Why don't Stern and Farsight team up to release their new tables on TPA?

[BigTinz]

It seems like they'd practically be printing money. People are curious about the new tables and want to play them and I'd say 75% of TPA owners don't live near a functioning arcade. I know I'd purchase AC/DC, Metallica, and the new X-Men (especially with the new rom they just released). I don't think TPA versions would negate any coin op sales...

Has this been discussed before? What do you guys think?

 

[brakel]

I think Stern would be in favor of it. Stern has said that no one is buying a video game INSTEAD of a real machine if they have the means and desire to own the real thing. But he thinks that a video game would be a great way for people to try out the machine.

FarSight isn't likely to do it soon for two reasons. First the cost of making an emulation for the tables and second limited audience for game. The emulation isn't going to run on mobiles, which is their biggest audience, and it might not run on the PS3. They're not going to invest a bunch of resources into making the emulation work if they can only sell it on the PS4 and PC. I've glossed over the license fees because if Stern and FarSight were to partner on these, Stern could easily throw in the video pinball rights into their license negotiation for a fraction of the price that a standalone license would cost FarSight.

 

[Kolchak357]

If they can't emulate it, them maybe they could script it?

 

[brakel]

If they can't emulate it, them maybe they could script it?

I would think scripting a modern pinball machine would be a nightmare.

 

[Kolchak357]

I didn't say it would be easy.

 

[GregoroV]

I used to play typical stuff like fpp shooters and rpg. Since i discovered tpa, i can only think about wizard goals and getting jucy jackpots i used to play pinball as a kid, tpa reignited my love for pinball with double force. Last weekend i went to nice arcade in bormouth because southampton where i live, dont have pinball machines enywere. And thats why this could work, tpa is great but just makes you starve for real thing. Pinball is something to be searched for, tpa is like a love letter advertizing to get them near you. Stern, the more peoples will know about your tables, the more would want them....

 

[Zaphod77]

scripting a modern machine would actually be easier, since the source is readily available. it's older machines where only the binary roms are around that are hard to script.

However TPA would compete not with home use real pins, but with pins in arcades and bars. that's the real issue, I'd think.

 

[GregoroV]

I think pinball feel is very specific despite how well phiysics may be. Its like watching somebody playing nba 2k14 could compete with watching real nba. I know its a long stretch, but i thing the computer simulation only makes ppls wanting to play real tables, especially that pinball is not mainstream and more peoples will got the experience the better. Even stern recently said that ripleys beleve it or not had rise in interest in second market after futured in tpa.

 

[Bowflex]

I wonder how compatible the stern platforms are. Perhaps they could create a preview version on the whitestar chipset and follow up with a more complete version for Sam. That way it could release on all digital platforms to help promote the game. This is commonly done with video games but no idea how much re-coding would be required.

 

[brakel]

scripting a modern machine would actually be easier, since the source is readily available. it's older machines where only the binary roms are around that are hard to script.

However TPA would compete not with home use real pins, but with pins in arcades and bars. that's the real issue, I'd think.

There are very few pinball machines in bars these days and even fewer arcades. The home pinball machine is the pinball machine market today. And TPA does not replace playing the real thing anyway.

 

[DarkAkatosh]

Ummm...if you script a DMD game don't you have to recreate the animations from scratch? That alone doesn't make it worthwhile

 

[canuck]

Very cool idea. They actually do this with Books.

ie. Amazon, you can buy the paperback and receive the digital version for free/discounted.
Or you buy the dvd/blueray and get the digital download included.

 

[night]

There are very few pinball machines in bars these days and even fewer arcades. The home pinball machine is the pinball machine market today. And TPA does not replace playing the real thing anyway.

Revival of the 70s home pinball machines?

 

[kinggo]

While I deeply respect the fact that Stern keeps pinball alive and that they didnt't give up I have to say that I don't miss their tables. I don't exactly like them much, neither Ripleys nor HD. And IRL I recently played Iron Man, Tron, Spider Man, Elvis and X-Men, 30 to 50 games on each and they somehow don't make me so hooked up like tables from 20 years ago. They have everything, lights, ramps, loops, a ton of things on a playfield with more complex rules then late 80's and early 90's machines but still, to me they are somehow shallow.

 

[canuck]

While I deeply respect the fact that Stern keeps pinball alive and that they didnt't give up I have to say that I don't miss their tables. I don't exactly like them much, neither Ripleys nor HD. And IRL I recently played Iron Man, Tron, Spider Man, Elvis and X-Men, 30 to 50 games on each and they somehow don't make me so hooked up like tables from 20 years ago. They have everything, lights, ramps, loops, a ton of things on a playfield with more complex rules then late 80's and early 90's machines but still, to me they are somehow shallow.

Nostalgia factor is high I think.

Imagine in another 20 years, you'll be saying that your favorite pins are all 50 years old...that's half a century old timer!

 

[soundwave106]

I wonder how compatible the stern platforms are. Perhaps they could create a preview version on the whitestar chipset and follow up with a more complete version for Sam. That way it could release on all digital platforms to help promote the game. This is commonly done with video games but no idea how much re-coding would be required.

The Whitestar chipset is a Motorola 6809 CPU @ 2 Mhz. The newer Stern system runs off of a Atmel AT91R40008 microcontroller. (No idea on the clock speed Stern uses, it can run at up to 75Mhz but I have a feeling Stern doesn't clock it that fast).

Between the CPU differences and the board functionality differences, it does initially sounds like the systems would be too difficult to swap code between.

Having said that, I wonder if you could script a slow-running-emulation of the AT91R40008 and the board. I can't see a pinball machine needing *that* much CPU cycles... the audio and video improvements on the Sterns in fact would be the main things I would see taking cycles that possibly mobile couldn't handle (in which case I would think you could dial that back...)

 

[kinggo]

Nostalgia factor is high I think.

well, yes. But it's not just that. Modern pinball like modern video games are somehow "overdone", up to the point where frustration is just frustration, not the frustration that calls for one more try.

 

[Bowflex]

I think even an ultra light version would be cool. Does "the pin" versions use the same processor? Do they even have dmd's? Maybe they could do something with that like.

 

[Espy]

I think even an ultra light version would be cool. Does "the pin" versions use the same processor? Do they even have dmd's? Maybe they could do something with that like.

They have alphanumerics if I remember right. And they probably don't have the same processor. They don't need it.

 

[Bowflex]

They have alphanumerics if I remember right. And they probably don't have the same processor. They don't need it.

There you go! That could be a first foray into having new Sterns.