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LoserKid Pinball Podcast
LoserKid Pinball Podcast
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Ep 133: Barry O's BBQ with Steven Bowden and David Fix

PodcastAnalysis updated 3d ago58 min listen
From the creator

American Pinball has released their newest game, Barry O's BBQ Challenge and we have Bowden and Fix here to talk about this latest creation.

Listen on LoserKid Pinball Podcast

Highlights

  • Barry Oursler was brought into American Pinball in August 2021 with a contract that included family compensation, which was finalized in January 2022
  • Barry Oursler passed away approximately one month after the January 2022 announcement, about four days after delivering the complete whitewood playfield layout
  • Barry completed the core playfield design in approximately six months (August 2021 to January/February 2022)
  • The Bash Lock mechanic was developed by Ryan McQuaid as a solution to the Space Shuttle lock problem, allowing balls to roll back and forth while rescoring
  • Barry had started concept work on a second game called 'American Pinball Factory' focused on parts and service before his death
  • The original theme concept was 'Car Hop' but was changed to barbecue due to theme availability and Barry's personal connection to barbecue culture in San Antonio
  • Barry O's Barbecue Challenge includes multiple hidden Easter eggs referencing Barry's classic games (Space Shuttle, Barracora, Doctor Who mechanics) intentionally designed for players to discover organically
  • American Pinball is a team of approximately 15 people plus manufacturing partners, with multiple code updates planned for Barry O's Barbecue Challenge

Notable quotes

“Barry O's Barbecue Challenge is a game that I hope is a worthy tribute to Barry's career in design.”
Steven Bowden
“Space Shuttle was my first game that I ever played in my life... me being as involved as I am in the release of this game is a really special moment. It's like an arc of my life.”
Steven Bowden
“Four days later, his wife called me and told me he had passed away. So that took a shock for us.”
David Fix
“When I wrote that up with the contract, it was very in line... Kathy has been great. She has been patiently watching. We have sent her updates on the game.”
David Fix
“Don't believe everything you hear on some podcasts. Listen to what comes straight from the manufacturer themselves.”
David Fix
“The reason why I did it like that [Doctor Who reference]... other people can just play a fun game. They don't know. But people will know.”
Steven Bowden
“I wanted to be able to show you why that shot was worth 3.5 million... scoring as transparent as I could.”
Steven Bowden
“You don't have to do that [build sauce meter]. You just won't make as much.”
Steven Bowden

Entities

  • American Pinball· company
  • Flippin' Out Pinball· company
  • Baltimore· company/event
  • Texas Pinball Festival· event
  • Barracora· game
  • Barry O's Barbecue Challenge· game
  • Doctor Who· game
  • Galactic Tank Force· game
  • Gorgar· game
  • Space Shuttle· game
  • Loser Kid Pinball Podcast· organization
  • Barry Oursler· person
  • Dan Hughes· person
  • David Fix· person
  • Dennis· person
  • Josh Roop· person
  • Kathy Oursler· person
  • Ryan McQuaid· person
  • Scott Larson· person
  • Sophia Ryan· person
  • Steven Bowden· person

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