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The Pinball Arcade / Farsight Studios
Which tables work best on a phone?
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<blockquote data-quote="mikehg" data-source="post: 132702" data-attributes="member: 4099"><p>Hello!</p><p></p><p>I downloaded TPA to play on my tablet, but was pleasantly surprised to discover that it works very well on my phone (a Samsung Galaxy Ace 2, a comparatively low powered Android device) too.</p><p></p><p>So that set me wondering, what criteria do you think make a table work on a phone, and which ones hit the spot for you?</p><p></p><p>For me;</p><p></p><p>1) Frame rate / visibility - some tables are just too complicated for most hardware out there, and pinball is unforgiving when it comes to framerate.</p><p></p><p>2) Small area of focus / works with 'low' camera angle. I find with a 'normal' size phone I need to run it in landscape with camera set to 'low' or 'normal' at a push, or everything is too small and my fingers / thumbs obscure the play field. That rules out anything with complex player input happening at the top of the table - though this is somewhat mitigated by the camera behaving well (quickly shooting up to bonus multiplier lanes, and back down again, for example).</p><p></p><p>3) Not focused on multiball. Multiball is no fun with your thumbs. It isn't impossible, it just feels disappointing because you know you could be doing so much better. A table with multiball is fine, a table in which multiball is the primary goal just depresses me.</p><p></p><p>4) Accessible objectives. Doesn't matter whether it's toys (MM, AFM, MB), or just an immediately challenging playfield (Firepower, Gorgar, Big Shot), you don't want a table that involves drawn out games before the 'payoff'. Both because phone games tend to be games of opportunity, and because the constraints of the controls / view tend to increase chance drains, so working hard for a goal can feel like wasted effort.</p><p></p><p>----</p><p></p><p>The tables I like playing on my phone (in no particular order):</p><p></p><p>Attack From Mars</p><p>Space Shuttle</p><p>Firepower</p><p>Medieval Madness</p><p>Monster Bash</p><p>Gorgar</p><p>Big Shot</p><p>Genie</p><p></p><p>Others that work OK, but haven't necessarily got into yet...</p><p></p><p>Scared Stiff</p><p>Tales of the Arabian Nights</p><p>Cactus Canyon</p><p>Theatre of Magic</p><p>Central Park</p><p>White Water</p><p>Harley-Davidson</p><p>The Champion Pub</p><p>Cirqus Voltaire</p><p>No Good Gofers</p><p>Black Hole</p><p></p><p>P.S. Hope this isn't a dupe, I did search... And obviously although it relates to IOS and Android it fits in neither forum specifically, so I put it here.</p><p></p><p>Cheers.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="mikehg, post: 132702, member: 4099"] Hello! I downloaded TPA to play on my tablet, but was pleasantly surprised to discover that it works very well on my phone (a Samsung Galaxy Ace 2, a comparatively low powered Android device) too. So that set me wondering, what criteria do you think make a table work on a phone, and which ones hit the spot for you? For me; 1) Frame rate / visibility - some tables are just too complicated for most hardware out there, and pinball is unforgiving when it comes to framerate. 2) Small area of focus / works with 'low' camera angle. I find with a 'normal' size phone I need to run it in landscape with camera set to 'low' or 'normal' at a push, or everything is too small and my fingers / thumbs obscure the play field. That rules out anything with complex player input happening at the top of the table - though this is somewhat mitigated by the camera behaving well (quickly shooting up to bonus multiplier lanes, and back down again, for example). 3) Not focused on multiball. Multiball is no fun with your thumbs. It isn't impossible, it just feels disappointing because you know you could be doing so much better. A table with multiball is fine, a table in which multiball is the primary goal just depresses me. 4) Accessible objectives. Doesn't matter whether it's toys (MM, AFM, MB), or just an immediately challenging playfield (Firepower, Gorgar, Big Shot), you don't want a table that involves drawn out games before the 'payoff'. Both because phone games tend to be games of opportunity, and because the constraints of the controls / view tend to increase chance drains, so working hard for a goal can feel like wasted effort. ---- The tables I like playing on my phone (in no particular order): Attack From Mars Space Shuttle Firepower Medieval Madness Monster Bash Gorgar Big Shot Genie Others that work OK, but haven't necessarily got into yet... Scared Stiff Tales of the Arabian Nights Cactus Canyon Theatre of Magic Central Park White Water Harley-Davidson The Champion Pub Cirqus Voltaire No Good Gofers Black Hole P.S. Hope this isn't a dupe, I did search... And obviously although it relates to IOS and Android it fits in neither forum specifically, so I put it here. Cheers. [/QUOTE]
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The Pinball Arcade / Farsight Studios
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The Pinball Arcade / Farsight Studios
Which tables work best on a phone?
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