So? Can we expect this game to be released soon?

[zoid]

The forum is pretty quiet. Is the game about to be released? Why not simply releasing an early access version on Steam while it is still a beta?

 

[Ripley]

The forum is pretty quiet. Is the game about to be released? Why not simply releasing an early access version on Steam while it is still a beta?

Someone on Facebook has asked the same. I think Early Access is a good idea.

 

[Kian]

Someone on Facebook has asked the same. I think Early Access is a good idea.

Most defintely !

 

[zoid]

I'm glad to see that others think the same.

I would personally consider this game to be an unfinished product until it gets upgraded to ps4 quality and features. But in the mean time, I'm sure many would enjoy an early access to the current version, even at regular price.

 

[Ripley]

I agree with you. I would buy every table on early access.

 

[SteWieH]

Mike said he is aiming for September unless unforseeable happens.. patience... i mean i have to be since i am a 360 user and well. im rocking a grand total of 8 tables. i think i might own more on my vita which is broken >.>

 

[Mick Morry]

There are still a number of bugs and issues that we beta testers have pointed out and that have not been fixed as of yet. Hopefully build 0.016 fixes most if not all of them. I can see why they would not early release it yet. First impressions are everything and they are making sure everyone's first impressions is one of absolute shock and joy at how good it is. All us PC beta testers have been super busy finding all the issues we can. Then the Dev's go to work on crunching the bugs and issues, and very quickly I might add. The bunch of us are shocked at how fast the FarSight Dev's have been attacking and fixing all the reported bugs. It's all being done faster than you would imagine. There have been well over 100 bugs and issues reported from what I have seen. Most have been fixed, but all of us bunch that have been beta testing can see why they are being super careful before releasing the game. Remember we are testing every single table they have produced...right up to T2. They may be waiting until we test Tee'd Off and Haunted House too? Not sure, but I wouldn't doubt it if they were doing just that.

What I can assure you is the game looks magnificent in it's present state, and if they up the graphic level to PS4 level...then we will all be freaking right out. It shouldn't be long gang. When it is up you will be happy to see how well it runs, looks and feels. Everyone has taken this very seriously. All us new beta testers have really sped things up more than you would think. I know it seems slow, but trust me on this....we helped TPA in spotting some really annoying and persistent issues. The game is a giant killer. It is simply the best pinball video game every brought to PC. I play nearly nothing else lately. Expect to see all your other games on Steam gather some dust for a while when this becomes available to you all. I have beta testing friends that are putting in absolutely monster hours into the game. Some of them have pinball skills so good they have seen ever stage of every table. So there should be no hidden surprises in bugs that arise when you get to the more challenging stages or goals in each table.

Happy gaming guys. It won't be long. When it does become available....brace yourselves. You are in for a heck of a ride.

 

[Ripley]

Mick, most of what you said is correct.

But the early access option on Steam is for games that are not quite finished yet. Everyone can decide to buy the game there with a few bugs, or wait until it is fully done.

Read here: http://store.steampowered.com/earlyaccessfaq

 

[dach]

I'm up for buying in now! Downloads and updates are a breeze with Steam. I trust FS to do their job.

 

[zoid]

I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure there is no way they can release a finished product by september. If they really aim for that deadline, then the best they could do is fixing some bugs and glitches here and there, and then brand it as a finished product while we clearly expect something better than a mere port. I have read the beta section, and I saw those people complaining about art, textures quality, lighting and so on. That kind of stuff won't be dealt with in just a few weeks. If they release an early access version and commit themselves to upgrade it to a ps4 equivalent version, they might actually attract more people, even if it's still a beta.

 

[Mick Morry]

I agree, and many other beta testers have been privately saying the same thing as this. The bunch of us see enough issues that we would be surprised to see it officially released this month. FarSight doesn't just want a ho hum launch. They want a launch that screams...."We're here"! A bit more polish and there should be very little room to complain about anything. If anything...they have won my respect by being so thorough. I wish other game developers would do more of this instead of rushing out unfinished games. Kudos to all the FarSight staff!

Who knows though...it could come out faster than we beta testing think. You just never really know for sure what is up? Anything could happen at this point. What I do know is the FarSight dev's are working overtime and they are doing a fantastic job from what I am seeing. I have made bug reports at midnight California time, and it was a Saturday too, and they responded to my report immediately and commented on it. Take that Electronic Arts!

 

[Mick Morry]

Mick, most of what you said is correct.

But the early access option on Steam is for games that are not quite finished yet. Everyone can decide to buy the game there with a few bugs, or wait until it is fully done.

Read here: http://store.steampowered.com/earlyaccessfaq

I have bought a fair number of those early access games and also a lot of alpha and beta games that are out on Steam or Origin at the moment. Most of them need some serious work. Some of them are so dicey at the moment I have not been able to enjoy them at all. So I am waiting for them to fix some issues before they see me playing them anytime soon. Now if they were pinball games....that's another matter all together. I would jump through hoops to help more of the early access games out with bug reports etc if they were good pinball games.

 

[zoid]

I have bought a fair number of those early access games and also a lot of alpha and beta games that are out on Steam or Origin at the moment. Most of them need some serious work. Some of them are so dicey at the moment I have not been able to enjoy them at all. So I am waiting for them to fix some issues before they see me playing them anytime soon. Now if they were pinball games....that's another matter all together. I would jump through hoops to help more of the early access games out with bug reports etc if they were good pinball games.

Well, if they release an early access version, they will have more beta testers to rely on and start making money right away.

 

[Mick Morry]

Well, if they release an early access version, they will have more beta testers to rely on and start making money right away.

This is quite true. I see both sides points. In the end it's up to them. If it was me...I would allow early access to you all. Pinballers have to support their buddies, and I agree with more eyes spotting issues. The more the merrier IMHO. Lets hope you folks all get it soon. I will be buying every season they put out at launch. Not even a millisecond of delay on that decision. TPA on Steam is without a doubt my favorite game of all time. Pro Pinball will need to do an awful lot to dethrone my love for TPA. The table variety alone makes TPA the King of video game pinball. Then add in the incredible FarSight dev team...they are just first rate. They are making sure the PC version isn't as choppy and buggy as the IOS version that is still taking flack from our TPA fans members.

 

[Crawley]

Well, if they release an early access version, they will have more beta testers to rely on and start making money right away.

With a bunch of complaints from people that don't understand what Early Access is/means (see Might & Magic X forums). The forums will have complaints regardless but should hopefully be minimized if the launch is pretty solid/smooth. This release has been a long time coming so I don't think people would be too forgiving if their favorite table has issues, or the game crashes, or the DLC doesn't load in correctly, etc.

I'm looking forward to this release quite a bit too but can hold out longer if it means a smoother release.

 

[zoid]

With a bunch of complaints from people that don't understand what Early Access is/means (see Might & Magic X forums). The forums will have complaints regardless but should hopefully be minimized if the launch is pretty solid/smooth. This release has been a long time coming so I don't think people would be too forgiving if their favorite table has issues, or the game crashes, or the DLC doesn't load in correctly, etc.

I'm looking forward to this release quite a bit too but can hold out longer if it means a smoother release.

I know what you mean, but it doesn't prevent developers from screening trough the complaints and to spot reports that are helpful. And for those who don't understand what an early access is, they will just whine a little bit and come back when the game is finished.

But here is another point. Imagine that the major bugs and glitches are fixed, but that the visual hasn't been polished at all. Being aware that a ps4 version is under development, what would you prefer at that point: to buy an early access to a clearly stated ''beta'' product, or to buy it labelled as a finished product? Personally I would prefer the first option, knowing that the game will remain a beta until it matches the ps4 version in terms of quality and features. If they release it as a finished product in the following weeks and we all buy it, why would they rush upgrading it once the ps4 version get released? They will already have our money. If it's only an early access, not everyone would have buy it on day one.

 

[Krooze L-Roy]

I've been checking Steam every morning like a kid waiting for the mailman to deliver his secret agent decoder ring. From the sounds of it, I should probably cool my jets for a while. This time of year, I'm just afraid they'll do the old "let's wait until Feb or March to avoid the holiday glut" routine.

And while I would certainly throw my money at a Steam "early release," in general I think those words are consumer kryptonite.

 

[Mick Morry]

I've been checking Steam every morning like a kid waiting for the mailman to deliver his secret agent decoder ring. From the sounds of it, I should probably cool my jets for a while. This time of year, I'm just afraid they'll do the old "let's wait until Feb or March to avoid the holiday glut" routine.

And while I would certainly throw my money at a Steam "early release," in general I think those words are consumer kryptonite.

Me too. You are not alone. This place is a hot bed of us all waiting on a bunch of great new pinball games and tables. I am also checking my ipad everyday with anticipation for some other pinball releases on there too. There is a new Star Wars table and a very pink themed table coming to FX2 on Steam. Add to that TPA on Steam is due out sometime relatively soon. The beta for Pro Pinball should also be starting soon...so I am looking out for that email to hit my inbox.

Then for my ipad I am waiting on pins and needles for TPA's Tee'd Off and Haunted House pack, and also for ASK Homework's Zaccaria Pinball table of the month. It's Pinball overload, and I just love it.

 

[jkonami]

I would definitely go for this. Far better than waiting even longer through these soft deadlines we keep hearing - I don't hold out hope that the game will be released in September on Steam - and as I recall August was the previous target. I know the PS4 is a big deal, but as an ex-360 player, the PC version is the only long-term, trustworthy, viable platform to buy TPA on. It's frustrating to see PS4, iphones, and other devices take precedence over it, at least for me. I have no plans to buy into the next gen of consoles and I think developer support for older generations disappears quickly, but I can be reasonably sure my investment will last a long time for PC. I am still playing computer and console games from the 80's and 90's thanks to emulation and virtual machines. I want to buy most of my games on PC for this reason. In fact, I am always disappointed when I see a game I bought 3 years ago on Xbox Live Arcade/Indies is now available on Steam. PC is my first choice.

Finally, I wouldn't purchase early access for most games on Steam - but TPA is one of the few I would. Please consider it!

 

[Hef Hughner]

I would definitely go for this. Far better than waiting even longer through these soft deadlines we keep hearing - I don't hold out hope that the game will be released in September on Steam - and as I recall August was the previous target. I know the PS4 is a big deal, but as an ex-360 player, the PC version is the only long-term, trustworthy, viable platform to buy TPA on. QUOTE]

Yep. That is exactly my position. After the endless wait for Xbox tables i will only buy the Steam version and would pay full price for Beta Access without hesistation.