
     end if
   End If
End Sub

This has resolved the stuck post problem for me. I hope it helps you too!

 

Enjoy!

AL

[edizzle]

Thanks aldiode.  That worked for me!

 

And thanks again 85Vett for the flasher numbers.  Definitely sounded like a pain to discover them so thanks for sharing.

 

If it saves anyone some time:

 

F68:   X:836   Y:766

 

F121: X:764   Y:632

F122: X:748   Y:590

F123: X:724   Y:546

F124: X:708   Y:504

F125: X:692   Y:462

 

F100: X:782   Y:532

F99:   X:778   Y:484

F98:   X:770   Y:436

 

F92:   X:830   Y:524

F91:   X:830   Y:476

F90:   X:830   Y:434

F89:   X:830   Y:388

F114: X:830   Y:342

 

F105: X:854   Y:594

F106: X:868   Y:546

F107: X:882   Y:506

F108: X:898   Y:462

 

F97:   X:896   Y:624

F81:   X:916   Y:580

F82:   X:940   Y:536

F83:   X:962   Y:498

F84:   X:980   Y:458

 

That should get you pretty close.  That's what I used anyways.  Flasher 125 shows up for me, by the way without having to change the depth bias on anything.

[grunger106]

Thanks AL - I'll give that a try

 

Also - I've followed 85Vetts instructions and managed to get my first light lined up - I now have a totally unjustified sense of pride!
Thank you for writing such clear instructions

[vampirolatino2]

I'm willing to share, why not? BUT like said above, take this opportunity to learn something, it wasn't so difficult after all, it took me like 30 minutes, and 20 of those where eyeballing the flashers lol!! Zero crash. Follow 85vett great descriptive and helpful directions. Once you get the first in the row is easy (as said before).

 

And I found VP10 more easy to work with. Crazy uh?

 

Thanks again for all the updates and fixes posted. Will try the fix for the sticky too, I noticed it does that indeed. I was like, uh? What that sound, why it is still up? lol

 

Thanks edizzle for posting the directions, I will check with mine to see if we are close because I think I got it almost spot on too.

 

Edit: Oh and I used a size of 50/50 to all of them, except the bottom drain one it is 75/75. looks fav

[vampirolatino2]

Thanks to DJRoboX, anywhere he is for the code too!!

[stefanaustria]

32assassin, all Flashers have 147,5 Height ?

 

Thanks aldiode!

Thanks vett !

Maybe this will help someone:

[85vett]

Glad to see the instructions were reasonably easy to follow.  Hopefully, it will convince some that table building can be done and we will see some new builders emerge.