Glossary

Virtual Pinball is filled with strange and unusual terms. This is your secret decoder ring to making sense of it all. Some of the entries will link to their associated channel on the Virtual Pinball Chat Discord. Join up if you aren't already.

Note

This page focuses on virtual pinball terms. Check out Wikipedia for a comprehensive glossary of general pinball terms.

Note

This page is just getting started and a huge number of terms are missing. Feel free to add to it.

DOF: Direct Output Framework. This is a software framework designed to control external hardware via some kind of controller connected to a PC running Visual Pinball. Examples include a string of addressable LEDs driven by a Teensy or ESP32 microcontroller, a gear motor connected by a Sainsmart relay board, etc. Use the DOF Config Tool to tailor a configuration file to your particular hardware setup. Official Docs, Discord Channel, Way of the Wrench YouTube Tutorial.

Fleep sounds: Fleep is a developer that put together a set of sounds from a real pinball machine: ball rolling, flippers, rubber being hit by the ball, slings, pop bumpers, etc. There are multiple samples of each sound so when the ball hits, say, a sling, you might hear any of a half dozen slightly different recordings of a real sling. What sample gets triggered is randomized, and we perceive that as more realistic gameplay. Fleep also built sound routines with positionality to enable SSF. Reference, YouTube Developer Tutorial

FSS: Full Single Screen. A table that simulates the main playfield plus DMD plus Backglass on a single display. Reference

nFozzy Physics: nFozzy is a developer that has come up with what many would consider the best foundation to start from for Visual Pinball physics. This is what VPW uses as a standard. Physics may be tweeked per game but it's a starting point that most would argue is the closest we have to a real pinball machine. Reference, Whitepaper, YouTube Developer Tutorial

SSF: Surround Sound Feedback is a surround sound driven, tactile feedback system for Visual Pinball that can work alongside a mechanical-based feedback system or run as an alternative to it. It can simulate the rumble of a ball rolling around on the playfield, the thump from flippers and slingshots, the sensation of gear & shaker motors, etc. Instead of conventional audio speakers, bass shakers (example) and exciters (example) conduct vibration directly into the cabinet body. A typical SSF configuration is based on a 7.1 channel USB external sound card, two bass shakers, four exciters, and a couple of 2.1 channel audio amplifiers. Reference, Discord Channel

VPX: Visual Pinball Version 10.