Too easy?

I never liked the real table and I think I hate it more now. I just can't really get anywhere on this table on the PS3. Got Wizard goals or one short on the other new tables, but this one... ugggg. Sure looks nice though.

When I play I nine times out of ten I don't get my rhythm until ball three and then it's a fight just to hit 25mill for that extra ball. I can nudge pretty good, but those outlanes can be a real bi**h.

Fuseball said:

The exact reason my wife banned the CV from the house. She absolutely *hates* that music.

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I bet she'd just adore Black Hole.

Stormchild said:

I bet she'd just adore Black Hole.

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Or Space Shuttle.

Dodd said:

It seems after the newest IOS update they have made Cirqus Voltaire ball drain very easily on the side lanes. I really liked this table a lot but wish I had the ability to move those side posts up some so is not so difficult.

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Yeah…the thread title is kind of hilarious now, because this game has gone from being way too easy to frustratingly difficult due to the now-drain-happy outlanes. I cringe every time the ball gets into the bumpers. 50/50 chance you're going to lose it once it's in there.

50/50??? I wish.

How about 100/100? CV certainly seems like an interesting table... but until now I haven't seen much from it as it's draining like there's no tomorrow. I can't really get into that table let alone even figuring it out because of that. From the four new PS3 tables it's the one I play the least.

At least the PS3 version isn't as drain happy as the iOS version (for now at least). A lot of that has to do with being able to actually nudge effectively on the PS3 though.

dtown8532 said:

I agree with Serenseven. CV is not such an outlane drain monster in real life. My opinion is that it didn't drain enough in the first ios release and, now, it drains too much after the latest update. I think they need to find a middle ground between the two.

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The latest iOS version seems far worse in this regard than before. Something has definitely changed in the physics. Maybe new physics and old outlane posts are the answer?

I honestly wish I'd never mentioned the outlanes now.

Fuseball said:

The latest iOS version seems far worse in this regard than before. Something has definitely changed in the physics. Maybe new physics and old outlane posts are the answer?

I honestly wish I'd never mentioned the outlanes now.

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I can't tell the difference with the latest update - my CV on iOS has gone so completely mad (Ringmaster taking hits from Menagerie targets, Acrobat loops raising BOOM! bumper, multiballs starting with the wrong number of balls or starting with less than the normal number of locks completed, etc.) that the outlanes are the least of my concerns.

However, I've got the 360's CV in the download queue for tonight, so I should be able to give an opinion on those outlanes soon.

OK, so about those 360 outlanes: They're not nearly sealed shut like the original iOS outlanes were, but they're much more friendly than the current iOS outlanes. Proper nudging will save you about 80% of the time, which is about right for the real table as well.

Okay, TOTAN frustrated the hell out of me... RBION even more... and CV actually should take the cake, but for some reason it doesn't. Probably because it's just plain hopeless. Yes, those outlanes are so greedy it's preposterous, but they aren't the only problem. Loops, ramps, orbits... basically everything on the playfield is out to make your ball going through the center.

There may be people who find it challenging... but I just find it unfair, if not even a little ridiculous.

Serenseven said:

OK, so about those 360 outlanes: They're not nearly sealed shut like the original iOS outlanes were, but they're much more friendly than the current iOS outlanes. Proper nudging will save you about 80% of the time, which is about right for the real table as well.

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Current 360 does feel good. Have a decent amount of drains on them.

Okay, TOTAN frustrated the hell out of me... RBION even more... and CV actually should take the cake, but for some reason it doesn't. Probably because it's just plain hopeless. Yes, those outlanes are so greedy it's preposterous, but they aren't the only problem. Loops, ramps, orbits... basically everything on the playfield is out to make your ball going through the center.

There may be people who find it challenging... but I just find it unfair, if not even a little ridiculous.

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Hmm now Im wondering if the ps3 version is different from 360? I joined the cirqus on my second play on 360 and find the table a tad on the easy said (as the marvels are gathered so easy) and certainly one of the easiest in the current line-up.

bavelb said:

Current 360 does feel good. Have a decent amount of drains on them.


Hmm now Im wondering if the ps3 version is different from 360? I joined the cirqus on my second play on 360 and find the table a tad on the easy said (as the marvels are gathered so easy) and certainly one of the easiest in the current line-up.

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You mean each version has different rules as far as how easy (or not) it is to collect marvels?

No, I think he meant the ball physics.

Well, anyway... I managed to join the circus once, too. But really, only once. Same goes for starting the wizard mode in the first place. But this was more a case of luck than skill. And I didn't get past the 28 Mio (or whatever it is) to earn the extra ball more than three or four times. It's also the only table on which I can't develop any improvement. Probably I could if I'd play it more or something... but when all your games just go "drain, drain, drain, drain, drain" multiple times in a row, you just can't be bothered anymore after a while.

hm, do you nudge?

i certainly don't have that many problems with side/center drains at all... not on cirqus or anywhere, but i do use nudge... some people seems to think that nudging is some kind of cheating, i even saw one guys signature, where he posted his scores specificaly stating that those scores are without using nudge... but why yould you want to limit your gameplay options that way?

nudging is an integral part of pinball

I played a real CV last night and the right side drain was much more forgiving than the iOS version. I don't really nudge on iOS either. The only method that I find to be instinctual is the shake method and it works very poorly. Hope they fix that in a future update. I think I would play that table much more if I had the console versions.

Richard B said:

You mean each version has different rules as far as how easy (or not) it is to collect marvels?

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No I mean the outlane posts/settings mostly. It's already been stated that iOS outlanes are bigger compared to the 360. I will boot the ps3 in a bit to see how they are.

hm, do you nudge?

i certainly don't have that many problems with side/center drains at all... not on cirqus or anywhere, but i do use nudge...

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Indeed, with a little (ok a lot) nudging I can play a very decent game. Do you nudge at all, and if you do is it only to "save" drains? I generall nudge in advance to make sure the ball goas on the middle of the flipper and not near the tip or elbow, or on the slingshot. Also a very useful tool to keep the ball under control on this table is the "dead flipper pass". Which sounds like a very advanced technique but is pinball slang for "doing nothing": The ball comes down to a flipper and you simply let it bounce of the flipper towards the opposite flipper, where it loses momentum and you can trap it. Just make sure that it bounces around the middle of the flipper (again, nudging).

I usually manage to get near or over the 28 million (extra ball) and near or on the wizard mode on the first ball. Since the wizard mode isnt so hard to obtain, I'm now moving on to multiball-stacking (see instructions) and better multiball performance with jackpots. But I'm a "stop and go" player (as opposed to a player that keeps the ball in play constantly, ie "flow"), which likely helps on this table as it's very goal/target oriented (just like TOTAN and RBION, tables that play similar to CV and that you label as "frustrating")

some people seems to think that nudging is some kind of cheating, i even saw one guys signature, where he posted his scores specificaly stating that those scores are without using nudge... but why yould you want to limit your gameplay options that way? nudging is an integral part of pinball

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Not nudging is like playing with only 1 hand (I've seen Bowen do this in a tutorial....mad man): needlessly crippling and not as much fun. It's also why I stopped playing seriously on iOS and only play there to learn/test out the tables before they release on console

edit: booted the ps3. Outlane posts are set the same on 360 and ps3. Interesting tidbit: PS3 has white rubbers, 360 has black rubbers on the posts

edit 2: Hmm I compared to the iOS version as well. The outlane posts there are almost completely to the bottom. On 360/ps3 they are halfway, shouldnt this mean on 360/ps3 it is easier to drain or am I wrong? Did they change the iOS one again?

BonzoGonzo said:

hm, do you nudge?

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Of course, but there's this thing called "TILT!". And it's not like just because you nudge everything magically resolves by itself. A nudge may save the ball... but it's not 100% guaranteed that it will.

Besides, I think if the only way you can play a table properly is by correcting the ball movement after every single shot you then it's a really stupid design.

Kaoru said:

Besides, I think if the only way you can play a table properly is by correcting the ball movement after every single shot you then it's a really stupid design.

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You mostly nudge to correct your mistakes, not the tables mistakes. A ball coming STDM or going to the outlane is 90% of the time because you shot a brick (directly or indirectly) or it comes back from the ramp.