3D Pinball for Windows (1995) (98.js.org)

93 points by mushstory 9 hours ago

dgritsko 4 hours 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 5 hours 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?

timvdalen 7 hours ago

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

unregistereddev 6 hours 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 6 hours 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 an hour 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 4 hours ago

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

stavros 6 hours ago

Where did you see missions?

forsalebypwner 2 hours ago

This guide is impressively thorough and can help answer this: https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/pc/563047-3d-pinball-space-cad...

stavros 2 hours ago

rypskar 3 hours 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 2 hours ago

Unrealistic physics.

I had a ball last more than 10 seconds.

binaryturtle 5 hours 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 5 hours 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 3 hours 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

hootz 5 hours ago

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

vunderba 5 hours 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 4 hours 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 3 hours ago

outadoc 3 hours 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.

Jordan-117 5 hours ago

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

recursive 5 hours ago

Yes. It's original.

mushstory 7 hours ago

space bar - shoot ball

z / - press it

x . - shaking

0x1ceb00da 5 hours ago

Does the shaking even do anything in this game?

GLGirty 3 hours 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 4 hours 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 3 hours ago

irthomasthomas 4 hours ago

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

harrouet 6 hours ago

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

rimworld 5 hours 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 7 hours ago

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

Fib0112358 4 hours 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 6 hours ago

nayuki 3 hours 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.

raytracer1 5 hours ago

Remind me my computer lesson of primary school

alex1138 4 hours ago

ourmandave 6 hours ago

People have build IRL Space Cadet pinball machines.

TimTheTinker 4 hours ago

CNCDan is working on one right now, here's episode 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BU_02HABZ4s

mangoclimb 4 hours ago

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

Fib0112358 4 hours ago

this brings me so much joy. thank you!

diego_moita 4 hours ago

I wasted my youth on this thing!

So now I should waste my working hours on it?