Things that are harder in TPA

Espy · Mar 9, 2015

So everyone complains about the things TPA makes easier, but what about harder? There are a few things. I'll kick them off. Upper flipper shots (where you can't catch the ball). On a real table, I lean in for a close-up birds eye view and get a pretty good aim. On TPA your view is a bit more restricted and makes lining up the narrower shots more difficult. I noticed this when playing Ripley's, the Super Jackpot shot was much easier to hit on the real thing.

Any more? And no negative examples, like "It's much harder to lose your ball!" That's cheating.

karl · Mar 9, 2015

I am no expert on the following tables but I have tried them all in real life

Based on IOS version. Things feel worse on that platform because of the much higher ball speed than on consoles and pc. This is also why I agree that some upper flipper tables are harder on IOS than in real life, especially following an orbit shot.

The following tables I find to be easier in real life.

TOTAN and TOM = side to side action seams much heavier on tpa version. Too strong slings perhaps or just not so good tuning overall
Tables that have a lot of stuff that the ball can interact with in the lower part of the playfield, like Creature
Who dunnit and Junkyard = Flippers feel wrong to me and it is hard to aim for shots. Both pretty easy tables in real life
Diner and POTO = Both are super fast (even for ios)

Captain B. Zarre · Mar 9, 2015

Theatre of Magic. Right orbit shot.

Ugh.

Espy · Mar 9, 2015

Captain B. Zarre said:
Theatre of Magic. Right orbit shot.

Ugh.

Too true. Only seen Midnight Madness once thanks to that shot.

crazyflipperfingers · Mar 9, 2015

Captain B. Zarre said:
Theatre of Magic. Right orbit shot.

This shot is impossible to make from a trap on the left flipper. Also, the cow ramp shot on Attack From Mars is impossible to make from a trap on the left flipper. These are bugs that really need fixing in a future tune-up (if that ever happens).

The Digital Man · Mar 9, 2015

I'll go on record and whine a tiny bit about POTO. We dumped a metric s**t ton of quarters into this table IRL back in the day. I vividly remember the left ramp shot (the catwalk) NOT being nearly as difficult as it exists here in TPA land. That being said, I still love it, and as usual the nostalgia alone is worth the price to me and my friends on alot of the tables. TBoP, STTNG, FH, TZ, ToM, HS, BSD, AfM, FT, MM to acronym a few.

Nice job...

mikehg · Mar 9, 2015

One obvious one is probably on T2 when you're in multiball and have to shoot the cannon thing at the hunter-killer thing.

(spot the person who doesn't understand the rules, hasn't played the real table

)

On a real table you could bend your neck a bit, line it up. On TPA it's a Hail Mary.

The Digital Man · Mar 9, 2015

mikehg said:
One obvious one is probably on T2, On a real table you could bend your neck a bit, line it up. On TPA it's a Hail Mary.

Absolutely...

Fungi · Mar 9, 2015

Seeing around the cannons in STTNG. You can't. You simply can't. When you see the ball on top of the slings, just sit and hope.

switch3flip · Mar 9, 2015

Shooting backhand or straight shots on rolling ball is much easier on real tables compared to TPA. Like shooting the lock on white water from left flipper when ball comes from left inlane or shooting the drawbridge on Medieval Madness when ball comes rolling from either left or right inlane.

vikingerik · Mar 9, 2015

I don't have any problem with upper flipper shots in TPA. They're easier than the real thing. I hit the super jackpot on Ripley's at will. It can take some fiddling with camera angles and event/zoom settings to get good visibility on the flipper in question, but once that's dialed in, upper flipper running shots are as easy as any other.

It's a good point that TPA's physics work against some shots, but is more difficult the right description when it's not even possible at all? AFM cow ramp, TOM right orbit, HRC right orbit, Firepower bottom Power target, and running shots to the Junkyard dog ramp, Dr Dude's Gift of Gab, and Funhouse's trap door without relying on the "T" target rebound angle. They're not merely difficult, you literally can't do them in TPA.

Another thing that TPA's physics make more difficult is running shots up the middle, since the flippers are strangely weak in that direction on some tables. Junkyard's wrecking ball, MM's castle, MB's Mosh Pit, CC's Polly ramp, all of these are difficult on any rolling shot and impossible on a particularly fast feed.

And yes, some tables are too violent in the lower playfield, with overly strong flippers and kickers robbing you of control you should have. Haunted House stands far out as the most drastic offender.

Extork · Mar 9, 2015

Scared stiff! Jk, bad joke (stiff... Hard, get it) ok I'll go away forever now

crazyflipperfingers · Mar 9, 2015

Fungi said:
Seeing around the cannons in STTNG. You can't. You simply can't. When you see the ball on top of the slings, just sit and hope.

This would be solved with VR support.

Heretic · Mar 9, 2015

hah how many years you willing to wait? ill be blind

karl · Mar 10, 2015

Forgot about T2. I owned a T2 for a few weeks and that one is also a lot easier in real life in some aspects. That left ramp in particular is a lot easier in real life and also the skull, but it is a lot easier hitting the right orbit in TPA when you get used to it and that might even it out and then some, when it comes to scores.

kinggo · Mar 10, 2015

mixer on Dr. Dude is far more easier to hit on the real thing.
But generally speaking, messing with the ball on the flippers and far more responsive flippers IRL makes real thing easier for me.

EldarOfSuburbia · Mar 10, 2015

kinggo said:
mixer on Dr. Dude is far more easier to hit on the real thing.

Really? I played an actual Dr Dude last weekend and the Mixer was no more difficult to hit than in TPA. The Ray shot, if anything, is easier on the real thing - feels like there's a bit more room. Magnetic Personality (or whatever it's called...) works differently too, it gave an easy trap on the left flipper around 50% of the time. Plus, being able to hit Gift Of The Gab from a feed from the Ray? Night. And. Day.

kinggo · Mar 10, 2015

on the one that I used to play mixer was easier, a lot easier. In TPA it's more like that right ramp on AFM, doable but damn hard. You are right abou those other shots also but without mixer this game is pointless. And all other shots I can make before damn mixer.

Kaibun · Mar 12, 2015

Death saves. I haven't managed to pull that even once, everything just feels so heavier compared to real life.

On the upside, it's much easier hitting the trolls in Medieval Madness. But shooting the castle seems harder, somehow.

Things that are harder in TPA

New member

New member

New member

New member

Member

New member

New member

New member

Active member

Member

Active member

New member

Member

New member

New member

Active member

New member

Active member

New member