Standard Pinball Key Assignments
Visual Pinball uses the key assignments shown below by default.
The basic functions (flippers, plunger, Start Game) are the same in
almost all other PC pinball programs.
1e (1) Start Game
1f (2) Extra Ball (Buy-In)
22 (5) Coin In
21 (4) Coin In (second coin slot)
23 (6) Coin In (fourth coin slot) (VPinMAME)
28 (Enter) Plunger/Launch Ball
29 (Escape) Exit to menu (PinballX/HyperPin front ends)
14 (Q) Quit to editor (within VP)
E1 (Left Shift) Left Flipper
E5 (Right Shift) Right Flipper
E0 (Left Ctrl) Left MagnaSave
E4 (Right Ctrl) Right MagnaSave
17 (T) Mechanical Tilt Bob
4A (Home) Slam Tilt (VPinMAME)
2C (Spacebar) Forward Nudge
1D (Z) Left Nudge
38 (/) Right Nudge
4D (End) Open/Close Coin Door (VPinMAME)
24 (7) Cancel/Exit Service Button (VPinMAME)
25 (8) Down/"-" Service Button (VPinMAME)
26 (9) Up/"+" Service Button (VPinMAME)
27 (0) "Enter" Service Button (VPinMAME)
2E (=+) VP Volume Down
2D (-_) VP Volume Up
Notes
- You probably won't want to assign any of the nudge keys
(Spacebar = forward nudge, Z = left nudge, / = right nudge)
if you're using the accelerometer for nudging. The nudge keys
are used to produce fake nudges during desktop play where
real nudging is impossible. The accelerometer is better for
cabinet play because it lets you nudge the cabinet the natural
way rather than by pushing buttons, and it senses the intensity
and direction of the nudge.
- Keys marked "VPinMAME" are actually interpreted by the
ROM emulator rather than Visual Pinball, so these aren't as
universal with other pinball programs besides VP.
- The Escape key is usually used with a "front end" menu
system like PinballX or HyperPin. The menu system will
intercept this key to shut down the pinball program and
return to the game selection menu. VP has its own "exit"
button, set to "Q" by default. It's usually best to keep
the front end exit key different from the VP exit key so
that there's no confusion about which program should read
the key.
Joystick buttons
Visual Pinball also lets you use joystick buttons, but there aren't
any "standard" mappings for those. Instead, you have to manually
assign the button numbers in VP's Keyboard Preferences dialog. Note
that other pinball emulators might not support the joystick buttons at
all, so if you're going to use multiple pinball programs, it's easier
to set everything up using keyboard keys.