As we approach the coming Apocalypse ...

vfpcoder · Jun 23, 2018

With a week to go now before the withdrawal of the Bally/Williams licenses the news is hitting the mainstream “press”:

https://techraptor.net/content/farsight-studios-pinball-arcade-licenses

As we approach this ridiculous deadline I just want to thank FarSight for the great job they did recreating these classic tables over a variety of platforms. I still love playing these great tables on my iPad Pro; and the added realism of the Steam versions of the tables has been enhanced with the partnership with Arcooda for official cabinet support.

One mistake I think FarSight made in all of this was not getting official cabinet support out for the Steam version earlier. I know many cabinet owners would have gladly paid extra on a per table basis for the functionality. (Add another “Thank You!” here to NoEx for giving cabinet owners a reason for purchasing Steam tables prior to the official support.)

In any event nobody’s perfect and the bottom line is that these are great reproductions of the tables at very affordable prices. As the above article states, FarSight probably did more than anyone to start the current pinball renaissance.

“Pinball Forever!”

Naildriver74 · Jun 23, 2018

Don’t nail the coffin shut yet........

steven120566 · Jun 23, 2018

The game has been great and hopefully still will be so. But I still say, while there are many more real tables they can re-make in digital form, why NOT make some original real-world-like tables within TPA that could be designed there and even (reversely) made into a real table by someone. (Although that second part is a stretch). I think if these folks can do what they have done one way, I'll bet they would be able to start with a real-style digital table of their own. Even if it would be only digital, it could be LIKE a real world table and still original. I say, why the heck not? I'd bet the TPA failthful would flock to pinball arcade releases tables that Farsight actually designed. I know, I know, that's what Zen does. But lifelike is not what they do....

The nostalgia brought into TPA is all about the fact that these tables all were real, yes. And they have proven they can dupe the real ones. Past and even current real ones. But they are also finite. The nostalgia can't be taken away at this point, so why not expand?

Naildriver74 · Jun 23, 2018

What if they are selling that Williams rights to Stern ?

steven120566 · Jun 23, 2018

It looks like a company called Chicago Gaming made remakes of real Medievil Madness and Attack From Mars. Saying modern electronics, reduced energy consumption, LED lighting and increased reliability and longevity than the machines of old. Wierd. Maybe you are on the right track as to what "different direction" means Naildriver74

Pinballwiz45b · Jun 23, 2018

steven120566 said:
The game has been great and hopefully still will be so. But I still say, while there are many more real tables they can re-make in digital form, why NOT make some original real-world-like tables within TPA that could be designed there and even (reversely) made into a real table by someone. (Although that second part is a stretch).

Clearly you haven't been following Silver Castle Pinball.

steven120566 · Jun 23, 2018

I hadn't Pinballwiz45b. But thanks for the info. Timeshock makes history as the first digital sim turned real. Fascinating.

I think with those releases by Chicago Gaming, we are beginning to see what WMS meant by different direction as well. The ambiguity of this "different direction" thing has been bugging me. Unless I am just behind, and that is old news as well. Should it be the case that WMS is delicensing digital recreations in favor of re-realeasing the real deal with modern electronics, well, that is as bittersweet as it gets. It's awesome. And it sucks. That's why I want to see Farsight keep the dream alive with expanding on what they have done. Because I love digital and while I'd love to play real pinball, it's not very practical in this world. Oh the cost! OMG! I'd go broke and skip work just to play 'em. We need the tables stored in our little boxes connected to our little monitors too

I can't go backwards, man. Even though this thing has always been about bringing the backwards into our living rooms.

Now I HAVE to buy the rest of the tables. Where did I put my MasterCard?

FYI: http://chicago-gaming.com/afm.php

Edit: This is old news. But is it the different direction WMS wants? Or is it one of a few different directions they have in mind

Crazy Newt · Jun 23, 2018

Meanwhile, I have been having a blast with all the pinball options available for PC.

Where there is a will, there is a way.

I just starting messing around with Visual Pinball X, and so far I have been enjoying it.

Maneki1972 · Jun 23, 2018

I cannot get VP to work and when it does, it comes out with the damn tables rotated to the left 90 degrees.

The loafer · Jun 24, 2018

Maneki1972 said:
I cannot get VP to work and when it does, it comes out with the damn tables rotated to the left 90 degrees.

Those tables are set up to play in a pincab. Strictly for VP10 tables, If you are playing on a desktop pc (ie: with standard landscape monitor orientation) then load your table in the editor, click on "backdrop" and ensure "test desktop" is selected, then save the table (file/save). now play the table and enjoy

HotHamBoy · Jun 25, 2018

So... are they ever going to release a new table or what?

You'd think with the loss of 2/3 of their catalogue they'd get some new revenue streams out ASAP.

How long have we known about Big Buck Hunter and Whoah Nellie? What is even going on anymore?

shutyertrap · Jun 25, 2018

HotHamBoy said:
So... are they ever going to release a new table or what?

You'd think with the loss of 2/3 of their catalogue they'd get some new revenue streams out ASAP.

How long have we known about Big Buck Hunter and Whoah Nellie? What is even going on anymore?

I was just up at FarSight on Thursday. Whoa Nellie is like 95% complete, Big Buck Hunter not so much. Most of their attention has been diverted to getting the Arcooda cab mode working before the deadline and getting the various storefronts switched over. Remember, for those that haven't purchased tables by then, the whole selection menu is going to be different, and all the tables have been put into different table pack groupings. It's not drag and drop, and it has to be done for every platform. I also saw work being done for SPA VR (looked amazing) as well as the 'other' IPs Bobby mentioned in our recent interview.

The loafer · Jun 25, 2018

Spa VR... for the pc or PSVR?? I have to admit I’ll believe it when I see it but still good to hear it’s a “thing” still

shutyertrap · Jun 25, 2018

The loafer said:
Spa VR... for the pc or PSVR?? I have to admit I’ll believe it when I see it but still good to hear it’s a “thing” still

Oculus Rift was what I played it using. As in put it on, viewed the 360 environment, selected the game, and then played. Was running at 90 fps, very responsive, convincingly immersive that I tried to put the controller down on the glass that didn’t exist. Much like Arcooda, this is on Oculus’ dime and I doubt they’re paying for vaporware.

blindpeser · Jun 25, 2018

shutyertrap said:
Oculus Rift was what I played it using. As in put it on, viewed the 360 environment, selected the game, and then played. Was running at 90 fps, very responsive, convincingly immersive that I tried to put the controller down on the glass that didn’t exist. Much like Arcooda, this is on Oculus’ dime and I doubt they’re paying for vaporware.

You have an idea when this is coming? Are you allowed to talk about the tables that the VR version contains? Do they use improved physics there? How ist GotG?

shutyertrap · Jun 25, 2018

blindpeser said:
You have an idea when this is coming? Are you allowed to talk about the tables that the VR version contains? Do they use improved physics there? How ist GotG?

I played AC/DC and Star Trek. GotG? Keep dreaming! It’s runs on the same engine as before, but at 90 FPS it does require different tuning and might feel a little different from what you’re used to.

blindpeser · Jun 25, 2018

shutyertrap said:
I played AC/DC and Star Trek. GotG? Keep dreaming! It’s runs on the same engine as before, but at 90 FPS it does require different tuning and might feel a little different from what you’re used to.

https://geekdad.com/2018/01/geekdad-highlights-day-2-3-ces-2018/

You think he made a mistake here? I thought there was an interview anywhere and Gary Stern tells that he is a bit better on the GotG VR version than on the real maschine... No? OK, AC/DC and Star Trek would be fine, but when?

Did you ever play AC/DC on Future Pinball Bam VR? Does SPA VR look better? Did you ever play Pinball FX2 VR? Can the physics on SPA VR compete with it?

shutyertrap · Jun 26, 2018

blindpeser said:
https://geekdad.com/2018/01/geekdad-highlights-day-2-3-ces-2018/

You think he made a mistake here? I thought there was an interview anywhere and Gary Stern tells that he is a bit better on the GotG VR version than on the real maschine... No? OK, AC/DC and Star Trek would be fine, but when?

Did you ever play AC/DC on Future Pinball Bam VR? Does SPA VR look better? Did you ever play Pinball FX2 VR? Can the physics on SPA VR compete with it?

Gary also thinks Rollercoaster Tycoon is already in TPA. I don’t have release date info nor would I be able to say when if I did. That’s for FarSight to tell. I don’t own any VR system, so no I can’t make any comparisons. I can only speak to what I played at FarSight.

HotHamBoy · Jun 28, 2018

shutyertrap said:
I was just up at FarSight on Thursday. Whoa Nellie is like 95% complete, Big Buck Hunter not so much. Most of their attention has been diverted to getting the Arcooda cab mode working before the deadline and getting the various storefronts switched over. Remember, for those that haven't purchased tables by then, the whole selection menu is going to be different, and all the tables have been put into different table pack groupings. It's not drag and drop, and it has to be done for every platform. I also saw work being done for SPA VR (looked amazing) as well as the 'other' IPs Bobby mentioned in our recent interview.

Did you ask them why Stern Pinball Arcade has been such a disaster? Why they even bothered doing it?

One new table, released 10 months ago, since they released it in November 2016. And we've known about Whoah Nellie and BBH since like January 2017, wtf?

shutyertrap · Jun 28, 2018

HotHamBoy said:
Did you ask them why Stern Pinball Arcade has been such a disaster? Why they even bothered doing it?

One new table, released 10 months ago, since they released it in November 2016. And we've known about Whoah Nellie and BBH since like January 2017, wtf?

Dude, don't be that guy. Take the temperature of the room, read some posts where I myself have addressed what's going on this very week. There's a reason I have an open invitation to FarSight and can have discussions with other companies as well.

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