claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.032
Nick Baldridge unveils Drained, a vampire-themed P3 game inspired by EM mechanics with risk/reward and gobble hole design.
Drained is Nicholas Baldridge fourth game for Multimorphic P3 overall (first homebrew, then Ranger in the Ruins, Silver Falls, Flipper Foxtrot Rhythm Explosion, and now Drained)
high confidence · Nick Baldridge directly states in the podcast: 'I have built, actually, this is my fifth game for the P3. The first one was a homebrew effort... Ranger in the Ruins was the first effort after that homebrew effort... And then I utilized that knowledge and kind of built on it for these other games'
Drained is Baldridge's first custom playfield module design for P3, whereas previous games used existing playfield layouts
high confidence · Tommy asks 'Drained is the first physical layout you've designed for the machine, right?' Nick responds 'Correct.' This is confirmed by the podcast hosts and Baldridge's own discussion of designing the layout on vellum paper before cutting wood.
The gobble hole feature in Drained has not been present on any commercially made pinball machine since 1964
high confidence · Nick Baldridge states: 'I've added a feature which hasn't been present on any pinball machine commercially made since 1964, and that's the gobble hole.'
Drained features 15 different vampires as modes, with the last one being different (a wizard mode)
high confidence · Nick Baldridge explains: 'there are 15 different vampires in the game and each one is essentially its own mode' and later notes 'all of them except for one, which is kind of the wizard mode, have six different shots that are needed to complete.'
The game defaults to five balls and can be adjusted down to single ball mode with compensating spotted targets
high confidence · Nick states: 'the game is, by default, it's five ball, because there are two different drains on the play field' and 'if you don't like a five ball game... you can always reduce it down... you can bring it down to a single ball per game if you want to... each ball that you remove though it will give you an additional spotted target.'
Taylor James Rees played Drained before the podcast and was sworn to secrecy about gameplay details
high confidence · Tommy says 'I was told not to talk about it' and references Taylor being 'hush hush' about the game. Tommy says 'He passed. He didn't tell me anything.'
“I've added a feature which hasn't been present on any pinball machine commercially made since 1964, and that's the gobble hole.”
Nick Baldridge @ mid-episode — Highlights a major design innovation that sets Drained apart as a novel mechanical feature not seen in commercial pinball for decades.
“There's nothing else like it that I can think of. I don't know. I'm sorry. I think it's just the gobble hole just got me because when I walked up to the game and I saw that there was a gobble hole I was like, of course there's a gobble hole.”
Taylor James Rees @ mid-episode — Conveys the visceral, intuitive appeal of Drained's design—the gobble hole feels inevitable yet surprising, suggesting strong design cohesion.
“You've got a natural knack for programming things that give you that one more game quality, and not everyone who designs pinball machines have that.”
Tommy Skinner @ late-episode — High praise for Baldridge's game design philosophy; identifies the 'one more game' quality as a design strength that separates his work from other modern games.
“I have not experienced that with Ranger in the Ruins like every time I play it I want another game on there.”
Tommy Skinner @ late-episode — Strong endorsement of addictive gameplay mechanics in Baldridge's previous P3 game, contrasting with The Walking Dead which he plays once and is satisfied.
“So you generally have a bite at the apple there.”
Nick Baldridge @ mid-episode — Describes the playfield flow and recovery opportunities in Drained's design, emphasizing player agency and second chances.
“I think the simplicity of those games is really attractive. And, yeah, I don't know. I feel like this has the aspects of that.”
Taylor James Rees @ late-episode — Identifies Drained's design philosophy as drawing from simple, accessible games while maintaining depth—a core design tension in modern pinball.
“It's not like you've got to build up, you got to get to the mini wizard mode before you're really going to make any points or really see the story unfold. Like here, it's just like, boom, you're in it.”
product_launch: Drained officially released as a playable P3 module; first game with custom playfield design by Nick Baldridge
high · Nick Baldridge introduces the episode discussing 'the release of my new game, Drained, for Multimorphics P3' and describes the game in full playable detail; Taylor has already played it in person.
design_philosophy: Baldridge explicitly designs Drained using EM-era and wood rail game principles: risk/reward mechanics, gobble hole feature (absent since 1964), target banks with thematic naming, playfield-readable design over backbox complexity
high · Nick states: 'I find can be unusual in modern games is an arrangement that's similar to some EM games... EM games are a perfect mix of risk and reward.' He draws inspiration from Target Pool and wood rail games for readable, physics-based design.
gameplay_signal: Drained and Ranger in the Ruins both exhibit strong 'one more game' quality; players report continuous re-play compulsion rather than single-play satisfaction
high · Tommy says: 'You've got a natural knack for programming things that give you that one more game quality... I have not experienced that with Ranger in the Ruins like every time I play it I want another game on there.' He contrasts this with The Walking Dead.
design_innovation: Drained reintroduces the gobble hole as a strategic, central shot mechanic after 60 years of commercial absence; integrated into vampire-themed rule set as a risk/reward super-jackpot shot
high · Nick: 'I've added a feature which hasn't been present on any pinball machine commercially made since 1964, and that's the gobble hole.' Taylor notes this as the hook that got him engaged with the game.
groq_whisper · $0.401
Weird Al's Museum of Natural Hilarity of Natural Hilarity (Weird Al game) was their breakthrough into mainstream recognition
high confidence · Tommy states: 'Their biggest, most recent first licensed game was the Weird Al game, Museum of Natural Hilarity. That really kind of finally drew them into the mainstream.'
Nick Baldridge designed the Drained playfield on vellum paper using rulers and drafting tools before cutting wood
high confidence · Nick explains: 'I am kind of old school in some ways. I draw on vellum paper, which is like a tracing paper, an art paper... So before I actually cut any wood, I have a layout basically completed.'
Charles Wolfe composed the music and sound effects for Drained and appeared on a podcast discussing the audio design
high confidence · Nick states: 'that podcast was with Charles Wolfe, and he composed the music and sound effects for the game.'
Tommy Skinner has had a Multimorphic P3 on location at his venue for approximately six weeks with Ranger in the Ruins installed
high confidence · Tommy says: 'We've had that on location now, playing Ranger in the Ruins for, I think, almost six weeks.' He also mentions the P3 has been at his location since 'late July' based on an earlier comment.
Nick Baldridge @ late-episode — Explains the design philosophy distinguishing Drained from modern complex rule sets—immediate engagement and story accessibility versus delayed gratification.
“I don't spend a lot of time looking at the backbox. And modern games, some modern games have these extremely in-depth rule sets that require you to spend a lot of time looking and planning on the backbox.”
Nick Baldridge @ late-episode — Critiques modern pinball design trends and explains Baldridge's philosophy of playfield-readable, reflex-based gameplay over backbox-dependent rule complexity.
gameplay_signal: Drained balances simple, immediately accessible rule presentation with deep mechanical and strategic nuance; designed to avoid 30-minute buildup required by modern complex games
high · Nick explains: 'I think one of the things's like a lot of modern games, you know, it takes a half an hour to get into the game. You know, a game with a simpler rule set, it feels like you are just thrown into it. Like everything matters.'
product_strategy: Drained offers extensive difficulty and play-length adjustments (5-ball to 1-ball modes with compensating spotted targets, difficulty settings for vampire modes, sequences that can stack)
high · Nick details: 'if you don't like a five ball game... you can always reduce it down... you can bring it down to a single ball per game if you want to... each ball that you remove though it will give you an additional spotted target.'
technology_signal: Multimorphic P3 continues to attract third-party module developers; Nick Baldridge's custom Drained module represents validation of third-party SDK/partnership model
high · Nick has now created multiple games on P3 and is designing custom modules; Tommy notes P3s on location are successfully playing Baldridge's games with strong player retention.
gameplay_signal: P3 platform requires adjustment period for players unfamiliar with multiple flipper buttons and different control schemes across games; new players report confusion transitioning between games
medium · Tommy notes: 'one of my players said, like, the fact that it has multiple flipper buttons confuses me... the problem is like shadow you always use those buttons as you switch from game to game on the p3 you don't always use those buttons.'
content_signal: Charles Wolfe (audio composer for Drained) appeared on a podcast discussing sound design and music composition for the game, indicating content marketing around the release
high · Nick references: 'that podcast was with Charles Wolfe, and he composed the music and sound effects for the game. I just listened to that, I think, yesterday, which was great.'
design_philosophy: Nick Baldridge critiques modern pinball trend of backbox-dependent rule sets; designs Drained to prioritize playfield-visible information and reflex-based play over backbox planning
high · Nick states: 'in playing a lot of EMs and wood rails, the thing that I find is that I spend a lot of time looking at the play field while I'm playing. I don't spend a lot of time looking at the backbox. And modern games, some modern games have these extremely in-depth rule sets that require you to spend a lot of time looking and planning on the backbox.'
operational_signal: Multimorphic P3 games (specifically Ranger in the Ruins) performing well at Tommy Skinner's venue location with sustained player interest over 6+ weeks
high · Tommy reports: 'We've had that on location now, playing Ranger in the Ruins for, I think, almost six weeks. And, like, it's one of those games that I just, when I rarely have time to be down there, actually, but when I am, I can play a couple games on it because it's so brutal and so fast.'