Subject: Re: White Clock TZ's (long)
From: [email-masked]
Date: Mon, 23 Feb 1998 05:31:39 -0600
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball

In article <[email-masked]>,
  Clive Jones <[email-masked]> wrote:
>
> In article <[email-masked]>, "Jonathan N. Deitch"
> <[email-masked]> writes
> >In article <[email-masked]>,
> >       [email-masked] (Baeyens Bart) writes:
> >
> >> A couple of questions about the proto TZ's :
> >> How many made ?
> >
> >We can be pretty sure around 200 ... ie: the sample game run.  There is
> >also some evidence white-face clocks were used on some early production
games.
> >
>
> I thought *prototype* games were limited to around 8 or less? (games
> with serial numbers proceded with an 'X').
>

Uh, following up my own post - it's 10-15 proto's (why do we seem to have this
same discussion every 6 months?). BTW Jonathan - regarding your other post in
this thread - my game has everthing (white clock, green lock..) except the
hole routed for the magnet - *everthing* (it's an early *production* game!).

Past info from Ted (Estes)...

The "sample" games and the first 100 or so production games cannot
be distinquished by anything other than production date.

[Actually, there may be some other physical characteristics, but who
knows when some changes became effective?  For example, the right
loop sign (that reads "Load gumball when lit") was installed with
a sticker on it for some early games.  The sticker looks identical
to the screened artwork present on later games.  It covers the
screen text on the sign which reads "Shoot spiral when flashing."

Another example is that some early games had the text scraped from
the right loop lamp insert (which used to read "Gumball") and had
a clear decal installed which reads "Spiral".  I don't know if this
latter item corresponds exactly with the playfields that were
routed for the 3rd magnet.  (Since routing precedes screening, it
is possible that the screen change was effected before all of the
routed playfields were screened.)]

<...and Ted's answer in response to John Brannans TZ info...>

>"3rd" magnet.  Only true prototypes had the third magnet installed.
>After the 3rd magnet was deleted from the game, a magnet core was
>installed to plug the hole in the playfield (they couldn't throw
>away the playfields that had been routed for the magnet).
>Playfields with a magnet core were used for the sample games and
>into early production.

This is quite correct.  Obviously, since the playfields had been
ordered to accomodate the 3rd magnet, a similar number of wiring
harnesses were also ordered to accomodate the 3rd magnet.  Thus,
these games will also have some vestige of the original wiring
harness also.

Other clues you have a prototype:
- All your lamp boards under the playfield are RED, not green.
- Your lockdown bar will not fit any other widebody game.
- Your wiring harness has plugs for the flashlamps inside the
  "door".  These were originally behind the GUM, BALL, LOCK 1,
  LOCK 2 inserts.  Very bright and annoying.  (I can't remember
  when these were removed, so I don't know for sure that the
  protos are the only ones with these plugs in the harness.)
- Your game has funny looking "orthopedic" back leg levelers to
  boost the back of the game.  An extra set of leg holes was added
  later to enable the mounting of the legs to get the correct
  playfield angle.

>So how do I tell if I have a prototype, sample, or production
>Twilight Zone?  Check the "MFG DATE".   If it is after
>April 1, 1993 you have a regular production Twilight Zone game.
>See below:

>1. February 1993 - Prototype Twilight Zones made.  These all had
>an "x" preceding the serial number ("x" meaning "experimental"),
>as did most WMS prototypes until recently.  All of these games had
>the third magnet, 2nd switch in the autofire lane, clock passage
>opto, no text on the powerfield.

>2. Mid March 1993 - Sample games started (a sample game is sent to
>the distributor to put on thier showroom floor for display).
>These games did *not* have the 3rd magnet, 2nd autofire opto,
>clock passage opto although the provisions for mounting them were
>there.  These games also had the green lock lamp.

>3. April 1, 1993 - Regular production of Twilight Zone begins.
>A few early regular production games had a few items left from the
>above prototype/sample runs until the new parts were phased in.
>The white clock face was used on regular production games until
>the new face was phased in.

This is correct, according to my notes.  Also, referring to the
software release notes we have:

<code release notes snipped... more proto info from Ted (AUW Nov '96>

Question:   In The Twilight Zone pinball flyer, it shows some door panels
            differing from the production games (Player Piano, Quick
            Multiball, etc.).  Is there anyway I can get software that has
            the rules associated with these door panels, and if I do, will it
            work in a production Twilight Zone machine?

Answer:     As anyone with a Twilight Zone flyer and access to a Twilight
            Zone game knows, there are many labels on the light inserts
            which changed from the game pictured in the flyer.  (As best as
            Uncle Willy can recall, there were only 2 or 3 Twilight Zone
            games assembled with the playfield as pictured in the flyer.)

            Some of the lamps that changed labels are:  "Clock Millions" ->
            "Power Payoff"; "Jackpot" -> "Camera"; "Quick Multiball" ->
            "Camera"; "Player Piano" -> "Super Slot"; "5 Million" -> "Lite
            Gumball"; "Gumball" -> "Bonus X"

            Several other small changes were also made.  Most of these changes
            have been noted in discussions on rec.games.pinball.

            Getting back to the question of "early rules" in Twilight Zone,
            Uncle Willy suspects you would be severely disappointed if you
            were to install an early ROM into your game, assuming that you
            could find one.  Many of the rules for the labels on the old door
            panel lamps were never implemented.  For example, there never was
            a "Player Piano" rule, and "Fast Lock" was never implemented as it
            was envisioned.  (What *was* "Quick Multiball" was renamed as
            "Fast Lock".)  The lamp labels as shown in the TZ flyer are the
            result of the design team sitting around on the last day before
            the artwork screen for the black portions of the playfield had to
            be finalized.  The "Hitch Hiker" and "Player Piano" labels were
            created with the expectation that an appropriate feature would be
            attached to them later.

            Much of the rules from the finished Twilight Zone game were
            missing at the time of the photo shoot for the flyer.  As one
            would guess, many of the effects -- sounds, lamps, and display --
            were also missing.  It was after many of the rules had been
            implemented, and the design team started to balance the scoring,
            that it was decided that a "5 Million" award on the door panel
            was not very exciting.  (Thus, the "Lite Gumball" label in that
            position.)

            Another interesting piece of trivia is the initial rule set for
            MultiBall on Twilight Zone.  Originally, the MultiBall had a
            roving jackpot shot.  The jackpots were lit in order as:  Piano,
            Camera, Dead End.  (This explains why the Camera has a "Jackpot"
            label in the flyer.)  The Lock shot would relight jackpot after
            the third one was collected on the Dead End.  The consensus of the
            design team, and others at Williams who played that version of the
            rules, was that jackpots were awfully difficult to make, and that
            MultiBall was pretty frustrating as a result.
            As you can see from this brief discussion, the task of creating
            rules for a pinball machine is not simple.  As much as the design
            team carefully thinks out features and rules for a game, there is
            no substitute for actually playing a given rule set.  Rules and
            features get modified, enhanced, and scrapped many times over
            during the course of pinball game development.

<General information on *prototypes* - AUW September '95...>

Prototype Building
         Once the physical design of a pinball game has pretty much "gelled"
         (playfield layout finalized, device designs released, playfield
         artwork finished, wiring cables designed, etc.) parts are procured
         to build 10-15 engineering prototypes of the game.  These prototypes
         are used for several purposes.

         Just building the prototypes verifies that the parts coming from
         vendors are made to spec, and that all the parts fit together on the
         pinball game.  Also, during the assembly of the prototypes, the
         procedures for building the game on the production line are
         identified and established.  This includes identifying sub-
         assemblies and specifying work stations for the production line.

         The engineering prototypes are allocated to various uses.  The
         software programmer or programmers typically get the first one or
         two prototypes for programming purposes.  One game is used for FCC
         RFI testing; one game is used for a pack-ship-and-drop test; a
         number of games are allocated for field testing; one game is used by
         the publications writer in the production of the game manual; one
         game is used for the photo shoot for the game promotional flyer.
         Sometimes, additional prototypes are produced for display at a trade
         show, depending upon the timing of the game and the show.

Hopefully, that's put that to bed (well, at least for the next 6 months
anyway) ;)

Clive

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