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Pinball 2000
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<h2 id="development">Development</h2> <p>The Pinball 2000 platform was originally designed to use a backbox video display (replacing the standard dot matrix display) but without the mirroring technique, reminiscent of those seen in Bally's <i><a href="/facts/Baby_Pac-Man/aq20tABQ">Baby Pac-Man</a></i> (1982) and <i>Granny and the Gators</i> (1983) or <a href="/facts/Gottlieb/adqd20va">Gottlieb</a>'s <i>Caveman</i> (1982) pinball machines. The first-generation <a href="/facts/Mockup/CdWgWXxR">mockup</a> prototype of the Pinball 2000 architecture was called <i>Holopin</i>—it used main designer <a href="/facts/George_Gomez/gaYU1Hzd">George Gomez</a>'s old <a href="/facts/Amiga/60B3A9of">Amiga</a> computer to drive the video display, and a No Good Gofers whitewood prototype playfield. The integration of pinball and video was inspired by the <i><a href="/facts/Asteroids_Deluxe/GrHDQLL7">Asteroids Deluxe</a></i> arcade machine, which used a one-way mirror to add a static background graphic to the game's animated vector graphics.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3"><sup>3</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="technical-details">Technical details</h2> <ul><li>Computer: The machine's head contains an <a href="/facts/IBM_PC_compatible/zGUpl7Sh">IBM PC compatible</a> computer consisting mainly of a <a href="/facts/Baby_AT/Vka1A9jG">BAT</a> style PC <a href="/facts/Mainboard/GXB10heG">mainboard</a> running a <a href="/facts/Cyrix/zPI6NhTm">Cyrix</a> <a href="/facts/MediaGX/d1BYh1Am">MediaGX model GXm-233GP</a> <a href="/facts/CPU/Jxp1bqMV">CPU</a> connected to a Cyrix CX5520 bridge. A <a href="/facts/Conventional_PCI/n6CGuFvP">PCI</a>-PRISM card holds the game <a href="/facts/Read-only_memory/P9QMuDLH">ROMs</a> and <a href="/facts/Digital_Compression_System/FSj2uXtC">DCS2</a> sound hardware.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a> The "Pinball 2000 hardware" setup was an ATX motherboard running a MediaGX CPU (x86 clone, it lives on as AMD Geode). It also had a custom PCI card for storage and sound DSP, and a secondary board connected by parallel port for driving lamps and solenoids. <a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5"><sup>5</sup></a></li> <li>Video: Pinball 2000 uses a 19-inch <a href="/facts/Color_Graphics_Adapter/zcX23HQo">CGA</a> color monitor either a Wells-Gardener 19K7302 or a Ducksan CGM-1901CW model. It is possible to exchange the built-in monitor with an <a href="/facts/LCD/8B6xGBEz">LCD</a> display, provided it can handle the low refresh rate (15 Hz) and resolution (640x240) of an arcade CGA monitor.</li> <li>Graphics SDK: Allegro Software Development Kit <a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6"><sup>6</sup></a></li></ul> <ul><li>Audio: DCS2 audio hardware provides full stereo output, compared to the old WPC system's mono. The Pinball 2000 cabinet was the first to be equipped with a real subwoofer, where prior machines used a less-expensive broadband speaker.</li> <li>OS and Sub System: XINA is an application layer on top of <a href="/facts/Xinu/7CG1Yuob">XINU</a> that handles the executive tasks of running a pinball machine, and also abstracts the various hardware features. The name XINA was inspired by XINU meaning: "XINA Is Not APPLE" ( APPLE was the previous pinball programming system of previous WPC pinballs, no connection to the computer company. ) <a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7"><sup>7</sup></a></li> <li>Software management: Software can be updated via a serial cable connected to a second PC, so no ROM exchanges are necessary as in previous generations.</li> <li>Network support: Pinball 2000 machines can be networked, enabling them to be set up for game tournaments where each machine displays all highscores and even optional player pictures. It is also possible to play a machine from another computer—for example, over the Internet—using the <a href="/facts/Telnet/hxT0e85h">Telnet</a> protocol and a webcam.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:8" href="#fn:8"><sup>8</sup></a></li> <li>Maintenance innovations: Broken hardware such as lamps, fuses, switches and coils are listed in the service menu on the display and indicated on a playfield or circuit board diagram.</li> <li>Quick game swapping: Playfields and software can be quickly swapped, theoretically enabling operators to convert an existing game into a new one in just 5 to 10 minutes.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:9" href="#fn:9"><sup>9</sup></a></li></ul> <p>A conversion kit for <i>Revenge from Mars</i> was released so it could be converted into a <i>Star Wars Episode I</i>. The kit included a new playfield, ROMs, cabinet decals and a manual plunger. </p> <h2 id="games">Games</h2> <p>Released </p> <ul><li><i><a href="/facts/Revenge_From_Mars/BucbSvGW">Revenge From Mars</a></i> (1999)</li> <li><i><a href="/facts/Star_Wars_Episode_I_(pinball)/w993QlaS">Star Wars Episode I</a></i> (1999)</li></ul> <p>Planned (unreleased) </p> <ul><li><i>Wizard Blocks –</i> A prototype exists, owned by Gene Cunningham.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:10" href="#fn:10"><sup>10</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:11" href="#fn:11"><sup>11</sup></a></li> <li><i>Playboy –</i>A prototype exists, owned by Gene Cunningham.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:12" href="#fn:12"><sup>12</sup></a></li> <li><i>Monopoly –</i> Planned but canceled. <a href="/facts/Stern_(game_company)/g14LBTKX">Stern</a> later released their own <i>Monopoly</i> pinball.</li> <li><i><a href="http://tarr.uspto.gov/servlet/tarr?regser=serial&entry=75618550">Wild Toys</a> –</i> Registered as a trademark to Williams Electronic Games but later abandoned in favor of <i>Wizard Blocks</i>.</li> <li><i>Holopin</i> - Prototype Machine. Made to show Pinball 2000 concepts.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:13" href="#fn:13"><sup>13</sup></a></li></ul> <h2 id="external-links">External links</h2> <ul><li><a href="http://www.tilt-movie.com">TILT: The Battle to Save Pinball</a>, a documentary that tells the story of the development of Pinball 2000.</li> <li><a href="http://www.mypinballs.com/tournament">myPinballs Tournament System - Live tournament system for Pinball 2000 games</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.bigguyspinball.com">Nucore - The Pinball 2000 emulation project</a></li></ul> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>Staff Writer (1999). "About Pinball 2000". Pinball. Wipavlovpinballlliams Electronic Games. Archived from the original on 29 August 2009. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090829094147/http://www.pinball.com/pinball2000/" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20090829094147/http://www.pinball.com/pinball2000/</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>Rubens, Paul (1 June 2014). "Pinball 2000 – back from the grave?". Pavlov Pinball. Retrieved 22 March 2016. <a href="http://pavlovpinball.com/pinball-2000-back-from-the-grave/" target="_blank">http://pavlovpinball.com/pinball-2000-back-from-the-grave/</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>Maletic, Greg (8 April 2008). "Special features: Interview with Tom Uban". TILT: The Battle to Save Pinball (DVD). United States: The Future of Pinball LLC. Archived from the original on 2 October 2021. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAtVBb8rOok" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAtVBb8rOok</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>Staff Writer (1999). "Feedback". Pinball. Williams Electronic Games. Archived from the original on 15 May 2009. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090515170638/http://www.pinball.com/pinball2000/faq.html" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20090515170638/http://www.pinball.com/pinball2000/faq.html</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:5"><p>"Pinball 2000 answers details". Hacker News. 2018. The "Pinball 2000 hardware" setup was an ATX motherboard running a MediaGX CPU (x86 clone, it lives on as AMD Geode). It also had a custom PCI card for storage and sound DSP, and a secondary board connected by parallel port for driving lamps and solenoids. <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17739830" target="_blank">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17739830</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:6"><p>"Pinball 2000 answers details". Hacker News. 2018. We used Allegro as the graphics SDK <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17739830" target="_blank">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17739830</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:7"><p>"Pinball 2000 answers details". Hacker News. 2018. The name XINA was inspired by XINU, and was an acronym for "XINA Is Not APPLE". APPLE was the previous pinball programming system, no connection to the computer company. <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17739830" target="_blank">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17739830</a> <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:8"><p>Haase, Enver. "VaaPin - Vaadin interface to Williams/Bally Pinball 2000 machines. Play physical pinball remotely". Retrieved 13 January 2016. <a href="https://github.com/enver-haase/VaaPin" target="_blank">https://github.com/enver-haase/VaaPin</a> <a href="#fnref:8" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:9"><p>Staff Writer (1999). "Modularity". Pinball. Williams Electronic Games. Archived from the original on 11 January 2005. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20050111233623/http://www.pinball.com/pinball2000/mod9.html" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20050111233623/http://www.pinball.com/pinball2000/mod9.html</a> <a href="#fnref:9" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:10"><p>Schelberg, Jim (15 September 2001). "Wizard Blocks, A Snapshot in Time". The PinGame Journal. Archived from the original on 5 December 2001. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20011205165015/http://www.pingamejournal.com/articles/makehtma.php?file=article3.txt" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20011205165015/http://www.pingamejournal.com/articles/makehtma.php?file=article3.txt</a> <a href="#fnref:10" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:11"><p>Staff Writer (2008). "Life After Death III: Warehouse Raid". Pinball News. The third bonus feature is a trip to Gene Cunningham's premises and it begins with a look at Gene's Wizard Blocks and Playboy Pinball 2000 prototypes. <a href="https://www.pinballnews.com/learn/lad3.html" target="_blank">https://www.pinballnews.com/learn/lad3.html</a> <a href="#fnref:11" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:12"><p>Schelberg, Jim (October 2004). "The WMS Playboy Story". The PinGame Journal. No. 106 – via The Pinball 2000 Collectors Pages. <a href="http://www.pinball2000.de/pb_story.htm" target="_blank">http://www.pinball2000.de/pb_story.htm</a> <a href="#fnref:12" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:13"><p>Gomez, George (1999). "The Making of Pinball 2000". Pinball Player. Pinball Owners Association – via The Pinball 2000 Collectors Pages. <a href="http://www.pinball2000.de/new_making_of_pin2000.htm" target="_blank">http://www.pinball2000.de/new_making_of_pin2000.htm</a> <a href="#fnref:13" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>