When did specials etc stop earning EB's?

[Storm Chaser]

You honestly believe these tables are harder than the real pins?

Actually, nowadays there are hardly any pinball tables around where I live so I kinda lost track of how playing a real table really is, sadly. What I mean is that there are flaws on the TPA-tables that makes them more difficult than they are intended to be, by FS. I recognize the difficulty of making a great nudging system for iOS, for example, there is no "analog" way of nudging that gives you a good sense of control. Those flaws and bugs can make a game much more difficult than it was intended by FS and a way to counter that, I believe, is to be more generous with the EB's.

 

[Jeff Strong]

Actually, nowadays there are hardly any pinball tables around where I live so I kinda lost track of how playing a real table really is, sadly. What I mean is that there are flaws on the TPA-tables that makes them more difficult than they are intended to be, by FS. I recognize the difficulty of making a great nudging system for iOS, for example, there is no "analog" way of nudging that gives you a good sense of control. Those flaws and bugs can make a game much more difficult than it was intended by FS and a way to counter that, I believe, is to be more generous with the EB's.

I agree that touchscreen nudging makes it a bit more challenging, but even still...scores on the mobile versions of TPA tower over our real life scores. One reason is that it's generally easier to keep the ball alive for longer periods of time. Adding more extra balls only makes that more apparent.

For those of us who play on PC/PS3, it's even more of a problem because the analog nudging makes it possible to keep the ball going even longer, especially since a small nudge on TPA moves the ball quite a bit, and the tilt sensitivity is much lower than that of most real pins, so you can exploit that to much profit.

 

[norbert26]

My take on this is that awarding credits for Replays and Specials are pointless since all the games are set to Free Play, and once you own a table on The Pinball Arcade, it is yours to keep. Replays should always be set to Extra Balls, since awarding a credit or ticket is moot. However, since Specials can also award points, I have no objection with this setting even though awarding a Special through an outlane drain can give a "rescue ball" feel that the player has an additional ball to play.

not completely moot. i use it as criteria if i play that table again or move on to another . No replay move on and play a different table.

 

[invitro]

scores on the mobile versions of TPA tower over our real life scores.

Speak for yourself . My PA/PC scores are in general lower, maybe half, my all-time high scores on the real pins that I have been able to play a lot. But there is a lot of variance. TZ is much easier here than a real pin usually is. WWater seems harder. ToM seems much, much harder. I have a harder time controlling the ball on PA because it doesn't duplicate the precision of nudging a real pin.

the tilt sensitivity is much lower than that of most real pins,

Do you mean for the newer machines only? The sensitivity on, oh, pre-1990 tables is much, much, much higher on PA than the real machines. I think that is a fact, not an opinion -- two nudges makes a pre-1990 table tilt, which is not the case for real machines.

I would rather the Specials award EBs, but it's not a big deal. The main issue is consistency. Were some tables on special->EB mode for awhile? If so, then their leaderboards should be wiped. Have they been?

 

[brakel]

Speak for yourself . My PA/PC scores are in general lower, maybe half, my all-time high scores on the real pins that I have been able to play a lot. But there is a lot of variance. TZ is much easier here than a real pin usually is. WWater seems harder. ToM seems much, much harder. I have a harder time controlling the ball on PA because it doesn't duplicate the precision of nudging a real pin.


Do you mean for the newer machines only? The sensitivity on, oh, pre-1990 tables is much, much, much higher on PA than the real machines. I think that is a fact, not an opinion -- two nudges makes a pre-1990 table tilt, which is not the case for real machines.

I would rather the Specials award EBs, but it's not a big deal. The main issue is consistency. Were some tables on special->EB mode for awhile? If so, then their leaderboards should be wiped. Have they been?

It's kind of difficult to objectively compare real life nudging to game nudging in regards to tilt sensitivity. How do you compare ACC light nudge on a real machine to a tap in the game. How hard was that tap in the game compared to a slap in real life? If you can't readily compare nudges then it's impossible to compare tilt sensitivity. So two nudges in the game might tilt the machine. But it takes three slaps to tilt it in real life. But who's to say a trap is the same strength as one person's slap? Everyone in real life nudges with a different combination of strength, direction, location and frequency.

 

[Sean DonCarlos]

Yep. There's a reason nudging on real machines is considered an art. (And I am still a fairly poor artist...)

 

[invitro]

How do you compare ACC light nudge on a real machine to a tap in the game.

You compare the PA nudge to the real-life action which would generate the result seen in the PA game. I don't think most machines would tilt as a result of two nudges that are the strength needed (very little) to get the result seen in the game. Just an opinion... I would love to see factual evidence .

 

[Sean DonCarlos]

I don't think most machines would tilt as a result of two nudges that are the strength needed (very little) to get the result seen in the game. Just an opinion... I would love to see factual evidence .

To get the ball to move as much on a real machine as a (full-strength) nudge moves the ball in TPA requires a violent shove. Most machines would in fact tilt, or at least give two warnings, on such a shove.

 

[Bowflex]

Yep. There's a reason nudging on real machines is considered an art. (And I am still a fairly poor artist...)

I hate nudging on real machines. It definitely is finesse. I am pretty strong and tend to break enough things in daily life by using too much force. With a pinball machine, I try to use almost no power, to the point of not making it worth the attempt. Plus I respect the machine too much and don't wish to nudge on it anyway.

 

[invitro]

To get the ball to move as much on a real machine as a (full-strength) nudge moves the ball in TPA requires a violent shove. Most machines would in fact tilt, or at least give two warnings, on such a shove.

I disagree. Are you using a keyboard or controller? My remark is with keyboard; I haven't used a controller.

 

[Sean DonCarlos]

I disagree. Are you using a keyboard or controller? My remark is with keyboard; I haven't used a controller.

Touchscreen on iOS, and a 360 controller on PC.

I play in league regularly, on machines that are set up for competitive play, so my idea of what constitutes a "normal" tilt sensitivity is probably skewed toward the conservative side.

 

[Mike Reitmeyer]

Some of the tables we had trouble getting it to award properly (recent Gottlieb tables from what I can remember). Even thought the correct settings were set it still wouldn't give an extra ball. In some other cases the table was too easy with all the extra balls.

 

[SKILL_SHOT]

it kinda sucks though on Teed Off when you get your 8th hole in 1 the ball pops out towards the upper flipper and your instinc is to hit it but it stops by the post for the choice of lightning round or special and if you accidentally hit that flipper thinking its not going to stop you choose special wich is useless.

 

[soundwave106]

It's kind of difficult to objectively compare real life nudging to game nudging in regards to tilt sensitivity.

Especially since real life games were *very* variable here too. Some machines were set up rather sensitive -- small nudges would give warnings. Other machines, you could literally pick up the game and slide it from side to side and the machine would not tilt.

Luckily Farsight doesn't simulate the "loose coin door / slam tilt at the graze of a knee" type of poorly maintained pins.

I think extra balls are the typical behavior of free play mode. I can see perhaps disabling this behavior on some tables if it makes it "too easy". However, on more difficult tables, I would think you probably want to keep the EB, especially since there is no "buy in" mode provided (tables like ST:TNG come to mind here).

 

[Jeff Strong]

To get the ball to move as much on a real machine as a (full-strength) nudge moves the ball in TPA requires a violent shove. Most machines would in fact tilt, or at least give two warnings, on such a shove.

Touchscreen on iOS, and a 360 controller on PC.

I play in league regularly, on machines that are set up for competitive play, so my idea of what constitutes a "normal" tilt sensitivity is probably skewed toward the conservative side.

Sean is right. Even light nudges in TPA move the ball quite a bit, so the full-strength nudges are really violent.

 

[ER777]

To get the ball to move as much on a real machine as a (full-strength) nudge moves the ball in TPA requires a violent shove. Most machines would in fact tilt, or at least give two warnings, on such a shove.

I agree with this. I would add that there are many real tables where one really hard nudge (shove) can result in a tilt and I think only a few TPA tables will do that (I know Genie for sure at least).

 

[Bowflex]

It's amazing that one finger click can exert as much power on a hundred pound table as running into it at full speed and throwing a shoulder block in real life.

 

[SKILL_SHOT]

push the RED button and watch what happens . 1 finger DEATH TOUCH technique