Player Spotlight: Troy Simmons
Kia ora, Troy!
How did you first discover pinball?
Ages ago, when I was younger. We lived on the Kāpiti Coast, and my dad had some arcade machines. At one point we had four: Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, and one of those 48-game machines with all the classics. I used to beg my dad for a pinball machine. I probably first saw one in a pub.
I discovered pinball as an adult while working at the libraries. Arapaki was just across the road on Manners Street, so I could come into YOPS on a break. I've been saying for years that Timezone sucks. Old arcades are so much better, with actual games, not just gambling for children. The staff are just so lovely. You feel welcome straight away, so it wasn't intimidating.
When you first came here, do you remember any games that you gravitated towards?
Medieval Madness. It's so beautiful in its simplicity. It has that clear objective: just bash the castle.
I was super-casual and really bad, as you are when you start. I like having goals, so reaching 100 million would've had me stoked. Didn't happen.
When I came back, Medieval Madness was still the game I gravitated towards. Happy to say I eventually achieved that goal. Then it was Fish Tales. That's when I really started playing seriously.
Starting work with a new co-worker who'd already been coming here made all the difference. Jordan, who really got me into it, is such a positive person. Having someone there to explain things helped a lot. I never would've figured out Godzilla on my own or worked out how to play it. The staff here are great for that too.
Have you brought in any other people?
Yeah. I just wanted more people to play with. I was raving about this place to my co-workers. I'd say, "Guys, it's so good to switch up your brain." Getting out of the office is important. I don't think I could name any other place where you can do something short, cheap, and that fits into a break.
I'd seen the comps here, so I thought it'd be fun to set up a casual league. Everyone likes a bit of competition, friendly competition.
Did you have a set day and time when you would play?
No. I was encouraging people to go out on breaks at work, so we came up with a different format where we'd pick one machine for the month. You could play any other game, but if you wanted to enter, you'd get your highest score on that machine, take a photo, and upload it.
We use Teams a lot, so I made a Teams chat where everyone chucks their highest score in. If someone beats it, they chuck the new score in. We've got a spreadsheet that tracks them, and the winner picks the next machine. Sometimes I just give them a couple of tokens. I'd love to have something really casual where people could just come down and play.
The fact that you're already doing that is really cool.
Yeah, I think it's a fun, chill format. I like to play is by focusing on one machine.
When I started getting into pinball, that machine was Fish Tales. I really wanted to score a billion, so I was almost exclusively playing Fish Tales. It was really clear-cut; you could see the high scores and learn from them. The billion became my goal because I'd read online that people rate getting a billion on Fish Tales. So I went for it. Ash helped me out a lot with the super jackpots.
What was the last game you guys played casually?
Whenever there's a new machine, I like to jump on that. It was Swords of Fury. Then I think last month was Iron Maiden.
We've gotten really busy at work. I'd still like to organise some socials. I'd like to do something at the end of the month, but I don't want to separate out the top four players. I'd rather have everyone come and play. Maybe it doesn't need much of a format. Maybe it's just a hangout.
I think it's really amazing that you've already taken that initiative.
When we were starting at the big library, the team from Brandon Street came over. We also had people transfer from other libraries, as well as external hires. We were there for two months before it opened, doing pre-opening work. There were a lot of people who needed to get to know each other, so it was the right time for something social.
I probably would have done it anyway because I love pinball and needed an excuse to play it. But it really was the right place, right time. I put up a little poster at work, and I think we've got about twelve people now. It'd be nice to get a couple more, but it's enough.
What has been the hardest thing for you so far?
I can't do drop catches. Can't do it. Trying. One thing I've wondered - and prefacing this by saying I don't want to tell YOPS how to run a business - is it'd be great to have an hour of free play to learn mechanics without pumping money into it. Learning drop catches means I'm going to drain so many balls and spend three tokens practising. Maybe that's just the cost of learning the mechanics.
Live catching is easy. Drop catching - I haven't got it yet. That's my next focus.
What's one piece of advice that another player has given you that's really helped?
I'd say the obvious one is to shoot what's flashing.
Jordan also put me onto the fact that there are rulesets online. They're so helpful for figuring out the progression of a game.
I often read those little cards. Respect to Ash's cards. When I read the manufacturer's cards, my eyes glaze over. It's like, "You hit the doohickey, then smack the whatchamacallit." That's why I prefer reading the online rulesets. I can do it at my desk at work. I feel like watching a YouTube video is pushing it.
Some of those machines have really deep rulesets, and some of the older ones not so much.
The old ones are good. I tried reading the Dune ruleset and thought, 'They're talking about day-night cycles and so much else.' That one I'm just going to feel out.
Is there any machine that you really hate? One that you'd never really want to get into?
I'd say my least favourite is Jurassic Park. That'll probably change in the future. Dracula did my head in, but I ended up having a lot of fun with it. That was the last game where I hit a billion a couple of weeks ago.
I love Labyrinth, the movie. I don't rate the machine at all. It's hard, and the shots don't feel that great to me. There's so much you can do with that film. They've got the two little doors at the top, but then your ball doesn't even go up there. I feel like it's a missed opportunity.
It's a great movie, but the machine's a disappointment. I don't like the idea of releasing a game before it's finished. If I spend twenty thousand dollars on something, there has to be a finished product.
What machine makes you say "Oh, just one more game, just one more game."
It's Fish Tales. That whole mechanic in multiball - locking one ball and flinging another back around - is one of the most satisfying shots in pinball for me. Ash recently put a new wax on Fish Tales, and I've had to relearn the game.
Oh, it's really made that much difference?
It really has. Those angles were locked into my brain.
I think it's awesome spending so much time on one machine, then coming back to it later. I was disappointed in myself that I'd lost it, but you don't really want it to be easy either. It'd be cool to get an even higher score. I think that'll come with mastery. Hopefully it comes back easier.
It's nice to have a target, even though it's not necessary. It gives you what you'd get from a competition, but at your own pace. It's like earning achievements in video games.
If you had to convince a friend in 30 seconds to play pinball, what would you say? What would your pitch be?
The big draw is the physicality of it. If you like video games and want something you can actually feel, pinball gives you that. Most people like bright lights. It's a random comparison, but people go to New York's Times Square and marvel at all the lights around them. Pinball is like that, but condensed into the size of a box. Then you get to interact with it.
I like art that's fun and full of colour. That's why I like graffiti, city art, and things like that. There's a sculpture- I think it's in Leeds Street. It's just a big light bulb, and it lights up. What a good way to do lighting.
Things don't have to be boring.
Is there anything that you'd like to add?
I'd add that when I was working over there five years ago at the library, I think I was having a hard time in my life and needed a distraction. Everything else in my brain turned off for five minutes.
I'm not advocating running away from your problems, but sometimes you want to go somewhere loud and stimulating. Something about it makes it quieter in your brain.
I also want to say thank you to YOPS. Please stay in Wellington, even if you end up moving. Even if you were further away and I couldn't come during my breaks, I'd still make time to come. The location next to the library is just perfect. Not good for my wallet. Good for my mental health.
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