The Official Latest NEWS And INFORMATION Discussion Thread

[Rafie]

That's pretty much where I'm finding myself as well.

+1 I don't care if its old or new. As long as its pinball...it has my attention.

 

[MontanaFrank]

Screw diversity and historical significance - no tables before 1985!

By doing that their would be no tables that I played for real before 1985. That's when I was 25. My first real SS table was played in 79, at 19 years, when I left my small town in Montana. Before that I played all EM tables. This old fart would like to recapture some more pinball memories from the years 1966-79 other than Big Shot.

 

[Richard B]

By doing that their would be no tables that I played for real before 1985. That's when I was 25. My first real SS table was played in 79, at 19 years, when I left my small town in Montana. Before that I played all EM tables. This old fart would like to recapture some more pinball memories from the years 1966-79 other than Big Shot.

The reason I say that is FS can't (or refuses to) emulate any SS tables made before 1985, therefore they script them. All their scripted tables so far have had issues, some, like BK, play completely wrong. EMs are exempt from this, since they cannot be emulated anyway, and are usually simple enough that there aren't "hidden surprises" that many SS have. Since most of the highest rated tables came out after 1985 anyway, why not just give us good emulated versions of them, and leave the pre-85 SS to VP and FP?

 

[ravager]

Yeah, uh, no. I'm with Frank on this one. I think the emulations aren't awful, although BK certainly does play better on PHOF. I have feeling that Firepower will be a fantastic recreation, and that is well before 1985. I also agree with Frank that you will kill the nostalgia factor for those of us pushing 50 and beyond. Sure the later SS games are entertaining but some of us don't WANT to only have a choice of tables that have a 200 page rule set. (I exaggerate, of course, to make a point).

Keep doing what you are doing Farsight. Cheers.

Edit: Also, Gorgar is quite a fun SS table, and it came out in what, 1979? Maybe you will change your mind after FP is released this month.

The reason I say that is FS can't (or refuses to) emulate any SS tables made before 1985, therefore they script them. All their scripted tables so far have had issues, some, like BK, play completely wrong. EMs are exempt from this, since they cannot be emulated anyway, and are usually simple enough that there aren't "hidden surprises" that many SS have. Since most of the highest rated tables came out after 1985 anyway, why not just give us good emulated versions of them, and leave the pre-85 SS to VP and FP?

 

[Russell Bergman]

I wouldn't worry about pre 1985 tables. I am pretty sure FarSight will continue to make pre 1985 machines. Just remember, this is FarSight's first year for DLC, and they are getting better and better all the time. They continue to improve old DLC tables all the time. I can see awesome pre 1985 pinball machines like Solar Fire, Fathom, Embryon, Viper, etc... scripted in all it's greatness! FarSight can do it! No worries!

 

[Nik Barbour]

The reason I say that is FS can't (or refuses to) emulate any SS tables made before 1985, therefore they script them. All their scripted tables so far have had issues, some, like BK, play completely wrong. EMs are exempt from this, since they cannot be emulated anyway, and are usually simple enough that there aren't "hidden surprises" that many SS have. Since most of the highest rated tables came out after 1985 anyway, why not just give us good emulated versions of them, and leave the pre-85 SS to VP and FP?

I struggle to understand why the scripting is such an issue in TPA.
I recently(ish) bought WPHOF for xbox due to lack of TPA dlc, and learnt all tables were scripted, even the newer more complex ones like NGG, which to my admittedly limited pinball knowledge perform perfectly successfully. Even BK in WPHOF was much better executed than in the later TPA. I just don't get why they have such problems in the latest incarnation.

Gotta say I'm with Frank, and prefer pre '85 to post' 85.
Got the new Android beta today with Firepower and Doctor Dude, and I don't think I've played a full game of Dr.D yet. I keep quitting out to play Firepower again.
It's personal preference but I prefer a more open play field, with less toys and more shot orientated quicker games.
Even in it's badly scripted state, BK is the table I probably play more than any other in TPA. I so wish they would revisit this table.

 

[PiN WiZ]

I struggle to understand why the scripting is such an issue in TPA.
I recently(ish) bought WPHOF for xbox due to lack of TPA dlc, and learnt all tables were scripted, even the newer more complex ones like NGG, which to my admittedly limited pinball knowledge perform perfectly successfully. Even BK in WPHOF was much better executed than in the later TPA. I just don't get why they have such problems in the latest incarnation.

Gotta say I'm with Frank, and prefer pre '85 to post' 85.
Got the new Android beta today with Firepower and Doctor Dude, and I don't think I've played a full game of Dr.D yet. I keep quitting out to play Firepower again.
It's personal preference but I prefer a more open play field, with less toys and more shot orientated quicker games.
Even in it's badly scripted state, BK is the table I probably play more than any other in TPA. I so wish they would revisit this table.

No Good Gofers, Medieval Madness and Tales of the Arabian Nights are all ROM emulated in the WPHOF. If you want to see the result of scripting a DMD based table, check out Tee'd Off in the GPHOF...not a pleasurable experience unfortunately.

 

[Nik Barbour]

No Good Gofers, Medieval Madness and Tales of the Arabian Nights are all ROM emulated in the WPHOF. If you want to see the result of scripting a DMD based table, check out Tee'd Off in the GPHOF...not a pleasurable experience unfortunately.

That explains why NGG is so well done then - apologies, I thought all were scripted.
I still stand by WPHOF BK being infinitely better than TPA. (although TPA Firepower is so much better than WPHOF Firepower, which was so easy it was dull. TPA Firepower is tuned very nicely.)

 

[brakel]

Its not an age thing. Firepower is my daughter's favorite pinball table and she's 19. She was disappointed to find out it had been rotated out of the Pinball Hall of Fame the last time she was in Vegas. She doesn't know the difference between an SS, an EM or a DMD is. She just doesn't know the terminology or the history. She just plays the tables and knows what she likes.

 

[Worf]

Wow, Farsight about to announce something for Xbox360!

 

[Sumez]

I'm expecting the announcement to be that they are going to announce x360 news within the next two months

 

[Paul Petrissans]

By doing that their would be no tables that I played for real before 1985. That's when I was 25. My first real SS table was played in 79, at 19 years, when I left my small town in Montana. Before that I played all EM tables. This old fart would like to recapture some more pinball memories from the years 1966-79 other than Big Shot.

Harlem Globetrotters? That was the first table that hooked me.

 

[Man-Machine]

Harlem Globetrotters is a wonderful table! I really hope we will get it at some point. There might be licensing issues though.

 

[ravager]

Gotta say I'm with Frank, and prefer pre '85 to post' 85.
Got the new Android beta today with Firepower and Doctor Dude, and I don't think I've played a full game of Dr.D yet. I keep quitting out to play Firepower again.
It's personal preference but I prefer a more open play field, with less toys and more shot orientated quicker games.
Even in it's badly scripted state, BK is the table I probably play more than any other in TPA. I so wish they would revisit this table.

Agree with Nik about Firepower vs Dr Dude. The wide open playfield of Firepower just makes it more fun, in my opinion. The TPA version is fantastic, and I am reminded why I would spend all those hours and quarters whenever I saw that machine in attract mode. It is a fantastic early SS, and the one table I will probably own in the future. : )

 

[Nik Barbour]

Firepower - I will probably own in the future. : )

I'd be very happy with this, as a real table to own.
Hope you get one one day!

 

[Matt McIrvin]

Its not an age thing. Firepower is my daughter's favorite pinball table and she's 19. She was disappointed to find out it had been rotated out of the Pinball Hall of Fame the last time she was in Vegas. She doesn't know the difference between an SS, an EM or a DMD is. She just doesn't know the terminology or the history. She just plays the tables and knows what she likes.

There's a Firepower at Pinball Wizard in Pelham, NH. Unfortunately, the last time I was there the left flipper started sticking, but they keep the machines in pretty good order, so that may well be fixed. The real thing is a great, brutal game, with the gameplay revolving around those risky standup targets in the middle. It had been one of my favorites in PHoF: The Williams Collection, and getting to play a real one just cemented that opinion.

 

[Matt McIrvin]

...Firepower is a Steve Ritchie design with programming by Eugene Jarvis, and it strikes me that in some ways this is like a leaner, meaner successor to Atari's Superman, which the two of them also worked on. The layouts resemble each other in some regards, though Firepower isn't a widebody and has multiball locks.

 

[ravager]

I'd be very happy with this, as a real table to own.
Hope you get one one day!

Thank you. Me too. Would love to have space for a FP in the rec room. I think restoring one would be a great hobby, but listening to some of the guys on this forum, it would become yet another expensive hobby/addiction. : ) NOT that there is anything wrong with that.

 

[Sumez]

One thing I love about FP is that you had to work hard for the multiball. Modern tables seem to hand them out left and right

 

[ravager]

One thing I love about FP is that you had to work hard for the multiball. Modern tables seem to hand them out left and right

Indeed, especially that Demon spawn known as Harley Davidson: 3rd Edition. Just awful. Firepower made you lock all three balls. There was no multi ball junior like in Black Knight. I think the table would get a lot of use in my house.