Farsight comes clean on issues with 360 platform

[shutyertrap]

Nothing like taking this way off topic, but...

Along with the quarters lining up, I also remember when all the fighting games, Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter, were big and if you wanted to play, you had to pay not just for you, but for the guy that was the current winner. If you didn't wanna pay for him, he'd just play single player until there was a challenger willing to pony up. Ah, arcade politics!

 

[Fuseball]

I only hope that FS put the effort (testing) in to make sure that when the DLC does get submitted, it's as bug free as possible. I will be disappointed if BK (for example) is no better than the PS3 version after all this time. The 360 is definitely my platform of choice in terms of playability, but I think it's paramount for the bugs, problems and inaccuracies highlighted by other releases to be addressed by the time the less-frequent 360 updates appear. That would make the wait worthwhile.

Who knows? Maybe the lighting slider could be ready by the time we see another update?

 

[Richard B]

Nothing like taking this way off topic, but...

Along with the quarters lining up, I also remember when all the fighting games, Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter, were big and if you wanted to play, you had to pay not just for you, but for the guy that was the current winner. If you didn't wanna pay for him, he'd just play single player until there was a challenger willing to pony up. Ah, arcade politics!

Not true. If someone is playing single player, a second player can challenge them at any time, and it only costs one additional credit. Whoever wins stays on until they lose, either to the computer, or another player. However, I do remember one trick where the challenger would wait until the single player is about to lose, then challenge them, saving the current player a credit.

 

[shutyertrap]

Not true. If someone is playing single player, a second player can challenge them at any time, and it only costs one additional credit. Whoever wins stays on until they lose, either to the computer, or another player. However, I do remember one trick where the challenger would wait until the single player is about to lose, then challenge them, saving the current player a credit.

Ohhh, is that how it worked? I never really knew cause I sucked at fighting games, therefore never challenged anyone. I did have somebody challenge me once, and with me promptly losing was booted off the machine!

 

[BonzoGonzo]

yep, the winner stays on for 'free' (except the initial entry fee)... like how it works in online lobbies now for fighting games

 

[Jeff Strong]

From the latest newsletter:

"FarSight offers its apologies for the delays in releasing additional content for the Xbox 360 of Pinball Arcade. We want to assure 360 players that these delays are temporary and we fully intend to continue supporting this console. The issues are not the fault of Microsoft nor are they due to the title update procedure. The 360 is the only platform that we cannot publish on directly. Selling digital content requires a current Publishing License Agreement (PLA) with Microsoft to release games. We are working through complications regarding our publisher Crave Entertainment filing bankruptcy. At this moment, we are not able to submit new content. However, we expect to start rolling out the updates shortly and catch the Table Pack releases on 360 up to the other platforms within a few months."

 

[Sean DonCarlos]

Oh boy. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth and rending of garments on the Facebook page now.

I hope to hell this Greenlight process for the PC version succeeds soon.

 

[Jeff Strong]

I hope to hell this Greenlight process for the PC version succeeds soon.

Right there with you, man.

 

[aangel]

we expect to start rolling out the updates shortly and catch the Table Pack releases on 360 up to the other platforms WITHIN A FEW MONTHS ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
W. T. F.?!?!?!?!?!!?!?

 

[Jeff Strong]

Note that there are two seperate timeframes in that sentence:

1.) It says they plan to start releasing updates again "shortly".

2.) The "within a few months" part is in reference to getting the 360 caught up to other platforms.

Of course they aren't going to release all the table packs at once, so it will take awhile to get caught up...but that doesn't mean that we won't see ANYTHING for a "few months", but rather, as they said, we should see something new "shortly".

 

[Sean DonCarlos]

Of course they aren't going to release all the table packs at once, so it will take awhile to get caught up...but that doesn't mean that we won't see ANYTHING for a "few months", but rather, as they said, we should see something new "shortly".

Can't be much faster than 5 weeks though, if they aren't able to submit right now, unless they had a title update in submission before Crave went under.

 

[aangel]

Well actually when they said "we expect" I should have stopped reading right then and there. Farsight and timeframes... ya gotta love it!

 

[Jeff Strong]

Can't be much faster than 5 weeks though, if they aren't able to submit right now, unless they had a title update in submission before Crave went under.

This is true. I wanted to maybe provide a bit of comfort for those who may have come away thinking we won't see any updates in the next few months. Hopefully the Crave issue won't delay things for that long (I'm thinking a "few months" would probably be at least 3 months, which would be around 12 weeks or so).

 

[Brian Clark]

I hope not, but it took awhile for Psychonauts and Doom to come back when they switched publishers.

 

[Russell Bergman]

I'm curious as to why Sony PlayStation hasn't given The Pinball Arcade any issues with the Crave bankruptcy. Maybe it's a whole different can of worms with Microsoft legal issues......?

 

[Jeff Strong]

I'm curious as to why Sony PlayStation hasn't given The Pinball Arcade any issues with the Crave bankruptcy. Maybe it's a whole different can of worms with Microsoft legal issues......?

From what I understand, Sony doesn't requires a publisher, but Microsoft does.

 

[Nik Barbour]

I'm just glad to learn what's finally behind the delays.
I think Farsight might be cursed! Re luck.

This doesn't solve the update patch cost issue though, right?
Once we do catch up, it still won't be monthly will it?

 

[Russell Bergman]

In my opinion, having a publisher as a requirement for DLC is ridiculous. Mostly the whole point of DLC game content is for alot of companies...mainly indie and small developers, don't have to go through a publisher (the middleman) to cut down on unnecessary costs and put out great content. Microsoft isn't being progressive in that category in my opinion.

 

[Carl Spiby]

I'm not impressed that they lied to us all this time.

 

[PiN WiZ]

I wish FarSight would allow Microsoft to be their publisher from here on out, then they could communicate with them directly and hopefully get around the submission fees. Since Microsoft is the big dog here, I don't think Zen Studios would have any say in the matter.