Request How about some love for backglasses?

I'm not familiar with the other versions of Pinball Arcade, however on the PS4 I notice that a few tables do have an active score display on the backglass, while many just have a still picture over the whole thing. It's unfortunate considering the light display that goes with them in attract mode or otherwise. Anyhow of course 99% of the time we're looking at the playfield which is the most important thing, but when the view does happen to pan up to a static backglass it takes me out of the experience a bit. But maybe I'm just a perfectionist.

That is an absolutely valid and great request. I too love the attract modes and also there should be a static shot of the back glass to admire. The artists who create these masterpieces are often forgotten or overlooked.
Best request EVER. WELL PICKED UP DUDE.

I agree man, great request and one I haven't seen (I read the forums a lot before joining).

I'd also like to be able to check out the backglass in table exploration.

And while I don't have a ps4 yet (getting one very soon), I was wondering, did they fix the backglass on black hole or is it still static? What about say old tables that didn't have DMD displays animated (I believe this was first introduced on White Water). Has that been fixed for all tables on PS4? Thanks.

Just for fun (I guess I have a strange concept of what I consider fun) I went through the tables and did a comparison of the backglasses. I just have the PS4 version so that's all I have to go by. It really is a mixed bag and doesn't have to do with whether the display is alphanumeric or DMD. I also found that pressing circle at launch to change view revealed some other quirks. Nothing that probably warrants too much attention, but interesting to me anyway. For example, some plungers are very simply modeled while some have springs and a plunger tip. In addition many plungers have "issues" with some of the geometry going through the table, or intersecting strangely with the front of the table. Some of this probably can't be helped as the plunger has to line up with the plunger lane so that it can be viewed through the... uh... plunger insert? Whatever that thing with the measurement markers is called.

I should note that no game has a fully animated backglass with lamps/bulbs - this aspect is always a static image. Some of them do have an animated score display though, which is a nice touch.

I've also noted which games include my "nitpick" about showing the key still in the coin door and a few oddities with the instruction cards. So uh, there's that too.

Attack From Mars (DMD)
animated display on backglass: yes
plunger: button
cards: standard / standard
key in coin door: no

Big Shot (reel)
updated reels on backglass: NO
plunger detail: simplest (handle and simple cylinder only)
cards: standard / standard
key in coin door: no

Black Hole (alphanumeric)
animated display on backglass: NO
plunger detail: medium (handle, shape+gradient, no spring)
cards: standard / standard
key in coin door: no
random note: "bumpy" coin door is nicely replicated!

Black Knight (alphanumeric)
animated display on backglass:NO
plunger detail: high (fully modeled with springs)
cards: standard / standard (strange gray box over part of it though)
key in coin door: no (looks like it has a cover over it or something)
random note: coin door has a dent in it.

Bride of Pinbot (alphanumeric)
animated display on backglass: NO
plunger detail: high (fully modeled with spring)
cards: standard / incorrect (it's for Power Play!)
key in coin door:no
random note: bulbs under right rails cause distortion

Cirqus Voltaire (DMD)
animated display on backglass: yes
plunger detail: high (fully modeled with spring)
cards: standard / not sure but it's not standard
key in coin door: YES

Creature from the Black Lagoon (DMD)
animated display on backglass: yes (though the fit is a little odd)
plunger detail: high (fully modeled with spring)
cards: homemade "free play" / blank
key in coin door: YES
random note: launch lane has some little graphic mishap under the ball

Elvira and the Party Monsters (alphanumeric)
animated display on backglass: yes
plunger detail: high (fully modeled with error: inner spring can be completely "pulled through" the cabinet)
cards: standard / standard
key in coin door: no

Funhouse (alphanumeric)
animated display on backglass: NO
plunger detail: high (fully modeled with spring that can very slightly be pulled through on both plungers)
cards: standard / standard
key in coin door: YES

Genie (alphanumeric)
animated display on backglass: NO
plunger detail: high (fully modeled with error: spring doesn't pull back and appears through handle)
cards: standard / standard
key in coin door: no
random note: playfield looks especially mis-aligned/mismatched colors

Gorgar (alphanumeric)
animated display on backglass: NO
plunger detail: high (fully modeled with springs - it's at a strange angle "through the table", though)
cards: standard / standard
key in coin door: no (has a modeled screw instead)
random note: coin door appears to have the same dent as Black Knight
another random note: coin return push-button appears to be tapered inward at its base

Harley-Davidson (DMD)
animated display on backglass: yes
plunger: button
cards: standard / standard
key in coin door: no

Medieval Madness (DMD)
animated display on backglass: yes
plunger: button
cards: standard / standard
key in coin door: no

Monster Bash (DMD)
animated display on backglass: yes
plunger: button
cards: standard / standard (a little distortion on the sides)
key in coin door: no (looks like the cabinet had a lockbar over the coin door though)

No Good Gofers (DMD)
animated display on backglass: yes
plunger detail: low (handle and stripe pattern on cylinder)
cards: standard / standard
key in coin door: no (looks like a screw)
random note: Normal looking legs/ leg bolts compared to the strange ones on the other tables

Ripley's Believe It or Not! (DMD)
animated display on backglass: NO
plunger detail: high (modeled spring / handle)
cards: standard / standard
key in coin door: no
random note: slight graphical funkiness on siderails near flippers

Scared Stiff (DMD)
animated display on backglass: yes
plunger detail: high (modeled spring / handle)
cards: standard / standard
key in coin door: YES
other note: animated spinner on backglass is also used

Star Trek: The Next Generation (DMD)
animated display on backglass: yes
plunger: phaser
cards: standard / standard
key in coin door: YES

Tales of the Arabian Nights (DMD)
animated display on backglass: NO
plunger detail: high (springs / fully modeled special handle)
cards: standard / standard(?) (can anyone make out what it says on the bottom?)
key in coin door: no
random note: Normal looking legs/ leg bolts compared to the strange ones on the other tables

Taxi (alphanumeric)
animated display on backglass: yes
plunger detail: high (modeled spring / handle - slightly intersects front when pulled back fully)
cards: standard / standard
key in coin door: no

Theatre of Magic (DMD)
animated display on backglass: NO
plunger detail: high (spring / handle modeled)
cards: standard / standard (they're on the opposite side as usual FWIW)
key in coin door: no

Twilight Zone (DMD)
animated display on backglass: yes
plunger detail: high (modeled spring / handle, however it's way off from where it should be on the cabinet front)
cards: standard / standard
key in coin door: YES

I would love to see Xenon one day it has a beautiful backglass. But how do you suppose they implement this unless it's integral to the game?

Nah, definitely not integral to the game but I can dream of some sort of "view cabinet" mode - this already is basically the "explore" mode in the pro tables, though this mode doesn't show the cabinet front or sides and is only for a handful of games. Anyhow I definitely don't expect a fully lamped-out whiz-bang backglass anytime soon. More realistically, it would be cool to see the "animated display" on the backglass for all the games though.

I've been playing pinball for a looong time, and I'm nostalgic about many of them. While this doesn't have much to do with the OP, those that really enjoy the back glass, my iPad has back glass images culled from the Internet as the slideshow. Look for the ones with the highest detail, and they pop out!

Buzz1126 said:

I've been playing pinball for a looong time, and I'm nostalgic about many of them. While this doesn't have much to do with the OP, those that really enjoy the back glass, my iPad has back glass images culled from the Internet as the slideshow. Look for the ones with the highest detail, and they pop out!

Click to expand...

Yes, as long as you don't include any of those creepy clown themed ones (like Gigi, what's is going ON there?). This is a nice slideshow idea though... be sure to include Strikes and Spares!