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Episode 336: 2-22-22 Josh Sharpe Day

PodcastAnalysis updated 2d ago33 min listen
From the creator

It's even a Twosday! IFPA "president" Josh Sharpe discusses his return to competitive pinball after a long hiatus. We also discuss INDISC, IFPA 17, new Certified status, leagues and more. Plus, a...

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Highlights

  • Cactus Canyon Revisited code is substantially complete with all concepts finished; Lyman was working on wizard mode storyboarding and art integration at the time of his passing
  • IFPA introduced new 'certified' event designation to differentiate high-quality tournaments from standard 100% TGP events, with formula now reflecting event scale and quality
  • IFPA league rules were changed to prevent exploitation of scoring systems where players could count only their best nights rather than participating consistently
  • The IFPA World Championship is capped at 64 players due to volunteer capacity and event management limitations, not logistical impossibility
  • Modern Stern games have significantly deeper rules requiring longer learning curves compared to classic Williams games, which makes them harder for experienced players to pick up quickly
  • Lyman Davis approached pinball game design like a film director/conductor, choreographing every element (rules, art, sound) to work together as a cohesive entertainment experience
  • A pinball movie about Josh Sharpe's father is in production with actors portraying Josh and Zach, and may feature promotional tie-ins to Stern Pinball
  • Josh Sharpe has a 6-5 head-to-head record against Jeff Teolis since October 2019, demonstrating near-equal skill levels

Notable quotes

“I got a one-on-one master class with Lyman on how to make pinball entertainment... He was like the conductor of a symphony or the director and producer of a movie.”
Josh Sharpe
“Everything that is going to be in the game, all of the concepts are done. When that code comes out, that's it. There won't be updates unless there's something like a bug issue. It'll be complete.”
Josh Sharpe
“I'd say it's jumped to the shark a bit... newer games take me longer to learn not the shots but the rules and where the scoring is.”
Josh Sharpe
“Nobody is insane enough to do the amount of work that we do every day. I'm bringing my laptop to District 82 because in between balls and games, I can take care of IFPA emails.”
Josh Sharpe
“If you can avoid any zeros in match play, you're probably going to do okay. If you finish in the top two of every game, it's sort of like you've advanced.”
Josh Sharpe
“For us to break those limits and do our best and ask for other people to try and help, like, that's just not our way. Our way is making sure that we can run the highest quality event we can.”
Josh Sharpe
“If you don't make the World Championship, it's a bad year [for me].”
Josh Sharpe
“I've got at least 30 years left in me... I see myself playing pinball competitively in my 70s.”
Josh Sharpe

Entities

  • Chicago Gaming Company· company
  • Stern Pinball· company
  • District 82· event
  • IFPA World Championship· event
  • InDisc· event
  • IFPA· organization
  • Pinball Profile· organization
  • Pittsburgh Pinball League· organization
  • Brian Shepard· person
  • Jeff Teolis· person
  • Johannes Ostermeyer· person
  • Josh Sharpe· person
  • Josh Sharpe's father· person
  • Lyman Davis· person
  • Penny Davis· person
  • Zach Sharpe· person
  • Attack from Mars· product
  • Cactus Canyon Revisited· product
  • Medieval Madness· product
  • Whoppers 5.7· product

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