These pro modes are such crap and offer little value.

Raoul

New member
Sep 30, 2016
15
0
Ok so we're in agreement that Pro Mode is nothing but a cash grab.

What would it need to get you to buy it?

I was hoping for exchangeable flippers.... lightning and regular and ball physics.
 
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EldarOfSuburbia

New member
Feb 8, 2014
4,032
0
Yep... physical table adjustments (slope, posts, etc), and maybe built-in custom cameras. Not sure about flippers; that may not be allowed since it's a deviation from the standard production versions of the table. I also feel that anyone who thinks BSD, Fish Tales, and Dr Who would be any easier with regular "long" flippers than with "Lightning" flippers, is going to be in for a shock: hard tables are hard!

I may be wrong, but isn't ball control part of Pro mode as well? That's essentially a glass-off mode.
 

Baron Rubik

New member
Mar 21, 2013
1,852
1
There are a few Pro modes I wouldn't want to be without.
I generally only play TZ with extra balls off. Same with SS.
Game times are ridiculous otherwise.
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JefferyD

Member
May 10, 2013
198
2
I buy the pro modes, as The Baron said, to kill extra balls. No way I should be able to go 40+ minutes on ANY table. Scared Stiff was one of the first tables I bought and – after I kind of got the hang of it – it became completely unenjoyable until I upgraded. I prefer a more realistic experience. My all-around favorite on TPA is Monster Bash, but I rarely play it because there's no pro mode available.

I know, maybe I could just let the ball drop when it says "shoot again," but there's something aesthetically displeasing about plunging and letting it fall. Plus I lose track of extra balls when the game gives them away in bunches. I like to know, going in, that I've got three strikes and that's it.

For example, I played Junk Yard yesterday for the first time with extra balls turned ON; I made it to outer space three times. I think I've only made it to outer space ONCE since I started playing it, what, two years ago? It was neat to see the animations and all, but it kind of took the fun out of it seeing it more than once in a single game.
 

MIK

New member
Oct 17, 2016
118
0
There does seem to be a problem with TPA though where the more features a table has the slower the ball becomes making some of these cool tables even easier to play than they really are in the real world. This is very apparent with the PS4 version and Scared Stiff is one of the worst for having a slow ball unlike the real machine.

The skill shot eject also seems too powerful in TPA version of Scared Stiff as it sends the ball into the laboratory all too often which helps keep the ball in play! On the real Scared Stuff I've played the ball ejects, heads towards the right hand side as you know it does but then heads down the middle of the table...
 
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Heretic

New member
Jun 4, 2012
4,125
1
5 dollars? what a rip off! your new favorite was(justifibly) 30-50 pounds depending back in the 90s...i wont compare apples tooranges but personally ive never felt ripped off because the quality hasnt actually dropped(its improved) and i was aware and happy what i was buying into in the first place.
 

Zaphod77

Active member
Feb 14, 2013
1,319
2
Dacula is definitely easier with normal flippers. it was designed with them. it's harer to loop the ramps with the lightning flips.

FIsh tales the normal flippers really only help with the captive ball. so not that much difference.

and dr who really is a lot harder with those lightning flippers. the huge center cap will kill you when going for multiball.

oddly enough some tables are EASIER with lightning flippers! Hurricane, for one. it makes the comet ramp ultra easy to loop.
 

MIK

New member
Oct 17, 2016
118
0
What you might need reminding of though is that each one of these tables is like a classic arcade machine coming home be it Pac Man, OutRun 1986 to the likes of Daytona USA/Ridge Racer and beyond with say OutRun2.

Throughout history we have had to pay a fair amount for each one as it or they have come home like Pac Man on say Atari2600 or a NES, first proper port of OutRun or Daytona USA on Sega Saturn and dare I say OutRun2006 on Classic XBOX,PS2,PSP & PC ect... In one form or another most if not all have cost a lot more than any tables you might buy for TPA and the thing is, this is the first time many of these tables have come home!

TPA is seriously under valued and that's a fact.

As a fan, all TPA Tables including all Pro Menu's for the price of say 3-4 modern games you might buy today with "extra's" is NOTHING. I paid way more than that tryng to feed a Sega MegaDrive/Genesis with arcade ports which were not exactly arcade perfect. How much was Virtua Racing for a MegaDrive back in the day? :D
 
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switch3flip

Member
Jan 30, 2013
944
0
I'd like to add that access to operators menu (opening coin door) is also very useful not only for adjusting extra balls but also for being able to change settings to tournament settings.
Personally this is the only reason i bought pro versions of the tables. As I play real tournaments fairly much, it gives me a chance to play and get to know the tables more like the way they are set in real tournaments. That usually means no extra balls and tournament settings on in operators menu. Tournament settings usually disable random awards and stuff like that. Sometimes in real tournaments some other settings are also changed, like what points extra balls or specials award, or how many ramps it takes to light a lock, ball save times, and so on. This can also be adjusted in operators menu in pro mode, if it can be changed on a real tabe.
 

Baron Rubik

New member
Mar 21, 2013
1,852
1
I'd like to add that access to operators menu (opening coin door) is also very useful not only for adjusting extra balls but also for being able to change settings to tournament settings.
Personally this is the only reason i bought pro versions of the tables. As I play real tournaments fairly much, it gives me a chance to play and get to know the tables more like the way they are set in real tournaments. That usually means no extra balls and tournament settings on in operators menu. Tournament settings usually disable random awards and stuff like that. Sometimes in real tournaments some other settings are also changed, like what points extra balls or specials award, or how many ramps it takes to light a lock, ball save times, and so on. This can also be adjusted in operators menu in pro mode, if it can be changed on a real tabe.

Tournament mode in Timeshock is nice and quick to access. Just long press the right flipper and hit start.

I generally play that and other tables with tournament settings just to keep game times shorter.
 

Locksley

New member
Jan 2, 2015
384
0
I always buy pro-mode as a future proofing. I am also of the mind that when I get friends over and eventually we might set up a little tournament one can set up the tables as hard as the programming will let you.
 

AnvilCloud

New member
Jun 25, 2016
55
0
I always wanted to see, besides the ability to control lighting levels, a way to customize and mod tables just like people do with the real thing. Not sure if I'd throw that in as a pro mode upgrade but it damn sure wouldn't hurt
 

Bahnzo

New member
Apr 18, 2012
109
0
Yep... physical table adjustments (slope, posts, etc),

I'm still wondering why this isn't a feature. I could understand posts being a little more difficult, but a slope adjustment is simple programming.

But what do I wish most was possible? Two things: The ability to save and share adjustments, and a leader board for those adjustments.

ie: I'd love to setup a table with some custom settings and see how others score on that. If that's too much database work, I'd at least like to see a machine setup with tournament settings and have a separate leader board for that.
 

Jeff Strong

Moderator
Staff member
Feb 19, 2012
8,144
2
I'm still wondering why this isn't a feature. I could understand posts being a little more difficult, but a slope adjustment is simple programming.

But what do I wish most was possible? Two things: The ability to save and share adjustments, and a leader board for those adjustments.

ie: I'd love to setup a table with some custom settings and see how others score on that. If that's too much database work, I'd at least like to see a machine setup with tournament settings and have a separate leader board for that.

Yeah, been dreaming of this since day 1.
 

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