Visual Pinball / Pinmame

[Richard B]

Just started messing around with this program again. Pretty awesome! They've upgraded the program (version 9), which has better physics, more table animations, and better looking tables (usually). Not nearly as good as TPA, but a good program nonetheless. You can also try out tables that haven't been released yet for TPA, and even play tables we'll most likely never see, due to licensing issues.

 

[superballs]

I'm a fairly active membe of vpforums. They have advanced visual pinball a lot simply within version 9. Now supporting active backglasses. Animated backglasses via the b2s module.

For stunning recreations keep an eye out for any table by jpsalas and groin (megapin). Also look for the amazing recreation of Triple Strike by Rawd.


Not to mention that there are some amazing originals. Notably the Beatles by Bob5450 and Beat This (one of my favorite tables bar none) which was a team project for a competition. It's pretty easy to set up for the standard view. Of you want 90 degree rotated tables prepare for some work.

 

[unclewilly]

Vp is a nice program.
Jp salas still makes tables, but groni hasn't been around for a while banzi run being his only release in about a year

 

[superballs]

Vp is a nice program.
Jp salas still makes tables, but groni hasn't been around for a while banzi run being his only release in about a year

Good to see a familiar face round here, though i wish I hadn't typoed my screen name when registering.

I thought Groni was working on that amazing looking LotR table I hadn't checked in on that one in a while.

 

[Jeff Strong]

Good to see a familiar face round here, though i wish I hadn't typoed my screen name when registering.

Hey superballs, we can edit your name if you want.

 

[gypsyshred]

Well maybe I can ask this here. I tried to set it up on a machine with two monitors with different resolutions, one widescreen, one is an older square LCD. Perfect for pinball, I thought! But I can't seem to figure out how to get the screens set up, the play field looks ok, but on monitor two the whole screen is taken up by a blown up DMD, how do I adjust the size, so I can place it on the proper place on the back glass?

 

[Richard B]

I thought Groni was working on that amazing looking LotR table I hadn't checked in on that one in a while.

He has released his Lord of the Rings table. He has also made a good Twilight Zone, Simpsons Pinball Party, and Attack from Mars, among others.

 

[Brian Clark]

I like the VP9 WS versions of Fireball and 4 Million BC. Very nice recreations.

 

[superballs]

Thanks Jeff,

I asked Gord and he edited it for me. Relief!

Richard, are you talking about the amazing HD version? I didn't see that released but i will have to look again.
My favorite table on the site is Beat This, unfortunately available in 4:3 or WS but not full screen. It's an original by 4 of the members there and is very well put together.

 

[SqueakyG]

I'm afraid I find Visual Pinball too inaccessible to even download or install, which is a shame, because I sometimes encounter references to VP and wish I could play it too.

Now, I'm not an idiot but I like things to be simple. Future Pinball was easy to run because it was one easy Windows installer file on the front page of the Future Pinball website. But Visual Pinball? Christ. I went to VPForums.org and I'm afraid I don't know where to start. It's too complicated... VP Installer? VP 9.1.2? VPinMAME 2.4? VB Scripts? Frontends? I'm sure the website tries to make it as user-friendly as possible, but it's still too much for me.

I'm not asking for guidance, because quite honestly I won't spend this much time learning how to make pinball tables appear on my screen please. That's what makes The Pinball Arcade so convenient -- for 800 MS Points all I had to do was click 'A' on my Xbox 360 controller a few times and I had a great pinball game up and running. That's convenience.

But occasionally, whenever I'm browsing pinball stuff on the internet and I run into references to Visual Pinball, I whistfully wish that someone could just give me a DVD-ROM with all the installer files I need, the 20 most popular tables that work with those installer files, and an idiot's guide TXT saying: "Click on this, then this, then this."

 

[superballs]

SqueakyG,

The only problem with the DVD idea is that the program is updated quite frequently. I agree though, it is quite a pain to set up. Not too too bad if you only plan on playing the tables in regular 4:3 landscape mode, but if you want to set up more of a pincab configuration, it's special pinmame.dll and hyperpin and 'database' files and table images, wheel images, configuring b2s, etc, etc.

Personally, once it's set up, it is quite accessible, especially with Hyperpin. I think of it the same way i think about linux in terms of getting out of it what you put in. Except i hate linux (no you won't convince me otherwise and i know what i is capable of) and i love VP.

Future pinball is incredibly simple to set up but with the exception of a scant few tables put together by some of the more talented authors and a few of the originals since i don't hold them to any expectations, i really can't feel it the way i do VP. Even VP drives me nuts in some ways.

If you want to play full screen, VP is the way to go.

 

[Richard B]

VPForums doesn't offer DVDs, but they have a step by step guide on how to install everything and get it up and running, as well as download packages that give you what you need in a handful of downloads. Basically you need:
1. Visual Pinball program
2. Pinmame, which resides in the VP folder, and once it's installed, you don't have to mess with it anymore.
3. Front End - optional, but I'd highly recommend using one. VP-Man is the most popular.
It took me a little while to figure out how to set it up on my own, and there are still things I can't get it to do, like switching between VP 8 and 9, but with the tutorials and message board (who respond to questions quickly), you should have it up and running in no time!

 

[neilpinbot]

I used to play VP a lot a couple of years or so ago, but after a few months away from it, yeah its an headache for me trying to get it working again, think I will now stick with TPA and ZEN.

 

[HOW]

I used to play a while ago-VP8 only though.
I remember Phoenix (?) did a great installer even I (and I'm one technophobe) could work with

 

[RetroBlast]

I joined vp forum superballs! I became a silver member to help out the effort. There is no doubt in my mind that I am buying, not making, a vp table ... I have decided to start saving now ....

 

[superballs]

I joined vp forum superballs! I became a silver member to help out the effort. There is no doubt in my mind that I am buying, not making, a vp table ... I have decided to start saving now ....

Good to know I helped bring someone over. I should be easy to find as I have the same screen name. Did you get to keep RetroBlast?
I'll be making one as soon as I can budget it again. But I'll be starting with a pretty simple, smaller table-top cab maybe a 24" playfield and a 17" backglass.

Until then, i just play with my laptop and a de-cased 22" monitor.

 

[RetroBlast]

Yep, same name RetroBlast. I installed the desktop version only and 2 desktop tables. It was working fine then went a little koo koo so I am going to delete everything and install again. I realize the FS tables have much more detail and run better but I just wanted a taste to see what it is all about.

I was thinking of buying a 32 inch or so play field to cut down on space. I certainly will not be buying one anytime soon, they are pretty expensive!

 

[superballs]

I'm using a 22" along with my 15.4" laptop monitor for the backglass. Though right now I'm only using 4:3 tables.

I had some requests on my youtube channel to have a detailed "how to" put up, since my video "how to turn your laptop into a pinball table" is more of a "yay i finally did it" demo so I just might get onto that.

I wholeheartedly recommend checking out 2 tables. Beat This which was a group project and The Beatles, both can be found by looking under the vp 9 originals. Beatles is by Bob5354 and is one of the most amazing tables I've ever played. Nice EM style with features that would need newer SS technology (as in the ability to store mp3 quality song samples and stuff). I would love to see table manufacturers make tables like this, even as budget releases for home pin fans.

Here's a vid I made of myself playing Eight Ball Deluxe on my little setup (one handed of course and it's really quiet). But note the active backglass and all the little details.

 

[Dumahim]

I downloaded it again after being away from it for a few years. I now remember why I stopped playing.
Loaded up Addams Family. For some reason, it's worse than it was back then. Some of the graphics are messed up and pixelated. Searches seem to indicate you need a graphics card with a gig of RAM to handle transparencies correctly, but some of the stuff isn't transparent. Right side of the bookcase doesn't register hits (this was mentioned on the forum years ago) and when Thing grabs the ball and Gomez yells at him "No, no, no!" and Thing is supposed to put the ball back, it doesn't. Doesn't look like there's been any updates since 2009. Plays ok, but I think the small side flippers have issues too, but that's my opinion. It all seems odd since I thought it played and looked fine years ago on an older computer.

Loaded up Junkyard. Looks ok. Alley doesn't work most of the time and the sound is messed up. ROM sounds are way too quiet, but I can't turn up the volume as the table sounds are way too loud. I saw someone was working on redoing it and it looked to be about 90% done based on the shots he was sharing and looked to be amazing, but then he just up and disappears and hasn't been seen since.

I love what it stands for, but just seems to fall short too often. I'll keep digging, but it just makes me want Farsight to get more of the better tables into TPA.

 

[squidly]

I downloaded it again after being away from it for a few years. I now remember why I stopped playing.
Loaded up Addams Family. For some reason, it's worse than it was back then. Some of the graphics are messed up and pixelated...ROM sounds are way too quiet, but I can't turn up the volume as the table sounds are way too loud.

I've just gotten back into VP after a few years myself. The setup is such a pain that it's taken a few years for me to get around to installing it when I got a new PC. Now I'm very glad that I've taken the time to do it, but it took a little tweaking to get it playable.

I had the same sort of graphics issues and fixed most of them by changing some settings in Visual Pinball. Go into Preferences - Video Settings and make sure the box that reads Hardware Device Rendering is checked. While I was there I also boosted the resolution to 1600x1024x32. It runs great on my so-so gtx460 video card and the tables look way better.

Rom volume has to be adjusted in each game. Almost all the tables I've tried were so quiet they were unplayable. For most tables 8 and 9 seem to adjust volume, sometimes you have to press End first to 'open the coin door' and access the volume controls. Also if you're getting no ROM sound at all, the left and right arrow keys adjust PinMame volume as well. If that doesn't work for you here's a link to an Exel spreadsheet with links to various table specific tutorials, including volume controls.

Most of the tables I've downloaded were made to play on a 4:3 display. I've got a 16:10 widescreen monitor so I've had to adjust each individual table to get the proper aspect ratio. Here's a link in case that's an issue for you as well.

I can't help with the table specific gameplay problems you've had but I can tell you that my own two favourite tables, Fish Tales and Medieval Madness both look and play great.

Good luck.