Difficulty on TZ and star trek

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Mattc

New member
Dec 22, 2012
7
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Ok, i've read that that TZ especially is to easy on IOS so maybe its just me but... I can spend a good 40 mins on scared stiff but on on TZ and star trek, i find it extremely frustrating just how easy the ball runs straight between the flippers with no chance of saving. Ball drains on left and right also seem to happen way to often.

Its not uncommon to launch the ball, it rebounds then straight down the middle before i've chance to have any play.

I'm not lucky enough to have ever seen these tables in real life - let alone play them but Is it just me thats getting these drains so quick and easy?
 
Gord Lacey

Gord Lacey

Site Founder
Staff member
Feb 19, 2012
1,991
3
The outlanes on Star Trek are brutal, but the Pinball Arcade version is about on par with the real table.
 
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pezpunk

New member
Jul 29, 2012
427
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TNG in TPA is pretty darn close to real life. it's a brutal table.

TZ is far more difficult in real life, and will be on TPA soon.
 
Sean DonCarlos

Sean DonCarlos

Moderator
Staff member
Mar 17, 2012
4,293
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The real Twilight Zone is one of the most merciless tables ever made, and will not hesitate to punish the slightest inaccuracy with a drain. The TPA version is in fact considerably easier, a lot of which has to do with that barrier in the bumpers. There is one inaccuracy in that the bumpers should not be pushing the ball all the way over to the right outlane, which does happen occasionally and is quite frustrating.

The real ST:TNG has legendary outlanes and a number of death shots (the Time Rift targets and the left post on the Beta Quadrant ramp). I'm not quite sure what FarSight did differently with ST:TNG, but out of all the tables, it's far closer to the real machine's difficulty than the others. I play a lot of both TPA and real tables; most tables my high score on TPA is 10X or more compared to the real thing. On ST:TNG, I've only managed half my real high score (although I play much better with a controller than I do on touchscreens).
 
Terry Ingram

Terry Ingram

New member
Sep 14, 2012
30
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Of all the TPA tables, I've found TZ and TNG to be the most challenging if not frustrating. Fun, but very difficult tables to master.
 
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Mattc

New member
Dec 22, 2012
7
0
Maybe FS should have a difficulty setting?
A table incline option would be good to slow things down a little which would suit both the casual gamer and hardcore player.
Not easy playing this after a few beers :)
 
W

Worf

New member
Aug 12, 2012
726
0
Mattc said:
Maybe FS should have a difficulty setting?
A table incline option would be good to slow things down a little which would suit both the casual gamer and hardcore player.
Not easy playing this after a few beers :)
Click to expand...

Most games were designed for a 6.5 degree incline - going higher or lower would make the game play a lot different than what the designer intended.

However, most games do have variable difficulties - e.g., in the DMD menu, "hard" would mean extra balls are harder to get, or it takes more, sometimes locks will need to be hit more than once to light, etc.

And on-playfield difficulties are possible as well - there are often movable posts that select how big the outlanes are or ramps and loops as well.
 
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Mattc

New member
Dec 22, 2012
7
0
Well, i found out about visual pinball for PC and have been playing the same tables on it as on TPA and have plans to either make or buy or cabinet :)
What i did notice tho on every table i played is that the ball didn't bounce off the flippers much like on TPA which makes its better for controlling the ball.
Even if the ball hits the flipper quite slow on TPA, it does seem to bounce off a bit to much for my liking.
 
I

Iain

New member
Jul 28, 2012
54
0
I am new to playing pinball really and have played very few tables in real life and so I cant compare real tables to TPA, but I personally find both TZ and ST:NG too hard to be enjoyable and I reckon I lose probably 7 or 8 of every 10 tables on each table down the outlanes which is so frustrating..

I realize I am not as skilful as probably a lot of players on these forums but I was amazed when I keep seeing comments on these forums saying TZ is too easy.

I think I need to practice a lot more on both these tables but the problem I have with them being so unforgiving is that they just frustrate me after a few games and so I go back to playing some of my favorite tables again like, Monster Bash, Gorgar, Black Hole, Medeval Madness or Scared Stiff.
 
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Mark W**a

Banned
Sep 7, 2012
1,511
0
Iain said:
I am new to playing pinball really and have played very few tables in real life and so I cant compare real tables to TPA, but I personally find both TZ and ST:NG too hard to be enjoyable and I reckon I lose probably 7 or 8 of every 10 tables on each table down the outlanes which is so frustrating..

I realize I am not as skilful as probably a lot of players on these forums but I was amazed when I keep seeing comments on these forums saying TZ is too easy.

I think I need to practice a lot more on both these tables but the problem I have with them being so unforgiving is that they just frustrate me after a few games and so I go back to playing some of my favorite tables again like, Monster Bash, Gorgar, Black Hole, Medeval Madness or Scared Stiff.
Click to expand...

You're not alone. We've had quite a heated discussion about it. In the end, the consensus amongst the forum was that Twilight Zone was too easy, and most here welcomed the difficulty of Star Trek.

But we are but a tiny fraction of the user base. Welcome to the forums it's good to have opinions and perspective from more casual players. Your voice matters, don't be afraid to speak up about how you feel.

Personally, and I've been back and forth on this, I find the sweet spot to be somewhere between Twilight Zone and Star Trek. Keep practicing Twilight Zone you will get the hang of it. Star Trek, on the other hand, is mercilessly difficult, even for more advanced players.
 
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fenderbendr

fenderbendr

New member
Dec 1, 2012
344
0
If you can master the left ramp-right ramp-piano shot on TZ, you can rack up some high scores. The table becomes pretty easy once you can pull that combo off 90 percent of the time.
 
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pezpunk

New member
Jul 29, 2012
427
0
Twilight Zone becomes "too easy" once you master the left ramp / right ramp / piano shot, and become disciplined about avoiding certain risky shots. at that point, games turn into a marathon.
 
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Mark W**a

Banned
Sep 7, 2012
1,511
0
Making a table too hard can make the flaws of the game engine stick out more.

For instance, on a real life Star Trek, if I missed the right ramp and banked it off the left post of the ramp, the ball would be out of control, maybe even sometimes right down the outlane. But it would be random because real life pinball physics have a random element.

Whereas on pinball arcade, hitting that left post sends the ball careening down a pixel perfect laser accurate trajectory directly out the left outlane at a Warp factor of 9.9 each and every time.

That's why I say, you need to balance realism and simulation with fun factor. I always bring up Gran Turismo or Forza Motorsport. Close enough to the real thing to please enthusiasts, casual enough to still be fun for the novice.
 
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