Is there anyway to merge the goals etc from different devices?

[Spork98765]

I have accomplished different sets of goals on different devices. I tried doing the Google save/load thing, but it doesn't merge the data. It merely overwrites it with the saved data from the other device.

I want to get all the goals from the different devices onto one device.

Surely the whole Google save/load blah blah should allow me to this in some way by now. With the old iteration, when I could go table by table, I could have done this had I bothered before the UI update.

Why is there no merge data option, or why doesn't the back-up automatically keep track of what's been accomplished. IDK, based on the google achievements or something :?

 

[jaredmorgs]

Think of it as a snapshot of that device. There is no diff mechanism in Google Play services that can merge the data.

 

[jaredmorgs]

You need to be quite vigilant with earned goals across devices. Back up when you earn a goal on your primary device.

Sync to other devices once earned. And the reverse when you earn goals on other devices.

 

[Spork98765]

Think of it as a snapshot of that device. There is no diff mechanism in Google Play services that can merge the data.

There Is.

Modifying a saved game for conflict resolution

If you want to merge data from the two Saved Games or modify an existing Snapshot to save to the server as the resolved final version, follow these steps:

1. Pick a Snapshot object from getConflictingSnapshot() or getSnapshot() as your base.
2. Next, call Snapshots.resolveConflict() and pass in the Snapshot that you selected in the previous step. This stores the Snapshot to the server.
3. Call open() to retrieve the Snapshot that you just stored in the previous step. Now make your modifications to the returned Snapshot, then call Snapshots.commitAndClose() to upload the modified save game to the server.

You need to be quite vigilant with earned goals across devices. Back up when you earn a goal on your primary device.
Sync to other devices once earned. And the reverse when you earn goals on other devices.

No!! Stop supporting this idea that the "End USer" has to play along with FarSight's 'UI Exlporer' GUI based poor design game.

Until You, and the beta team, stop enabling these poor decisions, then maybe some changes can be made. As I showed already, the definitive answer you gave is not correct. There is a way to merge these "Snapshots" and create a resolved final version. Perhaps FarSight doesn't know about this because no-one has asked?

 

[jaredmorgs]

There Is.

No!! Stop supporting this idea that the "End USer" has to play along with FarSight's 'UI Exlporer' GUI based poor design game.

Until You, and the beta team, stop enabling these poor decisions, then maybe some changes can be made. As I showed already, the definitive answer you gave is not correct. There is a way to merge these "Snapshots" and create a resolved final version. Perhaps FarSight doesn't know about this because no-one has asked?

This just got mentioned on the podcast.

 

[EldarOfSuburbia]

We make plenty of suggestions during beta testing, many of which have been repeated in the forum, that have not been implemented. I guess that's what frustrates me most - seeing people ask about X and Y and why don't the testers do a better job.... when as far as I'm concerned, we are coming up with bugs, ideas, and suggestions that don't get fixed/implemented and FS don't exactly tell us why.

One example would be EBD's speed - a few of us mentioned it was too fast, needed weaker flippers, etc from day one of testing. FS didn't offer a single comment.

Sent from my SM-T710 using Tapatalk

 

[jaredmorgs]

We make plenty of suggestions during beta testing, many of which have been repeated in the forum, that have not been implemented. I guess that's what frustrates me most - seeing people ask about X and Y and why don't the testers do a better job.... when as far as I'm concerned, we are coming up with bugs, ideas, and suggestions that don't get fixed/implemented and FS don't exactly tell us why.

One example would be EBD's speed - a few of us mentioned it was too fast, needed weaker flippers, etc from day one of testing. FS didn't offer a single comment.

Sent from my SM-T710 using Tapatalk

What people don't understand is that we don't get paid for this. Yet there seems to be this sense of ownership from the community that we are 100% responsible for what is released.

We.

Are.

Unpaid.

Volunteers.

Remember this fact before pointing the finger of blame around.

 

[jaredmorgs]

Perhaps FarSight doesn't know about this because no-one has asked?

When Google Play services was initially implemented, I complain bitterly about the fact that Load and save was a manual process that a user had to initiate and manage.

This particular user interaction was a primary motivator behind the making the Android user guide for pinball arcade.

At the time FarSight implemented the feature they used the justification that they wanted users to have total control about when and how they backed up data. I told them that no user expects to have to use cloud save in that way and it was an anti pattern in design.

 

[Hugh Jorgen]

What people don't understand is that we don't get paid for this. Yet there seems to be this sense of ownership from the community that we are 100% responsible for what is released.

We.

Are.

Unpaid.

Volunteers.

Remember this fact before pointing the finger of blame around.

The way I read what he said didn't involve you, but involved employees of FS.
Did you read it differently ?

 

[Baron Rubik]

I used to be involved in the beta from its first release in 2012, but left about 18mnths ago to show my displeasure in Farsights approach to testing and bug fixing, but also partly due to the extreme fanboism within the test group and this forum.

If somethings wrong - comment constructively and politely, but with a strong conviction and plain honesty.
There is so much wrong with this product now, and yes I understand that unpaid volunteers aren't completely to blame. But if it isn't right you need to speak louder and not constantly praise. And if they don't listen to that, walk away.

The bottom line is that Farsights bug fixing, testing and quality is legendarily bad, but everyone involved is accountable and needs to accept that if it's ever going to improve.

 

[jaredmorgs]

I used to be involved in the beta from its first release in 2012, but left about 18mnths ago to show my displeasure in Farsights approach to testing and bug fixing, but also partly due to the extreme fanboism within the test group and this forum.

If somethings wrong - comment constructively and politely, but with a strong conviction and plain honesty.
There is so much wrong with this product now, and yes I understand that unpaid volunteers aren't completely to blame. But if it isn't right you need to speak louder and not constantly praise. And if they don't listen to that, walk away.

The bottom line is that Farsights bug fixing, testing and quality is legendarily bad, but everyone involved is accountable and needs to accept that if it's ever going to improve.

Believe me. We don't constantly praise.

You all assume we do. Why would we bother to test if all we did was piss in their pockets.

It's patently absurd.

 

[invitro]

What people don't understand is that we don't get paid for this. Yet there seems to be this sense of ownership from the community that we are 100% responsible for what is released.

Yes, I don't get why someone would pick on the beta testers, for anything, really. Maybe the people who are doing the criticizing think the beta testers are paid. Or maybe they're envious.

 

[Baron Rubik]

Believe me. We don't constantly praise.

You all assume we do. Why would we bother to test if all we did was piss in their pockets.

It's patently absurd.

I was limited to what can be put across in a short written sentence, but praise and worship summed up what was happening at the time of my last personal involvement in the beta. It was far too positive and polite for the severity of issues being experienced. Plus there was a rule that legacy tables couldn't have issues reported, only the latest, which was utterly ridiculous.

In regards this latest update, we as outsiders obviously don't have knowledge of what happened or why, but I can only see three basic scenarios.
1 - you guys rushed in excited about EBD and didn't check other tables in the typically short Farsight betas.
2 - you guys found these game breaking issues, reported them, and Farsight ignored your cries that this was completely broken.
3 - Farsight changed the release build from the beta version tested.

3 would be ridiculously stupid from a developers perspective.
2 is unlikely seeing as no one commented, yeah we reported this but there just wasn't time.
1 I'm guessing is what actually happened, or some wierd mix of all three.

Bottom line is, whilst you guys aren't getting paid, your still the last line between release of acceptable and unacceptable quality. If you haven't got time to do it properly, you would be better to not volunteer, as this might force Farsight to actually hire or do testing internally which could only improve their dire quality issues.
Are you helping or hurting with current contributions?

I beta test for other developers so know what should be done. One application I'm currently checking has been in beta for over 2 months now, and is still far away from release.
We have to repeatedly test every feature and aspect despite the monotony.
Each beta should have a full run through testing (in TPAs case) all tables for.... does it start, play, sound etc, not just the latest current release. All 60 odd tables.

This isn't a personal attack, I'm just wondering why my £150 software investment is a broken pile of cr@p yet again.

 

[shutyertrap]

I'll use the EBD beta as an example.

Steam beta users did not even get the table to test until Monday of the week it was released. I myself am a purely concerned with the aesthetics of a table, as I don't know each and every table even remotely well enough to know if a light sequence is wrong or some rule behaviour isn't correct. With EBD the first thing I noticed was the awful placement of the DELUXE window as they had placed it dead center at the top of the play field, covering half of the the lanes at top. I made suggestions for it to me moved, FarSight responded with pics of an angle adjustment I found completely unacceptable, so I did a bit of photoshopping and gave an example of my own which wound up being exactly where they placed it for the final release. My complaints and concerns with that went all the way up to the Twitch broadcast Thursday night.

We didn't get the DX11 build until Wednesday evening, which means any lighting fixes are highly unlikely to happen until a later date. I made a huge stink about the white hot glowing metal of the inlanes, as there is no reason they should be capturing any light source on the table. Unfortunately this is an art department problem, and those take a while (if ever) to happen.

This is pretty much the beta schedule Steam users are always on, amounting to little more than a preview with not much time for issues to be raised and addressed. Jared and I have made the point about ball speed in our podcast (which people at FarSight do listen to) on many occasions, including our most recent. I have no idea why new tables cause problems with old tables, but it is completely unrealistic to expect beta testers to go through all 75 tables, using single player through 4 player, and pro mode, plus testing the newest table. We catch what we can, but in any beta I see the same 5 people posting, even though there are a lot more that have access.

 

[Baron Rubik]

...it is completely unrealistic to expect beta testers to go through all 75 tables, using single player through 4 player, and pro mode, plus testing the newest table.

Thanks for the description of the latest.

I think, if you don't have time to do it properly, you'd be better to do nothing and not take up the title of tester. This would force Farsight to look at this again, or even better, do it internally, or pay someone to do it properly.

The quick check, release it anyway approach is making their already poor quality output into something unplayable. The past few months have really highlighted this with the new ui and now this fully broken build.

 

[Spork98765]

Since we've gone off topic

 

[kinggo]

We catch what we can, but in any beta I see the same 5 people posting, even though there are a lot more that have access.

well, FS decided to "close" beta testing on android and move that to some google whatever. And since than, end of s4, tables started to get worse. V2 just broke everything.
And while access to beta for everyone may was not the best approach, for sure, end result was way better. The community is here, we were willing to help but they took that away. And I am not willing to join yet another forum/group just to do something for someone for free. For someone who's not really willing to listen anyway. Otherwise, V2 would never (or at least not yet) happen and game wouldn't be so broken.
I have no idea what's going on under the hood of TPA but in the beginning I was under impression that app is just a frontend for table selection and that the tables are completely separated games. Clearly, it is not just that since anything can break everything.