How to get more than 60 fps in-game?

[JPelter]

The reason physics is locked to 60 fps is for fair competition.

Were it able to run faster on your computer more shot possibilities would exist. For example, were dr. dude running at 120 fps, the gift of gab would be makeable off the feed from the ray. It's currently impossible. you need to hold the flipper up and nudge to make the ball go dead to ever complete reflex.

A floating frame rate is just not fair with digital pinball. The physics needs to run at a constant frame rate that's the same on all platforms.

I don't know about the other stuff, but I've definitely completed the gift of gab reflex shot on the fly on both PS3 and PC.

 

[Zaphod77]

Make it 5 times on one ball and catch it on video and I'll be convinced. MUST be made immediately after a shot to the excellent ray to count. I've done it on the fly before, but NEVER from that feed. It's right up there with flailing the ball into the trunk for 100 million jackpot, and getting a fastcast.

 

[JPelter]

Make it 5 times on one ball and catch it on video and I'll be convinced. MUST be made immediately after a shot to the excellent ray to count. I've done it on the fly before, but NEVER from that feed. It's right up there with flailing the ball into the trunk for 100 million jackpot, and getting a fastcast.

I agree with those other two. Fastcast is only possible with heavy nudging and even then you need a bit of luck, the 100 million jackpot requires something I've never managed to figure out. I'm going to try the reflex stuff a bit later today. I'll post a video if I manage it.

Here you go:

http://www.twitch.tv/horsehammer/c/3534856 That's only twice since I didn't want to spend the time clipping the video and stuff, but it's relatively easily repeatable and satisfies the requirements. It's not the widest shot ever and you do need to bank it off the side instead of trying a straight shot in, as far as I know anyway. Ignore the sounds, I was listening to another stream while playing and forgot it goes into the video.

Also note that the sidebank shot to the gift of gab is much better in general anyway due to straight shots missing being very prone to drain and the bank targets relight the mystery prize on the left.

 

[Zaphod77]

Oh, no no no.

that doesn't count.

i meant a direct shot on the fly, after shooting the excellent ray.

can't do it, can you?

If the physics were running faster, it might be possible.

the direct shot IS doable safely from a trap on either flipper.

 

[JPelter]

Oh, no no no.

that doesn't count.

i meant a direct shot on the fly, after shooting the excellent ray.

can't do it, can you?

If the physics were running faster, it might be possible.

the direct shot IS doable safely from a trap on either flipper.

Hey man you gave the parameters and I completed them. No one said anything about a direct shot! It's on the fly. And it's from the excellent ray scoop.

 

[Zaphod77]

I thought that went without saying that i was speaking about the direct on the fly shot since it's what everyone else was complaining about...

This problem has been the bane of digital pinball for ages, and very few games have ever solved it. one frame is too soon, and the next frame is too late. given certain ball velocities and initial positions, certain shots become impossible. Real life is much faster than 60fps.

One game that did seem to have this solved was the original slamtilt pinball. I never felt that i was robbed of a shot while playing it.

Part of the reason that many tables are so easy to destroy on TPA is because of the effort made in making sure the physics allows the shots when you expect to be able to take them, which makes them too easy. Without this, te tables wouldn't be very fun.

 

[JPelter]

I suppose you're technically right, but the carom off the target bank is always the better shot to take anyway so that doesn't bother me much. Even if the granularity of the game controls was good enough to make the straight shot it's an extremely risky shot. In the case of ToM and the 100 million I don't think the problem is the same. It's supposed to be extremely hard and making it on a real machine is incredibly hard. The problem is more that the kickout is always identical so it's always almost impossible to do (also that you can't do dropcatches on TPA).

On a tangent I'm actually kind of wondering why TPA doesn't do sub-frame controls, since as I understand it the physics engine makes calculations up to 360 times a second anyway, when the ball is near the flippers. Or does it do them and that's still not good enough? I don't know.

 

[Zaphod77]

Flailling the ball in on TOM is not supposed to be THAT hard. I'd say maybe 30-70% of the time i can do it in real life, depending on the machine. It does take a bit of luck in real life because of the random amount of side spin on the kickout, so it's not a 100% shot. But it is definitely doable.
I think that particular shot needs the same "lucky" correction used on the hole in one shot, where sometimes the shot will just magically (pun intended) work.

And neither is the fast cast. That one is a lot more learnable in real life.

Most games cheat with their "subframe handling" by randomizing things, when they make an effort to do it at all, in my experience.

 

[JPelter]

Flailling the ball in on TOM is not supposed to be THAT hard. I'd say maybe 30-70% of the time i can do it in real life, depending on the machine. It does take a bit of luck in real life because of the random amount of side spin on the kickout, so it's not a 100% shot. But it is definitely doable.
I think that particular shot needs the same "lucky" correction used on the hole in one shot, where sometimes the shot will just magically (pun intended) work.

And neither is the fast cast. That one is a lot more learnable in real life.

Most games cheat with their "subframe handling" by randomizing things, when they make an effort to do it at all, in my experience.

If anything TPA needs more randomizing so I'm all for that.