Round 2: Vote on Your Questions for Bobby King (Pick 3)

Please PICK THREE Questions

  • Any chance of "day" and "night" modes?

    Votes: 14 17.3%
  • How many pinball machines are currently at your office? How many do you have room for?

    Votes: 6 7.4%
  • Any progress on multiplayer? Have you considered additional multiplayer modes such as turn-based?

    Votes: 7 8.6%
  • Do you plan on doing a Kickstarter for every major license? Will it depend on TZ & STTNG sales?

    Votes: 9 11.1%
  • How does the 55K for TZ compare to newer licenses such as AC/DC, Tron, etc. ?

    Votes: 20 24.7%
  • Are any phyics updates coming soon to make the ball/flipper interaction more realistic?

    Votes: 25 30.9%
  • Would you consider creating a customizable arcade room? As unlockables or DLC?

    Votes: 10 12.3%
  • Any chance of adding a free roaming camera mode with zoom? Screenshot capability?

    Votes: 18 22.2%
  • Are sound updates still coming soon? Add a simple mixer for mechanical vs electronical sounds?

    Votes: 5 6.2%
  • Any chance of adding a tournament mode setting (with no extra balls, etc.) ?

    Votes: 8 9.9%
  • Are reversed tables going to be implemented at some point in the future?

    Votes: 1 1.2%
  • Any chance of a table editor? (I'll include specifics in the official question)

    Votes: 8 9.9%
  • Size of Farsight's staff? Per platform? Do you plan to hire a fulltime PR/marketing manager?

    Votes: 4 4.9%
  • Tables coming soon from other manufacturers, such as Data East, Capcom, and Jersey Jack? Is WoZ a po

    Votes: 11 13.6%
  • Will there ever be an official TPA controller with real flipper buttons?

    Votes: 5 6.2%
  • How far along is ROM emulation for early SS machines?

    Votes: 3 3.7%
  • Will future releases have a changelog?

    Votes: 3 3.7%
  • Will the creative minds at FarSight ever consider creating an original pinball table?

    Votes: 10 12.3%
  • Options to adjust physical options on the tables, such as the outlane posts, playfield pitch, etc.?

    Votes: 7 8.6%
  • Does Farsight acknowledge the lag issue on the PS3 with certain tv setups? Working on a solution?

    Votes: 10 12.3%
  • How long is the total process of converting a table? How many tables at a time?

    Votes: 12 14.8%
  • Will it ever be possible to disable the Facebook options altogether?

    Votes: 4 4.9%
  • Are there any Steve Ritchie games coming soon? Any planned that aren't in PHOF?

    Votes: 7 8.6%
  • Could a game disc for consoles and PC be an option?

    Votes: 3 3.7%
  • Are the commercial results of The Pinball Arcade so far on par with your expectations?

    Votes: 14 17.3%
  • What are the chances of seeing Dr. Who?

    Votes: 5 6.2%
  • Optimum and required specs for PC? Any timeframe for the release?

    Votes: 13 16.0%
  • How does the PA engine detect events in the game? (more details will be included)

    Votes: 3 3.7%
  • Any licenses you are currently pursuing or have recently acquired that you can share with us?

    Votes: 13 16.0%
  • Will you ever offer a 3D option for console versions?

    Votes: 1 1.2%

  • Total voters
    81

Jeff Strong

Moderator
Staff member
Feb 19, 2012
8,144
2
It's time to vote on which questions will be selected for the next round of the Forum Interview with Bobby King from Farsight! Please select 3 Questions from the poll. Bobby will answer the top 3 questions later this week.

I expanded the poll from 20 to 30 random questions (with a few carryover questions from the last poll), and some questions were either combined or condensed to save space in the poll (the forum only allows so many characters per question, so the questions will most likely be expanded when they are presented to Bobby).

If your question didn't get picked this time around, or it doesn't get voted in, don't worry because this will be a reoccurring event, so you can always resubmit your question for the next round. Some people submitted multiple questions, but there is only space for 30 questions so I couldn't include every single question, but I tried to get at least one question from everyone who submitted.

Thanks again for submitting your questions, and to HOW (Andy) for the idea, and another big thank you to Bobby for graciously agreeing to take part.
 
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Bowflex

New member
Feb 21, 2012
2,287
1
Why is there a question about Data East tables being possible? They've remarked numerous times that they can release those if they wish as part of the Stern license. The other aspect of that question is fine, but that specific point seems odd.
 

Frostyglitch

Member
Apr 3, 2012
180
0
Fantastic community we have here. I'm looking forward to seeing the next round of answers. Thanks much Bobby, your participation is really appreciated.
 

Tony C

New member
Feb 20, 2012
172
0
Bowflex, I'd guess that it could be in there because while we all know that FS has the license to release DE tables, they have not yet done so. It makes me wonder if there is some issue with the DE hardware that they are having a problem with.
 

Dan

Member
Feb 28, 2012
199
1
Come on people, vote for the game disc question...when PS4 or Xbox720 arrives (or European TPA, whatever comes first) who knows if MS/Sony will support "old" titles...you want to play this for a looong time.
 

Richard B

New member
Apr 7, 2012
1,868
0
I voted for the question that I face every time I play - the ball / flipper interaction. Some of the others questions are good too, but some of them are a total waste:
We asked a question about unannounced tables or recently acquired licenses last time, and they wouldn't reveal anything specific, and they probably won't this time either. They've also already answered the Kickstarter question (if TZ and STTNG do well enough, they won't need to do any more KS). When the PC version nears release, they'll release the specs. If development is still underway, they won't precisely know themselves, and won't give us specs today that might be wrong tomorrow.
 

Richard B

New member
Apr 7, 2012
1,868
0
Come on people, vote for the game disc question...when PS4 or Xbox720 arrives (or European TPA, whatever comes first) who knows if MS/Sony will support "old" titles...you want to play this for a looong time.

If Sony and MS implement the draconian DRM measures they are rumored to be considering, I won't get a 720 or a PS4.
 

Jeff Strong

Moderator
Staff member
Feb 19, 2012
8,144
2
Why is there a question about Data East tables being possible? They've remarked numerous times that they can release those if they wish as part of the Stern license. The other aspect of that question is fine, but that specific point seems odd.

Bowflex, I'd guess that it could be in there because while we all know that FS has the license to release DE tables, they have not yet done so. It makes me wonder if there is some issue with the DE hardware that they are having a problem with.

Yeah, the question can be viewed as "are any of those tables coming soon-ish" type of thing. We already know they're possible, so that's not what's being asked. I edited the question a bit (added "coming soon") to reflect that.




I voted for the question that I face every time I play - the ball / flipper interaction. Some of the others questions are good too, but some of them are a total waste:
We asked a question about unannounced tables or recently acquired licenses last time, and they wouldn't reveal anything specific, and they probably won't this time either. They've also already answered the Kickstarter question (if TZ and STTNG do well enough, they won't need to do any more KS). When the PC version nears release, they'll release the specs. If development is still underway, they won't precisely know themselves, and won't give us specs today that might be wrong tomorrow.

Where did they say that about Kickstarter? Either way, that question doesn't look like it'll make it into the top 3 anyway.

The PC question may seem like a total waste to you, but it's obviously not to others. A lot of people are dying for any morsel of PC news, even if the question doesn't yield the specific requirements.

And I'm just putting up the questions you guys give me, and I try to be fair to everyone, so don't shoot the messenger ;) it's up to you guys to pick the good ones.
 
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nimitz

New member
Jun 5, 2012
10
0
The PC specs question seems rather pointless indeed, since they probably don't have that info.

But a PC release time-frame and (hopefully) letting them know that people are concerned about that version is a good thing.

I get the feeling that the PC version is nowhere near their top priority.
 
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Sean DonCarlos

Moderator
Staff member
Mar 17, 2012
4,293
0
There's a reply from FS buried in a response to a Facebook comment; that reply stated that a "fully-functional" PC version was demonstrated internally, so it sounds like at least the software itself has reached a beta stage. No word yet on if they've made any progress on the distribution problem.
 

xNiCeGuYx

New member
Apr 16, 2012
1,049
0
I hope Booby King will answer the question about ball physics. After watching so many PAPA tutorials, I am upset that I can't use most of the shown flipper techniques.
 

Sean DonCarlos

Moderator
Staff member
Mar 17, 2012
4,293
0
I hope Booby King will answer the question about ball physics. After watching so many PAPA tutorials, I am upset that I can't use most of the shown flipper techniques.
Booby King? Something on your mind? :p

Actually, you can use most of the techniques, with the proviso that the ball(s) will bounce higher and move faster than they should. Post passing is pretty doable, a bastard version of a live catch is possible but ugly (lots of bounciness and sometimes a nudge is needed to keep the ball from coming back down on a sling), dead passing works. It's the things that require subtle flipper work that aren't possible currently.

On the other hand, the local arcade replaced the flipper rubber on a number of machines recently and the bounciness is much closer to TPA than it was before. Given that FarSight restores their tables before digitizing them, and presumably such restoration involves new rubber for the flippers, they may not be as off as I first thought. If you look at the PAPA video for last year's quarterfinal round on Monster Bash, they even comment on the effects flipper rubber can have, and you can watch the ball bounce like mad, backspin into the drain, and do other weird tricks even for world-class players. (Granted, they do not have the ultra-liberal tilt setting that we TPA players enjoy.)

Even if Bobby can't tell us that the flipper physics are fixed or going to be fixed soon, I'd be interested in hearing more in-depth information on what the technical difficulties are. For example, it appears that the flippers instantly travel their entire distance down and up if a button is released and pressed again quickly, whereas on a real table the flipper would not have time to complete a full cycle and so the ball resting on that flipper would be flicked instead of launched. I think this is causing a lot of our control problems, more so than the bounciness.
 

Actionball

Banned
May 23, 2012
116
0
Bowflex, I'd guess that it could be in there because while we all know that FS has the license to release DE tables, they have not yet done so. It makes me wonder if there is some issue with the DE hardware that they are having a problem with.

Considering that there are only like 5 DE tables that don't have an external license or stripper themes and thus might be worth considering I'm not sure its of critical importance to FS to figure out the DE hardware if that was an issue. Really only 2 of those games might be any fun to have, Time Machine and Checkpoint but even then they don't quite rank too highly on most peoples wish lists.
 

xNiCeGuYx

New member
Apr 16, 2012
1,049
0
@Serenseven
Uppppppps, should be Bobby not Booby. hehehe
Please forgive me Booby ehhhh Bobby. :D
"it appears that the flippers instantly travel their entire distance down and up if a button is released and pressed again quickly"
Yes! This has to be fixed in order to have a much better realistic feeling.
 
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Bowflex

New member
Feb 21, 2012
2,287
1
Thanks Jeff! I appreciate your hard work in organizing, updating and presenting the polls/questions.
 

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