Williams Volume 4 *OFFICIAL* Game play thread

[Cloda]

White Water - Arcade Single Player gameplay

I have been playing White Water for the last couple of days on arcade single player and am slowly but surely creeping up to a good score. I completed Wet Willie’s and got the Travelling Hazard Jackpot but fizzled out badly (wasting an extra ball in the process!) and did not get the Vacation Jackpot. I’ll keep going and hope that I can get that Vacation Jackpot and break into the Top 10 (14th at the moment) soon.



Here is a video of my game...

I have few tips for this table other than saying that tight ball control and pinpoint accuracy is the key with arcade physics to having a decent game. I must still practice my live catches and especially drop catches as on this table they will make a huge difference.

I’m super frustrated with the view options on this table.
The view I used, 1, is very much a compromised view for me in that I can’t see the bottom or the top flippers as well as I would like to. I usually use view 4 but on this table it makes it very hard to aim with the top flipper and it messes up with some multiballs because it thinks you only have one ball when you shoot it up the middle ramp and then the camera jumps from the single player view and multiplayer view when the second ball is released above the right flipper. I really hope Zen gives us the option in future to adjust the camera to our liking.

 

[Cloda]

After about 10 days of blood, sweat and tears where I played probably near 50 games I finally got the Vacation Jackpot on White Water in Classic Arcade single player. I have said it before, but man, I just love the fast, furious and intense gameplay with the Williams tables on realistic physics and the fact that I can retry multiple times a go to improve my score. I’ll give this table a rest for now but I’ll definitely be back again; something else I love about the Williams tables compared to most of the Zen original tables where I'm generally played out on a table following a marathon final game.

I recorded the game so I’ll post it on my YouTube channel in a few days with commentary describing the way I went about it. Here is a video from another one where I got close but fizzled out badly in the end. I just about had the perfect start...

 

[Cloda]

Here I post the video of me finally getting the Vacation Jackpot (Classic Arcade) in White Water. This is my first time adding voice over commentary to run you through the approach I took to get there.

I achieved my goals for the table of getting the Vacation Jackpot, a billion plus score, and a top 10 on the leaderboards so for now it will go on the back burner but I'll definitely come back to it again.

Let me know if you would like me to tackle a specific table and I'll gladly consider it. Please also let me know if you would like me to focus on different or specific aspects with my voice over commentary.

ShoryukenToTheChin's guide for the table is available from the Zen Studios Blog and should help you if you are uncertain about what I refer to in the commentary.

 

[Cloda]

I had a great game on Hurricane (106 Million - Classic Arcade) and my strategy that I explain in the video works great!

I had a great start to the game and kept it together to reach my goal. Let me know in the comments if you would like me to tackle a specific table and I'll appreciate any other feedback on how I can improve.

 

[shutyertrap]

Thanks, Cloda. I've been trying to figure out ANY strategy for this table and it does nothing but frustrate me.

So I tried this out on the mobile app using Zen physics (since that's what the Daily Challenges use) and that wonderful method of controlling the ball when shooting the Comet ramp doesn't work. The flipper angle is greater, so the ball doesn't pass the gap but dribbles down it instead. I then tried it using the Williams physics, and it indeed did what you demonstrated here. I've noticed this a few times on various tables, where the harder Williams physics actually make the game easier when doing certain moves in comparison. I'll have to take some time to try all this out on the Steam version a bit later.

 

[Cloda]

Thanks, Cloda. I've been trying to figure out ANY strategy for this table and it does nothing but frustrate me.

So I tried this out on the mobile app using Zen physics (since that's what the Daily Challenges use) and that wonderful method of controlling the ball when shooting the Comet ramp doesn't work. The flipper angle is greater, so the ball doesn't pass the gap but dribbles down it instead. I then tried it using the Williams physics, and it indeed did what you demonstrated here. I've noticed this a few times on various tables, where the harder Williams physics actually make the game easier when doing certain moves in comparison. I'll have to take some time to try all this out on the Steam version a bit later.

Thanks for looking ;-). As I only recently got my Xbox One, my approach at this stage is to put a good game together to move up the leaderboards (Classic Arcade for the Williams tables). I usually aim for at least a top twenty or a high top ten. The top three or four scores are in a different league (i.e. for Hurricane the top score is over 700 million compared to a 95 million for a top ten) and I don't have the inclination (or frankly the skill ;-) to go for it. I don't think I have the strength or patience to put multi-hour games into tables such as Sorcerer's Lair again to get into the top ten, so I must settle for something more reasonable. I have already done all that for FX2 which now feels a bit superfluous.

I agree, certain bounces works out great in Classic Arcade compare to the Single Player physics. I haven't checked what it does with the Single Player physics, but when the ball gets ejected after the Whirlpool, you can put it to good use by just holding up your right flipper to build up your river classes as it reliably goes over the in-lane rollover twice per ejection.

Anyway, I'll tackle the 5 minutes and survival challenges some time, but I think it will take a while to get there with the 90 odd backlog of tables I have to work through. When I do, I'll inspect the videos you have been posting ;-)

 

[Cloda]

Red and Ted's Road Show (Classic Arcade) Strategy Video

I had a good game on Red and Ted's Road Show (Classic Arcade) and in this video I give voice-over commentary explaining my top five strategy. I played through Super Payday and ended with a much bigger score than what I expected to get (3.526 billion).

After this game, I see the potential to score even better on this table. I think the key to scoring big is the bonus multipliers, the end of ball bonus and collecting as many souvenirs as you can. I'll play it again but for now I'll give it a rest so I have something reasonable to aim for next time.

Let me know in the comments if you would like me to tackle a specific table and I'll appreciate any feedback on how I can improve.

 

[Cloda]

I don't want to be funny but White Water plays much harder and more unfair for me on Normal Single Player compared to Classic Arcade. If the ball don't make it all the way down Insanity fall, it goes straight down the middle unless you get lucky with nudging as it leaves the ramp. If the ball gets ejected after the Whirlpool, you have to nudge if you hold the right flipper up, else the ball disappears down the right out-lane. When the ball gets ejected from the bounce back it just about always ends up going into the entrance of No way out and often, if you don't nudge at the right time, the balls goes straight down the middle. None of these things happen in that way in Classic Arcade or if it does, not nearly as frequently. Certain shots are easier including spine chiller and boomerang bend so the promise is there if you can manage to keep the ball alive that you will be able to advance rafts much easier after the first completion.

 

[shutyertrap]

Same for me.

This is a case of where the Zen physics don’t quite work with a real world designed layout. We’ve seen it on other tables too, like on Fish Tales with the ball taking a weird hop challenge coming down the right side, but never to this extent where the quirk causes drains.

This is the same reason Zen can’t just apply Williams physics to original tables, as certain ball behavior might make play different than what was intended.

 

[Cloda]

Same for me.

This is a case of where the Zen physics don’t quite work with a real world designed layout. We’ve seen it on other tables too, like on Fish Tales with the ball taking a weird hop challenge coming down the right side, but never to this extent where the quirk causes drains.

This is the same reason Zen can’t just apply Williams physics to original tables, as certain ball behavior might make play different than what was intended.

Good point... it is going to take a lot of tweaking and balancing to get a table to play well with both Zen and Classic Arcade / Tournament physics.

 

[Cloda]

Another thought is that switching back to Zen physics after playing a lot of Classic Arcade physics is tough as you have to first get used to different shooting and ball return angles, how far the ball bounces, different ways of effectively controlling the ball etc. Inevitably it becomes easier as you get used to the flow and build up muscle memory and unlearn certain habits that you built up for the table. The same holds true for players switching from Zen to Classic Arcade. You have to give it a decent amount of time before games will start coming together. Most players I would venture to say, give Classic Arcade a quick go or two every now and then and then surmise that it is way too tough for them before reverting back to Zen physics. Long story short... you have to give yourself a decent run at a table before you can expect to start putting up competitive scores.

 

[shutyertrap]

Another thought is that switching back to Zen physics after playing a lot of Classic Arcade physics is tough as you have to first get used to different shooting and ball return angles, how far the ball bounces, different ways of effectively controlling the ball etc. Inevitably it becomes easier as you get used to the flow and build up muscle memory and unlearn certain habits that you built up for the table. The same holds true for players switching from Zen to Classic Arcade. You have to give it a decent amount of time before games will start coming together. Most players I would venture to say, give Classic Arcade a quick go or two every now and then and then surmise that it is way too tough for them before reverting back to Zen physics. Long story short... you have to give yourself a decent run at a table before you can expect to start putting up competitive scores.

I've gotten so used to playing the Daily Challenges on mobile, and that uses Zen physics, that it throws me completely when using Classic Arcade on PC. I really wish they'd do some of the challenges with Pro setting.

So yesterday on Twitch I wanted to go for a wizard mode on MM or AFM, and I tried using Arcade physics and couldn't get one saucer destroyed or castle gate knocked down without using all 3 balls. So I switched to Zen mode and won Ruler of the Universe in AFM, then later that night did Battle for the Kingdom and won. While it was satisfying, and certainly what I wanted to show while people are watching, it's not nearly as satisfying as if I'd done it in Classic Arcade. When I sit down to play, I wind up either wanting to see how good I can be, in which case I play with Classic Arcade, or wanting to just chill and flip some balls stress free, and that's when I choose basic Zen physics.

 

[Cloda]

This time around I achieved Vacation Jackpot in Single Player on White Water and found it unexpectedly challenging compared to Classic Arcade. I added my voice over commentary to run you through the approach I took to get there and how I had to play differently to compensate for the differences.

I played this as part of a tournament and thought I could beat it easily since I practiced a lot on Classic Arcade and reached Vacation Jackpot there. It definitely wasn't the case, and I had to work hard to get used to the way the table play on Single Player to finally get Vacation Jackpot and a big score. I'm still frustrated that perfectly straight forward games in tournaments do not count towards the leaderboards... what a waste of a big effort.

 

[jrolson]

Any news on volume 5 yet...

 

[zmcvay]

Any news on volume 5 yet...

Supposedly the next announcement (for either Vol 5, a separate Halloween pack, or whatever else) will be on the 16th. Unless you can get one of the beta testers to confess in the comfy chair, you'll have to wait 2 more days.