Round 3: Q&A With Bobby King

[jbejarano]

Thanks very much for providing all the insights in this interview. Exciting stuff coming.

 

[shutyertrap]

There were a coupla tables there we could have hinted about, but with the CSI like abilities you all possess at figuring things out, we didn't want that on our heads! In case you guys are wondering, Bobby is the one that makes up the newsletter hints, and he's well aware of how much you guys like guessing.

 

[shutyertrap]

By the way, thank you for all the kind comments about our voices. With feedback like that, there's only one inevitable conclusion...

The Jeff & Trap Show!

Well, I'm sure we'd be better than anything on NPR

 

[Gorgar]

Well, did they have any pinball machines that rhyme with "Fly Feed?"

 

[Sean DonCarlos]

I wish you guys would have asked for some hints at future tables. SAM emulation what exactly does that cover? Isn't Ripley's a SAM table? Or was that pre-SAM? Sam means IIRC Simpsons pinball party, LOTR, that era of games and up correct?

Ripley's, Simpsons and LOTR are all Whitestar games. The S.A.M. system didn't come about until Pirates of the Caribbean and World Poker Tour (about 2006).

 

[Mechanix77]

Thanks for the interview!

It's been driving me crazy who Jeff sounds like, and I realized with complete laughter that he's a dead on version of Bill Simmons from ESPN. lol


As for the interview, there was a lot of stuff that I couldn't care less about that most people do. I couldn't care less about tournaments or multiplayer, I'm just not into either of those when it comes to TPA. However, I know the majority are into that stuff, so good for you guys. I know it'll only increase the awareness for TPA, so good news overall.

I was, however, thrilled to hear about the PS4 discounts! I'm a Seasonal buyer, so I was hoping I would get some kind of break. I was also happy to hear about the updates for Black Knight, etc. A question I've always had though- is it ever possible to have a start button feature that doesn't actually start the game, as in you didn't put in a coin, so that you can hear Black Knight say "No Way, Gimme your money!" Or Elvira saying "Ohhh, don't touch me there!" from their respective titles? My wife and I always get a kick out of those when we go to the arcade. I think that would be pretty cool to add to the game title menu.

As mentioned above, I was definitely shocked and saddened to hear that Bobby thinks he'll run out of great titles soon. I totally disagree, but again like mentioned above, I understand the logic. The packs HAVE to bring money back in. I have a fear that I won't be seeing any of the tables I wanted that didn't make one of the top ten lists. (Freddy: A Nightmare on Elm Street, Dirty Harry, Mousin Around, Lethal Weapon 3, Demolition Man, Last Action Hero, Robocop, TMNT, Silverball Mania, Rocky, etc)

 

[Kirill Kirilld]

Could some good person make a transcript of the interview, please?
Poor listening skill + bad audio quality of Bobby's part =
Or maybe there's a bit less noisy and more clear record somewhere?

 

[4P47HY]

One thing I heard repeated from Bobby which he has said before which I find surprising and a bit disappointing is 'one day we will run out of great tables to build'.

I was definitely shocked and saddened to hear that Bobby thinks he'll run out of great titles soon. I totally disagree, but again like mentioned above, I understand the logic. The packs HAVE to bring money back in. I have a fear that I won't be seeing any of the tables I wanted that didn't make one of the top ten lists.

+1

Nonetheless I was happy to hear about Gorgar, Black Knight and Firepower upcoming emulation updates.
Thanks for making this podcast!

 

[xNiCeGuYx]

I love these Q&A´s!

 

[shutyertrap]

Did anyone ask about TAF kickstarter?

No! I think pretty much all that can be said has been said regarding this topic. Let FS get the release of the PS4, PC, and Xbox One out, have everybody be back in their good graces. The T2 kickstarter was rocky for them, not to mention it was never actually announced that TAF was next. Temper your expectations folks.

At the risk of turning this into another derailed topic about the PS3 patch (please don't), do they mention if the patch will wipe all scores and goals? I'm in the minority on these boards but I really wouldn't want all this data to disappear. Not to mention the confused players that don't use the forums and have no idea what happened.

It wasn't mentioned, nor did we think to ask. I do think FS along with Sony will do everything they can to instruct the general public to avoid confusion. I know that was a concern of Sony, so I trust it has been worked out.

I really hope you two are able to do another one in the coming months.

EDIT: How about an interview with more Farsight personnel the next time and make it a 8 hour pod cast

So long as there isn't snow on the road, we'll be back up in a few months! As far as putting others to audio, I think Bobby is pretty much the only authorized voice of FS apart from Jay (who is an extremely busy guy). On top of that, other than Norm, I don't know who would want to be recorded. I like where your brain is at though!
Gr

Jersey Jack Pinball YES YES YES Wizard of Oz and Hobbit on TPA could happen !!!

I think that might be a stretch. What Bobby was really saying is a partnership with them in the future on yet announced tables might be a possibility. Something where TPA is included in the original licensing contract, thus negating the need for a kickstarter. I think THIS is what you all should be crossing your fingers for.

Look if only the PS4, Xbox One, and PC can support say, Metallica and Star Trek, I think they should make it happen. 360 and PS3, back when they were still the most powerful platforms, had exclusives on Arabian Nights, Gofers, and Medieval Madness that weren't in other versions like the Wii version. It gives people incentives to upgrade to the new version of the game on the new platform.

I agree with what you are saying. The norm for mobile customers is to upgrade their devices every 2 years. As we are right at the start of a new console generation, what better way to encourage people to upgrade? I also get what Bobby is saying. We all know the mobile market is much larger than the console. We'll see what happens to those numbers once PC comes to life in a few days. Still, for FarSight to devote their resources to some tables that will effectively cut off half their sales, they don't want to do that. I think that is why Bobby said it'd have to wait for the mobile platforms to be able to catch up. Considering how fast they have increased in power, that wait might not be as long as expected in my mind. We'll just have to wait and see.

A question I've always had though- is it ever possible to have a start button feature that doesn't actually start the game, as in you didn't put in a coin, so that you can hear Black Knight say "No Way, Gimme your money!" Or Elvira saying "Ohhh, don't touch me there!" from their respective titles? My wife and I always get a kick out of those when we go to the arcade. I think that would be pretty cool to add to the game title menu.

That would be fun. Add that to eliminating chimes when entering in initials, being able to start another game without having to see the high score screen, and being able to watch attract mode. In other words, things that don't affect actual game play but are cool anyways.

 

[Pinhead45]

I think one of the things Bob's alluding to is soon they will be doing 2 new table releases a month versus one table upgrade. This will help them run out of tables faster, but there are plenty to choose from that don't need licenses. The great thing I've learned myself is there are alot of tables that are rare that we don't get to play so often that they can still do like Transporter the Rescue, Fire! or Mousin' Around or Bad Cats. It's not just DMD tables that sell well, tables from the 80's should sell well too or popular EM's like what's in the Microsoft Pinball Arcade collection. They could also go after the Capcom license or give us some Data East or Sega tables.

Norm was saying at expo that they have a team of about 20 people putting together these games. I don't know if doing two new tables a month would tax that or not. In the VP community though there were people putting out complete tables in 3 weeks. I think they at least have 5 years of tables.

 

[Mechanix77]

I can't imagine average tables like TMNT or Robocop NOT being able to make decent money.

Would either of those need a Kickstarter based on the name? I don't think either are worthy of one, again, seeing that they're average at best tables, but both would certainly draw in the crowds. (In my opinion)

 

[SilverBalls]

They've already done both those things, so I think we can guess how well they worked. : p I'm sure they'll try again and maybe eventually people will be more open minded especially once they can stop clamoring for certain popular tables, but FarSight can't really count on that.

Out of interest which less popular table have they bundled with a popular table, and do we know how it sold? I really think the majority of non-hardcore buyers of PA are buying tables they don't know - unless they base their decision on how well known the theme of the table is.

 

[Kevlar]

By the way, thank you for all the kind comments about our voices. With feedback like that, there's only one inevitable conclusion...

The Jeff & Trap Show!

Well, I'm sure we'd be better than anything on NPR

+1! Great job guys, Nate and Josh better watch out!

How about a regular podcast guys?

 

[Mark W**a]

I can't imagine average tables like TMNT or Robocop NOT being able to make decent money.

Would either of those need a Kickstarter based on the name? I don't think either are worthy of one, again, seeing that they're average at best tables, but both would certainly draw in the crowds. (In my opinion)

IPs are relevant, even if the pinball machine artwork is not. Robocop is getting a new movie and Ninja Turtles is always being rebooted in some form to children. Meaning the cost for the license wouldn't be cheap.

I'm not trying to be a dick but I just don't see either of these drawing crowds. Both of them have average designs, and aren't well remembered or well regarded. You yourself are saying they are average. Are you being sarcastic? You're saying they're average as if that's a good thing?

I think one of the things Bob's alluding to is soon they will be doing 2 new table releases a month versus one table upgrade. This will help them run out of tables faster, but there are plenty to choose from that don't need licenses. The great thing I've learned myself is there are alot of tables that are rare that we don't get to play so often that they can still do like Transporter the Rescue, Fire! or Mousin' Around or Bad Cats. It's not just DMD tables that sell well, tables from the 80's should sell well too or popular EM's like what's in the Microsoft Pinball Arcade collection. They could also go after the Capcom license or give us some Data East or Sega tables.

Norm was saying at expo that they have a team of about 20 people putting together these games. I don't know if doing two new tables a month would tax that or not. In the VP community though there were people putting out complete tables in 3 weeks. I think they at least have 5 years of tables

Well this is amazing news if true.

I can list off 24 amazing B/W games, all quality, 12 DMD and 12 System 11, right now, with zero to minor licensing issues. All of which are requested and/or classic. Now you throw in some EM's, some early 80's Bally, some Whitestar Sterns, and suddenly there is ALOT to chose from. Plus Capcom and DE/SEGA, as you say.

 

[Tabe]

Am only halfway through but good job so far guys.

shutyertrap, you've got a great voice for this stuff and did a really good job.

And kudos to the guy who says Jeff sounds like Bill Simmons - you nailed it.

 

[Mechanix77]

And kudos to the guy who says Jeff sounds like Bill Simmons - you nailed it.

LOL, thanks.

It was driving me crazy as to who he sounded like. When it finally hit me, I was laughing out loud.

 

[Mark W**a]

Wow, this interview has me so positive about the future. Imagine if in 2015, we had a season of just SAM games. AC/DC, Metallica, Star Trek, Avengers, Tron, Wizard of Oz, Transformers, and day in date release of their 2015 games. He mentioned Jersey Jack... the thing about WoOZ is that IIRC the game runs on a PC. In that case you could actually just port the games code and video to the device, versus emulation, no?

 

[shutyertrap]

+1! Great job guys, Nate and Josh better watch out!

How about a regular podcast guys?

Oh, there might be something in the works

 

[goo_back]

Curious to see your guy's reaction.

You have a great radio voice.