DOOM Pinball

Pacing: DOOM (2016) has great pacing, the levels offer just the right amount of exploration between two brutal encounters. My aim was to create the same dynamics. During a main mode the player should feel like exploring a level, before the demons from Hell ambush.

To this end I created longer main modes which alters the table to some extent: by opening portals before the lanes, changing the spinning disc to an elevator or by teleporting the player to another mini playfield. Once selected, the player must finish a main mode (level) before they can continue to the next one.

Other side modes can be started to create randomness and a sense of chaos.

Gunplay: this is the most apparent feature of DOOM but how do you make it work in a pinball game? Well, in DOOM Pinball the player can collect and use 8 different guns with unique ammo types. Once an encounter starts the player must shoot specific lanes to fire their weapon before the enemy hits them. To advance a main mode all demons must be defeated. The player can die if HP hits 0 thus failing the current main mode.

There's an upgradable health, armor and ammo system. The player can also unlock power ups such as: Mega Health, Berserk or Quad Damage - which quadruples not only the damage you inflict but also the points you earn for a limited time.

Speed: call him Doomguy or Doom Slayer one thing's for sure, he is fast! To create a sense of speed and agility I designed a layout where the ball never gets stuck for too long, the player has the ball back instantly from almost all lanes. I reduced the timers of the usual locking mechanisms (holes) so the ball won't spend too much time in those either. I also tweaked the materials on certain parts of the playfield so the ball friction is slightly less than on an average pinball table.

On most tables the biggest "ball holders" are probably the bumpers. The ball can bounce between these for quite some time so I lifted the whole bumper area above the playfield and made sure that only a specific shot sends the ball there.

Control: having control all the time is crucial in Doom games. There are no lengthy cutscenes or automated sequences, the player's in control and has great amount of freedom. Pinball on the other hand is known for very little control as there are only a few flippers and a silver ball to fight gravity, basically. So I tried to not take away that small amount of control and also expand it as much as possible.

On DOOM Pinball the flippers never get locked - as some other tables like to do that to end a mode. The bumper area above the playfield is fully controllable, you can rotate the whole platform to make the ball bounce some more or to let it drop. And you can choose your weapon by a weapon selector.