TOPCast 28: Adam Rhine

TL;DR

Adam Rhine shares his journey as Williams' pioneering pinball dot matrix and 3D animation artist.

Summary

Key Claims

• Adam Rhine worked on 26 Williams/Valley pinball games total

  high confidence · Adam counted them this morning; he states 'this is the first time I've done this so all the games that I did work on that counted 26'

• Adam was the first full-time digital artist hired by Williams gaming division (WMS Gaming)

  high confidence · Adam says 'So they decided to hire a full timer and I was the first one' when hired by WMS Gaming

• Corvette was Adam's first pinball dot matrix game

  high confidence · Adam states 'Very first game was Corvette which is a George Gomez game'

• Williams paid the most money ever for a pinball license when licensing Star Wars

  medium confidence · Adam says 'Williams paid the most money ever for that license. I'm not sure the exact dollar amount but we were told this was the most expensive pinball license in history'

• ILM deliberately provided damaged/corrupted 3D models to prevent reverse engineering

  high confidence · Adam explains 'They purposefully ruin the models the 3d models they gave us damaged and corrupted models so that we would not reverse engineer what they do'

• 19 people total had access to the Star Wars project's secure room with Lucasfilm materials

  high confidence · Adam states 'there were only 19 of us who had signed non disclosure agreements with Lucasfilm who were allowed in that in those rooms'

• Adam purchased Deluxe Animation (released 1990) and still uses it today, last update was 1990

  high confidence · Adam says 'we're using actually to this day we're using Deluxe Animation which is by electronic arts. The last update of that software was 1990'

• Adam has a Windows 95 computer with Deluxe Animation still in use for freelance dot work

  high confidence · Adam describes 'I have a win 95 computer in a very small room my condo and I turn off all the lights and I just I get into the dot groove'

Notable Quotes

• “You guys are kind of like the important part that everybody forgets right.”

  Adam Rhine @ early — Reflects on how dot matrix/animation artists are often overlooked in game credits and recognition

• “So simple it's difficult. There's a paradox. That you know how hard could 32 pixel high graphics be in three colors? Well sit down and try it.”

  Adam Rhine @ mid — Captures the core challenge of dot matrix animation art—extreme technical constraints creating artistic difficulty

• “I have never seen any of these games. Huh okay”

  Adam Rhine @ late — Remarkable revelation that Adam never saw physical versions of games (Ripley's, Grand Prix, NASCAR) he created animations for when working freelance

• “They purposefully ruin the models the 3d models they gave us damaged and corrupted models so that we would not reverse engineer what they do and help their competitors.”

  Adam Rhine @ mid-late — Insight into ILM/Lucasfilm's protective stance and the real-world challenges of licensing high-end content

• “The dot learning curve was nothing compared to this.”

  Adam Rhine @ mid-late — Emphasizes the exponential difficulty jump from 2D dot matrix to 3D animation for Pinball 2000

• “Brian was unique in that he definitely ran his teams as with the with the capital T as a team. He listened to everybody's input no matter who it was and if your ideas were any good it actually went in the game.”

  Adam Rhine @ late — Praise for Brian Eddy's design leadership and collaborative management style

• “We had to Brian Morris and I had to find the exact scenes we had to replicate in dots and we had to watch it over and over make sure we had the graphics right.”

  Adam Rhine @ late — Illustrates the detailed reference work required for licensed game animation

Entities

Signals

• ?

  design_innovation: Adam pioneered 3-shade dot matrix animation with extreme pixel constraints (128x32 resolution, 3 intensity levels), creating illusion of realism and motion under severe technical limitations

  high · Adam describes 32-pixel high graphics with 3 colors as 'simple it's difficult' paradox; details the learning curve and innovation required

• ?

  manufacturing_signal: Williams used Deluxe Animation (last updated 1990) to create BBM frame files exported to programmers; dot matrix display introduced mid-career as plasma box connected to printer port for real-time preview

  high · Adam details workflow: Deluxe Animation → BBM export → programmer import; plasma dot box arrived around 1997

• ?

  licensing_signal: ILM deliberately provided corrupted/damaged 3D models to prevent reverse engineering; Williams paid record license fee for Star Wars but received compromised assets requiring weeks of repair

  high · Adam explains ILM's deliberate damage strategy and repair burden; notes Star Wars was 'most expensive pinball license in history'

• ?

  personnel_signal: Williams laid off gaming art department (including Adam) after ~1.5 years, then rehired him as dot guy when pinball team needed graphics support; Brian Morris, hired alongside, later transitioned to part-time role

  high · Adam describes non-compete contract, Data East offer rescinded, Williams rehire; Brian Morris lasted until Medieval Madness before part-time transition

• ?

  design_philosophy: Brian Eddy's design approach valued input from all team members regardless of role; Adam contributed mechanical ideas (e.g., extra ball animation for Attack from Mars) that made it into final game

Topics

Sentiment

positive(0.72)— Adam speaks fondly of his pinball career, especially collaboration with Brian Eddy and the dot matrix era. Frustration evident regarding licensing constraints (Johnny Mnemonic viewing, ILM damaged models, limited Congo references, unfinished Pinball 2000 experience), but overall reflective and proud of accomplishments. Warm tone about mentorship (El Thomas) and colleague relationships.