Sources
Contributors to this record: Flipcommons AI Descriptions (GameplayFeature), Flipcommons Catalog.
- description
- Flipcommons AI Descriptions (GameplayFeature)A playfield shaker is a player-operated control that jolts or shifts the [[gameplay-feature:playfields]] to influence a ball already in play. It's a rare mechanism, existing only on a handful of machines. And the shakes are often rationed: [[manufacturer:bally]]'s *[[title:hi-fi]]* (1954) puts buttons where the flipper buttons would be and "allows the player to 'bump' the playfield up to ten times per game",[1] while [[manufacturer:sega]]'s *[[title:skill-ball-4]]* jolts "the playfield forward about an inch"[2] a number of times bought with the tokens that started the game. ## The tilt circuit Playfield shakers often interact with the tilt circuit. Hi-Fi suppresses the tilt so the bump is safe — "There is a delay feature on the tilt circuit to prevent tilting during a 'bump'."[3] [[manufacturer:allied-leisure]]'s *[[title:sea-hunt]]* (1972) and *[[title:spooksville]]* (1973) leave it armed, so the shake carries risk: "Pushing too sharply will tilt the ball in play."[4] That tension is what the mechanism is: the sanctioned form of a thing every other machine punishes. ## Not a shaker motor [[gameplay-feature:shaker-motors]] are activated by the game itself, shaking during specific gameplay moments,[5] whereas playfield shakers are player-controlled. ## Not a tilting playfield [[gameplay-feature:tilting-playfields]] are playfields that the player holds at an angle to aim to ball, whereas playfield shakers deliver a jolt or thump.
- name
- Playfield ShakersFlipcommons Catalog
- status
- activeFlipcommons Catalog
- slug
- playfield-shakersFlipcommons Catalog
Citations
- Internet Pinball Database (IPDB) — Internet Pinball Database (IPDB) #1166
allows the player to "bump" the playfield up to ten times per game
- Internet Pinball Database (IPDB) — Internet Pinball Database (IPDB) #6759
Pressing either button during play will jolt the playfield forward about an inch.
- Internet Pinball Database (IPDB) — Internet Pinball Database (IPDB) #1166
There is a delay feature on the tilt circuit to prevent tilting during a "bump".
- Internet Pinball Database (IPDB) — Internet Pinball Database (IPDB) #2081
Pushing too sharply will tilt the ball in play.
- Kineticist — https://www.kineticist.com/games/pinball/earthshaker
which shakes the machine during specific gameplay moments