toure
07-03-2010, 08:11 AM
http://i48.tinypic.com/2le3v7.jpg
It's not often that you run into a PC gaming program that becomes more rewarding and fun the longer you play it, but that's exactly the case with Pinball Builder - provided you're patient enough to learn the ins and outs of this versatile program.
Now, that last sentence isn't meant to imply you can't start enjoying Pinball Builder as soon as you install it. Nine playable tables (all can be played in Windows or DOS) are included with the game, so you can try a few rounds to get your creative juices flowing before you get to the heart of the program: the Workshop.
You've got two choices when creating your own table: build one essentially from scratch, or modify one of the tables that comes with the game. I say "essentially from scratch" because there are certain design parameters you don't have any control over - flippers, ramps, and side-guards are already in place. Fortunately, there are 32 table templates to choose from, so finding one that suits your tastes shouldn't be a problem.
Don't care for the background graphics on a table? No problem - import a PCX or BMP image of your choosing to replace it. Adding a new object or modifying the appearance of an existing one is simple thanks to the game's Graphics Editor, which lets you crop an existing graphic in the shape of kickers, bumpers, lamps, and other objects and add it to the program's already extensive object library. And once an object's been placed on the table you can change its properties (what happens when you hit it), from number of points, awards, and sound effects, to mirroring and rotating a graphic.
In short, Pinball Builder gives you a lot of tools to work with, and once you fully grasp the mechanics of the interface you'll appreciate just how broad in scope the options are here. But the program does have a few quirks. For one, I'm a little puzzled why you can't place ramps, though to be fair it might be a little tough dealing with an object that's three-dimensional. But I can't figure out why flippers aren't one of the objects you can place on the table, or why the program wasn't designed to allow you to modify existing sound effects (or add new ones).
Another problem I encountered was ball speed. With an ATI Mach 64 Pro Turbo PCI video card, the ball moved at the speed of sound whether I was playing in DOS or Windows, while on an S3 video card it ran fine in Windows and at 320x200 in DOS but accelerated to unplayable speeds as I increased the DOS resolution. (21st Century Entertainment's Technical Support team is aware of the ATI Mach 64 problem and is currently working on a patch.)
Those gripes are relatively minor, however, compared to what Pinball Builder has to offer. Even if you never create a table, you can still enjoy new challenges by loading tables created by other, more industrious owners of Pinball Builder. But a word of warning: Things can get a little sluggish if your system only meets the game's minimum system requirements. Your best bet is to download the demo and see how well it runs on your machine before spending any money - that's what demos are for, right?
Tech Info
Publisher: 21st Century Entertainment
Developer: Spidersoft
Genre: Pinball
Release Date: Oct 31, 1996
Game Information
Number of Players: 1-10
Minimum System Requirements
System: 486/66 or equivalent
RAM: 8 MB
Video Memory: 512 MB
Hard Drive Space: 8 MB
.: INFO :.
Code:
http://www.mobygames.com/game/pinball-builder-a-construction-kit-for-windows
.: DOWNLOAD :.
Code:
http://hotfile.com/dl/45203037/4216f45/pinconstkit.texas.rar.html
It's not often that you run into a PC gaming program that becomes more rewarding and fun the longer you play it, but that's exactly the case with Pinball Builder - provided you're patient enough to learn the ins and outs of this versatile program.
Now, that last sentence isn't meant to imply you can't start enjoying Pinball Builder as soon as you install it. Nine playable tables (all can be played in Windows or DOS) are included with the game, so you can try a few rounds to get your creative juices flowing before you get to the heart of the program: the Workshop.
You've got two choices when creating your own table: build one essentially from scratch, or modify one of the tables that comes with the game. I say "essentially from scratch" because there are certain design parameters you don't have any control over - flippers, ramps, and side-guards are already in place. Fortunately, there are 32 table templates to choose from, so finding one that suits your tastes shouldn't be a problem.
Don't care for the background graphics on a table? No problem - import a PCX or BMP image of your choosing to replace it. Adding a new object or modifying the appearance of an existing one is simple thanks to the game's Graphics Editor, which lets you crop an existing graphic in the shape of kickers, bumpers, lamps, and other objects and add it to the program's already extensive object library. And once an object's been placed on the table you can change its properties (what happens when you hit it), from number of points, awards, and sound effects, to mirroring and rotating a graphic.
In short, Pinball Builder gives you a lot of tools to work with, and once you fully grasp the mechanics of the interface you'll appreciate just how broad in scope the options are here. But the program does have a few quirks. For one, I'm a little puzzled why you can't place ramps, though to be fair it might be a little tough dealing with an object that's three-dimensional. But I can't figure out why flippers aren't one of the objects you can place on the table, or why the program wasn't designed to allow you to modify existing sound effects (or add new ones).
Another problem I encountered was ball speed. With an ATI Mach 64 Pro Turbo PCI video card, the ball moved at the speed of sound whether I was playing in DOS or Windows, while on an S3 video card it ran fine in Windows and at 320x200 in DOS but accelerated to unplayable speeds as I increased the DOS resolution. (21st Century Entertainment's Technical Support team is aware of the ATI Mach 64 problem and is currently working on a patch.)
Those gripes are relatively minor, however, compared to what Pinball Builder has to offer. Even if you never create a table, you can still enjoy new challenges by loading tables created by other, more industrious owners of Pinball Builder. But a word of warning: Things can get a little sluggish if your system only meets the game's minimum system requirements. Your best bet is to download the demo and see how well it runs on your machine before spending any money - that's what demos are for, right?
Tech Info
Publisher: 21st Century Entertainment
Developer: Spidersoft
Genre: Pinball
Release Date: Oct 31, 1996
Game Information
Number of Players: 1-10
Minimum System Requirements
System: 486/66 or equivalent
RAM: 8 MB
Video Memory: 512 MB
Hard Drive Space: 8 MB
.: INFO :.
Code:
http://www.mobygames.com/game/pinball-builder-a-construction-kit-for-windows
.: DOWNLOAD :.
Code:
http://hotfile.com/dl/45203037/4216f45/pinconstkit.texas.rar.html