Your evaluation of Zen Williams Pinball year 1

[wilbers]

I play on Steam, with one monitor and keyboard. How do i watch when the mecanical weel turns on the backglass in Hurricane (when you hit the "mystery sign)?

Default key for that is V

 

[PHJ]

Default key for that is V

I will try that, thank you very much!!!

 

[TJGilbert21]

I have been OUT OF IT! I just discovered that the WMS license went to Zen after FarSight lost is last year! Of course, I immediately downloaded the Williams Pinball app (I'm on iOS), and I am so far just BLOWN AWAY by the detailed graphic and lighting quality of the tables—it's the kind of quality TPA offered on PS4 that iOS TPA players have never gotten. I'm also impressed by the sleekness of the user interface, although it is WAY overcomplicated with so many of these tedious In-App Purchasing methods like Tickets, Zen Coins, Parts, what-have-you gimmicks! I have never in my LIFE seen so many of them in one app before!!

The thing that TPA has absolutely right is that they are ALL ABOUT pinball. There aren't any of these other features that you have to faff about with. It's just launch the app and play! Zen is just SO convoluted with all their menus and customization options and achievements. Whatever happened to just playing pinball?? At first all of Zen's achievements and challenges seemed to be a lot of fun, and offered a new element to the game, but after a while, I realized that it was just taking away from the pinball itself, and was simply using pinball as a mechanism for unlocking more coins and tickets and whatnot. And I can't stand that they don't have the traditional score-keeping, which TPA preserves. Even if you get a high score, you don't enter your initials, you don't join the high score roster, and you don't get to hear the high score celebration music!

In the end, it's clear to me that FarSight and Zen had different missions: preserving pinball so current and future generations could enjoy it, and making money, respectively. I tend to side with FarSight, as they worked harder to preserve the pinball experience. Sure, they could use help with their graphics, their lighting is abominable, and their interface work is just plain sloppy at best, but every table has its original monochrome DMD display, and there are no timed challenges, no tickets, coins, or parts to collect to distract from the very reason you opened the app in the first place. And I agree with [MENTION=7699]HighFive[/MENTION] that nudging on TPA is just better.

I'm sure I'll have more to say as I continue to try to wrestle with Zen's Williams Pinball app. I still can't seem to find the Classic Arcade physics feature that everyone's been talking about... Anyway, those are my first impressions after just downloading the iOS app today! More to surely follow!

 

[Cloda]

I have been OUT OF IT! I just discovered that the WMS license went to Zen after FarSight lost is last year! Of course, I immediately downloaded the Williams Pinball app (I'm on iOS), and I am so far just BLOWN AWAY by the detailed graphic and lighting quality of the tables—it's the kind of quality TPA offered on PS4 that iOS TPA players have never gotten. I'm also impressed by the sleekness of the user interface, although it is WAY overcomplicated with so many of these tedious In-App Purchasing methods like Tickets, Zen Coins, Parts, what-have-you gimmicks! I have never in my LIFE seen so many of them in one app before!!

The thing that TPA has absolutely right is that they are ALL ABOUT pinball. There aren't any of these other features that you have to faff about with. It's just launch the app and play! Zen is just SO convoluted with all their menus and customization options and achievements. Whatever happened to just playing pinball?? At first all of Zen's achievements and challenges seemed to be a lot of fun, and offered a new element to the game, but after a while, I realized that it was just taking away from the pinball itself, and was simply using pinball as a mechanism for unlocking more coins and tickets and whatnot. And I can't stand that they don't have the traditional score-keeping, which TPA preserves. Even if you get a high score, you don't enter your initials, you don't join the high score roster, and you don't get to hear the high score celebration music!

In the end, it's clear to me that FarSight and Zen had different missions: preserving pinball so current and future generations could enjoy it, and making money, respectively. I tend to side with FarSight, as they worked harder to preserve the pinball experience. Sure, they could use help with their graphics, their lighting is abominable, and their interface work is just plain sloppy at best, but every table has its original monochrome DMD display, and there are no timed challenges, no tickets, coins, or parts to collect to distract from the very reason you opened the app in the first place. And I agree with [MENTION=7699]HighFive[/MENTION] that nudging on TPA is just better.

I'm sure I'll have more to say as I continue to try to wrestle with Zen's Williams Pinball app. I still can't seem to find the Classic Arcade physics feature that everyone's been talking about... Anyway, those are my first impressions after just downloading the iOS app today! More to surely follow!

Yeah... IOS is not the best medium for Pinball FX3 Williams tables. For that you need a PC or a console where you just outright buy the tables. Then all the gimmicky stuff is very easy to avoid i.e. I haven't once upgraded any of the powerups or special features or whatever. I just play pinball with the brilliant Classic Arcade physics and I get to enter my high scores the traditional way (if your score is good enough) ;-). Zen is doing a pretty good job of preserving pinball and if you are one of these people that care about censorship, that is easily avoidable on the Steam version.

I'm sorry to say, but TPA's nudge is completely unrealistic and over exaggerated. You can basically prevent a ball from going straight down the middle just by nudging the table... not very realistic at all.

 

[yespage]

Zen did well enough, that I'm buying the tables digitally again. 'Nuff said. TPA was great and Zen has moved the tables in an even better position.

TPA crushed a huge number of tables quickly and Zen didn't match up likewise, so there might be disappoint for some, but really... 13 tables, first year? Including a few of the best ever non-licensed? I'm not complaining.

 

[shutyertrap]

I'm also impressed by the sleekness of the user interface, although it is WAY overcomplicated with so many of these tedious In-App Purchasing methods like Tickets, Zen Coins, Parts, what-have-you gimmicks! I have never in my LIFE seen so many of them in one app before!!

The thing that TPA has absolutely right is that they are ALL ABOUT pinball. There aren't any of these other features that you have to faff about with. It's just launch the app and play! Zen is just SO convoluted with all their menus and customization options and achievements. Whatever happened to just playing pinball?? At first all of Zen's achievements and challenges seemed to be a lot of fun, and offered a new element to the game, but after a while, I realized that it was just taking away from the pinball itself, and was simply using pinball as a mechanism for unlocking more coins and tickets and whatnot. And I can't stand that they don't have the traditional score-keeping, which TPA preserves. Even if you get a high score, you don't enter your initials, you don't join the high score roster, and you don't get to hear the high score celebration music!

In the end, it's clear to me that FarSight and Zen had different missions: preserving pinball so current and future generations could enjoy it, and making money, respectively.

Welcome to the forum, glad you discovered the app.

We all had this initial thought when first looking at the app, though I'll say I've got apps on my phone right now that have over 5 different currencies to keep track of, and tons more customizations.

Here's what you'll discover; Zen has taken what they so brilliantly did for PC and consoles and turned it into a mobile app. What I mean by that is most people using mobile apps for gaming like the casual game that is free to download. That is who Zen is targeting with this, not the hardcore pinball fanatic. And yes, you can earn every single table and all the perks of them for free over time, something I and many others have done here.

First steps though. Until you unlock a table to 2 stars, you won't be able to just play a traditional game of 3 ball pinball. You only have to earn 15 table parts to get this far, and it won't take long at all before you have at least a few tables at this stage. Once you have a table to 2 stars, if you so desire go ahead and purchase enough coins to buy the Pro Physics unlock and the Enhanced Visuals. This will allow you to play with the new Williams physics everyone raves about and experience the really cool animations Zen created for each table. Earning parts for 3 and 4 star is a bit of a slog, something that will take around 4 months to do if you have the patience and tenacity to grind. The one other thing you can purchase is Pro Difficulty, which sets the table up in tournament mode. Once any of these is purchased, it is applied to all tables.

Zen didn't do a great job of making any of this clear, and it certainly caused much grief here in the forums. Trust me when I say, the app has actually gotten better since when it first launched. And to second what Cloda said, playing it on Steam or console will allow you to skip all the grinding stuff and just play pinball. Strangely enough, when I play the app I almost exclusively play daily challenges and save my 3 ball games for the computer.

 

[Lroy]

Been super happy with the first year of real-life tables on PBFX3. Presentation and ‘deep engine’ physics are incredible. Really looking forward to any more that come out between now and the New Year.

Of course some quality of life improvements could still be brought to the game, one such example would be scores made in tournaments, carrying over to the main leaderboards.

However, I for one am totally sick of hearing about this bloody Williams Pinball App. Cool for those that use it but I have zero interest in playing pinball that way and have grown really fatigued with all the focus this part of Zen’s portfolio seems to occupy both from the company’s resources and the wider discourse here and elsewhere on Zen’s pinball game.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[ZREXMike2]

I liked all packs ceptin' fer the last one, which had nothing that appealed to me. the rest all had at least one table that i liked. if Zen wants to redo all the PBA tables fine, just pick the better ones, like CFTBL, STTNG, MB, T2, NGG, TOTAN, RBION, TAF, BSD, SS, EPM, BOPB, HS, Gorgar, and BK. if they get the Gottleib license, Spirit of SeventySix and Old Chicago would be nice, along with a few other old dingding tables i like.

 

[Cloda]

I liked all packs ceptin' fer the last one, which had nothing that appealed to me. the rest all had at least one table that i liked. if Zen wants to redo all the PBA tables fine, just pick the better ones, like CFTBL, STTNG, MB, T2, NGG, TOTAN, RBION, TAF, BSD, SS, EPM, BOPB, HS, Gorgar, and BK. if they get the Gottleib license, Spirit of SeventySix and Old Chicago would be nice, along with a few other old dingding tables i like.

Wait for a sale and give that last pack a shot. All three the tables pleasantly surprised me and I really enjoyed the varied challenge that each presented and don't forget the amazing upgraded flipper physics. Hurricane doesn't have much variation but what it has going for it is that feeling that you are just one game away for it to click and it feels really good when it happens. Road Show has a nice amount of variation (i.e. a lot more than e.g. Medieval Madness) and even in my best game I only managed to make one West Coast Super Payday and fell just short of a second. White Water it is a proper challenge to get Vacation Jackpot. You have to really concentrate and work hard towards it... a challenge I just relished. So for me, these Volume 4 tables rank right up there considering the tables that Zen has released to date.

 

[HighFive]

Default key for that is V

One thing i would love they add too is an auto- camera that could switch to the backglass when there is something going on here, like with Hurricane. TPA was doing it, guess it wouldnt be that difficult to incorporate. Small little things like that just can make a better experience.

 

[TJGilbert21]

Thanks so much for the warm welcome!—And the brief rundown of the mechanics of the app. After your helpful explanation, I've had a little more patience with the app and have been plugging away at it, steadily trying to earn my free tables! I've already managed to get three of them, although I'm definitely gonna be working towards those Pro Physics that everyone's talking about!

After more time with it, I love the feel, sights, and sounds of this app, and I only regret that Stern and Gottlieb don't also (currently) have similar apps by Zen.