Attract Mode Options

This dialog lets you set up PinballY's "attract mode", which is a sort of screen-saver mode that kicks in when you haven't pressed any buttons for a while. Attract mode acts as a screen saver by automatically changing the images displayed in each window periodically, which also helps make the machine more eye-catching when idling (thus the name "attract mode").

Enable attract mode: Check or uncheck this box to enable or disable attract mode.

Enter attract mode after idle (seconds): Sets the idle time before attract mode engages. The idle time is simply the time since the last button press or other input event.

Switch games every (seconds): Sets the time between automatic game switches once attract mode is engaged. The system will automatically switch games at this interval as long as it's in attract mode.

Attract mode status line messages: A list of messages to display on the status line while attract mode is active. These messages replace the normal Upper/Lower status line displays. Enter one message per line.

Status line message time (seconds): Switching time for the status line messages. Each message is displayed for this long, then the next message from the list is displayed.

Mute videos while in attract mode: Check this box to suppress audio tracks from background media while in attract mode.

Hide wheel images while in attract mode: If this box is checked, the game title icons normally displayed across the bottom of the screen will be hidden while in attract mode.

The reason you might want to hide the icons is to help avoid "burn-in" on your monitor in the icon area. Part of the purpose of attract mode is to act as a screen saver, which it does by frequently switching games so that the same background graphics aren't left on the screen for long periods. Simply switching around the wheel icons isn't always good enough to avoid burn-in, though, because some people use sets of wheel icons with very similar overall background shapes and colors. So even if the icons are switching around, the same background shape will always sit in the same area, which is exactly the kind of static graphics that can cause burn-in. Hiding the icons helps avoid this.

Hide Game Info Box while in attract mode: If this box is checked, the information box displayed across near the top of the screen will be hidden while in attract mode. Like the wheel icons, the Info Box is such a static graphic that it could cause burn-in on susceptible displays if shown continuously for long periods, so you might want to hide it if you're using attract mode as a screen saver.