Request Better portrait mode for Vita

mrhorseshoe · Jun 25, 2012

Out of all the iterations of Pinball Arcade, my favorite is PA for Vita. FarSight did an outstanding job porting it. However, there is one glaring flaw. The current portrait mode implementation SUCKS!

The only portrait mode option right now is rotating the Vita 90 degrees to the left. In this orientation, you have to use the touchscreen for flipper and nudge controls. As everyone knows, touch controls are inferior to physical buttons. Sometimes my thumbs miss the hotzone, causing a drain. Nudging is just as bad. In the heat of the moment, its often hard to pinpoint the nudge hotzone of the screen and swipe before the ball reaches the flippers.

The perfect fix for this is rotating the Vita 90 degrees to the right. You have access to the physical buttons for the flippers (the X button for the left flipper, triangle for the right) and the analog stick for precise nudge control. You would have to use the touchscreen for the plunger, but thats a small loss. IMO, this simple change would make the Vita version nearly perfect!

Do the devs really read this forum? I hope they take my suggestions into consideration. Now, back to playing some pinball!

Metalzoic · Jun 25, 2012

Word.

I want this option soooooooooooooooooooo bad!
I also prefer the Vita version simply because I think playing TPA vertical is much better than landscape.
Being able to rotate it right would be so much better. So much better in fact that it almost seems to me that no one at farsight ever tried the vita version before they released it. I simply don't see how it would be possible to overlook this if you had tried it even once.

djwille · Jun 28, 2012

Oooo yes i want it to. I hope farsight will read this post!

Araxen · Jul 1, 2012

I've been complaining about this for months. It's an aberration you can't flip the screen the other way and use the buttons. Touch controls are ass.

Metalzoic · Jul 1, 2012

Araxen said:
I've been complaining about this for months. It's an aberration you can't flip the screen the other way and use the buttons. Touch controls are ass.

I think the touch controls are more responsive than the buttons. I just want to nudge with the stick and not accidentally hit the power button.

Kenjori · Jul 22, 2012

I also want this option. This was my default playing style with my psp pinball games. Vita deserves an actual playable portrait mode too.

mrhorseshoe · Sep 28, 2012

Its been three months and not a peep from FarSight. I've resigned to the fact that the Vita is just not a priority for them. I haven't bought the last 2 packs and I am pretty much done with TPA until the PC version comes out (if it comes out).

Agujose · Sep 28, 2012

It's funny because on psp "Hall of fame" if you leave the default option using the buttons in portrait mode. I do not understand why they have not implemented TPA.

Anyway, let's take a vote of confidence and hopefully read these comments and added later.

Here in Spain (European store) just received the first dlc

regards

neglectoid · Sep 29, 2012

seems like this would work. when i tilted the machine 90 degrees to the right, the X and triangle seemed like good substitutes for flippers.

on a side note while i had the machine turned on its right i played a full game upsidedown. sorta fun, not something i'd do often, but something different.

darkpigraph · Oct 4, 2012

I definitely second this - the tables look so much nicer in portrait mode but some of us still need buttons to play. Being able to flip the vita right way round would give us best of obth worlds.

smaug18 · Oct 4, 2012

I'll then uhm.. third this!

Freelance · Oct 6, 2012

Want it too. Want to use buttons in Portrait View as I hate using touchscreen. I refuse to play Portrait because of this.

Piccalilli · Oct 13, 2012

I want this layout option too! Portrait mode is easily the best view of the tables, but the present controls just don't feel comfortable or fast enough to access. The flippers are too slow, and nudging is uncomfortable. It's easy to accidentally tilt trying to balance the system on my knee because it starts to feel heavy after a few tables. It'd be fantastic to be able to prop the Vita against my leg or lay it on the desk/table without it automatically tilting if the surface is uneven or blocking the only input option for nudging. As it stands I just can't use portrait mode, but with this layout it has the potential to be the best way to play.

spoonman · Oct 14, 2012

I don't yet own a Vita, but I plan on getting one very soon and I wouldn't want to use the touchscreen for flippers! It's the main reason I never touch the iOS version I bought.

The Williams Pinball Hall of Fame on my PSP was excellent with the buttons. I wouldn't have enjoyed it nearly as much without the buttons though!

Touch screen should be an option, and never a requirement when buttons are an option!

Crush3d_Turtle · Oct 14, 2012

I would love to play in portrait mode more often, but the current controls do not suit the system at all. First, the back touchpad nudging needs to be disabled since just holding the system seems to result in a tilt for me. Assign the nudging to the control stick at the bottom of the system. Second, the flippers need to have the option to be assigned to the buttons. Third, the system needs to be able to be rotated with the four buttons on the bottom instead of the d-pad if physical buttons are to be used for the flippers. The demand is certainly there for an improved portrait mode, so FS could you please indicate that these suggestions are even being received and considered?

Running With Scissors · Oct 23, 2012

Just posting to show further support for this control option.

Araxen · Oct 23, 2012

I've been complaining about this since the Vita version has been released. It's sad they won't do anything about. The Vita version could easily be the best version.

Agujose · Oct 23, 2012

I'm beginning to have my doubts about the updates. In europe ps vita 10 tables and we still have not seen a single update to correct the many faults in the tables. hope I'm wrong

Araxen · Oct 26, 2012

Personally I believe they don't care about the Vita version because the game is basically being given away for free to all the people who bought it on the PS3. It makes the Vita version the least likely to get any support other than the initial release.

Piccalilli · Oct 27, 2012

Agujose, in the US we've had corrections to fix problems with Black Hole in update 1.04 at least, so there should be some corrections coming. It would be awesome to at least hear from FS that they're listening to user experiences and suggestions from Vita users. Zen is awesome at interacting with fans on their forums, and Barbie goes out of her way to thank folks for reporting bugs/suggestions and passes things on to the appropriate folks every week. We've had pretty much the same suggestions about improving portrait mode over there, but the tone was much more upbeat because of the confidence that the company is interested in user input to make the game experience the best it can be. We love what FS is doing by translating the tables to videogame simulation, and we're pulling for them to be successful. As fans we're trying to work with FS by offering our input to help them succeed. FS should never underestimate the power of a simple, "Thanks for the input! I'll pass that along."

Request Better portrait mode for Vita

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