Stern Orbitor one. Toughest game ever?!?!
Keith Stelter
After giving it a good cleaning it went into the gameroom.
Although I don't claim to be a pinball wizard by any means, I can usually
keep with most players at Expo and such.
Anyway, there was no way that I was prepared for the experience of playing
Orbitor 1!
I had played a few games on one when they first came out, but didn't really
remember it.
I bought it mainly because it was HUO and is kind of an oddity in the
pinball world.
Over the holidays I played it quite a bit, and there is NO game that I can
think of that is SO hard to play. The ball drains into an actual hole
between the flippers, so it can actually do a complete loop around the lower
apron and come out on the other side!
I actually got a score of "10" on my first ball last night.
I think it would be great to hold a tournament on a group of Orbitor 1's at
a show!
What does anyone else think of this long overlooked Classic?!?!
Later,
Keith
Bob E.
I got one a few months ago, like your experience I remembered playing
a few games on it at one of Herb's shows several years ago, and really
was struck by the oddity of it. It wouldn't necessarily be a good
candidate for a pinball enthusiast's only game, but it is a novelty in
a collection. I find that it just has a different "rhythm" or "groove"
that you have to get into before you can be better than mediocre at it,
and it certainly has a different set of skills required. No trapping
balls on the flippers, for one thing! You have to pick your moment and
swat the ball as it is going by the flipper. I notice that I have the
same sort of adjustment to timing when I go from playing my WPC games
to my old woodrail, so it may just be an internal "re-calibration"
that is needed. Your tournament idea is good, think how much fun it
would be if you made the contestants play a few games on WPC-type
machines first, and then switch to Orbitor! Playing issues aside,
it is one of the coolest-looking machines, in my opinion. --Bob
================================================================================
Bob Ellingson bo...@halted.com
Halted Specialties Co., Inc. http://www.halted.com
3500 Ryder St. (408) 732-1573
Santa Clara, Calif. 95051 USA (408) 732-6428 (FAX)
Keith Stelter
Correct me if I'm wrong about that, but it's the earliest one that I have
ever seen.
Maybe it wouldn't really qualify as a translite since it's really a 3d
plastic piece.
Keith
"Bob E." <bob...@halted.com> wrote in message
news:3C38DA0D...@halted.com...
Paul Pinball Cutter
I had several opportunities to own an Orbitor...perhaps it's the same
one you aquired. It was at the York, PA show. I have several Stern
classics ie: Split second, Meteor, Freefall, Flight 2000 and I hope
to get a Big game soon.
All those Stern games are classics and I commend You for taking the
road less traveled. I mean everyone talks about the Black holes,
Haunted house, Gorgar, TZ and others, but the real games deal with
anticipation...how the ball will react with your reaction....without a
"cluttered" playfield with stupid props...heck, half the time you
don't know where the ball "is" ! Who designed Orbitor 1 ?? If it was
Harry Williams...he is quoted as saying " I have seen the silver ball
do some strange things". Orbitor 1 IS a classic...hold on to it and
wait for everyone else to catch up!!!...I think I just talked myself
into getting one! Take care, Paul
Bob E.
>
> I had several opportunities to own an Orbitor...perhaps it's the same
> one you aquired. It was at the York, PA show. I have several Stern
> classics ie: Split second, Meteor, Freefall, Flight 2000 and I hope
> to get a Big game soon.
> All those Stern games are classics and I commend You for taking the
> road less traveled. I mean everyone talks about the Black holes,
> Haunted house, Gorgar, TZ and others, but the real games deal with
> anticipation...how the ball will react with your reaction....without a
> "cluttered" playfield with stupid props...heck, half the time you
> don't know where the ball "is" ! Who designed Orbitor 1 ?? If it was
> Harry Williams...he is quoted as saying " I have seen the silver ball
> do some strange things". Orbitor 1 IS a classic...hold on to it and
> wait for everyone else to catch up!!!...I think I just talked myself
> into getting one!
According to the IPD, it was designed by Joe Joos Jr., who also gave
us Game Plan's "Sharpshooter" (mechanical design), as well as Stern's
"Quicksilver", "Lightning", "Catacomb" and "Viper" (mechanical and
game design) and, while at Williams, "Pinbot", "Cyclone", "Jokerz!",
"Black Knight 2000", "Police Force", "Bad Cats" and "Roller Games"
(mechanical design). The spinning bumpers used in Orbitor are unique
in pinball, I believe, as they have optical disks that are read by
optos which detect ball hits by the change in speed of the spinning
shaft! --Bob
================================================================================
Bob Ellingson bo...@halted.com
Halted Specialties Co., Inc. http://www.halted.com
3500 Ryder St. (408) 732-1573
Santa Clara, Calif. 95051 USA (408) 732-6428 (FAX)
Shoot 'M Again
Every now and then people that come in our gameroom and look at it their
first opinion is "HEY, the damned thing has magnets in it".
It always takes a while to explain that the bumpers are spinning....
But whatever, playing this game is a real experience and a total new way to
play pinball.
I've seen real pinballs aces crying out loud when they find out that their
skills don't work on this particular game.
btw,
i am still looking for the speachboard
anyone ???????/
--
With regards
Shoot 'M Again Coinop Collectors
Hans, Patrick & Suzanne
The only difference between men and boys
is the price of their toys.
www.shootmagain.nl
"Keith Stelter" <del...@datacruz.com> schreef in bericht
news:3c388...@news.datacruz.com...
Tony Miller
Joe may have done some of the mechanical support for it, but it was
designed by a couple of non-pinball designers (whose names I just
can't remember) but who were working out of a studio in Aspen, CO.
Cheers,
Tony Miller
Ivan DeWolf
not sure if I can post here.
The 2 designers were Art Meyers and Dixie Reinhart. My dad was distantly involved, and set them up with the gig. Art was a sculptor tthat specialized in bronze wildlife sculptures, and Dixie was an engineer that worked on the gloves thet went on the spaceuit that went to the moon, and also "flexor" brand ski gloves, and was a professional clown, and a very odd and interesting genius. https://www.aspentimes.com/news/dixie-rinehart/
John Robertson
>
> not sure if I can post here.
> The 2 designers were Art Meyers and Dixie Reinhart. My dad was distantly involved, and set them up with the gig. Art was a sculptor tthat specialized in bronze wildlife sculptures, and Dixie was an engineer that worked on the gloves thet went on the spaceuit that went to the moon, and also "flexor" brand ski gloves, and was a professional clown, and a very odd and interesting genius. https://www.aspentimes.com/news/dixie-rinehart/
>
Thanks for the history! Dixie sounds like a heck of a guy to know - did
you personally, or just hear through your dad?
You might want to send this info to ipdb.org for more history for that
most unusual game.
Thanks,
John :-#)#
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seymour.shabow
> I think it's right up there with Chicago Coin's Hi-Score Pool as one
> of the dopiest ideas ever in the history of pinball. Why play it
> with so many other great options out there... makes no sense
> whatsoever.
that is Hiscore pool....