The Pinball (digital and physical) ERA |OT| Full Tilt

HotHamBoy · Mar 5, 2018

Wapcaplet said:
Welcome to the wonderful world of Zen regret. I'm still cheesed off that they pulled all the FX2 DLC from Steam without notice and won't allow people who buy the FX3 version of that same DLC to have the DLC added to FX2 as well.

They're a seriously tone-deaf company when it comes to not screwing the customer over.

Compared to Farsight they're angels.

But it's not a great look for them dumping these patch plans.

Currently Switch is the worst platform for PBFX3 with the worst performance and half the tables.

They still haven't even confirmed that the missing Star Wars, Marvel etc tables are coming to Switch. So maybe they aren't?

Switch PBFX3 is a terrible investment unless it's your secondary Zen platform.

I'm just glad I still have my South Park & Super League Football tables on iPad and my Plants v Zombies, Ninja Gaiden and Street Fighter tables on PS4/Vita. All of that has been delisted.

They didn't even say they were delisting that stuff when PBFX3 first launched, they just said that it wasn't migrating over to the new app.

I also still plan to make a virtual pin cab one day and it looks like I will need to resort to a pirated version of Pinball FX 2 to do it.

Slam Tilt · Mar 5, 2018

I think I'd rather put up with Farsight than Zen, especially after this. It's going to be hard for me not to double-dip once they get Pinball Arcade on the Switch, and I've already sank $100+ in tables for iOS.

HotHamBoy · Mar 5, 2018

Slam Tilt said:
I think I'd rather put up with Farsight than Zen, especially after this. It's going to be hard for me not to double-dip once they get Pinball Arcade on the Switch, and I've already sank $100+ in tables for iOS.

I have lost count of Farsight's broken promises.

Epilexia · Mar 5, 2018

HotHamBoy said:
Compared to Farsight they're angels.

But it's not a great look for them dumping these patch plans.

Currently Switch is the worst platform for PBFX3 with the worst performance and half the tables.

They still haven't even confirmed that the missing Star Wars, Marvel etc tables are coming to Switch. So maybe they aren't?

Switch PBFX3 is a terrible investment unless it's your secondary Zen platform.

I'm just glad I still have my South Park & Super League Football tables on iPad and my Plants v Zombies, Ninja Gaiden and Street Fighter tables on PS4/Vita. All of that has been delisted.

They didn't even say they were delisting that stuff when PBFX3 first launched, they just said that it wasn't migrating over to the new app.

I also still plan to make a virtual pin cab one day and it looks like I will need to resort to a pirated version of Pinball FX 2 to do it.

Well, I still don't regret the more than 40 euros that I spent in tables for 'Pinball FX3'.

I still can play in docked mode and TATE mode by connecting the dock to my monitor. Plus the use of HD rumble is amazing.

But at this point, I don't have any faith in Zen or Farsight anymore.

They still do amazing pinball games, thought.

I fell in love with pinball thanks to Black Hole in 'The Pinball Arcade' and its amazing sound design.

And I spent more than 20 hours in Son of Zeus this Christmas.

Their support sucks, sure. But they also make amazing things. I love/hate both of them.

And I will continue spending money in their games, now with the certainty that they will always be able to fuck me up and destroying all of my hopes and dreams.

HotHamBoy · Mar 5, 2018

Epilexia said:
Well, I still don't regret the more than 40 euros that I spent in tables for 'Pinball FX3'.

I still can play in docked mode and TATE mode by connecting the dock to my monitor. Plus the use of HD rumble is amazing.

But at this point, I don't have any faith in Zen or Farsight anymore.

They still do amazing pinball games, thought.

I fell in love with pinball thanks to Black Hole in 'The Pinball Arcade' and its amazing sound design.

And I spent more than 20 hours in Son of Zeus this Christmas.

Their support sucks, sure. But they also make amazing things. I love/hate both of them.

And I will continue spending money in their games, now with the certainty that they will always be able to fuck me up and destroying all of my hopes and dreams.

Tate mode would sure be a lot better if it was 1080p.

I just run Tate mode on my laptop hooked up to a monitor. 1080p and more than twice the tables.

Switch is useless for Pinball, honestly, if you have other platforms.

Epilexia · Mar 5, 2018

HotHamBoy said:
Tate mode would sure be a lot better if it was 1080p.

I just run Tate mode on my laptop hooked up to a monitor. 1080p and more than twice the tables.

Switch is useless for Pinball, honestly, if you have other platforms.

Yeah, but not even Nintendo has been able to output 1080p in most of their games.

I don't care about resolution so much, maybe it's because my PC monitor it's still and old and cheap 900p model.

I feel more worried about performance problems in the game. In Son of Zeus, the storm mission makes the game unplayable with severe frame dips.

But it's still 'Pinball FX3' without the necessity of creating a Windows partition in my Mac computer.

So it's better than nothing.

I'm more worried of not having any form of TATE mode in 'Stern Pinball Arcade', none in docked or portable mode.

TATE mode is the first thing in my checklist to enjoy a pinball game.

Factory 1.21 · Mar 5, 2018

I only play docked so I don't care about undocked fps and I have the Switch connected to a state-of-the-art 32" 720p TV so I don't care about 1080p. HOWEVER, the docked graphics still look bad. What's going on with the back of Cindy's arms and pants (trousers for you Brits) in Wild West Rampage? It looks like she's a reptile. I don't remember that in the Wii U version.

Don't forget that Zen never fixed the completely broken network code in the Wii U version. Remember all those hangs?

So, yeah, I feel like a sucker for having bought so many Zen tables on Switch. I thought we were going to get better support. I was wrong.

Not buying any more Zen tables.

wesman · Mar 5, 2018

Yeah, I'm not too thrilled with this info either. I picked up everything but the Fox animation tables, under the good faith that this patch would occur, and also assuming that down the road there'd be sales on the tables. Still, I plunked down my support .

Minsc · Mar 5, 2018

Epilexia said:
Yeah, but not even Nintendo has been able to output 1080p in most of their games.

I don't care about resolution so much, maybe it's because my PC monitor it's still and old and cheap 900p model.

I feel more worried about performance problems in the game. In Son of Zeus, the storm mission makes the game unplayable with severe frame dips.

But it's still 'Pinball FX3' without the necessity of creating a Windows partition in my Mac computer.

So it's better than nothing.

I'm more worried of not having any form of TATE mode in 'Stern Pinball Arcade', none in docked or portable mode.

TATE mode is the first thing in my checklist to enjoy a pinball game.

I mean Pinball FX on the Wii U ran at 1080p @ 60fps... and the Switch is way faster than the Wii U, especially docked, where it only runs 720p...

Honestly, fuck these digital pinball companies. They can't do hardly anything right. And that is not an exaggeration in the least.

It's been half a decade and their products are worse than when they released.

Leynos · Mar 5, 2018

Does tate not work on Stern Pinball for the Switch? I changed the menu setting, and, well, the screen flashed for an instant, and nothing happened.

Also, I took my daughter to the Pacific Pinball Museum in Alameda this weekend, and we had a blast. I highly recommend that you visit if you have a chance.

Minsc · Mar 5, 2018

Leynos said:
Does tate not work on Stern Pinball for the Switch? I changed the menu setting, and, well, the screen flashed for an instant, and nothing happened.

Par for the course, yeah, it's busted. They patched it in, but it apparently is broken. Plain as day.

Epilexia · Mar 5, 2018

Minsc said:
I mean Pinball FX on the Wii U ran at 1080p @ 60fps... and the Switch is way faster than the Wii U, especially docked, where it only runs 720p...

Honestly, fuck these digital pinball companies. They can't do hardly anything right. And that is not an exaggeration in the least.

The problem is that they migrated to a new engine with FX3, with more advanced lights and these type of things. And all of the new tables are designed with this engine in mind.

All of that said, they should have tried to port the FX3 version of the engine for mobiles and tablets, instead of the most advanced one for PC/PS4/One. I can live with less lights and graphic effects if in this way they can achieve 60FPS in portable mode.

Even Vita can run the FX2 version of the engine at 60FPS.

And yeah, you are not exaggerating. We only have two companies actively working in pinball games. And they are constantly disappointing their loyal customers.

In a more positive note, it seems that an employee in Zen Studios has confirmed that they improved the performance problems in Son of Zeus in their latest patch.

So at least, while not appointing 60FPS in portable mode anymore, they are still actively working in the game. And they released the Jurassic Park tables for Switch together with the other versions.

HotHamBoy · Mar 5, 2018

Epilexia said:
The problem is that they migrated to a new engine with FX3, with more advanced lights and these type of things. And all of the new tables are designed with this engine in mind.

All of that said, they should have tried to port the FX3 version of the engine for mobiles and tablets, instead of the most advanced one for PC/PS4/One. I can live with less lights and graphic effects if in this way they can achieve 60FPS in portable mode.

Even Vita can run the FX2 version of the engine at 60FPS.

And yeah, you are not exaggerating. We only have two companies actively working in pinball games. And they are constantly disappointing their loyal customers.

In a more positive note, it seems that an employee in Zen Studios has confirmed that they improved the performance problems in Son of Zeus in their latest patch.

So at least, while not appointing 60FPS in portable mode anymore, they are still actively working in the game. And they released the Jurassic Park tables for Switch together with the other versions.

There is no mobile version of Pinball FX3.

Still on Zen Pinball 2. It gets all the new tables but it's the old engine, old app. None of the new features.

Shaneus · Mar 5, 2018

Minsc said:
Par for the course, yeah, it's busted. They patched it in, but it apparently is broken. Plain as day.

Is this recent? I haven't fired mine up for a week or so, so there could be an update I missed.

It's a shame about pinball on the Switch, it could've been great for a portable mini virtual pinball machine (mods and 3D models to house the screen and joycons would've been great) but at least as far as PFX3, it's dead in the water.

Hopefully FS continue to occasionally flub the pricing in Stern PBA (or even the regular PBA, or just make the tables cheaper in general) otherwise they'll be dead to me too.

Minsc · Mar 5, 2018

The problem is they're basically saying the Switch isn't worth their time. I agree, they should actually have the game run two engines, and just use the mobile versions of the tables in portable / undocked mode if that's what it takes to get 60 fps. But I don't believe for a second the Switch is incapable of running a pinball table at 60fps at native res. Their engine maybe wasn't made with the Switch in mind, and that sucks, but a better engine could definitely get the job done. They just don't want to invest the time/resources for it, and I guess the Switch sales aren't impressing them. Well, you don't get it both ways, you release sub-par engines that run poorly, you get sub-par sales unfortunately. At least from me lol.

HotHamBoy · Mar 5, 2018

Minsc said:
The problem is they're basically saying the Switch isn't worth their time. I agree, they should actually have the game run two engines, and just use the mobile versions of the tables in portable / undocked mode if that's what it takes to get 60 fps. But I don't believe for a second the Switch is incapable of running a pinball table at 60fps at native res. Their engine maybe wasn't made with the Switch in mind, and that sucks, but a better engine could definitely get the job done. They just don't want to invest the time/resources for it, and I guess the Switch sales aren't impressing them. Well, you don't get it both ways, you release sub-par engines that run poorly, you get sub-par sales unfortunately. At least from me lol.

That's the irony, isn't it?

Video Pinball is a niche genre with a dedicated, hardcore playerbase. As soon as most of us saw the performance on Switch we noped right out.

You're not going to sell a 30fps pinball game to pinball fans in 2018, especially when so many other platforms can run the same game better.

Shaneus · Mar 5, 2018

Minsc said:
The problem is they're basically saying the Switch isn't worth their time. I agree, they should actually have the game run two engines, and just use the mobile versions of the tables in portable / undocked mode if that's what it takes to get 60 fps. But I don't believe for a second the Switch is incapable of running a pinball table at 60fps at native res. Their engine maybe wasn't made with the Switch in mind, and that sucks, but a better engine could definitely get the job done. They just don't want to invest the time/resources for it, and I guess the Switch sales aren't impressing them. Well, you don't get it both ways, you release sub-par engines that run poorly, you get sub-par sales unfortunately. At least from me lol.

The weird thing I don't get is, is that the Switch runs on a Tegra-based platform. Isn't that what a lot of Android devices run on too? So it would benefit them to port PFX3 to prepare for other mobile platforms.

Not that I ever play PFX tables anyway, they just feel weird to me and resembles flinging a marble around a table (IMO, obvs).

Epilexia · Mar 5, 2018

Shaneus said:
The weird thing I don't get is, is that the Switch runs on a Tegra-based platform. Isn't that what a lot of Android devices run on too? So it would benefit them to port PFX3 to prepare for other mobile platforms.

Not that I ever play PFX tables anyway, they just feel weird to me and resembles flinging a marble around a table (IMO, obvs).

I always preferred 'The Pinball Arcade' to 'Pinball FX2'. But in some of their most recent tables designs, such as Son of Zeus, they surprised me in a good way.

Indeed, in Steam I only purchased a single table for FX2, against three complete seasons for 'The Pinball Arcade'.

Maybe it's the sound design, or the improved artistic design. But for the first time, I enjoyed Zen Studios creations thanks to this Switch version of FX3.

Talking about psychics I'm not an expert like the rest of people in this thread. I only know that the most recent tables don't give me a headache with their overdramatic orquestal arrangements like the infamous Epic Quest, my first and last purchase in FX2.

Also, Son of Zeus was the first pinball table in which I was able to understand some of the most elementary rules and tricks of pinball games, learning how to activate and complete missions, and achieving a decent score.

Before this table, I spent hours and hours with 'The Pinball Arade' only because I was fascinated with its sound design. Early 70s tables are an experience similar to play with an analog synthesizer. It still impress me to see videos of the real Black Hole, seeing how all of these crazy engineers achieved ideas like the inverted playfield.

So both companies, Zen and FarSight have a very special place in my heart, each one for a different reason.

I love/hate both of them.

Leynos · Mar 5, 2018

Minsc said:
Par for the course, yeah, it's busted. They patched it in, but it apparently is broken. Plain as day.

I don't know if I should be relieved that I'm not a complete idiot, or disappointed that the game is busted.

As for Pinball FX 3, I doubt that the framerate would bother me as I have never been able to tell the difference between 30 FPS, and 60 FPS. Granted, I've never gone out of my way to discern the difference, but I go by the adage that ignorance is bliss in this matter.

Leynos · Mar 5, 2018

Double post

HotHamBoy · Mar 5, 2018

Shaneus said:
The weird thing I don't get is, is that the Switch runs on a Tegra-based platform. Isn't that what a lot of Android devices run on too? So it would benefit them to port PFX3 to prepare for other mobile platforms.

Not that I ever play PFX tables anyway, they just feel weird to me and resembles flinging a marble around a table (IMO, obvs).

Zen/PBFX tables should be viewed like any other fantasy video pinball game. I love kirby's Pinball Land, the Crush games, Metroid Prime Pinball, etc. those games are far from realistic but very fun in their own right.

I suppose because Zen hews closer to reality it invites criticism and comparisons to other *simulators* like TPA and Visual Pinball, but you shouldn't approach the game from that angle if you really want to enjoy it.

Many of their tables are dull, especially if you are an advanced player, but many are also quite engaging and clever. There's some really neat designs explored that wouldn't be feasible IRL.

I think these new Jurassic Park tables are some of their best, same for the Son of Zeus and Adventure Land tables. I was thoroughly disappointed by the Universal pack. It's a hit or miss affair.

A shame that the Bethesda 3-pack isn't on Switch, those three tables are brilliant. Tbh, the more I play the Marvel tables these days the fewer I truly enjoy but there's still a few ace tables among them. The Star Wars tables tend to fair better on average when I go back to them, even though Rogue One is one of the most bland and boring tables in their recent efforts.

But none of these are on Switch and most of the Zen originals are pretty weak. The Switch selection is kinda shit.

Leynos said:
I don't if I should be relieved that I'm not a complete idiot, or disappointed that the game is busted.

As for Pinball FX 3, I doubt that the framerate would bother me as I have never been able to tell the difference between 30 FPS, and 60 FPS. Granted, I've never gone out of my way to discern the difference, but I go by the adage that ignorance is bliss in this matter.

It's so choppy by comparison and there feels like a slight input delay.

Actually, the Switch is the best way to test the difference between 60fps and 30fps since you can start by playing on the TV and then pick up the Switch and immediately drop to 30fps.

It's not something that matters in every genre. I personally wasn't bothered at all by the 30fps in the new Kirby demo, even if it was clear.

Epilexia · Mar 5, 2018

Leynos said:
I don't if I should be relieved that I'm not a complete idiot, or disappointed that the game is busted.

As for Pinball FX 3, I doubt that the framerate would bother me as I have never been able to tell the difference between 30 FPS, and 60 FPS. Granted, I've never gone out of my way to discern the difference, but I go by the adage that ignorance is bliss in this matter.

I don't mind 30FPS in most console games, but believe me, in 'Pinball FX3' you will see a night/day difference. If feels sluggish and unresponsive in the controls, compared to other 30FPS games. The good thing is that you can download the game from the eshop with a free table, to see if it affects you.

All of that said, the game is still an incredible experience in docked mode, and it has one of the best uses of HD Rumble in any Switch game.

HotHamBoy · Mar 5, 2018

Epilexia said:
I don't mind 30FPS in most console games, but believe me, in 'Pinball FX3' you will see a night/day difference. If feels sluggish and unresponsive in the controls, compared to other 30FPS games. The good thing is that you can download the game from the eshop with a free table, to see if it affects you.

All of that said, the game is still an incredible experience in docked mode, and it has one of the best uses of HD Rumble in any Switch game.

It's a shame that it couldn't have been the ultimate portable version, though. A lot of wasted potential.

As it stands the Vita is still the best handheld console for pinball thanks to 60fps TPA and Zen 2. Too bad Zen isn't supporting it any more.

Mobile, specifically iPad, remains the very best portable pinball device - if you don't mind a lack of physical buttons. TPA, SPA, Zen 2, Zacarria, Timeshock + so much more. All in 60fps with 3:4 portrait mode and TPA releases tables on iOS before any other platform.

wesman · Mar 5, 2018

Are we entirely certain this email is accurate or reliable? I'm not suggesting the person from Reddit fabricated this, but wouldn't this be addressed publicly, even if just in a tweet by Zen? Especially given how recently they launched this on Switch, and that they even delayed this version to add in the single joycon Tate mode.

Epilexia · Mar 5, 2018

wesman said:
Are we entirely certain this email is accurate or reliable? I'm not suggesting the person from Reddit fabricated this, but wouldn't this be addressed publicly, even if just in a tweet by Zen? Especially given how recently they launched this on Switch, and that they even delayed this version to add in the single joycon Tate mode.

Unfortunately, this has been confirmed by an official account from Zen Studios in Reddit

https://www.reddit.com/r/NintendoSw...resolution_framerate_patch_cancelled/dv7ygat/

Hey guys,
we might have been premature in the excitement surrounding the Switch release. We really think this is one of the best platforms to play the game, and wanted to make it to everyone's liking.
We have sat on this problem contemplating it for a long time, trying to find a good way to up the frames per your request.
We found that there was no 'universal' method to do this and each table would require a lot of separate work. This volumen we simply don't have the bandwith for in the graphics and the QA department right now.
We really do apologize for us being a bit slow to properly address this.
P.S.: Check out Son of Zeus though, we were able to better some of that tables problems in Cam 3-4

wesman · Mar 5, 2018

Epilexia said:
Unfortunately, this has been confirmed by an official account from Zen Studios in Reddit

https://www.reddit.com/r/NintendoSw...resolution_framerate_patch_cancelled/dv7ygat/

Hey guys,
we might have been premature in the excitement surrounding the Switch release. We really think this is one of the best platforms to play the game, and wanted to make it to everyone's liking.
We have sat on this problem contemplating it for a long time, trying to find a good way to up the frames per your request.
We found that there was no 'universal' method to do this and each table would require a lot of separate work. This volumen we simply don't have the bandwith for in the graphics and the QA department right now.
We really do apologize for us being a bit slow to properly address this.
P.S.: Check out Son of Zeus though, we were able to better some of that tables problems in Cam 3-4

Yeah....shit. I just saw this myself, was going to edit. Thanks for the info...!

meppi64 · Mar 5, 2018

The hell! I wish I was able to get a refund. Such a shitty move.
I'm not going to be buying any more tables or new versions of their Pinball FX series. Fuck them.

HotHamBoy · Mar 5, 2018

meppi64 said:
The hell! I wish I was able to get a refund. Such a shitty move.
I'm not going to be buying any more tables or new versions of their Pinball FX series. Fuck them.

All of you guys should really be letting them know how you feel on social media. Posting here accomplishes nothing.

meppi64 · Mar 5, 2018

HotHamBoy said:
All of you guys should really be letting them know how you feel on social media. Posting here accomplishes nothing.

Good idea. I'll be doing that for sure.

wesman · Mar 5, 2018

HotHamBoy said:
All of you guys should really be letting them know how you feel on social media. Posting here accomplishes nothing.

What would you say would be most effective in that regard, Twitter?

I'd be fine if they'd have stated this the week of release in December. Or to of course, never suggested there was a patch coming at all. Or at least have clarified that when they released the Jurassic Park tables, then give consumers an option to not buy.

HotHamBoy · Mar 5, 2018

wesman said:
What would you say would be most effective in that regard, Twitter?

I'd be fine if they'd have stated this the week of release in December. Or to of course, never suggested there was a patch coming at all. Or at least have clarified that when they released the Jurassic Park tables, then give consumers an option to not buy.

Twitter and on their Facebook page, probably.

Don't be rude or hyperbolic, guys, just be reasonable and tell them how this effects you and your consideration for future purchases and the value of their word.

meppi64 · Mar 5, 2018

HotHamBoy said:
Twitter and on their Facebook page, probably.

Don't be rude or hyperbolic, guys, just be reasonable and tell them how this effects you and your consideration for future purchases and the value of their word.

Indeed, no need to be rude or abusive.
I just told them I was very disappointed in them right now and how I bought their games on iOS, 3DS, PS3, 360, PS4, Vita in the past and now on Switch. And how I won't be buying any future stuff from them from here on out.

Epilexia · Mar 5, 2018

I don't know if it's a placebo effect. But after assimilating the terrible news today, I have started 'Pinball FX3' in portable mode for the first time since the release of the the 1.0.1 patch.

And now the controls feels much less laggy. Yeah, it's still at 30FPS. But my main problem with the game in portable mode was not only the framerate, but how unresponsive felt due to the framerate.

Can confirm someone with the game if he sees any improvement? As I said, this is maybe only the placebo effect, after reading how the developers said that they have improved the performance of the more demanding tables in portable mode, such as Son of Zeus.

EDIT: Forget the placebo thing. Once you reach the most demanding parts of the table, it's still feels terrible.

Kramer · Mar 6, 2018

Stern Pinball Arcade has been updated - TATE Mode works. Tables load 8-9 secs quicker.

Give Farsight their dues - Stern Pinball on Switch has, even with the slight blip of Leaderboards working/TATE not in last update, been their best release.

Shaneus · Mar 6, 2018

Kramer said:
Stern Pinball on Switch has, even with the slight blip of Leaderboards working/TATE not in last update, been their best release.

That's not saying much though! I still get annoying crashes during a good run on Ghostbusters on Stern on iOS :/

Kramer · Mar 6, 2018

Shaneus said:
That's not saying much though!

Haha! Absolutely.

HotHamBoy · Mar 6, 2018

Kramer said:
Stern Pinball Arcade has been updated - TATE Mode works. Tables load 8-9 secs quicker.

Give Farsight their dues - Stern Pinball on Switch has, even with the slight blip of Leaderboards working/TATE not in last update, been their best release.

Well, they sure had a lot of other platforms to beta test on.

Epilexia · Mar 6, 2018

Well, I have downloaded the patch for 'Stern Pinball Arcade'.

Finally the TATE mode work as intended... but it forces you to play in portable mode by using touch controls.

There is not an option like in 'Pinball FX3' to play with a single Joycon attached to the console.

Giving than touch controls feels absolutely unnatural for me in a pinball game, now 'Stern Pinball Arcade' is in the same state as 'Pinball FX3' in Switch.

A game that at least, I can play in docked mode, using TATE mode and at 60FPS. But that is as unplayable with its touch controls in portable mode, as 'Pinball FX3' is with its 30FPS.

So still no luck for portable pinball fans in Switch.

HotHamBoy · Mar 6, 2018

Epilexia said:
Well, I have downloaded the patch for 'Stern Pinball Arcade'.

Finally the TATE mode work as intended... but it forces you to play in portable mode by using touch controls.

There is not an option like in 'Pinball FX3' to play with a single Joycon attached to the console.

Giving than touch controls feels absolutely unnatural for me in a pinball game, now 'Stern Pinball Arcade' is in the same state as 'Pinball FX3' in Switch.

A game that at least, I can play in docked mode, using TATE mode and at 60FPS. But that is as unplayable with its touch controls in portable mode, as 'Pinball FX3' is with its 30FPS.

So still no luck for portable pinball fans in Switch.

That's outrageous. That means you can't use Tate mode with a monitor.

Epilexia · Mar 6, 2018

HotHamBoy said:
That's outrageous. That means you can't use Tate mode with a monitor.

You can use TATE mode in a monitor or by deattaching both Joycons and using a stand such as the one from Hori. When in TATE and portable mode, the game detects if the Joycons are attached or no. With both Joycons deattached, the game uses the default mapping in the buttons.

But if they are attached, the only usable buttons are the ones for selecting the camera angles.

So making a summary of the situation with this latest patch:

- Docked mode: You can play in TATE mode, with the Pro controller or the Joycons.
- Tabletop mode: You can play in TATE mode, with the Pro controller or the Joycons.
- Portable mode: You only can play with touch controls in TATE mode, or with the Joycons in the horizontal mode.

Kramer · Mar 6, 2018

You can use a controller in TATE Mode - I'm using my 8bitdo game pad - so fine for TATE monitors - doesn't have to be touch screen.

Here's the patch notes:

Patch Notes:
Portrait mode has been added!

You can switch TATE/YOKO modes at any time using the "-" (Minus) button on your Left Joycon. TATE mode supports handheld, dual, Pro controller and touch control modes.

Full in-game touch control is now supported in all modes (for those who actually like playing on touch screens

Loading times for tables are 8-9 seconds quicker for tables.

Some intermittent lag on ACDC and Starship Troopers has been fixed.

New controls screen calling out the TATE and YOKO modes of control.

Slam Tilt · Mar 6, 2018

So I'm confused, can I play in TATE mode with two joycons detached? Or do I have to use the touchscreen?

Epilexia · Mar 6, 2018

Kramer said:
You can use a controller in TATE Mode - I'm using my 8bitdo game pad - so fine for TATE monitors - doesn't have to be touch screen.

Here's the patch notes:

Patch Notes:
Portrait mode has been added!

You can switch TATE/YOKO modes at any time using the "-" (Minus) button on your Left Joycon. TATE mode supports handheld, dual, Pro controller and touch control modes.

Full in-game touch control is now supported in all modes (for those who actually like playing on touch screens

Loading times for tables are 8-9 seconds quicker for tables.

Some intermittent lag on ACDC and Starship Troopers has been fixed.

New controls screen calling out the TATE and YOKO modes of control.

The main problem is still portable mode, in a different way to 'Pinball FX3'.

While it's still better to have the game in TATE mode at 60FPS, even with touch controls, instead of having a game at 30FPS, we have enough systems to play pinball games with touch controls.

If someone has an iPAD, there is not a single reason to choose this Switch version.

But button controls and HD Rumble can become two big seller points to make of this game the definitive portable pinball game.

All of that said, kudos to FarSight. They have demonstrated a lot more of support than Zen Studios in their Switch versions.

Epilexia · Mar 6, 2018

Slam Tilt said:
So I'm confused, can I play in TATE mode with two joycons detached? Or do I have to use the touchscreen?

Yes, with two Joycons deattached, you can play in TATE mode.

I recommend to use this beauty:

HotHamBoy · Mar 6, 2018

Oh, well now that I understand I would take the SPA situation over the PBFX3 situation happily.

Kramer · Mar 6, 2018

Epilexia said:
If someone has an iPAD, there is not a single reason to choose this Switch version.

The Switch, PS4, Xbox, PC versions have much better textures, geometry and a correct ball size (while the smaller ball is an illusion on iPad - it still 'looks' smaller). Plenty of reasons.

So TATE works as I want it, happy with that. However, if it's one Joycon attaches - they've made the same mistake as Pinball FX 3 until their 3rd update - which is, the TATE should flip the other way so you can use centred Joycon buttons.

Oh well, happy with this.

Epilexia · Mar 6, 2018

I'm lost with how the DLC packs for 'Stern Pinball Arcade' work.

If I purchase both of the Add-on Packs priced at 16.99 euros each one in the e-shop, I will get all the tablets and content? Or I still need to buy some separate DLCs for limited editions of the tables?

HotHamBoy · Mar 6, 2018

Epilexia said:
I'm lost with how the DLC packs for 'Stern Pinball Arcade' work.

If I purchase both of the Add-on Packs priced at 16.99 euros each one in the e-shop, I will get all the tablets and content? Or I still need to buy some separate DLCs for limited editions of the tables?

Limited editions are seperate.

They're also totally cosmetic

Shaneus · Mar 6, 2018

Epilexia said:
I'm lost with how the DLC packs for 'Stern Pinball Arcade' work.

If I purchase both of the Add-on Packs priced at 16.99 euros each one in the e-shop, I will get all the tablets and content? Or I still need to buy some separate DLCs for limited editions of the tables?

However I discovered that while it looks like you should have bought the premium tables before getting the LE, if you buy the LE on it's own (without buying anything else) you can still access those LE tables.

So if you only want the LE versions of tables and/or only want the smaller, newer table packs without the bloat of the older ones, buy the LE packs :) They work out cheaper!

(Hope I described that okay, it's tricky to say)

HotHamBoy · Mar 6, 2018

Shaneus said:
However I discovered that while it looks like you should have bought the premium tables before getting the LE, if you buy the LE on it's own (without buying anything else) you can still access those LE tables.

So if you only want the LE versions of tables and/or only want the smaller, newer table packs without the bloat of the older ones, buy the LE packs :) They work out cheaper!

(Hope I described that okay, it's tricky to say)

Be wary that we don't know if the patch fixed this loophole.

The Pinball (digital and physical) ERA |OT| Full Tilt

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