A new app on the way from Stern and Farsight

[EldarOfSuburbia]

I'm pretty confident that Stern are the ones holding back details on this one.

 

[rehtroboi40]

Yes its been very quiet lately..Nothing new when it comes to Farsight unfortunately.

Usually by now the next table is officially announced and (for those who are on PC) the achievements show up.

You're right that it's nothing new-except FarSight's silence about TPA on all platforms is more so than usual.

Why Stern would work with a company that has, for three years, advertised their flagship product as being available on the WiiU, when there may not even be one line of code, I cannot guess.

WiiU, New GUI, Pinball After Dark, Orbals.......sigh.

 

[shutyertrap]

New GUI is at least finally happening, and in beta. PAF was always a joke that unfortunately was given some legitimacy with an announcement. Orbals, well, yeah. After talking to Barbie Bob-omb in our latest BlahCade, sounds like Nintendo is their tough platform too, and that's with a much larger team. FarSight seems to only be able to throw a solid effort behind two tasks at one time, which right now means the new UI and the Stern App. My opinion is that nailing the UI goes hand in hand with pushing out the Stern App. As to why Stern would partner with FS? Well, FarSight has the Stern license, and so far it has not been to Stern's detriment. That's not to say someone else couldn't do better, but it'd be an unknown. And who would do it? Again, after talking to Barbie, it sounds like Zen is perfectly happy with what and how they do things without needing to do real world tables. ASK Homework still hasn't gotten beyond mobile. Pro Pinball moves at a pace that makes FarSight look like it's going Mach 3.

Stern is in the driver's seat regarding release news. Our contacts at FarSight have completely clammed up regarding it, in all aspects. Simply put, FarSight doesn't want to blow this deal by leaking stuff just to keep the forum happy, or that's how I'm interpreting it. I know it's fun to point fingers, but let's learn a lesson from when PS4, Steam, DX11, and other things have been announced. This is actively happening, will come out, but getting angry over missed dates does no good other than making you have ill will toward something you want to love. Just enjoy the 60+ tables you currently have in the meantime.

 

[jaredmorgs]

Well put.

 

[wolfson]

boys and girls one word, PATIENCE !!!! 64 tables and counting I`m happy.well done to Holly Holms in UFC193 ALL CLASS,the loud mouth might eat a bit of humble pie.not touching gloves a bit weak

 

[rehtroboi40]

boys and girls one word, PATIENCE !!!! 64 tables and counting I`m happy.well done to Holly Holms in UFC193 ALL CLASS,the loud mouth might eat a bit of humble pie.not touching gloves a bit weak

+1 for Holly Holms.

I just want to know when NF will be released for TPA on the usual platforms (iOS, Android, PC, Mac, Ouya). I don't care if it is late-I'd just like to have some kind of "guess-timate" as to when we will see it.

It's troubling that FarSight's workload is so backlogged that it's even disrupting their regularly scheduled TPA releases. True, I enjoy most of the 60+ tables currently available, but I am waiting for No Fear to join the ranks. NF is lots of fun IRL.

Hopefully we don't have this kind of delay if and when FarSight finally decides to include Surf N' Safari.

 

[Naildriver74]

What delay ?

 

[EldarOfSuburbia]

What delay ?

It's been 4 weeks since MSF came out. Even on a 5-week development cycle for tables - which I might expect if they're full steam on SPA and/or the new UI - there'd be some news regarding betas today.

Nothing, nada, zip.

Plus, with it being Thanksgiving next week in the US, no way they're going to release next week.

Means we don't see NF until December at best.

 

[Naildriver74]

It's been 4 weeks since MSF came out. Even on a 5-week development cycle for tables - which I might expect if they're full steam on SPA and/or the new UI - there'd be some news regarding betas today.

Nothing, nada, zip.

Plus, with it being Thanksgiving next week in the US, no way they're going to release next week.

Means we don't see NF until December at best.

Steam and IOS betas are not publicly anounced.

 

[EldarOfSuburbia]

Steam and IOS betas are not publicly anounced.

Neither are Android.

However FS don't appear to mind beta testers saying that they're testing the new table, as long as there are no "spoilers".

 

[Naildriver74]

I can't say anything.

 

[PiN WiZ]

FarSight has always stated that they would release a new table every "month" on mobile and Steam. They have never (ever) said anything about releasing a new table every "4 weeks".

 

[invitro]

Here's some data I've accumulated with PC/Steam table release dates and related info. Since BSD, it's been four or five weeks between tables about an equal number of times. If this data is correct, the only table that took six weeks on PC is BSD, and that's assuming the date on the Steam Announcements page is exact, and it may not be.

Clickable links for Steam TPA news, where I got many of these dates:
http://steamcommunity.com/app/238260/news/
http://steamcommunity.com/app/238260/announcements/

TPA TABLE RELEASE SCHEDULE FOR PC/STEAM

This data generally comes from recording on the day of release,
from archived newsletters, or from the Steam News & Announcements
pages for TPA.  The date for ES is only my estimate.

WK = number of weeks since the previous table's release.

DATE        WK TABLE
2013-11-04m ?  T2
  ^-- 2013-11-04: TPA released for PC on Steam.
  ^-- 2013-11-12: TPA releases Season One & Season Two Table Packs.
2013-11-12t 1+ HH
2013-11-12t 0  TeedOff
2013-11-12t 0  Co1812
2013-11-12t 0  Victory
2013-1?-??  ?  CBW
2013-1?-??  ?  ElDor
2013-12-16m ?  FT
2014-01-17f 4+ BRose
2014-02-14f 4  BK2K
2014-03-14f 4  WD
2014-04-11f 4  HS
2014-05-09f 4  JY
2014-06-06f 4  LCA
2014-07-11f 4  HRC
2014-08-08f 4  Diner
2014-09-18r 6  BSD
   ^-- it seems like 2014-09-12f should be the BSD
       release date, but the Steam Announcements page
       says 2014-09-18r.
2014-10-10f 3  PotO
2014-11-14f 5  TPZ
2014-12-19f?5? ES
   ^-- the ES release date is not on the Steam Announcements
       page, and is my estimate.
2015-01-23f 5? SST
2015-02-20f 4  TAF
2015-03-27f 5  Cyclone
2015-04-24f 4  J*B
2015-05-22f 4  Xenon
   ^-- the web leaderboard for Xenon's beta first appeared
       on 2015-05-11 or -12.
2015-06-19f 4  RS
2015-07-24f 5  SC
   ^-- Farsight's facebook had screenshots of SC on 2015-07-17.
   ^-- SC and SCAotV seen on web leaderboard on 2015-07-21,
       so the beta had started by then.
2015-08-21f 4  HS2
   ^-- Steam achievements for HS2 appear on 2015-08-13.
   ^-- 2015-08-14f: HS2 beta is out.
2015-09-18f 4  F-14
   ^-- Steam achievements for F-14 appear on (or very close
       to) 2015-09-11.
   ^-- appears on website leaderboards between 2015-09-13 and
       2015-09-16.
   ^-- 2015-09-18f release was 8:11p ET or a little before.
2015-10-23f 5  Frank
   ^-- 2015-10-07w, Steam achievements for Frank appear.
   ^-- 2015-10-16f, announced on FS's webpage.
   ^-- 2015-10-24s, finally shows up in web leaderboards.
2015-1?-??  ?  NF

(Any additions to this data is appreciated. I haven't really attempted to add to it myself though.)

 

[MontanaFrank]

I've been a member of this fine forum on 12/19/2012. Every month since, FarSight/TPA has released a digital table simulation from a real life pinball machine.

I am a patient old fart and look forward to the day that Stern makes an announcement about IRL modern tables being digitized into a digital simulation. I think Woo-Hoo, I can wait.

I think of the adage "The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence". Once the potential Stern digital pinball simulation becomes a reality, there will still be criticism about the app. That's just life.

I still have over 60 TPA tables and other pinball simulations to play.

 

[HotHamBoy]

As always, it is not the lack of a timely release but rather the lack of timely communication from Farsight that is aggravating.

At any rate, http://tinyurl.com/nrzd3qb pics of No Fear in TPA, releases on Black Friday.

 

[Crawley]

As always, it is not the lack of a timely release but rather the lack of timely communication from Farsight that is aggravating.

On the flip side if they communicate too early about something (PAD, cabinet support, iOS/console table releases, new UI, head-to-head support, DX11 support, etc.) they get crucified for it once impatient people decide it's been long enough.

"A strange game. The only winning move is not to play. How about a nice game of chess?" - WOPR

 

[invitro]

As always, it is not the lack of a timely release but rather the lack of timely communication from Farsight that is aggravating.

I'm curious... what is it about the NF release that is different from other releases? If it comes out next Friday, the 5-week span is the same as half of the last 14 releases. The Facebook post with pics that you kindly communicated is a week before release, same as with Frankenstein. The Steam achievements haven't come in super-early like they usually do, is this what people are complaining about? Or am I missing something? Apparently the beta testers haven't heard anything, but the 99.99% of us who aren't shouldn't care about that? I just don't get the sadness. Seems like a completely normal release schedule to me.

 

[Naildriver74]

Everything is running along smoothly. Don't assume things aren't. Sit back relax smoke um if you got um. Like they said on Facebook next Friday if everything goes as planed.

 

[TNT]

Still nothing? Cmon Stern!

 

[Kolchak357]

Still nothing? Cmon Stern!

Keep an eye on the Stern Facebook page. That's usually where any news or hints about what they are up to appear first.