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Original Publishing Date (y/m/d): 2000-12-30
It's dark, it's about 03.24 (ok, that's quite exact, but relative, thus the about) and I'm quite incredibly blown away. Which probably sounds strange if out of context, but put it into context with this thing called "Visual Pinball" by Randy Davis and it should all make sense! This program, in my humble opinion, does what noone has successfully accomplished before, it allows you to in a sophisticated fashion without any annoying design limits create/script your OWN pinball simulations!
Visual Pinball is a pinball simulation/games editor, it's still in beta but in very working condition. The current download is about 6.5mb (which includes the editor and two premade tables). Here's a list of features (taken from the homepage of the editor):
Features
The editor runs on Win98/ME/2K and requires a <p166 with 16bit color or above. The editor is incredibly intuitive to use, click an icon for what you wish to place on the table, once it is on the table drag and pull to shape walls to any form you wish, extend and twist ramps, add lights, add flippers (that can flip 360 degrees around if you so wish), add slingshots below the flippers or wherever you want, it's up to you! :)
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The scoring rules and triggering of table effects then? You control all of this through the use of a script (which you need to write on your own), if you look at the features list above you see the line: "The amazing VBScript based engine allows you to have any event create any effect! Combine events to create complex tasks, and give your game a real plot.". What you do is to simply open up a script window in the editor where you in essence construct your own rules of the table. This means you need to know a little programming to be able to write more than a table with a ball bouncing around on it (which requires no programming on your side!). If you aren't familiar with using vbscript or don't know any programming at all you can probably figure out quite a lot by looking at other peoples scripts, for example the script for the Wild West table or that of the two premade tables included with the editor. I think this is a great feature and quite impressive program engineering to write it in (I have no idea how one would do so).
For an impressive example of what can be done using the Visual Pinball Editor, check out Mimuklas' VP version of the Wild West table from Codemasters' Psycho Pinball.
The tables are created and loaded through the editor, which currently means that if you wish to show your table to someone else that person too needs to have a copy of the editor installed (at least I think so, correct me if I'm wrong). When the table is loaded it is at the same time rendered in any fashion of your choice, you simply set the table inclination and something called field of view (something to do with how the depth of the table is perceived I think), if there's no inclination you have your standard overhead 2d view of the table, anything else gives you a nice looking 3d perspective of the table. There is support for sound effects and music (the support for music didn't work very good for me for some reason, couldn't get any to play).
The ball handling, the flippers and the movement of the ball is great (can be tweaked I think). I've just been playing around a little with the editor so far, but I have no problems whatsoever of recommending you to download it now!