Williams Pinball Tables - FX3 Improvements/Suggestions for better experience

[francis247uk]

Now that the Williams Pinball Tables have been out a while, I'm interested to know what everyone would suggest as improvements to Pinball FX3, specifically around further enhancing the user experience of the Williams tables in particular.

For me, so far I can think of the following suggestions, in no particular order of priority or importance:

• When you select a Williams table from the regular PFX3 table select screen, the music is the same regardless of which table you choose, on the main table screen and then again on the "Single Player & Hotseat" screen.
  I think it may be better if it was the theme music from the table you'd selected (as per TPA) on both of these screens - similar to when you currently pause the table in-game for example?
  
  
• When you get a game over and finish a game, PFX3 exits back to the classic single player results screen, and the generic music.
  It would be better if it either stayed with the table and overlayed the results with the regular table music/sfx, or if it had to exit back to classic single player results screen, it would be better if the music related to the table?
  
  
• It would be good if there was a choice of different locations/backgrounds you could play the game in - don't get me wrong, I do like the Williams room we already get, but it might be nice to have a bit more variety, for example like the Zaccaria app - if that's too much work, perhaps the option to turn the environment lights down a bit so the focus is more on the Pinball table itself, rather than almost equal focus lighting wise on the table and the environment which we get currently?
  
  
• If you are playing the game on a console/PC connected to a big TV, the Dot Matrix Size choice under Options> UI/Streaming are currently small, medium or large.
  This sounds like enough choice, however I often play in view 1 or 1w, and the large dot matrix option encroaches onto the table, and medium seems too small - I think medium needs to be larger than it is currently perhaps, but not so large that it covers any part of the table (ideally) - or the large option needs to be a tad smaller.
  
  
• Bulb & Room Brightness options similar to TPA would be great (I know they're already aware of this)
  
  
• For people that don't plan on buying any fantasy tables, perhaps something like the option to launch the game to a Williams pinball specific menu screen, rather than the regular PFX3 screen
  
  
• On PS4/Xbox One, perhaps a more traditional pinball oriented icon & splash screen for the app, currently it's the 6 avatars from their own designed tables (very minor observation I know)
  
  
• Playstation VR Support - I know it's a limited and niche market, but really want to try this for myself!

By the way, Williams on Pinball FX3 has been great so far already so if none of the above were implemented/taken on board, I'd still be very happy! - Keep up the great work Zen

 

[jonesjb]

What are the tickets actually for? Please make this clearer. I have over a 20,000 and can’t figure out how/where to use. Everything costs Zen coins.

 

[shutyertrap]

Now that the Williams Pinball Tables have been out a while, I'm interested to know what everyone would suggest as improvements to Pinball FX3, specifically around further enhancing the user experience of the Williams tables in particular.

For me, so far I can think of the following suggestions, in no particular order of priority or importance:

• When you select a Williams table from the regular PFX3 table select screen, the music is the same regardless of which table you choose, on the main table screen and then again on the "Single Player & Hotseat" screen.
  I think it may be better if it was the theme music from the table you'd selected (as per TPA) on both of these screens - similar to when you currently pause the table in-game for example?
  
  
• When you get a game over and finish a game, PFX3 exits back to the classic single player results screen, and the generic music.
  It would be better if it either stayed with the table and overlayed the results with the regular table music/sfx, or if it had to exit back to classic single player results screen, it would be better if the music related to the table?
  
  
• It would be good if there was a choice of different locations/backgrounds you could play the game in - don't get me wrong, I do like the Williams room we already get, but it might be nice to have a bit more variety, for example like the Zaccaria app - if that's too much work, perhaps the option to turn the environment lights down a bit so the focus is more on the Pinball table itself, rather than almost equal focus lighting wise on the table and the environment which we get currently?
  
  
• If you are playing the game on a console/PC connected to a big TV, the Dot Matrix Size choice under Options> UI/Streaming are currently small, medium or large.
  This sounds like enough choice, however I often play in view 1 or 1w, and the large dot matrix option encroaches onto the table, and medium seems too small - I think medium needs to be larger than it is currently perhaps, but not so large that it covers any part of the table (ideally) - or the large option needs to be a tad smaller.
  
  
• Bulb & Room Brightness options similar to TPA would be great (I know they're already aware of this)
  
  
• For people that don't plan on buying any fantasy tables, perhaps something like the option to launch the game to a Williams pinball specific menu screen, rather than the regular PFX3 screen
  
  
• On PS4/Xbox One, perhaps a more traditional pinball oriented icon & splash screen for the app, currently it's the 6 avatars from their own designed tables (very minor observation I know)
  
  
• Playstation VR Support - I know it's a limited and niche market, but really want to try this for myself!

By the way, Williams on Pinball FX3 has been great so far already so if none of the above were implemented/taken on board, I'd still be very happy! - Keep up the great work Zen

I suspect that the reason the music stays the same, that the background and room stay the same, is a matter of uniformity on Zen's part. They really want the entirety of FX3 to feel like a platform, not a bunch of separate apps. Also, Zen very much wants you to purchase the fantasy tables same as they want the regular Zen customer to purchase the Williams tables (there were a lot of posts on Facebook from people that hated the idea of WMS coming to Zen and ruining their video pinball). In other words, think of FX3 as the Netflix for pinball. The menu stays the same regardless of what content you are searching for.

I like your point about the DMD. Two more size options would be nice. I would really like to see ColorDMD licensed and used, but apparently the folks at Zen aren't really fans of it.

I thought there were a handful of Zen originals available for Playstation VR. I know they put out a physical disc of those tables as well as some other Zen titles all in VR. It may not be Williams, but you'd at least be able to see what pinball in VR is like.

I do want the lighting adjustment, but not for bulbs. I think what Zen has done with the actual lights on the table are spot on, and it's not like you can adjust bulb intensity on a real table. The room lighting though, yes, gimme that. The default is pretty nice, but I want to be able to darken the room for things like AFM.

When your game ends on a table, I'd like to be able to immediately restart it without exiting to the menu and avoiding the global point and leaderboard count in doing so. I know it's only 15 seconds, but when you want 'just one more game' you want it now!

 

[dmil666]

When your game ends on a table, I'd like to be able to immediately restart it without exiting to the menu and avoiding the global point and leaderboard count in doing so. I know it's only 15 seconds, but when you want 'just one more game' you want it now!

This would be a very welcome addition for me. A way to quickly go through the end credits/animation & match would also be welcome, although I realize that it's unlikely.

 

[shutyertrap]

This would be a very welcome addition for me. A way to quickly go through the end credits/animation & match would also be welcome, although I realize that it's unlikely.

That does exist. In options menu go to UI tab ( I think) and you can toggle all sorts of things including a quick skip of the match DMD.

 

[dmil666]

That does exist. In options menu go to UI tab ( I think) and you can toggle all sorts of things including a quick skip of the match DMD.

Forgive me for being dumb, but I just went through all of the various options looking for anything like the quick skip of the match DMD, and I can't find it. Like you said, you can toggle all sorts of things, and change the look, size and location of the DMD, but I can't locate the quick skip.
Can you provide a bit more detail so that even an idiot can find it? I'd appreciate it.

 

[shutyertrap]

I’ll get back to you in a couple hours as I’m not in front of my computer right now, but absolutely I’ll post you a guide.

 

[francis247uk]

I suspect that the reason the music stays the same, that the background and room stay the same, is a matter of uniformity on Zen's part. They really want the entirety of FX3 to feel like a platform, not a bunch of separate apps. Also, Zen very much wants you to purchase the fantasy tables same as they want the regular Zen customer to purchase the Williams tables (there were a lot of posts on Facebook from people that hated the idea of WMS coming to Zen and ruining their video pinball). In other words, think of FX3 as the Netflix for pinball. The menu stays the same regardless of what content you are searching for.

I like your point about the DMD. Two more size options would be nice. I would really like to see ColorDMD licensed and used, but apparently the folks at Zen aren't really fans of it.

I thought there were a handful of Zen originals available for Playstation VR. I know they put out a physical disc of those tables as well as some other Zen titles all in VR. It may not be Williams, but you'd at least be able to see what pinball in VR is like.

I do want the lighting adjustment, but not for bulbs. I think what Zen has done with the actual lights on the table are spot on, and it's not like you can adjust bulb intensity on a real table. The room lighting though, yes, gimme that. The default is pretty nice, but I want to be able to darken the room for things like AFM.

When your game ends on a table, I'd like to be able to immediately restart it without exiting to the menu and avoiding the global point and leaderboard count in doing so. I know it's only 15 seconds, but when you want 'just one more game' you want it now!

Thanks Chris, sounds like I've just missed out on you & Jared possibly passing on some suggestions to Zen/Mel Kirk if you've just recorded a "secret" Blahcade podcast maybe? (Fingers crossed haha)

Yes agreed with the colour DMD, for now you can atleast change the normal DMD colour under UI/Streaming, not sure if you're aware.
I like to match the DMD colour with the general table colour, for example Attack From Mars seems to look better with a Green DMD imo compared to the default orange.

Definitely would like to be able to restart a game immediately as you said, or atleast the option so we could choose ourselves - exiting out of the table kind of interrupts the flow of the overall game for me.

Has anyone else noticed that the Pinball FX3 menu music sounds a lot like the Stranger Things theme?

 

[shutyertrap]

Forgive me for being dumb, but I just went through all of the various options looking for anything like the quick skip of the match DMD, and I can't find it. Like you said, you can toggle all sorts of things, and change the look, size and location of the DMD, but I can't locate the quick skip.
Can you provide a bit more detail so that even an idiot can find it? I'd appreciate it.

Okay, finally had a look.

From the main menu, tab over to 'options'

From there, tab over to 'UI/Streaming'

Scroll down to the 'Williams Pinball: Attract Mode' and toggle that. Even with it set to 'enable, it only takes pressing the 'A' button on a controller to skip the match screen. If selected 'disable', your game will end and immediately go to the score summary menu without ever doing the match screen.

 

[shutyertrap]

Has anyone else noticed that the Pinball FX3 menu music sounds a lot like the Stranger Things theme?

Hmmm, that's a stretch as it never gets that deep bass synth sound underlying the whole thing, but I can kinda hear the similarities too.

That does make me think of something else I'd like to see improved in FX3...the music from older tables! All those early Marvel tables especially, it's generic sounding EDM that doesn't really work with the themes. They've done much better with all the music since the Aliens pack, but a lot of the tables prior I just have to turn off the music completely as it drives me mental over time.

 

[dmil666]

Okay, finally had a look.

From the main menu, tab over to 'options'

From there, tab over to 'UI/Streaming'

Scroll down to the 'Williams Pinball: Attract Mode' and toggle that. Even with it set to 'enable, it only takes pressing the 'A' button on a controller to skip the match screen. If selected 'disable', your game will end and immediately go to the score summary menu without ever doing the match screen.

Thanks for your help, I'd have never guessed that it was tied in to attract mode. Also, I found that it only works for classic mode, not single player, although the 'A' button bypass still works.

(Yes, I still use single player sometimes, mostly when I'm tired of getting my butt handed to me in classic mode and I need a break).