Episode 345 - 1980 Bally Continental

For Amusement Only EM and Bingo Pinball Podcast·podcast_episode·13m 38s·analyzed·Feb 19, 2016

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.018

TL;DR

Nick Baldridge covers 1980 Bally Continental, final Bally bingo machine, completing full documentation series.

Summary

Nick Baldridge completes his documentation of all Bally bingo pinball machines by covering the 1980 Continental, a solid-state remake of the 1978 Dixieland. The episode details Continental's gameplay mechanics including an 11-coin system, bingo card scoring, magic number selection, red diagonals, corners feature, super lines, and double-or-nothing risk/reward gameplay. Baldridge notes the entire production run was intended for Belgium export but some machines apparently reached the U.S. market.

Key Claims

Continental is Bally's last solid-state bingo machine and a remake of Dixieland (1978 EM six-card bingo)
high confidence · Nick Baldridge, episode opening and introduction
Continental features an 11-coin maximum system where coin order determines which features are lit (bingo cards, red diagonals, replay doublers, double-double card)
high confidence · Nick Baldridge, detailed coin system explanation
The magic number on first ball can be 1, 7, 9, 22, or 25, with 1 and 7 being ideal positions on the playfield
high confidence · Nick Baldridge, magic number mechanic explanation
The entire production run of Continental was intended to be shipped to Belgium, but some machines apparently found their way into the U.S. market
medium confidence · Nick Baldridge, production/export discussion
Nick Baldridge has now documented all Bally bingo pinball machines in audio format and plans to cover United bingos next
high confidence · Nick Baldridge, episode conclusion

Notable Quotes

“it's bittersweet it's the very last ballet bingo this game is actually solid state and it's fully solid state”
Nick Baldridge @ opening — Marks the emotional endpoint of documenting Bally's entire bingo lineup; Continental is the final Bally bingo machine produced
“your 5 in a row on your bingo cards gives you the best amount of replays so they range from 100 for 5 in a row on card number 1 to 300 on card number 6”
Nick Baldridge @ mid-episode — Explains core scoring incentive structure and card hierarchy in Continental gameplay
“the magic number is very interesting. When you shoot your first ball, the game will search for a magic number, and it can be any one or two of the following. 1, 7, 9, 22, and 25”
Nick Baldridge @ mid-episode — Describes a critical random game element that determines optimal play strategy for the entire game
“Apparently, the entire production run was supposed to be shipped to Belgium, and Belgium, you'll recall, still makes solid state bingos today. So in this way, the ballad tradition carries on”
Nick Baldridge @ late-episode — Reveals international distribution strategy and Continental's role in continuation of bingo pinball tradition outside U.S.
“All of Bally's bingos have been documented in audio format. I hope you've enjoyed this game-by-game listing of Bally's bingo pinball machines”
Nick Baldridge @ closing — Marks completion of comprehensive Bally bingo documentation project spanning multiple episodes

Entities

Nick BaldridgepersonBallycompanyContinentalgameDixielandgameFor Amusement OnlyorganizationBelgiumorganizationNew JerseyorganizationOld ChicagogameUnited bingos

Signals

?
historical_signal: Completion of comprehensive audio documentation of entire Bally bingo pinball lineup, marking significant archival achievement for EM/bingo pinball history
high · Nick Baldridge states 'All of Bally's bingos have been documented in audio format' and this is episode 345 concluding the series
?
product_launch: Continental identified as the final solid-state bingo machine produced by Bally in 1980, marking the end of Bally's bingo manufacturing era
high · 'it's the very last ballet bingo this game is actually solid state and it's fully solid state' and 'with that, a chapter comes to a close'
?
machine_intel: Continental production run was intended for Belgium export but some machines unexpectedly appeared in U.S. market; circumstances unclear
medium · 'the entire production run was supposed to be shipped to Belgium' but 'some of them found their way into the U.S. market. And how or why is a matter of conjecture'
?
design_philosophy: Continental incorporates advanced bingo pinball mechanics including magic numbers, double-or-nothing risk/reward, corners features, and super lines, representing the sophistication achieved by final-generation Bally bingos
high · Detailed explanation of 11-coin system, magic number selection, red diagonals, corners, super lines, and double-or-nothing decision mechanics
?
content_signal: For Amusement Only podcast completes major documentary series on Bally bingo machines; next planned series on United bingo machines
high · Nick Baldridge states series completion and plans to 'circle back and talk about the United bingos, which are different, clever, and interesting'

Topics

Bally bingo machine history and documentationprimaryContinental gameplay mechanics and rulesprimaryCoin-based feature activation systems in bingo machinesprimaryMagic number mechanic and strategic decision-makingprimaryBingo pinball playfield design and scoring patternssecondaryInternational export markets for pinball machinessecondaryEM to solid-state transition in bingo machinessecondaryArtwork and cabinet design aestheticsmentioned

Sentiment

positive(0.75)— Nick Baldridge expresses a bittersweet sentiment about completing documentation of the final Bally bingo machine, combining melancholy (end of an era) with satisfaction (project completion). Tone is respectful and appreciative toward the machines and the bingo tradition. No negative criticism of Continental itself; focus is educational and celebratory.

Transcript

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what's that sound it's for amusement only the em and bingo pinball podcast welcome back to for amusement only this is Nicholas Baldridge tonight it's bittersweet it's the very last ballet bingo this game is actually solid state and it's fully solid state It's Bally's 1980 Continental Continental is actually a remake of Dixieland Which if you'll recall was the 1978 six card bingo The last EM six card that Bally produced Continental has all of the same features as Dixieland It has an 11 coin max That means that your first coin will reset the game and light the first bingo card. Coins 2 through 6 will light the remaining bingo cards. Coin number 7 will light the red diagonals on cards 1 through 3. Your 8th coin will light the red diagonals on cards 4 through 6. Your 9th coin will double all of the replay amounts on cards 1 through 3 if you hit the magic number. Your 10th coin will do the same thing, but for cards 4, 5, and 6. And finally, your 11th coin will double-double one or more cards if you hit the magic number. So, let's talk about gameplay, because this game is feature-packed, just like Dixieland. by default you want to get 3, 4, or 5 in a row your 5 in a row on your bingo cards gives you the best amount of replays so they range from 100 for 5 in a row on card number 1 to 300 on card number 6 and it's worth noting for those of you just joining that a bingo pinball play field has a standard pinball plunger, but the playfield itself is comprised of 26 holes, 25 of which represent one of the numbers on each of the bingo cards, and the 26th hole is labeled ball return. If you manage to steer a ball all the way down the playfield to this ball return hole, it will come back to you at no penalty and you get to play it again. This is a five ball game, and so you get five chances to get your five in a line on one card. So, the red diagonals are a powerful feature. That's your seventh and eighth coin. They allow you to score on alternate diagonals. typically on a ballet bingo, your scoring is limited to the primary diagonals, the ones that run through the center number on any of the bingo cards Well the red diagonals allow you to score in the off diagonals which is very powerful because normally I get a really nice four in a row on one of the red diagonals. But on the six card game that I own, red diagonals are not a feature and therefore I don't have a winner. The magic number is very interesting. When you shoot your first ball, the game will search for a magic number, and it can be any one or two of the following. 1, 7, 9, 22, and 25. Ideally, you want it to be up closer to the top, so 1 and 7 are probably the best ones to get. 9 isn't bad, 22 you gotta steer pretty far down, and 25 you can hit if you get a nice right side roll. so if you manage to hit that on your first ball that's the best because that tells you exactly which card is double double and from there you can build your five in a line on whatever card or cards may be lit well this game doesn't stop there it also has the corners feature which is lit by hitting the rollover on the playfield. And you have to actually hit the one on the left-hand side when it's lit. When you hit it and it's lit, it will light corners on all six of the bingo cards. If you hit each of the four corners of any of the bingo cards, you will win your five in a line odds for that card. Pretty powerful. Now on the right hand side of the playfield you have a yellow rollover. And if you hit that, that will light your super lines on every card. Your super line is the horizontal row which is next to the bottom on every single card. and if you get three in a row on any of the super lines, it will score as if you got four in a row for that card. Four in a row scores as five. So, again, your best bet, hit the magic number on your first ball. Start building your five in a line, and make sure you do it on the card that is double-double, and you'll have a good time. Now, this game brings back the double or nothing feature. So when you search for a winner, if you have all scores double-double, let's say on card number six, then you get 1,200 replays if you get a five in a row. So, with that magic number, remember, all scores double, and then all scores double-double on a random card. So you search for your winner and it finds it and it start flashing double or nothing Now if you push the D button on the footrail you have a chance at doubling that 1 replay win to 2,400 replays. Of course, on the flip side, you also have a chance of getting zero replays. now if you push the r button instead you'll just collect your normal 1200 replay win which is nothing to sneeze at so you have to really weigh the risk and reward how difficult was it for you to build that five in a line did you manage to hit number nine or number 25 is your magic number and hit the right-hand rollover and light your super line for card number six. Perhaps you only needed four numbers in order to get that five in the line. Whatever the case may be, you have to really think about what you're doing on any of the six cards, but especially Nashville, Dixieland, and Continental, because after you shoot your first ball, the whole game changes. typically what I try to do with my first ball is to hit the center number on one of the bingo cards so for example number 22 is the center number on card number six that number gives you the best possible outcome because you have eight possible numbers that can form a set That's two numbers that are adjacent to each other However, if your magic number is 1 Which is the bottom left corner of the 6th card Then the entire game changes And you want to get a number which is in a completely different area of the playfield So you have to really think about what you're doing steer the ball and carefully nudge the game without tilting so that you make your number. Now, I've never played one of these, and I'm not sure if it works like some of the other solid state bingos, but many of them have a speaker, which will play a little beep or a little tune in order to let you know that you've won. Looking at the board set, I see a Ballyearly solid state board set that's been modified slightly, and I don't see evidence of a speaker, at least in the area that I can see. So, another interesting tidbit. Apparently, the entire production run was supposed to be shipped to Belgium, and Belgium, you'll recall, still makes solid state bingos today. So in this way, the ballad tradition carries on. But, what's kind of interesting, as with many bingo things, the camp had played a solid state continental on location in New Jersey around the time that they came out I find it unlikely that it would have been a re So where does that leave us? Apparently some of them found their way into the U.S. market. And how or why is a matter of conjecture until I find somebody to talk to who's willing to talk about that. But it is pretty interesting to think about. So, let's talk about artwork. The back glass for Continental, and in fact the entire theme, is reminiscent of old Chicago, for those of you familiar with that game. You have a 30s or 40s style limousine. and a couple of elegantly dressed folks in the background. Much of the back glass is taken up by the bingo cards themselves. And then you have Continental written out in a similar font to Old Chicago, and using similar pastel colors. The cabinet has an attractive square and rectangle pattern, and in the center of the lower cabinet there's a stencil of a woman in a circle inside this rectangle and square pattern. The coin door is different. Bally moved to using the same coin door that they used on many of their solid state games. and the play field again reminds me of old Chicago you have the limousine from the back glass up at the top near the ball arch and on the left side you have a woman with black hair dressed in red and on the right hand side you have a woman with blonde hair dressed in black the numbered holes are offset from each other in the artwork with a background of alternating white and green. And with that, a chapter comes to a close. All of Bally's bingos have been documented in audio format. I hope you've enjoyed this game-by-game listing of Bally's bingo pinball machines, and shortly we'll probably circle back and talk about the United bingos, which are different, clever, and interesting in their own regards. That's all for tonight. Thank you very much for joining me. My name again is Nicholas Baldridge. You can reach me at 4amusementonlypodcast at gmail.com or you can call me on the bingos line. That's 724-BINGOS-1, 724-246-4671. you can listen to us on iTunes, Stitcher, Pocket Casts via RSS, on Facebook, on Twitter at Bingo Podcast, you can follow me on Instagram also at Bingo Podcast, or you can listen to us on our website which is forumusementonly.libsyn.com thank you very much for listening and I'll talk to you next time