Mission: Space Cadet

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A Stern Bit of News

It is with a heavy heart that I bring news that "Mission: Space Cadet" as a WPC-based title is dead... Instead, it will be based on the Stern Pinball SAM platform! This decision is based on a number of reasons. The first being the larger switch matrix; going from the WPC 8x8 matrix to the SAM's 16x8 matrix will allow for less switch compacting (such running groups of pop bumper switches in parallel instead of each being their own switch in the matrix). Along with a larger switch matrix, using the SAM platform as the base for "Mission: Space Cadet" also gives me access to the Magnet Processor Board featured on Premium and Limited Edition "Metallica" machines. Having this board as a part of this project will improve the 'Gravity Well' feature. For those who do not know, the 'Gravity Well' was a feature that shifted the gravity of the game towards the middle, and if the ball rolled over the insert at the center, extra points ...

From Design to Dots!

In the early days of pinball/bagatelle, keeping score was often left up to the player. This would take the form of either writing down which holes/pockets the balls landed in, and adding the numbers up. An assembly called a "totalizer" gave players a single place to look, to find all the points they scored, though adding it all together manually was still called for. (Some *total*izer, am I right?) Totalizer from Genco's 1933 "Silver Cup". Source: IPDB.org The 40's and 50's also saw a similar way to display score with "light bulb/lit scoring". This involved grouping numbers into sections based on their place value (Examples: 1~9 and 10~90), and lighting the numbers corresponding to the player's current score. Severely damaged backglass from Gottlieb's 1952 "Queen of Hearts". Lit scoring numbers indicated with green rectangles. Source: BGResto.com Starting in the mid-50's manufacturers began incorporating score reels to ind...

The Jump to 3 Dimensions!

As those who have been following me on Bluesky and Twitch (@3dpinball-spacecadet.net and TerpohGaming, respectively) know, I've finally made the jump to 3D CAD (Autodesk Fusion at present). The project has reached a point in the design process where solely using 2D CAD isn't enough. As sections of the design approach their final form, thought needs to be given to building prototypes, and eventually, the final product. The introduction of Fusion to my workflow will greatly improve accuracy in the design, and allow for greater ability to check fitment of assemblies. While I've got a solid grasp of 2D CAD from all my time spent using LibreCAD, learning Fusion is going to take a bit more time. Fortunately, for all of you, I am regularly streaming design sessions on my Twitch channel (alongside my gaming content). One such stream will be happening on New Year's Day, 2025; the stream will kick off at 12 noon Eastern/11am Central/10 Pacific. Along with working on the playfield...

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