Initial Thoughts on PBA for Switch

Citizen

New member
Oct 5, 2017
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Can confirm. SPA Switch and TPA Switch both have it. You press the "-" button to change modes. However, unlike FX3 Switch, you can only have the shoulder buttons/triggers on the right, whereas FX3 allows them to be on the right or left.
 

Dan

Member
Feb 28, 2012
199
1
Thanks! I've ordered an SPA hardcopy yesterday. Guess I'll have to force my son to let go of his Switch...until I buy my own... ;)
 

StarDust4Ever

New member
Jun 30, 2013
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So of the 90+ tables, 62 will disappear. And many of those tables are regarded as some of the best like FunHouse, The Teilight Zone, Monster Bash, The Adams Family, Medieval Madness, White Water and many more.

The complete list of tables the Switch won’t get:

So, unless I miscounted, there are currently 94 tables available based on the website. In total 62 tables, or roughly two thirds of the core game essentially is becoming vaporware. That can not be good for Farsight or their fans... :(
 
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yespage

Member
Oct 31, 2015
466
2
So, unless I miscounted, there are currently 94 tables available based on the website. In total 62 tables, or roughly two thirds of the core game essentially is becoming vaporware. That can not be good for Farsight or their fans...
It comes down to price. Also with the agreement with Stern, it might be possible that there will be a better selection of available Stern tables to reproduce. If FS is to succeed post Williams/Ballys, they'll need to lean heavy on the newer Stern, I would think. Personally, I'd love to go old school with Goetlieb, but understand the demand for more current tables.
 

Baikouha

New member
May 10, 2018
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I'm kicking myself so much for missing that opportunity to get the full season packs. I've only gotten into pinball recently and was really looking forward to playing these on my Switch since that's my only real option for the game but now it seems the release we're getting tomorrow is a shell of itself with few of the tables I was looking forward to. This change really turns me off as a new customer and I don't know if I'm going to support the game after all, especially if the pricing doesn't change.
 

Dok5555555

Member
Nov 1, 2013
178
0
Apparently if you had the game before and you update it to the new version you lose Tales of the Arabian Nights. I thought all tables you had before it got pulled you'd get to keep but I guess not. Wish I knew that before I updated.
 

Brian Clark

New member
Feb 28, 2012
624
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Did Scientific Games not renewing the license have anything to do with Switch, or was it unrelated? It's frustrating that they pulled the license. It seems the company focuses on Gambling rather than Pinball. Another Konami that cares more for gambling machines than actual games?

I recommend changing the game icon. It still shows Circus Voltaire.
 
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xDagmaRx

New member
Nov 5, 2016
7
0
Apparently if you had the game before and you update it to the new version you lose Tales of the Arabian Nights. I thought all tables you had before it got pulled you'd get to keep but I guess not. Wish I knew that before I updated.

I still have TOTAN on my switch and and I got the new update that removes the Williams/Bally licenses.
 

SqueakyClean

New member
Oct 2, 2015
28
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Here’s the info. There are 8 table packs, 4 Gottlieb, 2 Stern, Alvin G and Doctor Who.

Frankenstein is free.

Gottlieb 1 - $9.99
  • Frank Thomas’ Big Hurt
  • Gladiators
  • Haunted House
  • Victory
  • Genie
  • Light...Camera...Action!
Gottlieb 2 - $9.99
  • Wipe Out
  • Rescue 911
  • Bone Busters Inc
  • Black Hole
  • El Dorado City of Gold
  • Goin’ Nuts
Gottlieb 3 - $8.99
  • TX-Sector
  • Tee’d Off
  • Cue Ball Wizard
  • Class of 1812
  • Cactus Jacks
Gottlieb EM-tables - $8.99
  • Big Shot
  • Centigrade 37
  • Central Park
  • El Dorado EM
  • Jacks Open
Stern 1 - $19.99
  • Ripley’s Believe it or Not
  • Star Trek Vengeance
  • AC/DC
  • Flight 2000
Stern 2 - $19.99
  • Ghostbusters
  • Harley-Davidson
  • High Roller Casino
  • Mustang
  • Last Action Hero
  • Phantom of the Opera
Alvin G. & Co - $7.99
  • Al’s Garage Band Goes on a Wold Tour
  • Pistol Poker
Doctor Who - $4.99
  • Doctor Who: Master of Time
 
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Citizen

New member
Oct 5, 2017
1,384
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Yes I did, I actually bought all the seasons.

That's why the update didn't kill TOTAN for you.

Doesnt the switch force update your top played games on the main menu?

Automatic updates can be turned off under the system settings, and although the Switch will pester you to update them, you can simply click "Start Software".
 

StarDust4Ever

New member
Jun 30, 2013
496
0
In a slightly drunked panic last night, I picked through the Pinball Arcade app on my Android tablet and chery picked my favorite table packs from TPA seasons 1-5, and most of the better looking tables from the seasons 6-7 that I never got access to, including early era solid state and electro mechsnical. I like how two of my most favorite tables from Williams, Bride of Pinbot and Mideval Madness, came together as table pack 1 from season 1.

I read the press release from the Nintendo eShop about Pinball Arcade, and "35 of the best pinball tables of all time", and it had a "yeah!" and an "Oh..." button. I clicked the "Oh..." option, possibly for the first time. Nintendo thanked me for my feedback. Sorry but that's just disappointing. I plan on getting the four Gottlieb packs anyway (basically for me it's going to be just like the Gamecube Gottlieb Hall of Fame disc but on steroids), but Stern can diaf after the "double dipping" fiasco. I was right to wait for the main Pinball Arcade app to drop even though they've royally screwed the pooch withthis release.

I literally only bought the Ghostbusters and ACDC pinballs from the Stern app when it launched, being premium tables. I love ACDC and the table really showcases their music and has an additude that's lacking in other pins. Ghostbusters because I like the franchise. They have milked the Stern app by charging premium rates over classic table packs, and many of them aren't that exciting (except the ACDC one, which I knew from the day they announced it, would never see the light of day) with lackluster themes. I can't explain why, but for the most part the classic tables are funner.

Moving on, I see a serious issue with the format of the updated app. Most tables no longer offer a free demo, which is basically suicide on Farsight's part. How do I know if I want to own a table without a free trial? Most people aren't going to spend a dime without test driving the tables. I don't know if it's a Nintendo policy or changes with the licensing agreement on Farsight's part, but they've basically committed suicide here if Farsight pulls this same stunt with their other platforms, especially mobile.

Finally I'm addressing a lack of polish and effort, specifically with their Switch port. It's still a vanilla port, albeit with improved lighting and rotation options. When I downloaded Pinball FX 3, I was amazed with the level of realism the FX team achieved by utilizing the HD Rumble features of the Joycon / Pro controller. I can feel the ball rolling across the table, and every pop bumper and flipper hit felt just like it does when I'm playing a real table. Just feeling the ball rolling around through the tablet (in portable mode) makes me feel as though the simulation is real, like I'm holding a miniature pinball table in my hand. Pinball Arcade / Stern Pinball Arcade literally evokes the exact same sensation as traditional controllers with weighted motors. The vibration frequency is monotone and abrupty cuts on and off as if the rumble motor is being activated on and off by a digital switch. Even traditional controllers would duty cycle the voltage signal to the motors to adjust the intensity. The on/off buzzing in Pinball Arcade is like a cell phone in vibrate mode.

Don't get me wrong, the vibration feature isn't undesirable of bad. It just shows evidence of a lazy port by Farsight without the custom tweaking necessary to make it take full advantage of the system's caabilities. They could have hooked up vibration sensors to real tables underneath the left and right flipper buttons, capturing low frequency effects and applied these effects to the hd rumble motors. Farsight had the opportunity to create a more immersive experience specifically for Switch owners, but chose not to, instead porting traditional rumble motor feedback effects. Pinball FX went the extra mile on the Switch port by utilizing HD rumble, and it makes a huge difference in realism.
 

frankiedf

New member
Feb 6, 2013
23
0
Okay, so they went from $210 for the 90+ tables on the first release, lost 2/3 of the content, and now what's left costs $91.

You could have gotten more tables on the old price structure, better tables, too, for $60.

This is not going to be a popular pricing structure.
 

Kolchak357

Senior Pigeon
May 31, 2012
8,102
2
Okay, so they went from $210 for the 90+ tables on the first release, lost 2/3 of the content, and now what's left costs $91.

You could have gotten more tables on the old price structure, better tables, too, for $60.

This is not going to be a popular pricing structure.

Ouch, that’s not good.
 

yespage

Member
Oct 31, 2015
466
2
Okay, so they went from $210 for the 90+ tables on the first release, lost 2/3 of the content, and now what's left costs $91.

You could have gotten more tables on the old price structure, better tables, too, for $60.

This is not going to be a popular pricing structure.
Season One had 2 tables a pack, so it came with a lot of tables, and generally among the best of all of TPA’s offerings. Which sadly was also mainly Williams and Ballys.

So that, I think is the main reason for the pricing discrepancy. Odd, less money for the bulk and quality of Season One.
 

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