"Problem" I'm glad I have. Anyone have a "Solution"?

[Fungi]

Back when I started my Laserdisc collection, I had 4 movies. I watched T2, Aliens, etc... to death, and I loved it. Today, my DVD/BD collection is huge and I can never decide just what I want to watch, and I end up not watching anything.

Just last year, I was having a blast playing ToM, CftBL, MB, and MM. Today, I stare at my 37 tables like I do my movies, not knowing what to play.

Am I the only one who does this? Is too much of a good thing really possible? Can FarSight just add a "random" button? Or maybe a "challenge mode" like in the PHOF discs?

First world problems, I know.

 

[Korven]

I feel the same. My biggest problem is that I can't play for fun anymore. It's like; "ok, I got my 1k HoF-points on this table, why bother with it?"

 

[Kolchak357]

Challenge mode? Yes please

 

[Timelord]

I'm still enjoying all the tables, but it is hard to choose which one to choose sometimes.

If ya had a PC I could program a separate app for choosing a table, Fungi. I can't develop for iOS, though.

Korven, maybe a break and you'll be enthusiastic again. I've been playing these tables since they came out IRL and am still digging them, but then I'm not everyone.

Timelord ...

 

[SKILL_SHOT]

designate each table with a # put them in a hat and pick one. or make wheel and spin it like wheel of fortune or price is right

 

[jbejarano]

My Pinball Challenge:

I start with a journal where I begin with the default high scores for each table. The journal gets updated any time I get a new high score (relative to the journal) while playing My Pinball Challenge (you could use the native high score boards in The Pinball Arcade, but then you include high scores from non-My Pinball Challenge games, and beta tests and so forth).

To start a challenge, I use the iOS app "Handy Randy" to randomize a list of all tables in The Pinball Arcade. For each table, I throw two pairs of six sided dice. For each pair, I get a fraction (taking the lower die as the numerator and the higher die as the denominator). These fractions can range from 1/6 (if I throw a 1 and 6) up to 1 (if I throw a pair of doubles). As there are two pairs of dice, I end up with two fractions. The lower fraction is the fraction of my journal high score that I have to attain on a table to "qualify". The higher fraction is the fraction of my journal high score that I have to attain on a table to "win" the table. In the journal, I'll write down the "qualifying" score and the "winning" score I'll need for that table during this session in this challenge.

Then, I play the table repeatedly until either I "win" the table by beating the "winning" score, or I can't beat my previous score. In this way, I always get at least two chances to "win" the table.

If I "win" the table, I get a number of challenge points equal to 60 divided by that "win" fraction (the higher the fraction, the harder it is to attain, and thus the more points), and I move on to the next table in the randomized list. If I can't "win" the table, I try to ensure that my highest score in this session on this table was at least above the lower "qualifying" score. If I at least "qualified" on the table, no harm, no foul. I don't get any points, but I just move on to the next table in the randomized list. If I didn't even make it to the qualifying score, then I get a STRIKE. Three STRIKES and I'm out.

My Pinball Challenge continues until I get three strikes. If I'm lucky enough to make it to the end of the randomized list before getting three strikes, I can start again at the top of the list, and try again on all of the tables that I didn't "win" the first time.

My Pinball Challenge naturally gets harder over time as I get higher and higher scores. This feature provides a natural "handicap" to keep the challenge... well, challenging over time.

All this randomization and dice rolling may seem like confusing overkill, but it's a fun way to make it through all my tables and have goals every time I play. I'd love for The Pinball Arcade to implement My Pinball Challenge within The Pinball Arcade, but I admit that some of the rules may be slightly arcane for some. Even so, I enjoy this, and it enhances my pleasure of playing the game.

Your thoughts?

 

[Fungi]

My Pinball Challenge:

I start with a journal where I begin with the default high scores for each table. The journal gets updated any time I get a new high score (relative to the journal) while playing My Pinball Challenge (you could use the native high score boards in The Pinball Arcade, but then you include high scores from non-My Pinball Challenge games, and beta tests and so forth).

To start a challenge, I use the iOS app "Handy Randy" to randomize a list of all tables in The Pinball Arcade. For each table, I throw two pairs of six sided dice. For each pair, I get a fraction (taking the lower die as the numerator and the higher die as the denominator). These fractions can range from 1/6 (if I throw a 1 and 6) up to 1 (if I throw a pair of doubles). As there are two pairs of dice, I end up with two fractions. The lower fraction is the fraction of my journal high score that I have to attain on a table to "qualify". The higher fraction is the fraction of my journal high score that I have to attain on a table to "win" the table. In the journal, I'll write down the "qualifying" score and the "winning" score I'll need for that table during this session in this challenge.

Then, I play the table repeatedly until either I "win" the table by beating the "winning" score, or I can't beat my previous score. In this way, I always get at least two chances to "win" the table.

If I "win" the table, I get a number of challenge points equal to 60 divided by that "win" fraction (the higher the fraction, the harder it is to attain, and thus the more points), and I move on to the next table in the randomized list. If I can't "win" the table, I try to ensure that my highest score in this session on this table was at least above the lower "qualifying" score. If I at least "qualified" on the table, no harm, no foul. I don't get any points, but I just move on to the next table in the randomized list. If I didn't even make it to the qualifying score, then I get a STRIKE. Three STRIKES and I'm out.

My Pinball Challenge continues until I get three strikes. If I'm lucky enough to make it to the end of the randomized list before getting three strikes, I can start again at the top of the list, and try again on all of the tables that I didn't "win" the first time.

My Pinball Challenge naturally gets harder over time as I get higher and higher scores. This feature provides a natural "handicap" to keep the challenge... well, challenging over time.

All this randomization and dice rolling may seem like confusing overkill, but it's a fun way to make it through all my tables and have goals every time I play. I'd love for The Pinball Arcade to implement My Pinball Challenge within The Pinball Arcade, but I admit that some of the rules may be slightly arcane for some. Even so, I enjoy this, and it enhances my pleasure of playing the game.

Your thoughts?

Yikes!

 

[Heretic]

i tend to close my eyes and play what iland on lol

as for hof points who cares lol

 

[Kolchak357]

Jbejarano
That is too much work for me. Can't FS just make a challenge mode like in PHOF? I'm lazy.

 

[canuck]

My mood determines which table I play.

 

[Baron Rubik]

For Android users...

Take a look at "Random List Chooser"

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.samuel.marino.apps.randomlistchooser

Picks a table at random.

 

[francis247uk]

+1 Fungi on the random button/table selection, great idea IMO and should be relatively easy to implement

 

[4P47HY]

This reminded me of a tweet, how someone made a wheel, that helped to decide what PinballFX2 table to play next - [url]http://bit.ly/196M48F[/URL]. I guess the wheel can be customized for anything. /Also noticed it lags in some browsers./

I personally play the table with the lowest HoF score and if I'm tired of it just play the one on whom a couple of scrolling stops

 

[jbejarano]

OK. Yeah. I know that whole rigmarole is rather... involved. But, all that seems to add to the experience for me. And, it doesn't prevent me from playing individual games when I want. Any other "systems" out there that people use to challenge themselves on a multi-game basis?

 

[sotie]

Hey Fungi. When I'm in the mood for randomness I use the iOS app "Random Pro". It's universal so I have it on my iPad's and iPhone. It's simple and no fuss. Every time there's a new table pack I just adjust the highest number in settings. What I usually do is let it pick the random number then jump back to TPA and count from whichever table is currently highlighted in the menu.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/random-pro/id507455362?mt=8

 

[Espy]

I just scroll through the list until the music from one of them entices me. I often try to play tables I haven't played in a long time, too, because often I wouldn't like them at first and love them when going back to them. Doing this completely changed my opinion of Ripley's and Taxi.

 

[norbert26]

i just pick what i feel like playing at the given moment. forget the leader boards and default hi scores on tables they were created during beta , people on slow tablets and the like . if i want a fast game choose F2k if i want something longer choose any DMD table or another APP like zen or game pro.

 

[sotie]

This reminded me of a tweet, how someone made a wheel, that helped to decide what PinballFX2 table to play next - [url]http://bit.ly/196M48F[/URL]. I guess the wheel can be customized for anything. /Also noticed it lags in some browsers./

I personally play the table with the lowest HoF score and if I'm tired of it just play the one on whom a couple of scrolling stops

I just created a wheel for all the current tables in TPA. If you make any modifications to it the url will change.

http://bit.ly/16rnthW

 

[4P47HY]

I just created a wheel for all the current tables in TPA. If you make any modifications to it the url will change.
http://bit.ly/16rnthW

Cool sotie!

 

[SKILL_SHOT]

thats sweet! I'll have to bookmark that