Pinball Wizzard 2000 |
Ikarion Software |
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Reviewed: 1997
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If I where to grade this editor I would give it the highest grade. It is fun, useful and you can actually generate a table others might find fun playing
- The editor
The editor PW2000 is a very neat and useful editor. If you have tried Pinball Construction Kit from 21st Century and expect the same interface... forget it. This one is dos based, but you use the mouse, and it is a little harder to use, but yet so powerful. If you use win95 you can run it in a dos shell. The editor takes its time to learn to use, but is powerful when you have learned it. You can freely place and choose the layout of the tables, place ramps, bumpers and targets wherever you want on the table. Of course all tables becomes 2D and scrolling but that's about all limits in that way.
For an example on what can be created by the editor try the Pinball Wizzard 2000 Demo(2Mb, might have problems working with certain graphics cards), in this demo you get to try one of the table labeled "Earth Inferno".
- The making of a table
Here I have tried to describe how some parts of the tables are made so you can see how the editor is built up.
The editor has two faces, one easy and one professional. The difference is that the professional has a lot more things you can edit on the table.
- Placing a kicker on the table:
First you need a kicker to launch the ball with. To place one on the table you simply click on the button "LIBRARY", even tough it might sound simple this is a bit tricky, you must click with the right button on the button for a menu to appear, there you choose "SPECIAL" by pressing F6. Now you have a menu to scroll and choose objects to place on the table, I suggest you choose "KICKOFF 1" and then press return. Now your cursor is shaped as a kicker, move it to the place on the table you want the kicker to be and press the left button and you have a kicker.
- Placing a flippers on the table:
Flippers are placed on the table the same way as the kickers except you choose the option "FINGERS" in the library menu.
- Drawing walls:
Now you should need some walls around the table. Press the button on the left of the screen that says "DRAW WALLS". Now you will have the cursor somewhere in the table, if you move it you will notice you have a line attached to it. To move the starting point of it you press right button where you want it to start and left where you want it to end. A tip when making corners is that the two lines meeting each other shouldn't cross each other, there should be a 3-4 pixels of space between them. Funny things can happen if you cross them.
- Bumpers, Ramps...
Now you can add things like bumpers by choosing "DRAW ARCS" and ramps by "DRAW RAMPS", both options are easy to use you, just to choose and place on the table.
- Adding events
Now for the more important parts. When hitting the bumpers you want a sound to play and score to be received and more. By left clicking on the object you want to edit you get a menu. Here you make all arrangements like score received and sounds played.
If you want a lamp saying for example "2X Bonus" to be lighten on the table after three buttons have been hit you can connect them to each other.
- Layers
The tables graphics are in 3 layers. You have one layer for the background, the field the ball moves on. On the second you color things like ramps. The third is for placing helplines and experimenting, you can try placing ramps and such here, nothing here will affect the playfield or the other layers.
- In the whole
The editor has many good things in it:
You can create your own animations for the scoreboard.
Create background pictures and more in other graphics programs than the one in the editor.
The tables created can be played without needing the editor itself.
The thing I like most about the editor is that there are hardly any limits of placing objects on the table.
Of course that you can't design your own kickers or flippers and must choose them from the library is a letdown. But since you can color them like you want afterwards its ok.
- Area of Interest
The editor is powerful and is much for fun but demands some work if you want a good table that you will be satisfied with. It is a not easy to learn, but the more you use it the more you will understand how to add special effects and more. Since it is a German production the manual is only in German which is sad since it futures a step by step guide for the editor.
Pinball Wizzard 2000 Demo
Ikarion's homepage
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