Pinball Tips - How to Aim
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 16 ต.ค. 2024
- Arcade Operators Hate Him!
Local Man discovers 1 bizarre trick to help his aim improve 300% in just 6-8 weeks!
Filmed at Rock Fantasy in Middletown, NY
This is the technique I used to improve my aim and it's helped make me a much more accurate player. If you're a new player who is just getting into pinball, or an experienced player who just can't hit shots the same way, this may be the tutorial for you.
It's all in the phrase "keep your eye on the ball" except substitute "ball" with "flipper" and there you have it.
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Hi, my name is Tim and I'm a highly competitive pinball player. I'm ranked in the top 50 in the world and I'm trying to become the best player I can be, which means lots and lots of practice. Join me as I play all eras of pinball machines as I try to hone my skills to get to wizard modes, and to become a better tournament player.
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I don't aim with my eyes, I aim with my heart.
You have remembered the face of your father.
The gods guide my steel.
you have not forgotten the face of your father
This was really informative. I'm a complete noob and don't even have access to real tables but I'm hoping the physics in pinball video games will allow me to pull this stuff off still. Pinball is so cool.
Virtual pin definitely helps your game. If you focus on dead flips, drop catches, etc.. you build a habit and it transitions nice to a real machine. You just gotta account for the physics difference but that comes will playing regardless
Check out visual pinball.
I already know this trick and I'm still terrible at pinball.
I find theres a lot of angles that line up with ramps and key shots are literally hidden in the table’s artwork - like the Indiana Jones table - to get the mission select target you aim at Indy’s left eye or for Fish Tales (my high score 3.1 billion) to get multiball lock every time you trap the ball on the left flipper and as you let it go down the flipper you strike the ball as soon as it passes the 1x triangle and you if you perfect the timing of that you will get the shot every time and dominate the table. I have noticed that pretty much every table has art that has a few of these
I've heard a lot of references recently to "quiet eye technique", which suggests that you should spend a few seconds looking at the objective before executing. Basketball players shooting free throws should look at the basket, not their hands. I imagine that some combination of both might work well for pinball: stare down the ramp you're trying to hit for a few seconds, then look down at the flipper and, as you suggest, do not follow through with your eyes until the ball leaves the flipper.
Don't forget that the desired position of the ball on the flipper for a given shot changes if the ball is rolling down slowly from a trap, or rolling down quickly from the inlane.
That video coming soon!
@@TimSextonPinball Was this video ever made/posted?
@@rw6753 Never posted. Shortly after I published this video I made a career change. After that I decided to retire my hobby of making pinball videos on youtube
@@TimSextonPinball😂
Old Timer here. What I do... With each table I find a visual reference spot before the flipper, when the ball passes this point I transition my eyes to the target. During multiball I try to keep eyes on targets and use peripheral to track ball. Ya have be zen with it and just visualize the shot you want to happen and muscle memory eventually comes together and makes it happen more often than not.
Thanks for the tip. It's really hard to hit targets when multiball is activated.
Really excellent approach. Thanks for taking the time to share it.
I've replaced the two bottom flippers with LONGER ONES, so I never miss ! (No more gap to get through, lol)
Not gonna lie, i was very skeptical when you went on about not looking at the target and ball. But then it made so much sense i had an epiphany. I can just section off the flipper and contain my sight there to more consistently hit my targets. It will take practice time to get them down but on the back end it's immensly beneficial. This has to the be best tip ive received so far. Cant wait to try it in tournament today.
An important addendum that I feel was left out is the concept of “on the fly” aiming. Because these shots typically involve the ball traveling down the flipper at high speeds, the positioning for making a specific shot will generally be a bit earlier than if the ball was cradled. The best rule of thumb is to practice making a specific shot from a cradle, and then, once you’ve got a feel for where it is, practice making that same shot on the fly. Mastering on-the-fly aiming is crucial for most modern games, which tend to pay out significantly more points for combos compared to deliberate, one-at-a-time shots.
This seems really helpful. I'm going to start doing this. Thank you!
I think a multi camera setup would help with a video like this. I somewhat disagree with not looking at your shot when you take the shot, especially from a cradle where muscle memory guides the shot. Baseball players don't look at the bat when they swing for example. Thanks for your pinball videos, keep up the lords work :)
I've seen the baseball footage with the slow motion camera. I know that at some point the human eye/head can't turn that fast to track the ball, so they have to rely on experience. My point is that relying entirely on experience can lead to more guessing and less accuracy.
It's funny, you'll get your own methods as you play more. For example, if I'm playing Creature I have my spots on the F and M for either flipper to hit the middle and left ramps as well as the snack bar but for the left and right "orbits" I know they're not really orbits, I look at them and use my periphery to align those shots. Good video! Thanks!
New player here. Idk if your still doing videos, but a video on nudging and different nudging techniques would be super helpful
Nice approach, I like it.
I have a slightly different way of aiming. Once I get used to a machine, I'll get a sense for how long it takes a ball to roll from a cradle to the tip of the flipper. Using that, I can aim by flipping after a certain amount of time. I find this useful when in multiball with a ball cradled, where I can shoot shots while watching the other ball high on the playfield, or using your example, timing things like the Walking Dead mode drops.
You're not the first "good" player to say that he uses timing. I get it for multiball, but a lot of times I lose focus or misjudge timing if i'm not actually thinking about AND looking at the shot. If I lose focus by tracking other balls or by looking at where I want to shoot I will start "guessing" where the shot is. Maybe I'll try to work on it and see what my results are.
I'd say both (and other) approaches are good. Honestly, whatever helps you make more shots, be it one of these methods, a hybrid, or something else. A lot of my game is by feel.
Thanks, Tim!
Bonjour, super video: it's precise thank you! It could be great to have more tips from you.
Helpful video, thank you!
On TWD, you said you only needed the top target. But both the top and middle targets looked exactly the same -- lit, but not strobing. How do -I- figure things out when they don't make sense?
It’s challenging! You have to work backwards and make inferences. In this case, off = incomplete. On = complete, and blinking = active. The active target light moves until ANY drop targets are down. Hope this helps
@@TimSextonPinball Thanks, Tim!
how do you focus a camera?
Want to talk about that nudge at 03:58?
That nudge seriously just redefined my dead catches
I sometimes have my eye on the shot, instead of the flipper.. But i have become better!!
but how do you know where on the flipper goes there? :P
Zac Aj Very Carefully
I disagree with a part of your aiming technique, at least in the absolute sense. I watch the ball when I’m learning a game or refining a shot and make mental notes. I can use these later down the road, but the flipper spot changes anyway depending on the speed of the ball or if it’s being cradled. I think it’s close, but I lift my eyes almost simultaneously with the flip.
Although in most sports it’s important to keep your eye on the ball, you’re not required to execute a move immediately after the ball is hit. Pinball often requires an immediate response, like a bounce back off a standup target or post.
As long as your not overestimating the time you need to react to a miss, and underestimating the time you need to follow the ball so that you're making THE most accurate shot possible, I don't really mind slight differences in opinion on the way I presented this versus how you may interpret your own style of play. It's when you're predicting a missed shot that you will cause a missed shot and my hope is that using a different technique such as looking at the flipper for longer will reduce that.
I use the force
great video nice nudging....boy you are pro
I'm just trying to not suck at Timeschock lol
Camera should’ve been on the table the whole time not on your face, also, there’s a clown demon behind you.
Cool
i think you flipped me off lol
I hear Morbid Angel
You just look at the playfield then test the fuckin' flippers I don't aim anything 'cause I don't have to. All that matters is the condition of the flippers.
Balls return to towards the flippers at different speeds and angles - this video was not very informative and showed very little practical demonstration.
Play by sense of smell
Sounds complex. Just jokin! Check out my pinball vids if ya get bored (they funny)
I think getting laid automatically makes ya bad at pinball
You could of been a hockey color commentator with that nasally voice.