A VERY dangerous thread!

[Tabe]

Well, although it's not exactly what you want, he did post this earlier:

http://digitalpinballfans.com/showthread.php/3421-Codes-a-Plenty!

Sure, today. Posting it yesterday or earlier would have been a LOT better.

Blithely ignoring all the - 100% legitimate - complaints is yet another PR failure.

Tabe

 

[Rob Mann]

Hey guys,
Just a heads-up, I am reading everything on here, but my correspondence about big things, like the TZ codes, have to go through my boss. He didn't want to put anything up without us knowing what we were talking about. He could say whatever he wanted in that Sony blog, but didn't want to make a big facebook post or a thread announcement or anything until we had a handle on things.

We got the codes, but it has happened in the past that codes we got from Sony didn't work and required us to contact them to turn them on. We didn't want to send out 700+ codes with this same thing happening, because that would be bad. So we had to wait for the table to be released in order to try them and they didn't work at the time, so we had to contact Sony and wait til this morning to hear from them, and we still had to test everything to make sure the ball skins work and everything, so they still didn't go out until about noon.

Going forward, we now have a better understanding of the process for something of this size. Here's hoping the TNG release goes better. We are still waiting for the codes from Europe and as soon as we get those, we'll send them out.

There has been a lot on my plate lately, so I haven't responded as much as I need to, but hopefully the workload will be a bit lessened soon and I'll be on here a lot more often. And I am reading this thread primarily to see where we stand. Thanks for that, too.

 

[Tabe]

Hey guys,
Just a heads-up, I am reading everything on here, but my correspondence about big things, like the TZ codes, have to go through my boss. He didn't want to put anything up without us knowing what we were talking about. He could say whatever he wanted in that Sony blog, but didn't want to make a big facebook post or a thread announcement or anything until we had a handle on things.

Rob,

There's so much that's fundamentally wrong and wrong-headed with the above statements, it's hard to know where to start. So let me just say: Your boss could have chosen to release a statement - AHEAD OF THE RELEASE OF TZ - that said "hey guys, we can't send out the codes til we actually test them". And put it in a place we actually read (Facebook/email/this place). But he did NOT. That's just messed up.

Also, a cynical reading of your comment could be interpreted as "Bobby doesn't care if what he posts on the PSN blog is actually true because, hey, it's just "that Sony blog".

Tabe

 

[SKILL_SHOT]

Hey Rob, would it be better to separate the console issues from mobiles? It just seems they have separate issues and mobiles have alot more.

 

[Lord Boron]

Is this where the tread get dangerous??

 

[Butterkins]

Hey Rob, would it be better to separate the console issues from mobiles? It just seems they have separate issues and mobiles have alot more.

I think the consoles need a different UI from the touch devices.

Right now, they're trying to shoehorn the same approach on to different input methods, and it doesn't really work.

 

[ZForceFFC]

This is an suggestion for the Vita version. I've played Zen Pinball 2 on Vita and they have the option to control the left flipper by pressing left on the D-Pad and the right flipper with the Circle button. Is this something that could be incorporated into TPA on Vita? I have kind of large hands and that alternate control scheme is a bit more comfortable for me.

 

[Tales from the Crypt !!]

A light and dark options for the 360

 

[Lord Boron]

This was probably already mentioned but an option to turn off the 2 stage flippers would be great.

 

[Jim O'Brien]

1) Zero frame delay (flipper lag) at 1080p on PS3 : ) (so I don't have to keep playing at 720p!)
2) Flippers that can do live catches
3) Volume control (PS3)
4) A tournament mode with the usual settings (no extra balls, etc), and that can be played stand-alone, and with its own leaderboard
5) Ball spin

All of the above are great ideas, I'm also a PS3 only owner. Portrait mode for consoles and online multiplayer games would put your product way over the top.

 

[Carl Spiby]

I honesty don't think we are going to see ball spin in TPA, I don't think the engine is built for it.

Maybe in TPA2.

 

[xAzatothx]

I think the consoles need a different UI from the touch devices.

Right now, they're trying to shoehorn the same approach on to different input methods, and it doesn't really work.

I agree, but given Farsights limited resources (small team) it's unlikely to happen. They develop on one platform and port it across to everything else. This helps to reduce dev time + testing time and easier management of code across platforms.

 

[goforthewall]

I honesty don't think we are going to see ball spin in TPA, I don't think the engine is built for it.

Maybe in TPA2.

Yeah, agreed =) ZEN had the chance to refine their whole approach when they released PFX2. The first one sucked sooo hard (>_<). I just hope FarSight doesn't go bust anytime soon over all the "issues". It seems like no other company would bother with the concept of re-making classic tables. Unless ZEN jumps on that bandwagon, should they be the only player in the playingfield at some point. Which would be sad, because their engine isn't up to snuff regarding real tables.

 

[night]

Because I just can't stop b!tch!n' about it, I made an example of how (in my opinion) Twilight Zone for the iOS/Android should look like. I don't understand why FarSight released such an expensive table without shadows. The elements have become a clutter, they float around, no visual differentiation. It is a busy table with lots of elements. If you leave the shadows out, everything will blend with the table art. And about the table art, the blue color on my iPad so WAY(!) to oversaturated.

Ok, so I just picked a screen grap from TZ from a post and did a quick 'n dirty Photoshop on it, just to show how much more 'together' TZ can look like by adding shadows. Left is the 'shadow' version' right the original. Look at all the elements in the back for example! I replaced the clock as well, and this needs no explanation why I did this.. Also the metal parts in the back (I have no clue how to name them in english) are more chrome looking. (I took them from AFM, where they look just excellent.)

 

[Carl Spiby]

Chrome parts on the ramp, are ramp protectors.

I must say, that does look fab.

 

[Korven]

Night, you should send in a job application to FS.

 

[Sumez]

Oh, here's a new one, don't know if anyone else mentioned it: Make the knocker sound damn loud, and make it sound like an actual knocker, not a clapping hand!

 

[Tabe]

Fix the standard and wizard goals not properly registering!

Tabe

 

[night]

Night, you should send in a job application to FS.

I wish I could alter the graphic maps myself, it frustrates me when things look crap while they can look so much better. If I only could lay my hand on the orginal files.. But it should have been done different from the start of TPA. I would have never go the dynamic graphics route, but the pre-rendered instead. All this graphic compromises for just this damn hovering camera. Is it worth it? I personaly always play TPA with static camera on. Picture this: Twilight Zone in the graphic quality of Pro-Pinball.. and the lighting effects... then you would have something fantastic. Seriously, then we would have something very special. What do we have now? Blurry image maps, so-so lighting effects, chrome that looks like grey stuff, transparent plastic that looks like anything except transparent plastic! The horror.
Boy the TPA graphics team must hate me by now.

 

[SKILL_SHOT]

I like the rail shadows. I've been complaining about the CHROME inconsistencies, like the chrome by the apron is perfect then 2 inches away on the right its bronze and to the left its grey....chrome its kinda important to PINBALL just look at the ball.