Will High Resolution textures be include for PC Season 1 and 2 games in DirectX11 ?

[Locksley]

I'm totally with SYT here. I'll go 'this is freaking amazing' to the next moment 'why can't I read this part' or 'why is there a seam here?!?!'. Push it!

Love that flipper physics are going forward. Love that tables and flyers have gotten an up-rez the last year. Love Dx11. And so on. But never stop pushing!

Also, agree so much on getting the backglass on old tables up to snuff and animated DMD and numerics on the old tables.

Cheers!

 

[p6800]

Check out the left ramp on Elvira...

2560x2048 buffers.

 

[wolfson]

I know you don't care and you play everything that is thrown at you - and that is certainly a positive way to look at things. But some people do care about quality. So please respect that and please stop ruining every thread were people try to whine and nag little. Give our wish for improvement some room.

mpad we live in a democracy not a dictatorship where freedom of speech prevails,you and me our entitled to our views.no grudges held by me.

 

[Kratos3]

mpad we live in a democracy not a dictatorship where freedom of speech prevails,you and me our entitled to our views.no grudges held by me.

Its funny how a positive perspective ruins a thread.

 

[Kratos3]

Here's my take. Is it necessary for us to have true shiny chrome, playfields that look like they just had a fresh coat of wax applied, and bulbs you can actually see the filament inside of? No, but it'd be awesome. Did we really need DX11 lighting and new flipper physics? Not really, but you wouldn't catch me going back to the DX9 either. Point is, you often don't know what you need until after you have it and someone threatens to take it away.

I used to be perfectly happy with my widescreen copies of certain movies on VHS. Then I bought them on laserdisc. I held off buying DVDs, because I didn't see that much of a picture difference in the store. Finally I caved. You better believe after a few months, I started replacing all my laserdiscs. Due to my 14 year old RPTV, the difference between DVD and Blu Ray is subtle, but I know once I buy a 4K TV, the difference will be night and day.

So whether the rig you are playing TPA on is adequate or top notch, it's these little graphical tweaks, changes to the physics engine, or lighting differences, that will keep the game chugging along for years to come. Stagnation is death for a game.

Have you given it a pro cal? I've read that properly calibrated RPTVs can look amazing. True blacks. I imagine you know what you're doing with it though.

 

[SmoothBalls]

I agree, i care very much about Quality, and Farsight-Studios themselves say they want the highest quality reproduction of our classic pinball tables and i agree so please update the textures thank you.

 

[shutyertrap]

Have you given it a pro cal? I've read that properly calibrated RPTVs can look amazing. True blacks. I imagine you know what you're doing with it though.

I was all set 3 years ago to do just that. My TV is a Pioneer Elite 53" HD RPTV. I paid $5500 for it when it was brand new, and you'd better believe it smoked the pants off of any other TV out there. As LCD and Plasma TVs gained popularity, I still favored the picture quality of mine, especially since I never saw any of the pixel artifacts that were so common with the flat screens. CRT technology gives a smooth picture no matter what the content resolution, as opposed to an LCD that only looks best when something is in the same native resolution as the monitor.

I got serious about getting another pro calibration (I paid $400 for one soon after purchase) when I started having issues playing games and watching sports. TV broadcasters used to use a fairly generous 'safe zone' for HD content, meaning nothing was ever pushed to the edges of the picture for fear of it being cut off and not viewable. When my TV was made, 2001, there were no broadcast standards for HD. As such, the overscan on my TV (how much picture is lost to the edges) is significantly more than what is accepted today. Frequently I lose part of the score ribbon on sports, and the news crawl often is unreadable.

With games I was running into a different issue. My TV only does 1080i or 480p. So if a game was 720p, like most PS3 games, it would downscale to 480. Then there were the games that had their HUD in the corners and I couldn't read certain info. Even TPA is not immune from this, as with DMD tables, I lose the top 3rd of the DMD. Zen is even worse, as for some reason it not only downscaled, but letterboxed the game too.

So 3 or 4 years ago I was really fed up, not sure if I should pay for calibration as well as have the overscan fixed (which involved moving the 3 projectors and doing a full geometry alignment) or saving for a new TV. There is only one guy in California who even touches these TVs anymore, and he lives in the Bay Area. I'd have to fly him down, and the full deal was gonna cost around $1300. At that time, to get an LCD of the size and quality I expected, was gonna cost around $2500. Then he presented me with this option...if I came up from SoCal to his place, he'd sell me his 60" Pioneer that was fully done for the same price. Only issue with that is, driving it back home over 500 miles would mean it needing another calibration as soon as I got it home! Not to mention the cost of transporting it.

The final decision came down to this: these TVs don't have HDMI, and increasingly I saw that as being an issue.

I'm ever so thankful I didn't waste my money. The problem with RPTVs, one no one ever mentioned, is that they need a good calibration every year. So unless you are a hobbiest who is capable of doing it yourself, it gets costly real fast. I tried doing it, taking off the screen and cleaning the mirror and lenses, but I didn't own the grey scale reader that is necessary for getting the best color and black out of your TV. On top of that, the gamma of the guns drifts over time, and I had no clue how to adjust that.

Also in that time, obviously TV prices have plummeted. I have my heart set on a 60" minimum screen with passive 3D, but have never had the funds to just buy one. As time has gone on, those have become rarer and rarer to the point that now I'll have to go 4K in order to get that. And so I suffer with my TV. Some may ask why I don't just buy a cheap replacement until I can afford the one I want. The frustrating answer is I don't like settling for less. Not when it comes to my TV. Plus I can already hear the wife saying, "didn't you just buy a new TV?" when I could afford to get the better one.

 

[wolfson]

I was all set 3 years ago to do just that. My TV is a Pioneer Elite 53" HD RPTV. I paid $5500 for it when it was brand new, and you'd better believe it smoked the pants off of any other TV out there. As LCD and Plasma TVs gained popularity, I still favored the picture quality of mine, especially since I never saw any of the pixel artifacts that were so common with the flat screens. CRT technology gives a smooth picture no matter what the content resolution, as opposed to an LCD that only looks best when something is in the same native resolution as the monitor.

I got serious about getting another pro calibration (I paid $400 for one soon after purchase) when I started having issues playing games and watching sports. TV broadcasters used to use a fairly generous 'safe zone' for HD content, meaning nothing was ever pushed to the edges of the picture for fear of it being cut off and not viewable. When my TV was made, 2001, there were no broadcast standards for HD. As such, the overscan on my TV (how much picture is lost to the edges) is significantly more than what is accepted today. Frequently I lose part of the score ribbon on sports, and the news crawl often is unreadable.

With games I was running into a different issue. My TV only does 1080i or 480p. So if a game was 720p, like most PS3 games, it would downscale to 480. Then there were the games that had their HUD in the corners and I couldn't read certain info. Even TPA is not immune from this, as with DMD tables, I lose the top 3rd of the DMD. Zen is even worse, as for some reason it not only downscaled, but letterboxed the game too.

So 3 or 4 years ago I was really fed up, not sure if I should pay for calibration as well as have the overscan fixed (which involved moving the 3 projectors and doing a full geometry alignment) or saving for a new TV. There is only one guy in California who even touches these TVs anymore, and he lives in the Bay Area. I'd have to fly him down, and the full deal was gonna cost around $1300. At that time, to get an LCD of the size and quality I expected, was gonna cost around $2500. Then he presented me with this option...if I came up from SoCal to his place, he'd sell me his 60" Pioneer that was fully done for the same price. Only issue with that is, driving it back home over 500 miles would mean it needing another calibration as soon as I got it home! Not to mention the cost of transporting it.

The final decision came down to this: these TVs don't have HDMI, and increasingly I saw that as being an issue.

I'm ever so thankful I didn't waste my money. The problem with RPTVs, one no one ever mentioned, is that they need a good calibration every year. So unless you are a hobbiest who is capable of doing it yourself, it gets costly real fast. I tried doing it, taking off the screen and cleaning the mirror and lenses, but I didn't own the grey scale reader that is necessary for getting the best color and black out of your TV. On top of that, the gamma of the guns drifts over time, and I had no clue how to adjust that.

Also in that time, obviously TV prices have plummeted. I have my heart set on a 60" minimum screen with passive 3D, but have never had the funds to just buy one. As time has gone on, those have become rarer and rarer to the point that now I'll have to go 4K in order to get that. And so I suffer with my TV. Some may ask why I don't just buy a cheap replacement until I can afford the one I want. The frustrating answer is I don't like settling for less. Not when it comes to my TV. Plus I can already hear the wife saying, "didn't you just buy a new TV?" when I could afford to get the better one.

shutyertraps better off waiting to save for a great tv,i learn`t the hard way i bought 3 tvs in 2 years before i got my 55 in LG 3D .i`m not very savvi on PCS OR TVS thats why i love the PS4 XBOX 1 CONSOLES.I`VE LOOKING AT 75 -80 INCH ULTRA HD ,they look great.just have to save.i hope you find a great tv that suits your needs.

 

[Kratos3]

I was all set 3 years ago to do just that. My TV is a Pioneer Elite 53" HD RPTV. I paid $5500 for it when it was brand new, and you'd better believe it smoked the pants off of any other TV out there. As LCD and Plasma TVs gained popularity, I still favored the picture quality of mine, especially since I never saw any of the pixel artifacts that were so common with the flat screens. CRT technology gives a smooth picture no matter what the content resolution, as opposed to an LCD that only looks best when something is in the same native resolution as the monitor.

I got serious about getting another pro calibration (I paid $400 for one soon after purchase) when I started having issues playing games and watching sports. TV broadcasters used to use a fairly generous 'safe zone' for HD content, meaning nothing was ever pushed to the edges of the picture for fear of it being cut off and not viewable. When my TV was made, 2001, there were no broadcast standards for HD. As such, the overscan on my TV (how much picture is lost to the edges) is significantly more than what is accepted today. Frequently I lose part of the score ribbon on sports, and the news crawl often is unreadable.

With games I was running into a different issue. My TV only does 1080i or 480p. So if a game was 720p, like most PS3 games, it would downscale to 480. Then there were the games that had their HUD in the corners and I couldn't read certain info. Even TPA is not immune from this, as with DMD tables, I lose the top 3rd of the DMD. Zen is even worse, as for some reason it not only downscaled, but letterboxed the game too.

So 3 or 4 years ago I was really fed up, not sure if I should pay for calibration as well as have the overscan fixed (which involved moving the 3 projectors and doing a full geometry alignment) or saving for a new TV. There is only one guy in California who even touches these TVs anymore, and he lives in the Bay Area. I'd have to fly him down, and the full deal was gonna cost around $1300. At that time, to get an LCD of the size and quality I expected, was gonna cost around $2500. Then he presented me with this option...if I came up from SoCal to his place, he'd sell me his 60" Pioneer that was fully done for the same price. Only issue with that is, driving it back home over 500 miles would mean it needing another calibration as soon as I got it home! Not to mention the cost of transporting it.

The final decision came down to this: these TVs don't have HDMI, and increasingly I saw that as being an issue.

I'm ever so thankful I didn't waste my money. The problem with RPTVs, one no one ever mentioned, is that they need a good calibration every year. So unless you are a hobbiest who is capable of doing it yourself, it gets costly real fast. I tried doing it, taking off the screen and cleaning the mirror and lenses, but I didn't own the grey scale reader that is necessary for getting the best color and black out of your TV. On top of that, the gamma of the guns drifts over time, and I had no clue how to adjust that.

Also in that time, obviously TV prices have plummeted. I have my heart set on a 60" minimum screen with passive 3D, but have never had the funds to just buy one. As time has gone on, those have become rarer and rarer to the point that now I'll have to go 4K in order to get that. And so I suffer with my TV. Some may ask why I don't just buy a cheap replacement until I can afford the one I want. The frustrating answer is I don't like settling for less. Not when it comes to my TV. Plus I can already hear the wife saying, "didn't you just buy a new TV?" when I could afford to get the better one.

I just had an RPTV finally die on me last year. I was all set to go in to try to fix the geometry and do a manual alignment and cleaning and focus when the red tube died. I was able to find the service manual free online.

So you're waiting for HDR and micro pixel panels this Fall?

 

[shutyertrap]

I wish I could say I was waiting for some bit of tech to come out, but really I'm just waiting on a consistent paycheck from a TV show rather than the off and on work I currently get. Everything starts filming again come July, so fingers crossed.

I honestly don't need 4K, as you only notice the true difference either with a monitor over 60" or you happen to be sitting really close. Then there's the fact that no media is even available for it. I would love to see a side by side of a 4K tv and an LCD displaying DVD content of 480p upscaled. As mentioned before, they look great handling native resolution material, but it's how they handle lesser resolution that has me curious. Especially since most stations broadcast at 720p and I've a rather large collection of DVD versus Blu Ray.

 

[Kratos3]

You'll be buying a lot of Blu-rays once you upgrade. If you're like me, anyway. The difference on a new flat panel vs a RPTV is almost startling. Plus, all your calibration tools are in the user menu, and you should be able to find very good settings on the AVS forum.

I'll be interested to hear about what you think when you get it.

 

[shutyertrap]

You'll be buying a lot of Blu-rays once you upgrade. If you're like me, anyway.

I've only been buying Blu-rays for the last 3 or 4 years, and I've even been getting the 3D versions for certain movies, just in case. I don't think I'll be replacing the 200 DVDs I have though. Well, maybe a few! But I'll be picky about it.

 

[Kratos3]

I've only been buying Blu-rays for the last 3 or 4 years, and I've even been getting the 3D versions for certain movies, just in case. I don't think I'll be replacing the 200 DVDs I have though. Well, maybe a few! But I'll be picky about it.

Yeah we tend to do that too. My father-in-law has a 3D TV, so we just give that copy to him. Plus, those versions usually come with digital copy.

There are more and more good movies in the $5 bargain bins. I just got Kill Bill 1&2 for $5 about a month ago.

 

[shutyertrap]

I refuse to buy Kill Bill again until we get the edited together version of Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair. Same way I refused to buy Planet Terror or Death Proof until it was released as Grindhouse. Also won't be buying Star Wars IV-VI until a proper color correction is done and the original versions are included as an option.

By the way...I know we are wildly off topic here, but too bad! For reference, see the Forum Community? thread elsewhere

 

[Heretic]

Keep it on topic guys....whahaha

 

[Kratos3]

I refuse to buy Kill Bill again until we get the edited together version of Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair. Same way I refused to buy Planet Terror or Death Proof until it was released as Grindhouse. Also won't be buying Star Wars IV-VI until a proper color correction is done and the original versions are included as an option.

By the way...I know we are wildly off topic here, but too bad! For reference, see the Forum Community? thread elsewhere

How about those low resolution play fields? Am I right?

Yeah I agree on Star Wars. I could care less about the Special Editions. I'm waiting for proper Blu-Rays of the originals. The DVDs aren't even anamorphic or 5.1.

 

[shutyertrap]

How about those low resolution play fields? Am I right?

Yeah I agree on Star Wars. I could care less about the Special Editions. I'm waiting for proper Blu-Rays of the originals. The DVDs aren't even anamorphic or 5.1.

So right that I think I'll wait until Mike R gets those elements from art department and drops them in!

Back to what is important. I have the original versions of Star Wars on laserdisc, which is where they transferred them to DVD from. With the DVDs not being anamorphic, there was no point in upgrading then. What I find fascinating is how there IS no definitive version of the original. The 70mm print differed slightly from the 35mm print which differed from the 1 year anniversary print. There is a guy assembling a cut now that pulls from 6 different sources AND includes his own color correction. The current Blu-ray suffers from the same magenta hue that TPA was going through for a while even! (see that? made it about pinball, didn't I?)

With Disney owning the property, I find it very difficult to believe that they won't eventually squeeze this cash cow and give the fans what they want, in a giant uber edition. I'm talking the original versions properly color timed, the Special Edition versions matching that, and who knows what else. I love what they did for Blade Runner, where they put 5 versions of the film all in one release. Just make everybody happy.

Apart from that Kill Bill release, I'm also waiting for someone to do a loving restoration of Hard Boiled. As long as it is owned by the Weinsteins and put out by Dragon Dynasty, there's no hope. Criterion put out wonderful laserdiscs of that and The Killer, so I'm really hoping at some point they do something. Like Star Wars, there are various versions with differing aspect ratios, coloring, sub-titles, dub-titles, and various conditions of the source print. It's very frustrating. Shoot, I haven't even bought Road Warrior on DVD or Blu-ray because I thought for sure there would eventually be a special edition of it. Instead I just have my laserdisc. See how I am? Just like my TV...I own something on a completely inferior format, but refuse to pay for a stop gap!

 

[Locksley]

Robert Harris left an open offer to George Lukas to do a free restoration if he would let the original to him; Lukas said the originals were destroyed. But it seems that was not true and there are the original film intact.
Now that Disney owns the stuff Georges idea about how the films should be seen might be overridden.

Sure, I can respect Lukas for his vision but I am also a stickler for keeping it 'as it was when released'. I just love watching old movies that are restored in a loving way without DNR or other overt artifacts.

Cheers!

 

[shutyertrap]

Oh geez, let Robert Harris at 'em! Considering he's restored much older films with far worse elements, I'm sure he could work with what is available. And yeah, we know Lucas was just being a prick about it. Probably destroyed it himself.

 

[Alex Atkin UK]

That's my biggest pet hate for No Good Gofers, the playfield (particularly backlit parts) and some of the other artwork look terrible IMO.

You can't read the text, the compression artifacts are glaring at 1080p and it seems the table they scanned has major decal burn from the bulbs that I would think they would find a way to touch-up. The "Trap Ready" decal looks particularly messed up, in fact I never knew what it actually said until I looked for photos of the table.

Although I feel almost all tables need some work done around the playfield parts which are backlit. They just don't look like a decal with a bulb in a recess behind, all the details are missing due to the brightness of the bulbs. The photography just seems very poor compared to some community stuff I have seen.