Table of the Week Club...Week 29: CIRQUS VOLTAIRE

[shutyertrap]

For those of you not playing with dynamic lighting, you are really missing out on a treat with this week's table, Cirqus Voltaire. Because it is purdy to look at! Post your thoughts and feelings, share your strategies, wonder why there are judges at a circus. Was there an American Idol or The Voice for circus performers at one time? Did the winner get to join Cirque Du Soleil? More importantly, why is the Ringmaster trying to kill all his performers?

 

[Captain B. Zarre]

Best way to play this table is stacking up Highwire / Juggler, Strike-an-Arc, and any Ringmaster multiball together. Tons of points if you don't lose the balls. It's especially good in tournaments.

 

[invitro]

Was there an American Idol or The Voice for circus performers at one time?

Yes, but it was a very long time ago.

Just like how a very long time ago, John Popadiuk made pinball machines.

Pro tip for the kids:

Everything dies baby that's a fact
But maybe everything that dies someday comes back​

- Bruce Springsteen, "Atlantic City"​

 

[vikingerik]

Best way to play this table is stacking up Highwire / Juggler, Strike-an-Arc, and any Ringmaster multiball together. Tons of points if you don't lose the balls. It's especially good in tournaments.

And there is a railroaded way in TPA to grind those Ringmaster jackpots. The Ringmaster eject will railroad to a guaranteed catch on the right flipper if the left flipper is down and the right flipper is up. So during any Ringmaster multiball, catch on the right flipper and shoot the Ringmaster with the other, then while the ejected ball is coming back down, shoot the Ringmaster again from the right, and repeat.

Highwire / Juggler is irrelevant for that, although Juggler can help control loose balls by capturing orbit shots (there's also a railroadable catch from the Juggler release.) Strike-an-Arc is relevant, adding a jackpot on every six or so Ringmaster shots.

Also remember that each jackpot scores more than its advertised value: it also launches a cannonball for 250k immediately, plus cannonballs figure into the bonus.

 

[Pinballwiz45b]

Gameplay is still too slow.

 

[Slam23]

I distinctly remember a camera bug in Neon Multiball, is that fixed already? When starting Neon, the camera got stuck on the plunger.

 

[Locksley]

I distinctly remember a camera bug in Neon Multiball, is that fixed already? When starting Neon, the camera got stuck on the plunger.

I can't answer your direct question, but I get the camera locked problem in pretty much any table that shuttles the view back and forth - so it seems to be in the code?

But do you play on PC Slam23? I love the camera mod and it is pretty straight forward to use; if you do play on PC I think you might give it a shot.

And I played 1 game of LotR in Stockholm; seems like a pin I could really get into - nice shots and interesting theme. You reached Valinor yet


EDIT: Just played a game; first virtual since getting back. I don't remember the ball being so floaty? And the extreme smoothness of the ball I credit the absolute perfect playfield surface than on never encounter in real life; maybe those small inconsistencies in the table surface is what gives the ball 'visible' weight and is why that is what most players comment on?
END EDIT

 

[Slam23]

Hi Locksley,
No, I don't play on the PC although I bought seasons 1 & 2 out of curiosity. The tables do look very nice on PC with graphics and lighting and that free camera mod sounds good. I play only iPad, because of portability. Just went to Denmark for 2 weeks and with Wifi in the apartment, I could play whenever I wanted. I also like collecting HOF points and try to stay in the top 10 in that category. I have already given up on trying to beat the best PC players, because aside from their true skills, nudging give more control on PC than on iPad because you tilt not as easily. Have seen player videos that play on PC and who can continuously nudge to get the ball to stay on the flipper, that would be an automatic tilt on iPad. I'm not sour about that by the way, it's just differences between platforms. I do think that players like Tarek and VikingErik would score big on any platform because they have superior skills and must have also higher mental stamina to sustain those mega-grinds they can go on.
Nice to hear you found a LOTR in the wild! Was it in okay condition? Nothing makes me more sad than badly maintained/tuned pinball machines. That will also deter the casual/first time player immediately. Bad all around
I didn't find any pinball machine in Denmark, maybe they are all in Kopenhagen or something.

Back on topic: just played a game of CV and got about 118M. Not bad for a first game back but still ways to go to beat my own 270+M top game. I made the Cirqus, and I remembered that that is actually the dangerous phase of the game. After a monster Getaway marathon it is quite difficult to get used to the physics of this table again. That is one bouncy table!

 

[shutyertrap]

I hate wizard goals like the one here where you have to sneak the ball into the ringmaster before he lowers to his usual spot. Pure dumb luck is not a test of your wizardry.

 

[Captain B. Zarre]

I hate wizard goals like the one here where you have to sneak the ball into the ringmaster before he lowers to his usual spot. Pure dumb luck is not a test of your wizardry.

I'm sure you already know this but it may be a good idea to hold the ball on the left flipper, wait for it to pop up, and then shoot it.

 

[Xanija]

Wow, I don't know for how long I have hunted the Ringmaster battle wizard goal, totally given up on it. And today, in the second game (I restarted the first game after not defeating even one Ringmaster in the first ball) I made it and now have all wizard goals on it. It's sometimes weird returning to a table after a long time and either getting immediately a much better score or getting this one goal missing.

Others than that I agree with PinWiz - the gameplay is really too slow, way to slow. I mean, just look at this

The TPA version doesn't really deserve to be called simulation for this table, sadly.

Plus: What happened to all those judges? We used to see more than just Adam, Linda and Keith. Now it's just them. Did the others all quit the job?

I also noticed the DMD display is hidden with every new game.

 

[Locksley]

Others than that I agree with PinWiz - the gameplay is really too slow, way to slow.

Yeah, that just can't be right. The small angel slope/slow gameplay makes the game stand out.
Maybe I'll just send off an email saying something is wrong with my CV, "it is playing in slow-motion"

 

[shutyertrap]

Yeah, that just can't be right. The small angel slope/slow gameplay makes the game stand out.
Maybe I'll just send off an email saying something is wrong with my CV, "it is playing in slow-motion"

I sent Mike a notice in the private OC beta thread, and he said other than the flippers, no adjustments were made to CV to make it any different than it always was.

 

[Xanija]

Yeah, it was always that slow:

http://digitalpinballfans.com/showthread.php/3132-CV-ball-is-ridiculously-floaty
http://digitalpinballfans.com/showt...-Floaty-And-The-Table-Plays-A-Little-Too-Slow

 

[jaredmorgs]

Gameplay is still too slow.

Floaty, floaty, floaty.

My biggest gripe about this table.

 

[shutyertrap]

Grrrrr. Frustrated with my final Wizard Goal, getting Voltaire's jackpot. I can get the multiballs stacked, not easily, but doable. The trick is having a ball on the right flipper as all the other balls drain so that I can then shoot the highwire ramp in that very narrow window to score the jackpot. Either I fumble and find my last ball on the left flipper, thereby timing out before I can get it back to the right, or I miss the ramp altogether as I'm only a 50/50 shooter in accuracy for it.

Getting the Battle wizard came down to me making sure I didn't play any of the multiballs in case they lit up modes that got me to circus before I had defeated all the ringmasters. The ringmaster hideout...why did nobody explain it like this? "Trap your ball on the left flipper, hold until the table goes into ball search mode, thus making the ringmaster rise full height, and then shoot the ball in". To anybody else needing that one, you're welcome.

Strangely enough, joining the circus was the first wizard I got! How very odd.

I know people are saying the table is floaty. I'm going to have to pay special attention next time I play it for real. Truth be told, it's kinda how I feel the actual table is but I could be wrong.

 

[shutyertrap]

And of course, no soon do I post my complaint and then 5 minutes later complete the goal. Secret psychological trick to getting it!

 

[Johni3w6]

And of course, no soon do I post my complaint and then 5 minutes later complete the goal. Secret psychological trick to getting it!

Congrats, sometimes that's all it takes.

 

[Extork]

Congrats, sometimes that's all it takes.

And other times it takes more

 

[Extork]

Alright I'll make myself useful for once. When that flippin boom balloon pops up, and the ball is coming down from the right loop, you can give it a nudge to the right to get it off the wall. And repeat, because it'll bounce back into that loop. It's a good way to get an extra ball. Doesn't really apply for TOTM, but it kinda does because you can still get a skill shot with it. Other than that, I just go for ringmaster all day. You guys that can combine highwire + strike an arc + whatever other multiball are crazy. Frenzir, hat trick. I just don't understand how you can do that, but I'm a noob