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[Flipyap]

• Centaur is onsite at FarSight Studios and is currently in development.

Oh, HELL yes! That table has some of the coolest art around. http://www.ipdb.org/machine.cgi?gid=476

 

[Shaneus]

If I'm not mistaken the PC version is basically the basis for the 360 and ps3 ports. They'll no doubt have had to do a bunch of work to make sure it works with a wide variety of hardware, but I'm pretty sure that's where the bulk of their development happens. The same way Capcom do it.

Yeah, but is the Windows 8 version the same one that is apparently ready to go (or near enough) for Steam? I have a gut feeling probably there's a prerequisite or two (or more) for the Windows 8 marketplace that may gimp it compared to an OS-independent PC version.

 

[plagiarize]

Yeah, but is the Windows 8 version the same one that is apparently ready to go (or near enough) for Steam? I have a gut feeling probably there's a prerequisite or two (or more) for the Windows 8 marketplace that may gimp it compared to an OS-independent PC version.

I hope we don't have to wait much longer to find out.

 

[Minsc]

I hope we don't have to wait much longer to find out.

They could be different builds, it's possible the Windows 8 build is also meant for tablets and those versions don't get the same quality as the console versions (worse lighting, less transparencies, etc).

There's a new audio interview here at PAF, that I probably won't get to listening to myself until later, but from reading the comments, it actually sounds like they got something straightened out with getting a Steam release for Windows soon, which would be great (maybe they have a publisher who's already been on Steam to go through that wouldn't have to use the greenlight process, or maybe they know something about the details of what happens when greenlight ends in the near future). I think that's their best avenue for getting the most sales from PCs anyway.

 

[Shaneus]

I'm a few minutes into it, but some interesting tidbits so far:
*Ball spin is definitely possible and has been implemented in-house at the start of the third (current)
*Custom camera angles, ie. adjusting parameters in the menu to allow for however you want.
*"On the Steam side, we have REALLY good news and we'll probably be announcing it relatively shortly here. We have a meeting with them (in) a couple of weeks at GDC and we're very optimistic in regards to getting on Steam right now. That said, we've also looked at going direct to consumer through our website which we're overhauling. It's so out of date it's embarassing... and we may be able to sell through there as well."
Also mentions supporting cabinet support.
"Don't have any exact dates for you yet but we're definitely getting really close to announcing something and having some good news for you."
"We might get it on Windows 8 first before Steam, but it's certainly not a for sure thing. The #1 goal has always been to get on Steam and... we're getting there"
*PC beta release for Kickstarters: "I'm actually surprised we haven't released it out to you guys yet".
*Centaur possibly May or June
*Two more polls definitely this year, quite likely three (on PAF).
*Planning on doing a round of art fixes for mobile soon (missing textures/low-res artwork etc.)
*"We're gonna ROM emulate Black Knight... if it's not in the April one, then in May. And when we do it, we're gonna update the graphics" (I didn't even know it was a scripted table... so there ya go)
*Gottlieb emulation has improved. They can emulate pretty much every Gottlieb ROM now. Tee'd Off will be released at some stage.
*There's a question on High Speed 2 and Bobby mentions they'd rather do High Speed first before The Getaway. Almost sounds like they have it on their calendar but doesn't confirm it.
That about covers it all. Some small talk about improving sounds and Cirqus Voltaire and such, but it's definitely worth a listen. You could really hear him get excited about the Steam release though, so I think we might be able to cool our jets on that topic

 

[Minsc]

Thanks for summarizing. Some good stuff, especially about new features and revamping existing tables to be more accurate graphically / include emulation. Always been one of my favorite features of having the game as a platform type approach, the constant updates and improvements.

 

[Shaneus]

I should've mentioned, the various table updates were more emphasized for the mobile (and Steam, I think) platforms over the console ones because of how much of a PITA it is to update them (requires the whole package to be redownloaded or something). So they will be updated, but I don't think it'll be with as much regularity as the others.

But still have a listen for yourself! There was plenty I missed that I didn't think was worth mentioning that may be of interest.

 

[joeblow]

Thanks for the summary. I've been dying for some new TPA info.

A weird thing I want to ask you guys about. Have any of you TZ kick starter supporters been given a second, free download code recently? My two platforms listed for the goodies were the PS3 and PC. I got a PS3 TZ code the week when it was released, but this week they sent me another PS3 code. Hopefully they didn't scratch my name off the PC list.

 

[adroit]

Hopefully they didn't scratch my name off the PC list.

Farsight? Farsight. You should probably contact them. Take nothing for granted.

 

[Shaneus]

If they say you can keep it, pass it onto me. I'll give it a good home

 

[Parallax Scroll]

I haven't played this in a couple months, but it looks like no one's come near my Gorgar score yet on xbox. I'm messing around with Arabian Nights.

 

[Shaneus]

I haven't played the 360 one for ages. The tweaks they've done with the iOS versions have made that my go-to platform for the time being.

 

[Parallax Scroll]

Does the game run well on 1st gen ipad?

Edit: I see PS3 has a bunch of new tables since the last time I looked. I don't think I ever played Twilight Zone before. Let's try it out.

What's a good score to try and beat?

Edit2: The top guy on my friends list has 4.5 billion, so I'll shoot for that for now. My PSN is ParallaxScroll if anyone else wants to add me.

I got 200 something million my first game, so I have a long way to go.

 

[joeblow]

I've surpassed everyone from my PSN Friends List on just about every table I put any effort in. I'll add you right now so I can have some humbling scores to shoot for.

 

[Parallax Scroll]

I've surpassed everyone from my PSN Friends List on just about every table I put any effort in. I'll add you right now so I can have some humbling scores to shoot for.

I've barely played the PS3 version so I don't have any good scores besides Gorgar, but some competition sounds good!

What's your PSN?

 

[joeblow]

Heh, I thought I did well with a Gorgar score that was once in the overall top 100 (it has since been bumped out a bit), but you made it to the top 10 with a score more than double mine. I guess I have to keep practicing.

 

[Parallax Scroll]

Are you Jpelter?

 

[Chojin]

Are you Jpelter?

Parallax, should I just give up on the 360 version and jump to the PS3 version? This is JPbishi on xbl by the way.

Do you know how the ps3 version compares to the Android version? I got a Nexus 7 a month ago and it seems okay, but I prefer having actual buttons.

 

[Parallax Scroll]

Parallax, should I just give up on the 360 version and jump to the PS3 version? This is JPbishi on xbl by the way.

Do you know how the ps3 version compares to the Android version? I got a Nexus 7 a month ago and it seems okay, but I prefer having actual buttons.

I played the ios version when TPA first came out and I couldn't stand the touchscreen interface. I need a real controller. Xbox is still my preferred version, but PS3 has some of the newer tables so I've been playing that a bit.

Some key differences between the PS3 and 360 versions:
- PS3 used to have an input lag issue. I'm not sure if this is still the case.
- The physics are different between the 360 and PS3 versions of the same table, making comparing scores pointless.
- While 360 has a dedicated leaderboard, PS3 scores are compared against mobile scores on the same board. I'm not really a fan of this since each version plays differently.
- Unique platform-specific glitches on certain tables.

So to answer your question, I guess so? You can play stuff like Twilight Zone.

 

[Chojin]

I played the ios version when TPA first came out and I couldn't stand the touchscreen interface. I need a real controller. Xbox is still my preferred version, but PS3 has some of the newer tables so I've been playing that a bit.

Some key differences between the PS3 and 360 versions:
- PS3 used to have an input lag issue. I'm not sure if this is still the case.
- The physics are different between the 360 and PS3 versions of the same table, making comparing scores pointless.
- While 360 has a dedicated leaderboard, PS3 scores are compared against mobile scores on the same board. I'm not really a fan of this since each version plays differently.
- Unique platform-specific glitches on certain tables.

So to answer your question, I guess so? You can play stuff like Twilight Zone.

Herm... I just wish the releases on XBLA weren't so late :\ I'd prefer the leaderboards on XBLA myself and the physics too. Meh...

 

[Parallax Scroll]

This also might seem minor but it bugs me. On PS3, when you set a new high score you have to wait a few minutes for it to show up on the leaderboard. On Xbox you can see where you rank immediately.

Edit: God damn these floaty PS3 physics suck

 

[Shaneus]

I haven't played TPA on PS3 for a while, but I think they haven't fully rectified the input lag yet. I noticed the difference between launch and what (I think) it is now, but there's still a very distinct delay in responsiveness between the 360 and PS3 versions. It might only be 1fps or whatever Farsight say, but that I can feel the difference between the two is enough because it just throws me every time.

 

[Remy]

http://blog.us.playstation.com/2013...ar-trek-tng-genie-attack-from-mars-ps4-plans/

ST:TNG out for PS3/Vita on the 19th
Table Pack 10 (AFM, Genie) on the 26th
PS4 version announced

 

[joeblow]

Whoa, PS4 version? Day one!!!

 

[Baron]

I wonder how long we'll have to wait for our Kickstarter codes for TNG.

Wasn't there a delay for the Twilight Zone codes?

 

[Jucksalbe]

Wasn't there a delay for the Twilight Zone codes?

One day for the US codes, 5 weeks for the European ones.

 

[vg260]

Whoa, PS4 version? Day one!!!

The big question is will we have to re-buy. I'm reluctant to buy any more tables until we know.

 

[Shaneus]

Update out for iOS! And they've included an "update all" button!

From what I can tell (default menu music for attract), the updated tables are:

AfM
Big Shot
Dr. Dude
STTNG
(and sure enough, "Update All" updates four tables)

 

[Spectral Glider]

Is it me, or is Twilight Zone on the PS3 kind of gimped? About 4 or 5 times a game I'll drill the ball off the left bumper and every time it shoots right back down the middle into the drain. And what's up with the ball sticking under the upper right flipper?

 

[Minsc]

Hopefully the PS4/720 have better rules for updates and DLC next time around, I think part of the reason we don't see too many existing tables revisited is the following (FarSight post @ PAF):

Just to clarify on the update issues with consoles.

Sony doesn't allow you to update DLC at all, so the only way to update that DLC is add it to the main game update. This increases the game update size. Once you add to the update, future updates will be that size (or larger)

Microsoft has a 4MB limit to title updates, so it's impossible to put DLC in the title update (as well as any art assets for that matter), so the only way to update is to create new DLC with a new name, and have the app offer to download that. I'm not sure the details of exactly how it's done, it seems they frown upon updating, so they aren't very forthcoming with information on how to do it.

Hopefully both of them come to their senses with the next gen hardware that updates aren't always a bad thing. I'm not really sure why they couldn't have implemented it so if you replace DLC with new content, the app offers to download it, the same way the title update works.

Edit: Once again, the new app icon really makes me wish they just used a grid UI like Zen's with all the tables on 1 or 2 screens represented solely by the app icons, they're easily distinguishable and way better than you'd expect given how awful the rest of the UI is. Oh well.

 

[Baron]

Are people getting their TNG Kickstarter codes in their PSN account mailboxes or their regular email? I've gotten nothing in either. Just thought I'd check before emailing Farsight and basically resigning myself to not getting the code I paid $10 for last year.

 

[Parallax Scroll]

Is it me, or is Twilight Zone on the PS3 kind of gimped? About 4 or 5 times a game I'll drill the ball off the left bumper and every time it shoots right back down the middle into the drain. And what's up with the ball sticking under the upper right flipper?

I don't know, but I've already had some camera glitches. Twice the camera stayed zoomed in on the gumball machine after the ball went back into play so I couldn't see anything.

 

[Jucksalbe]

Are people getting their TNG Kickstarter codes in their PSN account mailboxes or their regular email? I've gotten nothing in either. Just thought I'd check before emailing Farsight and basically resigning myself to not getting the code I paid $10 for last year.

You will get it by email. But why do you think you're not getting the code? The table will be released next week and that's probably when they will send out the codes.

 

[Remy]

Not exactly a challenging pack. If the game tracked all goals (and not just "standard" until you finish a game), I would've blown through all 10 on each table in one game. Think I had 4 EBs stacked on CC, and my game of CP just wouldn't end.

 

[Parallax Scroll]

Fuck, I got the same Twilight Zone camera glitch on my very next game. This shit's stupid.

 

[ThreePiMatt]

Hey guys, new tables just released on iOS and Android. Sadly, neither of them are Champion's Pub, but they are Cactus Canyon and Central Park.

 

[adroit]

I see they now give you the option of buying "custom" balls. But they don't show you the balls before you buy! At least not on Android. No thanks.

 

[Dash Kappei]

Well, congrats guys, you've done it! I now hate this thread.
:sob 360 sob:

 

[Parallax Scroll]

Man, I am gonna get so good at Twilight Zone.

 

[plagiarize]

Man, I am gonna get so good at Twilight Zone.

I'm glad you're taking to it like a duck to water. It really is pinball at it's very pinnacle.

 

[jgkspsx]

I don't want to play Central Park on Android

 

[Baron]

You will get it by email. But why do you think you're not getting the code? The table will be released next week and that's probably when they will send out the codes.

I think you're right, they'll be sent out next week - I suppose I've just been expecting the worst for so long. I'm looking forward to the table, and don't want to wait even one day!

 

[Shaneus]

I'm glad you're taking to it like a duck to water. It really is pinball at it's very pinnacle.

Depends on which pinnacle, I guess. I prefer the faster, less stop-start tables so wouldn't really consider it the high point of pinball. TNG would probably take that title for me personally, though its not my favorite "flow"-style game.

Interesting to note: Pinball Arcade now has eight of the top 10 solid-state games on IPDB.org. It's only missing Indiana Jones (the original Williams one) andThe Addams Family. I wonder if any of the ratings on IPDB are from people who only played their virtual iterations?

 

[Minsc]

Interesting to note: Pinball Arcade now has eight of the top 10 solid-state games on IPDB.org. It's only missing Indiana Jones (the original Williams one) andThe Addams Family. I wonder if any of the ratings on IPDB are from people who only played their virtual iterations?

Somewhat of a tangent, but from browsing a bit on IPDB, i came to the conclusion their "ratings" are pretty meaningless, since like 95% of the notable tables are rated between ~75-85. It's weird to think the highest ranked table ever made is just an 85, you'd think pinball kinda sucked going by game metrics, which have a few as high as 98 of 100 for a score. Perhaps taste in pinball varies significantly more than games and it's probably a little unfair to compare professional reviews to user reviews, since the user reviews include a portion of the 1-5 scale, and don't cluster as tightly to one score. Even so, I can still find 90+ user ratings for games, I guess I'm just mostly surprised to not see any pinball table unanimously loved to a score of over 85.

 

[forgeforsaken]

Where the hell is Whitewater?

 

[Parallax Scroll]

I guess I'm a Pat Lawlor guy and I never knew it. Red & Ted's Road Show was my favorite table in my arcade days. None of my local arcades had these, but on digital pinball, Funhouse, Twilight Zone, and Whirlwind are the shit.

Also I broke Whirlwind if anyone remembers that.

 

[Shaneus]

Somewhat of a tangent, but from browsing a bit on IPDB, i came to the conclusion their "ratings" are pretty meaningless, since like 95% of the notable tables are rated between ~75-85. It's weird to think the highest ranked table ever made is just an 85, you'd think pinball kinda sucked going by game metrics, which have a few as high as 98 of 100 for a score. Perhaps taste in pinball varies significantly more than games and it's probably a little unfair to compare professional reviews to user reviews, since the user reviews include a portion of the 1-5 scale, and don't cluster as tightly to one score. Even so, I can still find 90+ user ratings for games, I guess I'm just mostly surprised to not see any pinball table unanimously loved to a score of over 85.

Yeah, they're a lot like IMDB (and probably every other user-based rankings website) in that people will only feel like putting a review/rating up when they feel very strongly about a game, one way or the other (or are trying to justify their purchase by thinking it's better than it is). I certainly don't use those rankings to judge whether a game is good or not... I just watch videos on YT for that.

But I'm pretty sure Farsight have gone on record (of sorts) as saying they were deliberately working on bringing those highest-ranked games to PA because it's the most tangible (or at least, most widely-known) list of "top" games. Can't blame them for that... but it means that a lot of the games we're getting are VERY samey, particularly with DMD ones (ie. Monster Bash, CFTBL, Medieval, AfM...) because people have generally only played one of them and think they're awesome and unique, not knowing about the others. Get them all together... and bam, they're essentially the same.

I guess I'm a Pat Lawlor guy and I never knew it. Red & Ted's Road Show was my favorite table in my arcade days. None of my local arcades had these, but on digital pinball, Funhouse, Twilight Zone, and Whirlwind are the shit.

Also I broke Whirlwind if anyone remembers that.

Hey, different strokes! For what it's worth, Funhouse one of my favourite tables in TPA... and it probably feels the least "Lawlor-ish", IMO (at least, compared to TZ, Ripley's and Gofers).

 

[Parallax Scroll]

Hey, different strokes! For what it's worth, Funhouse one of my favourite tables in TPA... and it probably feels the least "Lawlor-ish", IMO (at least, compared to TZ, Ripley's and Gofers).

I mean, I also really enjoy other styles of tables. A nonstop action table like Black Knight is fun for its own reasons. I just never really made the connection before that a lot of my favorites were done by the same guy.

 

[eggwolio]

I was at the Texas Pinball Festival yesterday and talked to Scott Shelton and some other guy from Farsight who didn't introduce himself and was kinda a jerk. I talked to otherguy first, as their booth was just past the entrance, I made it my first stop. He was kinda unfriendly in general and seemed moreso when I asked if we were still getting a 3DS version. He just kept commenting on how weak the 3DS is.

Several hours of pinball playing later, I returned and met Scott. He said they really do want to release as many of the tables as the 3DS can handle, but it's not an easy process. He also mentioned the meeting with Steam next week and seemed very excited about it. I played the TNG table on their 360 and it was pretty cool. Another guy asked what was going on with the 360 stuff and Scott was very apologetic and sincere and said that it will be up as soon as it possibly can be.

They also had the PS3 version running on a Sony 3D display, but I didnt give it a try. Those who did seemed impressed. I also asked him about the likelihood of their game ever running on a Hyperpin machine or something like it and he got excited and said that they were going to do a lot of cool stuff after the Steam meeting. Not a confirmation, but still pretty cool. The idea of a Hyperpin fascinates me, but the two I played at the show really failed to deliver. The images had no depth. He also gave me a Cactus Canyon shirt, so that was kinda neat.

Oh, and to the guy who jokingly suggested they port the Hercules table. it's neat to say I've played it, but it left a LOT to be desired. A cue ball just doesn't work for pinball. It was a pretty boring table.

 

[Shaneus]

Wow, great hunk of info there, eggwolio! Nice work