Games

Medieval Madness
199796/100 (26)Williams
Elvira's House of Horrors
201994/100 (11)Stern
Monster Bash
199894/100 (17)Williams
Attack from Mars
199591/100 (19)Bally
The Sopranos
200588/100 (6)SternAlso Concept

AC/DC
201287/100 (5)Stern
Guns N' Roses
199486/100 (5)Data EastAlso Design

Metallica Remastered
202485/100 (9)Stern
The Who's Tommy Pinball Wizard
199482/100 (10)Data EastAlso Design

Revenge From Mars
199980/100 (12)Bally
Batman 66
201679/100 (8)Stern
Black Knight: Sword of Rage
201978/100 (12)Stern
Spider-Man
200777/100 (10)SternAlso Concept

The Walking Dead
201475/100 (10)Stern
Metallica
201374/100 (89)Stern
TRON: Legacy
201172/100 (6)Stern
Batman
201064/100 (5)Stern
24
20094 ratings so farStern
Wheel of Fortune
20074 ratings so farStern
The Rolling Stones
20113 ratings so farStern
Avatar
20102 ratings so farStern
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
20082 ratings so farStern
Indiana Jones
20082 ratings so farStern
Iron Man
20102 ratings so farStern
WWF Royal Rumble
19942 ratings so farData East
Big Buck Hunter Pro
20101 rating so farStern
Maverick
19941 rating so farData EastAlso Concept

NBA
20091 rating so farStern
The Walking Dead Remastered
20251 rating so farStern
Last Action Hero
1993Data EastDesign only
About
Lyman F. Sheats Jr. was both an elite pinball player and a groundbreaking software engineer whose work shaped modern pinball design. Beginning his career at Data East, he quickly made a name for himself by programming games that struck the rare balance between immediate fun and rewarding depth. His subsequent move to Williams/Bally in the mid-1990s led him to collaborate on legendary titles such as Attack From Mars, Medieval Madness, and Monster Bash, all of which remain cherished for their engaging rule sets, humorous themes, and clever software innovations like hidden “Lyman’s Lament” modes and automated “Phantom Flip” features.
After Williams exited pinball, Sheats brought his talents to Stern Pinball, where he continued pushing technical and creative boundaries on games like AC/DC, Metallica, and Batman ’66—often with post-release code updates that substantially elevated each machine’s depth. Renowned for his top-level tournament skills, Sheats drew on his competitive insights to craft balanced experiences for novices and experts alike, inspiring a new generation of programmers to integrate narrative, complexity, and fun into their designs. Following his passing in January 2022, Sheats left a legacy as one of the industry’s most respected innovators, forever changing how pinball is played, programmed, and remembered.
Kineticist Articles
Around pinball
Videos, podcasts and articles from elsewhere.
VideoInteview of Lyman Sheats Jr of Stern Pinball at Southern Pinball Festival 2012 arcade eventYouTube
PodcastSilverball Chronicles Ep 21Episode Summary There are many stars inside the pinball industry, but few create such an emotional ripple in the hobby when they pass. Lyman Sheats gave so much for pinball and always w…The Pinball Network- PodcastTOPcast Episode 50 with Lyman Sheatspinrepair.com
- PodcastEpisode 100 – Lyman Laments – The Slam Tilt Podcastslamtiltpodcast.com
ArticleLyman Sheats DIESFamed programmer and world-class pinball player Lyman Sheats Jr. has died at the age of 55. Lyman Sheats Jr. Born in 1966, after playing pinball in college Lyman got into the pinball business in 1993 at Data East where he worked on the game design and dot matrix display programming for titles such as Last...Welcome to Pinball News - First & Free
Mentioned in
Page updated October 2026 · Suggest a correction








