MM overrated?

[pin pin]

Hey Mark, don't you mean "Knight and day"?

 

[Matt McIrvin]

As with Black Hole, I think the recent physics improvements really increased the fun level of TPA's Medieval Madness. Though the flipper gap people complain about is actually bothering me now.

The game's sense of humor is kind of like what you'd get if the post-1990 version of Mel Brooks tried to remake "Monty Python and the Holy Grail", but for pinball that's doing pretty well.

 

[Matt McIrvin]

By the way, I think this is the only table at Pinball Wizard Arcade that is actually 4 quarter-tokens a play. (Twilight Zone, curiously, is only 2; most of the fancy 1990s tables are at 3.)

 

[Sean DonCarlos]

By the way, I think this is the only table at Pinball Wizard Arcade that is actually 4 quarter-tokens a play. (Twilight Zone, curiously, is only 2; most of the fancy 1990s tables are at 3.)

Might be oversight, or it might be that their TZ is such a ballbuster that they took pity on their patrons and made it only 50 cents a game.

 

[Worf]

It's a balance. TZ is hard, and if players spend 4 quarters and feel like they didn't get their money's worth, they will avoid the table entirely. So what you'd get is a table that only gets occasional play. But make it cheaper and OK, well, it's not SO bad anymore...

It's a form of supply and demand. Too cheap, and the table will be occupied with a line up and you're throwing money away. Too expensive, and few will play it. The right amount and people will keep it occupied without long lines or dead periods, and the machine will be maximizing revenue. Remember these things are made to make money. Make it too hard and after the first play, people will avoid it. Make it too easy and the operator has a busy machine but little money.

Remember, it's all about value - if the player feels they're not getting a good game, they'll abandon it. Even on MM my shortest games I tended to have fun so I kept plugging quarters into it (this was when it was new).

 

[xAzatothx]

First time I played MM i thought it was way too hard and I was put off playing it. When I revisited and learnt the rules, I soon discovered its appeal. Awesome table and still my favorite. Looking forward to the new DLC so I can see how it holds up.

 

[phreaker47]

This table frustrated me a bit at first because of SDTM drains, but three things help: 1) Always nudge if ball comes back down peasant ramp (damsel ramp is always safe), 2) although the castle can be hit from either flipper, it is always safer to shoot it with the left (if you have a right trap, post transfer to left and shoot it from there) and finally 3) Never shoot for direct hits on trolls. shoot between them (think castle shot) and hope to graze them or have them hit from behind.

Those three things right there will eliminate lots of SDTMs.

Now, as for the high score table... damn, I can't get anywhere near the top (I think I'm at 200-something now). When people talk about reaching BFTK twice in a game, that boggles my mind. It was an epic struggle for me to get it once.

For whatever reason, I'm better at the older tables with the somewhat simpler rulesets.

 

[Master of Trolls]

It's the humor of this board that gets me. It's legitimately hilarious, and to me never gets old. The sound guy deserves tons of credit, as do the voice actors.

All it takes sometimes for a table to be "good" is some legitimate humor. At least that's the way I see it.

 

[night]

All it takes sometimes for a table to be "good" is some legitimate humor. At least that's the way I see it.

That's why I love Black Hole so much, for it's humor.

 

[Carl Spiby]

Switch on the trolls on the real table is on the front of them, so it's actually far too easy to complete Trolls! in TPA.

 

[Matt McIrvin]

The last art update to Medieval Madness seems to have narrowed the flipper gap. Between that and the improved physics, the table feels a lot easier than it used to, almost to a fault: with my meager skills I can blow through 3 or 4 castles pretty frequently, and I used to have serious trouble even getting the second one. (I also find myself neglecting everything other than the castle shot.)

 

[superballs]

Switch on the trolls on the real table is on the front of them, so it's actually far too easy to complete Trolls! in TPA.

Normally I like a table's difficulty to match as closely to the real thing as possible. This was one of those few times where I was happy it got easier. I hate the trolls more than anything.

I wouldnt complain if the switch were fixed mind you, but I sure woukd hate the trolls again lol.

 

[Worf]

Yeah, the trolls are MUCH easier on TPA than the real machine. On the real machine, it takes a ball with good speed to actually hit the trolls - simple deflections don't trigger it (though back side hits do).

And thankfully, it's more fun this way. Trolls are a great way to get a ball to go SDTM, which means glancing hits to the trolls often are deadly.

 

[Clawhammer]

I used to love MM (irl and to some extent on TPA, although the iOS troll bomb bug has been quite frustrating) but as I've put in more time on the game, the appeal has waned significantly. To compare it to another game on TPA, it lacks the situational strategy or mode stackability of MB. I'm very excited for AFM- I prefer it over MM, mostly because despite their similarities, the requirements for Rule the Universe are more varied and much less wood-choppy than BftK. As far as the inflated price of MM, it's beyond me. It's a strong game, but there are others that I think would last longer in the home environment for a fraction of the cost.

 

[superballs]

I used to love MM (irl and to some extent on TPA, although the iOS troll bomb bug has been quite frustrating) but as I've put in more time on the game, the appeal has waned significantly. To compare it to another game on TPA, it lacks the situational strategy or mode stackability of MB. I'm very excited for AFM- I prefer it over MM, mostly because despite their similarities, the requirements for Rule the Universe are more varied and much less wood-choppy than BftK. As far as the inflated price of MM, it's beyond me. It's a strong game, but there are others that I think would last longer in the home environment for a fraction of the cost.

I think the HUGEST improvement was in the center shot requirements here.
The later castles in MM take forever just to get the drawbridge down, and then again to get the gate open.
AFM, it's three shots to open the force field and then each ship gets harder and harder. A much less brutal progression. Plus when the targets are down it feels like you're on a mission the whole time.

 

[Pinballfan69]

MM is one of my favorite Real tables but was disappointed with TPA's version. I have never seen the ball bounce up so high from the orbit shot after getting into the moat/lock sinkholes on a real table. I think it's fixed/tweaked on the mobile platforms as I had tried the demo on my SG3. The PS3 version still hasn't got the update so I guess I'll have to pass until the update happens.

 

[Clawhammer]

I think the HUGEST improvement was in the center shot requirements here.
The later castles in MM take forever just to get the drawbridge down, and then again to get the gate open.
AFM, it's three shots to open the force field and then each ship gets harder and harder. A much less brutal progression. Plus when the targets are down it feels like you're on a mission the whole time.

Agreed. AFM's saucer feels like much less of a chore and getting dirty pool is always satisfying.