Is there a list of which tables are scripted?

[Espy]

Apologies if this is elsewhere, but I was wondering which tables were scripted.

Reason I ask is I was playing El Dorado for the first time yesterday and was thinking "This is quite a simple game, I wonder if they bothered to add emulation or just kept the script from PHOF?"

Not strictly against scripting (and don't want to start a huge debate/whine thread), but was just curious which was which.

 

[brakel]

I'm not sure if anyone has compiled a list here but I was under the impression that El Dorado was emulated.

 

[Kolchak357]

Any EMs are obviously scripted. Black Knight, Black Hole, and Gorgar are also scripted. Not sure about Firepower and Genie.

 

[vikingerik]

IIRC, these are the scripted ones:
Big Shot
Black Hole
Black Knight
Central Park
Genie
Gorgar

Firepower, Centaur, Flight 2000, El Dorado, and everything newer than them are emulated. This is all based on my memory from sources around here, I don't think there's any official list.

An EM could be emulated, by actually modeling the wires and steppers and relays and such. That's how accurate emulation is done for pre-microprocessor video games built with discrete logic.

 

[PiN WiZ]

All the following tables are scripted :

Big Shot
Black Hole
Black Knight
Central Park
Firepower
Genie
Goin' Nuts
Gorgar

 

[Kolchak357]

I always forget about Goin' Nuts.

Thanks PW

 

[francis247uk]

In simple layman's terms can someone define what scripted means, and what emulated means, and why emulated is always preferred over scripted?
Reason I ask is that I love Big Shot/Black Knight, never played them and thought "These would be dramatically better/improved if they were scripted" - does it really affect gameplay THAT much? I mean, TPA is just a simulation of real pinball anyway?

 

[jaredmorgs]

In simple layman's terms can someone define what scripted means, and what emulated means, and why emulated is always preferred over scripted?
Reason I ask is that I love Big Shot/Black Knight, never played them and thought "These would be dramatically better/improved if they were scripted" - does it really affect gameplay THAT much? I mean, TPA is just a simulation of real pinball anyway?

In the case of Big Shot, probably not a lot of difference between scripted and emulated.

In the case of Black Knight (and to a degree, Gorgar): huge difference. Particularly with regards to the light show, accuracy of voice calls (when and where they trigger) and underlying game code. Scripting a light show is very difficult to do on the more complex games. Emulation takes care of this.

 

[Jeff Strong]

Also, to answer the other part of the question:

Emulated = the table uses the ROM from the real pinball machine, which means the rules, lights, etc. are accurate to the real pin.
Scripted = Farsight writes their own code for the rules, lights, etc. from scratch, so there are some differences as Jared mentioned.

 

[mikehg]

I always forget about Goin' Nuts.

Thanks PW

Trauma amnesia?

 

[Kolchak357]

Trauma amnesia?

Ha, perhaps.

 

[Gorgar]

There is a benefit of having a table scripted instead of emulated. If a table has a major bug in the original rom, (like the lost ball bug in Ripley's) farsight probably won't be able to fix it. It would be easier to fix if it is scripted because they have more access to the code.

 

[mikehg]

If your game logic and physical simulation get out of sync (e.g. you lose a ball, or fail to trip a switch that the authors of the ROM didn't think you could ever not trip), you're kinda stuffed if your game logic is a black box.

If it's a script, you just switch it to the right state.

Plus there's the whole problem with random things not really being random after a given snapshot.

Scripting, done perfectly, is going to be preferable. It just isn't realistic to do it perfectly for non trivial (non e.m.) tables...

 

[francis247uk]

Emulated = the table uses the ROM from the real pinball machine, which means the rules, lights, etc. are accurate to the real pin.
Scripted = Farsight writes their own code for the rules, lights, etc. from scratch, so there are some differences as Jared mentioned.

Thanks Jeff - that makes it sound like because scripting is done from scratch it would be more difficult - why is it deemed to be the easier choice then?

 

[vikingerik]

For emulation, you need to emulate the whole CPU and switch matrix input and display and transistor output subsystems for that platform. For a simple table where you don't already have the platform emulated and aren't likely to reuse it, scripting could be easier. Goin Nuts is a prime example. If you do have the platform work done, then it probably is easier to drop in a new ROM and already have most of the game working.

 

[Espy]

All the following tables are scripted :

Big Shot
Black Hole
Black Knight
Central Park
Firepower
Genie
Goin' Nuts
Gorgar

Thanks PW. For most of them I wouldn't imagine there being much difference between scripted and emulated. Never realised Black Hole was scripted though. I really like it regardless.

 

[Kemetman72]

Are these tables ever going to be emulated? Especially BK. It does not work correctly scripted.

 

[vikingerik]

I would doubt it. I'm sure Farsight would want to, but the commercial value just isn't there. The proportion of players who refuse to buy them scripted but would buy them emulated can't be high at all.

 

[haj]

I hope Black Hole will someday be emulated. Sounds are missing now would enhance the game a lot more.

 

[Bowflex]

They have already stated emulation is coming. Maybe it doesn't help them profit on released tables but it probably will make future development sell better and possibly help kill a big or two.