Inactive/weak upper flipper

[yespage]

One thing I've noticed in a number of tables on the PS3 (I have not played the other systems), the upper flipper does not flip as reliably as the main lower flippers. Is this a bug, am I not hitting the button hard enough, something else?

It is really a pain at times. Many of the tables require accurate use of those flippers and countless opportunities have been lost as the ball rolls bye and the upper flipper didn't flip.

 

[RSchwantner]

This is actually a feature that is present in most actual pinball machines. If you only hit the flipper button half way, the lower flipper will activate but not the upper. Its originally related to the way the leaf switches were designed, and is emulated in our game.

The good news for you is that it can be turned off. Go to any table then Table Menu > Help & Options > Settings > Upper Flipper Control and turn it to Off.

 

[yespage]

Thanks! I had seen the upper flipper control option and had no idea what that meant.

 

[workshed]

This feature is usually called staging the flippers. It is really only useful in multiball and is supported in most games from at least the last 25 years or so that feature an upper flipper. Sadly on PS4 it no longer works with the bumpers (due to hardware limitations, nothing Farsight can do anything about) but you can do it with the triggers. I find TZ is the game I miss it most on, but I was never great at it on PS3. (It isn't supposed to be easy.)

 

[yespage]

This feature is usually called staging the flippers. It is really only useful in multiball and is supported in most games from at least the last 25 years or so that feature an upper flipper. Sadly on PS4 it no longer works with the bumpers (due to hardware limitations, nothing Farsight can do anything about) but you can do it with the triggers. I find TZ is the game I miss it most on, but I was never great at it on PS3. (It isn't supposed to be easy.)

It'd be nice if they'd have a short demo or training thing so that you knew exactly how to take advantage of the upper flipper. (Granted there could be one and I just haven't seen it).

Honestly, in Multiball, I'm just trying to survive with as many balls for as long as I can.

 

[workshed]

I don't remember if any of the table instructions explicitly mention flipper staging. Using the upper flipper is certainly important in a lot of jackpot shots though, and often becomes much easier once you are down to two balls and don't have to worry about staging at all.

I find that on many games trying to survive with as many balls as possible during mulitiball isn't helpful. Sure on Centaur (for example) once you get 5 balls out there you try and keep it going, but for many games just getting down to a two ball multiball is more controllable. It makes it much easier to cradle balls and gives you time to think.

 

[PerogyBoyCalgary]

documentation is lacking on so much stuff, not just TPA