iOS - Flipper goes dead after holding for too long

[MadScience2006]

I shut down TPA. Restarted. Still no bug. I thought I was on to something with being able to repeat it the same way every table but I guess not. But it does seem like that if the bug is happening, then it's happening on every table.

These are some of the worst kind of bugs to trace and trap. I have an iPhone 5 (not the S) under iOS 7.1 and in very brief testing (trying, what you've explained as possibly being the "trigger"), I saw no issues. I will have to try again later on to see if I can trigger the issue since it doesn't seem to be specific to the iPhone 5S(?). I seldom play on the iPhone since I have other iOS devices that are listed under my profile pic. I've never seen the issue on any of those other devices either.

A couple of the basic things to try are:

1. Shut down, then restart the app (as you've done)
2. Reset the device (see below)
3. Delete the app totally, then re-install from scratch, including your tables (a pain in the butt, but if it fixes the issue, it would be worth the trouble). If you do this, remember to backup your TPA scores.

Resetting the device is one of the best & easiest things you can do to clear out the odd (bol)weevils that can occur over time in iOS devices.

Note: Prior to resetting the device, be sure to shut down ALL apps that are running and wait about 10 seconds or so. Otherwise, they will be reopened and will be running again after the reset.

Here's the procedure:

Device Reset (will not affect settings/data/music/apps/etc)

1. Press and hold (& continue to hold) BOTH the Sleep/Wake button & the Home button.
2. Continue to hold BOTH (ignoring any other messages that may show) until you see the Apple logo on the screen.
3. Release BOTH buttons when you see the Apple logo and allow the device to boot normally.

In the Apple iPhone & iPad forums, I've read of odd, quirky & hard to pinpoint touchscreen issues that are remedied by resetting the device. Give it a try just to eliminate that possibility. It may not even actually help but it's worth a try.

 

[shoemakesmusic]

I will definitely give that a try. It doesn't take too long to download the tables.

Other observation: In AFM, just to give you an idea for how long it takes to get the bug, when the status report kicks in, it happens immediately after the status report shows Extra Ball 4,600,000. As soon as it leaves that screen and then shows the energy left to destroy the saucer for whatever country you are selected for, that is when it will happen. And it seems like it happens at the exact same time every time.

 

[PinballLizard (Mark Wyda)]

Thanks Madscience, I will definitely do that.

I'm running most current os, 7.4 I think? (Who can keep track of it all haha).

I can say it's a game issue. Played through most of Sonic 1 and 2, watching the dpad the entire time (fun fun) and it never once lost an input.

Shoemaker I too have had both flippers go dead. And yes sometimes you boot the game and it appears that there's no problem at all, then a "****" moment happens as you lose a ball to the bug.

Idk what id do if it weren't for you shoe lol. It's like that episode of the Twilight Zone, where only Shatner sees the gremlin. Well at least there's two of us who see it lol.

 

[Stuart Webster]

I believe that there is an issue somewhere. I'm just clueless about where to even begin resolving it, especially when I can't reproduce it. >____<!

 

[shoemakesmusic]

Lizard, me too!!! I kept thinking to myself that I can't be the only one on here that is having this problem. I scoured the forums looking before I posted and found nothing. I've spent the better part of the day trying to find some type of sequence that ALWAYS manifests the bug, but I got nothin! It literally does it sometimes and then sometimes it doesn't. Argh!!

Stuart, if there is any way I can help you track this thing down let me know. I'd be happy to do some more testing.

 

[PinballLizard (Mark Wyda)]

Well I've done some maths that I feel best explain the situation.

Who Dunnit has sold 5,000 units. Of those 5,000, 2,000 are Android, 999 are PC, 2,000 are IOS, and 1 Ouya owner.

Of the 2,000 iOS, 1,000 are on tablets. That leaves phone users, of which 300 are on iPhone 4S or older. Of the remaining 200 iPhone 5 users, half don't experience the bug so that leaves 100. Of those 100 who do experience the bug, 50 don't speak English. Of the 50 who do, 47 of them haven't learned how to type yet, they only know basic motor functions like how to walk and play pinball. So that leaves 3 of us, me, shoemakesmusic, and one other guy.

The problem is that the one other guy is in the hospital for a stroke and mental breakdown. Both occurred simultaneously when he was 1,000,000 points away from the #1 spot in Twilight Zone, only to lose his ball to the bug.

If he makes it out the hospital he promises to reveal the secret behind the bug. However I just want to say that last I checked with the doctors, it's not looking good. He's lost the will to live it seems.

Will keep everyone abreast of the situation as it unfolds.

 

[shoemakesmusic]

Which hospital is he at?? I'll send him some flowers and a get well card that says, "Please play pinball. It will give you back the function of your stroked out thumbs and will boost your spirits"

 

[MadScience2006]

Which hospital is he at?? I'll send him some flowers and a get well card that says, "Please play pinball

Forget the flowers and card...just send me candy please.

 

[shoemakesmusic]

You must tell us the secret to this bug or no candy for you!!

 

[shoemakesmusic]

Recent discovery - I started playing taxi because its a good one to test this bug on because the ball is in the spin out loop for so long. Here is what I found. If I plunge the ball hard, and then immediately hold both flippers, just about the time the ball finally makes its way down the playfield the bug happens. Here's where it gets interesting. I wondered if I moved my thumbs ever so slightly while still maintaining contact with the screen and staying inside the "flipper zones" so that the flippers stay up, wolla, no bug! BUT, as soon as I stopped moving my thumbs and maintained the same position on the screen the bug would happen. In other words, I pressed both flippers up, and they stayed up forever as long as I continued to move my thumb position ever so slightly. Once I stopped moving them, the bug would manifest about 5-7 seconds later. I've been able to repeat this process several times. It's almost like there is a timer that is looking for a new position to register for a screen press and if doesn't see it, then it just disables that area. I'm sure that's not the case but that's what it looks like.

 

[PinballLizard (Mark Wyda)]

I know this is wierd but, I think the bug is history.

 

[shoemakesmusic]

If by history you mean no one else is having this problem then yes. . I just tested High Speed literally an hour ago. Same exact bug. Argh.

 

[PinballLizard (Mark Wyda)]

If by history you mean no one else is having this problem then yes. . I just tested High Speed literally an hour ago. Same exact bug. Argh.

Did you update Who Dunnit before playing High Speed?

 

[PinballLizard (Mark Wyda)]

Did you update Who Dunnit before playing High Speed?

Reason I ask is because I didn't and, no bug.

I could tell immediately because the slight flipper lag is gone too.

Like, I don't want to be premature because I've only played maybe 20 min total of high speed but I'm pretty confident it's history. I'll keep you posted.

 

[shoemakesmusic]

No I guess I didn't. I'll try that. Let me know what you find.

 

[Stuart Webster]

*scratches head*

 

[PinballLizard (Mark Wyda)]

No I guess I didn't. I'll try that. Let me know what you find.

No what I'm saying is, I didn't update it. I'm afraid to, lol, in case the bug is somehow tied to Who Dunnit.

So you're saying you experienced the bug, but didn't download the newest version of who Dunnit, before playing High Speed, right? I'll keep playing but man I'm pretty sure it's working fine for me now!

 

[shoemakesmusic]

Well crap. Yeah I just did the full update for High Speed. I didn't have time to play it at the moment so I thought I would just test the bug real quick. Boom. First ball. Bug. I guess I never updated the newest Who D.

 

[PinballLizard (Mark Wyda)]

Well crap. Yeah I just did the full update for High Speed. I didn't have time to play it at the moment so I thought I would just test the bug real quick. Boom. First ball. Bug. I guess I never updated the newest Who D.

What do you mean by full update?

Did you go into options and manage tables: update all? Or do you mean you just downloaded the High Speed update, and immediately played High Speed?

If you manage:update it will update Who Dunnit.

And you're sure you didn't play who Dunnit before high speed?

I'm just making doubly sure because if this is all the case , then I'm gonna go ahead and download the latest Who Dunnit build.

 

[shoemakesmusic]

Sorry for the ambiguity there. I downloaded the app update from iTunes. I then immediately clicked on HS, it downloaded, opened, and then I tested it. Now, prior to downloading the app update, I've played Who D a million times. But I definitely have not played it since HS has been released.