Episode 74 - The Mind of Scott Danesi
Podcast
Wedgehead Pinball Podcast
1 hr 13 min
Summary
Scott Danesi on engineering, design philosophy, and making pinball hard by design.
Scott Danesi discusses his multifaceted role in pinball as both a technical engineer at Pinball Life and a game designer. He shares insights into his design philosophy emphasizing challenging, aggressive gameplay inspired by classic 1980s Bally/System 11 machines, and explains his unconventional design choices for TNA and Rick and Morty (pop bumper placement, lock stealing, physical locks, co-op mode) that prioritize player engagement and nostalgia over mass-market safety.
Highlights
- Scott's work in parts manufacturing at Pinball Life is more impactful to the pinball industry than his game design work
- Scott has a degree in Information Systems Technology and spent 10 years building ERP/business intelligence systems for large corporations before joining Pinball Life
- TNA's design was intentionally aggressive to recreate the punishing gameplay of 1980s Bally/System 11 machines
- Scott gave himself a one-year deadline to complete TNA and get it to Expo playable with a whitewood
- The inline stand-up drop targets on TNA are now referred to as 'Danesi locks' by the community
- Rick and Morty's playfield layout is intentionally asymmetrical with the left side 'off-kilter' to match the chaotic theme of the show
- Scott intentionally excluded virtual locks from TNA to preserve the physical lock mechanic and its nostalgic feel
- Stern Pinball patented co-op play mode despite not inventing it; Multimorphic's Lexi: Light Speed had co-op implemented ~2 years before TNA
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