Williams Pinball App Data Collection

[shutyertrap]

The score requirements haven’t changed in case anyone is thinking that. Even though the challenges are no longer listed as ‘basic, advanced, pro, premium’ the scores do correspond to what they were, with 1st challenge being the same as basic and so on down the line. Easy = 5 star, normal = 10 star, and hard = 15.

I mean I hate to say it, but unless the table is Safe Cracker, those first 2 challenges should not be a problem. The 3rd and 4th challenge do get frustrating beyond the easy rating depending on the table and particular game mechanic (I loathe 5 minute challenge for these). You don’t ‘play’ these tables in challenge, you exploit whatever the quickest way to points is, or in the case of 1 ball, the safest shots that won’t drain the ball until you can activate multiball.

I’ll happily give my strategies if people ask. I’m currently struggling to find a good one for Hurricane, but I’ll get there eventually.

 

[grashopper]

I think I need um. I don’t know what the deal is but I’m really struggling now. I was normally getting the 15 stars before now I can’t get anything. Would love to make progress again.
You should make some YouTube videos

 

[shutyertrap]

I don’t know how to capture mobile game play.

 

[twopossums]

The Hurricane strategy as I understand it is to really just hit the right ramp as many times as possible. You build up to 5 million. In multi-ball as well. Just hit the right ramp as many times as possible. LOL That being said this game and White Water I can hardly ever get the ball under control. It flies all over the place with the bumpers and drains or rolls farther than I think it should up the flipper causing me to loose it over and over.

 

[shutyertrap]

I can hit that right ramp no problem on Steam in Arcade mode. On the app with Zen physics? I have zero flow. I cannot combo to save my life.

White Water is all about hitting that ball lock lane, and then working the falls and the whirlpool. I’m getting pretty good at that. Or at least until White Water multiball, when I flail like a spaz for some reason.

 

[Scared Stiff]

I don’t know how to capture mobile game play.

On ios? Screen recording is built into the OS and can be stopped and started from the control center.

 

[Gord Lacey]

I don’t know how to capture mobile game play.

Assuming iOS, and assuming you have a Mac, it’s as simple as connecting the iOS device to your Mac, going into QuickTime and creating a new movie capturing from the iOS device.

Or you can do what Scared Stiff said (I had problems recording audio using that method, which lead me to the Mac way).

 

[shutyertrap]

I have a PC, not a Mac.

 

[GAH1068]

Zen stikes again, 5 part loot box changed back to 20 zen coins and still no challenges to earn parts for volume 4. Enough Zen, after 4 packs you should have a handle on this by now.

 

[shutyertrap]

Zen stikes again, 5 part loot box changed back to 20 zen coins and still no challenges to earn parts for volume 4. Enough Zen, after 4 packs you should have a handle on this by now.

Have you complained to Zen using social media? I keep saying it, they don't monitor hardly any threads in this forum (deep has actually viewed this thread though), so alerting them to issues via Twitter or Facebook in addition to posting here might be more beneficial.

I see people post things like "enough, I'm deleting the app" or "just sell us the tables using standard currency", which isn't constructive. I myself wondered on Twitter if playing the limited event for the new tables would ever get me parts for White Water, and suddenly parts for White Water were sprinkled in. Once that event goes away for me (in 4 days), I'll be very curious to see if when playing regular daily challenges I stop earning coins, since I have no parts left to earn, and start earning for the new Vol 4 tables. If I don't, then indeed there is a problem and I will certainly pass that along to Zen.

I get the impression that the mobile division responsible for setting up the purchase model within the app is off on their own a bit. I had intended to ask Mel some in depth questions regarding all that, but he deferred, saying at this point I know more about the ins and outs of the app than he does! So to me that means raising red flags in such a manner that doesn't look like throwing a fit, but as a quirk they may have missed. I even saw some people getting angry that all the challenges seemed harder now, when in fact the scores required are the same as they have been (yep, checked against the chart I made tracking all my data!) with the only difference being the 24 hour cycle starting only once you've beaten the challenge.

 

[Ironmike]

Anyone figure out where the free part of the day is on iOS?

 

[Gorgias32]

Anyone figure out where the free part of the day is on iOS?

On Android, I have never seen a "Free Part of the Day" anywhere - I believe someone said it is in the store area but apparently it does not appear at all if you have all the parts maxed for packs 1-3. Possibly this feature has been removed entirely...

 

[Gorgias32]

Once that event goes away for me (in 4 days), I'll be very curious to see if when playing regular daily challenges I stop earning coins, since I have no parts left to earn, and start earning for the new Vol 4 tables. If I don't, then indeed there is a problem and I will certainly pass that along to Zen.

On Android, the timed challenge for last week ended last Thursday evening for me, and no new timed challenge has started as of this writing (Monday afternoon) - unlike last time the timed challenge ended, where a new one started up a few hours later. Standard daily challenges are unchanged, at this point I'm maxed out on packs 1-3 and I'm still getting coins instead of Pack 4 parts. So at this point, for me at least, there is no way to earn parts for the Season 4 tables. I'm hoping a new timed challenge shows up sometime this week.

I can see the potential for a system where the timed challenges are focused on one table pack at a time (i.e. "This week, play challenges and collect parts for Pack 4", "Next week, play challenges and collect parts for Pack 5") - it lets you focus on a single pack at a time, and if they rotate which pack you are targeting (and stop presenting them when you max out the parts for that pack) it actually would motivate you to spend the coins to reset challenges, especially as you get close to an upgrade. If parts for packs 1-3 all remain in the standard daily challenges and parts turn to coins once you max them out, this could become a livable model long term. Still worried that it's non-intuitive and undocumented.

 

[shutyertrap]

Okay, I’m assuming iOS will follow what you just laid out with Android. I agree that there’s something workable under this model, but absolutely they need to start letting us see the roadmap. Even the very nature of these Vol 4 challenges wasn’t obvious that they would disappear due to the wording. Hard to stockpile your resources when you’re unsure when you’ll actually need to spend them. I certainly hadn’t planned on blowing 250 coins to 2 star White Water, and now I realize it’s a very good thing I did.

 

[GAH1068]

I did email Zen to express my displeasure with the constant changes. I also asked them to look at adding some confirmation on the zen coin purchases. I hit the 200 coin challenge purchase by accident as well as bought 1k tickets over the last few weeks which was highly irritating

 

[twopossums]

Anyone figure out where the free part of the day is on iOS?

It’s there under the Shopping cart section. Right under where you buy tickets. On the right. It’ll say table parts booster packs. The one on the right is free with an ad. Which is odd because the free ticket one is on the left.

 

[shutyertrap]

Well, sometimes the universe lines up right at the perfect intersection.

Jared and I have been trying to switch over to OBS Studio to do our podcast on YouTube, and it's been an education to say the least. For the past 3 weeks I've been messing with this, learning what it can do, watching other people's vids. Last weekend we tried to go live, only to have a colossal failure with our audio.

Meanwhile, in this thread I put forth the idea that I could offer suggestions on how to beat the challenges if anyone wants, and grashopper innocently says I should make YouTube vids. And ScaredStiff destroys my excuse of not being able to record my games on my phone. Suddenly my wheels are turning.

I mean, I've seen a video or two with gameplay from a phone being broadcast with commentary. And I've got this software that seemingly all these streamers are using to do it with. Hmmmm....

So lemme know what you think. Is what I'm saying useful? Are there changes you'd like to hear? I've started recording all my games played on Hard difficulty, I can crank these vids out if I'm on the right track. Constructive criticism is more than welcome.

 

[wilbers]

Made it look easy! Since I don't play the iOS app never thought of the survival numbers counting down rather than up. Has the experience level just increased from 40 to 50 with the recent tables? - with the amount you've been playing if anyone was going to max. that, it would be you.

 

[Ironmike]

It’s there under the Shopping cart section. Right under where you buy tickets. On the right. It’ll say table parts booster packs. The one on the right is free with an ad. Which is odd because the free ticket one is on the left.

Thank you, I have volumes 1-3 maxed out. I have the free tickets pack and the 20 coin table booster pack available, nothing else.

 

[Ironmike]

I am at experience level 45.