Does anyone know if there's a hacky way to try and get the post-processing option available for iPhones? I fired up TPA on my new iPad (3rd gen) and it looks awesome but obviously runs like arse because it's rendering at about 50 bazillion pixels. At 960x480 with the same CPU it should be good. But... there's no option for it :/ (and I can't check PAF, blocked at work)
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The Pinball Arcade |OT| play them all from Soho to Brighton
- Thread starter AMUSIX
- Start date
This game is so good now that it has all these other tables. I absolutely love it.
That said, the interface that was passable but bare before is really starting to show its age. Too many tables in random scrolling order, non-functional challenge modes and a lack of overall polish. DLC buys open the PS store separately and reboot the game!
Still, can't wait for Twilight Zone.
That said, the interface that was passable but bare before is really starting to show its age. Too many tables in random scrolling order, non-functional challenge modes and a lack of overall polish. DLC buys open the PS store separately and reboot the game!
Still, can't wait for Twilight Zone.
plagiarize
Banned
I got sent an actual survey this time for The Twilight Zone. had to confirm my mailing address (no idea why) and pick my platform. it was a multiple choice radio button question this time. I picked Wii U.
Still haven't gotten anything. Anyone who pitched in $100+ ever get a question from them about platform, etc?
Ben Morales
Member
I got the same one, except it told me to enter my email address in the mailing address field.
plagiarize
Banned
I wonder if mine said the same thing. huh. hope I didn't screw up!
depths20XX
Member
Got the last two packs over the weekend for Vita/PS3
No Good Gofers looks like shit on Vita and almost as bad on PS3. Not to mention the flipper lag is really bad on both versions. Can't get into this the way it is now.
Elvira seems nice but honestly haven't played it much. Didn't seem to be much lag on Vita if there is any.
Harley is actually pretty fun and seems to run great on both PS3 and Vita. I'm not really a fan of frequent multi-ball modes, especially when they're 4-5 ball. Some reason I've been enjoying it though.
Taxi seems to be one of the best tables they've released. Plays good and it's just damn fun. I think this one is going to get a lot of play for me.
Vita is still the thing I play this on most but the tables just seem to be looking worse and worse (aside from Taxi). Black Knight looks like absolute dog shit and and has horrible lag also. Do they ever plan on fixing how they fucked up the look of the old tables too? ToM looked nice when it first came out. Now it looks like they smudged vaseline on it and you can actually see lines on the table where the textures meet.
No Good Gofers looks like shit on Vita and almost as bad on PS3. Not to mention the flipper lag is really bad on both versions. Can't get into this the way it is now.
Elvira seems nice but honestly haven't played it much. Didn't seem to be much lag on Vita if there is any.
Harley is actually pretty fun and seems to run great on both PS3 and Vita. I'm not really a fan of frequent multi-ball modes, especially when they're 4-5 ball. Some reason I've been enjoying it though.
Taxi seems to be one of the best tables they've released. Plays good and it's just damn fun. I think this one is going to get a lot of play for me.
Vita is still the thing I play this on most but the tables just seem to be looking worse and worse (aside from Taxi). Black Knight looks like absolute dog shit and and has horrible lag also. Do they ever plan on fixing how they fucked up the look of the old tables too? ToM looked nice when it first came out. Now it looks like they smudged vaseline on it and you can actually see lines on the table where the textures meet.
Wonko_C
Member
Yeah, I didn't get any of the last 3 packs because of the problems. I'll make an exception for Space Shuttle, though.
StrikerObi
Member
Got my reward survey for the Twilight Zone table. I'll be getting one version on iOS, but I'm not sure which platform to get the second copy on. Between the 360 and PS3, which do you guys recommend? I'd pick the Wii U version, but it is an unknown commodity at this point and could be awful. Some posts make it sound like the PS3 version should be avoided...
*highfive*
plagiarize
Banned
here's the thing, the 360 version is way behind on table packs, but the available tables play better. so do you want to wait ages for a pretty solid version, or be in the PS3 world of maybe getting a broken version earlier, or getting a working version that subsequently gets broken, and then maybe fixed again. mayyyybe.
I went for the unknown commodity myself. I'd expect updates to be about as regular as the PS3 version (and about as broken... however I'd expect better performance, so less flipper lag issues). That controller is going to be sweet for this game though. Nice big clicky digital triggers and that small almost lagless screen to potentially take into other rooms in the house.
plagiarize
Banned
I'm not imagining any special effort, because, you know, I don't want to be disappointed.
Heh, that'd basically be the perfect place to put it since developers are always trying to fit it on the screen without interrupting the playspace in pinball titles.
I think even expecting a port that is stable is, at this point, setting yourself up for disappointment
Does anyone here have an iPad 4? I'm curious to know whether the post processing I enable on the iPad 3 version is just as chuggy on that as on that. It looks great, but responsiveness takes a dive, not to mention a lot of the table lighting effects get out of sync with the sound (which runs fine).
plagiarize
Banned
I think even expecting a port that is stable is, at this point, setting yourself up for disappointment
Does anyone here have an iPad 4? I'm curious to know whether the post processing I enable on the iPad 3 version is just as chuggy on that as on that. It looks great, but responsiveness takes a dive, not to mention a lot of the table lighting effects get out of sync with the sound (which runs fine).
Who's expecting that? The only places I'm set up for disappointment are the following:
1. Expecting the Wii U version will, after a period of 'catch up' receive relatively timely table releases. I am not expecting all the tables day one, but like the EU PS3 version, relatively regular releases until it is caught up. After that, 'Timely' means I expect new releases around the same time as the PSN version. I expect this because numerous devs have praised Nintendo for their certification process saying it is easier and quicker than XBLA and PSN.
2. Expecting that the Wii U version will not suffer the performance problems of the PS3 version. We know it has a much more powerful graphics card than PS3, so the render time for the deferred lighting should be quicker like it is on 360, meaning less input lag if played in 1080p.
3. Expecting the game to support off screen play. Apparently this is as simple as adding two lines of code.
So there we go. I am not expecting bug free table releases. I will continue to expect every patch to break something, and every table to arrive glitched in some way. I really want to get back into this game, and I really hope if they haven't made launch on Wii U that they show up really soon.
edit: also official TZ screens!
StrikerObi
Member
So I ended up changing my mind and got the iOS and Wii U versions. I figured I could take the gamble on the Wii U version since I know it'll run well on my iPad.
Oh, I was only being semi-facetious
I'm hoping that they'll have a lot of their stuff worked out by then, because it'd mean that they'd have the other ports all sorted as well.Would you be so kind as to rehost the images from PAF onto here? I can't get to them at work.
plagiarize
Banned
Oh, I was only being semi-facetious
Would you be so kind as to rehost the images from PAF onto here? I can't get to them at work.
Doing this on my Surface RT, so forgive me if this doesn't work:
https://skydrive.live.com/redir?resid=51B743A0CA51D7B8!146
MightyHedgehog
Member
Love the PA version of Taxi on PS3 and though I knew nothing about Harley Davidson prior, I've found it to be really fun with one of the most hectic and challenging multiball modes I've ever encountered. Great pack, overall. The new update that just hit seems to update the textures and lighting on several older table, unless I'm just wrong about that, but Elvira looks better though Gofers is still lacking the new lighting. How the heck is FarSight going to approach catching up the XBLA version of its tables, which is now three or so packs behind the PSN version, when there's TZ due this month (right?) and an all-encompassing update that rolls all new tables into it for certification?
microtubule
Member
Gentleman Jack
Member
Still missing a post on the right slingshot. Ever since it got pointed out to me I can't help but be distracted by its absence. I just need sleep I think.
Agent X
Member
I just got the version 2.05 update for the PS3 version of the game. After 2.04 fixed almost every major complaint I had about the PS3 game, 2.05 unfortunately seems to be regressing in the wrong direction.
I've only tried Tales of the Arabian Nights so far, but I've already noticed that the physics engine seems to be altered. The table seems much more difficult now. Some pathway trajectories seem to be slightly different, particularly the Tiger Loops which often have the ball heading straight toward the center drain now.
There are also some new bugs here and there--the skill shot at the launcher occasionally does not register (as either a successful or failed shot), and one time initiating multiball (by hitting the genie) skipped the DMD cinematic and immediately awarded me the jackpot.
The most bothersome problem by far, though, is that a fast-moving ball tends to go through the flippers quite frequently. I know this is an old bug that some users reported before, but I very rarely encountered it myself prior today (maybe 2 or 3 times). With 2.05, though, I played for about a half hour, and had at least 6 distinct instances where the ball passed through a flipper and into the drain. It's very annoying, and it can instantly sap the fun out of a good game session.
I'm sure FarSight released 2.05 to accommodate the next table pack, but they should have left the physics engine alone. I don't know what their goal was with the new physics...maybe attempting to make it more realistic, but the ball going through the flippers is far from realistic. They ought to roll back the physics to 2.04 levels on their next update.
I've only tried Tales of the Arabian Nights so far, but I've already noticed that the physics engine seems to be altered. The table seems much more difficult now. Some pathway trajectories seem to be slightly different, particularly the Tiger Loops which often have the ball heading straight toward the center drain now.
There are also some new bugs here and there--the skill shot at the launcher occasionally does not register (as either a successful or failed shot), and one time initiating multiball (by hitting the genie) skipped the DMD cinematic and immediately awarded me the jackpot.
The most bothersome problem by far, though, is that a fast-moving ball tends to go through the flippers quite frequently. I know this is an old bug that some users reported before, but I very rarely encountered it myself prior today (maybe 2 or 3 times). With 2.05, though, I played for about a half hour, and had at least 6 distinct instances where the ball passed through a flipper and into the drain. It's very annoying, and it can instantly sap the fun out of a good game session.
I'm sure FarSight released 2.05 to accommodate the next table pack, but they should have left the physics engine alone. I don't know what their goal was with the new physics...maybe attempting to make it more realistic, but the ball going through the flippers is far from realistic. They ought to roll back the physics to 2.04 levels on their next update.
plagiarize
Banned
I am never exaggerating when I say they break something with every update, because they do. Its probably not something i should accept, but I do. I really hope the Wii u version launches soon because I really want to get back into this wonderful it buggy game.
Part of the reason I'm itching for the PC version is the hope that people (perhaps including myself) will be game enough to tweak and mod the shit out of it so there aren't any bugs. I hope.
It makes you wonder, this whole "unified software" thing really isn't working out for them. If it was, there wouldn't be a completely different set of bugs on different platforms.
It makes you wonder, this whole "unified software" thing really isn't working out for them. If it was, there wouldn't be a completely different set of bugs on different platforms.
Minsc
Gold Member
I don't think they have a unified software at all either, it sounds like all the changes are unique to each platform like you say, and back when they were introducing the lighting to the 360 they talked about how challenging it was, that they had to create it from scratch - they couldn't use the existing lighting they finished on the PS3.
I sorta think they'd have been better off with the Unity engine and a bunch of extensions for the physics/etc, as Unity is very easy to port over many platforms.
Elvin Atombender
Member
It sounds like the European 1.03 version on the PS3 then. I can't seem to have a long game without losing at least one ball from going through a flipper. On my best ever game on Funhouse I lost three balls this way!
It feels like the physics engine skips a few frames internally now and then. Sometimes balls go past a flipper before reacting to it and you get some kind of rubber-band effect and sometimes it feels as if balls during multiballs "collide" when they aren't that close to each other.
Yeah, I actually wonder why they didn't go for a third party base engine. There's enough out there, either standalone or combined with other engines (in particular, physics ones) that rather than having to tweak each and every thing, everything works pretty well accurately the first time. And if not, to get something working the way they want wouldn't require constant tweaking, it'd be a one-off (quite major) job and then they could concentrate on tables.
microtubule
Member
Plinko
Wildcard berths that can't beat teams without a winning record should have homefield advantage
Have there been any hints as to the tables in the pack after Scared Stiff/Big Shot?
In the last video they showed, it appears that Cactus Canyon will eventually hit PA, and I thought I remember them mentioning White Water at some point, too.
In the last video they showed, it appears that Cactus Canyon will eventually hit PA, and I thought I remember them mentioning White Water at some point, too.
BomberMouse
Member
I swear they broke TotAN on the Vita with the las update. Pads are all laggy now. WTF Farsight. I regret so much giving them my money but Zen pinball is so uninspired
forgeforsaken
Member
Man I want White Water.
I have access to a very good condition White Water
Apparently the backglass is a bit small or something (the glass itself doesn't fit or is too small... I'm not sure) but a mate said he'd happily lend that one to me if I had room in my flat!Should be easy to license, too. But the physics on that table would bring even something like the 360 or PC to a fucking halt :lol
Last newsletter said Twilight Zone was coming in November and gave no indication it would be accompanied by another table.
I enjoy it immensely and have never noticed slowdown or control lag. Others have.
The conventional wisdom right now is to set your display to 720p and that reduces lag.
I have played on PSV too, and enjoyed it, but I take it others have found it to be *more* buggy.
BomberMouse
Member
I think for $5 is a steal if you enjoy pinball at all. I would spend wayyyy more on the actual pinball tables and it's cross buy (you get the vita version too)
No!
I also want an update that lets me play with the advanced post-processing on my iPad 3 without ridiculous amounts of slowdown (even if it means pulling back the resolution from iPad retina to original iPad vanilla).
Funny, on iPad I use the post-processing mode and its weird slowdown and unpredictability more because I think it actually emulates real pinball better. PA is too fast across the board on every table (except for post hits, those are truly fast), and one of the biggest obstacles on real pinball tables is randomness. Balls headed straight for your flipper change course because they roll over a light which isn't flush with the table surface, or the flipper rubbers are worn and don't give reliable bounces, or a table is on more/less of an incline than you're used to and it causes all sorts of weird bounces, or the ball has a tendency to pop in the air in certain locations (Cyclone!), or etc. etc.
Of course it's not an ideal situation as the post-processing mode clearly isn't optimized or meant to be like that, but as someone who plays a large amount of real pinball these days, I find switching between iPad w/post-processing on and real pinball to be far less of a jump than compared to it off or playing on the 360.
But then there's a line of thought that says you're not going to ever emulate a mechanical game with complex physics like pinball perfectly anyway, so it's better to go for consistency than attempting to emulate randomness. And that's a perfectly valid opinion as well.
Wow, that's an interesting way to look at it. I definitely didn't think it felt horrible to play like that, but because the timing was so far out with the sound and lighting (sound played at normal speed while the table lighting was too far behind) it was enough to throw me off. I'd love for that to be a thing, though... where they can "simulate" different random conditions where the table plays *slightly* differently each time (not a massive amount) ie. I *always* had a problem with my local Medieval Madness machine and the Merlin's Magic saucer that would have 50/50 chance of staying in because of the wear around it. Hell, I'd even settle for them emulating a little more friction on the TotAN lamp so it never spins a stupid amount of times in a row (unless it really is like that IRL).
I wish that, yeah, I could drop the resolution so I still have the fidelity of post-proc without the crappy slowness due to the lack of optimisation.
Anyone here able to test it on an iPad 4 and see how it runs?
I might actually test it via HDMI and see how it goes there, given that 1080P<whatever the iPad retina is.
PS. Nice avatar
I wish that, yeah, I could drop the resolution so I still have the fidelity of post-proc without the crappy slowness due to the lack of optimisation.
Anyone here able to test it on an iPad 4 and see how it runs?
I might actually test it via HDMI and see how it goes there, given that 1080P<whatever the iPad retina is.
PS. Nice avatar
Minsc
Gold Member
A little info about the upcoming table releases on pinball arcade fans:
TZ will probably hit early December (being that there's just a few days left in the month) with STTNG early january (due to losing days around the holidays - app store review process closes etc) is my guess. Table pack 8 probably February then. Hopefully a new table selection UI, because every month Zen Pinball looks better and better in comparison. And they actually added like 5 or 6 more tables to the iOS version as well, so it's not being totally neglected either like it seemed before. I'm not sure if we have pricing for TZ & STTNG yet, but I think guesses were at around $5 being the max for each table? Would have to double check.
There was also a little discussion over the possibility of implementing day/night lighting sliders in to the console versions way down the road, but not any other version (mobile/handheld) as it would require too many resources, they mentioned needing something like 4x the amount of textures in the tables also increasing file sizes.
TZ will probably hit early December (being that there's just a few days left in the month) with STTNG early january (due to losing days around the holidays - app store review process closes etc) is my guess. Table pack 8 probably February then. Hopefully a new table selection UI, because every month Zen Pinball looks better and better in comparison. And they actually added like 5 or 6 more tables to the iOS version as well, so it's not being totally neglected either like it seemed before. I'm not sure if we have pricing for TZ & STTNG yet, but I think guesses were at around $5 being the max for each table? Would have to double check.
There was also a little discussion over the possibility of implementing day/night lighting sliders in to the console versions way down the road, but not any other version (mobile/handheld) as it would require too many resources, they mentioned needing something like 4x the amount of textures in the tables also increasing file sizes.
Since I finally have an iPhone, I've been playing this for the past month or so. Hadn't been back to the thread in awhile but I'm glad I came. Assumed something was coming but I had no idea that ST:TNG or TZ was going to be next. I'm really surprised by TNG. Leaves me hope that more bigger licensed tables that I want will come like Jurassic Park, Terminator 2 or The Addams Family.
EDIT :::::
Zen Pinball seems pretty solid. What's the considered the best and/or better of the pay tables?
EDIT :::::
Zen Pinball seems pretty solid. What's the considered the best and/or better of the pay tables?
I love the full story of how TNG came to be in the first place. I think I read it on an IRC transcript from '95 or something, but Ritchie himself said that that it was originally going to be Under Siege, but he pushed and pushed for the Star Trek license. You really can tell it's a labour of love and not just another licensed table.
Finally, we're getting our second Ritchie table. Considering how many AAA machines the guy's designed, it's a travesty there aren't more.
Finally, we're getting our second Ritchie table. Considering how many AAA machines the guy's designed, it's a travesty there aren't more.
I've been playing this since day one, all the table packs included:
I have never encountered a single problem anyone has posted about or mentioned.
*Disclaimer: I'm not claiming they don't occur. But I play this pretty heavily and have not noticed any major bugs or issues since owning the game.
Perhaps I'm just oblivious...?
I have never encountered a single problem anyone has posted about or mentioned.
*Disclaimer: I'm not claiming they don't occur. But I play this pretty heavily and have not noticed any major bugs or issues since owning the game.
Perhaps I'm just oblivious...?
Baron
Member
Just bought the Vita version this week - does the game not support custom soundtracks? When I start the game with music playing it pauses the music playback.
I may be ignorant of what to do, as I've only had my Vita for a week. I still haven't figured out half the functions on the thing.
I may be ignorant of what to do, as I've only had my Vita for a week. I still haven't figured out half the functions on the thing.