How Big Will TPA Get?

Crush3d_Turtle said:

I would much rather have FS switch from large volume to high quality in terms of the software. I would love to see more statistics available (ie. total games played, average score per table, etc.) as well as tournaments and challenges. In addition, I hope that there is a greater focus on bug fixes as every single DLC has been full of bugs many of which (at least on the PSVita) have not been fixed. The long term sustainability in this game needs to be focused on quality.

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I would love to see more quality going in and some major effort put into bug/glitch/artwork/gameplay fixes. Especially since it actually seems to be dropping quite a lot in overall quality these last few table packs.

Nik Barbour said:

I was trying to summarise a typical mobile gamer (your typical Angry Birds player) the bulk of the mobile gaming market.
Your presence on this forum makes you a non typical customer and a Pinball and or Pinball Arcade Fan.

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There is no such thing as a typical (mobile) gamer. The mobile market is sky-rocketing. And in a few years consoles are replaced by these mobile devices, even PC's. The processors will be so powerful that we can plug it on our tv or attach a monitor and keyboard, and act as our home-PC's. Consoles are not practical, you can't take them with you, you can't just fire-up a quick game while someone else is watching Dr. Phil on tv. Games will be virtual downloads instead you buy them in the shop. Mobile is the future, you betcha!

night said:

There is no such thing as a typical (mobile) gamer. The mobile market is sky-rocketing. And in a few years consoles are replaced by these mobile devices, even PC's. The processors will be so powerful that we can plug it on our tv or attach a monitor and keyboard, and act as our home-PC's. Consoles are not practical, you can't take them with you, you can't just fire-up a quick game while someone else is watching Dr. Phil on tv. Games will be virtual downloads instead you buy them in the shop. Mobile is the future, you betcha!

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I'm not a proper gamer - I only bought a console to play Pinball, so I don't profess to know a lot about gaming but...

I have TPA currently on Android and xbox, and if I had the choice would rather play on the console, due to better controls, better nudging, better graphics, big screen.
This gap is only set to widen between the platforms, if Farsight come good with their promise of better lighting control, and improved physics and flipper control which they have said could probably not be carried across to the mobile markets.

I'm sure your right, Mobile probably is the future, but its not there yet.
Equally I wouldn't want to lose my Android for dinner break TPA sessions, but at home if the dlc was available, I wouldn't choose to play mobile over console and it should be getting better too!

As for the typical mobile gamer, take a look at a few of the recent Android reviews...
Quote:-
"Love it 3 stars - 4.99 for twilight zone!? Are u serious ok u guys are getting a little greedy now"

"Bulls..t - 1 star - Was the real twilight zone table set up like this, so that every single shot ends up right in the hole?! I was so looking forward to buying it and playing it, but no way, this is nonsense, the odds are COMPLETELY UNFAIR, it makes the table COMPLETELY UNFUN"

My personal Favourite.
"Sick of being Milked - 1 star - I bought the first pack. Then bought the second pack. How many dam packs are there? Where's some free tables?"

There are some normal sounding folks in there, but I only scrolled one screen to find these first two.

Nik Barbour said:

This gap is only set to widen between the platforms, if Farsight come good with their promise of better lighting control, and improved physics and flipper control which they have said could probably not be carried across to the mobile markets.

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This is not a limitation of the mobile platform but a limitation of the Fairsight team. You are on Android, be sure to buy 'Revenge of the Rob-o-Bot', it is expected to be released very soon. The lighting simulation and physhics of this table is outstanding. TPA's lighting is not even close to this iOS game. And not sure if you could download the Pro-Pinball demo (probably only iOS) but the lighting and graphics simulation are so very well done, and these guys are going to hit the market in the new year. TPA has a lot of work to do to meet this kind of quality. Because it will be 2013 very soon. And I am not going to count the days until FarSight is going to upgrade their graphics and fix the bugs and stutter problems I have on my iPad. FarSight is the problem, not the platform.

You like to play on your console because it has better graphics, better control and a bigger screen. But your console will be replaced by the mobile platform in the near future. It will not take long before you can plug a game-controller in your tablet, and hook it on your tv. The lower prices for mobile games is a plus too. Less stealing and more buyers.

night said:

This is not a limitation of the mobile platform but a limitation of the Fairsight team. You are on Android, be sure to buy 'Revenge of the Rob-o-Bot', it is expected to be released very soon. The lighting simulation and physhics of this table is outstanding. TPA's lighting is not even close to this iOS game. And not sure if you could download the Pro-Pinball demo (probably only iOS) but the lighting and graphics simulation are so very well done, and these guys are going to hit the market in the new year. TPA has a lot of work to do to meet this kind of quality. Because it will be 2013 very soon. And I am not going to count the days until FarSight is going to upgrade their graphics and fix the bugs and stutter problems I have on my iPad. FarSight is the problem, not the platform.

You like to play on your console because it has better graphics, better control and a bigger screen. But your console will be replaced by the mobile platform in the near future. It will not take long before you can plug a game-controller in your tablet, and hook it on your tv. The lower prices for mobile games is a plus too. Less stealing and more buyers.

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You're missing something very important. Revenge of the Rob-o-Bot has 1 table, however long it took them to make it. Pro Pinball, had Silverball's kickstarter succeeded, would have had 5 and taken a year plus any delays to develop. The Pinball Arcade has been around for 10 months, and is getting ready to launch its 20th table, at least on mobile devices.

And one more thing: Neither of the other two games has to devote a significant fraction of the mobile device's processor to running the original tables' ROM and the framework code to keep that ROM happy, so there's more room for fancy lighting processing. (Pro Pinball was going to prerender its tables, which imposes its own set of limitations as discussed elsewhere in this forum.)

night said:

This is not a limitation of the mobile platform but a limitation of the Fairsight team. You are on Android, be sure to buy 'Revenge of the Rob-o-Bot', it is expected to be released very soon. The lighting simulation and physhics of this table is outstanding. TPA's lighting is not even close to this iOS game. And not sure if you could download the Pro-Pinball demo (probably only iOS) but the lighting and graphics simulation are so very well done, and these guys are going to hit the market in the new year. TPA has a lot of work to do to meet this kind of quality. Because it will be 2013 very soon. And I am not going to count the days until FarSight is going to upgrade their graphics and fix the bugs and stutter problems I have on my iPad. FarSight is the problem, not the platform.

You like to play on your console because it has better graphics, better control and a bigger screen. But your console will be replaced by the mobile platform in the near future. It will not take long before you can plug a game-controller in your tablet, and hook it on your tv. The lower prices for mobile games is a plus too. Less stealing and more buyers.

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I will definitely buy Rob-o-bot the second it releases on Android, but again will be hoping for a console version eventually.

As for what the future promises, I've always felt disappointed - I watched 'Back to the Future II' in '84 or whenever it released, and I was promised, hover cars, self drying jackets, and auto adjusting boots by now - none of which I have yet. I'll wait and see what arrives first.

I prefer to work with what's best here and now.

Using Sex as a metaphor, I currently think of the mobile platforms as "pleasuring yourself". It scratches the same itch as the real thing, it's something quick and convenient you can do when bored without inconveniencing another person, and it fits conveniently in the palm of your hand.
(You have to be careful about damaging your eyesight though).

So if the real life tables would be like "making love to a beautiful woman", then I'd consider the consoles to be, a quicky with the sort of 'bird' you'd pull in the local disco, probably towards the 1 o'clock end of the night, having had a few pints of decision enhancer, and who was probably helped by very poor disco lighting.

Not perfect, better than playing with yourself, and as good as the financially challenged can hope for.

Don't tell me my palms will start growing hair if I play too much TPA on my phone.

Bonzo said:

Don't tell me my palms will start growing hair if I play too much TPA on my phone.

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Probably why TPA didn't release on Blackberry - the hair would get caught in the keyboard.
Touchscreen - No problem!

That was a very beautiful metaphor indeed.

Nik Barbour said:

Probably why TPA didn't release on Blackberry - the hair would get caught in the keyboard.
Touchscreen - No problem!

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That affects eyesight too apparently. Currently I'm playing TPA with my guide dog by my side Nik....