Bobby King
FarSight Employee
- Feb 23, 2012
- 5
- 0
Hey everyone!
I love the support that you guys give us on this page. Thanks for the questions.
1.) Will operator's menu or tournament mode settings ever be implemented into every table? Maybe these settings could be something we could unlock for completing table goals?
We’re going to start with Twilight Zone and see how things go. There are many settings available using the operator’s menu that could potentially break the flow of our game. We’ve been nervous about what might get broken if players have access to it. We’ll test it internally of course. Our plan is to disable any high score posting if a setting is changed from the factory default and we hope to eliminate any non-progression bugs that would get us bounced from Microsoft, Sony, or Nintendo certification – but this is a risk. We are also planning to implement the operator’s menu for Star Trek: TNG if we raise enough money to fund that license. We’ll have to evaluate down the road whether giving access to the operator’s menu was worth it.
2.) Can you please give us an update on the PC version? Will the PC version support Cabinet view, multiple screens, and/or real DMDs right off the bat? Do you guys have a virtual pinball cabinet in your office yet?
Our rendering tech for the PC version has been taking longer than we thought and we want to launch it with a solid plan and partner for distribution. On the PC, we’re not going to release the game until the lighting and effects look as good as they should. We are planning to fully support cabinets and multiple screens. The cabinet features are not in yet, so I can’t say for sure if we’ll ship with them at launch. We haven’t bought a cabinet yet, but we will be.
3.) Will we ever be able to vote for table releases, and if so when?
Yes, we wanted to release Gorgar first – which is part of the next DLC pack and see how it does. Our plan for the first vote is to allow fans (and maybe just people who buy Gorgar) to pick which classic Bally table from the 70s-early 80s to do first.
4.) Any chance we will get any fairly new Stern machines? Could you give us a hint in regards to a certain table you might have in store for us?
I can’t give you any hints, but we have been talking to Stern recently about this very topic. Also, our success on kickstarter has given us hope that the licenses needed for tables that we want to include may be within reach.
BONUS QUESTION: What is your favorite table of all time and why?
When I was younger, I would’ve said T2. Of the tables we have at the studio, I’ve probably spent the most time playing Bride. I honestly don’t think that have a favorite.
As we add more tables to our game, I get to appreciated tables so much more than I had before. I’m usually pretty focused on the tables that we’re working on putting in the game. Recently – I’ve been playing a lot of Creature when not playing a table for gameplay tuning comparisons.
Besides it being a lot of fun, I think I like Creature a lot because I’m pretty good at hitting all of the shots and I enjoy the challenge of trying to get better. Keith Elwin visited our office and played for an hour on a couple balls until he had to get going and let his remaining balls drain so he could enter his initials. Knowing it’s possible to be that good on a table I love has made me enjoy trying to get better on it. A similar thing happened when Josh Sharpe was here a couple years ago and we played Taxi. I enjoy that table a lot and played a lot of Taxi after that.
I have to get back to helping to finish up Bash! Look for a video to be posted next week - it's a great table!
I love the support that you guys give us on this page. Thanks for the questions.
1.) Will operator's menu or tournament mode settings ever be implemented into every table? Maybe these settings could be something we could unlock for completing table goals?
We’re going to start with Twilight Zone and see how things go. There are many settings available using the operator’s menu that could potentially break the flow of our game. We’ve been nervous about what might get broken if players have access to it. We’ll test it internally of course. Our plan is to disable any high score posting if a setting is changed from the factory default and we hope to eliminate any non-progression bugs that would get us bounced from Microsoft, Sony, or Nintendo certification – but this is a risk. We are also planning to implement the operator’s menu for Star Trek: TNG if we raise enough money to fund that license. We’ll have to evaluate down the road whether giving access to the operator’s menu was worth it.
2.) Can you please give us an update on the PC version? Will the PC version support Cabinet view, multiple screens, and/or real DMDs right off the bat? Do you guys have a virtual pinball cabinet in your office yet?
Our rendering tech for the PC version has been taking longer than we thought and we want to launch it with a solid plan and partner for distribution. On the PC, we’re not going to release the game until the lighting and effects look as good as they should. We are planning to fully support cabinets and multiple screens. The cabinet features are not in yet, so I can’t say for sure if we’ll ship with them at launch. We haven’t bought a cabinet yet, but we will be.
3.) Will we ever be able to vote for table releases, and if so when?
Yes, we wanted to release Gorgar first – which is part of the next DLC pack and see how it does. Our plan for the first vote is to allow fans (and maybe just people who buy Gorgar) to pick which classic Bally table from the 70s-early 80s to do first.
4.) Any chance we will get any fairly new Stern machines? Could you give us a hint in regards to a certain table you might have in store for us?
I can’t give you any hints, but we have been talking to Stern recently about this very topic. Also, our success on kickstarter has given us hope that the licenses needed for tables that we want to include may be within reach.
BONUS QUESTION: What is your favorite table of all time and why?
When I was younger, I would’ve said T2. Of the tables we have at the studio, I’ve probably spent the most time playing Bride. I honestly don’t think that have a favorite.
As we add more tables to our game, I get to appreciated tables so much more than I had before. I’m usually pretty focused on the tables that we’re working on putting in the game. Recently – I’ve been playing a lot of Creature when not playing a table for gameplay tuning comparisons.
Besides it being a lot of fun, I think I like Creature a lot because I’m pretty good at hitting all of the shots and I enjoy the challenge of trying to get better. Keith Elwin visited our office and played for an hour on a couple balls until he had to get going and let his remaining balls drain so he could enter his initials. Knowing it’s possible to be that good on a table I love has made me enjoy trying to get better on it. A similar thing happened when Josh Sharpe was here a couple years ago and we played Taxi. I enjoy that table a lot and played a lot of Taxi after that.
I have to get back to helping to finish up Bash! Look for a video to be posted next week - it's a great table!
