Details on PC Cabinet support for TPA

[TomL]

It can't be a huge amount of work to leverage [this] to work with [that].

No offense, but the only times I hear someone make such a statement is when it's someone *else* who has to do the actual work, and when it *does* take a lot of effort to make [this] work with [that].

 

[Sean DonCarlos]

No offense, but the only times I hear someone make such a statement is when it's someone *else* who has to do the actual work, and when it *does* take a lot of effort to make [this] work with [that].

First Law of Software Estimating: Double the time estimate and round up to the next higher time unit. Double again if a non-programmer made the initial time estimate.

Second Law of Software Estimating: Triple the cost estimate. Add a zero to the end if a non-programmer made the initial cost estimate.

Anyone who thinks these are just witty cynicisms has never participated in a real-world software project.

 

[Ark Malmeida]

You can find all the information at vpforums.org.

Thanks Sotie. I've read through the virtual pinball forum there and it definitely has some good stuff (some of the build threads are good), but the thread on hardware hasn't been updated since 2009. Am I missing more in-depth stuff there? Maybe I just have to dig a little bit more.

 

[Ark Malmeida]

First Law of Software Estimating: Double the time estimate and round up to the next higher time unit. Double again if a non-programmer made the initial time estimate.

Second Law of Software Estimating: Triple the cost estimate. Add a zero to the end if a non-programmer made the initial cost estimate.

Anyone who thinks these are just witty cynicisms has never participated in a real-world software project.

As someone who has participated in many real-world software projects I can say this is absolutely true. Just makes it all the more amazing to realize hoe much Farsight has been able to accomplish with such a small team.

 

[Lostboy]

Hi Lostboy, I read that comment by Mike differently than you did. My understanding of it was that he was saying they are looking into somehow getting a virtual cabinet into their office so they can use it for development. I'm quite sure that he wasn't saying they would be offering or partnering with anyone else that offers it for sale.

Doh. I was wondering that. Ah well, I'm still dreaming that someday this can happen.

 

[freezy]

First Law of Software Estimating: Double the time estimate and round up to the next higher time unit. Double again if a non-programmer made the initial time estimate.

Second Law of Software Estimating: Triple the cost estimate. Add a zero to the end if a non-programmer made the initial cost estimate.

Anyone who thinks these are just witty cynicisms has never participated in a real-world software project.

Sure, and if I let my three year old daughter estimate, add another zero!!!

Seriously, it IS possible to deliver in time. Look up scrum, look up agile development. Get to know the velocity of your team. By forcing devs to re-estimate their workload constantly, they eventually WILL get good at it. If you're constantly failing at your estimations, you're doing something wrong.

 

[Sean DonCarlos]

Sure, and if I let my three year old daughter estimate, add another zero!!!

The difference is your three-year-old daughter is not the developers' boss, who has just promised software to the client by X without consciously estimating at all.

 

[freezy]

The difference is your three-year-old daughter is not the developers' boss, who has just promised software to the client by X without consciously estimating at all.

Then it's called bad management, not software development.

 

[TomL]

Whether it's bad management or software development or a 3 yro, the fact is that we live in the real world, and we cannot realistically just say "I'm not the TPA programmer, but I feel that [this feature] ought to be simple to do. So why isn't it ready yet?"

 

[freezy]

Whether it's bad management or software development or a 3 yro, the fact is that we live in the real world, and we cannot realistically just say "I'm not the TPA programmer, but I feel that [this feature] ought to be simple to do. So why isn't it ready yet?"

Nobody said that.

 

[Sean DonCarlos]

Nobody said that.

People have been saying that since TPA was first released! Better lighting, harder difficulty settings, tournament changes, controller support for mobiles, bug fixes of all kinds and descriptions, you name it, people have whined that it's not ready and they don't know why because it should be "simple". People have been armchair-developing this game for nearly 18 months now.

 

[Nightwing]

People have been saying that since TPA was first released! Better lighting, harder difficulty settings, tournament changes, controller support for mobiles, bug fixes of all kinds and descriptions, you name it, people have whined that it's not ready and they don't know why because it should be "simple". People have been armchair-developing this game for nearly 18 months now.

This is so true...

 

[karl]

And yet they are still here because this is the best by far pin simulation around We all want constant progress because the ground level is so good and we all have our own ideas about what would make it even more perfect

In my view the future is bright but I do not want to face it wearing shades (early Friday drunken philosophy)

 

[superballs]

I made this video a few years ago.

"Cabinet" mode on the cheap.
Laptop with ok gaming capabilities + Monitor + Rubber rollup keyboard.
It's no frills but can be built upon as you go.

 

[warh0g]

I made this video a few years ago.

"Cabinet" mode on the cheap.
Laptop with ok gaming capabilities + Monitor + Rubber rollup keyboard.
It's no frills but can be built upon as you go.

I've watched this before I started with TPA

 

[Mike Reitmeyer]

I heard a while ago that FarSight was going to offer cabinet support. I thought this was a great idea, but not realistic for me. I wouldn't know where to start to build one, and don't want to invest too much time learning how. Then I saw a comment by Mike Reitmeyer which said they were looking into partnering or getting a cabinet. This is great news! Now, I'm actually considering the PC version, depending on the development of this.

I've always wanted my own pinball table. But it's hard to get one you really like, for a decent price. And if I did, I'd always be worrying about repairing the mechanics. I want something with low maintenance.

In the hopes that FarSight offers their own cabinet, I have a long wishlist of things I would love to see in a virtual Pinball Arcade cabinet. These are ideas from someone that doesn't know the first thing about building a cabinet.
-2 screens. On the backglass screen, I wouldn't want to see any Pinball Arcade art, just a screen. I think it would be better to simulate the DMD, speakers, etc, on screen, instead of actual ones. It would keep it more universal for all the different looking machines and I'd like to see them as original as possible.
-A plunger.
-Enough buttons to support games that use more.
-Light(s) on top of the backglass for games that use these.
-Some kind of sensor for nudging.
-A light sensor, which auto adjusts the table lighting.
-A dedicated computer built in just for TPA, with high end graphics. I'm not sure how expensive this would be. I really wouldn't like to drag my computer over each time I want to play a game. But at the same time, I wouldn't want to pay an extra $1000 for this.
-Future proof / upgradable. When new TV technology and computer graphics advance, I'd like to update my cabinet, without having to rebuild the whole thing.

Hi Lostboy, I read that comment by Mike differently than you did. My understanding of it was that he was saying they are looking into somehow getting a virtual cabinet into their office so they can use it for development. I'm quite sure that he wasn't saying they would be offering or partnering with anyone else that offers it for sale.

Yes, I meant partnering to get hardware to develop on.

FarSight isn't really setup to do "manufacturing" or hardware sales.

 

[Lostboy]

Yes, I meant partnering to get hardware to develop on.

FarSight isn't really setup to do "manufacturing" or hardware sales.

Ah well. It was fun dreaming. Thanks for the reply. Maybe I actually will look into what it takes to build my own cabinet.

 

[karl]

Mike, you should contact Paul from http://virtuapin.net/. He has the best reputation among the virtual pinball crowd. (You both have big adds in the same magazine btw) I am sure you could make a good deal with him

 

[flywithsean]

And Mike just proved my point. Cabinet support ain't coming anytime soon.

 

[The loafer]

Well, zen is about to give us cabinet support so never say never.