And then, for the first time in quite a while, I felt the urge to swing by Del Mar Lanes and get in a round or two on Godzilla (if nothing else, to confirm it’s still there and playable). The high scores have been cleared since my last visit; my 606M+ grand champion is still there. I didn’t get pictures of the (new) records and high scores, I will hopefully be able to get those on the next visit.
This was another in the many (mostly) monthly visits to Cidercade. The highlight was Game of Thrones, 256M (high score #4 and Stark Champion). Most of the rest were pretty run of the mill. And yes I am playing more video games when I go to Cidercade, not because I’m giving up on pinball, but because in most cases, these are games I actually enjoy playing that I never got to play very often as a kid (or in some cases, never made it to arcades in the Houston area where I was able to go play). Vanguard and Pengo are definitely great games, and I have previously talked about Pepper II.
After work in the Bryan/College Station area, I dropped into Yesterday’s Bar & Grill, which has the only known pinball machine in the area per Pinball Map. That game is a Star Wars Pro (Stern) with a couple of minor issues that don’t (usually) affect playability.
My best score was the first game I played, 183.2M+. I feel I made a pretty good run overall, winning three replays by score off of two paid credits, with an end-of-game match accounting for a fourth, for a total of six games from $2. (Well, actually, $1.25 to me as there was ¾ of a credit on when I walked up. But it would have been $2.)
Admittedly most of this visit was run of the mill but there were a couple of highlights: 20k+ on Pengo, 74k+ on Ms. Pac-Man, 135M+ on Deadpool, with the rest being more or less run of the mill.
So with that, another Texas Pinball Festival is in the books, for me and for everyone.
First, a review of the tournament. It has been long enough since the event that I now know my overall tournament standing for IFPA purposes: 112th out of 167 total players (one player withdrew before playing half of her games). I had hoped for at least a little bit better than that. This is even after It was obvious I was not improving on last year’s 60th out of 152.
There are a lot of things I dislike about the new format. The least of them is that a player now has almost no flexibility on when to play. There is an early group and a late group, and either way, a player will be in the tournament room for about 7 hours on Friday and 5 hours on Saturday, with very limited opportunities to get a break from the noise. With the old format, one could queue up for a game, play it, and immediately take a short break before the next one.
Now I get that this format is much more forgiving if a machine breaks down. Example: In 2022, as a registration desk volunteer I got to void out a bunch of scores when a game was removed from the lineup. Those players all got their entries back. When this happens, it can result in players thinking they are done qualifying actually having an entry or two or three to play again.
But in the end, it is what it is. I expect the new format to be what we will probably have going forward.
Anyway, it was nice to get to play the games on the show floor, including a couple of new titles. It was nice to meet some new people, both on the show floor and in the tournament room.
One thing was more obvious this year than the last. That thing would be the festival is running up against the size limits of the Frisco Conference Center. This is a good thing, but it also means at some point TPF will be looking for a new venue. I personally would welcome this change of scenery even though I have become quite familiar with this section of Frisco over the past four years.
I am still undecided about attending TPF in 2026. I have other options I need to evaluate. That shouldn’t be interpreted as a statement against the TPF team, including the tournament directors. It is more an acknowledgment of other goals I may wish to pursue.
After the closing ceremonies it was time to make my way back to Houston. Due to road construction in Huntsville, I decided to take a rather indirect route down I-35 through Waco, picking up Texas Highway 6 and later Texas Highway 105, FM 1774, and Texas Highway 249.
But wait a minute, why not check out a location on Pinball Map that hasn’t been updated in two years? Especially since it is now on the way?
And that’s exactly what I did. The place is called Truelove Bar. After an ID check and being asked if I had any weapons, I was admitted. The bar was nearly empty, not surprising for a Sunday evening in Waco now that I think about it. The game was a title I’ve never played, Sharkey’s Shootout (Stern, 2000). As an added bonus, the game pricing at least appeared to be the original 50¢ for 1 and $1 for 3 setting from that year.
I insert the first two quarters. “CREDITS 1/2” and then “CREDITS 1”. I insert the next two quarters. “CREDITS 1 1/2” and then… “CREDITS 2”. Well, I’ve paid for two games in advance. At least I got credit for all four coins.
I didn’t make the high score board, but I feel like my top score of 175.7M+ was a decent showing. I wound up playing five games for my $1. Not too bad, I say.
The rest of the trip into Houston was relatively uneventful. It was dark by the time I passed through Plantersville and by the Texas Renaissance Festival grounds, and I got home late. I was exhausted, but happy for the overall experience despite my disappointing tournament finish. More on that in the recap.
