Request Order of Table Packs releases by Type per Season

I think TPA can get Table Packs (with a rule of 18 tables with 2 premium per season) during season in proportions like this:

1.SS w DMD / EM
2.SS w DMD / SS no DMD
3.SS w DMD / SS no DMD
4.SS w DMD / SS no DMD
5.SS w DMD (Premium - Kickstarter)
6.SS w DMD / EM
7.SS w DMD / SS no DMD
8.SS w DMD / SS no DMD
9.SS w DMD / SS no DMD
10.SS w DMD (Premium - Kickstarter)

total per season by type:
SS w DMD = 10
SS no DMD = 6
EM = 2

reasons behind this scheme are:
1. "modern" pin fans will take pin of their favourite era with every pack!
2. "old school" pin fans will take EM with every 5th pack AND 3 SS without DMD every 5 packs, which actually very similar to EM in gameplay (straightforward rules, no much of special effects and no video modes). so in total 6+2=8 tables per season for "old schoolers", and, as long as they like to play some modern tables too, it looks like very good deal.
3.1 with this release order there is even time space between EM (so "modern" guys will not be bored with them),
3.2 and there enough gap between premium-kickstarter tables for rest and scratch up some money for next backing.
4. there is Zaccaria Pinball also (PC release pleaaaase!) with very interesting tables for "old schoolers" with new table release every month!

in addition to the Era order Manufacturer order rule can be added:

1. Williams / Gottlieb
2. Bally / Stern
3. Gottlieb / Williams
4. Stern / Bally
5. Kickstarter or Minor
6. Williams / Gottlieb
7. Bally / Stern
8. Gottlieb / Williams
9. Stern / Bally
10. Kickstarter or Minor

reasons:
if you are fan of some manufacturer, you'll take his tables every 2-3 packs.

as option, maybe, we could have DE/Sega/other minor manufacturers in 5th and 10th slot and 2 kickstarter tables can be chosen from any of 1-10 slots.
because (dont blame me, DE fans, for that) most of DE's tables are very license-connected, they are well suited for kickstarter, if they need some licensing. DE and Sega have less important tables relatively to "Big 4".

just for example my Season 3 version (without DE tables) with this rules applied could look like this:

1. Jack•Bot / Buckaroo
2. Judge Dredd / Catacomb
3. Resque 911 / Bad Cats
4. Monopoly / Paragon
5. Indiana Jones
6. Fish Tales / Dimension
7. WHO dunnit / Seawitch
8. Cue Ball Wizard / Black Knight 2000
9. High Roller Casino / Embryon
10. Shadow

The reality is that the most popular newer tables will eventually be in TPA. At that point, a higher percentage of classic older tables makes sense. Eventually, interest drops enough, and monthly releases may go bye-bye. FS will still be able to expand to new hardware (and catch up on the platforms that they are behind on.) I imagine this is a profitable endeavor for them for quite some time.

Your signature certainly speaks to me. Many of us would give up monthly releases in a heartbeat if it meant fixes would happen. I also love the three tables you mention, and Zaccaria tables on more platforms is a must.

Many of us would give up monthly releases in a heartbeat if it meant fixes would happen

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this words should be cast on golden plate and be hanged in front of mr. Obernolte's and mr. King's desks.

vpalmer said:

reasons behind this scheme are:
1. "modern" pin fans will take pin of their favourite era with every pack!
2. "old school" pin fans will take EM with every 5th pack AND 3 SS without DMD every 5 packs, which actually very similar to EM in gameplay (straightforward rules, no much of special effects and no video modes). so in total 6+2=8 tables per season for "old schoolers", and, as long as they like to play some modern tables too, it looks like very good deal.
3.1 with this release order there is even time space between EM (so "modern" guys will not be bored with them),
3.2 and there enough gap between premium-kickstarter tables for rest and scratch up some money for next backing.
4. there is Zaccaria Pinball also (PC release pleaaaase!) with very interesting tables for "old schoolers" with new table release every month!

Click to expand...

FS wouldn't include Zaccaria's releases in their reasoning. It wouldn't make business sense to say "We're not going to serve the guys that like older tables this time around but they've got Zaccaria to keep them satisfied".

I too really want Zaccaria on Pc. Lets hope it is in our near future. They say they are concentrating on the present platforms at the moment though.

sotie said:

FS wouldn't include Zaccaria's releases in their reasoning. It wouldn't make business sense to say "We're not going to serve the guys that like older tables this time around but they've got Zaccaria to keep them satisfied".

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if you can not agree with 4th point there still are 3 other
there are reasons for us as players, of course FS will do everything in their own way..

in addition to the Era order Manufacturer order rule can be added:

1. Williams / Gottlieb
2. Bally / Stern
3. Gottlieb / Williams
4. Stern / Bally
5. Kickstarter or Minor
6. Williams / Gottlieb
7. Bally / Stern
8. Gottlieb / Williams
9. Stern / Bally
10. Kickstarter or Minor

reasons:
if you are fan of some manufacturer, you'll take his tables every 2-3 packs.

as option, maybe, we could have DE/Sega/other minor manufacturers in 5th and 10th slot and 2 kickstarter tables can be chosen from any of 1-10 slots.
because (dont blame me, DE fans, for that) most of DE's tables are very license-connected, they are well suited for kickstarter, if they need some licensing. DE and Sega have less important tables relatively to "Big 4".

my Season 3 version (without DE tables) with this rules applied could look like this:

1. Jack•Bot / Buckaroo
2. Judge Dredd / Catacomb
3. Resque 911 / Bad Cats
4. Monopoly / Paragon
5. Indiana Jones
6. Fish Tales / Dimension
7. WHO dunnit / Seawitch
8. Cue Ball Wizard / Black Knight 2000
9. High Roller Casino / Embryon
10. Shadow

added this to my first post.

I love your choice of tables, but I would love to see Roller Coaster Tycoon thrown in their for good measure if you could. Thanks for throwing in Rescue 911, I really want that Gottlieb game badly.

David Pannozzo said:

I love your choice of tables, but I would love to see Roller Coaster Tycoon thrown in their for good measure if you could.

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if FS would like to add Rollercoaster Tycoon, then they could put it at Stern SS w DMD slot corresponding to scheme instead of Monopoly or High Roller Casino in my example.

'Rules' would take the away the guessing of the next month's tables, which is half the fun. FS has a good social media outreach that depends on keeping their users in suspense.

canuck said:

'Rules' would take the away the guessing of the next month's tables, which is half the fun. FS has a good social media outreach that depends on keeping their users in suspense.

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with thousands of tables produced during pinball history there still be soooo much room for guessing..))

So true. That's why it's so fun to speculate what is on the horizon for us. Everyone loves a mystery. Although some seem to always want to know now. I quite enjoy the not knowing and having to wait. It makes each table more special when they do come your way. Waiting adds value to stuff that you most want. At least for me it always has.

I am however just as guilty at times in wanting to know. Then I remember back to when I was a kid and I went looking for all my Christmas presents with my cousins. We found them before they got wrapped up, and knowing what we were getting for Christmas absolutely destroyed the fun and adventure that Christmas for the bunch of us. I never went looking for presents again, and neither did my other cousins that talked me into it. Hard lesson learned for all of us, and it has stayed with me all my life.

For me the real fun is in guessing. I have seen the alternative and it is not the route for me. In fact part of me hopes I am wrong in guessing what is next, and also that everyone else is wrong too. So I get that initial surprise. It's probably why I did a lot of extreme sports when I was young. You never really knew what the outcome would be. You just hoped it would be safe and you would get that thrill or rush without wrecking yourself in the process.

as i already said: there is endless space for guessing even if you know manufacturer and type of table

vpalmer said:

as i already said: there is endless space for guessing even if you know manufacturer and type of table

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BTW...great table picks in your 10 tables list. +1

i would like to hear some season lists made by this rules from other users =) try - there are some not so easy choices some times - like with polls =D