Why only 10 tables per year now?

[Rich Lehmann]

Why are there only 10 tables a year and only one at a time now? I am sure this was answered a year ago but I am new. Not only is it a 100% mark up but I am a fan of a lot of the tables like "Haunted House" "Space Shuttle" etc. that I can see getting passed over for more modern flashy tables. Looking at the last 10 tables they were all pretty modern tables. Is the 10 tables a year schedule a permanent thing?

 

[Nightwing]

Why are there only 10 tables a year and only one at a time now? I am sure this was answered a year ago but I am new. Not only is it a 100% mark up but I am a fan of a lot of the tables like "Haunted House" "Space Shuttle" etc. that I can see getting passed over for more modern flashy tables. Looking at the last 10 tables they were all pretty modern tables. Is the 10 tables a year schedule a permanent thing?

Yes,pretty much. All of the two-packs that were released were one new table & one table that was brought over from the Pinball Hall of Fame releases. Farsight announced that from Season 3 on it will be one table.

 

[Pinballwiz45b]

Why are there only 10 tables a year and only one at a time now? I am sure this was answered a year ago but I am new. Not only is it a 100% mark up but I am a fan of a lot of the tables like "Haunted House" "Space Shuttle" etc. that I can see getting passed over for more modern flashy tables. Looking at the last 10 tables they were all pretty modern tables. Is the 10 tables a year schedule a permanent thing?

I don't believe they're doing 10 tables for one year. They're still doing one per month, but if they stopped until next year, they're pretty much screwed. TPA needs more tables created to keep paying their creators.

 

[Nightwing]

I don't believe they're doing 10 tables for one year. They're still doing one per month, but if they stopped until next year, they're pretty much screwed. TPA needs more tables created to keep paying their creators.

Wiz is right. I had a long day at work yesterday & didn't read the post correctly. 10 packs per season is what's happening now - which translates into 10 tables with one table per pack. But FS is doing monthly releases,so you still get 12 tables per calendar year.

Is that a better explanation?

 

[Fungi]

Don't equate the word "season" with the word "year". Two different things.

 

[Rich Lehmann]

So when they started they already had a bunch of tables from another company that they paired with new tables?

I worry looking at the newest season that they are going with flashy gimmick heavy tables that impress right away rather than some of the older tables that are not flashy but are all around good tables.

None of the Season 3 tables are bad but none seem that great to me compared to the majority of season one tables and a great deal of the season 2 tables. (I started last month and bought all 3 season in 48 hours so have played most of them equally.)

 

[Crawley]

So when they started they already had a bunch of tables from another company that they paired with new tables?

No. Farsight has been digitizing pinball tables before The Pinball Arcade came out. You may have played/seen The Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection on various consoles. Same with Pinball Hall of Fame: The Gottlieb Collection. These were released well before The Pinball Arcade was.

But when TPA was released they still had the assets used in those pinball tables. So for the first two seasons, each month they would release two tables. A new one that hadn't been digitized before and then one they had done before. I imagine since they had the assets the cost was low and the manpower to release a new and previous table was manageable.

When they hit Season 3 they had basically exhausted the tables they had done previously. And the ones they hadn't done were not highly requested (Sorcerer being the exception). So S3 they're basically doing the 1 new table.

I worry looking at the newest season that they are going with flashy gimmick heavy tables that impress right away rather than some of the older tables that are not flashy but are all around good tables.

They're going to release tables that will sell. So they're building their roadmap based on the polls here and frequency of requested tables. The more "modern flashy" tables are going to get people more excited than some of the older tables. And they've also stated EMs don't sell well. So if we got another EM I would be [pleasantly] surprised. I would imagine we'll still see some SS machines.

None of the Season 3 tables are bad but none seem that great to me compared to the majority of season one tables and a great deal of the season 2 tables. (I started last month and bought all 3 season in 48 hours so have played most of them equally.)

It's a matter of taste. I think S3 has been fantastic overall and while I like S2 there's quite a few tables from it I don't like or rarely play.

But this is pinball too and for me my impressions change the more I play them. For instance I didn't like Pin Bot at all when I first started playing it. Didn't like the layout, the outlanes were nasty for drains, and there didn't seem to be all that much to the table overall. But I recently went back to it and now love it. Very challenging and I have a better under standing of the rules to figure out what I'm doing. Ripley's and Dr Dude were the same. Hated both of them but now love Ripley's and enjoy Dr Dude.

 

[Rich Lehmann]

So they have no plans on releasing Sorcerer even though they have it made and ready?

 

[Kolchak357]

Some of the work is already done because of the Pinball Hall of Fame version. But it is not completed and ready to go.

 

[Kratos3]

Most people would also agree that the season 3 tables have all been more polished and of better overall quality. It's going to be hard to beat season 1 in terms of table selection, though.

 

[Dedpop]

Most people would also agree that the season 3 tables have all been more polished and of better overall quality. It's going to be hard to beat season 1 in terms of table selection, though.

18 tables on season 1 + 4 tables on base game.
Unfortunately hard to beat !

 

[Rich Lehmann]

I feel like I could find 12 great tables in season one that are better than any table in season 3. Personally, I don't think there are any bad tables in season 3 I just don't think there are any great tables.

But then again, I had a complete pinball binge last month since I found it and had 50 tables to obsess over. Dracula is really good but the addition of 1 table a month after such a massive pinball binge feels like what I imagine a heroin addict feels the first day at the methadone clinic, the tiny dose just does not satisfy.

GImMe mOrE TaBLeS!!

 

[DokkenRokken]

So they have no plans on releasing Sorcerer even though they have it made and ready?

Not at the moment, as they don't own the actually table. They would have to buy the real table, and do all the work with updating it since it was last released. Basically, it would have to eat up one of the tables choices for a season.

That being said, I just don't see them wasting their time doing a re-release and eating up 1/10 table choices they give us. As much as I would LOVE to see this table, I doubt we'll ever see it. It's the only reason I ever bought Pinball Hall of Fame on PS3. We would've gotten this table during Season 2, I'm assuming, had their Williams/Bally license not expired.

 

[Dedpop]

But then again, I had a complete pinball binge last month since I found it and had 50 tables to obsess over. Dracula is really good but the addition of 1 table a month after such a massive pinball binge feels like what I imagine a heroin addict feels the first day at the methadone clinic, the tiny dose just does not satisfy.

A kind of clumsy but true analogy. Just want a little bit more. Just a little bit.

 

[Crawley]

I feel like I could find 12 great tables in season one that are better than any table in season 3. Personally, I don't think there are any bad tables in season 3 I just don't think there are any great tables.

Well by S3 they've pretty much done all the most popular and highest rated tables. How do you top that? Kinda impossible.

Once Addams is released basically only have Indy and Simpsons that fit in that great category and those would require Kickstarters too.

So yeah, most of the future releases are not going to go toe-to-to with the previously released tables. But typically the new releases have something unique or fun to them which make them worthwhile to be included.

 

[TomL]

Well by S3 they've pretty much done all the most popular and highest rated tables. How do you top that? Kinda impossible

Harley Davidson 4th Edition: Angry Flappy Eagles. Now with more Orbals.

 

[wolfson]

I don`t know what all the fuss is about,we`ve had 3 great seasons and I`d say season4 will great.we`re still getting 1 table every month,and the tables are adding up.where else would you find 51 tables and counting ? I still reckon there going to do a 4 pack of EMs somewhere down the track !!!

 

[Zorgwon]

Very challenging and I have a better under standing of the rules to figure out what I'm doing. Ripley's and Dr Dude were the same. Hated both of them but now love Ripley's and enjoy Dr Dude.

RBION is the newest table in TPA and it's a SS.

You can judge tables by ipdb rating and then season 1 leads before 2. FT and BSD are the best of season 3 - ranked about #30.

 

[jaredmorgs]

The table quantity in this Season is fine by me.

Quality over quantity is more important. They've certainly delivered on that this season. And it has set the pace for Season 4.

Some tables that weren't on my radar in other seasons have become my favorites now. IPDB ratings are down to personal opinions about a table.

Keep your mind open and you might just be surprised with some of the "B List" titles, [MENTION=4691]Rich Lehmann[/MENTION]

 

[masterthes]

Overall, I was very pleased with this season. I do think it was more exciting getting two tables a month to play with, but I got over it