Bug PS3 2.14 update - balls are too shiny/dark on some tables

I wasn't sure if this should be submitted under specific tables, but since it happens on multiple tables and will probably be present on future tables I think it's appropriate here.

While it looks nice on some tables (TOTAN), the pinball ends up looking like glass or crystal in others (Dr Dude).

In fact, it makes tables such as Cirqus Voltaire and Theatre of Magic much harder to play with the ball almost disappearing into the darkness. Hopefully this can be adjusted.

Here you can see how this is a problem, but when it's moving fast its nearly impossible to see.


Also, though not quite as important, the 20 New balls added seem to be missing their lighting effects and are also very dark in most situations.

I like the shine.

I think the problem lies in the table just being too dark.

Would be nice if they added another ball like the old one to let the user decide.

I dont mind the new look either but yeah i think it needs to be tweaked for a couple tables. On Big Shot it definetely has that glass/crystal effect goin on. Its more translucent than reflective, as if im looking through the ball at the artwork/color underneath it, rather than the reflection of whats surrounding it.

The ball is like a pure mirror now--a bit too reflective.

smbhax said:

The ball is like a pure mirror now--a bit too reflective.

Click to expand...

For the primary ball I completely agree, although I barely use that one anymore. I turned it on for a minute last night and it was very hard to see.

The new ones mostly look very flat and dull. They seem like something that are neat to look at in the menu but won't really be something you would want to play the game with. Considering they're something new and free though, its hard to complain.

A few of the balls look really good though. The smiley face, eight ball, and zebra stripe ball all look great. The Star Trek balls look pretty good now too.

Yeah, and I think the golf ball was a pretty good idea--could use a tiny bit of shine and a bump map though.

grashopper said:

I like the shine.

I think the problem lies in the table just being too dark.

Would be nice if they added another ball like the old one to let the user decide.

Click to expand...

Hey guys, this translucent ball is not a new ball, it's a bug! (2.14 NA update & 1.10 EUR update)

Here's why and how to fix it (hoping that FS would do something about that):

- If you play with a custom ball (very dark now, without reflection effect), and go back to the regular ball (grey-metallic), this one becomes translucent and hard to see on a lot of tables.
- So, during a game with the regular ball (which is translucent), quit the game, go back to the XMB, and relaunch TPA. Start the same table or a table on which the ball is set to the regular one (do not play with a custom ball before!), and surprise! The regular ball is fine again! Not translucent, grey and metallic like a normal flipper ball.
- Then, do a test: choose again a custom ball, play, and then, reactivate the regular ball... and bam! It becomes again translucent! You have to quit the game in order to get back the normal ball.

It appears that playing with a custom ball messes up the regular ball lighting.

It's a bug, period.

Thanks Spoonman to have opened this thread!

EDIT: to avoid this bug, set all tables with the regular ball and do not play with a custom ball: the regular ball lighting will stay OK as long as you don't play with a custom ball.

Tann said:

Hey guys, this translucent ball is not a new ball, it's a bug!

Here's why and how to fix it (hoping that FS would do something about that):

- If you play with a custom ball (very dark now, without reflection effect), and go back to the regular ball (grey-metallic), this one become translucent and hard to see on a lot of tables.
- So, during a game with the regular ball (which is translucent), quit the game, go back to the XMB, and relaunch TPA. Start the same table or a table on which the ball is set to the regular one (do not play with a custom ball before!), and surprise! The regular ball is fine again! Not translucent, grey and metallic like a normal flipper ball.
- Then, do a test: choose again a custom ball, play, and then, reactivate the regular ball... and bam! It becomes again translucent! You have to quit the game in order to get back the normal ball.

It appears that playing with a custom ball messes up the regular ball lighting.

It's a bug, period.

Thanks Spoonman to have opened this thread!

EDIT: to avoid this bug, set all tables with the regular ball and do not play with a custom ball: the regular ball lighting will stay OK as long as you don't play with a custom ball.

Click to expand...

So, if you've already played using an alternate ball then its too late?

No you can switch back, but you need to do it in the game, then quit back to XMB and relaunch the game - and don't switch back to a custom ball, or it will mess up again.

I just posted a bunch of pics to the other 2.14 update thread before I saw this one had been started.

Here is is so I don't have to retype it:

http://digitalpinballfans.com/showthread.php/5082-PS3-NA-Version-2-14-Update?p=89765#post89765

brakel said:

So, if you've already played using an alternate ball then its too late?

Click to expand...

No, as MonkeyGrass said, you can still revert back to the regular ball, by relaunching TPA, in game, when you play with the translucent ball.

The key point is to not play with a custom ball and to have the table set with the regular ball before starting a game.
Otherwise the regular ball lighting will be messed up.

Now, we have just to wait that FS becomes aware of this bug, thanks to the forum.

Ok, I investigated this bug... and it's just insane. Take a seat.

I use Rbion and MB for the example. The two tables (of your choice) must be set with the regular ball by default when you launch TPA.

1- Launch TPA (really?)
2- Go to the table selection screen, choose Rbion, go to the table menu, Extras, and choose the "zebra" ball as custom ball *saving*.
3- Start a game: the zebra ball is weird, dark, with a pink/purple "glow". screenschot
4- Quit the game, go to the table selection screen, and choose MB. Start a game, the regular ball is ok (grey, shiny, and metallic)
5- Quit the game, go to the table selection screen, and choose Rbion. Start a game, the zebra ball is still messed up.
6- Quit the game, go directly to Rbion table menu (do not go to the table selection screen), Extras, and choose the regular ball *saving*.
7- Start a game on Rbion, the regular ball is messed up and is now translucent. screenshot
8- Quit the game, go to the table selection screen, and choose MB.
9- Start a game on MB, the regular ball is now messed up too (translucent), like on Rbion.
10- Quit the game, go back to the main menu screen (the one with Season Pack buttons)
11- Enter My Tables, choose MB, start a game... and WTF! The regular ball is OK (grey, shiny, metallic)! No need to reboot TPA, it just needs to go back to the main menu screen in order to get back the regular ball.
12- Quit the game on MB, go to the table selection screen, and choose Rbion.
13- Start a game... the regular ball is OK too!
14- Quit the game, go directly to the Rbion table menu (do not go to the table selection screen), Extras, and choose the zebra ball. *saving*
15- Start a game... and WTF again! The zebra ball is OK, shiny and metallic, with a nice lighting effect! screenshot
Others custom balls are OK too! (the smiley ball is like gold)
16- At this point, everything works fine, on all tables, playing or not with custom balls.
17- Quit the game, go back to the main menu screen, and quit TPA. Return to the XMB.
18- Relaunch TPA (really? again!?)
19- Go to the table selection screen, and choose Rbion.
20- Start a game directly (if you follow each step, the ball is currently the zebra ball)... and the zebra ball is messed up again!!!!!! FFFFFFFFFFFFF..........CKKKK! All others custom balls too!
21- In order to display correctly the ball (regular or custom), return to step 6.

Notes:

Point 6 is mandatory. If you don't set the ball to the regular one on the first table (the one with the messed up custom ball), the regular ball will be OK on others tables, and go back to the main menu screen won't fix the messed up custom ball.

After step 6, you must start an other table (with the regular ball set by default).
If you don't start an other table, and directly go to the main menu screen, the ball will still be messed up on the first table you played.

After step 10, you must first relaunch the table on which you doesn't want to play with a custom ball (MB for the example). If you start directly the table on which you want to play with a custom ball, the regular ball will be OK, but the custom ball won't when you select it! Totally insane.

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What a crazy bug.

I hope this post helps FS to investigate this bug, and understand what's happening.

Thanks for reading.

And I already thought it was me. I started the TZ supporter tournament, didn't like my custom ball anymore, switched to the default one - and what a mess.

Thanks for the info, Tann!

Interesting find, Tann, although I don't think it's translucent--just extremely reflective.

Yep, this is exactly the behavior I observed the first night after the update. Now that I have my balls set the way I like them, I don't seem to be having the problem anymore... however, changing them up often results in the lighting weirdness.

The mirrored ball effect is a little much for regular play, but it would make for a keen extra ball skin. ; )

Very helpful,thank you Tann

Something tells me this this bug may never get resolved.

I just set all of the tables to the default ball. I hate missing out on the custom balls that I bought, but it's too much trouble to exit out to the XMB every time I
want to fix the problems it causes on all other tables.

spoonman said:

but it's too much trouble to exit out to the XMB every time I
want to fix the problems it causes on all other tables.

Click to expand...

Actually, if you have the regular ball which looks "translucent", you just have to go back to the main menu screen (the one with Season pack buttons). Then, launch a table which you don't have play yet (and set with the regular ball), start a game. Then, quit and relaunch the table you want to play: the regular ball will be ok (on the others tables too), no need to quit TPA and go back to the XMB.

But if a custom ball is messed up, the tips won't work.

It shouldn't require a lot of work to be fixed, I think FS will do it as soon as they can.

Tann said:

Actually, if you have the regular ball which looks "translucent", you just have to go back to the main menu screen (the one with Season pack buttons). Then, launch a table which you don't have play yet (and set with the regular ball), start a game. Then, quit and relaunch the table you want to play: the regular ball will be ok (on the others tables too), no need to quit TPA and go back to the XMB.

But if a custom ball is messed up, the tips won't work.

It shouldn't require a lot of work to be fixed, I think FS will do it as soon as they can.

Click to expand...

Oh, yeah, that makes more sense. Thanks for the info.

I hope they add this to their list of bugs to fix.

Hey Tann...Thanks for the great info about the bug!! I was wondering since i own a PS3 USA is there any way through the PS3 to go back to the version before this last update before this bugged version?