Dear Andrew,
A very nice essay and right on the money. We all like what we first
played on and got good at.

That said, last Saturday, we had a hockey fiesta in SoCal.

First, Ducks at Kings game, Ducks won and I survived because I was
surrounded by unfriendly (and rich) season ticket holding Kings fans
at ice level (WOW!).

Second, that we had a SoCal table hockey bonanza where we played 46
that's right 46 games! 2 people, and 46 games = 230 minutes of
regulation play and there were at least 10 overtime games.

Third, we watched the 2006 Coleco Classic Finals (taoed in Las Vegas)
which featuring the SoCal S-Slot games. This also marked my
directorial debut (you make a cameo appearance in my video).

So I stagger home the next day being very thankful that my family
understands my passion for this game and puts up with it, and that I
can have a marathon session like this locally (locally defined as
being within 65 miles driving and 2 hours with LA traffic).

What was very interesting was that the TH just got better, and
better and better as the night wore on. Goalies kicked out pucks
with total disdain and stymied the forwards. There were 2 blowouts
in all the games.

All things said, I like the Coleco S-slot game the best. I have made
many modifications over the years that have really improved this
game. I respect all others who have used their skills to modify the
games they play to make them better for everyone, for example Rich
Thill's special nets and chutes on his Coleco MHL games, Jim
Rzonca's lifting table for his CTHL syle games, and Paul Ruiz for
his Stiga net deflectors and other accessories.

You are absolutely right that close spacing does not necessarily
result in a better game. That's why I think that S-shape of the
Coleco 5380 defenseman makes all the difference in simulating the
reality of the game. And let's never compare table hockey to air
hockey or foosball!

good to hear from you,

..aj5380


--- In ACTHF@yahoogroups.com, "andrewbazan2000" <andrewbazan@...>
wrote:
>
> Hockey, be it table, ice, grass, roller, floor, tonsil, etc. are
> all REAL and all DIFFERENT.
>
> If the best th game is the 1 most resembling ice hockey, then
> that logic may suggest video games are better still (I think Not
> ). Munro, Eagle, Coleco, Bockplast and Stiga all produced slot
> rod soccer games. In some ways, th is more like soccer than hock
> ey. TH is called th for $s (marketing association). Another exam
> ple, Air hockey is more like airless ping pong than hockey. Some
> air hockey games were sold under the name th.
> I love ice/th. I prefer th.
>
> The slot pattern on the BOS was taken from Munro's final Bobby
> Orr/Hull model, but has less square inches; thus, more overlapp-
> ing opposing player figures. Which reminds me of my favorite
> sales slogan-Orr 75- "1,000 square inches of super fast action".
> Stationary Wood games are reproduced by 3? companies. Stationary
> players say there better than slot games (I think Not) 'cause
> there's no hogging the "puck". All slot games have safe zones.
> More overlap doesn't always result in much checking, nor does it
> always make for a better game. With more overlap, players will
> often play slower, safer style combined with little control -
> speed. Whether there's more or less overlap, some skills are
> decreased, others increased.
> Opponents styles decide play as much or more then game design.
>
> What th game has more or less checking and which more closely
> resembles ice hockey (subjective and complex) is laregly irr-
> elevant imHo. It is an interesting, thoughtful study though.
> I could debate either the positives or the negatives of ANY
> high profile game, including my favorite. Most players fav-
> orite game is either or both , the game they grew up on and
> or the 1 that best suits their style (game availability, en-
> dorsement/association are also factors).
> Mr. DuBois and I can play different styles, resulting in an en-
> tertaining series. TH and ice hockey are just that,entertainment
> I'm much more impressed with the level of play and dedication
> then of any game or game (business) producer.
> Knocking a game , especially on message boards primarily promo-
> ting that game, is counter productive for th. Events which in-
> clude set feature matchups on different models, would best pro-
> mote th and is best suited for tix sales, serious sponsership,
> paid TV coverage and th growth imHo. Andrew
>