Attn: Farsight Representatives

[WildWingMafia]

I know that there are representatives from FarSight that visit this forum from time to time. I took the time to address your company as a loyal customer. I hope that you'll take the time to read this and perhaps even respond.

I know I'm not alone in this, but I'm beyond aggravated. FarSight? I want to love you guys. I want to support you guys. I've purchased every table on iOS. I purchased all of the pro packs. I've purchased every table available for PS3 and Xbox 360. I got a Mac recently and the first thing I did was download and purchase every table and every pro pack. I tell all of my friends to download the app. I want FarSight to succeed.

Early on there were some issues. Bugs. Balls through flippers. The occasional crash. I kept telling myself, "FarSight will fix these. Just a minor inconvenience." But as time went on and more tables were released, it seemed the game got buggier. Artwork was more suspect. Suddenly PS3 were months behind on table availability and Xbox 360 was stuck in limbo. But at least I had my iPad to hold me over. "Scared Stiff works pretty well on iOS, that will shut me up and keep me from complaining about artwork and slowdown issues on other tables", I told myself. "Twilight Zone is playable... I'll ignore the fact that the Powerball in Twilight Zone doesn't look like a Powerball"

I recently bought the pro pack for Scared Stiff... To turn family mode off. Something that should have been a standard option to begin with. I can't play two games in a row without the game crashing. I can't enter a high-score and the game just stays on that screen forever. So I just paid money to break the game? To make the game worse?

Never fear though- new updates were soon to arrive! New ball mechanics! Heck, even Star Trek: TNG earlier than expected. So I downloaded and updateed on all devices. Purchased Star Trek and got ready to play--- only to find out that I'm stuck playing sideways?!?!?! Seriously- how many people play sideways where you can't see the whole table on an iPad?

I figured I can find a fix for this online. So I came to the forums because FarSight didn't have the decency, courtesy, (FORESIGHT?) to say 'hey, default is landscape, but you can change it to portrait with this button.' When I came back to the app, all of my tables were gone. I had only the free Arabian Nights table. And yes I'm logged in with the right name.

FarSight, this has gone on far too long. Through game-breaking bugs I stuck with you and continued to support you. Though I could never post to leader boards or login because of a bug in earlier versions, I stuck with you. But this kind of buggy nonsense is an insult to people like myself who have spent hundreds of dollars on your product (not to mention the complaints I hear from those who donated to your Kickstarter campaigns.) If you don't treat your customers with respect, they will leave. If you continually put out shoddy or malfunctioning product, they will leave.

There is no excuse for this as a software manufacturer. You put out an update we're supposed to be ecstatic with and it contains frustrations and game-breaking, table vanishing bugs. Do you not test the games? Do you not employ testers whose job it is to find bugs during alpha and beta testing? What about the public beta testing for Kickstarter contributors?

Look. I said it before, and I'll say it again. I want you to succeed, FarSight. I'm behind your mission. I want the resurgence of pinball to start with your company. But sometimes I feel like you think we're all a bunch of desperate fans who will buy your product no matter what because, "hey, where else can a desperate pinball fan go to get their fix?"

It is that core community of desperate pinball fans whom you must assume 'can live with' the sub-par experience you're releasing. It is that core group of fans who rallied you to high spots on the charts and nominations for game of the year in multiple arenas. It's the same group of fans who you beg to get you numbers on Steam's Greenlight list. Maybe there's a reason why some fans are less than enthusiastic now. The same fans who talked you up can also be vocal in those arenas when it comes to not getting what they paid for.

Maybe there's a false notion that these are disposable games or casual games and "what more do you want from an iPhone game?" Just be happy it's more entertaining than MineSweeper. But that's not how you marketed your experience. You marketed to the more expensive platforms. This is not a .99 cent game. Like I said earlier, I have hundreds of dollars invested in these games because while the tables are a 'value', they are not 'cheap.' You're not a 'cheap' company. I doubt you want to be labelled as one because of the number and nature of frustrations you're allowing to be published in your games. You marketed Pinball Arcade as the pinnacle of pinball recreation. I went to the Pinball Hall of Fame the other day and I assure you that while there were issues with some tables, none of the tables vanished after I gave the operator money.

So on behalf of the community, I'm asking for an apology. I'm asking for some real answers. I'm asking you to fix the problems that have plagued our romance for so long and continue to drive a wedge between us. Promptly. I'm asking you to spend the money and work the hours, and hire the people to get out updates that make the games function in the manner we believed they would (and common business decency dictates they should) when we first purchased them. In short, I'm asking you, Farsight, to show some love to the players who first loved you.

Here's hoping for a Christmas miracle.

If you want to contact me for any reason, please do not hesitate to message me.

Sincerely,

WWM

 

[Palmer Eldritch]

good luck, mate

 

[night]

Ball and camera stutter problems on my iPad2 iOS6, for months... Only a few tables are unaffected, the rest is unplayable... TZ, ST: TNG, I won't buy them, they hardly function, all I see is a ball that moves like tt-hh-iii-ss. I was having hopes for the TPA update, which I downloaded an hour ago. But I should have know better.. FarSight employees here on the forum keep their mouth shut and that tells probably enough. Another great example of customer support, ignoring the issue, they take you money and run.

 

[Soluzar]

Hundreds of dollars? How many different platforms have you bought every single table for that it adds up to hundreds of dollars?

That aside, I understand your frustrations. I've been very lucky not to run into the bug regarding lost purchases.

Also I run IOS 5 on my iPad. I presume that makes a difference. No reason to upgrade honestly.

 

[Georgiedee]

Night,

I had the same thing on my iPad and I resolved it after I switched the Post Processing Main Menu option to : Off

I hope this works for you.

 

[Bonzo]

FarSight employees here on the forum keep their mouth shut and that tells probably enough. Another great example of customer support, ignoring the issue, they take you money and run.

Seriously?

 

[Sean]

I will agree that some of these issues have been annoying, but an open letter like this for the forum seems a wee bit OTT to me.

I'm not going to apologise for Farsight "on behalf of the community," but this is a game, a hobby, and if Farsight was indeed showing signs of "taking the money and running" as another poster accuses, then I agree some outrage would be in order, but the fact is that they haven't. They are aware of issues, they are working on them, they are supporting multiple platforms and they are interacting with fans on a fan-run board. The latter, especially, isn't a usual thing and I think shows that they do care about their fans.

I think some folk have lost a little perspective here. I've also given Farsight a decent amount of money, but rather than get frustrated about the issues I mail their support team and I've been satisfied with a response so I know someone is listening. I don't need Jay Obernolte to pick up a phone and call me or send me a memo (though I've had the odd email exchange over the past five years) to tell me what they're doing to make improvements.

Try to focus on what's working, report problems when you encounter them, but also try to have a constructive attitude and remember that the people working on the game are dealing with other things. Just because you spend money on a product doesn't give you special rights over them or make them accountable to you. If no one is doing anything, then yes, I'd say you have every right to complain, but I don't feel like Farsight are ignoring their customers at all.

 

[night]

Night,

I had the same thing on my iPad and I resolved it after I switched the Post Processing Main Menu option to : Off

I hope this works for you.

Hi there Georgiedee, unfortunately, there seems no 'Post Processing Main Menu option' for the iPad2..

 

[ScotchYeti]

WildWingMafia nailed it.

I guess it depends on the platform but as a PS3 owner I can completely understand the frustration. Reports have been sent months ago and we get NO feedback. None. And each new patch introduces something new like the "weak plunger" issue we had recently. Or the staged upper flippers that require you to press the buttons really hard now. Or simple things like wrong local highscores that you would see immediately if you would test in an environment that we customer have.

I better stop now and hope for a christmal miracle as well.

Frustrated? Yes, but also loving it and in one year we will laugh about the shaky first steps and enjoy brilliant pinball action.

 

[sharkbear]

Try to focus on what's working, report problems when you encounter them, but also try to have a constructive attitude and remember that the people working on the game are dealing with other things. Just because you spend money on a product doesn't give you special rights over them or make them accountable to you. If no one is doing anything, then yes, I'd say you have every right to complain, but I don't feel like Farsight are ignoring their customers at all.

This, and it could be cut/paste in response to hundreds of posts on this board in the past month.

 

[Sinistar]

Maybe there's a false notion that these are disposable games or casual games and "what more do you want from an iPhone game?" Just be happy it's more entertaining than MineSweeper. But that's not how you marketed your experience. You marketed to the more expensive platforms. This is not a .99 cent game. Like I said earlier, I have hundreds of dollars invested in these games because while the tables are a 'value', they are not 'cheap.' You're not a 'cheap' company. I doubt you want to be labelled as one because of the number and nature of frustrations you're allowing to be published in your games. You marketed Pinball Arcade as the pinnacle of pinball recreation

THIS ! You put it very eloquently , one does get the impression that they dont take their game very seriously somewhere along the line in QA testing , but then I skim over the beta testers posts, and I know differently , but somehow , there's a feeling it could be better .

 

[Pinballfan69]

The pro mode on all tables costing an additional $3 - $4 each is annoying to me. You mean to tell me we have to pay an additional $4 per table to access the operators option to change table difficulty etc? It's something that should have been an option from the start. In actuality, we are paying $7- $8 per table (not including TZ and STTNG Which is nearly $10 per table with pro mode) I know it's an option and most likely casual players will not even bother. But on some tables I would like to change the difficulty and make the tables more like what PAPA can do.

 

[bonch]

Never fear though- new updates were soon to arrive! New ball mechanics! Heck, even Star Trek: TNG earlier than expected. So I downloaded and updateed on all devices. Purchased Star Trek and got ready to play--- only to find out that I'm stuck playing sideways?!?!?! Seriously- how many people play sideways where you can't see the whole table on an iPad?

The menu is landscape-only, but games can still be played in portrait orientation.

 

[Sumez]

The pro mode on all tables costing an additional $3 - $4 each is annoying to me. You mean to tell me we have to pay an additional $4 per table to access the operators option to change table difficulty etc? It's something that should have been an option from the start. In actuality, we are paying $7- $8 per table (not including TZ and STTNG Which is nearly $10 per table with pro mode) I know it's an option and most likely casual players will not even bother. But on some tables I would like to change the difficulty and make the tables more like what PAPA can do.

Considering how cheap a regular stand-alone table is, I think it's fair that they milk the people who -really- dig the pinball tables for a bit more, if they want to access the more advanced features. Yeah, I'd love to have it included as well, but for $7-10 for a full pinball table with pro mode, I definitely don't see how anyone can complain.
TZ was originally intended to be $10 without pro, but they lowered the price when they figured it was viable, because they WANT their tables to be free.

 

[Sean]

I can't say I'm too fussed about a top-up for pro mode, but charging the same price as the table does seem excessive. I had no problem paying the discounted rate offered for Arabian Nights. At that price I'd probably buy it for all tables, though honestly I haven't been that bothered. Releasing alternate ball skins was nice to do at the same time and we are getting a tournament mode which is welcome.

One question though: I note that the ball skin is remembered on a per table basis, so why can't we have other settings like camera angles remembered on a per-table basis as well?

 

[Dan]

The pro mode on all tables costing an additional $3 - $4 each is annoying to me. You mean to tell me we have to pay an additional $4 per table to access the operators option to change table difficulty etc? It's something that should have been an option from the start. In actuality, we are paying $7- $8 per table (not including TZ and STTNG Which is nearly $10 per table with pro mode) I know it's an option and most likely casual players will not even bother. But on some tables I would like to change the difficulty and make the tables more like what PAPA can do.

Hear, hear.

 

[HOW]

Hi All

What a great, heartfelt original post from WildWingMafia.
I agree with an awful lot of this-Sadly.

Anyone know if FS are privately owned or driven by shareholders/equity 'partners'?
From what I can gather they're raking in more $$$ on mobile - especially IOS - than they anticipated.
Yet - They seem compelled to churn out more and more product that's 1. Not 100%, 2. Promised but non-existent (missed console-Zero PC).
I was curious as to the business model.
I think SOO many people would now be OK to see a hold on new releases-or 1 or 2 Top Tables per Quarter and FS to:

1. Full Bug/Art fix across all tables
2. Level up table releases for consoles to match mobile
3. Major PC Progress and table releases (Maybe vote on three or four PC Tables to release initially?)
4. Fix early SS emulation issues (Scripting sucks)

Thoughts?
Andy

 

[epthegeek]

Hi All
3. Major PC Progress and table releases (Maybe vote on three or four PC Tables to release initially?)
Andy

Screw this noise. A lot.

Whenever the PC version finally shows up, it better have every single add-on table available from the start. Not included free, mind you, just available to buy. Since first news of Pinball Arcade I was anxiously awaiting the PC version, as I have a digital pin which should be nothing short of awesome with Pinball Arcade. But then months and months went by and the PC version just keeps getting kicked down the road. The very least they can do for those of us waiting for the PC version is make sure all the tables are ready to go whenever they finally get the DRM/Distribution crap they're apparently wrangling with worked out.

 

[HOW]

Screw this noise. A lot.

Whenever the PC version finally shows up, it better have every single add-on table available from the start. Not included free, mind you, just available to buy. Since first news of Pinball Arcade I was anxiously awaiting the PC version, as I have a digital pin which should be nothing short of awesome with Pinball Arcade. But then months and months went by and the PC version just keeps getting kicked down the road. The very least they can do for those of us waiting for the PC version is make sure all the tables are ready to go whenever they finally get the DRM/Distribution crap they're apparently wrangling with worked out.

Ideally all PC tables for Sure!
But would you agree to a freeze/big slow on new releases to achieve?
My post is just pointing out that I feel alot of fans would be OK with a freeze.
They run the risk of releasing all the Top/Memorable to the Casual Player tables anyway I feel....

 

[brakel]

Hi All

What a great, heartfelt original post from WildWingMafia.
I agree with an awful lot of this-Sadly.

Anyone know if FS are privately owned or driven by shareholders/equity 'partners'?
From what I can gather they're raking in more $$$ on mobile - especially IOS - than they anticipated.
Yet - They seem compelled to churn out more and more product that's 1. Not 100%, 2. Promised but non-existent (missed console-Zero PC).
I was curious as to the business model.
I think SOO many people would now be OK to see a hold on new releases-or 1 or 2 Top Tables per Quarter and FS to:

1. Full Bug/Art fix across all tables
2. Level up table releases for consoles to match mobile
3. Major PC Progress and table releases (Maybe vote on three or four PC Tables to release initially?)
4. Fix early SS emulation issues (Scripting sucks)

Thoughts?
Andy

They are privately held.

There's no money flow when they aren't releasing product. No money flow = no money to pay people = no people to fix problems.