Advice for first video pinball game

[jaredmorgs]

I dunno, I played the World War Hulk table, which is pretty bad, and the Clone Wars table isn't much better. Putting 90 ga-jillion ramps on a table isn't the way it should go, IMO.

I agree that the ball physics seem rather floaty on PA, but I prefer that they are real tables.

How does one demo Zen tables? I haven't seen that option on either Android or Win8.

You only have YouTube videos to see what the game looks like on Android. Frustrating when the videos really only show eye candy and not table layout.

 

[Kolchak357]

I keep going back to this one. I got a great game going on it. The vertical haunted house feature of the game and the cube add variety. The haunted house reminds me conceptually of Banzai Run.

I'm pretty new to Zen though. Felt like a cheating partner downloading it, but in have to say I'm really enjoying it.

Just shows you what eye candy is possible on mobile if you have the right engine at the back end.

I think Banzai Run every time I play Paranormal too. Actually one of my favorites on Zen.
My biggest disappointment Zen table is Tesla. Great theme that I thought was going to be better.

 

[Fungi]

I think Banzai Run every time I play Paranormal too. Actually one of my favorites on Zen.
My biggest disappointment Zen table is Tesla. Great theme that I thought was going to be better.

That one reminds me of CFTBL. Half playfield, half gobbledygook.

 

[night]

That one reminds me of CFTBL. Half playfield, half gobbledygook.

"gobbledygook". I learn a new word every day.

 

[DrainoBraino]

I think Banzai Run every time I play Paranormal too. Actually one of my favorites on Zen.
My biggest disappointment Zen table is Tesla. Great theme that I thought was going to be better.

Tesla is great! There's a trick to it though......

The trick is to shoot for the $$ shot at the right. If you hit the $ shot, you get a hurry up. If you miss, which is kinda what you want to do, the ball will hit a little bumper and send it around the orbit, at the perfect speed to simply hold up the top left flipper and send the ball right into the upkicker for the magnetic playfield. This is the easy way to get the modes started. Once I learned this trick, the game got a whole lot more fun.

 

[Kolchak357]

Tesla is great! There's a trick to it though......

The trick is to shoot for the $$ shot at the right. If you hit the $ shot, you get a hurry up. If you miss, which is kinda what you want to do, the ball will hit a little bumper and send it around the orbit, at the perfect speed to simply hold up the top left flipper and send the ball right into the upkicker for the magnetic playfield. This is the easy way to get the modes started. Once I learned this trick, the game got a whole lot more fun.

Thanks for the tip. Upped my high score in just a few games. Still not doing much damage in the modes, but at least I can get them started. Thanks

 

[angryassdrummer]

so, i loved ( love) PInball Fx 2 on xbla so much i got zen pinball on ipad with avengers, empire strikes back and boba fett tables
i need more tables on xbla though as i only have the core ones.
any recommendations? they are in sets of 3 right? as opposed to ios which are individual tables ( better option i think)
also, im at the stage where, im trying to change from a noob who just tries to hit the balls anywhere as long as they dont go down the middle to a proper player, with purpose to each shot and technique
for this any ideas how to go about it? as in, anyone know links to youtube vids with guides or directions for newer players or even just a website with written guides?
i saw one that had new, intermediate and advanced tips.. so im trying to get my traps down ( i think thats what its called) and then aim shots as accurately as possible
it already put a new light on the avengers table for me, which at first i was finding dull but then playing like this ( how i should of played all along lol) i was like WOW so much more life to each table
for people with both ios and consoles... are some tables better suited to ios or xbla/ps3 etc? i dont really want to buy the same tables on both systems.. but in saying that if they are good ones, i probably will ( star wars set for sure)

 

[Pinballfan69]

so, i loved ( love) PInball Fx 2 on xbla so much i got zen pinball on ipad with avengers, empire strikes back and boba fett tables
i need more tables on xbla though as i only have the core ones.
any recommendations? they are in sets of 3 right? as opposed to ios which are individual tables ( better option i think)
also, im at the stage where, im trying to change from a noob who just tries to hit the balls anywhere as long as they dont go down the middle to a proper player, with purpose to each shot and technique
for this any ideas how to go about it? as in, anyone know links to youtube vids with guides or directions for newer players or even just a website with written guides?
i saw one that had new, intermediate and advanced tips.. so im trying to get my traps down ( i think thats what its called) and then aim shots as accurately as possible
it already put a new light on the avengers table for me, which at first i was finding dull but then playing like this ( how i should of played all along lol) i was like WOW so much more life to each table
for people with both ios and consoles... are some tables better suited to ios or xbla/ps3 etc? i dont really want to buy the same tables on both systems.. but in saying that if they are good ones, i probably will ( star wars set for sure)

I have Zen pinball for the PS3 so I can only go by what they have to offer. As for which is best for IOS or PS3/XBOX? It's personal preference. I find it easier on the big screen and it's much easier to do the 'Death Save' on the console. Technique is when a ball goes out in the outlanes (for example the right out-lane) HOLD the Right Flipper up an nudge the table so it goes through the middle flipper gap. It's more often found in ZEN tables I don't see it happening much in PA.

Again I can't what's better for what. I don't do mobile platforms as most of it is too small to see.

Listing my top 10 favs for Zen

Fear Itself
Episode V SW pinball
X-men
Boba Fett
Thor
Fantastic Four
Epic Quest
MARS
Infinity Gauntlet
Sorcerer's Lair

That's my top 10 but there are other tables that could be there as well. I just play those more.

As far as tips? You can find threads vids by searching the web

 

[SKILL_SHOT]

Advice for buying a video game? how about this its a video game they both have a DEMO play them both you decide. I could see you asking for advice buying a REAL PINBALL GAME because they're ALOT more expensive but a video game!?

 

[Tabe]

Paranormal, played it not even a handfull of times. It just goes on and on and I can't get anything going really. Plus it just feels "stiff" somehow.

Aw man, you bought the absolute worst table (my opinion) in the entire Zen collection.

For me, it's either Tesla or Shaman. Now, admittedly, I have not played every title, but I HAVE played Paranormal and like it a lot more than those other two. Tesla and Shaman both seem to have an awful lot of either ridiculously obscure/hard goals and extremely repetitive action. I think the table design in Tesla is just awful, too, with its ramps extremely close to the flippers.

Gimme Sorcerer's Lair any day over all of them.

Tabe

 

[Metalzoic]

so, i loved ( love) PInball Fx 2 on xbla so much i got zen pinball on ipad with avengers, empire strikes back and boba fett tables
i need more tables on xbla though as i only have the core ones.
any recommendations? they are in sets of 3 right? as opposed to ios which are individual tables ( better option i think)
also, im at the stage where, im trying to change from a noob who just tries to hit the balls anywhere as long as they dont go down the middle to a proper player, with purpose to each shot and technique
for this any ideas how to go about it? as in, anyone know links to youtube vids with guides or directions for newer players or even just a website with written guides?
i saw one that had new, intermediate and advanced tips.. so im trying to get my traps down ( i think thats what its called) and then aim shots as accurately as possible
it already put a new light on the avengers table for me, which at first i was finding dull but then playing like this ( how i should of played all along lol) i was like WOW so much more life to each table
for people with both ios and consoles... are some tables better suited to ios or xbla/ps3 etc? i dont really want to buy the same tables on both systems.. but in saying that if they are good ones, i probably will ( star wars set for sure)

Just go check out the Zen Studios Forums.
There are a bunch of table guides there you can check out. Also if you have any questions or problems their community manager responds to almost everything posted there. Many of the development team and table designers chime in regularly and will respond to questions too.

 

[Russell Bergman]

The Pinball Arcade = Madden

Zen Pinball 2/Pinball FX 2 = NFL Blitz

Nuff Said!

 

[angryassdrummer]

^^^^ maybe
but why cant both exist and be played by the same people?
why do you have to stick with just 1?

 

[angryassdrummer]

Advice for buying a video game? how about this its a video game they both have a DEMO play them both you decide. I could see you asking for advice buying a REAL PINBALL GAME because they're ALOT more expensive but a video game!?

yeah you are right
i should just download every table on ios. ps3 and 360
try the demos out on all 3 systems and see which one i like
much quicker than asking people on here who have played them already and can give advice
thanks for that tip bud, you are very helpful

 

[Heretic]

I say all games have their merits

I do tend toward harder games, rbot cc2 firepower tng and even so,e zen i consider hard, if you havent done rbot yet...go go gadget

 

[Bonzo]

And by rbot he means Revenge of the Rob-o-bot. It's great, indeed!

 

[ER777]

^^^^ maybe
but why cant both exist and be played by the same people?
why do you have to stick with just 1?

Don't be mislead, there are a lot of people who play both and enjoy both quite a bit. I'm one of them.

 

[brakel]

^^^^ maybe
but why cant both exist and be played by the same people?
why do you have to stick with just 1?

I can't play both because they have such different game flow and the flipper lag on PS3 that it takes me a while to adjust from one to the other. I can't even play PHoF Williams for PS3 because the physics on that are so floaty compared to TPA. And there's the flipper lag. Flipper lag on TPA doesn't bother me anymore but there's no flipper lag on PHoF for PS3 so its hard to go back and forth.