The Pinball Show

[kimkom]

Episode 1 is up, with news of a new version of Pinball FX.

 

[trash80]

Just as I said months ago... Pinball FX (4) is the big announcement.

 

[trash80]

Does someone want to make a thread discussing (speculating?) Pinball FX for the PC being an EPIC exclusive?

 

[Lykaion23]

Don't know what to think about the Battle Royale pinball theyare wanting

 

[Hinph]

Grooooan, announcements of announcements of announcements for something coming eventually. My pinballs are so blue.

Looks like we’re essentially getting the next version of Pinball FX though that will probably have the VR support I covet built right in, so it’s all good. Anybody else a little worried about the “new business models” bit though? No subscription based service please... well, at least not one that is mandatory. I like buying and “owning” the tables.

 

[trash80]

Don't know what to think about the Battle Royale pinball theyare wanting

Agreed. Sounds like pinball for those that like to be a jerk. I'm curious if the new "platform" will lose cabinet mode since the new IP partners will require that. I also wouldn't be surprised if none of the previous owned content will carry over and everything will need to be (re)purchased from scratch.

 

[Narc0lep5y]

This is.. um. very scripted.

 

[Gusbomb]

I'm still afraid to come close enough to the monitor to type, for fear that the over-rehearsed guy is going to put my eye out flapping his 3D gangsta hands at me. What an uninspiring bore. They didn't say what they /were/ going to do, but it's pretty clear what they're /not/ interested in: anything like the enveloping joy of playing pinball. If I decide to become a completely different person whose concept of fun hinges on interacting with goofy people and their goofy nonsense, I'll be back. Otherwise, I'm out, and am /so/ glad I just got a real cab (not a toy one) and learned how to be part of The Community.

 

[crazyflipperfingers]

My biggest takeaway from The Pinball Show - Akos was standing in front of an AC/DC and a Dialed In. It was really uninspiring otherwise. No mention of if we'll have to repurchase tables for the new version, no word on adding the new physics to the older Williams tables, no mention of new features for Pinball FX apart from this Royale thing, no announcement of new Williams tables...

 

[EldarOfSuburbia]

They have an AC/DC and a Dialled In because they like playing them. Pretty sure nothing else could or should be read into that, unless it's wild speculation. That said, what are we here for if not wild speculation?

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

 

[wilbers]

My biggest takeaway from The Pinball Show - Akos was standing in front of an AC/DC and a Dialed In. It was really uninspiring otherwise. No mention of if we'll have to repurchase tables for the new version, no word on adding the new physics to the older Williams tables, no mention of new features for Pinball FX apart from this Royale thing, no announcement of new Williams tables...

They have answered some questions on reddit (and discord). Mel answered the physics question "we are working to get the entire library updated with Williams Classic physics (pro physics). It's a huge undertaking, but it's a major priority.". They have also revealed that there will be live events, so that is something to speculate on.

I agree with Eldar, the machines they were standing in front of weren't sending a message (if any looked like they were missing parts that were getting scanned that would have been a different matter entirely).

 

[shogun00]

I'm getting a bit sick of the overhyping announcements just to make announcement for a future announcement. They are starting to feel like Farsight a little.

Look, I'm a simple guy. Just announce a new table and I'll be happy. I don't care about the platform and its features. I just want to play more pinball.

Zen really needs to focus on the KISS (keep it simple stupid) rule. Right now this reminds me of the original Xbox One announcement. All those features about enhancing your TV watching experience, but MS failed to focus on what really mattered,...the games.

 

[Scared Stiff]

They have an AC/DC and a Dialled In because they like playing them. Pretty sure nothing else could or should be read into that, unless it's wild speculation. That said, what are we here for if not wild speculation?

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

Well, they DID say new IPs, so who knows? Why couldn’t it mean a Jersey Jack or Stern partnership involved? I could see it. Especially Stern.

 

[trash80]

Well, they DID say new IPs, so who knows? Why couldn’t it mean a Jersey Jack or Stern partnership involved? I could see it. Especially Stern.

Agreed, but I wouldn't be surprised to see that it also means other IPs within their current agreements. So maybe Pixar related original tables? And then whatever WMS tables that have other Disney franchises' IP like Indiana Jones, etc.

Also, based on Zen's development cycle, this new version of FX should have been in development for at least the past 18 months. But we know how things have gone with much of that time period, so when will FX 4 actually be released? Q3/Q4? Are they hoping that the Mandalorian pack in March and the Arcade1Up cabinets in April/May are enough to keep us interested until they have some actual news to share?

 

[Byte]

Anybody else a little worried about the “new business models” bit though? No subscription based service please... well, at least not one that is mandatory. I like buying and “owning” the tables.

Maybe they will let you download everything for free but make you pay per "credit" (like real pinball machines generate profit) just like other games have in-game currency. So you'd have to buy packs of 50, 100, 250, 1000, etc. "credits" with a lower per-credit price based on the pack size. Maybe they'll be called Fx and perhaps premium licensed tables will require 2 Fx per play and standard tables 1 Fx.

 

[trash80]

Maybe they will let you download everything for free but make you pay per "credit" (like real pinball machines generate profit) just like other games have in-game currency. So you'd have to buy packs of 50, 100, 250, 1000, etc. "credits" with a lower per-credit price based on the pack size. Maybe they'll be called Fx and perhaps premium licensed tables will require 2 Fx per play and standard tables 1 Fx.

For the mobile and Asian markets something like this will likely continue to be the case. But on the PC and consoles we will probably still have outright "ownership" capability, but will also see quarterly season passes that feature various cosmetics and bonuses. Just take a look at the business models that EA, 2K and Epic use on all their franchises for a glimpse of the future.

 

[Hinph]

Pinball is niche enough already. A model like that would be suicide on non-mobile platforms. I don’t think they’ll do us dirty.

 

[HighFive]

Maybe they will let you download everything for free but make you pay per "credit" (like real pinball machines generate profit) just like other games have in-game currency. So you'd have to buy packs of 50, 100, 250, 1000, etc. "credits" with a lower per-credit price based on the pack size. Maybe they'll be called Fx and perhaps premium licensed tables will require 2 Fx per play and standard tables 1 Fx.

Got a feeling if they want to have new type of subscriptions, the pay to play model could be a way to bring Stern in. Arcades are shut down, not sure Stern is making money out of just selling to home fans. You know, if a new table from Stern get release both physicaly and digitally at the same time, would you put quarters in it to play the virtual version? I could be in tbh, but it really depend of the price. A 1 for 1 or even half price compare to the real table would be way too much imo. Perhaps something like 5 virtual games for a dollar could be interesting? Price could be different for newer vs older stuff, who know. The pay to play model is not something im throwing out, as long as the pricing is right.

 

[McLovin]

I'm getting a bit sick of the overhyping announcements just to make announcement for a future announcement. They are starting to feel like Farsight a little.

Look, I'm a simple guy. Just announce a new table and I'll be happy. I don't care about the platform and its features. I just want to play more pinball.

Zen really needs to focus on the KISS (keep it simple stupid) rule. Right now this reminds me of the original Xbox One announcement. All those features about enhancing your TV watching experience, but MS failed to focus on what really mattered,...the games.

I hear ya, players like you who make up our core audience think alike in my mind. These announcements will come, and we will reveal concrete information, tables, features etc in the future. We are trying to carry the pinball flag to a new audience this time with FX New & Royale, which also reflects in the kind of communication we do - this demographic might require a bit more show and a bit more content. Or at least we think so.

I think of Pinball FX as a great melting pot of core pinball gameplay and players with a fresh injection of new features and people who discover the game.

 

[trash80]

I hear ya, players like you who make up our core audience think alike in my mind. These announcements will come, and we will reveal concrete information, tables, features etc in the future. We are trying to carry the pinball flag to a new audience this time with FX New & Royale, which also reflects in the kind of communication we do - this demographic might require a bit more show and a bit more content. Or at least we think so.

I think of Pinball FX as a great melting pot of core pinball gameplay and players with a fresh injection of new features and people who discover the game.

So the Fortnite and Asian market demographic. Enough said. You know, you can't be everything to everyone and there is a very real chance that with this systematic pivot, you alienate the very people that put you in the position that you are currently in and ultimately you may end up with zero players.

Honestly, it may just be the reality of how niche traditional video game pinball is and you can't support a studio like Zen by catering to the "core audience" anymore.

Maybe the future of traditional video pinball is fan-made and/or crowdsourced.