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Comment by puzzledobserver | Hacker News Reader

I've never played on an actual pinball machine, but spent a lot of time playing Space Cadet Pinball when I was a kid.

I think I initially saw it as a random thing with bright shiny lights and funny sounds, but I eventually understood the game. I was never very good at it, but it is most certainly a game of skill.

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Space Cadet pinball is a fair game. Real pinball there are magnets under the playing surface that direct the ball and control whether the player loses the ball or not.

Some pinball machines have electromagnets under the playing surface that will ocassionally activate, but those usually don't specifically direct the ball into the outholes. Magna save on say Black Knight, is there for the player's benefit.

Some tables have an electromagnet under portions of loops to hold and release balls for specific modes, for example on Twilight Zone.

Other tables have electromagnets in more open parts of the playfield like Stern's BatMan with the electromagnet on a crane, and as I recall, SpiderMan has an electromagnet feature. There's some that use an electromagnet to get randomish motion near the flippers, but they usually pull the ball upwards, not downwards.

> I've never played on an actual pinball machine

Do yourself a favor and change that ;)

Check out PinballMap.com and find a machine near you. It’s a surprisingly fun and zen hobby.

For those in the Bay Area, check out the Pinball Museum in Alameda (not too far from where they used to keep the nuclear wessels ).

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