Ask Uncle Willy #2: June 30, 1995Here is this week's (actually, last week's -- Uncle Willy took a little vacation) installment of questions for Uncle Willy. 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. Uncle Willy enjoys hearing from you!
Question: I'm looking for the optional printer kit for a Williams/Bally pinball, but am having a hard time finding one. Can Uncle Willy help? Answer: Have your local distributor order a "PRINTER OPTION KIT", part number 63110 from WMS Part Sales. This kit comes complete with cables and instructions. The Printer Option can be installed in any Williams/Bally game, starting from Funhouse. The Printer circuit board mounts in the backbox on the studs above the CPU circuit board. In games with a Fliptronics circuit board (Addams Family and later), the Printer board mounts in front of the Fliptronics board with standoffs. Cables are run from the backbox into the cabinet to connect to a small interface board. The interface board should be mounted in the cabinet where it will be easily accessable from the coin door. Uncle Willy likes to mount the interface board just to the right of the coin door on the inside front of the cabinet. Question: What games did designer Ward Pemberton work on? Answer: Mr. Pemberton designed the following games: Fathom, BMX, Dungeons and Dragons, Hard Body, Mousin' Around, Riverboat Gambler, and Gilligan's Island. Uncle Willy has not been keeping careful tabs on Mr. Pemberton, but he has heard that Mr. Pemberton worked for Capcom pinball for a while, and is now employed by Sega pinball. Question: Does Williams/Bally plan on making a three level game? Answer: Uncle Willy is unable to comment on any particular plan of development. However, each design team is free to spend its game budget in any way that results in a fun game. You can be sure that Williams/Bally designers are always busy evaluating possible features to include in a game. (As a side note, the original design for Popeye had a third playfield. The third playfield was visible through a plastic window in the main playfield.) Question: I have seen some information about "H" or "Home" version ROMs for some games. What is the deal with these software versions? Answer: "Home" version ROMs are not official software releases for Williams/Bally pinballs. Home ROMs are made for very few games, and only at the whim of the software developer. Since Home ROMs are not officially released, they are not intended to be used in games on location. In general, it is usually safe to do so, however. ADDED NOTE: Many home game ROMs can are "free play" only, to prevent them from being used in a commercial environment. While Home ROMs are typically meant to be used in the design team's "home" games only, they are sometimes given to friends, etc. It is through this "underground" channel that these ROM versions surface. Question: Does Williams/Bally use computer simulations during the development of pinball games? Answer: No. Uncle Willy keeps checking at the local computer software shop, but he hasn't seen a package to do this. Question: I have purchased a Williams/Bally pinball at home, and I have noticed some software bugs in the program. Is there a possibility that these bugs will be fixed? Answer: Unfortunately, the possibility of a fix for minor bugs is very slim. The longer a game has been out of production, the slimmer this possibility becomes. While Williams/Bally is concerned about any serious software bugs in its pinballs, it just doesn't have the resources to fix bugs of a lesser nature, especially in older games. Besides, the Williams/Bally software developers are busy working on the NEXT game, and don't have room in their offices to keep older games around. All text and images Copyright © 2005 The Pinball Factory. All games made under license to Williams Electronic Games Inc. |