Details on PC Cabinet support for TPA

[L33]

Think my maths might be a bit out there ha ha
Edit 10080 email

 

[EldarOfSuburbia]

Think my maths might be a bit out there ha ha
Edit 10080 email

I know this guy who has a friend who met someone from Russia who has contacts in Nigeria with the know-how to automate that for you.

As long as you think that eveyone from Ashley Madison is also interested in TPA can support, that is.

 

[Rooter]

I check in here every two months to see if any progress has been made yet. I guess I just like to be irritated every once in a while. I've been doing this for over 2 years now. It's got to stop.

 

[EldarOfSuburbia]

I'd say that the news about possible licensing issues is good news on the progress front. The fact that they're seeing this as a potential roadblock could well mean they've got an alpha or beta build ready for some kind of public release.

 

[frodus]

For me, the big things that would make a world of difference are:
- Movable DMD to 3rd monitor like PBFX2
- Analog Nudge like PBFX2
- Ability to toggle through joystick keys/joysticks to select axis/buttons like the analog nudge sensor. The way it is now, its impossible to "detect" correctly. I always have to plug in my xbox360 controller to set up buttons.
- Maybe direct table launch ability to help developers of front ends like Pinballx

View angles in my cabinet are fine for the most part. I don't use force feedback, coin mechanism, LED lighting nor a real DMD.

Everything else is just fine if you use Pinballx and Nukelauncher (and x360ce/xpadder if you're using a digital plunger/nudge sensor). I've got 118 games running right now and launching pretty flawlessly.

 

[chinzman93]

Per the Blahcade 21 podcast interview with Bobby: "Cabinet support is on indefinite hold due to business reasons..."

"Set course for...vaporware"

 

[jrolson]

I feel sorry for anyone who built a cab waiting for this...

 

[mpad]

Welcome to the omega quadrant.
built my cab for VP, pro pinball (vaporware alert!), and discovered TPA afterwards.
I have a lot of fun with the cab with VP, fx2, unit3D, even TPA is very playable and a real treat with dx11 and the cam mod. So I am pretty fine with my cab.
Official cab support would just put TPA on the throne and make it the best pinball software out there, so the loss is mostly on FS side. Loss in terms of honor and glory of course, not money.
And the concerns of the pinball manufacturers are just stupid. They can hope for any enthusiast they get for their dead industry. Virtual players eventually buy a real machine some day. I plan to.

 

[poposchmatzer]

I start to built a cabinet after FS announcment for cab support and the disappointment is great but taken together, not surprising. It began with the release. I remember poor graphics, no 2nd monitor support for backglass, neither digital plunger nor digital nudge controller support etc. etc. and at the end no cab mode. I think this piece of software makes not really sense, because without putting it into a real pinball box and playing on only one screen, split up with a dmd, its only about 25% of outstanding pinball feeling.

 

[pm1109]

Yup it's on the " not happening any time soon list"

Time to move on boys

 

[L33]

Wonder if business or licensing reasons prevents the dmd being moved...if not, then at least this would be something...in fact a dmd moved to a second screen would pretty much be cab mode for me. It gets in the way at present, and if moved gives a better look and feel straight away. Would be nice if FS could perhaps post a cab support bit of info on here too to give us some more info etc...and I mean that in a nice way. Just be good to know a bit more info.

 

[Robert Misner]

ok I have to ask does that mean ,no dmd on a different screen, or just the whole cab support as a product?
i just can't see how allowing the re positioning of the dmd and alpha numeric s would be the show stopper

 

[L33]

ok I have to ask does that mean ,no dmd on a different screen, or just the whole cab support as a product?
i just can't see how allowing the re positioning of the dmd and alpha numeric s would be the show stopper

Yeah, that's what I'm wondering. Whilst bells and whistles is the ultimate, I'd be happy with just the dmd moved. But knowing how things work...we'll probably find out that it's the moveable dmd that's causing the issues!

 

[chinzman93]

Conspiracy Theory: Farsight may have cut a deal with Stern to begin making some of their newer tables. Perhaps Stern's current/future licensing now includes digital recreation via a third party. However, this would be contingent on not having any kind of cab support that could cut into sales of their real machines.

***Disclaimer: This is purely speculation on my part based off comments in the Blahcade 21 podcast and my own imagination run-a-muck. Speculation is fun!

 

[mpad]

Yeah, make the DMD output / movable and call it what you want, cab support, schmab support.
Or Mike R. could put on his Batman costume and release it as a community mod. Hint hint.

 

[SilverBalls]

I just saw all the activity in this thread and thought it must be out......

Come on Farsight, as said above this will crown TPA as king of the pin sims. Some of us loyal cab owners promoted TPA months before it even got released. There are many more cab owners now, and a cab release will create a huge buzz in the community.

On the subject of lost revenue, since I built my cab in 2011, I have made more effort to seek out and play real pinball especially tables I have played in the virtual cab world. I just got back from holiday and must have spent about 40 Euros over 2 weeks playing real tables, much more that I would have spent pre-2011.

 

[L33]

Conspiracy Theory: Farsight may have cut a deal with Stern to begin making some of their newer tables. Perhaps Stern's current/future licensing now includes digital recreation via a third party. However, this would be contingent on not having any kind of cab support that could cut into sales of their real machines.

***Disclaimer: This is purely speculation on my part based off comments in the Blahcade 21 podcast and my own imagination run-a-muck. Speculation is fun!

Something's obviously happened cause I've received several email from FS and they've all been about the progress they have been making and parts they've been using etc...I even purchased several parts on the strength of this...then suddenly...cab support is indefinitely on hold! And when you think about it, how often do you ever get a straight or definite answer from FS? So to be given an answer like this, something's definitely changed this week. It's not great news really, cause having now made my cabinet it's so much more fun than on the iPad. I've been in the tourney this week on iPad and PC, and there's no comparison. Perhaps they'll sort out the dmd to be moveable, I'd settle for that, but perhaps it does have something to do with future licensing etc.

 

[EldarOfSuburbia]

Something's obviously happened cause I've received several email from FS and they've all been about the progress they have been making and parts they've been using etc...I even purchased several parts on the strength of this...then suddenly...cab support is indefinitely on hold! And when you think about it, how often do you ever get a straight or definite answer from FS? So to be given an answer like this, something's definitely changed this week. It's not great news really, cause having now made my cabinet it's so much more fun than on the iPad. I've been in the tourney this week on iPad and PC, and there's no comparison. Perhaps they'll sort out the dmd to be moveable, I'd settle for that, but perhaps it does have something to do with future licensing etc.

Well... the podcast was recorded last week, but the answers to the questions were already around since the previous podcast, over a month ago (end of July).

So I imagine cab support was "indefinitely suspended" some time mid-late July.

FS have had their current cab build at every show they've been to - but didn't have it at ReplayFX, which was end of July/beginning of Aug, if that's telling.

 

[chinzman93]

Well... the podcast was recorded last week, but the answers to the questions were already around since the previous podcast, over a month ago (end of July).

So I imagine cab support was "indefinitely suspended" some time mid-late July.

FS have had their current cab build at every show they've been to - but didn't have it at ReplayFX, which was end of July/beginning of Aug, if that's telling.

Are there any newer videos of the cabinet in action at those shows? I would love to see it. I wouldn't be surprised if there is a working build, unfortunately only Mike and crew will get to play it. Somehow it sucks more to know that they were close and won't release than had they never started at all. Oh well, I guess back to VP and Unit3d. The real appeal of TPA was the hope that it would end up on my cab. Maybe someday...

 

[mpad]

I don't understand the logic. It's like need for speed supporting a steering wheel will prevent people from buying / renting / driving real Ferraris.