Term

Description

Aab

See “add-a-ball”

Add-a-ball

A specific subset of games that do not award replays for either achievement nor score.   Instead these machines give the player the opportunity to extend play of a game by winning more balls.  Typical “replay” models (see “REPLAY”) have wording like “Ball in Play”.  The Add-A-Ball game would say “Balls to Play”.   This is a subtle change, but as you can see from the pictures below, you can add more than 5 ball.    Theoretically, a player could play indefinitely as they kept winning balls.  In reality, gravity ultimately wins and the game ends.  These Add-A-Ball machines were sold for very specific markets where local laws deemed replays illegal, as they are a “thing of value”.  Wisconsin,  and New York state are Add-A-Ball territories.  Some manufacturers made specific unique games in Add-A-Ball format, others made one model that was convertible between “replay”, “novelty” (see “NOVELTY”) or “add-a-ball”.

Compare the replay and Add-a-ball backglasses.

Notice the “Balls to Play”numbers on cowpoke.  On Buckeroo, balls are tracked in the trough, not on the backglass.  The numbers 1-10 allow the player to add and subtract balls depending on their skill.  Theoretically a game could go on indefinitely, but alas, gravity always wins.

Alpha Numeric Displays

The first generations of solid-state pinballs used “numeric” displays capable of numerals only.   Later on displays were developed that could form simple letters, allowing for written text to instruct the player.

Alvin G. & co.

Alvin Gottlieb’s second pinball company.  It produced the following  interesting games: AG Soccerball, AG Football, AG Football Redemption, Dinosaur Eggs, World Tour, Mystery Castle, Pistol Poker and Punchy the Clown.  Their best game was never completed more than a prototype:  Slam ‘n Jam.   It is a trememdous game designed by Wally Welch of “Medusa” fame.  There exist only 2 whitewood prototypes.  Visitors to the Church of the Silver Ball can view it, and if they speak nicely to Mike, play it.

Alvin Gottlieb

Animation

Apron

Artist

Auto-plunger

Autosave

AX Relay

Backbox

Backbox Spinner

Backflash

Backglass

Bagatelle

Ball Lifter

Ball Saver

Ball Search

Bally Manufacturing Co.

Bally Fitness

Bally Wolff

Bally Midway

Bang Back

Bank

Baseball

Bell

Beta Test

Bingo

Body

Bozoball

Bullseye Target

Bumper

BX Relay

Cabinet

Captive Ball

Catch

Cellar Hole

Center Post

Check

Chime

Cocktail Table

Coil

Coil Sleve

Coin Entry Plate

Coin Reject Button or Rod

Coin Return

Combo

Conversion Kit

Counter-Top game

Crash Bar

Credit

Credit Dot

Data East

David Gottlieb

Dead Bumper

Death Save

Designer

Disappearing Bumper

Diverter

DMD

Dot Matrix Display

Drain

Drop Target

Eddy Sensor

Eject Hole

EM

Electro-Mechanical

End of Ball Bonus

End of Stroke Switch

Extra Ball Buy-In

Extra Ball

Flip Flags

Flipper

Flipperless

Four-Position Target

Free Play

Free Game

Front Moulding

Gate

GI

Gobble Hole

Gottlieb

Gunch

Habitrail

Head

High Score To Date

Hold Relay

Home Model

Home Roms

Horserace Game

Horsehoe

Impulse Flippers

Initials

Inlanes

Insert

Jackpot

Jet Bumper

Kickback

Kicker

Knocker

Lane Change

Leaf Switch

Light Shield

Lockdown Bar

Magnasave

Magnets

Match Number

M-ball

Mechanical Backbox Animation

Messanger Ball

Michael  Gottlieb

Microswitch

Mini Bagatelle

Mini Post

Mini Playfield

Mode

Multi-ball

Multi-level

Narrow Body

New Old Stock

NOS

Novelty

One-ball

Operator

Opto Switch

Orbit

Outhole

Outlane

Over-the-top

Pass

Payout

Payout mechanism

Pendulum Tile

PHOF

Pinball Hall of Fame

Pin Game

Pin Table

Pinball Glossery

Pinball Trader

Pingame Journal

Pitch & Bat

Pla-Mor Post

Playboard

Playfield

Playfield Insert

Playfield Plastic

Plunger

Plunger Lane

Pop Bumper

Pre-flipper

Programmer

Proto

Prototype

Proximity Sensor

Ramp

Redemption Games

Replay

Replay Magazine

Replay Score

Return Lanes

Reverse Wedgehead

Roll Tilt

Roll-down Game

Rolling a game over

Rollover

Rollover Button

Rollover Lane

Rollover Star

Rollunder

ROM

Rotating Target

Rubber Band

Rubber Ring

Sample

Saucer

Save

Scoop

Score Motor

Scoring Bumpers

SDTM

Sega

Segasa

Service Credit

Skill Shot

Silverball News

Skirt

Slam Tilt

Save

Slap Save

Sling Shot

Solid State

SS

Special

Special When Lit

Solenoid

Spinner

Spinning Posts

Spinning Target

Stacked Extra Balls

Standup Target

Swinging Target

Switch Stack

The Church of the Silver Ball

Cheap, shameless plug for our museum and web site.

Thumper Bumper

Tilt

Tilt Warning

Tilt Mechanism

Token

Translite

Trap

Up Post

U-turn

Vari-target

Verticle Up Kicker

Vibration Tilt

Video Mode

VUK

Wedgehead

Whitewood

Widebody

Wireform

Wizard

Wizard Mode

Woodrail

Zipper Flippers

Zizzle