3D Pinball for Windows (1995)

(98.js.org)

97 points | by mushstory 10 hours ago ago

44 comments

  • dgritsko 5 hours ago ago

    Recently stumbled across a YouTube channel (no affiliation) where a guy is documenting his process of building a working physical replica of Space Cadet Pinball. I found the process pretty interesting. If you're intrigued: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BU_02HABZ4s

  • maximeago 7 hours ago ago

    I remember that it was a lot easier if I had 10 instances of Winamp running at the same time, it was not just that time slowed, the physics was different. Was this ported?

    • ionwake 36 minutes ago ago

      I dont know why but this feels like some esoteric enchanment that would unlock higher dimensions of possibilities if only explored further. Perhaps new harmonies could have been discovered,

      Did anyone think to try this with excel? or notepad?

  • timvdalen 8 hours ago ago

    After all this time, I still don't know how to select a mission, or what missions are

    • unregistereddev 7 hours ago ago

      There's a set of lights in the lower left-hand edge and on the very upper right-hand edge. When it's time to select a mission look for the yellow arrow near those lights. Hitting the lights lets you select a mission. Sending the ball up the ramp confirms the mission. I don't quite remember what the missions were - typically "hit some combination of things" - but they were worth a lot of extra points and/or an extra ball.

    • Nzen 7 hours ago ago

      I am of the impression that the mission is defined by having the pin ball hit the places where the blue arrow points within a set amount of time.

      It's a bit of a shame that Microsoft only licensed Space Cadet Pinball from Cinematronics for Windows 95 and XP [0].

      [0] https://devblogs.microsoft.com/oldnewthing/20181221-00/?p=10...

      • tracker1 2 hours ago ago

        IIRC, it was a decision based around not porting to 64bit in the newer versions of Windows. I agree it's a shame it didn't move forward... same for a lot of things that were in earlier versions that didn't make the cut.

    • cwnyth 6 hours ago ago

      Do you see the flashing arrow? You have to hit one of those tiles, and then launch the ball up the ramp.

    • stavros 7 hours ago ago

      Where did you see missions?

  • hootz 7 hours ago ago

    Did it always have this music? I don't remember it having music.

    • outadoc 4 hours ago ago

      I only discovered very recently that it was supposed to have music as well. I played on Windows XP back in the day, and I'm 99% sure the music must have been turned off by default.

    • vunderba 6 hours ago ago

      Definitely did - that MIDI file is etched into everyone's soul who played Space Cadet but this was early days, maybe it's possible the win9x machine you played on didn't have a sound card?

      EDIT: From what others have said it sounds like it's off by default. It's been decades so I don't remember.

      • cwnyth 6 hours ago ago

        Huh, I don't remember turning it on. Who would want it off? The music is amazing, and it laid the seed for me to get into chip music, especially early keygen music (much of which can be found here: https://keygenmusic.tk/#).

        • vunderba 4 hours ago ago

          Right? Space Cadet, Tempest 3000, One Must Fall 2097 - so much fire tracker/chiptune music from that era.

          This site's been around for a while and is really good as well (has a bunch of classic collections including High Voltage SID)

          https://chiptune.app

          • cwnyth 4 hours ago ago

            Thanks for the link!

    • Jordan-117 6 hours ago ago

      Apparently it did, but it was turned off by default since it could have a performance impact on slower machines.

    • recursive 6 hours ago ago

      Yes. It's original.

  • rypskar 4 hours ago ago

    That brings back memories. I didn't check if it store highscore, but remember finding how to edit to highscore list in the original game to totally destroy my brothers best score

  • jader201 4 hours ago ago

    Unrealistic physics.

    I had a ball last more than 10 seconds.

  • binaryturtle 7 hours ago ago

    I never really got into the 3D pinballs, for some reason those are less fun, maybe because visually they are harder to read?

    I always preferred the "2D" pinballs, with Pinball Dreams and Slam Tilt my two favourites. I still play those from time to time.

    • vunderba 6 hours ago ago

      This is actually a web port of Space Cadet for Win 9x which has sort of a prerendered 3d look but is still basically a 2d table, as opposed to stuff like Pinball Arcade or the FX compilations by Zen.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Full_Tilt!_Pinball#Space_Cadet

    • shellwizard 4 hours ago ago

      I also liked a lot pinball illusions, it had great music, graphics and gameplay. Given that it was created by Dice, the studio that years later created the Battlefield franchise

  • mushstory 8 hours ago ago

    space bar - shoot ball

    z / - press it

    x . - shaking

    • 0x1ceb00da 6 hours ago ago

      Does the shaking even do anything in this game?

      • GLGirty 5 hours ago ago

        I recall shake/tilt was most useful in the sections of the field where rolling over a sensor would toggle a light, and lighting all three toggles yielded a prize. There is one cluster at the top centre, and another in the left purple platform. The ball is moving slowly enough here that a nudge can send to one toggle or the other.

        I bought this knowledge with my uni gpa, NO RAGRETS.

      • GlickWick 6 hours ago ago

        Definitely. Looking at the code it weirdly changes ball accel, which is not how nudging works in actual pinball.

        https://github.com/alula/SpaceCadetPinball/blob/master/Space...

        • pixelesque 5 hours ago ago

          Possibly because it's easier to approximate the ball's position moving vs the table than simulating the table's position in space moving (which is what happens in real life with a nudge?) and the ball's trajectory not altering?

    • irthomasthomas 6 hours ago ago

      Does x help you avoid that deadspot in the middle, where the flaps cant reach?

    • harrouet 7 hours ago ago

      Exactly what I was looking for for my non-US keyboard :)

  • rimworld 7 hours ago ago

    getting: Uncaught InvalidStateError: Failed to execute 'drawImage' on 'CanvasRenderingContext2D': The image argument is a canvas element with a width or height of 0. at start_freeze_frame (space-cadet-menus.js:140:18) at MutationObserver.<anonymous> (space-cadet-menus.js:429:3)

  • zenmaster10665 8 hours ago ago

    oh man i love this game thanks...why no scoreboard tho?!

    • Fib0112358 6 hours ago ago

      if you're playing on a phone, the right side of the window might be cut off. you could rotate the screen, or you could select the desktop version in Chrome options (but it will be very small).

  • Skywalker13 7 hours ago ago
    • nayuki 5 hours ago ago

      In this port, using the menu to disable the music has no effect. Surprisingly, typing "hidden test" does have an effect, but the interpretation of mouse movements is weird and uncontrollable, unlike the original Windows EXE game.

  • mangoclimb 5 hours ago ago

    It was a mini-game included by default in Microsoft Windows 2000.

  • raytracer1 7 hours ago ago

    Remind me my computer lesson of primary school

  • ourmandave 8 hours ago ago

    People have build IRL Space Cadet pinball machines.

  • alex1138 5 hours ago ago
    • NoSalt an hour ago ago

      Before I install it, how is it?

  • Fib0112358 6 hours ago ago

    this brings me so much joy. thank you!

  • diego_moita 5 hours ago ago

    I wasted my youth on this thing!

    So now I should waste my working hours on it?