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Buzz Off - SWAT THE FLY! mod with multi-fly mode (source - Buzz Off! v1.0 by Anthias, mod by Arminio)


Buzz Off! - SWAT THE FLY! mod - with multi-fly mode!
Damn! Those flies GOT INTO THE PINBALL!


This table is a modified version of "Buzz Off!" VPX table v1.0, made by Anthias.
Mod made with permission from Anthias.
Original table can be downloaded here: https://vpuniverse.com/files/file/29065-buzz-off/

 

ABOUT MOD:
***********
All my mods are made with the intention to look and sound as realistic as possible, and I always try to avoid anything that couldn't exist on a real device. But this time, no... The original by Anthias is so funny that I couldn't resist going 'over the rainbow' - and here it is!

 

I have no clue about the exact game rules (except what's written on the instruction card), but still - there is something rewarding about hitting everything you can on the table. This includes flies that cross the playfield one by one, or in a swarm during multi-fly mode, just to annoy you... Squash them with the ball for extra points and a ball saver! And if you want to clean up the mess you made, just press the right Magna-Save key while the ball is in the plunger lane, and you're good to go! Or wait for a giant hand to do it for you if the playfield gets super dirty... You'll see what I mean when you start playing :)
+ check "SPECIIAL FEATURES" section below for details about squashing.... :)

 

DISCLAIMER:
***********
Every living being deserves to live, and flies are no exception. Even though they are part of the food chain, carriers of diseases, and the cause of various problems, just like some other insects, I do not justify killing flies or any insects for the sake of entertainment. However, this is just a game where everything is allowed, including the killing of digital flies.
No real flies were harmed during the making of this mod! 👍

 

SPECIAL THANKS:
***************

  • Some parts of fly collision algorithms inspired by cockroach crawls in the CARtoons table made by HauntFreaks, BorgDog and SliderPoint - thanks to all you guys, and to Supergibson for pointing me to that masterpiece!
  • Sound effect from pixabay: freesound community, spacey novanox, stu9, dragon studio, universfield, u_kxuja9v6zu, mindoutofoffice, spinopel, echo_media, shrek_30 - you made GREAT sound FX I've used here!
  • Additional music from YouTube by CineTune: Frenzied Pursuit, Run for Your Life, Race Against Time, Mil Heroes. Check channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwABXdPL6grUwOb_9YFE2Kg
  • Voice clips from Beavis & Butthead, episode "Die, Fly! Die!" ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RJQxRajePo ) and Warner Bros 1952 cartoon "The Turn-Tale Wolf" ("Swat The Fly" segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvNMvD1emm8)
  • Special thanks to Curse for the general tips, ideas for look and behavior improvements, and extensive testing!

 

RECOMMENDATIONS:
******************
If you play this mod in Cabinet mode, please set "View layout mode" (F12 menu) to "Window" and configure the POV settings there. Otherwise you may have problems with positions of some graphic elements and reflections etc... So, for those who haven't set this up yet, I've included my own INI file with my POV settings in the ZIP archive. It is far from perfect, but it works well on my setup and might be helpful as a starting point for yours.

 

ZIP CONTENT:
************

  • VPX
  • Main instruction cards: Two versions (a cutout version and one with parts of the apron) translated from the original Portuguese instruction card of the Taito Sure Shot table, modified to fit the rules of this mod.
  • Additional instruction card: Dedicated to the "SWAT THE FLY!" feature (explained below in SPECIAL FEATURES section)
  • INI file with my POV settings: As mentioned above, it might not work perfectly for you, but you can use it as a base for your setup.
  • Please use the original wheel and other frontend media files from the original table release by Anthias. They are amazing, and I couldn't make them any better than that!

 

 

SPECIAL FEATURES - "SWAT THE FLY!":
*********************************
As mentioned, this mod features an extra "feature" (read "annoyance" :)): flies buzzing around the table! When they land, you can squash them for extra points if the ball has enough speed; otherwise, they will escape (you'll figure out what works while playing :) ).

 

NORMAL GAME:
During a normal game, flies appear one by one, and each squashed fly activates a 10-second ball saver (or until the ball drains). Hitting another fly while ball saver is acticive resets its timer again to 10 seconds (you can disable ball saver feature via a script option).

 

MULTI-FLY MODE:
Hitting the kicker behind the target '8' activates the 'SWAT THE FLY!' multi-fly mode, unleashing a swarm of flies that are much easier to hit for extra points. Each squash here can award the same points as a ramp loop (unless configured differently in the script), but the ball saver is disabled during this mode (well, give those flies a chance ;) ). Multi-fly mode lasts about 40 seconds or until the ball drains - whichever comes first. There is no counter, but the music theme will help you to detect how much time you have...

Every hit will leave a splat, accompanied by a sound effect and (the famous) Wilhelm Scream. These serve as indicators that you hit a fly, which helps since you might accidentally hit one without even seeing it (for example, if it lands behind a bumper). There are 100 total flies available (in total, not per player). If all players combined splat so many flies that the playfield gets super dirty, a giant hand will automatically clean the table on the next ball, and you are good to go again. :)
Also, you can always clean the table and "reload" the flies by pressing the right Magna-Save key while the ball is in the plunger lane, or by fully restarting the game (note that an F3 restart will not work; you need to exit and start again). Starting a new game will also clean the ball. The giant hand wipe will not.

Tips about the 'SWAT THE FLY' feature can also be found on the new additional card on the apron...

 

 

EXPERIMENTAL OPTIONS:
**********************
This game uses the Taito Sureshot ROM, which (like most Taito pinball ROMs) saves the game state to an NVRAM file (sureshot.nv). This is useful if you like picking up where you left off, but it can also be annoying and buggy (I've had issues on one of my setups). To prevent the game state from restoring at startup, you can manually delete the sureshot.nv file each time, but this will also erase the high score. That is why I added a new option ResetGameOnExit to the script.
When active (set to True) and when you exit the game, it will reset everything to default values while keeping the high score.
NOTE: The very first game launch after option activation will restore the last saved state one last time. From then on, every time you exit and restart the game, it will start fresh, with just the high score intact - just like a "normal" pinball ROM.
IMPORTANT!: THIS IS AN EXPERIMENTAL FEATURE!  I do not guarantee that it works perfectly on every setup. If you use this option, I am not responsible if high scores get deleted (not kidding) or your PC explodes (kidding :) ... not? ;) )
For details check "EXPERIMENTAL OPTIONS" in "OPTIONS TO USE" section in script...

 

 

CHANGES:
*********

  • Table graphic changed a bit: ramp is better visible + bug that caused fast ball to jump over the wall and on apron is fixed, green lights toned down, flipper colors changed, changed images and physics on some targets, changes made to some standard lights, added lights on some fly images, added lights for various target indicators (BUZZ, extra ball, new ball etc. - all based on Taito's Sure Shot table which was source for original "Buzz Off!" table which was used for my mod), lights on apron added + some new stuff like bug spray image on ramp (with extra audio when ball goes over rap) etc. ...
  • Added flies that fly around the table + multi-fly mode. Details are above...
  • Optional lockdown bar added - off by default - use F12 menu to turn on/off
  • More options in F12 menu: all original LUTs from source table are here + I added 3 new for completely different color palettes ("Desert storm", "Punchy vibrant" and "Purple haze") + two different fly visibility "modes": normal (darker, more natural flies) or light (a bit lighter flies - you can try if you use darker LUT or just for better fly visibility in general) + mentioned lockdown bar on/off option
  • 2 instruction cards added on apron - original game rules, based on Taito's Sure Shot instruction card but adapted for this table + additional card with short instructions regarding "SWAT THE FLY" and squashing flies in general
  • Lot of new sound effects - some improved, some replaced, some added... you'll hear what I mean :)
  • New bumper images with added light flashes and simple "twitch" animations on ball-bumper collision and new sound effects (splat, random screams...)
  • 4 new music tracks that randomly plays when game starts (ball gets into the plunger lane) + you can optionally leave amazing original Buzz Off! song as in original table or turn all music off (check options in script - section "OPTIONS TO USE")
  • 4 new voice sound clips that occasionally and randomly plays when ball gets into the plunger lane and when ball goes over ramp... (from Beavis & Butthead "Die, Fly! Die!" episode)
  • When TILT: music stops, lights are off
  • For desktop mode players: changed LEDs colors, added LED frames, added game over, tilt, new record etc. + option to turn off/hide all background info, LEDs... For those of you who uses desktop mode together with standard b2s backglass - check "BackGlassOnDesktop" option in "OPTIONS TO USE section in the script...
  • Added an experimental script option to disable Taito's automatic NVRAM game state saving with keeping high score intact. If you find this Taito ROM feature annoying or buggy, enable this option to reset everything (balls, credits, etc.) to default values upon exit, while keeping the high score - just like a standard pinball ROM. NOTE: Read detail about this in "EXPERIMENTAL OPTIONS" section here or in script. THIS IS EXPERIMENTAL! I am not responsible if you lose your high score (not kidding) or blow up your computer (kidding :). For setup details, check "EXPERIMENTAL OPTIONS" in the script section 'OPTIONS TO USE'.
  • New b2s backglass with full DMD created to use with this mod (additional light animations on b2s and DMD). Download here: https://vpuniverse.com/files/file/30775-buzz off - swat-the-fly-mod-for-buzz-off-table-and-mods-b2s-dmd-image/
  • Added some ASCII art at the top of the script.
  • NO CENTER PIN HERE! As I said: give those flies a chance! :)))

 

etc. etc. etc.

 

All Logos, Music,  Copyrights and Trademarks are property of their respective owners.
PROVIDED STRICTLY FOR PERSONAL AND HOME USE AND NOT FOR COMMERCIAL SALE/RE-SALE OR DISTRIBUTION!

 

* No flies were harmed during the making of this mod! *

 

Enjoy!

 


 

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