Android - Bug Observed Bugs in Twilight Zone (v1.7.0 BETA)

[jaredmorgs]

TABLE: TZ
BETA(2) FULL UNINSTALL / CLEAN INSTALL

I did as you asked. I haven't even thought about visiting the "Extras" dialog because I know from past experience there is no way to stop it from grabbing the default gray skin at that point.

Guess what?

No more transparent balls.
No significant lag during multi-ball
Power ball (while not white) is a very light gray and obviously not a steel ball and more closely matches what others were seeing.

Conclusion: Looks to me like you and Nik Barbour are on the right track. The beta 2 ball skin (even the default) once activated is persistent and the common factor in many of our issues.

Please excuse me if I don't employ the extras menu for the duration of beta 2 ... that was painful.

Cheers.

Gord_Lacey, any chance of activating Thanks voting on individual forum posts? Because Pop Sergeant deserves a thumbs up for this.

In fact, many participants on here deserve a kudos boost.

 

[Nik Barbour]

AAaaarrrrrggggggghhhhhhhhh!

Words cannot express how simultaneously pleased and pi$$ed off I am at the same time.

Just had an unbelievably good game on beta02 version of TZ.
Activated LITZ, scored 2.9bill, and the damned score didn't register in the leaderboard.
I suspect might be because of the 'player 2' bug described elsewhere (although I didn't notice I was playing as player 2, and I'm sure the dmd would have told me.

Only proof I can give....

If I was a great player, I'd shrug and do it again, but I'm not and I'll probably never get to that score again.

I was playing like never before, got to 2bill, the wife sent me a text, killed the message, ball turned invisible, I still played on regardless. Multiball with 4 invisible balls is not easy to pull off (even the Powerball was invisible). I battled on, and was only one panel away from a second full set of door panels.
Felt like a champion, until the damned thing didn't register - Grrrrr, should have been 3rd

Don't know if anything can be done but my Android leaderboard name (and ms gamertag) = Firenza75

I'm going to go and kick something now! Right where's someone small?

 

[Gord Lacey]

Gord_Lacey, any chance of activating Thanks voting on individual forum posts? Because Pop Sergeant deserves a thumbs up for this.

In fact, many participants on here deserve a kudos boost.

I tried installing a "thanks" mod, and it messed up a few things, so I quickly uninstalled it.

 

[Pop Sergeant]

Sorry Pop - but I cannot agree!


That means Pop Sergeant, if you have restored your 'saved_data' file after your wipe down and new install, you are not actually playing with an untouched ball skin setting set-up, and your install shouldn't be any different than it was when you felt you had lag.

.

Darn it. No need to be sorry for finding it different for you, Nik. I'm sorry it didn't improve things for you -- I'd hoped it would better support the theory that ball skins are a big factor in the various issues.

I actually think it does (for me) in that having removed the save state I see improvement (not perfection) over the persistent problems I had after messing around with the ball skins.

Anyway, I think we have found that this release has very different "features" depending on hardware. More so than any other in my opinion.

But just to be clear for testing purposes, no, I did not restore saved data. I didn't even save it (intentionally, in case I got weak kneed over forfeiting all my local scores, goals, and local HOF points).

Your earlier experiment seemed pretty definitive to me, and is backed up by your last one too, I assumed that would be the case -- exactly as you just described -- so I offed everything and started over fresh, and restored nothing.

I can say that before I did this ... on my device ... persistently, after having played with the ball skin mod; even after a forced close (which would only result in the steel balls getting some small portion of their former glory back and not much else), that the return to the initial state is better than not having done so. Obviously though it still is not on par with the pre-beta performance of the application as a whole.

So, from the point of a clean installation without any back ups restored to any file or save state ...

- Previously, for me, PB was a shade of gray nearly consistent with the default ball patch as I previously posted in screen shots; now it is a much lighter shade of gray again, I might even go so far as to say it has at least seen the concept of "creamy-white" from a distance, though I wouldn't describe it that way.

- My steel balls, which I didn't mention in my trial, are no longer flat gray but have a metallic sheen to them again; I honestly did not compare them to the previous release and hadn't noticed that they were a lighter shade or less shiny when in their pristine state. I just note they are better now then before this trial, inclusive to beta 2 only.

- My lag issue on multi-ball prior to the wipe and re-install is best described as "clipping" I suppose. It would become increasingly hard to track the balls as frame rates dropped and they ghosted between frames; that too, without restoring any saved data or visiting "extras", is not at the moment happening to me again.

- I haven't suffered an outbreak of transparent balls in this iteration (yet); whereas before it was a certainty that anytime TPA lost focus as the primary app that would happen and sometimes just between game starts too for no apparent reason.

That's all I got.

But considering I have nothing at all to lose at this point regarding any previous scores and progress, if anyone can think of another trial set that would require a clean installation without backup, let me know ... I'll be the least impacted by any data lost at this point.

P.S: For the record, if I ever get the lyman's lament and the Big Shot 250K wizard goals, I'm going to have my save state file etched into a gold DVD and stored in a vault, I've gotten all the others (with various levels of pain) more than once and I'm sure I'll get them again, but those two elude me. LOL.

Thanks.

 

[Nik Barbour]

Hey Pop Sergeant - glad to hear it's better for you.

Before I restored my 'saved_data' at the end, my device should have been in the same clean install state as yours, but I wasn't getting any performance improvements over the state its in when ball skins have been changed.

You hit the nail on the head with the invisibility issue. It's when the app loses primary focus.
Had it today, I still have ver02 installed from earlier testing, and balls went invisible when my wife sent me a text, and the dialogue flashed up over the TPA game.

Maybe another test on your device would be, have a game running, then have something run (by calling or texting or emailing) that interrupts the screen and see if invisibility strikes again.

Other than that - we'll have to see what Ryan comes up with.

I think I'm done with TZ for a while now - after that last game that didn't register with the leaderboard.
Back to Big Shot!

 

[Nik Barbour]

I tried installing a "thanks" mod, and it messed up a few things, so I quickly uninstalled it.

I hate those thanks buttons personally!
You just end with everyone with "if I helped ya - press thanks" in their Sig line.
Ueurghhhhhh - shudder.

 

[Pop Sergeant]

You hit the nail on the head with the invisibility issue. It's when the app loses primary focus.
Had it today, I still have ver02 installed from earlier testing, and balls went invisible when my wife sent me a text, and the dialogue flashed up over the TPA game.

Maybe another test on your device would be, have a game running, then have something run (by calling or texting or emailing) that interrupts the screen and see if invisibility strikes again.

TABLE: TZ
BETA (2)

Conditions:

- Clean installation w/o 'saved_data' backup restored. Options / Extras dialog (ball skins) never visited.

Purpose: Test to see if the TPA app losing primary app focus in any way impacts ball rendering (ghost ball phenomena)

Finding: It does.

TEST 1: Start game, minimize game w/o starting another application, maximize game. No impact.

TEST 2: Start game, minimize game, open another application that is already running in the background (GMAIL). No impact.

TEST 3: Start game, minimize game, open an app that is not currently running in the back ground (Netflix). Ghost Ball.

TEST 4: Force close TPA. Force close all background apps. Start game, steel ball is rendered as expected, take a screen shot (ICS 4.04 +), maximize game. Ghost Ball returns.

Tentative Conclusion: It seems that any app that presumably grabs precedence of graphics rendering (NETFLIX, SCREEN CAPTURE) over TPA impacts TPA ball rendering.

Note: Others have reported the same occurrence with incoming phone calls, text messages, or device notifications that invoke a dialog overlay on TPA while it is running. I couldn't test the pop-over dialog as my device is WiFi only and I don't have any applications that are allowed to interrupt an active application with an overlay.

SCREEN CAPTURE (Ghost Ball resulting from TEST 3.

 

[eckless]

AAaaarrrrrggggggghhhhhhhhh!

Words cannot express how simultaneously pleased and pi$$ed off I am at the same time.

Just had an unbelievably good game on beta02 version of TZ.
Activated LITZ, scored 2.9bill, and the damned score didn't register in the leaderboard.
I suspect might be because of the 'player 2' bug described elsewhere (although I didn't notice I was playing as player 2, and I'm sure the dmd would have told me.

Only proof I can give....

If I was a great player, I'd shrug and do it again, but I'm not and I'll probably never get to that score again.

I was playing like never before, got to 2bill, the wife sent me a text, killed the message, ball turned invisible, I still played on regardless. Multiball with 4 invisible balls is not easy to pull off (even the Powerball was invisible). I battled on, and was only one panel away from a second full set of door panels.
Felt like a champion, until the damned thing didn't register - Grrrrr, should have been 3rd

Don't know if anything can be done but my Android leaderboard name (and ms gamertag) = Firenza75

I'm going to go and kick something now! Right where's someone small?

Nik -- I'm in the same boat as you. I have a very nice high score on the leaderboard, but I have an even higher one -- but for some reason it's never made it to the leaderboard. So you're not the only one.

 

[Nik Barbour]

Nice job Pop Sergeant!
You deserve a promotion - is next level up Major?

 

[McGuirk]

This is the bug I was talking about earlier.

 

[Nik Barbour]

Nik -- I'm in the same boat as you. I have a very nice high score on the leaderboard, but I have an even higher one -- but for some reason it's never made it to the leaderboard. So you're not the only one.

We're not worthy - we're not worthy (bowing in front of you).
You have 4 bill on the board - what's the score that didn't make it?

 

[eckless]

We're not worthy - we're not worthy (bowing in front of you).
You have 4 bill on the board - what's the score that didn't make it?

Nik -- I got 6 billion (I think it was 2 or 3 LITZ's in that game -- I was exhausted when it was done!) but it's never gone to the leaderboard. You mentioned in your earlier post that it might be to a "two player" issue, but I've never done a "two player" game, so I don't think it's that. I know when I completed that 6B game I had some pretty sketchy internet coverage (hotel room)...maybe it was that but who knows. I guess I'll just have to beat that score so my "better" score gets put on the leaderboard someday.

Eckless

 

[Nik Barbour]

Nik -- I got 6 billion (I think it was 2 or 3 LITZ's in that game -- I was exhausted when it was done!) but it's never gone to the leaderboard. You mentioned in your earlier post that it might be to a "two player" issue, but I've never done a "two player" game, so I don't think it's that. I know when I completed that 6B game I had some pretty sketchy internet coverage (hotel room)...maybe it was that but who knows. I guess I'll just have to beat that score so my "better" score gets put on the leaderboard someday.

Eckless

Wow - that is awesome!
I'll keep practicing, but man that is some target. (challenge accepted "Barney - HIMYM" )

The 2 player thing I mentioned before is the bug mentioned in this thread. It's where after finishing a game you start another and it goes to plunge view but the start button is still visible. You press start and it says something about player 2, I think you end up playing a single player game as player 2, but certainly not having chosen to play 2 player.
The more I think back though I'm certain I wouldn't have started a game in this condition. And it didn't mention it mid game or at the end.
Just sods law!

Respect with your scores though man - registered and un-registered!

 

[jaredmorgs]

I tried installing a "thanks" mod, and it messed up a few things, so I quickly uninstalled it.

Thanks Gord. Shame it screws things up. :-(

 

[Nik Barbour]

Another observed bug.

Playing beta ver01.

Activated and completed LITZ, at the end of the feature, when the machine is resetting, and the gumball machine is refilling, about 2 balls loaded into the gumball machine, then the dmd displayed "player one is up" (or something similar) and then froze. Didn't spot it at first but a ball was trapped under the upper right flipper, I couldn't activate flipper to release it, game waited about 15 secs, then delivered the next ball to the plunger. I could plunge but the game was frozen on plunger cam and I couldn't regain control of the flippers.

Result:- game finished after all the balls drained. Could no longer play.

Would this happen on a real machine, or is it because flippers are disabled when plunger cam is active?

6 billion goal - you can try and deter me, but I will get you!
You cannot hide with game bugs forever - you shall be mine!
(might be after Christmas though - decorating (re-painting) the house before the relatives come can't be delayed much longer).

 

[jaredmorgs]

Another observed bug.

Playing beta ver01.

Activated and completed LITZ, at the end of the feature, when the machine is resetting, and the gumball machine is refilling, about 2 balls loaded into the gumball machine, then the dmd displayed "player one is up" (or something similar) and then froze. Didn't spot it at first but a ball was trapped under the upper right flipper, I couldn't activate flipper to release it, game waited about 15 secs, then delivered the next ball to the plunger. I could plunge but the game was frozen on plunger cam and I couldn't regain control of the flippers.

Result:- game finished after all the balls drained. Could no longer play.

Would this happen on a real machine, or is it because flippers are disabled when plunger cam is active?

No that issue would probably not happen on a real pinball.

It's the game could not find all 6 balls it would do a ball search and fire all flippers and solenoids.

 

[Nik Barbour]

No that issue would probably not happen on a real pinball.

It's the game could not find all 6 balls it would do a ball search and fire all flippers and solenoids.

It is a game ending bug then.

The ball getting trapped under the upper right flipper seems to happen a lot, even just in normal play.
Seen others mention this too on either this, or the other current bugs thread.
Does that happen on the real table?

 

[xAzatothx]

got half way through a free game and decided I liked the music + table so much I'd make a purchase. The loss of focus from PA when the Google payment page came up meant when I resumed my game, the balls were invisible!

I'm also getting major frame rate drop every now and then. It stays until I start another game. Pretty sure it's not my Nexus 7 at fault??? 1 bill is my best so far, but really need to read the instructions as have no clue what I'm doing

 

[Ryan Routon]

The way they designed it (they may have to change it) the gray flat texture is the old ball. I have found the transparent ball issue and fixed that. Can you reproduce the slow down on other tables?

This issue could be exacerbated by the custom ball texture issue. I don't seem to be using the usual high-shine chrome pinball anymore, and can't reset it.

 

[PiN WiZ]

The way they designed it (they may have to change it) the gray flat texture is the old ball. I have found the transparent ball issue and fixed that. Can you reproduce the slow down on other tables?

If the grey flat texture is the old ball, is there any way you can add the flat texture of the newer ball as a selectable texture as well?