Pack #5 Initial Thoughts...

[Squid]

1. You shoulda posted this in the Pack #5 Thoughts thread. (It's probably gonna get merged there)

2. Yeah, I am pleasantly surprised by this round of DLC. (I used to own a Taxi, I've been waiting for this one) HD seems better than I've heard but, I like tables with lots of multi-ball options. As far as being flawless? No. Nothing major so far but, I played out a speedometer multi-ball from the plunger cam and the Taxi skill shot is way off. (It's not that easy to get the big points on the real thing)

 

[Ballpin]

Both tables seemed great to me. I played about 4 games of each and the only problem I noticed was the skill shot in Taxi. I've never played HD before so it would be harder for me to spot anything that's not right but it seemed fine.

 

[Jim O'Brien]

The right return lane is a bit fast on Taxi, reminds me of the Medieval Madness dragon ramp. Other than that I'm enjoying Taxi it's right up there in my top 10 tables of all time. It can be rewarding when you get it rocking and lit up, but it can beat the hell out of real quick as well.

 

[Baintz]

Just downloaded HD and Taxi from EU store and have to agree with above comments about the washed-out look.

I've never seen an HD pin before so have nothing to compare it to, but it definitely looks flat to me and having a frame of reference for Taxi (PHoF), this version looks like a billboard that's been left in the sun too long, the really washed out yellow of the flipper grabs the eye straight away.

I really don't understand it. ToTAN, MB, CftBL, BH, ToM, BoP and Gorgar all look gorgeous on my TV, but then the others all have various issues.

RBioN is mostly fine, just a little flat maybe.
MM would be fine but the playfield is too dark.
CV is just.... ugly. Don't know what's wrong with this one but it isn't pleasing to the eye
Black Knight is a mess, really oversaturated and those black splodges, enough said.
And now Taxi and HD.

I'll still play them to death, and will no doubt keep snapping up DLC as soon as it's released, but it's puzzling for sure.

 

[DarkAkatosh]

I haven't had anything go wrong yet EXCEPT one of my HD sessions locked up when I lost all of my balls at once during speedometer multi ball. Call attendant didn't work. No graphical complaints here.

 

[Ruz-El]

Sad to see this, but I honestly expected them so it's not so much a surprise anymore.

I've been blindly buying every table the second they hit PSN, but I think I'm going to start holding off a little bit to show
Farsight that I do care about these tables being polished (no pun...).

I've been blind buying these as well. This Taxi pack is my last until all the other issues are addressed. I thought these tables looked pretty good and played will but I only had maybe 3-4 games on each. Now that I've read of bugs, I'll pack away TPA and play some other games until the bugs get addressed on the tables I own.

I understand it's a huge project and a noble one, I really do. There's only so much money I can spend on a game that technically doesn't work right.

Paying for everything that has been released so far without previous bugs being corrected is my limit.

(thought I really want Twilight Zone and Star Trek, so I'm hoping things get fixed sooner then later...)

 

[smbhax]

Regarding the colors: could you take a picture and post it here? My current theory is that in the Farsight studios everything looks perfectly right and they probably have no idea of what we are talking about. A picture should help, I will do the same for NGG when I find the time. Just open a new thread in the table sub-forums.

I don't have a good camera setup but I've tried to start off a screenshot comparison in this thread. I kept it in this PS3 sub-forum because I think this lighting model is only in use on the PS3 currently.

 

[iCub]

I've been blind buying these as well. This Taxi pack is my last until all the other issues are addressed. I thought these tables looked pretty good and played will but I only had maybe 3-4 games on each. Now that I've read of bugs, I'll pack away TPA and play some other games until the bugs get addressed on the tables I own.

I understand it's a huge project and a noble one, I really do. There's only so much money I can spend on a game that technically doesn't work right.

Paying for everything that has been released so far without previous bugs being corrected is my limit.

(thought I really want Twilight Zone and Star Trek, so I'm hoping things get fixed sooner then later...)

Very well said. I find the concept a truly fantastic one; I am a big fan of all types of emulation. But there is a limit to how much money I will put in to a product that is basically faulty. Fix what is already made, rather than adding more to repair down the road.

I have been a gamer for 31 years and I can honestly say I have never come across a commercially released game SO full of bugs/issues. It is made all the more frustrating as I really want the project to succeed and totally agree with the aims. If it were just some buggy FPS release I would just forget about it and move on... But this.... I want this to work.

I am certainly going to follow your approach of halting all DLC purchases to see what the winter brings. In the meantime, i'll keep playing Theatre of Magic, RBION and Monster Bash as the tables with least issues (aside from the all encompassing FLIPPER LAG of course!!!!).

 

[EGRyan]

I just purchased pack #5 and played a couple games of "Taxi". Yes, the colors appeared to be "washed out" looking, but I haven't experienced any bugs and the table plays spot-on to the actual game. How do I know? Because I have a "Taxi" pin in my living room.

I'll post if I experience any bugs while playing "Harley Davidson".

 

[DrainoBraino]

I'm loving Harley!

Besides the washed out look of Taxi (although Im used to it now), everything seems good with the new tables. Bravo!

 

[J2fold]

So is this pack a buy, sell or hold? I always said pinball arcade was not taking advantage of the PS3. Personally I just don't think it is running HD.

 

[Fuseball]

Thanks for the info folks. Looks like this is the first pack that I'm skipping on the PS3. I was very disappointed by pack #6 (particularly the poor lighting of NGG) and even EATPM was was no great step up from the iOS version IMO. A shame that Taxi is washed out on PS3' as I like it as a game but I wasn't keen on the gameplay of HD anyway.

 

[Urbanshenkie]

On taxi the numbers on the skillshot are ugly, somebody needs glasses: -)

 

[Sean DonCarlos]

I have been a gamer for 31 years and I can honestly say I have never come across a commercially released game SO full of bugs/issues.

You've never played Oblivion, have you? Bethesda never actually finished fixing all the bugs in that game; there is an actual "Unofficial Oblivion Patch" (along with others for the expansions and DLC) created by fans to finish the job. I want to say it fixes something like 1,800 separate bugs.

 

[DrainoBraino]

You've never played Oblivion, have you? Bethesda never actually finished fixing all the bugs in that game; there is an actual "Unofficial Oblivion Patch" (along with others for the expansions and DLC) created by fans to finish the job. I want to say it fixes something like 1,800 separate bugs.

Yea what about Red Dead Redemption? That game has to be the winner for most glitches per pixel.

 

[DarkAkatosh]

Lol yeah. Bethesda games are always riddled with bugs big time. Look at Skyrim. Not to mention Fallout...

 

[Tabe]

I have been a gamer for 31 years and I can honestly say I have never come across a commercially released game SO full of bugs/issues.

Ever heard of Ultima 9? Battlecruiser 3000? Big Rigs Over the Road Racing? Front Page Sports NFL 99? Pool of Radiance Ruins of Myth Drannor, which would ERASE YOUR HARD DRIVE if you uninstalled it? There's also EA's NBA Elite 11, which would have been released if there wasn't a Youtube video of the demo mocking it for its horrific bugs. There have been literally dozens of games that were either completely unplayable upon release or unfinishable. The Pinball Arcade ISN'T. EVEN. CLOSE. to that. And to state otherwise is completely unfair to Farsight. TPA has a lot of issues but c'mon, let's not exaggerate.

Tabe

 

[Ruz-El]

The Pinball Arcade ISN'T. EVEN. CLOSE. to that. And to state otherwise is completely unfair to Farsight. TPA has a lot of issues but c'mon, let's not exaggerate.

Tabe

Well, to be fair, if the game isn't working like it's supposed to be, then it is pretty close to it. A game breaking bug is a game breaking bug. To people like me who understand that coding is tricky but don't actually know how tricky because they have never done it, Bethesda games like Skyrim get a bit of a pass if their is a graphic glitch because it's so huge. Not so much if it's a game breaker on something that is so deceptively simple as pinball.

Different people have different tolerances. Some people consider the look of Black Knight to be a deal breaker. I'm alright with it being a bit ugly. the fact that it continues to flat out not play right in a way that effects the score (and pinball is all about the score) is my problem. The games are tricky enough without the tables being buggy on top of it.

Again, I really want this to work. It's a sweet game when it works, and a damned noble and important mission for gamers who appreciate history. It needs to work better is all. They can do it. If people didn't believe then they wouldn't complain.

 

[Sean DonCarlos]

To people like me who understand that coding is tricky but don't actually know how tricky because they have never done it, Bethesda games like Skyrim get a bit of a pass if their is a graphic glitch because it's so huge.

A substantial number of people weren't even able to get past the first cutscene in Skyrim because various scripted events didn't happen. We're not talking a dragon flying backward through the sky (although that happened quite a bit too); we're talking players couldn't even get started in the game.

Different people have different tolerances. Some people consider the look of Black Knight to be a deal breaker. I'm alright with it being a bit ugly. the fact that it continues to flat out not play right in a way that effects the score (and pinball is all about the score) is my problem. The games are tricky enough without the tables being buggy on top of it.

This I can agree with. Fix the gameplay first where needed, then worry about the art.

 

[iCub]

Ever heard of Ultima 9? Battlecruiser 3000? Big Rigs Over the Road Racing? Front Page Sports NFL 99? Pool of Radiance Ruins of Myth Drannor, which would ERASE YOUR HARD DRIVE if you uninstalled it? There's also EA's NBA Elite 11, which would have been released if there wasn't a Youtube video of the demo mocking it for its horrific bugs. There have been literally dozens of games that were either completely unplayable upon release or unfinishable. The Pinball Arcade ISN'T. EVEN. CLOSE. to that. And to state otherwise is completely unfair to Farsight. TPA has a lot of issues but c'mon, let's not exaggerate.

Tabe

Firstly, I can only speak from my OWN 31 years of gaming experience. Of course this is going to differ from other people's.

The games you mentioned are in the majority PC games, where developers are facing a much broader technology base with thousands of variants. I am talking about a console game on a single format that is a static platform with a single operating system.

Yea what about Red Dead Redemption? That game has to be the winner for most glitches per pixel.

As for Red Dead Redemption... I am currently playing through it thanks to PS Plus. Up to now, the only slight issue I have come across is graphical "pop in". Other than that, everything has been tickety boo... not one lock up / freeze. It is proving to be an absolutely amazing game too, but I suppose all the 90%+ reviews underline that fact.

You've never played Oblivion, have you? Bethesda never actually finished fixing all the bugs in that game; there is an actual "Unofficial Oblivion Patch" (along with others for the expansions and DLC) created by fans to finish the job. I want to say it fixes something like 1,800 separate bugs.

I played about 12 hours of Oblivion on the PS3 before I got bored. I did not experience any game spoiling bugs during that time though I do recall it locked up on me once or twice. Again though, we are talking about an open world game with 10 000s of variables / consequences.

I am aware of the scandal surrounding Skyrim of course; the PS3 is still awaiting the numerous DLC additions that the PC and Xbox have had. There was also the game save slowdown issue that affected people as they got further into the game and the dragons flying backwards. I gather the save game issue is now fixed after a considerable delay.

In all of this though, the key thing is that I have not personally played it so it is only what I have read about.

I have played TPA and I do experience the numerous issues, but the biggest one of all being the flipper lag. This is something that goes beyond fuzzy table textures or dull lighting; it is a fundemental gameplay mechanic that is being affected. It is like a twitch driving game such as Burnout Paradise being affected by steering lag or Halo having a 200ms joypad delay. Issues like this would spoil the gameplay making the difference between crashing or dodging the bollard or shooting instead of getting shot for Halo. The flipper lag makes the difference between loosing a ball or not or catching the ball coming off the MM ramp or it draining.

Rul-El puts it well for me...

Different people have different tolerances. Some people consider the look of Black Knight to be a deal breaker. I'm alright with it being a bit ugly. the fact that it continues to flat out not play right in a way that effects the score (and pinball is all about the score) is my problem. The games are tricky enough without the tables being buggy on top of it.

While I would like to see brighter tables, higher res textures, fuller sound; I can cope with all these things if the actual mechanics of the game work well. It is one thing to battle the game and loose, but quite another to loose because of bugs.

Anyway, the good news is that the Community Manager for Farsight has now registered here. Hopefully he will provide some feedback on how the problems are being dealt with and reassurances for the future of the title we are all so invested in.