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- The editor I will do some comparing with the editor Pinball Wizzard 2000 (pw2000) in the beginning of the review. This editor is hardly worth calling an editor. I mean, your freedom of constructing a table is as much as zero. I tried pw2000 before I got my hands on this one and was amazed by how much better pw2000 was. After starting this editor and having tried one of the premade tables I began wonder what the quality of the editor was (my hopes had sunken). Not that the premade table was all that extremely bad, you could play it and enjoy it about as much as you can find joy in any almost middle class pinball (how much that now is). The tables graphics were pretty good and the table layout sort of playable giving you ideas of what could be made with the editor. The tables feeling was not so good but you could live with it it. What I didn't like was that the tables just didn't feel like something to play that long. PW2000 might not give you different resolutions as this editor does but at least the tables felt like pinball tables. If you try one of the premade tables in pw2000 you will find they maybe slightly better than Pinball Dreams (PC version) and near Epic Pinball class, which is very good for a editor, it is possible to play and fun. My disappointment was big when I started trying to make a simple table in PCK, sure it was a hell of a lot easier to make a table than in pw2000 but.... It becomes so fucking bad, you just can't make it look like you want it to look. The limit is the limit and it is their instantly, the table has certain areas where you get to place certain objects and only there you get to place it.
You should know that someone at 21st Century has said that this is just an easy version of the editor, a Professional version is on they way. Sorry but pw2000 is before you there, they released a easy and pro version within the same editor. Isn't that clever then you can use the easy to practice the basic and then move over to more constructive business when you feel for it and don't have to wait for the pro to be released and pay for that. Sorry if I sound negative but they should know to do better.
Here is a description of the making of a table or at least some of the parts, this should show you just how limited this editor is. - Choosing table layout Before you can start editing you table you must choose a basic table shape, a playfield. This is done from a list that appears when you start the editor mode, you get to choose between a number of styles and themes. You can for example choose an alien theme and within that you have 4 choices of how the table will be shaped. The ramps, drain part and the walls are formed slightly different in the four different choices. As you notice you do not get to give the table your own basic shape instead you are already here minimized to a number of shapes the programmers have chosen. - Editing Mode
Here you do all the work like placing objects, adding sound events and deciding the table theme as much as you can. If you want a bumper on the table you choose Bumpers (Jets) in a list in on the screen, then you get to choose what the bumper should look like (in form of color, pattern and size) and then you place it on the table. You don't get to place it wherever you want, special areas on the table are highlighted showing where you can place it, very few places are allowed. The same goes for everything else, I just want to say this: "Argh.. They will not let me place droptargets beneath the flippers, what if I think that's funnier than having them along the table walls" - Adding events
If you want a certain event like a lamp with the text "X2" to light up when you hit a droptarget that is rather easily accomplished. You simply choose "properties" for the object and do all connecting of events there. No bigger problem. To choose score and sound to be received and heard all you have to do is choose score from a drop list and sound from another list. The sounds that come with the pack are mostly sampled sounds of a person saying 100 000, strange sounds and some usual pinball sounds but no especially classic pinball sounds that you might have wanted.
If you expect to get to freely construct the pinball of your dreams in the editor there is no chance you will be able to do so. Everything is limited, table shape, layout and objects to use. Of course it is a positive thing that the editor is easy to use, but the problem here is that it can't be hard. I mean, how can it be hard to choose a bumper picture from a list and then place it in an area on the table decided by the programmer.
This editor will probably be a little fun for younger people if they understand how to use it (no doubt they do). For a more experienced player looking for some fun pinball constructing and want to make a pinball that might impress some other people this is nothing. Instead I recommend Pinball Wizzard 2000 which is a professional and useful editor.
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