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Balls of Steel v1.3 Released!
That's right - our pinball title from a couple of years ago has a new update - v1.3! This update is of a technical nature, there are no new game features added, but for some people this will certainly help them. Here's a listing of what's new in v1.3 of Balls of Steel:
*Now runs under Windows 2000
*VESA support has been removed - DirectX only
*Menu now displays full screen
*Microsoft SideWinder game pad detection fixed to detect Pro (USB) version
If you have Balls of Steel, and have had any kind of video problems, or simply want to run it on Windows 2000, check out the v1.3 patch! There are patches available for both the shareware and registered versions, and they can be downloaded from our downloads page.
You can also visit our downloads page to get patches, downloads, & goodies for our other games. If you've never tried Balls of Steel, you can read more about the game at our Balls of Steel page.
Balls of Steel requires at least DirectX v5.0, but we recommend the latest. You can download DirectX at Microsoft's DirectX page.
Posted by Joe Siegler at 7:00 PM
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Devil's Island Now Available!
Fans of our pinball game Balls of Steel are sure to want to check out this news article..
Several months ago, we reported that Wildfire Studios (the creators of Balls of Steel) were hard at work on an add-on table to Balls of Steel called "Devil's Island". As you may recall, Devil's island is the name of the table that got displaced during development of Balls of Steel to make room for the Duke Nukem table. Well, after the original BOS was released, discussions started on reviving the lost table. After many months of delay and work, it's finally available!
Devil's Island actually does not require the original Balls of Steel to run - it's a standalone product, and can be purchased online either for immediate download, or shipment. Wildfire Studios sent out a newsletter over the weekend on this subject, and you can see that here:
The big news is that Devil's Island is finally finished! There is an Internet download version available from RegNow:
https://www.regnow.com/softsell/nph-softsell.cgi?item=3244-1
The download version is available immediately via credit card for US$9.95, and offers resolutions of 800x600 and 1600x1200, along with all the other features you'd expect from a BOS pinball table, including a firing cannon, squishable scorpions, and an erupting volcano multiball.
Devil's Island is a standalone product which doesn't require the original Balls of Steel program to run. We have also reduced the chances of technical difficulties by removing VESA in favour of DirectX support.
A boxed version of the game is available via mail-order for US$12.99 plus shipping from Expert Software, and includes support for some additional resolutions.
http://www.expertstore.com/v2.0-img/operations/expertsw/desc/gameroom.html
If you are a fan of the original Balls of Steel, then you should check this out, as it's an all new table! If you've never checked out Balls of Steel before, why not download the free demo table, Darkside? That download is available in our Master Download page (under Balls of Steel) right now!
Please note however, that Devil's Island is not being distributed by Apogee Software, 3D Realms, or Pinball Wizards - we have nothing to do with order taking or fulfillment on Devil's Island (although we still distribute the original Balls of Steel). If you have problems with ordering or obtaining this product, you need to get in tough with RegNow, Expert Store, or Wildfire directly. Thanks.
For further information on the Devil's Island table, check out the Wildfire Studios Devil's Island web page. That has details on the technical aspects of the table, requirements, etc...
Posted by Joe Siegler at 3:00 PM
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Balls of Steel v1.2 Released!
Today, we've released the shareware download of Balls of Steel. This new version is v1.2, and is primarily a bug fix release (for video issues), but there are some game play issues as well. Here's a complete list of all the fixes/updates in v1.2 over v1.1.
* added DirectDraw support option for the display
* fix to Firestorm 3-ball totaling for undefused bombs
* change to double for scoring, rather than custom 64-bit ints
* updated magnetic lock parameters to prevent ball getting stuck
* fix to Firestorm Powerplant and Freeway ramp scoring awards
* super combo scoring cap introduced
* kickback cheat code on Mutation now properly opens kickback gate
* powerball mode now correctly resets gas cylinders on Duke Nukem
* ball blocker gate bug corrected
* ball dumping from cyclotron dish during Mutation 3-ball improved
* free 4-billion points in Duke Nukem video mode corrected
* high score sorting problem corrected
* crashing after final ball of Darkside 3-ball corrected
* parental lock extended to cover text of hurry-up message
* Firestorm outlanes no longer turn off novice ballsaver
* suppressed false display of combos values in Mutation
* fixed Barbarian element missions to ensure correct display on completion
* corrected bug in Duke Nukem multiball modes in conjunction with elevator
* removed references to Worldscores, as they no longer track Balls of Steel scores
This list is for the registered version, obviously issues relating to the registered tables don't apply to shareware.
In addition to this shareware episode, you can also download patches that will update your existing game to v1.2! As a convenience to our customers, these patches will update either v1.0 or v1.1 to the new v1.2! You can download the shareware episode or the patches from our FTP area right away by visiting our Master download page. Please remember, if you have any problems attempting to apply these patches, you will need to remove your game (with the Add/Remove Programs icon in Windows), and then reinstall and reapply the patch.
If you've never tried Balls of Steel, than now's the time! Visit our Balls of Steel Pages for more information about the #1 PC pinball game!
Posted by Joe Siegler at 1:00 PM
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Balls of Steel 1.2 Patches Released
Today, some patches to our Balls of Steel game has been released. This new version is v1.2, and is primarily a bug fix release (for video issues), but there are some game play issues as well. Here's a complete list of all the fixes/updates in v1.2.
* added DirectDraw support option for the display
* fix to Firestorm 3-ball totaling for undefused bombs
* change to double for scoring, rather than custom 64-bit ints
* updated magnetic lock parameters to prevent ball getting stuck
* fix to Firestorm Powerplant and Freeway ramp scoring awards
* super combo scoring cap introduced
* kickback cheat code on Mutation now properly opens kickback gate
* powerball mode now correctly resets gas cylinders on Duke Nukem
* ball blocker gate bug corrected
* ball dumping from cyclotron dish during Mutation 3-ball improved
* free 4-billion points in Duke Nukem video mode corrected
* high score sorting problem corrected
* crashing after final ball of Darkside 3-ball corrected
* parental lock extended to cover text of hurry-up message
* Firestorm outlanes no longer turn off novice ballsaver
* suppressed false display of combos values in Mutation
* fixed Barbarian element missions to ensure correct display on completion
* corrected bug in Duke Nukem multiball modes in conjunction with elevator
* removed references to World Scores, as they no longer track Balls of Steel scores
This list is for the registered version, obviously issues relating to the registered tables don't apply to shareware. As a convenience to our customers, these patches will update either v1.0 or v1.1 to the new v1.2! You can download these patches from our FTP area right away by visiting our Master download page. Please remember, if you have any problems attempting to apply these patches, you will need to remove your game (with the Add/Remove Programs icon in Windows), and then reinstall and reapply the patch. A full build of v1.2 shareware will be made available shortly.
If you've never tried Balls of Steel, than now's the time! Visit our Balls of Steel Pages Pages for more information about the #1 PC pinball game!
Posted by Joe Siegler at 1:00 PM
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Balls of Steel Expansion Pack Announced!
 Coming from Wildfire Studios (the makers of Balls of Steel) is Devil's Island. What's that? Well, it's an expansion pack for Balls of Steel. Devil's island was slated to be one of the tables for the original Balls of Steel game, but when the choice was made to do a Duke Nukem table, Devil's Island was dropped. Well, it's back and being primed for the expansion pack.
There is no info yet as to how this will be made available, or who will be distributing it. Once that info is available, we will be posting more info on it.
In the meantime, you can click on the small graphic to your right to see what the table looks like (it's a huge picture - about 540k). You can also visit the Devil's Island page on Wildfire Studio's site for more information, and some more screen shots!
Posted by Joe Siegler at 1:00 PM
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Balls of Steel Review
There is a new review of Balls of Steel online. This one comes from www.gamesages.com, and the game was reviewed by "The Merchantment". Some of what they had to say about the game:
* BALLS of STEEL is also attention-grabbing. It has a level of detail that's breathtaking.
* Each device looks real -- because they are rendered in 3D -- and each has convincing mechanical operation.
* Fortunately, unlike a host of other titles, they did not loose sight of pinball fundamentals in the process
Check out their entire review by clicking here.
Posted by Joe Siegler at 1:00 PM
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Balls of Steel Review
Intelligamer has a new review of Balls of Steel online. They give it 4.5 stars out of five, it's a good review; check it out here.
If you're looking for a fun, approachable, suitably realistic pinball game with all the extras a PC can provide then Balls of Steel delivers the goods. It's tongue in cheek humor, attractive graphics, and abundance of special modes make it engaging. And with five tables you're bound to find one you really enjoy.
Balls of Steel delivers bucket loads of tongue in cheek pinball goodness.
Posted by Joe Siegler at 1:00 PM
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People keep talking about Balls of Steel
Here's some more reviews of Balls of Steel, the pinball game that everyone's raving about. If you haven't tried it yet, visit our Master Download Page!
1. Gaming Edge
2. Electric Playground
3. Hyperactive.com
Hyperactive had this to say... "Balls of Steel is a highly creative title, filled with swish graphics and excellent animation."
Posted by Joe Siegler at 1:00 PM
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Gameslice likes our Balls of Steel
Gameslice Weekly's Editor, Geoff Keighley, likes our Balls of Steel
In today's "Editorial Nugget" Mr. Keighley says, "Balls of Steel delivers more content than any other pinball game on the market. The tables are well designed with a lot of interesting puzzles. Most of all, the animation takes advantage of the interactive nature of a computer as compared to a conventional pinball table."
To read the full Editorial, visit: http://www.gameslice.com/#ed (This editorial is only available for reading today--it changes every week day.)
More Balls of Steel Reviews
The reviews for Balls of Steel keep rolling in! We just found two more over the weekend:
1. Gamepower's Review of Balls of Steel
2. Electric Playground's Review of Balls of Steel
Posted by Joe Siegler at 1:00 PM
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Our Balls Keep Shining!
Review after review has given our recently released pinball game, Balls of Steel, high and shiny scores. Gamezilla contributes to the long list of glowing reviews, by adding:
"Balls of Steel [has] managed to blow the socks off the competition." (The articles specifically mentions Sierra's 3D Ultra Pinball series and Empire Interactive's Pro Pinball series as the "competition" that has lost their socks.) If you'd like to read their entire review, click on the Balls of Steel box to your right (make sure to look for it on your store shelves, too!)
The article also had these shiny quotes:
"While the game's clever title hinted at great promise, I had no idea when I opened the box about the incredible experience that was to follow."
"The ball physics are the best I have seen in a computer pinball game, with both rebound angle and speed changes following the laws of motion perfectly."
"The graphics in Balls of Steel are truly excellent."
"After playing virtually every PC pinball game ever released, I can enthusiastically say that Balls of Steel is now my favorite."
"Its combination of smooth realistic gameplay with creative animated challenges simply cannot be beaten."
"I am totally addicted to it--I simply cannot stop playing it...Any pinball lover should run out and buy this one."
Posted by Joe Siegler at 1:00 PM
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More Game Reviews
There have been some more reviews of our games popping up around the net lately. Here they are:
* Sega Saturn Duke Nukem 3D Review from sega-saturn.com.
* Gamespot's Balls of Steel Review (You can also add your own review, if you're a registered user of their system)
*
The Sega Saturn review of Duke3D is positively glowing. From their review: In short Duke Nukem is one of the finest games to arrive on the Saturn, if you miss this game from your list you are missing out, it is a must have.
If you'd like to see our list of Balls of Steel reviews, check out our Balls of Steel Info Page.
Posted by Joe Siegler at 1:01 PM
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The Public Loves our Balls!
of steel, that is. Online Gaming Review now has a great review of Balls of Steel online.
Some of the more notable quotes from the review are:
* "Beneath the special effects and clever sound lies a fundamentally interesting game, one which all pinball players will enjoy."
* "..the game spurs you on to do more than just whack the ball every time it comes near your flippers."
* "This game will keep a computer-oriented family entertained for quite a while!"
Posted by Joe Siegler at 1:10 PM
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Reviews, Reviews, Reviews!
GameWeek, the leading non-consumer game industry publication, just arrived and has a glowing review of Balls of Steel. Here are a few of the quotes:
"Balls of Steel is easily one of the most entertaining and attractively rendered pinball games ever developed for the home computer."
"Satirically inspired by the "Balls of Steel" pinball game depicted in Duke Nukem 3D, Balls of Steel is a champion in its own right, combining photo-realistic graphics and state-of-the-art special effects with smooth, utterly absorbing gameplay."
"Balls of Steel is a winner...one of the most addictive pinball games ever concocted, providing countless hours of engrossing gameplay at a reasonable price."
If you haven't already, check out the shareware version now!
Posted by Joe Siegler at 1:05 PM
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Balls of Steel v1.1 Released!
 The update to Balls of Steel has now been released. Available now for download are the full v1.1 shareware file, as well as patches to update the existing v1.0 shareware and registered games.
To download these files, please visit our Master Download Page.
What's new/fixed in v1.1 of Balls of Steel:
* key selection in menu for flipper, plunger, and nudge
* fix to permit extra ball awarding in Arcade mode
* fix for Duke extra ball dotpanel display sequencing
* fix to prevent Enter skipping highscore entry until highscore title shown
* increased maximum capping and adjustment for Powerball enabling
* fix for 2-ball jackpot totaling in Firestorm
* video driver update for problems with Matrox Mystique and RIVA cards
* fix for problems with cards based on Rendition chips
* fix for problems using Video Setup button after installation
* removed screen capture key
* fix to allow single-screen view only on video cards less than 1Mb
* automatic resetting of display profile if video options changed in menu
* An extra utility is now included that will allow you to reprofile your video card should you run into trouble, or change video drivers, etc.
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Posted by Joe Siegler at 1:00 PM
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