subject: Fun Features Of Pinball Machines [print this page] Pinball is a fun game that millions of people around the world have been enjoying for decades, even though it was illegal in many US states for nearly 40 years. Throughout the year, pinball machines have evolved into the electronic marvels they are today, but, many of the earliest features of the pinball machine are still some of the most popular. Here you will find some of the most popular pinball machine descriptions, and a short definition of each.
1) Flippers - These are the little arms you use to hit the ball and direct it through the playfield.
2) Plungers - These spring-loaded devices are pulled back, then let go to shoot the ball into the playfield.
3) Bumpers - These are devices that when hit, push the ball away. This feature was created in the 1960's.
4) Slingshots - These are somewhat like bumpers, because when the pinball hits them, they propel the ball away, but unlike bumpers, which are in the middle of the playfield, slingshots are usually located along the sides of the playfield.
5) Ramps - Basically, these are inclined planes that the ball travels at different times during game play.
6) Targets - These are things that the player wants to hit with their pinball in play. There are five types of targets: stationary, which do not move; bullseye, which can be hit in two places for different scores; drop targets, which drop below the play field after they have been hit; kicking targets, which look like regular stationary targets, but act as bumpers; and vari-targets, which offer different amounts of points depending on how hard they are hit.
7) Holes - When a ball lands in a hole, the player is rewarded with additional points.
8) Saucers - These are shallow holes that have kickers inside.
9) Spinners - These are flat surfaces with hinges in the center that make it spin. When the pinball hits a spinner, it will fly off into any number of directions.
10) Rollovers - These are simply targets that when the ball rolls over them, they activate and the player earns additional points.
11) Whirlwind Spinners - A spinner that moves extra-fast, and sends the ball flying.
12) Gates - These features block pinballs coming from one direction, but lets them through in the other direction.
13) Stoppers - These are located between the flippers, and when players hit specific target, the stopper is activated, and the players can not lose balls by them falling between the flippers.
14) Toys - These are additions to pinball machines, which are sometimes is a part of the game, or sometimes just for decoration. Most toys are directly related to the individual games they are in.
15) Captive Balls - These are pinballs that are in the playfield, but are only able to move around a small area of the game. If a player strikes a captive ball with their ball in play, it will activate a multi-ball feature.
16) Electromagnets - These are located below the playfield, and can affect the speed and trajectory of the ball in play.
Now that you have an understanding about how many of the features of pinball machines work, you will soon be an expert, and will be challenging your friends to pinball competitions.
