DLC Release Date

[Mungoholly]

very true i agree with Nik,i could never afford the real life versions of these tables,and really am not interested in the numerous pinball simulators available for download on the pc/mac.

patience is a virtue and i'm happy to say i've still got mine

I love where we are in relation to todays technology and whats available to us,however i'm not a fan of this "i want everything and i want it now" attitude that exsists today..

reminds me of verruca salt from "charlie and the chocolate factory"

 

[Emmanuel Papillon]

Granted Farsight's PR and communication sucks................ but

I'd much rather wait for something decent than get a rushed set of tables full of yet more bugs.

But here it's precisely a bug correction that was announced and not released... I don't even want new tables, I just want them to fix pack #3. Why it doesn't work in the first place is beyond me, how could they miss the Monster Bash bug?

 

[Volitar Prime]

I also don't care about new DLC anymore, i haven't even bought DLC #3 yet. I'm waiting for them to fix it first along with what I already paid for (the core tables, DLC #1 & #2). When they announced that they fixed the Monster Bash bug for "ALL platforms" (their words) i got excited thinking that I can finally buy DLC #3. But my excitement died when I found that the Xbox 360 is not considered part of "ALL platforms". That is why I feel abandoned.

 

[BonzoGonzo]

that actually means the patch for it is done, just not available on the xbla

 

[xAzatothx]

that actually means the patch for it is done, just not available on the xbla

yup - agree with this. Given the poor communication, people just need to read between the lines.

Last year I purchased PAC-MAN Championship Edition DX from Xbox live. Brilliant game and what kept me coming back was the online highscore tables. However scores rapidly appeared which were impossibly high and the matching replay feature didn't back up the score. The developer completely abandoned the product and didn't bother to tackle the cheats or reset the high scores. I've not played the game since............

I think we need get some perspective and be grateful that FR are addressing older tables and issues (albeit slowly - given they need to make money off new tables). They are also talking about improvements to all aspects of the product.

 

[Emmanuel Papillon]

that actually means the patch for it is done, just not available on the xbla

Well, why should we care at all, then? And how on Earth did it take them that long to fix such a bug? And it doesn't work anyway, since they said "the bug is fixed, the leaderboards have been reset for ALL platforms" - and they haven't. It's not "we will reset", it's "we have reset", past, which makes sense only after a patch has been released. So they lied or made a mistake, again.

No, the simple truth is they don't consider the 360 as a Pinball Arcade platform. Which, in a sense, we already knew, it's been painfully obvious since the very start.

xAzatothx: very poor, misleading comparison. Pac-Man CE DX doesn't have any sort of bug, anywhere. They didn't take care of pirate scores, maybe, but frankly I didn't notice, and I have S ranks on all levels and all modes in this game, and enjoyed it in a way the Pinball Arcade could only dream of. You can't put on the same level a game released in perfect condition from the very start with a game with tons of obvious, lazy bugs that take months to be corrected, sorry. The Pinball Arcade is the most shoddy piece of software I've played on XBLA, period.

And it's a shame, because there's some talent and fun in there, too.

 

[Rudy]

I don't think we're going to see the end of Xbox dlc, but at the same time I just don't think we're going to get an update before Christmas.

Even thought Farsight aren't legally required to provide the kickstarter DLC (Seriously, check out Deak of Animal Collective not providing anything for the money he raised) they will most likely be publishing it sooner or later (probably about mid-January) This basically gives them until November 30th to complete the Twilight Zone DLC and stick it through the xbox process. 6 weeks after November 30th leaves us at about Wednesday 16th January.

See this is where the whole Star Trek kickstarter doesn't seem to fit, surely it'd have made sense to do one every 6 months to allow for progressive DLC... instead they've basically stuck all of their eggs in once basket and now have to rush out TWO extra tables in addition to their usual two per month tables. Two extra tables which will most likely be the equivalent of two table packs given how much stuff there needs to be done in the pack.

Worse still, this basically means that either we have to wait until both tables are out to get the DLC or get one roughly a month or so late and the other one about 4-5 months late. The fact that they discovered the Microsoft problems midway through the Star Trek kickstarter shows that if they'd waited just a little bit more... they'd have ended up with a more reasonable timeslot. But I guess they had to strike the iron while it was hot in order to make the Star Trek DLC happen.

I know it's easy to say "What's the problem with waiting?", but the longer this goes on... the more it seems like Farsight messed up by releasing the home console versions so soon. It's pretty obvious that the android and iOS are their most profitable platforms and they could have easily kept this a primarily handheld based game until they looked into the angles of distribution on home consoles. We could still have had kickstarters with "you get a free copy of X version when it eventually comes out", building the hype until we got the console versions with better graphics and smoother rendering and whatnot.

I haven't given up on Farsight, but the longer we wait, the longer people will just end up gradually forgetting we own this game. I keep looking at my Arcade titles and having a double take at some of the things I own, I just wouldn't like to see this turn into one of those.

 

[lettuce]

Not only are us eager TPA players going to forget about DLC over time, what about people who have bought the game and are not on this forum and dont go on FS facebook page that much they will have probably already forgot about the game and wont have any idea if or when new DLC is being release and the only time you know without visiting here or the facebook page is when they loads the game and get a prompt for an update and if they've forgotten about the game then their not going to play it and see there's an update!.

That why i think FS need to release a Retail disc at the start of the new year with table packs up to 9 or 10 DLC and all fixes include, that way they will get more coverage and make more people aware of TPA!!

 

[Mark W**a]

They should do a retail disc. Extra revenue, new cutomers who aren't online, raised awareness of the game. I'm for real. Like as real as it gets.

 

[mark21667]

You need to get real, Mark.

 

[Rudy]

I don't think we're going to see a disc version of this game for some time. Part of the reason why I think it worked so well as an arcade game was because digital distribution meant that in theory they could get DLC out a lot easier, plus it'd be cheaper to just stick it directly through the digital medium rather than produce thousands of disks.

Yes TPA would get more sales being sold as a disk... but would those sales wipe out the cost of producing the initial run in the first place? Plus without a major distributor backing them, there's no way that they'll get a prominent slot in a GAME or Best Buy, they'd probably be lucky to get sold at a supermarket considering how technically niche the title is.

DLC is the future of gaming, unfortunately, the cost of going so far into the future already is that only a fraction of people are ready to make the step up in the first place. The entire target market is about 18-40 year olds because who lets their kid use a credit card unless they're loaded? Yes, they've stunted their target audience (in an already niche subject) but as a result they have much more control over what they can release. I don't think ANY of us would see The Twilight Zone or Star Trek:TNG if TPA had been released as a disc first and foremost.

 

[Nik Barbour]

I've got what I needed, Farsight stating no plans to ditch xbox. I'll now wait happily.

Thread email notification deleted! (whiney little "word for multiple female dogs").

I gonna try and complete 'Battle for the Kingdom" and the other Wizard goals I haven't finished yet - that should take me till Christmas.
Any serious pinhead would never forget about TPA or Farsight due to delayed dlc. Show me the alternative product you're gonna defect to.

 

[xAzatothx]

I've got what I needed, Farsight stating no plans to ditch xbox. I'll now wait happily.

Thread email notification deleted! (whiney little "word for multiple female dogs").

I gonna try and complete 'Battle for the Kingdom" and the other Wizard goals I haven't finished yet - that should take me till Christmas.
Any serious pinhead would never forget about TPA or Farsight due to delayed dlc. Show me the alternative product you're gonna defect to.

+1 ^^^^^^^^ what he said. King of Payne is gonna get it!

 

[Mark W**a]

So who here thinks well get the next three tables this month and why, and who thinks November and why. And who thinks 2013.

 

[karl]

My guess: it takes between 5-8 weeks from they send in the next title update until that is available (first 3-4 weeks of approval then 2-4 weeks before it gets a release) The next title update will probably include packs-4-7 and TZ. Microsoft will probably not release all packs together so there is a big chance that TZ will come out before some of the other packs since Farsight will try to get that one out as soon as possible. The title update will probably go out late October-early November. That means tables will start pouring out from end of November or beginning of December. (this is of course purely speculation) Another option is that Farsight will change the structure of the xbox version and release Pinball Arcade 2 (or update the old one to be able to release stand alone tables) If they go for that last option there will probably be a longer waiting period. Anyway there is no way there will be tables before late November if Farsight still has not submitted the Title update. It sucks, but it is just the way it is, so just get used to it. All this talk about Farsight abandoning xbox is crap. The only reason for this happening is the cost Microsoft put on the developers. It has nothing to do with xbox getting low priority from farsight. All tables so far has been developed on the xbox first so in theory that could have been the first console to see releases. In the long run, the only way they can release regularly on the xbox is to find a way to not use a title update for new tables but that also means less bug fixes for old tables. If that means longer beta testing for the xbox it is fine by me. PS! I know very little about how things really work, this is only pure speculation from following this subject closely. Sorry for the long rant

 

[Emmanuel Papillon]

It sucks, but it is just the way it is, so just get used to it.

The problem is, I've never seen such a mess with any other game on XBLA, including a competing pinball game. So no, I don't have to "get used to it", and I won't make up reasons why it'd be Microsoft's fault. They either improve their service, or I don't buy their stuff, and currently I'm not buying their stuff, because it's shoddy, lazy, and bugged.

 

[Carl Spiby]

The problem is, I've never seen such a mess with any other game on XBLA, including a competing pinball game. So no, I don't have to "get used to it", and I won't make up reasons why it'd be Microsoft's fault. They either improve their service, or I don't buy their stuff, and currently I'm not buying their stuff, because it's shoddy, lazy, and bugged.

The other pinball game is published by Microsoft so I would guess they will largely be free of problems. Farsight is a small unimportant developer as far as MS are concerned.

 

[Sean DonCarlos]

The problem is, I've never seen such a mess with any other game on XBLA, including a competing pinball game. So no, I don't have to "get used to it", and I won't make up reasons why it'd be Microsoft's fault.

For whatever reason, Microsoft charges what many consider to be an extreme fee for submissions and restricts the number of title updates an XBLA title may have. So given that TPA has to have title updates to contain the code to make its new tables work, it is perfectly reasonable to expect FarSight to consolidate as many DLC packs as possible into one title update, saving money and conserving the limited number of updates. It's not a matter of fault, it's a matter of business sense.

They either improve their service, or I don't buy their stuff, and currently I'm not buying their stuff, because it's shoddy, lazy, and bugged.

From what I understand from reading these fora, the 360 version actually has had the least number of bugs and issues out of all the platforms on which TPA is currently available. The 360 version has a delivery problem, not a content problem.

 

[SilverBalls]

I still can't believe that Microsoft charge XBox owners to play online. The WII didn't do this, neither does the PS3 as far as I know. You would think that the commission they get per sale plus extortionate fees they charge developers would be enough to make online gaming free. I am beginning to regret buying my children the XBox as I will have to pay for two accounts once the free trial has expired.

 

[Mike Reitmeyer]

Xbox 360 leaderboards are separate from all other platforms, due to Microsofts rules about leaderboard servers. They will be reset when we put out the next patch.