Flipper

Principal elements of a play of flipper

Plate

The plate is a plane surface and tilted from 3 to 6 degrees towards the player who comprises many objectives to be filled to gain points. The ball is concerned by using lance-balls. Once the ball is on the plate, it can go in all the directions, in a random way, according to the contacts with the various elements of the plate or the actions of the player. To turn over the ball to the top of the plate of play, the player actuates the flippers . The race of the ball can also be deviated by shaking the machine, however this operation can be regarded as cheating and the excessive jolts are sanctioned by the machine in the form of a tilt (the elements of the decoration are then inoperative and the ball falls down all in bottom of the plate of play).

Balls

The part finishes when that a given number of balls were lost in bottom of the plate of play. The number of balls could go up to ten on the very old machines, then was reduced to 5 between 1940 and 1970, and finally was stabilized to 3 at the end of the Seventies in France, in Belgium 5 balls by play and 4 in Luxembourg (it is about a stabilization in fact, the majority of the machines having a switch which one can fix on 5 or 4 or 3).

NB. : This number is fixed for each player, so that, in a part with 2 players, each one is seen allotting 3 balls to play. The score is kept separately for each player.

For the plays authorizing more than one player, the participants play alternatively a ball by turn (exception: a player can sometimes gain an additional ball which is played immediately).

Lance-balls

The lance-balls is a metal bar equipped with a Ressort which makes it possible to propel the ball on the plate of play. The player can control the impetus given to the ball by more or less drawing the lance-balls to vary the compression of the spring. This impulse is often used for a shooting of precision (or “skill shot”) where the player must launch the ball so as to achieve an precise objective. Once the ball is concerned, the lance-balls is not used any more unless another ball between concerned. On the recent flippers, the lance-balls can be automated and controlled by the machine itself.

" Flippers" themselves

The flippers are small levers controlled mechanically or électromécaniquement of a size varying from 3 to 7 centimetres used to return the ball to the top of the plate of play. They are generally the only means for the player of controlling the ball. A certain precision and a control of the position make it possible to the player to direct the ball towards the direction chosen more or less strongly. With the flippers, the player tries to prevent the ball from leaving the plate of play. The first plays appeared in the Thirties did not have a flipper: after the sending of the ball, this one went down simply on the plate, its trajectory being directed by the small nails (or “pines”, from where the name pinball in English) worms of the zones allotting a certain number of points. In the middle of the Forties the mechanical first flippers appeared and with beginning of the year 50 the familiar configuration to two flippers had become standard.

Pediment

The pediment is the vertical panel assembled to the back of the machine. This part comprises the bill-posters of score as well as visual attractive presenting the name and the topic of the machine. The plays of flipper are generally built around a particular topic, like a sport or a character. The most recent machines are related to popular films, televised series, toys or marks. The machine as a whole is designed to be most attractive possible; each small space is used for coloured graphics, lamps and objects corresponding to the topic.

Traditional machine elements

The key of a play of flipper succeeded is a variety of sequences interesting and diverting. A certain number of these elements of play became the traditional ones during the years.

Among these elements, one finds:

the bumpers : in fact round mushrooms, when they are touched, at once will push back the ball. There are of them generally 3 on a plate of play, sometimes, sometimes less according to the effect sought by the creator of the machine.
Kickers and slingshots : they are devices similar to the bumpers but their form is rectilinear and they are located on the sides of the space of play. Each recent machine comprises at least a pair of slingshots located just above the pair of flippers; the older plays call upon more experimental provisions.
the slopes : they are just… slopes. The player tries to direct the ball with sufficient force towards the slope so that it crosses the top of the latter. The slopes are generally laid out of such way that the ball return directly on the level of the flipper which made it possible to cross it so that it is possible to connect them and to thus accumulate a growing number of points.
fixed target (or targets ): in fact static targets are satisfied to record the contact with the ball. It is about the simplest element of the plate of play.
falling target (or drop targets ): in fact targets disappear under the plate from play when they are touched. In touching a complete series often allows to progress in the play. When a whole line of falling targets was touched, this one generally returns to its initial position.
the holes (or holes ): the player must direct his ball towards the holes. Those are sometimes connected between them and a mechanism will make it possible to make pass the ball of the one to the other. On the older plays, there is a type of hole called hole gobor (or gobble hole ) which grants a considerable number of points but the ball does not give again.
the spinners : a ball can pass through this small door which comprises a axis in its center to make it rotate. Each rotation allots points to the player.
the additional flippers : certain machines present others " flippers in addition to those located in bottom of the plate. According to the machines, the 'flippers located same side will be activated at the same time or via separate controls.

Current phases of play

The rules of the game of flipper became with increasingly complex time. It is not rare to see the phases of play multiplying on the most recent flippers. To help the player, a small chart describing the objectives to be reached is in bottom (and generally on the left) of the plate of play.

The most current phases of plays:

Blocking of the ball (or in ball lock ): to try to send 2 balls (or 3, or sometimes much more) in a hole or a particular corridor. Each time a ball achieves this goal, it is found blocked ( locked ) and a new ball between concerned. When the necessary balls are blocked, the multibilles can start.
Multibilles (or in multiball ): to play with several balls simultaneously. This sequence of play is particularly difficult. Generally, it makes it possible to gain the jackpot . The multibilles finishes when all the balls, except one, were lost and the traditional play takes again its course.
Jackpot : some targets of the plate of play make it possible to accumulate points which are not allotted to the player but to the jackpot. To gain these points, the player will have to carry out an objective such as passing on a slope or touching targets difficult to reach, generally at the time it multibilles, and to thus gain the jackpot.
Extra ball (or in extra ball ): when the player loses his ball after having gained this no-claims bonus, this one is automatically replaced. When several players play on the same machine, the player who profits from the extra ball sees his ball replaced just after having lost it, without waiting until the other players played their turn.

In the course of play, the players also have the possibility of gaining free parts via various means:

the score to beat (or in Replay Score ): to exceed a certain score (fixes or variable according to the performances of the preceding players) makes it possible to gain a free part.
the Special : to carry out a particularly complicated sequence makes it possible to light a luminous indicator located in the corridor external of the lower part of the plate of play. Normally the player loses his ball while passing in this corridor, but when the indicator Special is lit it gains a considerable number of points as well as a free part.
the Lottery (or in Match ): at the end of the part, if the last two figures of the score of the player correspond to the 2 drawn digits with the fate by the machine, the player gains a free part. The probability of gaining is theoretically of 1 out of 10. Actually, on the modern machines, the owner is free to choose the rate of profit to the lottery (at the exit of the factory, the rate is fixed at 12%).

When the player gains a free part, the machine produces a strong slapping; The player then exclaims I have opera hat!

Counting of the points

The counting of the points to the flipper is rather particular and arbitrary. The scores of the very old plays amounted in hundreds of thousands of points with a posting by lamps whose totalization (arranged of the 100.000, arranged of the 10.000, etc) was left with the user.

The arrival of the Compteur S electromechanics with 3 wheels brought back the scores in hundreds of points, with a lamp lighting a figure " 1" at the head of the 3 digits when 999 were exceeded, posting remaining mechanical for the units, tens and hundreds.

A frequent cheating consisted in heating with the red a pin (with a lighter) and to burn with it a small hole (which was hardly seen) in the plexiglass panel. When the figure of tens was on the " 9" , one blocked it with the pin, and the meter marked +100 thus each time it should have marked +10. It was necessary to use of the process with moderation so that the repeated slappings of free parts do not draw too the attention of the owner.

In the Seventies, with the arrival of the electronic bill-posters, the scores started as from the thousands or of tens of thousands of points. This “inflation” continued until, in the middle of the Nineties, several plays require obtaining several billion points to obtain a free part. Enough recently, the counting of the points returned to more reasonable values.

Maintenance and repair

The modern plays of flipper are electromechanical machines extremely complexes whose breakdowns can have multiple origins. Thus, the cost of the development, maintenance and repair relatively high is compared with simple video games. It is partly for this reason that many flippers left the rooms of arcade to find place at private individuals who ensure them-even to it repair and maintenance (or call upon specialized technicians).

Economy of the flipper

The town of Chicago to the the United States was the capital of the flipper a long time. The companies Gottlieb, Bally and Williams competed of ingeniousness between 1950 and 1990 to produce the most complex and attractive plays. To beginning of the year 80, the competition of the Video games and other entertainments led to the decline of the industry of the flipper and a series of fusions took place. The last company still producing flippers is Stern Pinball, located in Illinois.

The flipper in the popular culture

The flipper is often found in the popular culture, sometimes like a symbol of rebellion or force. The most famous representation is undoubtedly the Opéra-rock Tommy by the English group The Who (1969) which tells the history of a deaf character and blind man who becomes a magician of the flipper (“pinball wizard”) and which later uses the flipper like a tool in its spiritual search.

External bonds

Internet Pinball Database: collaboratif directory of the flippers (list of the referred models)
Flippers-Jukeboxes.net: Site of collectors. (Flippers gate)

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