BlahCade 115: Fifteen Trabillion Megadoodles

[jaredmorgs]

http://blahcadepinball.com/2017/10/17/Episode-115-Fifteen-Trabillion-Megadoodles.html


Jared is back on the internets again this episode. We have a large movies chat up-front, so skip through to about 15 minutes if that stuff bores you. Then it’s all about pinball. We talk about Zen personal tournaments and announce the next one that BlahCade will be running. Then we get into the interesting topic of a modern Stern game being included in the mothership TPA app. Jared also talks about an interesting side hustle he’s got going on.

 

[mmmagnetic]

Can´t wait to get into it!

I´ve been listening to some old episodes today to refresh my memory on your opinions on Zen table packs of the past. I´ve been really getting into Zen again recently and in one of those old episodes you talked about the Fox tables and how most Zen tables have very little helpful audios cues like "shoot this now!", which is still easily my biggest gripe (though they start to get better with more helpful inserts visually guiding the player across the table). Graphically they´re all amazing, but the user experience design still lags behind the classic Bally Williams type tables. Seems like making a DMD that is not only flashy but actually helpful and integrate it with SFX and visual cues is pretty hard.

Sorry, that was kinda of topic, but I just had that on my mind By the way, considering how niche your podcast is, it´s really entertaining, well paced and edited. I always enjoy listening to you guys, on topic or off topic! And you´ve got great podcast voices.

 

[jaredmorgs]

Wow, thanks heaps for the feedback.

 

[Gorgias32]

Chris, hope your knee is healing up well, that sounded like a really bad accident.

I have to say, after hearing your report on the beta testing of Ghostbusters on TPA, I'm preparing myself to be patient as they work the bugs out with this release. It's great for them to release it on the TPA platform, but the original SPA release on Android was a performance debacle that had to be yanked from the store, and which still doesn't support many Android devices to this day. I have a Pixel XL now, which does run SPA (although it makes the phone get quite hot), but hearing Jared talk about how jittery it is until you dump to the background and then reload is kind of scary. There's so much variety in Android devices, I am expecting it to be a tough release.

In any case, good for them releasing it, I am really looking forward to it! Ghostbusters is a great modern table.

 

[EldarOfSuburbia]

I'm also skeptical about GB on mobile devices, whether it's through TPA or SPA. I'm also in the beta and I can echo Jared's concerns. I have a Samsung device (a Galaxy Tab S2) and while GB runs and is smooth, it's slow as molasses - about half speed - which makes it a little bit on the easy side! I know from personal experience that a real GB Premium is far from easy to play. I tend to stick to simpler tables on my tablet - EMs and especially the early-80s tables, so EBD, Fathom, etc. are my go-to tables - so I don't think I'd have GB on my must-by list. I'll have it on PC with my Season 7 pass and I suspect it will play and look a lot better on that platform.

 

[Heretic]

Has anyone compared the speeds? I’d be a shame if it’s another twilight zone

 

[jaredmorgs]

I have to say, after hearing your report on the beta testing of Ghostbusters on TPA, I'm preparing myself to be patient as they work the bugs out with this release. It's great for them to release it on the TPA platform, but the original SPA release on Android was a performance debacle that had to be yanked from the store, and which still doesn't support many Android devices to this day. I have a Pixel XL now, which does run SPA (although it makes the phone get quite hot), but hearing Jared talk about how jittery it is until you dump to the background and then reload is kind of scary. There's so much variety in Android devices, I am expecting it to be a tough release.

I wouldn't be too concerned. The version I was commenting on was only the initial beta release. A whole host of issues we reported have been acknowledged by FarSight and I'm confident will be fixed before release.

SPA on Android is interesting in that it executes the ROM code natively. TPA emulates the code.

 

[mmmagnetic]

I hope that sound quality concern gets cleared up. I was pretty blown away how good ACDC, Star Trek and Mustang sounds in SPA - especially with the booming, intense effects on Star Trek.

On the other hand, for some odd reason I could never get the tables nearly as dark on SPA as on TPA, and if there´s anything that TPA has above other pinball software, it´s the great light mood.

And yeah, Chris, I hope your knee heals up properly, that sounds nasty.

 

[jaredmorgs]

Has anyone compared the speeds? I’d be a shame if it’s another twilight zone

It feels fast enough to me. And the main ramp is not a vacuum.

 

[shutyertrap]

Thanks for the knee support, guys. I'm doing these passive bending exercises daily (no flexing of muscle), that essentially is to break up the internal scar tissue. I'm also able to now lift my leg using quad muscles so long as I have my brace on. Speaking of, should be free from it in 3 weeks. That also means I'll finally be able to take a shower rather than giving myself sponge baths. You have no idea how much I'm looking forward to that!

By the way, I posted a 1 ball tourney for Empire Strikes Back on PBFX3. Search for shutyertrap and you'll find it, regardless of platform. Or so I've been told. Ends on Friday, NOT Saturday.

Fair warning, off topic subject I'm eyeballing for next session is talking about The Last of Us. Yeah, I'm way late to the party, but I just finished it and the add on chapter Left Behind. Do you guys enjoy cinematic, heavily story based games too?

 

[Jeff Strong]

Glad to hear things are progressing with the knee! Sponge bath patrol is definitely a bummer (been there done that), unless of course you can get a hot nurse involved heh.

...and The Last of Us is definitely a rad game.

 

[shutyertrap]

The thing I love about games like The Last of Us, Uncharted, and the last 2 Tomb Raider games is their replayability. Because the stories are so well written and woven into the actual game play, it's like watching your favorite action movie again and again. There are moments in these games I absolutely look forward to because they are so much fun to play and exciting to watch at the same time. Other than Last of Us (obviously), I've revisited all these games at least twice. Very few games can I say that about, even ones I loved like GTA: Vice City or the God of War series.

Here's how I actually would rank the games:

1) Uncharted 2 - It's the first one I played, I have an absolute soft spot for it, even if the final boss battle is a slog
2) Uncharted 4 - Pure brilliance, loved every moment of it, has the best story of the series. I should really have this as my #1
3) Rise of the Tomb Raider - Fixed every gripe I had with the first one, challenging yet never cruel. Gorgeous integration of environment and exploration
4) The Last of Us - You can't argue with its storytelling. Game mechanics aren't as much 'fun', but it's not an action game, it's horror.
5) Tomb Raider - Speaking of horror, this one has some sections that are unnerving. Puzzles are rather easy, ending boss is meh, but their are some extraordinarily fun sections that made me grin ear to ear.
6) Uncharted - The story is a bit thin, but the level design is super fun. It has charm and character that pave the way for all that follow.
7) Uncharted 3 - It tries too damn hard. I enjoyed it, but lost the thread of the story numerous times. It also goes a little nuts with the supernatural. Gorgeous environments though, and great multiplayer maps

I haven't picked up Uncharted: The Lost Legacy yet as $40 is a bit much for what I hear is a really short game. That said, it uses all the same mechanics and graphics as the 4th game which has me salivating. I've seen it on sale on Amazon for $26-29, and have put it in my cart numerous times before rethinking it. All else fails, someone can get it for me for Christmas.