Doom 2 Pinball, Propst Pinball 2005
a Visual Pinball Table
by Lars Thomas Boye		LarsThomasBoye@hotmail.com
Version 2.11


Made with and for Visual Pinball by Randy Davis
http://www.randydavis.com/vp/

Uses Graphics, Sound and Music from the videogame Doom 2 by id Software


Information
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This table is based on a Doom 2 table I made in 2001. But I remade it from scratch, so everything is new for version 2.0, and I consider this more as a new table than as an update. What I wanted to do was create something that could have been a real, modern pinball table. At the same time, I wanted it to have an original layout, not quite like anything made before. I mostly made this version in the fall of 2002, and by early 2003 it was pretty much finished. But then I lost interest, and I didn't look at it again until somebody reminded me of my tables years later. So now I've finished it up and finally released it. It could have probably used some more polishing and tweaking, but getting into the old code is too much work, and I just wanted to release it.

The table has a lot of the features you'd expect to find in a real machine, like full multiplayer support, highscore and statistics saving, and in-game status report. The only thing it lacks, is a reset-switch, because I didn't get around to it when I originally worked on it, and like I said, getting into the old code is just too much work.

To get a good overview of the rules, take a look at the flyer pic included with the table. I have also included a detailed rulesheet. It's a long read, and it spoils the fun of finding out things for yourself, but use it if there's something you want to know.

For version 2.1, I've added a full cabinet. Personally, I prefer to cut off some parts to get a closer view of the playfield, but it is very easy to do so, so you can do so yourself, see "Modifying the table" below. See the list of changes at the end for a full list of what's changed.


Credits
-------
* Randy Davis: For Visual Pinball.
* id Software: For Doom(2), the greatest game ever and the source of most sounds, graphics and music I used.
* Tony: For reminding me of this, and for testing it for me and suggesting improvements.
* Pierre: For providing a web-page and downloads.
* Anyone who made any graphics I used, like the ball, the round yellow targets and the metal on top of the side walls.
* All the people remaking modern pinball tables with Visual PinMame.


Installing and Starting
-----------------------
You need Visual Pinball, at least version 6.1, to play this. If you have Windows XP SP2, you should get a newer version, as 6.1 will crash on exit. You can download Visual Pinball from VP websites, like:
* www.vpforums.com
* www.vp-originals.com

Just unzip the .vpt file to the Table folder in your Visual Pinball folder. The table uses the doom font supplied in the file doom.ttf. The font is installed by copying this file to the FONTS folder in your Windows folder (or in the control panel). Just open the control panel and drag and drop it into the Fonts folder. The display uses the font 'Williams Pinball'. If you have VP you probably already have this, but I'm including it just in case.

Start Visual Pinball, load the table and hit play. Note that the VP program lets you set options like resolution and keys. In the default mode, you need to add coins and push start to get playing (default keys for this is '5' and '1'). In the options (see below) you can set it to free play.


Modifying the table
-------------------
I encourage you to make modifications to the table to suit your personal tastes, I haven't locked anything. The table is totally angle-independent, so you can change the viewpoint, if you like to play from a different angle. From the toolbar in the editor, select Backdrop and Options. You should see the Backglass options on the right. Experiment with Inclination and Field of View to change the viewpoint, or use your favorite values.

For version 2.1, I added a full cabinet, with full apron and lockbar at the bottom and taller side- and backwalls. Some prefer the realism of a full cabinet, but others prefer a view closer to the playfield, cutting off the bottom and top of the cabinet to increase the visual size of the playfield. It is very easy to modify the table in the editor to get a slightly closer view, just follow these steps:
* Below the playfield, locate the little grey square in the lower right corner (its in a blue area, and its called "Ramp13"). Delete this, or move it further up, to remove the lockbar from view.
* Select the left siderail, the long thin thing along the left side of the table (its called Ramp10). Change top height from 263 to 240. Select the point on the top of the siderail, and change its y position from 20 to 320.
* Select the right siderail (called Ramp11), and make the same changes, changing top height and y position of the top point.
* Select the wall above the playfield (called Wall176) and change its top height from 300 to 239.

If you want to make larger changes, please do. If you want to make the results publicly available, you have my blessings, as long as you make sure to credit me for the original. Some classes in my script are general, and can be used by others. Go ahead and use anything you want, as long as you credit me. If you want source material for the graphics, contact me.


Bugs and problems
-----------------
Visual Pinball uses Microsoft/Windows components to function. If you have any problems running the game, try updating your operating system and drivers. Visual Pinball has not really been updated in a long time, and it seems new OS components/drivers can also cause problems. However, if your system is up-to-date and you use the newest available version of VP, this table should work properly, except for these small issues:

* Light sequencer timing: It seems VP's built-in LightSeq function no longer works right with WinXP SP2. This affects the speed of some of the light sequences involving most or all of the lights, like in the demonstration mode. They don't move as fast as they should. This is a purely aestethical problem, and should not affect game play. In-game, the jackpot sequence is the worst, as the lights are supposed to make a lot of very fast rounds, and instead it goes on for far too long, obscuring the lights from their usual functions.

* Strange ball behavior: Balls can sometimes behave oddly in Visual Pinball. With multiple balls in play, you may experience balls going through the flippers.


Controls
--------
The table uses all the controls you can set from Preferences\Keys in the VP menus. In addition to flipping, the flipper keys can be used to speed up end-of-ball bonus counts and the random award routine, selecting letters in high-score entry, and they can be held during the game for a status report.

Press '9' to access machine settings and statistics. This brings up a menu on the display, which is navigated with the use of the flipper keys and the plunger key.

Nudge control: Nudging is done with three keys like in most VP tables, but you can select between several methods by pressing 'N'. The default method uses the time you keep the nudge keys pressed to determine the force applied. This allows you to adjust the force, but getting it right can be hard, lending an extra challenge to the game. The two other settings give a direct response of a set force, either soft or hard. The hard setting makes the nudge powerful, making the game easier, so don't use this if you want a good challenge.


Settings
--------
Hitting '9' when no game is in progress brings up the machine settings. Use the flipper keys to move between options, and the plunger key (enter is default) to select.

The following options are available:
* Coin mode: In 'Free', you don't need to enter coins to play. Use 'Pay' mode to get that authentic arcade feeling.
* Match mode: Toggle the match for free credit at the end of games.
* Difficulty: The game is less forgiving on harder settings. This is a fairly easy game, so experienced players may want to change it to 'Hard'.
* Number of balls: 3 and 5 ball games have separate highscores. Also, you can choose 'Unlim' for never-ending play for testing or training. No highscore saving then, of course, and since I haven't implemented a reset-function, you have to quit to shut it down.
* Tilt limit: Set how sensitive the machine is to nudging. The higher the value, the more the machine will accept before tilting. Default is 3.
* Music volume: Set the volume, or turn the music off.

You can also access statistics kept by the machine. SJP stands for Super Jackpot, and is a special, secret award which is increased as games are played. The score info shows the difficulty setting used when each score was obtained. You can reset statistics and scores.


Changes, version 2.1
--------------------
-Slightly wider opening to the lock
-Made the little bumper by the side of the cyberramp more visible
-Full cabinet, with changed siderails and added lockbar
-Image on the back inside wall
-No quicklock at start of ball, shorter in-game
-Shorter time for Item Skill
-Fixed bug when returning from quick multiball and then starting multiball
-The door now has a sensor, plays sound and awards 10 points when hit
-Pain Elemental multiball mode now has a timelimit


Changes, version 2.11
---------------------
-Fixed bug where scores above 2.1 billion would crash the game
