Nudging on tablets

Björn Wessman · Sep 12, 2012

What option do you all use for nudge? I think all the current options are pretty crappy the way they are implemented. I don't even understand how swipe works and the shaking doesn't react anywhere near what I expect. So I'll choose touchscreen, even though it lacks a lot. Being digital is one thing, I could live with that if it worked properly but right now you have to move your hands all the way to the top of the screen, and then the ball is already drained. I also don't understand why the nudge is inverted - if I press the left side side of the screen, I expect the table to be moved to the left, not to the right, like it is now...

So, does anyone have any good ideas on how to implement decent nudging for iPad (or any tablet)?

Kolchak357 · Sep 12, 2012

I use the touch too. But it takes so long to get your fingers up above the mid-point. It's has to be a telegraphed SDTM for me to catch it in time. I tried the slide method and hated it. I'm still holding out hope that they are able to make the shake method usable. I think it is the only way to get the appropriate nudging that you really need.

Björn Wessman · Sep 12, 2012

Yup, I'm also hoping for a decent shake, but I think it will not be easy. It has to be much more responsive than what it currently is, and yet, you don't want to tilt just because you changed position in the sofa. It must recognize small but fast/firm movements.

squidburns · Sep 12, 2012

Nudging on iOS is tough... but I have found it has helped me be a better TPA player. I know once I get a chance to be in front of my PS3 more, I will have benefited from not being able to nudge as much because nudging is so easy on a PS3 controller.

I use the touch method as well... but my motor control for my fingers is so bad I rarely have time to do it unless it's a straight down the drink or obvious out lane roll...

Fungi · Sep 13, 2012

Touch, with my fingers positioned at the mid point to start with. It makes reaching for the nudge quicker and easier. Unfortunately, it also makes it easier to accidentally nudge when I meant to flip.

SoonPoker · Sep 13, 2012

I use the touch nudge me to.

I don't understand why FS doesn't set the limit between pinball and nudging more lower, like for exemple 20% of the height of the screen. 20% is, I think, enough in order to use pinball without nudging accidentally.

And technically it seems rather easy to implement ... The height of this "limit" may also be configurable in options ...

Really, I don't understand ...very frustrating ...

Björn Wessman · Sep 13, 2012

SoonPoker said:
I use the touch nudge me to.

I don't understand why FS doesn't set the limit between pinball and nudging more lower, like for exemple 20% of the height of the screen. 20% is, I think, enough in order to use pinball without nudging accidentally.

And technically it seems rather easy to implement ... The height of this "limit" may also be configurable in options ...

Really, I don't understand ...very frustrating ...

Well, while that world work on an iPad, it would be too tight on an iPhone. But they could make it configurable from the options menu...

SoonPoker · Sep 13, 2012

Björn Wessman said:
Well, while that world work on an iPad, it would be too tight on an iPhone. But they could make it configurable from the options menu...

You're right, I was speaking about Ipad.

an ox · Sep 13, 2012

I still think static touch to flip, sliding touch to nudge directionally would be a good option. No need for separate screen areas for flip and nudge that way. I'm a firm believer that as much as possible iOS controls shouldn't need specific landing areas (except for the obvious "left" and "right" in the case of pinball). Sliding touch to nudge would make nudge usable without having to mess about moving your hands around to touch the appropriate zone.

Tony C · Sep 13, 2012

an ox said:
I still think static touch to flip, sliding touch to nudge directionally would be a good option. No need for separate screen areas for flip and nudge that way. I'm a firm believer that as much as possible iOS controls shouldn't need specific landing areas (except for the obvious "left" and "right" in the case of pinball). Sliding touch to nudge would make nudge usable without having to mess about moving your hands around to touch the appropriate zone.

This FTW. iOS already knows the difference between tap (select) and slide (scroll). I can't imagine why FS couldn't take advantage of that, but there MUST be a reason.

an ox · Sep 13, 2012

Probably easier to do the touch/slide recognition by hand rather than rely on iOS gesture recognition to do it. Store the origin at touch down and nudge if the displacement from there goes above a set threshold before touch up.

It wouldn't be a perfect solution because you'd always flip when you nudged, so nudging around non-activated flippers wouldn't be possible (you wouldn't want to wait to check for a displacement before deciding to flip or nudge, since that'd introduce a perceptible flipper lag). So any techniques requiring a nudge around dead flippers would be out, but it'd still allow for more nudging manoeuvres to be attempted than at present (at least for me; by the time I've thought I'd like to nudge and faffed about reaching for the nudge zone higher up on the ipad I've often drained anyway so I tend to play without nudging at all, which is definitely suboptimal).

You could even leave the existing nudge zone active and still use that for dead flipper nudges if desired. It'd be nice to have slide-to-nudge as an option, anyway.

Björn Wessman · Sep 13, 2012

Tony C said:
This FTW. iOS already knows the difference between tap (select) and slide (scroll). I can't imagine why FS couldn't take advantage of that, but there MUST be a reason.

And this way you could have "analogue" nudge - the longer you swipe, the harder the nudge. Seems like a good solution.

Jeff Strong · Sep 13, 2012

I'll definitely include this question again in the poll for Bobby, so make sure you vote for it.

Fungi · Sep 14, 2012

Someone here earlier brought up the problem of a swipe implementation like that. Pinball is of course, very dependent on timing. When I press a flipper, I need it to react immediately, and having the program wait that split second for it to realize you're flipping and not nudging is a split second that may be deadly.

Stormchild · Sep 14, 2012

Touch is the only way to go (at least for now). What I do is hold the iPad so my thumbs are just below the center line, so I don't have to reach too far to nudge on either side. Took me awhile, but I've gotten pretty decent at it. It's definitely doable with some practise.

Jeff Strong · Sep 14, 2012

The thing that really bugs me is the lack of forward nudging.

Andassaran · Sep 15, 2012

What bugs me is the fact that the iPad nudging when set to shake is so horribly off. in portrait I have to nearly throw the thing, and in landscape i can breathe and tilt the table.

IGoFirstIndy · Dec 6, 2014

Wanted to boost this thread and bring up the subject again.

How are people nudging on tablets? I can't find a good way. what would be great is to mimic what ASK is doing and have the space between the flipper area at the bottom of the screen be a sort of track pad to direct nudging.

Anyone have any advice on how to nudge or know if Farsight is working on an upgrade?

DA5ID · Dec 6, 2014

Modded Icade core w/ dedicated nudge buttons on the side, I put the flipper buttons on top so I hit them with my pointer fingers and my ring fingers rest on the nudge right/left buttons ready to go for fast reactions. When I play normally I think the touch is the best out of the 3 options but very slow reaction time moving my thumbs up to the nudge area. Would like to see a user defined touch area option - I would make the nudge hit area the lower 15-20% of the screen - divided into thirds: nudge right, up, and left.

Kratos3 · Dec 6, 2014

Touchscreen to nudge. Inverted nudging. Touch scheme E.

Nudging on tablets

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