PinBuilder Reviews

Cool!

As clear as mud, cant figure out how to access anything

Came across the game rather randomly. For an early access it plays very stable with many features, and you can easily (with some reading of manual and comments) create your very own working pinball machine. Daily YouTube videos have documented progress and upcoming features. The Devs have been super supportive and have implemented new features in a short time based on feedback - something that seldom happens. That means that the Devs listen and are quick to make new features and suggestions a reality. The game is not likely to launch for several months (late 2023 or early 2024 per Devs), which means I can't wait to see the incredibly new features they will be adding, because at the speed they are doing so it means this will be one of the best Steam games out there.

If you want to build your own pinball machines with NO CODING EXPERIENCE NEEDED then this is the app you are looking for. I've tried VPX in the past. I would get some of the basic things going, but soon would hit a snag because it would require me to do some code work. This is where PinBuilder shines. Sure, there are missing elements and features, it is still a work in progress, and yes, there is still a significant learning curve, but there is NO CODING required. The devs are great about frequently adding features and making QOL improvements. This is clearly a passion project for the devs. I had been waiting for an alternative to VPX and this is what I needed to get me to be able to wrap my mind around building my own tables. You can also add in your custom sounds pretty easily by adding them to a folder. There are still things that need to be added, for sure, but this sim is on the upward swing, the devs aren't done at all. The one thing you need to have when approaching this sim is patience and perseverance. I still don't have my mind wrapped around a ton of the available features and workflow, but there are a lot of guides created by the devs on YouTube.

At first i didn't like the price $44 AUD (due to other free alternative software) and what was given to me as most games should be half the price during beta, early access before later increasing it when fully released. But if it helps them speed things up and motivates them i'm happy i just hope $44 isn't the early access price and fully release is $100 or something haha. Compare to other Pinball software like FX3, VPX and Future Pinball... this one is rough at the moment (Early Access Game) 18/06/2023 but seeing the community getting involved and the studio hearing them out this could be a huge thing for PinBuilder. If they keep on updating, fixing bugs, add tutorials and add all features requested this could even match or even pass FX3, VPX and FP. Will update review overtime.

Literally did not work. Launched the game, the plunger would never plunge the ball. It would only move up and down slightly and push the ball a bit -- no "spring action" to actually launch the ball. I've returned / refunded a tiny number of games ever, but this made the list.

An amazing tool for making your own pinball creations and then playing them. The Logic system is simple enough to grasp but deep enough to create complex games. At the time of release it suit's up to earlier 80's tables but the devs are working to incorporate newer features including all the modern bells and whistles. It takes some work (and time) to fully realise your own pinball tables but if you're passionate and have a desire to do so then this is a fab tool. Here's a video about my first 50 hours with it https://youtu.be/qyYehAZTo_g

Literally unplayable. If you google official videos that explain in detail about the changes in the latest build the game barely runs in the TUTORIAL videos online. Great concept, needs to be optimized.

This is similar (in some ways) to Future Pinball, but definitely needs some polish. 1. Need to be able to execute the game from within the builder part. Doesn't appear to be an easy way to do that, short of exiting the table, going to settings, telling it to execute the table, and then getting out of settings and firing up the table. Not very intuitive. Perhaps there IS an easier way, but it doesn't tell you so and there is no icon to let you do it directly. 2. I inadvertently discovered that you can depress the 'B' key and it will feed one more ball into play every time you hit the letter B. Cool in a way-great way to max out the bonus multipliers and see all the features fire off, when you have around 15-20 balls on the table all at the same time. Definitely need to have a good graphics card or it runs sluggish. But with a good graphics card? This thing SMOKES. Overall, very nice. Looking forward to seeing improvements and of course would love to see other people's tables.

I have waited for this for a long time, this is just what the Pinball Doctor ordered. It is early access and I like what I see so far. I need of course to learn how to edit within the program, just now getting my feel around it. The Pinball that already exist within it and is ready to play is very good and it provides you an idea of what your finished game will play like. The gameplay for me feels something between Pinball Arcade and Zacarria. The fun of editing and making your own Pinball Machine with Steam Workshop combined with existing tables that are ready to play. Makes this a must buy for all Pinball enthusiast, I cannot wait to see what the community comes up with. This Pinball simulation creator has a great future and this is coming from a very short time with the game, It says a lot about it's full potential. I just hope more people support this, that might to make their own table.