Visual Pinball

[DrainoBraino]

Again thanks for the tip DrainoBraino. I tried it out and it works like a charm. Your suggestion is very much appreciated (insert smiley of me dancing)

Hey no problem, glad I could help.

I've been trying some FS tables on my office monitor as it rotates to portrait, I've noticed the flipper area looks a bit squashed up, is this because they're intended to be viewed with the monitor flat on its back?

Hmm, I never noticed it being squished up. But the perspective and dimension of FS tables are a bit strange compared to the desktop view. The flipper area may seem to be smaller because you're so used to looking at the table with the flippers in the foreground.

 

[DaPinballWizard]

Been bored waiting for TPA to release on PC so added Future Pinball to the pinball cabinet. Not a fan.
VP seems so much more real. Zen works on the cabinet too but I just can't get into it. VP will definitely keep me busy until they finally release TPA. I imagine I will keep playing VP long after TPA is released.
Just want to thank all the VP guys for all their hard work and dedication. I have been enjoying all the VP tables very much. Thanks for all the time you put in.

 

[shimoda]

If you agent tried FP with the physics upgrades you haven't gotten closer to its potential. Artistically it's way better than most (not all) VP stuff.

 

[DaPinballWizard]

I will have to take another look at some other FP tables.

 

[Carl Spiby]

As I've discovered that S.A.M emulation is possible on vpinmame, does anyone know where I might find the vpt files for Family Guy, Batman, Iron Man or POTC?

 

[Baron Rubik]

Looking at getting a 23 inch screen that has a stand which can be rotated into portrait, is it worth it? Its about £160. My current screen doesn't have a VESA mount or anything (Samsung Pebble) and the fixed stand just tilts back and fourth slightly.

Someone just posted a good idea for getting Portrait orientation out of pretty much any Monitor cheaply...
Buy a folding guitar stand.

https://forum.zenstudios.com/showthread.php?t=5819
Cheap/Compact Display Stand to Play Portrait Pinball on Any Monitor

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B0091RENSI/ref=redir_mdp_mobile

 

[Jim O'Brien]

As I've discovered that S.A.M emulation is possible on vpinmame, does anyone know where I might find the vpt files for Family Guy, Batman, Iron Man or POTC?

I haven't spent much time over at VP lately, but I'm almost sure none of those tables are over there. Last I heard they had a hard time recreating newer Sterns or maybe is was something about ROM emulation.

 

[Lord Boron]

Last I knew, they had an agreement with Stern NOT to emulate any SAM tables. If its currently being done, I'm certain you won't find them on the normal mainstream sites because it would certainly bring the lawyers down upon them.

 

[Jim O'Brien]

I played a Family Guy tribute table on FP before it looked like this :

http://www.vpforums.org/index.php?app=downloads&showfile=3599

 

[karl]

I played a Family Guy tribute table on FP before it looked like this :

http://www.vpforums.org/index.php?app=downloads&showfile=3599

JIM: All those tables that Carl is asking about is available in Future Pinball if you go to http://www.pinsimdb.org/ but I believe he is asking about Visual pinball versions and those are not available to the public yet because of the "is it legal" debate but if you go to http://vpuniverse.com/forums/ and search for SAM threads you can see pictures of some tables done for private use, but do not PM the authors about the tables (read the rules on vpuniverse)
Asking in a polite general way like Carl did is your best hope. If the creators feel like charing they will pm you back. Just a warning: vpforums.org is strickly against doing anything SAM until 3 years after STERN have quit using the SAM DMD (tables from 2005-) and they are still using it on Metallica so there will be at least another 3 years until we see any newer Sterns over there

 

[Carl Spiby]

Funny thing is someone actually asked Stern (at one of the shows) if they're bothered about emulation, they basically said they don't care.

 

[karl]

Funny thing is someone actually asked Stern (at one of the shows) if they're bothered about emulation, they basically said they don't care.

It's a farce alright. The 3 year rule have been debated for a long time. I remember on a future pinball forum some time ago that someone from Stern posted a warning when a brand new table was being recreated. I can't remember the exact words but it
was something like this. Please do not make a version of that table yet because it is still in production.

That sounds much more reasonable to me, to just wait until they quit selling the machine but then there is also the SAM DMD emulation debate regarding VP that most think is just bollocks and sounds totally unreasonable to me.

 

[Worf]

I think the three year rule came from MAME - MAME refuses to emulate any game newer than 3 years, and (V)PinMAME followed it. It's in the MAME license after all - that you do not take the code and modify it...

 

[Jeff Strong]

As I've discovered that S.A.M emulation is possible on vpinmame, does anyone know where I might find the vpt files for Family Guy, Batman, Iron Man or POTC?

So is the whole table playable with art, etc., or does it just load up the ROM on the DMD?

 

[Carl Spiby]

Just loads the ROM into the DMD, there are some vpt tables out there for POTC, Family Guy etc but they're only within 'the inner circle' and not for public consumption.

 

[smbhax]

I just got back into VP (last time was way back in the 8.xx days) after fiending for a way to play Stars at home--might not have gone anywhere if the conversion of Stars didn't also happen to be one of the best VP tables out there. : ) I've skimmed through the VP9 desktop tables, and these are the ones that I came away with as keepers (and which will run without crashing on my somewhat old, non-gaming PC : p), arranged by author:

Ezepov

Lectronamo
Star God
Stars
Trident


GRONI

Eight Ball


jpsalas

Eight Ball Deluxe
El Dorado
Mata Hari
Star Trek
Strange World


Pinuck

Jacks Open
Sinbad


Rawd

Triple Strike


It's interesting playing these in regard to TPA; on the better ones, where the flippers really feel like flippers of their particular era and brand--you can even see some of them give a little when the ball lands on them! : o--it's clear that FarSight could really stand to learn something from how these VP flippers handle. In general it seems to me that VP right now is better at reproducing the feel of older tables, aside from the nudging not being so great (although TPA's is often too generous). On the other hand, newer tables in VP feel a little lacking compared to how they come out in TPA.

EDIT: whittled the list down a bit more. ; )

EDIT 2: more whittling ; ))

 

[superballs]

I just got back into VP (last time was way back in the 8.xx days) after fiending for a way to play Stars at home--might not have gone anywhere if the conversion of Stars didn't also happen to be one of the best VP tables out there. : ) I've skimmed through the VP9 desktop tables, and these are the ones that I came away with as keepers (and which will run without crashing on my somewhat old, non-gaming PC : p), arranged by author:

Ezepov

Frontier
KISS
Lectronamo
Star God
Stars
Trident
Vortex


GRONI

Eight Ball


jpsalas

Ali
Big Brave
Blackout
Cosmic Princess
Dolly Parton
Eight Ball Deluxe
El Dorado
Faeton
Future Spa
Hit the Deck
Jack*Bot
Lost World
Mata Hari
Miss World
Rolling Stones
Space Rider
Star Trek 25th Anniversary
Star Trek
Strange World


Pinuck

Jacks Open
Sinbad


Rawd

Triple Strike


Serpiko

Close Encounters


It's interesting playing these in regard to TPA; on the better ones, where the flippers really feel like flippers of their particular era and brand--you can even see some of them give a little when the ball lands on them! : o--it's clear that FarSight could really stand to learn something from how these VP flippers handle. In general it seems to me that VP right now is better at reproducing the feel of older tables, aside from the nudging not being so great (although TPA's is often too generous). On the other hand, newer tables in VP feel a little lacking compared to how they come out in TPA.

It's so nice to see Rawd's Triple Strike Conversion getting some love from someone other than me.
Honestly, because of him, Triple Strike is a table I am actively looking for, and, to me, it's the epitome of what EM machines are.

Visual Pinball is a great program, and does certain things uncannily well. Graphically, it's limited by pc hardware and the quality of the artwork available to the author and, of course the author's ability.

I am forever wishing that Groni and JPSalas would get together and do Medieval Madness and Attack from Mars. Both have great great recreations in their own right. But JP's tend to look better and use sharper textures, but Groni really nails the physics and how the tables play.

 

[Kolchak357]

Wish I could play these on my ipad, especially the EM's. My computer is old and sitting in a room I hate to spend time in. Is there anyway to play these on any kind of tablet? Has anyone ever tried this with any success?

 

[netizen]

Wish I could play these on my ipad, especially the EM's. My computer is old and sitting in a room I hate to spend time in. Is there anyway to play these on any kind of tablet? Has anyone ever tried this with any success?

maybe a windows 8 tablet. it's the direct x thing that locks it to the platform, iirc

 

[Kolchak357]

maybe a windows 8 tablet. it's the direct x thing that locks it to the platform, iirc

Anyone with a Win 8 tab ever try it? Please share your experience if you did.