Stern pinball medieval madness12/30/2023 ![]() So I tried to mix it up…one of the big things about Attack from Mars, why it is a fan the way it is and why it is so open at the bottom is because that flying saucer was supposed to be on a telescopic rod on a pivot on the back so it could move all around the front of the playfield. And you want to do something a little different from your last one, you don’t want to do the same thing. I think designers over time have certain preferences, so you see certain styles…but I always start with a blank slate, and I did the same with Attack from Mars. You don’t really want to bring anything from the past one. ![]() What was the inspiration for you to change design concepts? … Was it something you conceptualized before, that you were trying to implement into your second pin? Walk us through a little bit about the decisions on that design in comparison to Shadow?īE: Each game to me starts with a blank sheet. ……… SWL: Did you own a Shadow at the time? It was your first game, did you take one home?īE: Yep, I still have a Shadow…I think it is the photo shoot game…not a ton, a few hundred.Īttack from Mars Photo courtesy High End Pins SWL: When you look at the playfield design, it is a fan layout on Attack From Mars, and it looks like a completely different design from Shadow. I like a lot of different options for people playing, lots of different shots. SWL: Did you envision a third flipper right off the bat with that game? Is that something you knew you wanted to do?īE: Yeah I always wanted a third flipper. I think modes also were just coming out around that time, and being able to expand and add depth the games….those two things were really influential. …… SWL: What was your design theory going into Shadow – was there anyone you wanted to emulate, anyone you looked up to, any machines you wanted to replicate? Because this was your first go as a designer…īE: Yeah sure, I am a flow guy, and you can kind of tell some from my playfields, so Steve Ritchie was a huge influence, he is like the master of flow…as far as playing his games and learning from them, that was probably the biggest influence. They were supposed to jump out from where they were, to be a target for a ball at times, And then pop back in when they were hit… SWL: Like side trolls? There were those little Mongol statues that were on the side, you see a couple of those on the playfield. And back in the day, there was a little bit of the game of – put too much on because they’re going to make you take something off no matter what …so we did stuff like that. We pour so much into them that we want to keep as much as we can. SWL: On Shadow, were there any major changes between the prototype and the production game, was there anything you had conceptualized that was on the pin originally but because of cost cutting measures or…was there anything that was taken off the pin that you would have liked to have kept on?īE: Yeah, I think that happens with every game. Was that something that was intentional, or was that something that – while you were programming, was a visual effect that just happened on its own?īE: Completely intentional…it turned out great – even today, you watch it and it is cool to watch. The way it looks like the ball is going to fall, gets drawn back, then disappears. SWL: So the Sanctum Lock magnet, in my opinion, is one of the coolest lock shots in pinball. Unfortunately the movie wasn’t as big as everybody hoped. I think for that movie and that theme, I think we did a really good pin for it. And I actually remembered Shadow from the radio shows and I listened to them so I could get into it. Shadow – not the best movie in the end, but it was being pitched as the next Batman. I think when the Shadow came up, it was one of the licenses that they had…we did a lot of ones that were movies that were coming out, so you never know how that movie is going to turn out. ![]() The Shadow Photo courtesy High End Pins SWL: So you were passionate about The Shadow Theme?īE: Um, I was passionate about making a pinball. ![]() ![]() Check out the full interview here! Here are just a few of the highlights… Our friends at the Special When Lit Pinball Podcast ( website, Facebook) recently released an interview with the one and only, Brian Eddy! Designer of The Shadow, Attack from Mars, and Medieval Madness, and recent addition to the Stern Pinball team. NOTE: Since next Monday is Christmas Eve and next Tuesday is Christmas Day, there will be no TWIP next week! We’ll be back on 12/31!! □ ![]()
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