Season 3 PS4

[Rudy hates me]

I feel the exact opposite. That's the main thing that keeps me from getting into Zen. For me, a lot of the fun is trying to keep the ball alive. Much of that is lost when the ball can barely fit between the flippers. As B.B. would say, the thrill is gone.

I went back to Zen a couple of months back and played Tesla. Ended up quitting after playing for ages without threat of a single drain. Physics seem so off after TPA for my taste too.

 

[Mark W**a]

First of all, so happy to see an actual changelog for the new update. Very cool.

Secondly, I'm looking forward to opinions on the PS4 versions of Fish Tales and Black Rose. At $5 a pop, I'm a lot less inclined to just buy every table where I bought 'em all on PS3, sight unseen. Especially if a season pack will be available for $30 later...

Both look stunning. Black Rose is amazing in the dark.

Both play great too. Great update I'm very happy.

They sound fine to me, at least Black Rose and Fish Tales. But I have nothing to compare them to. On the one hand these games are 20 years old, on the other if people say the sound is low fidelity then I'm inclined to believe them. I'm not an audiophile so I don't know. But if it's indeed still not fixed then that's disappointing.

Maybe Farsight made a mistake, thought the sound fix was already in. If so someone should inform them it was never patched.

 

[smbhax]

One more ? is Pro Mode fixed so it saves?

No, it isn't.

It seems like the fixes in this update were the ones they had originally intended for the first patch--stuff they found themselves before the game went live. So it doesn't have fixes for stuff that wasn't found until after players got their hands on it, like the low quality sound and non-saving Pro settings. At least, that's my theory.

 

[rehtroboi40]

Why did we play games before achievements and trophies? I have a vague recollection of something we used to call 'fun', but I could be mistaken.

Both sides (for/against "achievements or trophies") have legitimate arguments. I do find it odd that companies limit achievements. It's nice that Steam doesn't.
As long as we have table goals, IMO those will suffice.

 

[Rudy hates me]

I do find it odd that companies limit achievements. It's nice that Steam doesn't.
As long as we have table goals, IMO those will suffice.

A good point. It's well documented here that Sony has a limit, no idea about MS, but no sensible reason springs to mind. Anybody have any clues?

 

[Kemetman72]

OK I must admit both tables look and play great. Playing BR I really notice the low quality sound. Doesn't look like I'll get my balls today. Damn! I just don't want to be treated like a 2nd or 3rd class citizen. Now our Season 2 tables are due in August!? They're due whenevr the damn Xboner is finished and a month after. They could've done this right from the start. I guess we'll need a Super-Dee-Duper Patch eventually. Seriously though who equates mobile sound with the PS4? (shakes head, neck starts to hurt.) Oh well maybe in June we'll get the sound fix. What ever happened to the new UI? The S1 tables look hideous. M$ actually raised their achievements to a minimum of 1000 per game up from 400. Sony falls asleep sometimes. The money they spent for streaming backwards compatibility would've been better off investing in their network infrastructure. If you want b/c keep your damn system. Too many whiny kids. But back on topic the tables are awesome and I caved and bought them.

 

[rehtroboi40]

OK I must admit both tables look and play great. Playing BR I really notice the low quality sound. Doesn't look like I'll get my balls today. Damn! I just don't want to be treated like a 2nd or 3rd class citizen. Now our Season 2 tables are due in August!? They're due whenevr the damn Xboner is finished and a month after. They could've done this right from the start. I guess we'll need a Super-Dee-Duper Patch eventually. Seriously though who equates mobile sound with the PS4? (shakes head, neck starts to hurt.) Oh well maybe in June we'll get the sound fix. What ever happened to the new UI? The S1 tables look hideous. M$ actually raised their achievements to a minimum of 1000 per game up from 400. Sony falls asleep sometimes. The money they spent for streaming backwards compatibility would've been better off investing in their network infrastructure. If you want b/c keep your damn system. Too many whiny kids. But back on topic the tables are awesome and I caved and bought them.

I wonder how the PS4 version of TPA is selling. If it were selling better, Farsight might have worked to get updates to us more than once in a five-month period. BTW, I'm not counting last week's pseudo-patch.

 

[Tabe]

I went back to Zen a couple of months back and played Tesla. Ended up quitting after playing for ages without threat of a single drain. Physics seem so off after TPA for my taste too.

I hate Tesla. So much of the actual scoring takes a ridiculous number of things to happen while 99% of what you're doing gets you nothing. Add in that it's just a not good table...

That said, I like a lot of the Zen tables. I just hate the four originals that came with the PS3 version (Tesla, V12, Shaman, and whatever the other one was). Terrible tables.

 

[Tabe]

Wasn't the hitting someone with a fish trophy in Uncharted 3?

Don't remember it being in UC3 but it's most definitely a trophy in Sleeping Dogs - I just got that one a couple days ago

 

[an ox]

ps4 is not hard to program. That reputation must be a hangover from the ps3 where to get the most out of it needed a bit of a dance but the ps4 is much more straightforward and really quite nicely powerful without too much of a struggle.

 

[dingo99]

OK I must admit both tables look and play great. Playing BR I really notice the low quality sound.

So, the new tables also have piss-poor sound like season 1? I guess that means FS wasn't being truthful about accidentally loading mobile sound samples into the PS4 version (unless they're so clueless as to have done it again in season 3). Not surprising, I suppose, since FS seemed also to have lied about getting an initial patch to Sony months ago.

Is FarSight really so blind as to not see that long-standing major bugs can hurt sales? I stopped buying tables on any platform part way through season 2 in anticipation of what should have been a definitive PS4 release. Still waiting for a fix so that I can get back into TPA.

 

[brakel]

Both sides (for/against "achievements or trophies") have legitimate arguments. I do find it odd that companies limit achievements. It's nice that Steam doesn't.
As long as we have table goals, IMO those will suffice.

If they didn't limit trophies then games would have 1000 platinum trophies and then the next round of games would have 10000. It would mean nothing but then some say it means nothing now. It would be just like point inflation on pinball machines. First scores went up to 4 digits, then 6, then 10, etc. Next there was the million shot and eventually that grew until the billion shot eclipsed them. Its just all silliness.

If Sony doesn't add more points for trophies then their trophies are more rare and worth more, right?

 

[Darrell Harding]

I agree that Sony shouldn't need to increase a trophy limit in games, Farsight should have restructured their trophy setup in TPA for ps4 though , seriously the trophy for getting into the high score table is a complete waste of time as ANYONE with an ounce of skill will have it straight up. They would have be better of ditching that trophy and using them across a lot more tables as standard/wizard trophies but I guess its too late now.

 

[brakel]

I agree that Sony shouldn't need to increase a trophy limit in games, Farsight should have restructured their trophy setup in TPA for ps4 though , seriously the trophy for getting into the high score table is a complete waste of time as ANYONE with an ounce of skill will have it straight up. They would have be better of ditching that trophy and using them across a lot more tables as standard/wizard trophies but I guess its too late now.

I think it just didn't occur to them to restructure the trophies.

 

[RJB]

An honest post/opinion.

As someone who up to now had bought every table possible on both the PS3/PS4, I can honestly say not getting new trophies to aim for is a "MASSIVE" loss to me, I know all about why they stopped on PS3 but I was fully expecting Farsight to come out with new ones on the PS4 version (how wrong was I) if there was ever a game that trophies helped make the gaming experience more fun and kept you playing then it's "The Pinball Arcade"

As someone who is in the UK I already feel totally let down with the big wait over the Super Patch, so I'm sad to say that Farsight have had their last money from me, only tables I will make an exception on are Addams Family and The Simpsons, although I doubt we're ever see these tables anyway.

Having supported them for so long I now feel conned by Farsight, it's as if they have got lazy "IMO"

Also, I remember when Farsight were doing the T2 Kickstarter they more or less were promising people that Addams Family would be on the way, it's starting to look like this was another con to get people's hard earned cash, because since they got all that support for T2 we've not heard a single thing about Addams Family, something feels off about it all to me, not at all impressed.

For the record I actually prefer the real life tables you get in TPA compared to those in ZEN Pinball, but at the end of the day I truly feel ZEN treat their fan base far better, and for that reason alone they deserve more respect and support and will likely be getting my money from now on, GUTTED.

 

[Patty]

Well, in Europe nothing is available. No Update, no new tabels. And it´s wednesday!

 

[The Great Cornholio]

@ RJB: I fully understand what you're talking about. I would really like to see the development of their sales on the different devices and in general. I'm sure they lost a lot of customers as a result of their strange policy.

I am too much of a pinball fan to give up and will continue to buy the DLC. But how many customers will and are there enough of them to keep sales high enough for FS to continue?

FS once had a great idea. I was delighted and full of hopes when I got my hands on the first tables. Unfortunately FS doesn't seem to have the ressources necessary to develop for all devices. I'm sure the quality would rise as soon as they quit working on some platforms. Season 3 on IOS is an indicator.

This is a good example how bad management can ruin an otherwise great product that every pinball fan should be more than happy to own and support. There is not even competition. I tried Zen but was not impressed. I prefer the real deal.

I guess the usual suspects will tell you we have to be thankful that TPA even exists and we shouldn't be too demanding. But that's not how I see the merchant-customer relationship. Or maybe these people haven't been affected by the Xbox fiasco and never heard the sound of TPA on the PS4...

 

[Kemetman72]

Well, in Europe nothing is available. No Update, no new tabels. And it´s wednesday!

People have said that for Germany updates are around 5-8pm. They have never happened in the wee hours of the morning. Don't take this the wrong way Patty, but just chill a little and have some patience. I am still waiting for Season 1 ballpack even though the UK and Australia already have it. It's like who knows with Sony once things are in their hands. Sony scares me sometimes.

 

[Patty]

People have said that for Germany updates are around 5-8pm. They have never happened in the wee hours of the morning. Don't take this the wrong way Patty, but just chill a little and have some patience. I am still waiting for Season 1 ballpack even though the UK and Australia already have it. It's like who knows with Sony once things are in their hands. Sony scares me sometimes.

Thanks, dear Kemetman!
So, I will show a little more patience. Hope, we get the new update and tables around 5-8pm.

 

[rehtroboi40]

An honest post/opinion.

As someone who up to now had bought every table possible on both the PS3/PS4, I can honestly say not getting new trophies to aim for is a "MASSIVE" loss to me, I know all about why they stopped on PS3 but I was fully expecting Farsight to come out with new ones on the PS4 version (how wrong was I) if there was ever a game that trophies helped make the gaming experience more fun and kept you playing then it's "The Pinball Arcade"

As someone who is in the UK I already feel totally let down with the big wait over the Super Patch, so I'm sad to say that Farsight have had their last money from me, only tables I will make an exception on are Addams Family and The Simpsons, although I doubt we're ever see these tables anyway.

Having supported them for so long I now feel conned by Farsight, it's as if they have got lazy "IMO"

Also, I remember when Farsight were doing the T2 Kickstarter they more or less were promising people that Addams Family would be on the way, it's starting to look like this was another con to get people's hard earned cash, because since they got all that support for T2 we've not heard a single thing about Addams Family, something feels off about it all to me, not at all impressed.

For the record I actually prefer the real life tables you get in TPA compared to those in ZEN Pinball, but at the end of the day I truly feel ZEN treat their fan base far better, and for that reason alone they deserve more respect and support and will likely be getting my money from now on, GUTTED.

FarSight may have dropped some opaque hints, but I don't remember them "all but promising" TAF. Supposedly, Raul Julia's estate may not allow for such an event.
Despite the fact that I'm not too big on trophies, I do think Sony should have made some concessions to allow more trophies. Similarly, I think FarSight should have limited trophies to Standard and Wizard goals instead of high scores-like Zen trimmed their medals from 3 to 2 for the PS4 version of Zen Pinball 2.