Beat the Clock¶

Beat the Clock is one of only two Bally tables that uses time-based play instead of traditional ball count. The rebuild effort transformed goldchicco's WIP into a modern VPW table with corrected dimensions, new artwork, and complete physics implementation.

Build Notes¶

Rebuild from Existing WIP¶

The project started from goldchicco's WIP but was essentially rebuilt from scratch:

Corrected table dimensions to proper specifications
Created new playfield graphics, plastics, and drop target images
Assigned all objects to proper collections for sounds and physics
Integrated nFozzy physics, LUTs, and modern scripting goodies
Added complete Fleep sound package

Asset Needs for Old Bally Tables¶

Period-specific hardware for old Bally tables differs from modern parts:

Wider ball gate brackets (different from Williams era)
Bumper caps without writing on top
Curved metal piece over shooter lane (old style with segmented appearance)
Small Bally Midway logo for apron
2-tone Bally symbol (ball with wing) for left apron side

Apron Details and Reference Challenges¶

The metal apron over the plunger lane had unclear construction in available photos. The area appeared to be a flat piece of metal but details like hole positions were difficult to determine from existing reference images, making some rebuild decisions challenging.

3D/Art¶

Alternative Playfield Discovery¶

VPUniverse had an existing playfield redrawn from scratch by MeDiSt, which was more airbrushed and cartoony in style. The team chose to continue with their own more accurate version but reached out for character images. Both versions were maintained as options - the cleaner version without characters and the MeDiSt version as an alternate.

First Playfield Draw Experience¶

This was the creator's first attempt at drawing a playfield from scratch. After 2 hours of fine-tuning and cross-referencing with actual table photos, the playfield image was nearly complete. Experienced graphics help was needed to extract and clean up people/characters from reference photos. Limited reference pics on IPDB made this particularly tricky.

Playfield Variant Options¶

A "no people" version of the playfield was created for users who prefer cleaner aesthetics without characters. This was implemented as a script option, allowing players to choose between the populated and clean playfield styles.

Troubleshooting¶

Bumper/Sling Hit Threshold Reset Bug¶

A strange bug caused bumper and slingshot hit thresholds to change from their correct values (1.8 for bumpers, 2 for slings) to 100 after tilt events. This was a VPX-specific issue that would persist across restarts, requiring manual reset in the editor. The VPM tilt array appeared to set them to 100.

Fix: Ensure table1_exit sub resets thresholds so they don't persist at incorrect values.

Best Practices¶

Chrome and Shadow Workflow¶

The workflow for finalizing visual quality involves collaboration between table builder and Blender artist:

Complete the VPX physical table (physics, LUTs, gameplay)
Hand off to Blender artist for chrome pieces and shadows via toolkit
Shadows are properly baked rather than using basic VPX lighting

This separation allows parallel work and specialization - the table builder focuses on mechanics while the artist handles final visual polish.

Tools & Resources¶

Asset Library Wishlist¶

The team expressed a need for a comprehensive asset library containing all common primitives - flipper parts, bumper caps, posts, and other standard hardware. While niwak's Blender repository provides good coverage, no equivalent comprehensive VPX primitive table exists for easy drag-and-drop access.