If you'r one of those people lucky enough to live in the Netherlands you might have attended this years Dutch Computer Pinball Open (DCPO) on April 28-29. The DCPO, which I believe is a part of the Dutch Pinball Open (DPO), is a pinball simulation competition!

Sam Lapian (very nice first name I must say :)), organizer of the DCPO, has written a two-day diary of the DCPO. The diary is originally in dutch, but here follows a brave attempt at an english translation! There's a summary of the winners and what pinballs were used in the DCPO at the end of this article.

Report of The National Championship 2001 "Pinball on The Computer" in Leusden

Saturday, 28th of April 2001.
by Sam Lapian

From the city Arnhem on my way to the Hotel Van Der Valk in the city Leusden (near Amersfoort). Our trip went prosperous, only Theo (our Technical-man) had to make a puddle and also took a wrong way! Just marked, on our way to Leusden, almost 65 km. We didn't see any cows on the lands, although today was the day that the cows were permitted to come outside according to the Department of Agriculture. By the way, "What does a cow look like?"

Arriving at the hotel at 13.00 hour PM. it was very busy. A lot of crowd was standing in the corridor and - impudent as I am - I made my own way through the crowd! By the door was our new treasurer Rob Adams and one of the members of the DPA (Dutch Pinball Association), our Subscription-men at this time! Also one of my members of the Jury, Otto, was waiting patiently for my coming. Otto had been waiting for more than one hour!
After a brief acquaintance we had to clean up our computer-room, first we prepared the imposing recording and playback equipments from Theo. Then the personal-computers with its complete hard- and softwares configurations and the monitors, from a 15 inch till a big 21 inch. We had settled for a room with windows, so everyone could see that this room was the computer-room for the National Championship Pinball on The Computer (NC PBO)! Only a pity that it in our room were 4 Pinball-machines, they were all out of order and they took up some big space of our room!

About 15.00 hour we were done with the installation of our equipments and computers and the first competitors were stepping into our computer-room to practise on the Pinball-games: "The Pirate" (Slamtilt 21th Century), "Cue Ball Wizard" (Arcade Microsoft), "Alien Daze" (Pinball 97) and "Nascar Race" (Sierra Inc.)! The last one was especially for the big final, I was certainly sure that every competitor could be a finalist (a typically Pinball-thought)!!!
The competitors were practising very fanatically, by "The Pirate" and "Cue Ball Wizard" some initials were copied forever on the hard disk of the computer, one by one the scores were exceeded cruelly! Even by "Nascar Race" some typically ladies initials were putting on the scorings-list, just like Michael Schumacher will be Michaela Schumacher for example!

About 18.00 hour (Dutch time) some competitors of the DPO (Dutch Pinball Open) were entering our computer-room, some were playing games and mostly on "The Pirate", and striking was that most competitors were playing this game on the keyboard, because you may play "The Pirate" also on the Philips "Virtual Pinball"-machine! A lot of people said they liked "The Pirate" the most, the scroll-effects were no problem, but this game was full of alternation with lots of missions and a lot of Multiballs! The Surroundsounds of the great power-speakers and special by "Nascar Race" the sounds were full clearly with Dolby-sounds and a lot of people were very curious what was happening in our computer-room!

Around 22.00 hour the volume of the speakers were be lowing a little, because our room was a little bit quiet now with a few of people! And at 22.30 hour most people went home, because they have to wake up very early again for the real competition the next day in Leusden! At 23.00 hour we have to switch off all our equipments and computers, and also cleaning up our room, because tomorrow will be starting the Big Day!
After saying goodbye to our Crew and friends, my wife and me went to our hotelroom number 109, a very luxury room with a big bath and really a very nice view of a red VW Passat Stationcar from our Chairman! After a phonecall at home, to know if our youngest was being well with Grandma and to give our eldest one some extra homerules, the lights of our room number 109 are definitely off! Only the sounds of the cars of "Nascar Race" were rumbling into my head, I was still busy with my race to get the pool-position and to win the final-race even it was only a dream, just like the Everly Brothers once have sung "Only I have to do is dream"????

Sunday, 29th of April 2001.
by Sam Lapian

Waking up at 8.00 hour (Dutch time) by the noise of the (Grandprix) cars along the highway, I was in the supposing to be at home! No way, I was still at the hotel for the DPO (Dutch Pinball Open) and NC PBC (National Championship Pinball on The Computer), after a fastly shower and breakfast at the restaurant, at last I was no hungry (could be the excitement!). But no complaining, the Committee of the DPA (Dutch Pinball Association) have planned our arrangement at the hotel very well, thanks a lot Committee!
At 9.45 hour Jeane and I went to our computer-room, my Crew have still been waiting for us and put on the equipments, also the competitors were all ready for starting this Championship!

Strictly at 10.15 hour I've first thank my Crew and Rob Adams, and gave a warm welcome to the audience and aspecially for our youngest competitor from Apeldoorn, Marlou from 6 years old! First the PC-Kids may have start their games "Cue Ball Wizard" and "The Pirate", again new highscores were created on both Pinball-games! Maurice Jonker (Groenlo) and Dorris Evers (Arnhem) have put greatest highscores, respectively 555.179.600 points and 638.690.520 points by "The Pirate". And on "Cue Ball Wizard" Nathalie Lapian (Arnhem) left her visitcard on the hard disk with 172.589.410 points! The scores on "Alien Daze" were marked with lower points, only Maurice Jonker was the hero with a highscore of 4.292.400 points! Most of them could not fix it to keep the balls inside the game, very difficult they we're saying! One compliment for our youngest competitor Marlou, she made to finish her Championship to be number 6 and not the last place well done Marlou!!!

By the ladies so-called Lady Pentium we have a new great Pinball-talent from Groenlo, Rosa Jonker, with a big average she made her monopoly safety on her name! By the men the PC-Pinball Expert only one person made the ultimate score by "The Pirate" with 2.012.535.769 points (read: more than 2 billion!!!), his name Thijs Borgman from Hengelo was very cool and easy playing the game, his only opponent Peter Hutjes (Velp) could get a score of 1.904.539.820 points at last, because of the playing-time he had to stop his game for the coming finale!

So the names of the finalists were allready well-known by the Matchleader and and at 15.00 hour my Crew and I have to prepare our computer-room for the big final! The final will be held on 1 computer and behind it everyone could join the game on a big screen with Dolby-C Surroundsounds! Accidently today was the F1 Grandprix from Spain, so the game "Nascar Race" was really appropriated on this Sunday aspecially for the finalists of the second National Championship Pinball on The Computer, Dorris, Rosa and Thijs! The first candidate Rosa, allready stopped after 15 minutes playing her game, only the Matchleader couldn't find her finally score again! So she may repeat her game again, after this little incident, so she had again 30 minutes for playing "Nascar Race".
Probably this incident was her lucky, because her finally score was more than the first one, just about the 8 million points, and she became a big ovation of the audience! The next finalist Thijs, just took easy the seat, just like being Michael Schumacher himself (only behind the keyboard!), and after a thrilling 10 minutes he beated Rosa's highscore and drove like crazy about 300 km/u. with his F1 racingcar beyond her! He just couldn't stop the race, and after 20 minutes his score allready be more than 15 million points and his endresult was totally 24.436.695 points just in exactly 30 minutes!!!

The final by the DPO was run out, so our last candidate Dorris could take it easy in our final, there was even time for a possibly massage or last advices for the last female candidate, and she just surely wanted to give step on the gas!!! At exactly 16.35 hour the Matchleader had given the green light for Dorris and she went away like a hare, hopely she didn't drank too much, because she started at the 6th positon! After 5 minutes she collected few points and lesser than 15 minutes she had the Game Over and her totally endresult was about 4 million points, she was little bit dissappoin- ted about her final-game! In spite of that, she became a very warm applause from the presently audience and a big compliment from the Matchleader for her courage to make big risks by the pitch-stops!!!

All in all this Championship has an strongly "Winner All Category" from the city Hengelo, by the DPO-competitions he had bad luck, but on this NC Pinball on The Computer he was the inaccessibly opponent with a sportly attitude and with just a very extremely technique, so Thijs congratulations with holding this beautiful and unique title!!!

The NC Pinball on The Computer 2001 was passed off very well and according time-limit exactly in time and on this occasion I will take the opportunity to thank my Crew: Astrid, Jeane and Otto, special for Theo who was taken care for the Technical- and Soundseffects, a lot of people was saying that the Stereo-surroundsound just sounded supergreat, just like feeling to watch a "First Night"-movie in a cinema!!! Only a pity for me, I didn't play a real Pinball-machine completely, only on "Apollo 13" I only was playing for a little 5 minutes!!!

And in fact I'd been coming also for the real Pinball-machines, as you know the Pinball on The Computer is just fine for me… but the real Pinball-machines are giving me much more fun ofcourse!!! (a sincerely observation of a coming Pinball-talent for the Veterans maybe!!?). All in all an unforgettable weekend in Leusden for the real Pinball-lovers including with its Ten Years Jubilee of the DPA… my Queensday on April the 30th could not be broken, isn't it Princess Maxima??? I will thank all the competitors of the second National Championship Pinball on The Computer 2001 to join this competition, without you I never can organize such Championships and at least you all have to give the thrill on this Championship… I hope to see you again next year!!!?

The Pinballs

The following pinball simulations/games were used in this years DCPO.