a futile effort?

[night]

Well, I hope for the PC folks it will be released, and that it will be a lot better than the leftover for the Mac.

 

[Bonzo]

And I hope you Mac guys will see a PC/Xbox port then.

 

[eegad]

Why do you care, you have a Macbook?!!

Just to respond to this..... I care because I mainly GAME on my desktop PC, with a bigger screen and better sound. I did buy the initial release last (May?) for my Macbook because I couldn't wait to get my hands on the game. Unfortunately, the initial release said the game required system 10.6, which is what I have on my MacBook.....but as soon as the first batch of extra tables were released, they upped the system requirements to 10.7, so I CAN'T download any more tables for my MacBook :-(

I therefore really, Really, REALLY want the PC version to come out!!!!!

 

[Clawhammer]

Nor should they be. FX2 has leaden physics, the ball is way too heavy and it's too easy to get control. I play a lot of real pinball; TPA is far closer, warts and all, to the real thing than Zen is.

This.

 

[Rooter]

If I recall correctly, they actually build each table on PC first then go about porting it out to the consoles and mobile platforms, so the PC build would be the only build that isn't itself a port, truly.

Besides, the XBox 360 hardware is just PC hardware anyway.

This answer is correct in every way.

 

[Sumez]

XBox 360 hardware is not just PC hardware, though there are obviously some similarities.
Most notably you have less and slower RAM to work with, and from a developer standpoint it would probably be much easier to develop your game on 360 and port to PC than vice versa, due to limitations on the console.

 

[Bass Mummy]

XBox 360 hardware is not just PC hardware, though there are obviously some similarities.

You're correct. I didn't realize the 360 was PPC and not x86, but I felt prompted to research and find out.

 

[warh0g]

I agree on the Zen/PFX2 ball feels so god damn heavy. They should "lower" the angle of the tables a bit, then the physics would work much better. I mean, the ball hardly ever rolls back from the left side over to the right or vice versa. It just falls straight to the corresponding sides flipper most of the time. I usually lose the ball when I try to dead flipper pass cause the ball will just fall straight down between flippers

 

[shutyertrap]

This topic was briefly mentioned in my article about visiting FarSight.

Mike specifically told me that once the game is available for PC, the overwhelming odds are that it will be built and finished on PC, then ported to everything else. Also, he was excited about the idea of cabinet support mainly due to the fact that those people that run a cabinet tend to have high end PCs working, much like FarSight uses. Mike said how nice it would be to not worry about poly counts and how much had to be cut to run smoothly on whatever device needed it.

In other words, the PC build will not be a port (maybe not the case with older tables, but the ones being built now) and in all likelihood be king of the hill. Add in what we just learned about the PS4 and it essentially being PC based, as will the next Xbox, and that TPA will be a launch title, there is no reason to think that the PC build will be gimped.

Hopefully I'll get the chance to visit up there again soon, and if I do I will make sure to get some clarification.

 

[angrytilter]

I don't see what the big deal is about FS wanting TPA on Steam. Why can't they just release it themselves?

 

[Sean DonCarlos]

I don't see what the big deal is about FS wanting TPA on Steam. Why can't they just release it themselves?

Licensing. FarSight has to have a distribution method that supports DRM so that all the groups they've licensed various IP from can be assured they're getting their cut.

 

[angrytilter]

Licensing. FarSight has to have a distribution method that supports DRM so that all the groups they've licensed various IP from can be assured they're getting their cut.

Yeah, but it's not like people don't pirate xbox/ps3/wii/ios/android...

 

[shutyertrap]

Yeah, but it's not like people don't pirate xbox/ps3/wii/ios/android...

I can just picture that meeting between FarSight and Williams...

"So we'd like to license your game."
"Great! You'll go through a secure digital distribution outlets?"
"Nah, we'll put it out ourselves."
"But what about pirating?"
"Everything gets pirated anyways, so why bother."
"So you won't even bother going through the motions?"
"Eh, not worth the hassle."
"Scuse me, I've got a call coming in from Zen..."

 

[Mike Reitmeyer]

It's kinda like the bag checks at Disneyland (or other amusement parks). They don't actually make you safer, they just make you feel like you are safer.

 

[kimkom]

This topic was briefly mentioned in my article about visiting FarSight.

Mike specifically told me that once the game is available for PC, the overwhelming odds are that it will be built and finished on PC, then ported to everything else. Also, he was excited about the idea of cabinet support mainly due to the fact that those people that run a cabinet tend to have high end PCs working, much like FarSight uses. Mike said how nice it would be to not worry about poly counts and how much had to be cut to run smoothly on whatever device needed it.

In other words, the PC build will not be a port (maybe not the case with older tables, but the ones being built now) and in all likelihood be king of the hill. Add in what we just learned about the PS4 and it essentially being PC based, as will the next Xbox, and that TPA will be a launch title, there is no reason to think that the PC build will be gimped.

Hopefully I'll get the chance to visit up there again soon, and if I do I will make sure to get some clarification.

This is great news. Undoubtably it's the way to go for the PC version.

Hopefully FarSight will take advantage of the increased hardware capabilites, in order to enhance the existing tables also. It certainly makes more sense, with the next-gen consoles also now on the horizon.

 

[Shaneus]

Well, "futile" definitely being the right word... guess what wasn't greenlit again :/ But don't worry, somehow a game called "Surgeon Simulator" got approved!

Glad the Steam voting system is working as it should. Idiots.

 

[superballs]

Well, at least there's hope on the Win8 app market.

Thanking God for my MSDN license right now

 

[Steven Lucz]

I'm sure surgeon sim only got approved because of how virally popular it got in a short period of time, everybody was doing videos on a game that was essentially a 3D QWOP where you're trying to complete a heart transplant (more operations for sure once it hits steam) instead of running the 100 meter dash at the olympics.

Once Greenlight gets canned, hopefully Valve doesn't give them the cold shoulder again, a very hypocritical one at that considering what's abundant in their building.

 

[BJ Wanlund]

It's kinda like the bag checks at Disneyland (or other amusement parks). They don't actually make you safer, they just make you feel like you are safer.

Ouch. That actually makes sense in a weird way.

So essentially you are hinting at a possible GOG / DRM-free release? Please God let that happen! I was talking about the Omerta DLC brouhaha over there and favorably mentioned TPA as DLC "done right".


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Sean DonCarlos]

Ouch. That actually makes sense in a weird way.

So essentially you are hinting at a possible GOG / DRM-free release? Please God let that happen! I was talking about the Omerta DLC brouhaha over there and favorably mentioned TPA as DLC "done right".


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I doubt it. I think he was more going along the lines of "we know DRM is ineffective, we would rather not have to mess with DRM, but for legal reasons connected with the IP we license we have to have DRM".