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The Pinball (digital and physical) ERA |OT| Full Tilt
- Thread starter Shaneus
- Start date
I'm a very slow guy and I buy tables one by one so I can learn how each of them work veeery slooowly. What that means is, I only play simulation mode and haven't messed with the physics settings yet -- in fact, I've just looked at it for the first time because of your comment ^_^
Oh lol, that cool 😬. Simulation mode is the better, but i personally feel something is a bit off. Its a good thing your doing enjoying one at a time! Im impulsive buyer and bought everything at launch. Perhaps this is why im not enjoying it as much too, beside Clown, haven found more tables that really clicked.
So you're saying there's still a chance. I guess I'll take it:)
PFX3 Marvel pack on PSN US flash sale until Monday, $2.49 for Spider-Man, Wolverine, Blade and Iron Man.
Farsight added Pack 2 to the sale a few days ago under the radar, I think it's the first time it's been on sale since they reconfigured all the packages when the lost the licenses.
I've officially gone from dipping my toes to diving in the deep end on my virtual pinball build. In the course of two months I've researched so much info on pincabs from what PC to build, to how Direct Output Framework works, to what are the best IPS monitors for the playfield, etc. Most of the tutorials out in the wild are outdated due to the constant updates in software and even some recent ones like Mame in a Box's youtube videos simply do not explain things in a novice friendly manner.
I feel like I could write a book on all of the things I've had to discover myself that are not in a lot of the guides. Thankfully every question I've had has been asked and answered a thousand times on multiple virtual pinball forums but the fact that so many common issues are not in a FAQ are crazy. But don't let this frighten you as you will resolve the issues thanks to the helpful community, especially contributing members like Nailbuster, TerryRed, and Randr.
So far I have built my PC and loaded up about 75 working tables using Visual Pinball; I have yet to touch Future Pinball. I have a 2019 43" Sony as my playfield, an LG 32" for my backglass and currently an old 15" 4:3 monitor as my virtual DMD. It took a bit of settings tweaking to get Visual Pinball not to crash, along with making sure my video drivers and new PC bios were up to date and not causing issues.
My next task will be installing PinUp Player and testing out a few PuP packs so I can get awesome stuff like this going:
After that I will finally install the latest PinUp System front end to easily navigate the tables. I have already ordered a cabinet online to be built for me as I do not have the workspace to build one myself. Once it arrives I will be throwing in all of the PC/TV components along with solenoids for feedback. By the time I get everything together it will probably be late August or early September due to the wait time for the cab itself and a trip I am taking out to California.
If anyone else is thinking about making a virtual pin I would be glad to answer any questions. I'm by no means an expert but I have learned a lot in setting up everything so far.
I feel like I could write a book on all of the things I've had to discover myself that are not in a lot of the guides. Thankfully every question I've had has been asked and answered a thousand times on multiple virtual pinball forums but the fact that so many common issues are not in a FAQ are crazy. But don't let this frighten you as you will resolve the issues thanks to the helpful community, especially contributing members like Nailbuster, TerryRed, and Randr.
So far I have built my PC and loaded up about 75 working tables using Visual Pinball; I have yet to touch Future Pinball. I have a 2019 43" Sony as my playfield, an LG 32" for my backglass and currently an old 15" 4:3 monitor as my virtual DMD. It took a bit of settings tweaking to get Visual Pinball not to crash, along with making sure my video drivers and new PC bios were up to date and not causing issues.
My next task will be installing PinUp Player and testing out a few PuP packs so I can get awesome stuff like this going:
After that I will finally install the latest PinUp System front end to easily navigate the tables. I have already ordered a cabinet online to be built for me as I do not have the workspace to build one myself. Once it arrives I will be throwing in all of the PC/TV components along with solenoids for feedback. By the time I get everything together it will probably be late August or early September due to the wait time for the cab itself and a trip I am taking out to California.
If anyone else is thinking about making a virtual pin I would be glad to answer any questions. I'm by no means an expert but I have learned a lot in setting up everything so far.
OP
OP
Keep us posted on that, I'm keen to see how it winds up looking despite not having any interest in making a virtual pin of my own.
Has Future Pinball been improved upon in the last few years or so? Last I remember it looked pretty good, but I remember reading something like the flipper only had about 4 or 5 "zones" it would launch the ball from, so it would only fire balls up at specific angles/points.
Has Future Pinball been improved upon in the last few years or so? Last I remember it looked pretty good, but I remember reading something like the flipper only had about 4 or 5 "zones" it would launch the ball from, so it would only fire balls up at specific angles/points.
I have not touched future pinball just because I have heard so many negative comments about it. I'm sure like any other program you get what you put into it. There are still bad visual pinball tables where the physics are off but you can adjust it yourself if you want to. I keep playing the old 10.4 build of AC/DC and am amazed at the stuff you can do that is so close to the real experience.
The physics are completely based on the creator's choice and you can still edit them after you download each table. As I said before, some physics are spot on, some are horrible so you really need to pay attention to who created a table. The Zen physics for single player are not realistic to me and when I pick the arcade mode they still feel a bit off but sometimes it is fun to just load up the single player mode and have an easy game. Plus, you can play Zen in a cabinet; All you have to do is request a cabinet key using their support page. They will email you for a pic of the cabinet to ensure you are not creating it to make money. I just sent them a pic of my work in progress and they sent the code over the next day. I bought all of the FX3 tables so I will be able to play them in my cab.
I experimented with Virtual Pinball over the weekend. Didn't get very far. It looks awesome in VR, but I could neither get the backglass thing to show up or the game to start (could load coins and play with the plunger, but not get the game to start). Controls were showing as mapped correctly, too. One of these weeks I'll read the entire VR thread from start to finish and see if I can figure out what I'm missing.
Both the first and second FX3 Williams packs are 50% off on Switch (EU, maybe US will follow).
Yes, also on sale on the US. Thanks for the heads-up!
Should I get pack 1 or pack 2? Is it a matter of preference or is one clearly better than the other? I'm a noob and don't know any of these tables.
OP
OP
Some news! Woo!
Slash Reveals That a New Guns N' Roses Pinball Machine is In Fact Coming Out
Definitely not a theme I could see would gel with either Lawlor or anyone else at JJP (is there anyone else who designs at JJP? Maybe Keefer?).
Slash would obviously have had a hand in designing it too, given he had a lot of input into the DE machine.
Slash Reveals That a New Guns N' Roses Pinball Machine is In Fact Coming Out
I'm super keen to see what a JJP-produced music pin will look and sound like, they could honestly nail the fuck out of it. No idea what the speculation is about it, but I'd almost reckon that Eric Meunier would be behind it given how well he did with Pirates.
Definitely not a theme I could see would gel with either Lawlor or anyone else at JJP (is there anyone else who designs at JJP? Maybe Keefer?).
Slash would obviously have had a hand in designing it too, given he had a lot of input into the DE machine.
Are Zen Studios still creating new tables for Pinball FX3? Or are they just mainly getting the licensed tables out?
Seems they focusing on real life tables right now. I think Solo was their newest other table type. They probably do a Rise of Skywalker pack though.
Heads up for Switch Zaccaria players:
You can currently get a pack of 27 "retro" tables for 0,99 on the eShop.
In ZP, "retro" tables are essentially fictional remakes of original Zaccaria tables in EM style - which I get is not everyone's cup of tea, but hey. 1€ is basically nothing, and I've been having a bit of fun messing around with them.
EDIT: I think I'm a dumbo, and the tables are always that price? lol. I thought it was a temporary thing because the game came all SPECIAL OFFER at me.
You can currently get a pack of 27 "retro" tables for 0,99 on the eShop.
In ZP, "retro" tables are essentially fictional remakes of original Zaccaria tables in EM style - which I get is not everyone's cup of tea, but hey. 1€ is basically nothing, and I've been having a bit of fun messing around with them.
EDIT: I think I'm a dumbo, and the tables are always that price? lol. I thought it was a temporary thing because the game came all SPECIAL OFFER at me.
Since you brought this up, let me say that the Zaccaria retro tables are super fun! I think they're my most played tables in the game.
They're brutal and sessions are quick, but they're very addictive, since you're always only a few minutes away from a high score.
OP
OP
I'm pretty sure that's a regular thing, because they're normally tables that can be unlocked by hitting certain goals on their regular counterparts. I think.
There are a bunch of Pinball FX3 tables on sale on PSN this weekend, ends tomorrow morning. Includes Williams Vol 1 at half price, $4.99.
Pinball FX3 Williams 3 and 4 are about half price for the next 4 weeks on PSN. Any comments about volume 4 compared to the other packs?
A new Jurassic Park pinball machine was just announced by stern. https://m.ign.com/articles/2019/07/26/first-images-video-of-jurassic-park-pinball-from-stern-2019
Guess Williams Pack 5 will get an announcement in the next week or so?!.
Mel gave a strong indication that there will be a Halloween themed release around end of October (hopefully Bram Stoker Dracula, Monster Bash, and Creature From The Black Lagoon) so i doubt they'll wait until then to release the next pack so has to be the first 2 weeks of August to get the spacing between releases right and then table back 7 in December
Mel gave a strong indication that there will be a Halloween themed release around end of October (hopefully Bram Stoker Dracula, Monster Bash, and Creature From The Black Lagoon) so i doubt they'll wait until then to release the next pack so has to be the first 2 weeks of August to get the spacing between releases right and then table back 7 in December
I sure hope so! Also hoping that it includes TOTAN...can't wait to see that presented by the wizards at Zen!
Got to go to a great pinball arcade in Michigan today. The new Black Knight is easily the best table I've played in years. Elvis surprised me as well.
Also played Star Wars Episode 1 for the first time and it is abysmal. Wow, that table has almost nothing to do.
Also played Star Wars Episode 1 for the first time and it is abysmal. Wow, that table has almost nothing to do.
Does anyone have the Ghostbusters machine on The Pinball Arcade? I can't seem to get 2 players to properly work on that machine. I'll set it for two players and it'll always start with player two. On PS4
It is a very fast play field, which I love. Reminds me of F-14 Tomcat and the old Black Knight games in that respect. I love the upper playfield catapult shot. There is also a ton of stuff to do. Music and lighting is great as well.
Ahh, I haven't played the premium or the LE versions of this that have the upper play field yet. I'll have to see if I can find one out and about. I did make it to the retro black knight mode though, which was neat.
Yeah, Black Knight is amazing, and i myself have just played the Pro version. But god this table is drain heavy...
And that Elvis table, man im tempt to buy the RL one, only tried it in VPX, and i found it extremely interesting. Lucky you to have been able to play it!
Are you talking about the art or the design? I actually love playing that pin, and find the layout and rules to be really fun. I love that loop, and the super jackpot shot. Now I will say that I could see it getting tired if I had it at home, but on location I am always happy to drop a couple of dollars into it.
The layout. Just seems so plain when next to things like Elvis/Black Knight/Wizard of Oz/etc.
OP
OP
It's meant to evoke layouts of the era(ish), and their market for it wasn't people who want lots of things to shoot and ramps etc. Just people who want a Beatles pin to play every so often and have fun without getting overly complicated or brutal.
Cross posting this from the Oculus Quest OT. Pinball FX2 VR came out today and my brief impressions follow:
Pinball FX 2 VR has been ported brilliantly. You can see the foveated rendering but it's not as extreme as say Vader Immortal. Played a few tables and none had performance issues. Leader boards are shared with the Oculus Rift version. I'm not sure if DLC is. I was able to download the Wild West table without paying for it, which presumably means DLC is cross buy but I don't know.
Only other criticism I can level at is right now is that the menus are all stick driven, and you can't manually pull the plunger on the table (which would be a neat bonus). Might be a game to play using a pad but options for these other things would be nice.
I happily bought all the DLC and I will be playing this a lot. I loved this on Rift and PSVR, and this version is (mainly thanks to tracking) definitely one you'd want to play on Quest over PSVR.
Edit: yeah the DLC is cross buy between the Quest and Rift versions even though the base game isn't same as Beat Saber. You get three tables in the base price and then can buy other tables. That's somewhat pricey per table, but since I'd already bought most of the DLC on PC I had everything other than The Walking Dead and the Universal tables.
Pinball FX 2 VR has been ported brilliantly. You can see the foveated rendering but it's not as extreme as say Vader Immortal. Played a few tables and none had performance issues. Leader boards are shared with the Oculus Rift version. I'm not sure if DLC is. I was able to download the Wild West table without paying for it, which presumably means DLC is cross buy but I don't know.
Only other criticism I can level at is right now is that the menus are all stick driven, and you can't manually pull the plunger on the table (which would be a neat bonus). Might be a game to play using a pad but options for these other things would be nice.
I happily bought all the DLC and I will be playing this a lot. I loved this on Rift and PSVR, and this version is (mainly thanks to tracking) definitely one you'd want to play on Quest over PSVR.
Edit: yeah the DLC is cross buy between the Quest and Rift versions even though the base game isn't same as Beat Saber. You get three tables in the base price and then can buy other tables. That's somewhat pricey per table, but since I'd already bought most of the DLC on PC I had everything other than The Walking Dead and the Universal tables.
Do you know if there's a reason they're only porting FX2 to VR and not FX3?
They already have Pinball Fx 2 on other VR platforms. Hopefully FX 3 will come along at some point, but they've 'merely' ported their existing VR title. It's a great port in that it looks and runs really well, but it doesn't add new tables or what have you.
Cool!
Here's mine (also xposting from the QUEST OT):
Dunno if you can link a review from the Oculus app to here, but I wrote one for PFX2VR:
4 out of 5 stars
As far as presence, this is simply incredible. I'm a pinball nut and I will never be able to go back to 2D digital pinball the same way. I understand why people are taken aback by the prices, €20 for the Universal pack is way too much and double the price of every other platform (currently €5 on Switch), but regarding the base game or some of its DLC: €5 per table is more or less the average for digital pinball.
I think PFX2 VR is worth every cent of those 15€ although maybe to entice customers they should've included a 4th table in the base package since every other version always offered 1 free table.
Too bad the game's physics are tied to PFX2's engine instead of the much better PFX3. There's 2 gfx settings, best visuals or saving battery, but there should be a third option to improve framerate (perfect 95% of the times) and have better tables gfx when you disable environmental effects which I'm sure are quite heavy: they're cool (having a shark swimming around and such) but also a novelty that wears off fast, so I wish you could focus all of Quest's power on only the tables. Physics are good, but being PFX2-based makes me vary we won't see the Williams/Bally packs which are the best of the best out there (real, awesome tables >>>>> fantasy tables IMO). PFX3's arcade and "sim" physics are both so much better... it's a pity.
That being said, there's a few fixes that the game BADLY needs:
• The ability to shift a table's height (and hopefully the ability to move it around in the virtual room too) because atm it's awful. Tables are placed super low by the default so you'll find yourself being too far from the table and having to tilt your head so much = neck strain and a good way to kickstart a migraine/neck pain.
•(Optional) virtual hands and, while keeping the flippers tied to the triggers, the ability to pull the plunger and push/knock/tilt the table "physically" with your virtual hands. It's underwhelming to use the left/right stick.
• in-game option for seated play with finely tuned tables position
• More than a mere 3 tables viewable in the arcade
• 3rd gfx setting where you can focus on framerate/gfx by disabling in-environment SFX play.
• Ability to demo a table like on other platforms
• much better haptics feedback. For real, you could make it so much better just by working those Touch motors guys! Give us a better feeling of pulling the plunger, shaking and tilting the table, working those flippers and hitting the ball! Could be awesome. Right now it's awfully bland.
I will support this game and Zen Studios but I expect improvements down the line and more DLC coming, hopefully they'll be able to work something out for the physics the Williams tables.
I'd love to see some of the devs interact with the community/customers and addressing our "wishlist", replying to even just a couple reviews would be a good start.
All in all, what is here is very good but it needs that bit of polish to make it a must-have VR game.
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Picked up my first pinball couple weeks ago. Been wanting one for a long time, but space was always a concern as well as just the general "holy crap how do I maintain this thing" I still don't know a lot of technical details, there is lot of guides online for fixing common things at least, already replaced the ball shooter springs and such which made a big difference to how well it shot. It's kinda daunting but awesome to have your own pin. I kinda want a whole arcade in the house but we don't have the space right now. Maybe some day if we move into a larger home, I will start that home arcade.
Was always a fan of the Nightmare on Elm Street pin, and when a local pinball dealer got one in stock and stumbled upon it on their page, I had to have it. It was restored with full LED upgrades, in decent shape for a 25 year old pin. Working good so far, the freddy head spiting action sometimes is a little weak and random which could mean I need to eventually replace a coil or check out the upkicker.
Was always a fan of the Nightmare on Elm Street pin, and when a local pinball dealer got one in stock and stumbled upon it on their page, I had to have it. It was restored with full LED upgrades, in decent shape for a 25 year old pin. Working good so far, the freddy head spiting action sometimes is a little weak and random which could mean I need to eventually replace a coil or check out the upkicker.
Picked up my first pinball couple weeks ago. Been wanting one for a long time, but space was always a concern as well as just the general "holy crap how do I maintain this thing" I still don't know a lot of technical details, there is lot of guides online for fixing common things at least, already replaced the ball shooter springs and such which made a big difference to how well it shot. It's kinda daunting but awesome to have your own pin. I kinda want a whole arcade in the house but we don't have the space right now. Maybe some day if we move into a larger home, I will start that home arcade.
Was always a fan of the Nightmare on Elm Street pin, and when a local pinball dealer got one in stock and stumbled upon it on their page, I had to have it. It was restored with full LED upgrades, in decent shape for a 25 year old pin. Working good so far, the freddy head spiting action sometimes is a little weak and random which could mean I need to eventually replace a coil or check out the upkicker.
Man thats a great pin to own. I want one too, a real one, but just cant find one at a proper price im ready to spend. Area where i am they sre more rare and more expensive and they are not the greatest one...
Think I'm going to make an OT for Star Wars Pinball. It releases on Switch tomorrow. Will probably be fairly barebones, as my PC isn't currently connected to the internet. I'll be doing it on my phone.
Here: https://www.resetera.com/threads/st...down-to-mimban-i-mustve-played-em-all.140689/
Here: https://www.resetera.com/threads/st...down-to-mimban-i-mustve-played-em-all.140689/
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Gonna cross post this from the star wars OT for any pinball fx3 or star wars players on switch:
So after getting a flipgrip pinball fx has finally, after years, clicked for me. playing vertical vs widescreen was the ticket. Anyway, I need people to play with! Both here and fx3 on switch. My friend code is sw-1060-1921-1253 - add me up!
So after getting a flipgrip pinball fx has finally, after years, clicked for me. playing vertical vs widescreen was the ticket. Anyway, I need people to play with! Both here and fx3 on switch. My friend code is sw-1060-1921-1253 - add me up!
Back on Sept 26, the Pinball FX3 news feed on the Switch (in the US) announced a sale on the third Williams table pack. The sale has yet to materialize. Was the post a mistake? Did it go on sale in a different region (EU?) but not in the US?