Please keep in mind that some of the questions take a bit of research, so that answers to some questions may not show up right away. Be assured that your questions are being kept on file, and those that are answerable will receive Uncle Willy's attention.

Here are the questions for this week:

Question:  Who was on the design team for Riverboat Gambler?

Answer:    Riverboat Gambler was a Williams 1990 design.  The design credits
           are:

           Design:        Ward Pemberton
           Software:      Dwight Sullivan
           Music/Sounds:  Dan Forden, Paul Heitsch
           Art:           Pat McMahon
           Mechanical:    Greg Tastad

           Note that if you find a game without the design credits listed
           on the playfield, then it's a prototype.


Question:  On Star Trek: the Next Generation, when does the Neutral Zone
           "LOCK" light come on?

Answer:    Warning, very dry, technical rules discussion ahead.  Uncle Willy
           says you may want to skip down to the next question.

           The standup targets in the Neutral Zone either start one of the
           Neutral Zone modes, or light "LOCK".  Depending upon the current
           percentage of multiballs on a particular ST:tNG, the "LOCK" is
           lit on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th Neutral Zone sequence.  The
           "LOCK" is then lit every 4th sequence after that.


Question:  On Elvira, what are the rules for lighting the Skull "LOCK" light,
           and what are the effects of changing the difficulty setting?

Answer:    Warning, very dry, technical rules discussion ahead.  Again, you
           may want to skip ahead.

           The basic rule for the Skull "LOCK" is:

           - If "LOCK" is lit, lock a ball.
           - 3rd ball in lock starts multiball.
           - If "LOCK" is not lit, and multiball is not active, hit J-A-M
             targets to light "LOCK".

           The behavior of the "LOCK" light is affected by the "MULTIBALL"
           adjustment.  It has the settings "EX. EASY", "EASY", "MEDIUM",
           "HARD", and "EX. HARD".  There are 4 times during a game when
           the decision is made to leave/turn the "LOCK" light on.  They are:

           - Start of game.
           - After a lock, before the 1st multiball.
           - After a lock, after the 1st multiball.
           - After multiball ends.

           Here's a grid to show the effect of the "MULTIBALL" setting on
           the "LOCK" light:

           Setting       Game Start   After Lock     After Lock     After MB
                                      before 1st MB  after 1st MB

           Ex. Easy      ON           ON             ON             ON
           Easy          ON           ON             ON             OFF
           Medium        ON           ON             OFF            OFF
           Hard          ON           OFF            OFF            OFF
           Ex. Hard      OFF          OFF            OFF            OFF

           The factory default is "MEDIUM".


Question:  Is there a hidden video mode in Star Trek: the Next Generation?
           If so, how is it accessed?
Answer:    Uncle Willy is sorry, but he has no idea what this question is
           talking about.  Next question, please.

NOTE:      This is referring to the "breakout" video mode that is rumored
           to exist inside the STNG game. According to Williams software
           designers, indeed it does exist. But to date, no one but the
           STNG software designer seems to know how to access it. Since
           Breakout is a copyrighted Atari game, the information on how to
           access the Breakout video mode is a guarded secret. Williams
           could be sued by Atari if the Breakout game actually does exist
           inside the STNG software (though it is all a moot point at this
           period in time, as Williams is not longer making pinball games).

Question:  My Twilight Zone playfield seems very prone to stripping out
           the screw holes; what's the scoop?

Answer:    Wood is a natural substance, and is subject to many variations.
           
           Uncle Willy always carries wooden kitchen matches and wood glue
           when visiting his games on location to fix the stripped screw
           problem.  Glob some glue in the hole, stick in the match, clip
           it off, and then re-insert the screw.

           Uncle Willy has also found that those bamboo hibachi skewers work
           well in this regard also.  They are a bit bigger in diameter, and
           the wood is a bit tougher and stringier, so it holds the screw
           better.

           If you find a place in a playfield where there's a void inside
           the playfield, or the screw hole is particularly badly stripped,
           the solution is to drill out the hole to accommodate a short
           section of wooden dowel.  Again, make sure to use wood glue to
           keep the plug in place.


Question:  What's the story on "beta" versions of pinball games?  I found a
           game that looks different than most I've seen; is it a "beta"?
           (It also had some different rules in it.)

Answer:    In the developing a new pinball game, Williams/Bally will build
           15-20 engineering prototype games.  These get used for testing
           of the pinball in various ways, and for programming the software.

           After that, a sample run of games is produced and shipped to
           distributors for display at their showrooms.  Finally, full
           production is started on a game.

           Changes are made throughout the process for many reasons, such as
           rules changes, fixing of ball hangups, improvements for
           reliability and manufacturability.  Of course, the game software
           matures during the process, too.  It is often hard to strictly
           define what the rec.games.pinball crowd calls a "beta" game.


Question:  Will Brian Eddy, the designer of The Shadow pinball, be doing more
           pinball designs?  If so, when can we expect his next game?

Answer:    Rest assured that Mr. Eddy is busy working on his next pinball
           design for Williams/Bally.  Expect to see it when he's done.
           (Sorry, but Uncle Willy can't be any more specific than that.)


Question:  I have heard that John Popadiuk, designer of World Cup Soccer
           and Theatre of Magic, worked for Bally years ago before recently
           joining up to design those two games.  Could you tell me what he
           worked on previously?

Answer:    Mr. Popadiuk started with Bally pinball in 1980 and worked there
           on and off for several years.  During that time he developed
           several prototype ideas, but none of his games made it into
           production, partially due to the Bally Amusement buyout in the
           late '80s.  (Some of games that he worked on were Destroyer - an
           outer-space game, Jail Break - with cops and robbers, and Ice
           Castles - a medieval snow fortress.)

           Luckily for everyone, Mr. Popadiuk never lost his passion for
           pinball.  After rejoining the Williams/Bally team in 1993, he
           went on to design those games for which he is now known.  He is
           presently busy designing his next pinball creation.


Question:  Are current Williams/Bally pinball games really programmed in
           6809 assembly language?

Answer:    You betcha.  And it's because of this that Uncle Willy gets night
           sweats about doing a 'pshs b' and a corresponding 'puls d'.
           (Uncle Willy apologizes for the the very poor attempt at computer
           geek humor.)
           

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