Single table releases - are they going to be the new normal?

[Espy]

I'm gonna say it now to the chagrin of many. We will see NO EM's in season three. Of course, this is pure speculation.

I'm going to have to agree. I don't think we'll see anything before the mid-80s as it's unlikely to sell on its own. It's going to be all DMDs and alphanumerics from here on in.

 

[brakel]

This single table idea for a little cheaper price sounds good to me. First, I agree they will have more time to polish the tables and second, players can choose the tables they want to play. It won't happen anymore that you must buy a table you'll never play just to get the other one from the pack, and pay for it of course. So I, for example, ended up with a few EM tables I never play, as they don't interest me, and find them boring. But I had to buy them if I wanted the other ones from the packs. As I started playing pins in 1992, those old EM's don't contain any nostalgic value for me, and I don't really want them.

Single table system would let the player choose exactly what he/she wants to play and pay for, so this sounds much better to me.

I just don't see how these tables will be more polished than previous offerings when they will have fewer people working on them.

 

[jaredmorgs]

I just don't see how these tables will be more polished than previous offerings when they will have fewer people working on them.

How can you be *certain* there will be fewer people working on TPA? Let's see how they go with the first three tables and then we should be able to see the pattern.

 

[TMOverbeck]

I started my pinball playing around 1980-81, when Black Hole, Black Knight and Vector were at my local mall arcade. So for me, if it's just bumpers and flippers in a basic playfield, I won't be interested. That said, an EM pinball game can be worth the $$$ if it's interesting enough (like Central Park or 4,000,000 BC).

 

[Jeff Strong]

I started my pinball playing around 1980-81, when Black Hole, Black Knight and Vector were at my local mall arcade. So for me, if it's just bumpers and flippers in a basic playfield, I won't be interested. That said, an EM pinball game can be worth the $$$ if it's interesting enough (like Central Park or 4,000,000 BC).

Only the early EMs were "just bumpers and flippers". There's some really great late 70’s stuff.

 

[superballs]

How can you be *certain* there will be fewer people working on TPA? Let's see how they go with the first three tables and then we should be able to see the pattern.

They did mention that they had resources working on other non pinball related projects. Which insinuates that they might have a bit thinner staff resources working on tpa.

 

[LanceBoyle]

I do wonder what exactly their next non-TPA project will be. And also if it's gonna be any good.

 

[Baron Rubik]

How can you be *certain* there will be fewer people working on TPA? Let's see how they go with the first three tables and then we should be able to see the pattern.

Ryan Routon - "We just don't have the art resources we had in the past unfortunately."
http://digitalpinballfans.com/showthread.php?p=115810

 

[jaredmorgs]

Ryan Routon - "We just don't have the art resources we had in the past unfortunately."
http://digitalpinballfans.com/showthread.php?p=115810

I'm still waiting to see what dropping a table from each month will do to throughput, Baron. Halving the workload will make a difference.

I'll give them the benefit of the doubt before discounting their ability to deliver quality using this new model.

 

[superballs]

I'm still waiting to see what dropping a table from each month will do to throughput, Baron. Halving the workload will make a difference.

I'll give them the benefit of the doubt before discounting their ability to deliver quality using this new model.

I'm sharing the faith as well. Personally, while they could use some improvements, I wouldn't consider the table quality with small exception. To be bad so I imagine it should only get better.

 

[brakel]

How can you be *certain* there will be fewer people working on TPA? Let's see how they go with the first three tables and then we should be able to see the pattern.

I'm not saying that it can't be better, I'm just not counting on it. I didn't say I was certain about anything but if we waited until we were certain about things before posting then it would take away from much of the discussion on this board.

 

[smbhax]

Ryan Routon - "We just don't have the art resources we had in the past unfortunately."
http://digitalpinballfans.com/showthread.php?p=115810

There the "past" he's talking about is back before TPA, when they were making the "Pinball Hall of Fame" games and still had a publisher.

 

[Baron Rubik]

I'm still waiting to see what dropping a table from each month will do to throughput, Baron. Halving the workload will make a difference.

I'll give them the benefit of the doubt before discounting their ability to deliver quality using this new model.

Yeah - I'm waiting on this too.
Also what table line up season 3 holds.

 

[brakel]

There the "past" he's talking about is back before TPA, when they were making the "Pinball Hall of Fame" games and still had a publisher.

Ryan or Mike recently posted though that some of the TPA team have been moved to another project. It just comes down to man hours per table if there are the same number of man hours then we'll likely get the same quality product. If there's more man hours per table then we'll likely to get a better product.

 

[Espy]

Ryan Routon - "We just don't have the art resources we had in the past unfortunately."
http://digitalpinballfans.com/showthread.php?p=115810

Sounds like he might be comparing to the PHoF days with that one. though. Would need clarification.

Personally I'm beginning to see this as a "wind down" for the series.Season 3 or 4 may be the last. Farsight used to say they wanted to make 50 tables, which is what we'll have come Season 3. Which is a shame, but you can't really expect a game to be supported for over three years. But all good things must come to an end.

 

[norbert26]

Sounds like he might be comparing to the PHoF days with that one. though. Would need clarification.

Personally I'm beginning to see this as a "wind down" for the series.Season 3 or 4 may be the last. Farsight used to say they wanted to make 50 tables, which is what we'll have come Season 3. Which is a shame, but you can't really expect a game to be supported for over three years. But all good things must come to an end.

if this were to be true a major concern would be if iOS updates would be maintained and android updates. OS updates on platforms can break things that need to be maintained.

 

[vpalmer]

Farsight used to say they wanted to make 50 tables

enough of fiction: B.King said in one interview what FS's target to make about 100 tables. - and he confirmed this after podcaster reask this amount.

 

[Espy]

enough of fiction: B.King said in one interview what FS's target to make about 100 tables. - and he confirmed this after podcaster reask this amount.

Okay, sorry. I was sure 50 was frequently quoted. 100 does seem like a large undertaking, though...

 

[brakel]

Okay, sorry. I was sure 50 was frequently quoted. 100 does seem like a large undertaking, though...

It's just incrementally what they've been doing. Making a hundred is no more an undertaking than making fifty. It just means that they keep releasing tables on a regular basis.

 

[SilverBalls]

I doubt they are winding things down. They just don't want to put all their pinballs into one basket. They probably did 2 tables per month to get the product established with a solid base of tables, plus the had a lot already partly developed from PHOF. PA is on so many platforms and is well known, and it has taken a lot of work getting there. No company will turn their back on that. Also any new ventures might not be successful unless it is paid work of course from one of the big outfits.

I am pretty sure Farsight could employ the VP hobbyists community to do artwork and maybe even table scripting in the future for a fraction of the costs of full time staff, so there is lots that can be done in the future. Once the engine is more mature in theory you probably need 2 or 3 people to build a table a month, and considering the number of platforms you can deliver to, that must make a nice return. There shouldn't be a need to buy physical tables to build them either.

I would love the VP community to be utilised to build EM tables that may not sell as well as others but won't cost much to develop.

Just a side thought, does anyone know if there any issues for FS not being able to sell tables after current licence agreements expire?