Tables in the most dire need of overhauls/updates

[HotHamBoy]

So anyone who plays TPA regularly knows that some of the early tables look very inconsistent with the rest, particularly when it comes to textures. Which ones do you feel really need a make-over?

For me:

Bride of Pinbot - these textures are unacceptable! It looks muddy on iPad, on PC it's atrocious. The playfield is terribly low-res, a crime against a table that is all about the art. Also, the ball feels too floaty.

Black Hole - Same

Victory - Again, really muddy, low-res playfield art. An eye-sore

Creature From The Black Lagoon - Magna-ramps make the game far too easy, boring even. This is a pretty challenging table IRL, I don't even bother with it in TPA. Sad.

These are my top picks. Scared Stiff's Boney Beast ramp is another ball-magnet that needs tweaked. Obviously higher-res art should be available on all tables for the PC version, at least. But I think those tables above need the most attention.

I really hope Farsight makes an effort here. I know their plate is pretty full, especially having to develop for so many platforms, but this is the situation they've created and many of us has spent money for the same tables on multiple platforms because we enjoy the product and we love pinball. I just want it to be the best it can be.

 

[Locksley]

Bobby mentioned the possibility that a 'new texture artist' would be great learning the ropes by updating older tables textures.

In an other thread it is explained that it is not higher rez we need but a more careful and correct compression of the textures. Many of the old tables have compression artifacts and added blurriness from this alone and would look perfectly fine if compressed correctly.

Also with later seasons FS got a new camera that probably did RAW photos and that helped allot with clarity. There old camera was not up to snuff, as we can clearly see.

So they do need to remake allot of textures but higher resolution might tax some GFX cards too much (people are already strugling to run Dx11 soo...)

And I don't see why they need to take new photos - a texture artist is just that, an artist; and if you can't make an image from scratch why are you hired?

Also worth mentioning is that FS do small tweaks here and there as time strolls along, they never mention it in there patch notes but it is stated in threads or answered when asked. AND most of us don't even notice when they do fix something; says allot about us eh

Season 1 and 2 needs more love! The tables there are the classics of the 90' era and should get a polish in each little patch and release of a new table they do. Lets just hope FS gets a bit more time on there hands and can do a bit of both - new table and polish the old.

Cheers!

 

[HotHamBoy]

You're right, they're more like bad JPEGs. It makes them look like a Zaccaria table.

isn't it ironic that prioritizing some of the best and most iconic tables in season 1 & 2 caused them to be the most inferior conversions?

 

[jaredmorgs]

Back in the day, farsight had to take photos of the table in dark room and lit room because of no dynamic lighting.

This goes some way to explain why the textures are muddy on BoP. They were taken in low light.

Note in season 4 things started to improve dramatically.

 

[francis247uk]

jaredmorgs, you mean from Season 3 onwards right? Large noticeable improvement on art from Fish Tales onwards. Pretty sure it was down to the new camera.
If money/time weren't an option, would love for Season 1 and 2 to be remastered with the current equipment - and original art files from the Stern archives for their remastered tables!

 

[Spork98765]

If money/time weren't an option, would love for Season 1 and 2 to be remastered with the current equipment - and original files from the Stern archives for their tables!

IIRC, only half the tables from season 1+2 could possibly be remastered as they were done using old assets from the Hall of Fame collections. I seem to recall this being admitted to when Victory was released.

Maybe Jared or SYT could confirm this?

 

[TNT]

Bride of Pinbot does appear to be one of the worst offenders.

 

[HotHamBoy]

Bride of Pinbot does appear to be one of the worst offenders.

And it's not from HoF, either. On mobile, these tables are serviceable. Not pretty, but okay when the camera is zoomed out. On PC, though, I think they're pretty unacceptable. The textures look absolutely terrible and I don't know how FS can be proud to sell them for what they do. No wonder cabinet mode isn't a priority, there are VP tables that look better.

 

[rehtroboi40]

And it's not from HoF, either. On mobile, these tables are serviceable. Not pretty, but okay when the camera is zoomed out. On PC, though, I think they're pretty unacceptable. The textures look absolutely terrible and I don't know how FS can be proud to sell them for what they do. No wonder cabinet mode isn't a priority, there are VP tables that look better.

Since DX11 doesn't work on my computer, I can't say anything about that version's textures. This weekend, I got to play some POTO and BSD on my DX9 version. They are more recent tables-but the textures (if that's what you call them) are horrible. + a lot to anyone mentioning BoP. Much of seasons 1 and 2 need overhauls IMO.

Their website needs an overhaul too-there has never been a WiiU version-yet it is still advertised more than 3 years later.
Okay, maybe there was that brief (and very brief) ToM demonstration. And what else?????
IMO. this is FarSight's sleaziest crime against TPA fans-advertising a phantom version of the game on a platform, shaky though that platform may be.

 

[dave950lam]

To me all the tables look very nice. So I'd vote for tables that need things tweaked.

Goin Nuts, Genie, Firepower - these tables need to get the bumpers fixed......they go dead at times.

ToM - MagnaSave too weak but has excellent range.

BK, BK2K - MagnaSave has no range....Unless you hit it as the ball rolls over, it won't work. MagnaSave should work like The Power in TAF and TZ.

Gorgar - still goes silent when you get Multipliers (not all the time, though).

Bumper animations are non existent on most tables (unless you use little kid view).

 

[Rudy Yagov]

To me all the tables look very nice. So I'd vote for tables that need things tweaked.

Goin Nuts, Genie, Firepower - these tables need to get the bumpers fixed......they go dead at times.

ToM - MagnaSave too weak but has excellent range.

BK, BK2K - MagnaSave has no range....Unless you hit it as the ball rolls over, it won't work. MagnaSave should work like The Power in TAF and TZ.

Gorgar - still goes silent when you get Multipliers (not all the time, though).

Bumper animations are non existent on most tables (unless you use little kid view).

I don't understand how they botched BK so badly when it was just fine in PHOF.