Introduction

Imagine, if you will, that it's 1994 and Bally are putting the finishing touches to the design of their latest pinball machine: Attack From Mars. The layout has been finalised, the rule set defined and the code is nearing completion. The decision to turn the red flashers into mini flying saucers has already been taken, but what about the Mothership? This toy was to take centre stage (literally) in the whole AFM theme and needed to fit in with not only this theme but the artwork also. So it was an obvious choice to make the Mothership green, but not so green, that it clashed with the red of the smaller space ships. So it was decided to colour the Mothership green/grey, but with a green flasher top.

What if...

The design of the Mothership was such, that it would have a chain of LEDs running around its outer perimeter, with a variable chasing light display, which would alter its pattern depending on the stage of the game currently being played. Back in 1994, although coloured LEDs were available, the technology was new, so that by far the cheapest option at that time was to use red LEDs. Although this could have been seen as a compromise (as the Mothership was meant to be green) it might have been felt, that this was a small price to pay (not literally), as although not ideal, using red LEDs would link into the red theme of the mini saucers. But it just didn't look right (according to some).

Fast forward 20 years....

So time has moved on relentlessly and technology has tried to catch up. We now live in an age where all colours of LEDs are readily available and more importantly, cheaply. If the AFM were to be produced today, the choice of using green LEDs in the Mothership would be a "no brainer". But why stop there...?

Introducing the GozMod

...for your Attack From Mars pinball machine

Not only are LEDs available today in all colours of the rainbow, but it's also possible to put two different coloured LED dies in a single LED package - so called bi-colour LEDs. Would the Bally designers of all those years ago have designed these bi-colour LEDs into the Mothership and have coded them in, if they had been readily available and at a competitive pice? Well we think so.

So what is it?

It goes without saying that the base colour of the LEDs in the Mothership would have to be green, but can today's technology be used to enhance the playing experience further than just replacing the cheaper red LEDs with a green equivalent? We certainly believe so! The GozMod doesn't just change the colour of the red LEDs to green randomly, oh no. The GozMod uses the bi-colour LED technology to enhance the playing experience by also changing the LEDs from green to red whenever the Mothership is "hit" or explodes. You may not notice the effect at first, as it is more subtle than other mods, which can tend to be very brash and over-the-top. However the effect is awesome (in our opinion). To check it out for yourself, just visit the video page - although a video can never do justice to the vibrant colours of the GozMod.