Just take a minute.....

[SilverBalls]

There was actually quite a good pinball game for the VCS (well, as good as those old pre-physics games could get, anyway):

Midnight Magic. Pretty damn impressive programming on the VCS which was the very bugger to code for.

I didn't know there was a Midnight Magic for the VCS - will try and check it out in an emulator. Talking about the VCS, I have reading the book 'Racing the Beam' recently which contains some interesting stuff from the VCS programmers.

 

[Captain Rumwood]

....to realize just how spoiled we are.

Growing up back in the 80's & early 90's, if you would have told me that:

1.) There would come a day in the not-so-distant future when I could have virtual versions of the very same pinball machines I was pumping a zillion quarters into....
2.) These virtual versions would both look and play very close to reality....
3.) They would only cost a few quarters each (less than I spent in a few hours at the arcade) and I could play them as much as I wanted...forever....
4.) I could play them on either a big HD TV or a small touchscreen device....
5.) I could share highscores with friends all over the world in realtime....

I would've straight up flipped my lid.

Even if there were just a handful of such tables on my horizon, I would've been over the moon with joy. Any extra additions would just be icing on the cake....Let's not forget how lucky we are to have ANY of these virtual pinball machines available in the comfort of our own homes, or wherever we may roam.

Thank you Farsight!

AMEN!!! Thanks FS!!!

Agreed - but I'm from the generation appreciative for not being nuked in my childhood...
Gen Y + Bah!.....

Same here. Gen Xer myself.

Can relate to that 100%!

Around 1980 I thought Atari Video Pinball would be the best Pinball Experience you could ever get on a screen.
At the time I paid over £20 for one table on a cartridge, and I played it to death. In today's that is probably around £40-£50.

Now look what we now get for about £2 !!!!

And we get updates, access to the developers who take into account our suggestions. It doesn't get better than that.

Totally agree. One of the reasons I appreciate FarSight's effort on bringing us those pinball games is that both longtime fans like us and newcomers can enjoy these tables for years to come. As a fan I've always dreamed of winning the lotto and building my own game room with my favorite pinball machines. Being realistic, I can't afford a single pinball table, so I support FS's effort of making that dream come true for me, a longtime pinball fan, of having a virtual "pinball arcade" of my own with my favorite tables to play any time I want.

 

[shutyertrap]

Same here. Gen Xer myself.

Wearing a shirt as I type this that is a pic of the Atari joystick and the word 'roots' beneath. Just sayin'!

 

[Andassaran]

I used to have one of the old 6-switch Atari 2600s.... huge honkin metal brick that weighed 30 pounds. Darn near indestructable if you ask me...

 

[esp2000]

I am so thrilled to have TPA. It is so nice to be able to take these tables with me anywhere that I go, and the price is really the icing on the case. Keep up the great work.

 

[Matt McIrvin]

I didn't know there was a Midnight Magic for the VCS - will try and check it out in an emulator. Talking about the VCS, I have reading the book 'Racing the Beam' recently which contains some interesting stuff from the VCS programmers.

It came out after the 1983 crash and was undeservedly obscure. As you can see, it's not much like David's Midnight Magic, which basically had the Black Knight layout. But it's not bad, very pinball-like for the era. The main omission is that it has no nudge (unlike Video Pinball, where nudge is most of the game).

 

[Wizened]

Amen!

 

[an ox]

Racing The Beam is a fantastic read if you want a good insight into just exactly how insane programming the VCS really was. I did a bit of hobby kernel programming myself after reading that and just getting a few goats and platforms on the screen was enough to sear the 6502 instruction set and its associated timings into my very soul. Interesting, deeply nerdily satisfying, and frighteningly masochistic at the same time. Highly recommended if you're a bit peculiar.

 

[PiN WiZ]

To the entire team at FarSight Studios, I just wanted to take a minute to thank all of you for the wonderful job and support you given The Pinball Arcade throughout its release thus far. I converse with many gamers and other developers as well and 95% of them are amazed at the hard work and dedication you have all put into The Pinball Aracade across multiple platforms and devices.

While you do have quite a bit on your plate at the moment with new tables, new features, bug fixes and other issues that you are currently working through, the majority of your fanbase supports you all 110% in your efforts. Also, just so you know, the minority that criticizes you for the bugs and delays of new tables and features are just as addicted to The Pinball Arcade as the rest of us or they would simply drop support and never bother with The Pinball Arcade again (which I can assure you will most likely never happen).

You guys have taken on a project, along with all of its licensing nightmares, that no big developer would ever dream of touching and for that WE THANK YOU!

 

[Andassaran]

To the entire team at FarSight Studios, I just wanted to take a minute to thank all of you for the wonderful job and support you given The Pinball Arcade throughout its release thus far. I converse with many gamers and other developers as well and 95% of them are amazed at the hard work and dedication you have all put into The Pinball Aracade across multiple platforms and devices.

While you do have quite a bit on your plate at the moment with new tables, new features, bug fixes and other issues that you are currently working through, the majority of your fanbase supports you all 110% in your efforts. Also, just so you know, the minority that criticizes you for the bugs and delays of new tables and features are just as addicted to The Pinball Arcade as the rest of us or they would simply drop support and never bother with The Pinball Arcade again (which I can assure you will most likely never happen).

You guys have taken on a project, along with all of its licensing nightmares, that no big developer would ever dream of touching and for that WE THANK YOU!

+1

 

[Bonzo]

Also, just so you know, the minority that criticizes you for the bugs and delays of new tables and features are just as addicted to The Pinball Arcade as the rest of us or they would simply drop support and never bother with The Pinball Arcade again (which I can assure you will most likely never happen).

This!
And for every single critc that moans for non-reasons although he can't stop playing TPA there certainly are legions of happy customers that remain silent.

 

[Captain Rumwood]

Wearing a shirt as I type this that is a pic of the Atari joystick and the word 'roots' beneath. Just sayin'!

It's amazing how games have developed through all these years.

To the entire team at FarSight Studios, I just wanted to take a minute to thank all of you for the wonderful job and support you given The Pinball Arcade throughout its release thus far. I converse with many gamers and other developers as well and 95% of them are amazed at the hard work and dedication you have all put into The Pinball Aracade across multiple platforms and devices.

While you do have quite a bit on your plate at the moment with new tables, new features, bug fixes and other issues that you are currently working through, the majority of your fanbase supports you all 110% in your efforts. Also, just so you know, the minority that criticizes you for the bugs and delays of new tables and features are just as addicted to The Pinball Arcade as the rest of us or they would simply drop support and never bother with The Pinball Arcade again (which I can assure you will most likely never happen).

You guys have taken on a project, along with all of its licensing nightmares, that no big developer would ever dream of touching and for that WE THANK YOU!

AAAAAMMMEEEENNNNNN

This!
And for every single critc that moans for non-reasons although he can't stop playing TPA there certainly are legions of happy customers that remain silent.

That's 'cause they're busy playing their favorite table on TPA

 

[SilverBalls]

Racing The Beam is a fantastic read if you want a good insight into just exactly how insane programming the VCS really was. I did a bit of hobby kernel programming myself after reading that and just getting a few goats and platforms on the screen was enough to sear the 6502 instruction set and its associated timings into my very soul. Interesting, deeply nerdily satisfying, and frighteningly masochistic at the same time. Highly recommended if you're a bit peculiar.

I know where you are coming from. I am a programmer now of boring old trading systems for banks and alike but I have to say I never had so much fun as I did as a kid programming in 6502 assembler on an Atari 400. I remember dabbling with display list interrupts DLI and VBIS etc. It's tempting to try and do something with the VCS now but its the lack of time.

I have only just twigged that you are Llamasoft Jeff! I had to look over some of your old posts to confirm but the goats were a clue. I remember buying your Gridrunner game at Laskeys on cassette for the Atari 8-bits. 6 quid it was which was a bargain in those days because most Atari games cost about £15. I also remember booting the game with the Atari assembler editor cartridge and disassembling the memory to rip off your the sound affect as the ship warped in. Those were the days when games were written in '100% pure machine code'.

 

[SilverBalls]

This!
And for every single critc that moans for non-reasons although he can't stop playing TPA there certainly are legions of happy customers that remain silent.

The complainers do become tiresome, but as you say there aren't that many of them. There are some people who will always find something to moan about, instead of concentrating on the positives, of which there are many.