FX3 Williams Thoughts

[BostonBuckeye]

Some news about censorship from Zen.

Akos:

Hi everyone, got an update for you!

Family Mode will be turned off on PC. You will have the ability to turn Family Mode on in the settings if needed. We will continue to work on this issue now and in the future. For now, artwork will remain altered on Fish Tales with references to alcohol and tobacco being removed.

Thanks for the insight and the feedback on this issue​

Mel:

There are still ongoing conversations between Zen and platform holders which may or may not result in changes to our rating. This is as honest as we can be at this time. As things progress, we will keep you updated.

Fish Tales is free for all players. We must absolutely keep the content in line with what our age rating system is. At this time we are not prepared to release a version of Fish Tales without the censored artwork. It is possible this could change in the future, but again, we are going through the necessary steps with platform holders to make sure we would make the changes correctly and in line with what an existing player base would require (notifications, etc.).​

This is the news I have been waiting hear. Thank you very much to everyone at Zen for listening to our feedback and understanding how important this is to many of us. I will buy every Williams and Bally table pack Zen puts out. If they port the Williams physics to their original tables I will buy every one of those packs as well.

 

[Jeff Strong]

This is the news I have been waiting hear. Thank you very much to everyone at Zen for listening to our feedback and understanding how important this is to many of us. I will buy every Williams and Bally table pack Zen puts out. If they port the Williams physics to their original tables I will buy every one of those packs as well.

Same here.

 

[Pinballfan69]

Same here.

Wow Great bargaining chip. Although I've played more Zen than TPA because of the polish of Zen's tables, I'd have to say I would love to see these tweaks to Zen's tables will be a huge plus. Just been fiddling with tables in the Zen library and would have to say that with the addition of the Williams tweaks, I would think many that enjoy all asepcts of pinball would want to buy all the tables.

I have every table that Zen has. Including Plant's Vs Zombies, and South Park tables that licenses wouldn't allow to port over to PBFX3. plus I don't have the first group of tables ever made by Zen (Buccaneer, Speed machine, Agents, Extreme, Rocky and Bullwinkle etc) only bought seasons 1-3 in TPA just couldn't get into TPA as much As I wanted. At any rate, Looking forward to the 9th.

 

[shutyertrap]

I have every table that Zen has. Including Plant's Vs Zombies, and South Park tables that licenses wouldn't allow to port over to PBFX3. plus I don't have the first group of tables ever made by Zen (Buccaneer, Speed machine, Agents, Extreme, Rocky and Bullwinkle etc) only bought seasons 1-3 in TPA just couldn't get into TPA as much As I wanted. At any rate, Looking forward to the 9th.

It’s amazing how many tables have been left in the dust. Those tables you listed were all on Xbox so I never played them. PS3 had Ninja Gaiden and Street Fighter, which I never purchased but at least sampled. PvZ, South Park, and Ms Splosion Man will start to be lost to time too with them not coming over to FX3. Not all of those were necessarily good, but some will indeed be missed.

 

[Pinballfan69]

It’s amazing how many tables have been left in the dust. Those tables you listed were all on Xbox so I never played them. PS3 had Ninja Gaiden and Street Fighter, which I never purchased but at least sampled. PvZ, South Park, and Ms Splosion Man will start to be lost to time too with them not coming over to FX3. Not all of those were necessarily good, but some will indeed be missed.

Oh yeah. I had the PS3 and had Streetfighter and Ninja Gaiden. Surely not the best tables but still fun to play. South Park was so much fun. It's too bad it isn't available to those new to PBFX3. Even though I had a bunch of Zen's tables on the PS3 I moved over to steam so I could play The tables that were exclusive to Xbox. (Sercrets of the Deep, Pasha, Rome, and Bio lab) Love Rome can't believe that there are some that only play on the Playstation 3 missed those. Sure they are available no but not before. At any rate, hope to see the first generation of Zen pinball remade so those that haven't played them before can do so now.

 

[Zaphod77]

if you had fx2 on one before, you should still be able to get fx2 only tables for xbone by way of 360 version.

they will probably never get to fx3.

for those who failed to buy and are on pc, well google is your friend. as long as you buy stuff in fx3, there's little harm in doing what you need to to play no longer available fx2 tables. but i won't say how.

and well, the first generation zen pinball has already been remade (zen pinball classics pack. tesla, el dorado, shaman, and vwhateveritwas)

 

[Dok5555555]

and well, the first generation zen pinball has already been remade (zen pinball classics pack. tesla, el dorado, shaman, and vwhateveritwas)

Those were the PS3 originals from Zen 1. The 360 Tables from FX 1 haven't ever been rereleased. I hope they will someday but I doubt it at this point. Nightmare Mansion is one of my favorites on 360.

Edit: They were released on FX2 for 360 but still they're only available on the 360. (unless they were backwards compatible with X1, not sure)

 

[Jamman39]

Pinball fx1 is backwards compatible on Xbox One but only the core tables are available, so DLC like Rocky and Bullwinkle and Nightmare Mansion are unplayable even if you have previously purchased them

 

[dmil666]

Talking of the cigar - it's somehow jammed into his moustache/beard. Not even in his mouth. So it's not like he's actually smoking it. Evidently it was lit and presumably being smoked at one time, because there's ashes at the end of it, but... what's he doing with it?!

I didn't even notice it until you pointed it out, but the cigar is coming out of his cheek. It's strange how art works sometimes and fools your eyes.

 

[Byte]

So maybe... maybe... maybe Zen should release a version called something like 'Pinball FX3 After Dark' and have fully uncensored tables? That would be a great idea!

 

[shutyertrap]

So maybe... maybe... maybe Zen should release a version called something like 'Pinball FX3 After Dark' and have fully uncensored tables? That would be a great idea!

The joke that never dies.

 

[Klopek]

I'm waiting very impatiently for this pack. I stuck on Medieval Madness from TPA earlier in an attempt to satisfy the thirst but, while it's not bad and I've enjoyed it over the years, I literally had to turn it off after being awarded what must have been the third or fourth extra ball. The game was never going to end.

I really hope this new version kicks my ass and introduces an actual feeling of accomplishment from scoring big and progressing to the end game.

 

[shutyertrap]

It will. I literally got excited about reaching the replay score on my 3rd ball as opposed to 45 seconds into my 1st.

 

[Heretic]

The joke that never dies.

Its all driveway cheese to me

 

[Pinballwiz45b]

Its all driveway cheese to me

HA! That's a big throwback.

 

[steven120566]

Yea, I'm not so sure adding Williams physics to older Zen tables would be as great as everyone thinks. Some of the shots you need to hit would just feel off I would think. I remember when they went from Pinball FX to Pinball FX2 on 360 and everyone was complaining how it was impossible to do well and hit the same shots on the original tables with the new FX2 physics. And that was only a minor update to the physics. The Williams physics would be a huge overhaul.

I am in complete agreement with this statement by DoK5555555. This is my rationale.

These older tables were designed a certain way, and many have already gotten some changes for use in FX3. Whether it's rules, graphical enhancements or whatever. Now that Zen has a good amount of awesome real tables to unleash their skills on, many licenses for their digital creations, and hopefully new originals to make, and the FX3 platform to work with...do we need to revisit these tables again? They can update physics as needed for their newer desinged stuff. why complicate the old ones that are pretty doggone good as is? I think when you have this whole amazing thing that leads to leaderboards, tournaments and a huge community, I'd probably keep consistency for the stuff that has been done and introduce more options, if that's what people want, as the product evolves.

That being said if I live long enough to see an FX4, I'd still like a straight import for the old tables so I could still have them all in one place. The points about having to keep my 360 hooked up to play speed machine and agents hit home. I am abnormally attached to some of these older tables by Zen! But of course I dig what they are doing now and the future does look sweet. You can only play one table at a time man....

 

[shutyertrap]

Nobody is asking for the physics on Zen originals to change, just that the WMS physics be added as an option. So Single Player retains all the same physics, just as those same Zen physics are being applied to the Williams tables in that mode. Make Classic Single Player be where the new physics live, again just like the Williams tables. It’ll bring a uniformity across the entire platform, as currently there’s next to no reason to play Zen tables in Classic other than to not use upgrades.

See, no harm in doing that and it’s the best if both worlds! All the people on this forum who have always disliked the feel of Zen tables, they’d finally appreciate what Zen has been doing all these years. They might even be able to look past all the fantasy elements since the ball would at least be behaving in a realistic manner. Similarly, all the Zen fans who have mastered the tables will have something a bit more challenging and that will act as a gateway into the real feel of all the incoming WMS tables.

It’s a 2 way street, let the traffic flow in both directions!

And certainly, not every table will be a smooth fit. But know what? The Zen physics being applied to the WMS tables also wasn’t, and needed some tweaking. So it’s not like we’re asking for the impossible.

 

[Zaphod77]

SOme originals may work with "real physics' some will take extra tweaking, and some just will not cooperate.

It's not as simple as just switch physics. you also have to make sure that the table is even possible to play and make shots.

Hypothetical example. You are playing spiderman on new physics. the balls now stick in the spiral habitrails that can't ever exist in real life.
if something wouldn't work in real life at all it shouldn't work in the real physics.

 

[dmil666]

SOme originals may work with "real physics' some will take extra tweaking, and some just will not cooperate.

It's not as simple as just switch physics. you also have to make sure that the table is even possible to play and make shots.

Hypothetical example. You are playing spiderman on new physics. the balls now stick in the spiral habitrails that can't ever exist in real life.
if something wouldn't work in real life at all it shouldn't work in the real physics.

Maybe they can come up with something in-between, say a "real-ish" physics.

 

[Zaphod77]

a lot of tweaking. how much needed depends on the original table.

some will probably translate well, but others will just end up getting tweaked back into something unrealistic.

they ARE investigating it.