The MONOPOLY™ pinball game is Stern Pinball's first collaboration with Pat Lawlor Design. Pat Lawlor, designer of The Addams Family® and Twilight Zone® and several other of the most successful pinball machines of all-time, along with his team of Mechanical Engineer John Krutsch and Software Engineers Louis Zoziarz and Greg Dunlap, have put together a pinball machine worth its weight in $$$.
Featuring Free Parking, Electric Company, and Break the Bank ramp shots, a MONOPOLY game board in the center of the playfield, and the voice of MR. MONOPOLY making all sales final, MONOPOLY pinball is classic and modern pinball all wrapped up into one.
The following is an extract from the latest
Stern Pinball newsletter;
STERN NEWS: Pat, what led you to become a pinball designer?
PAT LAWLOR: I had been working in the coin-op business since 1980 when I was hired by a group that was part of Bally to do video games. That lasted until the industry's video collapse in 1984. In 1986, I met one of Williams' premier software designers, Larry DeMar, and we built a prototype for what was to become Banzai Run. Larry sold the idea to Williams and I began my career as a pinball designer at that point.
SN: What do you feel are some of the key elements that go into making a great pinball machine?
PL: Great coin-op games by definition are those which collect the most money for their operators. Everything we do is designed to enhance the player's experience so that he is willing to spend as much time as possible with the game. The game MUST be challenging, but not intimidating. It must also be accessible so that a great deal of time need not be spent learning its basic elements. Once those elements are learned, however, the game must have enough depth to earn for its operator for an extended period. All of this is a balancing act that is carried out with the goal of a fun game that hopefully translates into a strong collecting career for the piece.
SN: Having been the designer of such classic hits as The Addams Family® and Twilight Zone®, how would you characterize the MONOPOLY pinball? Is this a continuation of your past work, or is MONOPOLY pinball something new altogether?
PL: Everything that is done in Pinball is a continuation of the games that have come before. The game (Pinball) has been in its current form, more or less, for 50+ years. I have been lucky enough to work with and learn from some of the pinball greats. People like Steve Kordek, Steve Ritchie, Larry DeMar, and others. So yes, MONOPOLY pinball is a continuation of mine and other peoples work.
SN: Could you tell us a little bit about your newest game, MONOPOLY pinball?
PL: It isn't often that a game designer has the opportunity to do a variation on a classic theme. MONOPOLY pinball allowed us to do a three-dimensional representation of the items contained in the MONOPOLY board game. Railroads, the utilities, rolling the dice, and the very concept of passing GO are all included in our pinball machine. The challenge in the design of the game was to keep the game simple enough for a casual player, yet deep enough for the dedicated street player. We think we have accomplished that to a large degree. The shots and rules are such that just shooting the ball around the playfield will start various fun things. But to be really good at the game a player must come back again and again. This translates to strong earnings for an operator. It was an honor to design for the MONOPOLY license and we hope players have as much fun playing as we did making the game.
SN: Thank you Pat for taking the time to speak with us and much success with MONOPOLY pinball and any other future projects you have in store.
PL: Well thank you for this opportunity to speak with you and everyone in the pinball community.
TIPS AND TRICKS #1
THE BUBBLE LEVEL IS BACK!
From the MONOPOLY pinball onward, you will notice that there is a level located on the lower right side of each playfield. This level allows for accurate pitch adjustment of the playfield. And without proper playfield pitch, the game can either play too fast or too slow. The bubble level will, therefore, help you maximize revenue and keep your pinball machine challenging and fun for a longer period of time.
