Who dunnit

splattergatz

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just bought a Who dunnit pinball machine, seems to be in good shape. got a good deal on it but didnt get a chance to play it because of some driver board problems which is fine, hence the deal.

need to pick this unit up sometime this week but i have no room. :(

what my point is, how IS this game ? i hope its fun but if there are any fans out there, id love to hear your thoughts on any of it.

how would you rate it on a score from 1-10
 
I have Whodunnit. I would rate it a solid 8.

It's been debated here a few times. The general consensus is that if the rules would have been 'complete', it would be a top shelf high value game. It's also a pin that requires thinking and concentration. You're solving the murder mystery while playing. You have to read the backstory in the manual to even know what is going on, because it sometimes uses names for the characters that are different than what is on the game.

There is no wizard mode, so beating the game is a bit empty. Implementation of the equipment is not very good either. It really seems like they had more in mind, but had to cut it short to get to market. There is lots to do though. I personally love completing the elevator. Be warned though, the elevator ramp is a bit clunky even when properly adjusted.

Most people that play it here love it, but have no clue what they are doing.
It's a pretty game with a good lightshow, great audio.
 
I have a Who Dunnit as well - my first pin and a keeper.

100% agree with shardian's evaluation. In the 1300-1500 range these go for, they are a steal.

My wife likes to play this one the best, as well.

If the programmable WPC board works out, this could become a stellar title.

RM
 
"id shy away from it

way more fun games out there"

:)
 
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that sounds like fun. a programmable WPC board.

wow.

Here's some info on that:

http://groups.google.com/group/rec....16405a9?lnk=gst&q=who+dunnit#8b992626316405a9

http://www.pinballcontrollers.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=66&Itemid=55

The P-ROC (Pinball - Remote Operations Controller) is a circuit board that enables a computer to control a pinball machine over USB.

* Develop your pinball ruleset in the language of your choice on the PC. The P-ROC hardware controls the drivers and reads the switch matrix for you, providing switch events as they occur.
o Functionality verified in all 3 major operating systems (Windows, OS X, Linux)
* Designed as both a drop-in CPU board replacement for pinball games built on WPC, WPC95, Stern SAM and Whitestar technologies, and as a controller for ground-up homebrew pinball machines with support for your own custom toys with unique I/O requirements.
* Use open source software developed for use with a P-ROC to get your homebrew pinball project off the ground quickly. A P-ROC can be used with existing pinball driver boards or those of your own design.
* Control all of the elements on your machine:
o 208 driver I/Os (for lamps, leds, coils, motors, etc)
+ Includes direct, matrixed, and multiplexed drivers to support a variety of hardware configurations.
o 32 direct switches
o 16x8 switch matrix
o Dot Matrix Display (DMD)
* Configure switch–driver links in hardware to enable lightning fast reaction times where needed.
o ie: flippers, slingshots, and jet bumpers
* Use multiple DMD frame buffers to create smooth animations. Each frame supports up to 16 levels of brightness (colors).
* Protect your machine again software crashes. Watchdog timer logic shuts off drivers to protect your game when the P-ROC is not in communication with the PC/microprocessor-side software.
* Optionally use an embedded controller, such as an Arduino prototyping board, for fully self-contained applications.
* Combine a P-ROC with a driver board and power supply to create a complete programmable pinball system architecture.

Now you can implement custom game software!

The P-ROC communicates with a host PC over USB. Your custom game software applications will run on the PC and use the P-ROC for control of the real-time machine related functions, such as switch monitoring, output driving, and DMD driving. Therefore, the game application can implement the high level game management functions and leave the low level timing critical functions to the P-ROC, thereby eliminating any potential problems with bus latency or software reaction time.
 
I love the game clue, so for me I would LOVE a who dunnit. Theres a bowling alley near me with it and I must say I been there 20 times and never actually bowled.
 
I had the one Shardian has now for about 3 years. It has too many rules and stuff for the average person, it's just way over their head. The fact you have to choose things on the screen confuses most people. There are 3 ways to accomplish every goal in the game, which further makes it confusing. Just don't bother trying to explain the rules, just tell them what to shoot next. :) However, most people enjoy just batting the ball around, watching the playfield slots spin, etc. It has a lot to look at and great sounds and art, some neat playfield toys.

Personally, I really liked the back story, having to listen to know which person to pick, etc. Although you don't HAVE to do that (eventually you'll narrow down the suspects just by picking the wrong ones at random). The Roof Chase is VERY good and the music and animation makes your blood pump. Catching the killer is very satisfying! I felt like it really needed a wizard mode if you caught all 5 killers, however in 3 years I never caught all 5 in one game so I guess it was moot.

After a while you learn some tricks to milk a lot of extra balls. It still didn't make the game overly easy though. Like I said I never caught all 5 killers, but I've made it to the wizard mode on a lot of other "harder" pins before.

I think it's a great game for the price. Far better than a lot of other games in that range. Ultimately though, I favor games that are a little smoother and have more flow to them, and extra flippers, like Whitewater (definitely one of my favorite games of all time).

Wade
 
My first pinball machine I ever bought. I really liked it a great deal. Awesome sound, nice looking game, but not enough shots to shoot at and not super deep. For 1300, it IS a nice pin to start with. Also, I think if you're confused by the stuff on the screen and how to follow it, you're a moron. It's pretty straight forward. You're solving a crime, go get 'em. Not too hard to catch the rest of what's going on.
 
thanks everyone for your interesting takes on the game.

might pick it up later this week.

power driver board works now. friggin pins wont hold onto the PCB
 
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