new layout/update

feel like paraphrasing the scene from robocop... "ahhh, bugs, bugs, BUGS!!"

c'mon, y'can't make lemonade, without a few lemons first... i'm mildly enthused about the new direction... although, i hate to say upon hearing the new "pinball wizard" cover that was promised to be so cool... well, i kind of preferred the instrumental. i'm so sorry to say that... (at least it's not the "soft porn" of zen's menu music, lol! heh - maybe make the old "instrumental" version a preference option? ;0

like so many others, i'd like to see the choice of tables to stick back and forth from in-and-out-of chosen tables... some titling/separation of the rated tables. (the table's "indicator/pop-up" screen also needs to specify if you're seeing "table" or "wizard goals;" noticed that it doesn't spell those out... does seem maybe like i'm recreating some high scores, yet not a random amount per table (but for not saving my own bus, that's my own dumb luck!)... and, yes, making high score on -some- tables won't correctly exit back to the "start a game/choose a diff ball/back to main/options" overwrap... sometimes, it feels like a loong way to go, when ya just wanna play tha'silverbawl.

I was dying to see the new interface so I could log on and call you all crybabies making a mountain out of a mole hill.... and then I loaded it onto my phone. OH MY GOD! IT REALLY IS THAT BAD! It is just awful. Does anyone know if there is a way to block updates on a Kindle Fire? I'd rather keep the old interface and never get a new table again than click through that mess.

Worse repackage since New Coke.

Rich Lehmann said:

Worse repackage since New Coke.

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I've been trying to think of an analogy to express exactly how I felt about the new UI and you "nailed it on the head", Rich Lehmann.

I am just glad that I had/have my android tablet set to not update any program. I still have the same ol' TPA interface and still can miricast Xfinity because I didn't accept a Comcast update for the app. I always read the reviews first before updating.

MontanaFrank said:

I've been trying to think of an analogy to express exactly how I felt about the new UI and you "nailed it on the head", Rich Lehmann.

I am just glad that I had/have my android tablet set to not update any program. I still have the same ol' TPA interface and still can miricast Xfinity because I didn't accept a Comcast update for the app. I always read the reviews first before updating.

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Youre welcome. Hopefully, Farsight learns the same lesson that Coke did instead of digging their heels in and insisting the new UI will eventually win people over. It's just amazing that Farsight thought of all the things they might want to fix it would be the one thing that works perfectly well... and of course break it.

They've already dug their heels in by not putting Season 6 into the old UI. There's the line in the sand right there.

I'm sure they're okay with losing the relatively few sales from die-hards who won't upgrade and purchase tables beyond Season 5, compared to those who shrug their shoulders, accept the new UI warts and all, because they want to play the latest tables.

Point is, it's definitely here to stay and a vocal minority isn't going to bring the old UI back.

If I know anything about politics and marketing (which I do), vocal minorities are what forces companies to change. And in this case it is a double edge sword because the negative vocal minority used to be their positive vocal minority. They are the ones that change all their positive reviews to negative reviews, that change their positive word of mouth to negative word of mouth in forums and comment sections. They are the ones that TPA their marketing relied on since TPA has very limited marketing.

It is a lot easier for them to go back or make an interface available than it was for Coke to switch all their factories back to making the old formula, create a new marketing campaign and packaging. Coke created New Coke hoping to get new customers that preferred even sweeter drinks and assumed their old customers would eventually come around or the losses at first were minimal but then never stopped because of the negative media never let up. Loyal customers are a companies worst enemy if they feel the company has taken them for granted.

Tron said:

Meanwhile at Zen Studios..

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your post made my day...!

Rich Lehmann said:

Worse repackage since New Coke.

Click to expand...

My wife tells me that Crystal Pepsi is coming back. Maybe bad ideas are the new "in thing".

So there was cocaine in Coke, and now they will put crystal meth in Pepsi? I knew the US were softening the stance on weed, but isn't this taking it a bit too far?

Rich Lehmann said:

I was dying to see the new interface so I could log on and call you all crybabies making a mountain out of a mole hill.... and then I loaded it onto my phone. OH MY GOD! IT REALLY IS THAT BAD! It is just awful. Does anyone know if there is a way to block updates on a Kindle Fire? I'd rather keep the old interface and never get a new table again than click through that mess.

Worse repackage since New Coke.

Click to expand...

Yeah. It really is that bad. Our Excel UI's and reports at work are better looking than this.

Not sure if there's any way to revert on your Fire without pirating.

Thankfully on Steam I made a full backup of 1.5.10 before it auto-updating so I can stay on that version. I'll just never buy another table from them unless they go back or re-design the new one.


Sent from my SM-G935V

I've seen some positive reactions towards the new UI, but even those named some of the glaring issues. So it would suprise me if Farsight is not going to correct some of those. I hope they do in any case

Rich Lehmann said:

If I know anything about politics and marketing (which I do), vocal minorities are what forces companies to change. And in this case it is a double edge sword because the negative vocal minority used to be their positive vocal minority. They are the ones that change all their positive reviews to negative reviews, that change their positive word of mouth to negative word of mouth in forums and comment sections. They are the ones that TPA their marketing relied on since TPA has very limited marketing.

It is a lot easier for them to go back or make an interface available than it was for Coke to switch all their factories back to making the old formula, create a new marketing campaign and packaging. Coke created New Coke hoping to get new customers that preferred even sweeter drinks and assumed their old customers would eventually come around or the losses at first were minimal but then never stopped because of the negative media never let up. Loyal customers are a companies worst enemy if they feel the company has taken them for granted.

Click to expand...

Quite frankly, I was one of those who changed my review to "Negative". Not because I hate the new UI, but because everything is so buggy in the game that it basically frustrated the heck out of me. Especially when most of them haven't been fixed for a long time.

Pinballwiz45b said:

Quite frankly, I was one of those who changed my review to "Negative". Not because I hate the new UI, but because everything is so buggy in the game that it basically frustrated the heck out of me. Especially when most of them haven't been fixed for a long time.

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Yeah, I saw that in Steam. I thought it said exactly everything I was thinking, and then I saw who wrote it and nearly plotzd.

Slam23 said:

So there was cocaine in Coke, and now they will put crystal meth in Pepsi? I knew the US were softening the stance on weed, but isn't this taking it a bit too far?

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Not if you like drugs.

I've noticed that on iOS, this version tends to run into random sound acceleration issues. It plays everything sped up about 10x (both sound from tables and the horrible cover of Pinball Wizard that the UI uses) & can't be fixed with anything short of restarting the app & ending the game.

My screen scrolls like a hamster wheel when I launch Indy 500 on iPad. Can't see anything. On PC Steam, the start buttons are always cut in half.

So has Farsight commented on the customer reaction to their POS new UI or are they just going to ignore it and wait till the old customers go away?

Rich Lehmann said:

So has Farsight commented on the customer reaction to their POS new UI or are they just going to ignore it and wait till the old customers go away?

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From what I gather they seem to ignore criticism/advice that isn't strictly bug-related(even then though...).

Having spent a but of time with the new UI, it doesn't work because it fails on two major fronts. 1 - the UI is less logical, requiring too many button presses and work to use, and 2 - it's completely uninspired, dull, and doesn't at all elicit the feeling of an arcade. Usually you can sort of just mess up one and get away with it.

BTW were there any issues solved by the new UI? I still find myself scrolling through 70+ tables, only now it takes 2 more clicks to get there and I now have to look through rows that are 3 deep instead of one - all of this is far less efficient than a simple seek bar implementation.

AnvilCloud said:

From what I gather they seem to ignore criticism/advice that isn't strictly bug-related(even then though...).

Having spent a but of time with the new UI, it doesn't work because it fails on two major fronts. 1 - the UI is less logical, requiring too many button presses and work to use, and 2 - it's completely uninspired, dull, and doesn't at all elicit the feeling of an arcade. Usually you can sort of just mess up one and get away with it.

BTW were there any issues solved by the new UI? I still find myself scrolling through 70+ tables, only now it takes 2 more clicks to get there and I now have to look through rows that are 3 deep instead of one - all of this is far less efficient than a simple seek bar implementation.

Click to expand...

What issue is resolved is that TPA can find ways to try and milk more money out of people. There is no My Tables section because they want to constantly advertise to you to unlock the tables you dont have. You have to select which color ball you want to use every game to try to constantly remind people to by custom balls. The store tab is always on display reminding you they always have more to sell you. Soon I imagine there will be a pay option to turn off that terrible who coverband destroying a great song by playing the same opening refrain over and over and over.

^ haha. True.
I mute the volume when in the menus. Why the hell does it not save the settings?!