FarSight...Can You Please Shed Some Light On The Stern License?

PiN WiZ · Mar 9, 2012

@Bobby or Ryan...Can you please clear up the confusion most people are having on which Stern tables you have aquired permission to possibly reproduce. Most people (myself included) want to know if it's only the actual Stern tables or does it also include the Sega and Data East tables as well. Everyone has their own opinion on this matter, but we would all like to hear confirmation from you if at all possible.

Brian Clark · Mar 9, 2012

Farsight answered this. They mentioned on Facebook that the Stern license covers the Sega and Data East tables. What I would like to know is if the license includes Chicago Coin and the 70-80s Stern electronics tables.

PiN WiZ · Mar 9, 2012

Brian Clark said:
Farsight answered this. They mentioned on Facebook that the Stern license covers the Sega and Data East tables. What I would like to know is if the license includes Chicago Coin and the 70-80s Stern electronics tables.

That's a good question...hopefully they can address it as well. Also, the only reason I made this thread was for those who had questions or doubts could easily find confirmation since this seems to be a hot topic on TPA's Facebook wall. Like you, I remember FarSight stating that it indeed included Sega and Data East tables. Hopefully memory serves me correctly.

Brian Clark · Mar 9, 2012

Actually, I'm curious about what Farsight's plans are for the Stern lincense. A lot of their newer tables use the S.A.M. system, which, as far as I know, isn't emulated. It's probably even more demanding than Whitestar too.

PiN WiZ · Mar 9, 2012

Brian Clark said:
Actually, I'm curious about what Farsight's plans are for the Stern lincense. A lot of their newer tables use the S.A.M. system, which, as far as I know, isn't emulated. It's probably even more demanding than Whitestar too.

The S.A.M. system wasn't emulated before now because Stern didn't give the rights to anyone to do so. I'm sure with the rights FarSight secured from Stern, they're able to emulate the S.A.M. system if they choose to do so. The question is, how old must a table be for FarSight to even consider recreating it?

Bobby King · Mar 10, 2012

We have the rights to re-create any Stern Electronics, Stern Pinball, Data East, or Sega table assuming that we can also secure any ancillary licenses that are needed. There's no waiting period to simulate the newer tables. In fact, we hope to someday release simultaneously digitally when Stern releases a new mechanical table, but we would need a lot of cooperation on the licensing side and the technical side to pull that off. Emulating the S.A.M. chip set is a technical hurdle. We're currently working with Stern to allow this emulation to be feasible on the current generation of hardware.

PiN WiZ · Mar 10, 2012

Bobby King said:
We have the rights to re-create any Stern Electronics, Stern Pinball, Data East, or Sega table assuming that we can also secure any ancillary licenses that are needed. There's no waiting period to simulate the newer tables. In fact, we hope to someday release simultaneously digitally when Stern releases a new mechanical table, but we would need a lot of cooperation on the licensing side and the technical side to pull that off. Emulating the S.A.M. chip set is a technical hurdle. We're currently working with Stern to allow this emulation to be feasible on the current generation of hardware.

Thanks for clearing that up for us Bobby. I'm glad you mentioned simultaneous releases of new tables cause I had been wondering if that would be possible as well. This gives me hope that we may see Tales From The Crypt, The Who's Tommy, Star Wars and others as well in the future.

Brian Clark · Mar 10, 2012

Thanks for the info. This is awesome news.

Patrick McBride · Mar 13, 2012

Wow, thanks Bobby King! That's amazing that tables could be recreated instantly... I always assumed there would be a 5-year delay or something.

Jeff Strong · Mar 13, 2012

Thanks for the info, Bobby!

goforthewall · Mar 13, 2012

Bobby King said:
We have the rights to re-create any Stern Electronics, Stern Pinball, Data East, or Sega table assuming that we can also secure any ancillary licenses that are needed. There's no waiting period to simulate the newer tables.

Simply awesome!: This is why I am very much willing to pay for TPA tables, instead of getting free VP or FP versions... We are keeping pinball alive digitally, as well as supporting the only company that is left making physical versions. I always wondered if it wouldn't be a business model for Stern to cater to the physical (rich) and digital (poor) crowds ;-) at the same time... FarSight is kind of bridging the gap =)

Bowflex · Mar 13, 2012

I wish they do eventually do a simultaneous release. Unless stern does another table like rolling stones. Simply awful.

KoSLoW · Mar 21, 2012

Verry happy to read this !!! so We will play in the future good tables like Last action Hero / Tales From The Cryt / Batman / Lethal Weapon 3 / Maverick !!!!

Brandon Debes · Mar 29, 2012

goforthewall said:
Simply awesome!: This is why I am very much willing to pay for TPA tables

As far as I'm concerned FarSight are doing god's work here, and I will buy every table they put out on at least one platform (and my favs on my iPhone as well). I absolutely hate everything about Funhouse, but you can count on my Xbox Live spacebux whenever it releases.

Sean DonCarlos · Mar 29, 2012

Beelzebozo said:
I absolutely hate everything about Funhouse, but you can count on my Xbox Live spacebux whenever it releases.

I realize I'm opening Pandora's box here, but I'm curious to know what you find wrong with Funhouse. I personally enjoy making Rudy choke, panic and scream, and I've always found Funhouse (and its cousin Whirlwind) ideal when I want a game with a little depth in its rule set but I don't want the mode-laden complexity of modern tables.

I appreciate the sentiment though...I suppose I'll buy Black Knight when it releases, even though that table and I simply do not get along!

Brandon Debes · Mar 30, 2012

Serenseven said:
I realize I'm opening Pandora's box here, but I'm curious to know what you find wrong with Funhouse. I personally enjoy making Rudy choke, panic and scream, and I've always found Funhouse (and its cousin Whirlwind) ideal when I want a game with a little depth in its rule set but I don't want the mode-laden complexity of modern tables.

I appreciate the sentiment though...I suppose I'll buy Black Knight when it releases, even though that table and I simply do not get along!

Well for one thing, I love Whirlwind. Furthermore, I'm sure there are Black Knight fans here who can't believe you could dislike it. But to answer your question, I can't stand the grating quality of Rudy's vocal samples constantly barking at me (which was probably part of Lawlor's intent), and I hate how the "little depth in its rule set" boils down to "everything advances the clock to midnight by some amount or other" to the point that all the other goals are completely marginalized. I don't know who holds the Funhouse record or how they got it, but my suspicion is that they just kept advancing the clock to midnight. I also find the table too cramped with stuff, such that it's easy to lose track of the ball at times. The ramps don't flow into one another very smoothly. I dunno, I just feel like everything about that table is "off" in some way, for me personally. But again, somebody here can't stand my favorite table, etc. C'est la vie.

Sean DonCarlos · Mar 30, 2012

No worries, just wondering. You're the first person I've encountered that's voiced a strong dislike of Funhouse and I was curious why.

I don't know that I actively hate Black Knight. It's just that for whatever reason I have a very difficult time doing even marginally well on that table, and I don't seem to have that problem with other tables from that time period. Not sure if my brain just doesn't understand the split-level playfield or what my issue is.

FarSight...Can You Please Shed Some Light On The Stern License?

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