TPA vs. the real machine

[Richard B]

I played a real BOP yesterday for the first time in almost 2 decades. One thing I noticed right away is that clearing the shuttle ramp is much harder than it is on TPA. While simply hitting the ramp is pretty much on par with the TPA version, your shot has to be really accurate to have enough momentum to clear it. Somebody else mentioned this on a blog on Pinside. Those of you who have played some real BOP recently, is this the way it is supposed to be, or were the flippers on the machine I played (and possibly the one the blogger played) too weak?

I also noticed the left loop spam doesn't work as well. You can backhand it into the loop from the left flipper, but the ball does not always go back to the flipper.

One thing worth mentioning was how much of the presentation failed to translate. Every sound and playfield detail is present and in the right place on TPA, but it lacks the epic feel of the real machine. I always felt the Bride to human transition was too long on TPA, and always wished there was a fast-forward/skip option, but after playing it IRL, I see why they did it that way. I know, every table is better in reality, but some TPA recreations, such as TOM, Taxi, and HD, don't suffer from this as much as BOP is. There's not much FS can do about that, it's just the way some tables are.

 

[BonzoGonzo]

yeah a digital recreation will never be as good as the real thing...

for worse or better

 

[gooche77]

Ain't nothing like the real thing, baby. Real pinball will always be a better play experience. I imagine it would be hard to play in the bathroom, though.

 

[Eric Qel-Droma]

That would be the best bathroom ever, although you'd need some hand sanitizer right next to the table(s)! Now I'm imagining a rotating throne with multiple tables arranged in a circle...

 

[shutyertrap]

Even though TPA has done a good job with the sounds, I find there's still something missing. I'll watch a vid on YouTube, and there's just so much more of the machine itself that you hear. It's a very organic, strange when talking about mechanics, sound. You hear every click of plastic, the thud of the ball hitting the playfield. Maybe if those sounds were what went into the surround channels, while the game sounds (those coming out the speakers) came out the center channel. I don't know, that to me is just such a huge component to selling the reality.

 

[laughing_lunatic]

Going to get the chance (hopefully) to play Bride IRL in the next couple of weeks. I'll post my reactions. Can't wait, to be honest.

 

[xAzatothx]

I played the real table last weekend. The ball in TPA is far more floaty and slower. I also found the flippers on the real machine underpowered and the ramps far more punishing. As with all machines you really have to work them, especially with the nudges. On TPA getting the billion shot is pretty easy, on the machine it was very difficult.

 

[shutyertrap]

I played the real table last weekend. The ball in TPA is far more floaty and slower. I also found the flippers on the real machine underpowered and the ramps far more punishing. As with all machines you really have to work them, especially with the nudges. On TPA getting the billion shot is pretty easy, on the machine it was very difficult.

And therein lies the conundrum. TPA is set up for optimal conditions of the table. IRL, finding a table like that is truly rare. When I've gone to Vegas and played at the PBHoF, it was night and day compared to playing at the local pizza place. And so much of it comes down to the flippers having the oomph. I recently played a Wheel of Fortune table where if you had the flipper up and the ball was coming down with speed, it'd collapse the flipper and immediately drain!

 

[Richard B]

Played this again IRL, on a different unit. This one didn't have underpowered flippers, but it was still difficult to make the Shuttle Ramp. The Heart Beat Shot was not only more difficult to make, it was a dangerous shot, as it often ended up going SDTM, or out of control. The left loop shot is the same way, and even though the per shot chances of losing the ball are significantly lower than the HBS, it will still get you if you try to do the EB spam that works so well on TPA.