Master List of Issues: Pinball FX

[gameaddict4life]

Also Zen has a tournament going for Swords of Fury for free Pinball Coins but it's only for Steam. Lame. Us console players are always left out!

 

[dmil666]

I've been playing Junkyard in flips mode on a PC, and the game never counts all the way down to zero. In fact I haven't seen it get below 120 flips yet. What happens is a some point, never the same point, when you lose a ball it goes into the "end of the last ball sequence" where it adds up your bonus, does the match sequence and displays "Game Over", with still 100+ flips on the counter.

I've also been playing "Castle Storm" in the events section, and I've had the ball get stuck in the upper top left track 3 times. Nudging the table won't shake it loose and the table won't tilt, so you have to exit the table to get out of it.

 

[smbhax]

Oh, so Whirlwind is out now on PSN actually (

).

Anyway, I was just playing Hurricane on PS4 (1.05 or whatever it was, before today's 1.06) and noticed two things:

- The "4x" bonus light is always flickering (unless you actually have a 4x bonus, in which case it's solid, as it should be; most of the rest of the time though it should be off, instead of flickering constantly)

- If you pull the plunger all the way and hold it, just as a new ball comes up, the game makes a short, loud grinding sound

 

[Crazy Newt]

Happy about the update on Steam. I was able to finally play Twilight Zone without the gumball machine getting stuck and my game essentially crashing and losing my score. Overall, the performance seems a bit better and Whirlwind looks great. I hope that updates are not packaged with new table releases in some effort to save a few bucks.

 

[smbhax]

1.06 update notes:

https://www.reddit.com/r/PinballFX3/comments/144f3yl
They don't mention any general fixes, just new features and then table-specific fixes, noting that PlayStation has had the table fixes since May 8th.

Wish they'd fix the click-too-fast-and-stuck-at-new-game thing, I run into that constantly. : P

Update: was told in that thread by OP adamdns :ZenStuidios: [sic] re: the restart-fast-click-and-get-stuck issue that "the development team is already aware of the problem. Hopefully this issue will be fixed soon."

 

[gameaddict4life]

At least the current Event has a name now. I posted about the screen artifact issue on the Reddit patch thread.

 

[gameaddict4life]

I thought I heard that in the next patch your owned tables tab would show up by default on each load of the game but that isn't the case. Still have to scroll down and select it each time, even in the same session if you tab away.

 

[smbhax]

I thought I heard that in the next patch your owned tables tab would show up by default on each load of the game but that isn't the case. Still have to scroll down and select it each time, even in the same session if you tab away.

I'd like it to show Favorites by default--or maybe better, just remember the setting you had it on last time, ya know?

But that whole left-column menu thing is really clunky to access, at least on PS4; after first view I seem to have to switch menu tabs in order to get back to being able to select left column menu items.

 

[smbhax]

Oh, so Whirlwind is out now on PSN actually (

).

Anyway, I was just playing Hurricane on PS4 (1.05 or whatever it was, before today's 1.06) and noticed two things:

- The "4x" bonus light is always flickering (unless you actually have a 4x bonus, in which case it's solid, as it should be; most of the rest of the time though it should be off, instead of flickering constantly)

- If you pull the plunger all the way and hold it, just as a new ball comes up, the game makes a short, loud grinding sound

The plunger grinding sound

Example of 4x bonus on and light flickering while 2x bonus is active:

 

[Pinballwiz45b]

The plunger grinding sound

Example of 4x bonus on and light flickering while 2x bonus is active:

Plunger grinding is fairly annoying but not big of an issue.

4x flickering is your Extra Ball location.

 

[smbhax]

Plunger grinding is fairly annoying but not big of an issue.

4x flickering is your Extra Ball location.

Well, I'm just reporting potential bugs. Ultimately Zen would be determining priority.

I had to look up what you meant about the 4x thing. From http://www.pinball.org/rules/hurricane.html

(Don't forget that the bonus x's number that's flashing is what you need to light the extra ball. On every game I've seen, it starts on the 3x, and after you get that goes to 6x. After 6x, it doesn't light anymore. So off the Dummy, you can get 2 extra balls. Don't forget that when extra ball is lit, the flippers change the lane the extra ball is in, so shoot a ramp and move the extra ball to the return lane where the ball will go.)

Oh! Then I wonder if the 4x light flickering in Pro Mode, which is what I was playing--dang I forgot to mention that; I'm pretty much always in Pro Mode--is bug-ish, since in theory you won't actually get extra balls when playing in that mode.

The pinball.org guide and the Zen-linked (player-created?) guide https://zensite.wpenginepowered.com...icane-Pinball-Guide-by-ShoryukenToTheChin.pdf say that it's usually 3x that's the first bonus level for lighting multiball--but for me in Pro Mode anyway it was always 4x that was flickering.

The flickering bonus level indicator for EBs is mentioned in an "Extra Ball" section of the in-game table guide for Hurricane:

Extra Balls may be obtained from Mystery Awards, or Dunking the Dummy to achieve the flashing Multiplier value. Once available, an Extra Ball lamp becomes list at the inlanes and outlanes, and its position can be altered with the flippers. Simply roll over the lamp to collect the Extra Ball.

I'd skipped that section because I didn't think it applied to Pro Mode--and mostly it doesn't seem to, except for that flashing Multiplier value still showing. Those big red circular EB indicators in the inlanes and outlanes shown in the in-game guide definitely did not light up in Pro Mode once I matched the flickering 4x Multiplier indicator (

), so that part--no actual EBs available--is working correctly for Pro Mode.

I suppose, since Pro Mode seems to work outside of dip switches or whatnot in the original table ROMs or programming, there are likely to be a lot of extra ball references left coming up like this even though the extra balls themselves are not actually lit or awarded when playing in that mode. Possibly the lingering EB references in Pro Mode aren't worth reporting individually--I don't know. Short of redoing the Pro Mode implementation to use dip switches for turning off EBs, possibly they can't do anything about those remaining EB references in the table programming--or wouldn't want to alter it just for that, anyway.

 

[smbhax]

Just small stuff in Space Station (PS4, Pro Mode):

The ball can sneak around the upper side of the pop-up target blocking the right lane, for instance from the left outlane kickback (

); it's a little hard to tell what's happening in real-time, almost feels like the ball went through the pop-up; but I'm not sure it's possible to have enough speed left on the ball to get all the way up the ramp after sneaking by the pop-up.

The pause menu table guide doesn't mention the lower-right spot target. (It toggles between randomizing Shuttle or Station rewards, according to the (player-created?) guide linked from Zen's site -- https://zensite.wpenginepowered.com...ation-Pinball-Guide-by-ShoryukenToTheChin.pdf .)

The pause menu table guide is very unclear on how to light locks for multiball. (You light 1-2-3 on the top rollovers.)

The Zen-linked (from https://zenstudios.com/pinball-table-guides/ ) ShoryukenToTheChin guide says lock is lit for multiball when the game starts; that's true for Classic Mode, but in Pro Mode, lock is NOT lit when the table starts (this feels appropriate for Pro mode so I'm guessing this is a limitation of the STTC guide, not covering Pro Mode set-up). (The STTC guide says it's for PBFX3, but Googling suggests Pro Mode existed in 3, although I'm not sure it worked the same way for this table.)

Between balls or in attract mode during Pro Mode, the score display may display "Extra Ball at 1,900,000" (

); I didn't reach that score to be able to say, but generally Pro Mode doesn't award extra balls, so that message may not apply. This may be a shortcoming of the way Pro Mode seems to operate outside of table dip switch settings.

 

[Pinballwiz45b]

I've seen a real Space Station do that where the ball can sneak behind the drop target.

Shoryuken's guides are player-created.

I might end up adding this as an issue, changing EB's to Credits on Replays/Specials for Pro, specifically. I've a separate issue listed changing them outright for introducing a credits system, where they can be redeemed for rewards, when playing well.

 

[smbhax]

Personally speaking, I would prefer it if Pro Mode tried to stick as close as possible to PAPA/IFPA Tournament Rules, I think. Latest version of those seems to be

https://www.ifpapinball.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/PAPA_IFPA-Complete-Competition-Rules-2021.04.06.pdf

All it has on EBs is I think

- Extra Balls disabled

and

- Replays disabled (no score or Extra Ball awarded)

with the caveat

Please note that older machines, such as commonly used in the Classics Divisions, may have different settings, such as allowable extra balls, five-ball play, or a Tilt penalty of “entire game” rather than “current ball”.

and the further general caveat

In order to best suit tournament play, certain machines may be subject to specific settings or rules adjustments, at the discretion of Tournament Officials. These adjustments will be made before tournament play begins, and will be documented if possible. The intent is to eliminate features which can be abused by skilled players, or which arbitrarily extend play time to a degree that would hinder the smooth progress of the tournament.

 

[smbhax]

Update 1.07 is out: https://www.reddit.com/r/PinballFX3/comments/14m4wzn
Whirlwind fixes, and various PC issue fixes and Nvidia DLSS support, among other things.

 

[smbhax]

Just figured out another bug In the PS4 version:

1) Start a game of Monster Bash, Pro mode
2) Set Williams Pinball Attract Mode to OFF
3) End the game by draining all balls
4) During the Match sequence, start mashing the X button, and keep mashing until you get back to the lounge/cabinet view

==> This screen has a menu in the lower right corner showing "X Play," along with other controls, but pressing X here now does nothing.

I have to press a different button, like /\ or [], then Circle button back to that menu before X will start a new game.

^ Fixed in 1.07. : )

But:

Playing CftBL Pro Mode on PS4 version 1.07:

- You have to enter your initials when achieving a new high score now, even if "Settings - Gameplay - Enter Initials" is set to OFF

- The initials entry UI says "X" is "Confirm," but it's actually "[]"; X does nothing

- Pulling the plunger back on CftBL makes two gross rasping sounds. They're probably the intended SFX playing--it's just a very grating sound that doesn't really sound like a plunger spring.

 

[smbhax]

PC version: if you map Keyboard - "Ball Launch" to something other than "Enter" key, that key will act as the "Enter" key to advance the "Play" prompts after losing a ball or at a table's attract screen (these still show and accept "Enter" key), but will NOT function to advance "Play Again" (which still shows and accepts "Enter" key) from the Congratulations screen.

The problem may not occur until closing and restarting the game with the remapped keys; before restarting, the remapped Ball Launch may actually work for "Play Again." Besides that quirk, there's also an intermittent problem of the game resetting either all my keyboard remappings EXCEPT Ball Launch to default after setting them and restarting the game, or resetting JUST Ball Launch to default after restarting; this seems to happen until I've verified my new custom key settings are there and closed and restarted the program, perhaps several times in total.

My intended full key setting is

Left Flipper: F
Right Flipper: J
Ball Launch: N
Use Power: Q
Nudge to the Left: G
Nudge to the Right: H
Nudge Forward: Space Bar
Change Camera: C
Toggle Visual Mode: T
Backglass View: Y

so the repro case for Ball Launch not activating Play Again would be

1) Set the custom key mappings indicated above
2) Set Settings - Gameplay - Williams Pinball Attract Mode to ON (not sure this is required, but it affects game over button flow and I haven't tested it OFF)
3) Close the program
4) Restart the program and verify key settings are all still in place; if they aren't, set them again and restart again
5) Start a new Pro Mode game of Fish Tales (not sure these are necessary but haven't tested other combinations)
6) Lose all balls
7) Press Ball Launch at the "Play [Enter]" prompt to advance to Congratulations score screen
8) Press Ball Launch at the "Play Again [Enter]" prompt to try to advance to the table attract screen
== Nothing happens; you have to press the old, default Ball Launch button, Enter, instead--this is both inconvenient, and inconsistent with the "Play [Enter]" prompts before and after, which do accept the remapped Ball Launch button

(Separately, I'd like to have the game go right to Ball 1 from "Play Again [Enter]." "Play Again [Enter]" followed by "Play [Enter]" at the table's attract screen feels redundant and one click too many.)

 

[smbhax]

On PC--on my PC, at any rate, with a 60 Hz screen--leaving the game's default Vsync setting ON results in noticeably horrible input delay (UPDATE: I was having pre-1.07 flashbacks here; it's actually not bad now, even with Vsync ON); switching the game's Vsync setting to OFF vastly improves input delay, but results in very ugly jerking/tearing of moving pinballs at the default Framerate Limit = 60 setting. (Setting Framerate Limit to 120 or higher smooths the ball movement back out but makes my laptop run much hotter. ; ) The input delay drop with Vsync = On seems unusually large compared with the other games I've run on this machine; perhaps there's room for improvement there.

- - -

It would be more convenient and probably more appropriate if setting "Main Menu Camera" to "My Tables"--enabled by turning "Main Menu Moving Camera" off--started you at the "My Tables" menu tab, instead of the empty "Home" tab.

 

[Crazy Newt]

While they seem to have made enormous improvements with regards to PC optimizations in the last update, I'm sure there are still quite a few issues that need more attention. As you have noticed, the in-game vertical sync setting wreaks havoc on the latency. Maybe the video card settings will work better in your situation to enable vertical sync. If the laptop is not able to keep up with 120 fps consistently, and there is no g-sync or freeSync option with the monitor/screen, your probably going to experience a lot of tearing with a pinball game. Well, this pinball game in its current state.

Have you tried using 72 or 60 FPS in-game refresh lock with the in-game vertical sync unchecked? Best latency seems to be limiting max frames per second in the game and disabling any vertical sync. But if the PC struggles to keep up with the max FPS settings used and your can't make use of G-sync/FreeSync, it might be an unplayable, ugly mess.

 

[smbhax]

While they seem to have made enormous improvements with regards to PC optimizations in the last update, I'm sure there are still quite a few issues that need more attention. As you have noticed, the in-game vertical sync setting wreaks havoc on the latency. Maybe the video card settings will work better in your situation to enable vertical sync. If the laptop is not able to keep up with 120 fps consistently, and there is no g-sync or freeSync option with the monitor/screen, your probably going to experience a lot of tearing with a pinball game. Well, this pinball game in its current state.

Have you tried using 72 or 60 FPS in-game refresh lock with the in-game vertical sync unchecked? Best latency seems to be limiting max frames per second in the game and disabling any vertical sync. But if the PC struggles to keep up with the max FPS settings used and your can't make use of G-sync/FreeSync, it might be an unplayable, ugly mess.

Thanks for the suggestions. : ) Setting Vsync or limiting FPS to 60 through the Nvidia Control Panel, or with RTSS, still add significant input delay in PBFX--possibly slightly less than the in-game setting, but still pretty bad.

60 and 72 are gross without Vsync on, yep. ^ _^ My laptop seems to handle 120 fine, aside from the fans going non-stop, so I guess I'll just have to live with frying eggs while playing. ; D

Update: except OBS video capture with the game's limiter on 120 has horrible ball jerking/tearing. Just gonna let it be Unlimited then; if I wanted to cool down slightly I could probably get better footage using Nvidia Control Panel or RTSS to limit the game to 120; the game's own framerate limiter just seems pretty janky.