So Zen visited Stern today...

[EldarOfSuburbia]

I think Gary Stern is looking for an "official Virtual Pin partner" so that for future Stern licenses, the virtual license comes part and parcel of it so whoever Stern partners with for the virtual version, doesn't have to worry about that side of things.

What I'd envisage is a demo virtual version of the table for promotional purposes being available to prospective buyers - but nerfed in some way, maybe score-limited or time-limited. This would be available for a certain period of time after the table is first manufactured, maybe a year or 18 months, maybe longer. Possibly if you bought the physical table, you'd get an unlock code for the virtual version as well.

Then after a while, the full, unlocked, virtual version would be released to the public, at whatever cost Stern and their partner deemed appropriate.

 

[shutyertrap]

Well it would be nerfed in that it has pre release code! Interesting thought you have there though. Wonder what they'd charge for a digi version? Especially if the point is to sell actual tables, meaning they don't want the digital version to scratch the itch. Would $50 be too much? $10 too cheap?

 

[Gorgar]

........

 

[EldarOfSuburbia]

Well it would be nerfed in that it has pre release code! Interesting thought you have there though. Wonder what they'd charge for a digi version? Especially if the point is to sell actual tables, meaning they don't want the digital version to scratch the itch. Would $50 be too much? $10 too cheap?

Probably depends on how old the physical table is, yeah? A sliding scale. Entirely up to Stern and their partner, of course.

Might be interesting to see if Stern can go back to some of their more recent licenses and see if they can add in a "virtual pin" clause. Would be great if they could do that with AC/DC, Metallica, Star Trek, etc. Wishful thinking probably.

 

[Biff]

Zen's games, as much as I like them, doesn't feel close to a real game.

Their tables don't feel close to real games because they weren't designed to feel close to real games.
Zen doesn't make simulations (yet?).
---

You know, I'm not a big fan of PinballFX because I don't like unrealistic Pinball but
no one can deny that Zen delivers superb quality. All of their games have great
graphics, audio and design. And look how fluently their GUIs are. It is fun to navigate through
a Zen game. Zen is not known for unfinished and buggy software. They provide fantastic quality and this is
probably the main reason why almost everyone wants to work with them.

So it would be awesome if they finally start to compete with Farsight in the simulation department.
Competition is great and it pushes Farsight to move forwards.
I think Farsight needs a push from time to time.

 

[Jeff Strong]

Their tables don't feel close to real games because they weren't designed to feel close to real games.
Zen doesn't make simulations (yet?).
---

You know, I'm not a big fan of PinballFX because I don't like unrealistic Pinball but
no one can deny that Zen delivers superb quality. All of their games have great
graphics, audio and design. And look how fluently their GUIs are. It is fun to navigate through
a Zen game. Zen is not known for unfinished and buggy software. They provide fantastic quality and this is
probably the main reason why almost everyone wants to work with them.

So it would be awesome if they finally start to compete with Farsight in the simulation department.
Competition is great and it pushes Farsight to move forwards.
I think Farsight needs a push from time to time.

This is how I feel as well. I'm not of fan of Zen's current stuff, but I would have no problem with Zen getting the Stern license if they are planning to make them as realistic as possible. The amount of polish would be pretty incredible.

 

[Metalzoic]

Their tables don't feel close to real games because they weren't designed to feel close to real games.
Zen doesn't make simulations (yet?).
---

You know, I'm not a big fan of PinballFX because I don't like unrealistic Pinball but
no one can deny that Zen delivers superb quality. All of their games have great
graphics, audio and design. And look how fluently their GUIs are. It is fun to navigate through
a Zen game. Zen is not known for unfinished and buggy software. They provide fantastic quality and this is
probably the main reason why almost everyone wants to work with them.

So it would be awesome if they finally start to compete with Farsight in the simulation department.
Competition is great and it pushes Farsight to move forwards.
I think Farsight needs a push from time to time.

Exactly my thoughts. If Zen started making sim tables I imagine that the quality, presentation and physics would be better than Farsights right out of the gate.

 

[Kratos3]

Exactly my thoughts. If Zen started making sim tables I imagine that the quality, presentation and physics would be better than Farsights right out of the gate.

Yeah. If Zen started making real tables, I imagine they would do a great job. They probably would have those resources available to them that Farsight is lacking.

 

[mpad]

What they lack though, is the touch to real world physics - maybe the purpose of the visit was to measure a real ball weight...

 

[Biff]

What they lack though, is the touch to real world physics - maybe the purpose of the visit was to measure a real ball weight...

Zens Headquarter is in Budapest, Hungary.
and they have real Pinball machines in the office.

Besides, Budapest has a big Pinball museum.
http://www.flippermuzeum.hu/en/photo-gallery/picture-gallery.html

 

[steven120566]

really

What they lack though, is the touch to real world physics - maybe the purpose of the visit was to measure a real ball weight...

I don't think either Farsight OR Zen has the physics prefectly down. Bouncing off of targets, flippers, and things seems more realistic on Farsight. However, the ball often goes faster around orbits than real machines, especially on the way back down. Zen seems to have the speed envelope under better control (when some magical effect is not under way LOL) Perfect realism in ball physics is probably impossible, so it' sa matter preference I guess.

 

[mpad]

Zens Headquarter is in Budapest, Hungary.
and they have real Pinball machines in the office.

Besides, Budapest has a big Pinball museum.
http://www.flippermuzeum.hu/en/photo-gallery/picture-gallery.html

Forgot the irony tag.
They could as well have ordered a pinball for a dollar at eBay...

 

[Biff]

I'm just saying that Zen has all the options to get the physics right.

Steven, so far Zen didn't even try to get the physics perfectly down.
PinballFX is not a simulation of real machines.

 

[Metalzoic]

What they lack though, is the touch to real world physics - maybe the purpose of the visit was to measure a real ball weight...

We don't know that. They've never tried to make a game with sim physics before. All of theirs are less-than-real on purpose.
For all we know they could bust out the best pinball physics ever... or not.

 

[Jeff Strong]

We don't know that. They've never tried to make a game with sim physics before. All of theirs are less-than-real on purpose.
For all we know they could bust out the best pinball physics ever... or not.

If they did, I'd be all in, as their physics model is really the only thing holding me back from enjoying their current lineup...well, that and the tiny flipper gap too.

 

[Fungi]

If they did, I'd be all in, as their physics model is really the only thing holding me back from enjoying their current lineup...well, that and the tiny flipper gap too.

and the cameras and the rulesets and the DMD instructions while the ball is moving...

 

[wolfson]

don`t forget Zen is fantasy,while TPA is real tables.i love them both.to watch Zen pinball in 3D on my 55 in tv is great.and the same for TPA.the physics are always going to different,but i`ll bet my bottom dollar that if Zen given half a chance of doing a real table,they would do a fantastic job !!! well done Serbia in the under 20 World CUP !!!4 MORE DAYS BATMAN !!!!!! i`ll be driving the BATMOBILE YAHOO !!!

 

[Kaibun]

What if they're just doing a field study so they can make their own WWE-themed tables?

 

[Biff]

What if they're just doing a field study so they can make their own WWE-themed tables?

The dream goes on.

 

[mpad]

What is WWE