Subject: Re: Thunderball (here's the whole story-a bit more readable)
Date: Sun, 30 Jan 2000 16:52:52 GMT
From: rosco29@mindspring.com (Scott Piehler)
Organization: MindSpring Enterprises
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball

From pinGame journal Issue #35 November, 1994

By The Power Invested In Me, I Now Pronounce You ...
THUNDERBALL!

By Jay Stafford, Phoenix AZ

        In 1982, Williams experimented in producing a game designed to
marry the "video game wave concept" with pinball.  The play would
become increasingly difficult as the player progressed.  Like video
games, the player's skill would be rewarded with additional "lives,"
tallied by a balls-to-play counter, yet also be awarded replays for
high scores.  This unique two-player talking game is called
Thunderball, and only ten machines were produced.  It features
six-ball Multiball and even has gobbleholes!
        Designed by Mark Ritchie, Thunderball is clearly a shooter's
game, yet remains basic enough for the novice.  The ball is served,
not by a plunger, but via a set of "in-lanes" that deliver the ball
from beneath the playfield to roll in front of the flippers for a
controlled opening shot.  An extra set of flipper buttons (I call them
"Fire Buttons"), one on each side of the cabinet next to the regular
flipper buttons, allows the player to choose which in-lane will serve
the ball, and thus which flipper will get the shot.
        The symmetrical playfield sports seven gobbleholes and six
banks of targets.  On each side of the upper playfield are a five-bank
of drop targets and a two-bank of standing targets.  Most dramatic is
the fifteen-inch center ramp formed by elevating a section of
playfield.  Three gobbleholes await the player's ball at the top of
the ramp, and a three-bank of standing targets line each side.  All
six banks are numbered and have a corresponding numbered playfield
insert located at playfield center.
        Play starts out in what is called "Regular Wave" with all bank
targets reset.  Completing each bank ("scoring" a bank) lights its
numbered insert.  Lighting all six inserts begins the Multiball mode
called "Superwave."  Superwave starts a timer (mine is set for 30
seconds) and allows unlimited balls to be played in that time, similar
to the bonus round of Williams' Black Knight.  Completing all six
banks during Superwave lights 2X Superwave scoring, with repeated
compilations earning up to 5X scoring and increasing the timer by 10
seconds.
        It may seem impossible to achieve 5X in 30 seconds, but
assisting you is the frenzy of several balls flying around the
playfield.  The neat thing about this game's Multiball is that, using
the Fire Buttons, the player can control the number of balls in
simultaneous play, up to a maximum of six.  This helps when you need a
skill shot to be uninterrupted by the other careening orbs.  (Former
Williams programmer, John Kotlarik told me that he and Ritchie decided
on the six-ball idea with no thought to Balls-A-Poppin' of the then
contemporary Centaur).  When Superwave time expires, the playfield
action goes dead as all balls drain and player-up advances, returning
game play to single-ball Regular Wave.
        A wide horseshoe lane at the very top of the playfield loops
under and behind the ramp, with a spinner flag at each entrance.
Shoot the ball into the horseshoe fast enough and it comes back out
the other side.  Too soft a shot drains behind the ramp.  This is
because the hidden part of the horseshoe is actually a narrow ledge
(patent applied for at the time but not received) requiring sufficient
centrifugal force to keep the ball from falling off and exiting the
playfield.  Which brings me to discuss the seven gobbleholes.  Two are
the potential drains from the horseshoe, three more on the ramp, and
two more mid-way on each side of the playfield.  Before I first saw
this game, I thought I had seen the last of the gobblehole with 1963's
Sweet Hearts, so I was sure that seven of those little buggers would
be asking too much.
        Not to worry!  If the ball drains in any gobblehole when lit
for "Reload," you get your ball back via the Fire Button.  The number
of holes lit for reload depends on the number of reloads tallied on
the backglass display.  One reload is awarded every 200,000 points.
        Player-up advances only at the completion of  Superwave.  If
that is not achieved before draining, the Balls-to-Play counter will
decrement, but the same player will be served the next ball.  The
possibility exists that Player 1 could complete an entire game in
Regular Wave before Player 2 has even begun.  If Superwave is
completed, sucessive ones become harder to achieve.
        This is because "scoring a bank" of targets initially only
requires that any one target in the bank be hit.  The next Regular
Wave will allow only two of six banks to qualify at any given time,
lighting them in pairs:  Banks one and two light together as Sector 1,
banks three and four then light together as Sector 2, and banks five
and six next light together as Sector 3.  The Sectors take turns being
lit and only one target in a lit bank need be hit to score the entire
bank.  The third Regular Wave lights all Sectors simultaneously, but
this time, all targets in a bank must be hit to score that bank.  The
fourth Regular Wave lights all Sectors, but all targets must be hit in
a particular sequence.  Subsequent Waves subtly increase the
difficulty in scoring banks, but I think you get the idea.  Also, each
gobblehole lit for reload, while the reload lamp is flashing, will
score a bank in addition to returning the ball to play.
        The jet bumpers are nestled close to rebound switches and,
during Regular Wave, sustained action between jet bumper and rebounds
will increase scoring multipliers up to 4X.  After the ball leaves the
jet bumper area, the multipliers stay in effect proportionately:  The
longer the jet action, the longer it takes for the multipliers to
countdown backwards from 4X to 3X to 2X to regular scoring.  The
original design for this game was to have all the targets as drop
targets, but it overtaxes the hardware electronics in use at that
time.
        At first, the developers were not sure if the problem was
hardware or software, and the time spent on this problem took a lot of
money out the development budget.  At a time when video games were
taking over pinball machines, cost efficiencies forced the decision
not to put Thunderball into full production.
        I want to point out that most references state describe
Thunderball as a four-player game.  The confusion may have resulted
from viewing the backglass while the game is off.  It has four
full-size displays, but two of them are used to tally each player's
balls-to-play and reloads.  Also, my research has shown me that this
game should be listed with a 1982 date of production, instead of 1983
as usually stated.  In fact, my playfield edge is stamped "Apr 1982."
        There were three PROM versions for this game spread over the
ten games built.  I have the third version in mine and the only
version, I am told, that does not let the game crash dead in the
middle of playing it.  By now, Two Bit Score in Austin has a copy of
the "good PROM" available for anyone who may have a Thunderball that
goes dead.
        I've been unable to track down the existence of four of the
ten games made and would like to hear from any other owners.  I am
trying to build paperwork on this game, as none was produced.  At this
time, I would like to thank Ted Estes, John Kotlarik, and Mark Ritchie
for their help in this effort.
        Artist Connie Mitchell did three backglasses and two
playfields for this game.  The first backglass was a promotional
advertisement saying, "Coming in the Spring..."  The second version
was known as Thunderball I and  showed a helmeted woman with shoulder
pads and spiked gloves.  She was to enter an arena and fight for the
Thunderball trophy.  This version may have been Williams' first
four-color backglass.  The last version, named Thunderball II, depicts
a large pinball erupting little pinball orbs.  All the playfield
inserts are the ribbed or faceted style which enhances the aesthetic
appeal, especially in attract mode.  No knocker on this game;  high
score replays are announced by a robust male voice inviting you to
"Play Thunderball!     pGj