Ghostbusters pinball feedback

[smbhax]

Played it! Not really my thing, but then Haunted House is one of my least favorite TPA tables anyway--adding loud and highly repetitive sound clips to it doesn't give it much of a boost for me. Kind of surprised they kept the regular TPA UI in it, too--doesn't really feel Ghostbustery, especially the TPA music that greets you right after launch. The table launch button on the main menu *is* different, but I guess to the point where it took me a while just to find it. >_> Anyway, I hope this does well for them, and maybe next time they'll pick a table that's more in my line--I do love lots of EM and SS tables, but not HH.

(I should add, it is out on Android now, although on their FB they've only announced the iOS release. I played the Android version.)

(I should also add, I would never pay for tokens because I am poor. But you get free tokens over time anyway. I don't think this table is a bad omen; it just isn't a very good pinball game. I think I have different tastes in EM/SS tables than the FarSight folks.)

Hm on the up side the playfield came out looking better than I'd thought it would. The glowing Slimer toy is pretty neat looking.

That railway crossing sound in the lower playfield though, oy!

 

[Eaton Beaver]

I noticed on the plunger I think 68% will get you to the upper play field. I think people will see the 4 hour wait is really a generous gesture on The Pinball Arcade's part.

 

[MadScience2006]

That railway crossing sound in the lower playfield though, oy!

I don't know what's more annoying...that repeating railway crossing sound or getting that Ghostbusters theme song stuck in your head.

 

[Dedpop]

I'm all for Farsight continuing to explore this game model, especially if it's with the Sony film license, but not at the expense of the simulations. i feel like the last several months of tables have been super buggy upon release. and really bad since lights camera action. If they were spread too thin because of this Ghostbusters mod then it was 100% not worth it.

You've got bad thoughts !

 

[MadScience2006]

I think people will see the 4 hour wait is really a generous gesture on The Pinball Arcade's part.

I just read the newsletter and realized that TPA app users earn credits twice as fast, not earn twice the number of credits...or maybe it's the same difference.

 

[MWink]

1 token per game.
You start with 10 free tokens and gain 1 token every 4 hours; 2 tokens if you have TPA installed on the same device.
$0.99 for 10 tokens.
$1.99 for unlimited play for 24 hours.

This is exactly what I was afraid of. So basically 3 days of unlimited play cost more than a TPA table. I absolutely despise this type of system. It also bothers me that others support it because that will just encourage more schemes like this in the future. I will not spend one cent in this game unless they add the option to buy the table outright (like in TPA) for a reasonable price. I will also refrain from recommending this app to anyone. It's a shame because the table's actually quite good. I feel it fixed a lot of the flaws in the Haunted House layout. I'm not sure yet if I like the addition of multi-ball. I'm not big on multi-ball in tables that have different levels, like Black Hole. I usually just end up flailing around.

Overall, I feel this game has promise but it will get no more than 1 star from me till the token issue is dealt with.

 

[Gorgar]

Finally got to play it. I like Haunted House and I have always loved the Ghostbusters movie, so I knew I would like this one. I refuse to buy any video game that is not on a console, so the pay to play thing is great for me since I can play more than a demo and can post high scores and earn the goals.

My only minor gripes are:

1. I have already experienced a bug when activating multiball: the 2nd ball wasn't released, so the game got stuck when I lost the ball.

2. I wish they used an 8-bit rendition of the Ghostbusters theme, like in Ghostbusters 2 for the NES.

I like that they chose a more difficult table like Haunted House (even though they did make it a little easier) because it makes me want to come back for more.

 

[dtown8532]

Downloaded and played it for five minutes or so...then deleted it. What a piece of crap. Sorry but even with the inconsistencies in Haunted House compared to a real table, I'd rather play that in TPA. As far as Ghostbusters goes, I'd rather play the custom table converted from a Bally Flash Gordon...or even the Genesis game.

I mean, really? The graphics suck. The 3d models look, well, flat. We get the same call outs over and over again. In today's digital age, there should be room for many more. If there's one positive thing going on for Haunted House it's that the artwork is intricate and there's little details all over. This game looks like it was slapped together in photoshop.

I'm usually quite positive about Farsight's TPA efforts but this is just...poop. Oh, and no end of ball animation or bonus sequence? We just go to the next ball? Whahhh?

 

[smbhax]

I noticed on the plunger I think 68% will get you to the upper play field.

So does 69. : o

 

[Baron Rubik]

This just sucks for me.
I can't see it appealing to the casual market due to being based on a real 32yr old layout but with new images.
I can't see the tokens selling either, firstly it's so easy to fiddle the system to get free ones stacked up, but secondly, who would realistically pay £1.99 for a single days pass, when you can purchase (for life) the latest Zen southpark table for £1.50.
Pricing structure is way off.
Maybe £1 for 50 tokens might work better.

Table sucks too, the right flipper gap is bridged which negates the layout design, and that bloody train noise.

The only reason people played HH was because of nostalgia for the real table and it's artwork. This has successfully removed all the nostalgia.

I feel sad that Farsight would pump god knows how many hours into this, rather than fix outstanding issues in TPA and the platforms supported.

 

[Jeff Strong]

I feel sad that Farsight would pump god knows how many hours into this, rather than fix outstanding issues in TPA and the platforms supported.

Well said. That's my feeling as well. I'd much rather see them devote these resources to adding new features and options (multiplayer, DX11 and cab on PC, difficulty options, etc, etc). For some reason they have it in their mind that only DLC brings in money, but that's just not the case.

 

[Tokyo Rose]

Just a note for anyone who may have gotten as confused about this release as I did. It is a separate app download and you need to search for 'Ghostbusters Pinball ' in the app store. It is not a regular Pinball Arcade release showing up as an update.

 

[wolfson]

well said. That's my feeling as well. I'd much rather see them devote these resources to adding new features and options (multiplayer, dx11 and cab on pc, difficulty options, etc, etc). For some reason they have it in their mind that only dlc brings in money, but that's just not the case.

me too !!!!

 

[xAzatothx]

As is always the case with Farsight, they are looking to broaden their appeal to an ever increasing circle. They are going after the more arcade/casual players with this release and approach. If it brings in more money and they ramp up accordingly then it might mean TPA is in a better place generally.

 

[StarDust4Ever]

Haunted House is also one of my regular go to tables in TPA. However, this new "token" system really grinds my gears. If I want to spend "tokens," I'll go to an arcade.

Seriously though, the GB layout is good and the table appears well made. Delivery, not so much. I come from the old school camp that once you buy a game, it is yours to keep. Just like with tried and true retail carts and discs: you can collect 'em and keep 'em forever, even if the original company went bankrupt. Back to downloadable content; I'll gladly pay a one-time fee for unlimited useage of a game, but IMO any game that charges per use or make you pay real money for in-game currency or consumables is just shady business.

 

[xAzatothx]

surprised they didn't add a payment option for buying an extra ball for multi-ball. 3 balls on the field at a price for a higher score.

I just hope they manage to market this table as marketing has never been their strong point.

 

[Espy]

I have only watched the videos, but it's exactly as I expected. Haunted House with minimal changes to the playfield (admittedly less than I expected - as far as I can see only the lock hole has been added, and they plugged one of the drains). And it looks quite cheap. Kind of fan-made.

I think it would have been better to use a more modern pinball table as the base (with the standard two flippers and two ramps etc), as this feels a little bit off. The design is a bit too strange for what is being passed as a new, modern machine. But as some have suggested, they may have been forced to use a Gottlieb due to licensing issues.

 

[pm1109]

Don't think they will make a lot of money from this standalone app.

 

[Dylan_h]

I just said this in the android section for the game but I'll say the same here. I'd be ok with the token idea if they made replays = tokens.
I still hope they keep this well away from the main TPA app.

 

[Slam23]

Oooh, this table divides opinions for sure! I have played a couple of games and it plays exactly like HH minus multiball and minus the gap between the two right-most flippers on the main playing field. And when I say exactly, I mean that the same type of shots follow the physics of HH as a direct copy. I'm not sure if the marsmallow man is a more active/forceful bumper but then I have to go back to HH to compare.

Things I like:
- love the plunger
- love the atmosphere
- love multiball on multiple levels, makes my brain go crazy
- love the theme and while I have to explore the table more in detail, all the major Ghostbuster elements are in it, sounds/speech/visual elements
- I like TPA experimenting, I would like to see more originals (providing they do not leave the main TPA app for this business model and providing it does not take away too much time from main TPA development and customer service, see below)

Things I dislike:
- I didn't really like the frantic playing that HH entices, there is not much room for controlled play. Same goes for this table and gets worse with multiball (which I also like, so call me schizo ). Is a preference thing for sure and I must admit that a bit of mayhem sometimes can be very fun.
- Ruleset could have been more deep, would have liked to see some modes. Maybe do a P-ROC style enhancement of the game and combined it with a DMD (think Bride of Pinbot 2.0: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4EzjW03L1o ). This would also give a possibility to show some video excerpts of the movie. Disclaimer: I haven't read the rules yet in deep, but I guess I would have fathomed deeper rules from playing the table.
- If you were being a real sourpuss, you could say that if falls a bit flat between the better main TPA tables and the better arcady/videoy ZEN tables. If you go this route, maybe introduce some toys that do video things like in Zen. Or keep it really real and design a whole new game around the GB theme, not rehash an old IRL table.

Things I'm still debating:
- Token system: on the one hand I don't like apps that do this, feels very Candycrushy and makes me more of an addict than I want to believe myself. On the other hand, if this attracts more people to main TPA, I'm all for it. The longtime TPA supporters don't get a bad deal out of it with the double speed refresh of tokens.
- Working on Ghostbuster vs. polishing TPA and squishing bugs: I get the sentiment and also wish that there would be a bit more customer service for longtime TPA fans/supporters. Fixing rollover score issues and gamebreaking bugs would be especially welcome. I wondered recently what would happen if TPA is joined by Adrian Barritt of Timeshock fame (and other Pro Pinball Series greats). I guess a lot less tables (and they may have gone bankrupt already), but they would surely be perfect on release.... On the other hand I'm not sure if working on this standalone game has interfered with other TPA activities, it would seem logical but we don't know for sure. And if GB brings in additional funds, and if they would use those to do aforementioned, I say make another TPA original.
- Inclusion in main TPA or standalone?: I like it when all my hard-invested pinball time goes towards HOF points, leaderboard position etc. GB has it's own leaderboards so now I'm dividing energy/time between two apps with multiple leaderboards. On the other hand: I like it when main TPA stays pure and only has recreations. If there are more originals to come, I really would like to see a combined app for originals, as there is a combined app for recreations. So any new original table, goes together with the GB table.

Total verdict: a bit mixed but overall a positive thumbs up. Let's wait and see how this can benefit TPA as a whole.