Category Archives: Video Games

Video Games

Bill Paxton Pinball

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Click here for large version

Since 2005 I have been working on building my own custom pinball machine and now it is finally finished. It is based off the endlessly quotable films of Bill Paxton and thus is called… get this… Bill Paxton Pinball. (Very creative, I know)

Aside from “stock” items such as flippers and solenoids it has been completely manufactured from scratch. Most of the artwork is from his movies and has been assembled in stylized montage form as is typical for a pinball machine. It is controlled by a single Parallax Propeller CPU which runs PCM audio music & voice clips as well as handling game logic, I/O and driving the custom LED display. I did the mechanical design, layout, construction & programming all myself, except for the sound player libraries that I got off the Parallax Object exchange website.

I’ve prepared all sorts of stuff for people to check out, so please check out the links below. Also, I did consider creating a “Virtual Pinball” version of this machine but ultimately didn’t have the time. If anyone is well versed in that tool and wants to take a crack at it, let me know, I can supply with you specifications.

“Making Of” Story
A four part article that describes the making of the machine in great detail. Includes photos of the guts, making of video links and source code.

Bill Paxton Pinball Photo Gallery
Contains lots of photos of the machine and its various parts (finished condition).

Demonstration Videos
See the machine in action, and check out descriptions / demos of the specific modes and toys.

Bill Paxton Pinball Evolution
A downloadable video demonstrating the process from start to finish.

Notice: Bill Paxton Pinball is a personal project and therefore is not for sale or duplication. All music / images / audio used on it are owned by their respective copyright holders.

Video Games

Hold Flipper for Status Update 4

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These are just the ramps that DIDN’T make it into the game! (I think I ended up making every ramp at least 3 times)

Wow it’s been a couple months since the last official Bill Paxton Pinball update! The playfield is complete, the code is less buggy and it will definitely be done in time for the 2010 Midwest Gaming Classic.

The full, final reveal of the machine on this site will likely be around March 17th. You can keep up with the progress by subscribing to my YouTube channel or Twitter feed. (Warning: Twitter feed also contains a lot of non-work-related ramblings, usually about beer, the weather or waiting in lines)

For a sneak peek at the vector drawing of the final board, hit the rest of the story after the bump. We’ll see you soon!

Continue reading Hold Flipper for Status Update 4 →

Video Games

Don’t forget the Midwest Gaming Classic in Milwaukee

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Hello internet, Ben here with another plug for the Midwest Gaming Classic. (MGC)

If you like videogames, and you live even remotely close to Milwaukee, WI (home of all the best beers) you owe it to yourself to visit the 2010 Midwest Gaming Classic! It’s become quite a large event, rivaling the size of game conventions you’d find elsewhere (well, maybe not Dragon*Con).

Best of all, at least in the context of this website, you can visit the Benheck.com Experience room of MGC to meet me, podcast co-host Jason “Jones” Jones, and many of our forum members. Highlights include:

  • On-spot mods and repairs of whatever you bring in.
  • 3D printing demonstration, thanks to Chris Kraft.
  • Separate panel by myself discussing pinball and probably lots of off-topic BS.
  • Hands-on demonstrations of forum member’s projects
  • BILL PAXTON PINBALL. Free to play, with high-score save and 4 player competition mode!

So if you haven’t already, check out their site here! We’ll see you there!

Video Games

Pinball Wars!

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As many of you know I have been working on a Bill Paxton themed pinball machine for several years, and have made a lot of progress since last summer. A few months ago I was on the “Fat Man and Circuit Girl” show and suggested to Jeri Ellsworth that she attempt a machine of her own, since she loves pinball so much and could obviously handle it.

Cut to a few months later and not only is she working on one but making amazing progress as well! The theme is “As Seen on TV”, so I’m hoping when the ball drains it says “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!”

Some of her friends have started their own innovative pins as well. A bit of trash talk later and now it’s a race to see who can finish their machine first and “out toy” each other!

If you’d like to keep tabs on this epic battle and egg us both on, see below:

Benheck.com YouTube channel
Benheck Twitter Feed

Jeri’s YouTube Channel
Jeri’s Twitter Feed

Well met!

Video Games

Hold Flipper for Status Update 3

10 Comments

The finest in American engineering and pinball amusements.

Been kind of slow lately (could the recession be catching up to me?) so I’ve made a lot of progress on Bill Paxton Pinball. Features now include:

  • Up to 4 players per game – Modes are shared between players so it’s a race to see who can activate the big point bonus first.
  • High score save – Saved in the unused top half of EEPROM so it’s there forever, unless specifically wiped or of course beaten.
  • Animation – Using a separate program from the main kernel, Windows bitmaps are pre-loaded off SD onto the EEPROM for faster access during play.
  • Non-buggy sound playback – Sounds can interrupt each other without chance of lockup, thanks to a system of flags that properly closes any playing file before opening a new one.

In some sad news, there will come a point where updates on BPP come to a stop as the unit nears completion and I’ll want to keep its final look a secret until the reveal. This will probably happen when I put the main artwork on the playfield. However the goal still is to have this done in time for the Midwest Gaming Classic 2010 in Milwaukee Wisconsin, so it’s playable at our booth.

Again, this is being done as a personal “fun” project and is not for resale, however if you’d like your own custom pinball made I would be willing to discuss ideas. I may create a “kit” of the circuitry when it’s all said and done.

More info and video after the break!

Continue reading Hold Flipper for Status Update 3 →

Video Games

Benheck.com Experience at Midwest Gaming Classic 2010

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From the press release:

For 2010, Ben Heckendorn and his forums members return to make the benheck.com experience even better than 2009! Project reveals and discussion, real time modding and even the ability for show-goers to bring their own consoles to be modded by benheck.com regulars will be available as the benheck.com Experience moves into it’s own room and they throw out all of the rules about how your console or controller needs to look.

Check out the official site!