-
Welcome Back to Digital Pinball Fans - please read this first
Attack from Mars from A1Up finally shipping!
- Thread starter strells
- Start date
Congrats!
I was thinking hard about purchasing one of these, but have now decided to wait until WiFi connectivity is provided.
Also, based on the YouTube Reviews, it appears as though the Zen Williams/Bally tables currently play better on my VPCabs Vertigo than on the dedicated AFM cabinet.
I was going to purchase one for the aesthetics; the solenoids; and the accelerometer support. Of those three, only the aesthetics of the A1 cabinet is currently implemented in a fashion that is better than my Vertigo. (Granted, the Vertigo costs over $4000, so it's not really a fair comparison.)
Anyway, congrats again! We'll all be looking forward to your impressions.
I was thinking hard about purchasing one of these, but have now decided to wait until WiFi connectivity is provided.
Also, based on the YouTube Reviews, it appears as though the Zen Williams/Bally tables currently play better on my VPCabs Vertigo than on the dedicated AFM cabinet.
I was going to purchase one for the aesthetics; the solenoids; and the accelerometer support. Of those three, only the aesthetics of the A1 cabinet is currently implemented in a fashion that is better than my Vertigo. (Granted, the Vertigo costs over $4000, so it's not really a fair comparison.)
Anyway, congrats again! We'll all be looking forward to your impressions.
My cab was prebuilt by VPCabs so I'm not 100% sure of the specs. I did pay for a "PC Upgrade" with the gaming console controls.
The main thing to be sure of is that you have a decent hardware graphics card. Any modern Windows 10 computer with 16 Gb RAM powered by a 10th generation Intel Core i5 (minimum) is going to get the job done when paired with a dedicated graphics card. With the current world wide chip shortage, expect to pay a minimum of $500 for the graphics card alone. It's be worth it though when you can play VPX at 4K with 60 fps!
- Thread starter
- #5
Got it over the weekend! It is gorgeous. There are some issues, however, that I have no idea if A1Up will address (and how they will/would address them):
1) Whitewater is basically unplayable. Earlier reviews I saw did not note this (Cooltoy, MichaelB), but I just saw it in a more recent Youtube review and confirmed it on my own machine. There is significant stuttering of the video and flipper delay. None of the other tables have this issue so I'm not sure what's going on here.
2) On some tables (only really noticed on Whitewater (see above) and Hurricane), even barely touching the table is recognized as a nudge, but the game plays a rather loud nudge sound effect for it. There is no large game affect of the nudge (i.e. the ball does not move around because of it), but the sound is still there, repeatedly. So these tables are registering minor normal play nudges, but the audio doesn't match the intensity of the nudge.
3) Plunger: the dead zone everybody mentions doesn't bother me. What bothers me is that even with calibration, a very short pull on the plunger (confirmed graphically looking at the digital plunger on the playfield) produces an almost full pull shot of the ball, making some skillshots, like No Good Gofers, basically impossible (ball always starts going up the ramp instead of hitting the stand-ups). I think I've seen this in the iOS version as well.
4) Some mechanical sounds don't seem to be tied into the sound sliders in the settings. For example, who knew opening and closing your eyes (Red and Ted) could be so loud? I tried reducing both the SFX and the physics sound sliders, but I don't think either affects the volume of these mechanical features.
All in all, I like the machine too much to be too bothered by these issues. I haven't checked to see if the PCB has a USB port for updates (no port through the metal shield and I haven't tried removing the shield), so I don't know if updates are possible.
1) Whitewater is basically unplayable. Earlier reviews I saw did not note this (Cooltoy, MichaelB), but I just saw it in a more recent Youtube review and confirmed it on my own machine. There is significant stuttering of the video and flipper delay. None of the other tables have this issue so I'm not sure what's going on here.
2) On some tables (only really noticed on Whitewater (see above) and Hurricane), even barely touching the table is recognized as a nudge, but the game plays a rather loud nudge sound effect for it. There is no large game affect of the nudge (i.e. the ball does not move around because of it), but the sound is still there, repeatedly. So these tables are registering minor normal play nudges, but the audio doesn't match the intensity of the nudge.
3) Plunger: the dead zone everybody mentions doesn't bother me. What bothers me is that even with calibration, a very short pull on the plunger (confirmed graphically looking at the digital plunger on the playfield) produces an almost full pull shot of the ball, making some skillshots, like No Good Gofers, basically impossible (ball always starts going up the ramp instead of hitting the stand-ups). I think I've seen this in the iOS version as well.
4) Some mechanical sounds don't seem to be tied into the sound sliders in the settings. For example, who knew opening and closing your eyes (Red and Ted) could be so loud? I tried reducing both the SFX and the physics sound sliders, but I don't think either affects the volume of these mechanical features.
All in all, I like the machine too much to be too bothered by these issues. I haven't checked to see if the PCB has a USB port for updates (no port through the metal shield and I haven't tried removing the shield), so I don't know if updates are possible.
- Thread starter
- #7
I did still have ball trails on and all other graphic effects off (pop-up scores, etc.), but turning it all off had no affect on White Water.
Zen has acknowledged the "Whitewater" table issue and has already stated that there will be a firmware update available to fix it.
It was also stated that the firmware update would be delivered via USB.
(Listen to the recent "Blahcade" Pinball Podcast #220 for more details of what might be included with the firmware update.)
The main caveat: It could be several months before the firmware update is issued since Zen wants to fix all known issues with one update -- if possible.
It was also stated that the firmware update would be delivered via USB.
(Listen to the recent "Blahcade" Pinball Podcast #220 for more details of what might be included with the firmware update.)
The main caveat: It could be several months before the firmware update is issued since Zen wants to fix all known issues with one update -- if possible.
As opposed to releasing the product after they fixed these issues that already existed? That isn't particularly cool. In general, anyone getting a table like this will be savvy enough to handle the USB updates.
Makes me feel less let down on not even having an opportunity to buy one of these.
Hey ... Is anybody still on this Forum??
"Strells", can you tell us how your "AFM" Cab is holding up? I've heard that Arcade1UP is shipping updated accelerometers to fix "Ghost Nudging"; plus they have revealed a diagnostic mode at start up that tests the Solenoids and provides calibration for the accelerometer.
"Strells", can you tell us how your "AFM" Cab is holding up? I've heard that Arcade1UP is shipping updated accelerometers to fix "Ghost Nudging"; plus they have revealed a diagnostic mode at start up that tests the Solenoids and provides calibration for the accelerometer.
- Thread starter
- #11
It's working fine now except, still, for White Water. I was experiencing the ghost/phantom nudging, but I've learned not to touch the machine during boot and before I start a table since I don't know when the calibration occurs, but when I don't touch it, the games work fine. I haven't heard anything about replacing the accelerometer. This seems like a software issue, not hardware.
I just got a Marvel table too but it's not nudging at all! I need to check that.
In case folks are curious on accessing the diagnostic mode: 1) turn off the machine. 2) Press and hold the settings button, launch button, and right flipper (hand/finger gymnastics) at the same time and turn on the machine, holding the buttons for about 30 seconds. 3) Press launch to start the tests.
I just got a Marvel table too but it's not nudging at all! I need to check that.
In case folks are curious on accessing the diagnostic mode: 1) turn off the machine. 2) Press and hold the settings button, launch button, and right flipper (hand/finger gymnastics) at the same time and turn on the machine, holding the buttons for about 30 seconds. 3) Press launch to start the tests.
Strells,
Wow! So you have a row of Pinball cabs now!
Yeah ... If you're having "Ghost Nudging" and/or "No Nudging" issues you should contact Arcade1UP support. In some instances they will ship you a new accelerometer chip. They're (relatively) easy to install since the entire table tilts up to provide access to the solenoids.
The guy in this video shows the procedure (but it's scary watching him wield that knife while fussing with the packaging!):
Wow! So you have a row of Pinball cabs now!
Yeah ... If you're having "Ghost Nudging" and/or "No Nudging" issues you should contact Arcade1UP support. In some instances they will ship you a new accelerometer chip. They're (relatively) easy to install since the entire table tilts up to provide access to the solenoids.
The guy in this video shows the procedure (but it's scary watching him wield that knife while fussing with the packaging!):
Members online
No members online now.
Members online
No members online now.
