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The Pinball Arcade on XBLA

20K views 317 replies 23 participants last post by  DaverJ 
#1 ·
#27 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by mikepaul /forum/post/21884054


Ummm, the ROMs in an old pinball machine wouldn't do much more than have the audio stuff. The game mechanics in a video version are part of a simulation of how a ball 'should' roll. There's a solid pinball feel behind how the ball works in FX2, where (IMHO) there isn't REALLY in PA. Try catching the ball on a flipper, the Most Important Thing in getting the shot you want, and see if it's consistent across dozens and dozens of tries. Proper physics won't have the ball dance around on you...

My point about the ROMs is that these are real pinball tables. The ROMs drive the rules of the game, the dot matrix scoreboard, the sounds, and all the light sequencing, etc. I am fully aware the physics engine and 3D modeling of the tables was done by Farsight.


Regarding the physics, we're going to have to agree to disagree. I find the physics of Pinball Arcade to be more "real life" than the physics in FX2. I do like the physics in FX2, and I agree to some extent that FX2 is more predictable, and I've had a lot of fun playing it, but PA definitely wins (for me) when it comes to the physics emulating a real pinball table. The comment on spinning might be what you are experiencing. Several of the current tables do in fact feature electro-magnets too, but I don't think that is what you are describing. Once I trap a ball, I have about the same accuracy hitting the ramps as I do on a real table... which is not to say I'm 100% accurate. Timing can be VERY subtle, so what seems like the same shot to you... in all likelihood isn't.

Quote:
Originally Posted by CoreyM /forum/post/21884235


Theater of Magic came out around the time I turned 21 and was in the bars I frequented as well as my student union. Sure seems like the scoring is inflated for some reason. But it's been over 15 years.

Check out the video I posted a few posts up... and I think you'll find exactly the same scoring in the arcade version.
 
#28 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by [KYA]Mega /forum/post/21884415


Check out the video I posted a few posts up... and I think you'll find exactly the same scoring in the arcade version.

Yeah I guess so, it wasn't my favorite table but I don't recall ever getting a billion on it which didn't look too hard from the video. And maybe Johnny Mnemonic was worse than I remember, because that one was the real offender.
 
#29 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kilgore /forum/post/21884216


I agree. The wonky physics really affects the enjoyment factor for me.

Apparently, one person's wonky is another person's quaint...
 
#30 ·
I saw this post in another forum:


Theatre of Magic

This 1995 table is quite complex, with eight different illusions to master. Disappearing balls, magna-saves, and other tricks all add to the fun. It also contains a Mortal Kombat 3 cheat code as a well-known Easter egg.


Does anyone know this cheat code easter egg?



I also saw this list of upcoming tables. Quite a few from PHoF Williams and Gottlieb collections. But there's never been an HD Gottlieb version (only 480P for Xbox1 and Wii while 480i for PS2 and Gamecube). But I don't really like Gottlieb tables anyway.


Taken from various sources, from a post (I take no credit and who knows if this is complete as it's from people collating various articles):
  • Bride of Pin*Bot
  • Cirqus Voltaire
  • Monster Bash
  • Attack from Mars
  • Dr. Dude
  • Earthshaker
  • Creature from the Black Lagoon
  • Elvira and the Party Monsters


previously in The Williams Collection:
  • Medieval Madness
  • Funhouse
  • Black Knight
  • Space Shuttle
  • Pin•bot
  • TAXI


previously in The Gottlieb Collection:
  • Big Shot
 
#32 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Thebarnman /forum/post/21884317


All the odd movements of the ball happens with real pinball. I believe what's happening is it's accounting for the spinning of the ball...that is why it goes in directions not expected...that happens in real pinball too.

Only on crappy, unmaintained tables...and even then, they don't disobey the laws of gravity.
 
#33 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kilgore /forum/post/21888336


Yes...some people like when a nearly trapped ball suddenly rolls up the flipper ...

I'm glad someone else saw that...
 
#35 ·
At risk of beating a dead horse... I think the physics issue is just a perception issue. On a real table if the slope of the table is fairly low when the flippers are "up" they are just barely beyond level. So a ball can most certainly "roll up" the flipper because it's not really that much "up". It's like the tilted house illusion. Oriented to the plane of the table, they are up, but oriented to the floor (that you can't see through the table) they are slightly above level.


If you watch a master play pinball (disclaimer: I am not a master) then you can see they frequently pop the flipper out at the exact moment the ball hits it and then let go so as to cushion the ball and grab it. You can see this move many times on the Vimeo links I posted above. Pinball Arcade is probably the only virtual pinball where this move is doable. I know that one move doesn't mean the physics are 100% better in every way, but it's a small example of why "real" pinball fans like the physics and "virtual" pinball fans are saying it's (ironically) "not realistic".


I just spent about an hour playing it today, and the ball never did anything that seemed to defy physics (that did not involve an electro-magnet). But I absolutely agree 100% that trapping the ball is harder than it is in Pinball FX2. But trapping the ball on a real table is also harder than FX2 (unless slope is cranked up).
 
#36 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by onlysublime /forum/post/21887388


I saw this post in another forum:


Theatre of Magic

This 1995 table is quite complex, with eight different illusions to master. Disappearing balls, magna-saves, and other tricks all add to the fun. It also contains a Mortal Kombat 3 cheat code as a well-known Easter egg.


Does anyone know this cheat code easter egg?

Very cool... never heard of that... so I did some research.


Wikipedia has something on it under "Trivia":
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theatre_of_Magic

Quote:
Originally Posted by Wikipedia /forum/post/0


The machine features one of the many Mortal Kombat 3 and Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 cheat codes. It is enabled by holding the right flipper button at the start of a game. Then spelling "T-H-E-A-T-R-E" reveals the symbols.

Then I found a YouTube video that confirms it, though he doesn't go so far as to spell T-H-E-A-T-R-E so I still haven't seen the actual cheat code:




My assumption is it just tells you a code on the screen that you can use on MK3. So probably not all that useful...


I have this game on my iPhone... and I just got it to work! I first tried holding the right side of the screen when I pressed start, but it wouldn't push... but then I pressed start, and then immediately held down on the right side of the screen a voila! I'll try it on my Xbox next time I'm on it.


 
#37 ·
Alright finally got around to really playing The Pinball Arcade version of Tales of the Arabian Nights. Here's some 720P gameplay:


start of gameplay: 0:26


And for comparison to the original Pinball Hall of Fame version:





Some notes... I no longer had the raw footage for the Pinball Hall of Fame version so I was working from the MP4 version. So to be fair, I used the MP4 version of The Pinball Arcade version. I record for fun and to have a living gaming history (kind of a like a picture album that I can look back on years from now). So as a result, I don't get paid for it and I'm not going to do multiple takes to get it right or to try to show off or get a high score. So you'll notice that the camera angles don't match and I didn't make an effort to get them to match (because I just want to play the games).


Also, Youtube's transcoder really compressed the heck out of the videos. But even through that, I don't know how anyone can say that PHoF looks the same as PA. The lighting is much more impressive (there's actually bloom instead of flat shading). It's also a sharper game than PHoF. Also note that PA and PHoF are 60 fps games but Youtube caps videos at 30 fps so you're losing smoothness of animation and speed.
 
#38 ·
I've been playing the arabian nights table, and it just doesn't have a good feel, and seems to be missing some gameplay polish.

Most obviously, the lamp spins around way too much on mediocre ball hits. It just doesn't do that in real life.

There have been times my ball goes through the flipper. This happens when I perform a late hit with one flipper barely tipping it to the other side, and the ball and other flipper are both travelling fast enough that it doesn't register a collision between the two.

It often gets trapped in the plastic spiral of the genie ramp, I have to nudge it out of position; this doesn't happen in the real table in my experience, it just drops onto the table if there isn't enough force.


The graphics are all there, but gameplay is king and I feel it's lacking in this version.
 
#39 ·
I did confirm that holding right flipper when starting Theatre of Magic on Xbox does in fact enable the MK3 codes. However, it seems kind of random when it actually gives you a symbol. It’s not when you actually spell T-H-E-A-T-R-E. It seems to occasionally decide to give you one each time you light a letter. I have not played MK3 in so long that I don’t even understand what the “symbols” are telling me. LOL But I still think it’s cool that this Easter egg made its way into this version (which makes sense since the original ROMs were used).
 
#40 ·
From all I'm reading, it seems there needs to be work done to polish up the game. The fact this game is "on-line," I'm sure there could be updates to fix related problems.


Good thing this is being talked about before multiplayer arrives.



I've got my fingers crossed there can be two choices of multiplayer. One where one plays then the other player plays (like as in a real game.) While the other player is playing, the other can see how the ball is moving around like their watching the game.


And of course a multiplayer setup like they have in FX. Where both (or more) play at the same time.
 
#41 ·
Just purchased this based on the fact that I used to play theatre of magic back in the day and cannot believe how good of a job they did copying the original. Funny thing is I played theatre of magic back in 1999 when I was going to high school in Barcelona. Holy hell playing this now brought back some FRUSTRATING memories of trying to get that ball to magnetize against the trunk. Is it just me or does it seem that you score WAY more points in this xbla version then the real deal?
 
#42 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by ahartig /forum/post/21905029


Is it just me or does it seem that you score WAY more points in this xbla version then the real deal?

That may be so. I noticed playing "Black Hole" seems much faster with more action than some recent games I've played on it in the last couple years...and I'm talking about "Black Hole" games that have been kept in good shape.


I remember playing "Black Hole" when it first came out, however it's been way too long to remember if the game was really that fast or not.
 
#43 ·
I'm playing on iPad3, the initial release looked ok. The first update completely broke the app. The second update just got approved and now it looks fantastic.


So looks like some bumps in the road launching this on so many platforms but they do seem to be headed in the right direction.


So far I bought Black Hole (Gottlieb), Bride of Pinbot (Williams), Medieval Madness (Williams)
 
#44 ·
I can't understand all the love for Pinball FX. After playing William's Pinball Hall of Fame, FX seemed like a complete joke. HoF gave me classics that I played again and again for hundreds upon hundreds of hours in my youth; the details, gameplay, and physics of each and every table were 100% spot-on...including some of the wonky things that would/could happen on those tables from time to time.


FX, on the other hand, offered me absolutely nothing realistic at all, in any way whatsoever. Poorly designed tables, horrible physics, waaaaaaayyy too steep of a slope, etc. I always appreciate any attempt to (re)introduce pinball to the console crowd, but FX failed in so many ways. Don't get me wrong, the tables can definitely be fun, but to say that they represent anything near realistic is positively absurd.


It appears that Pinball Arcade is far more like HoF than FX. That's a GREAT thing, imo.
 
#45 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by spyder696969 /forum/post/21940614


I can't understand all the love for Pinball FX. After playing William's Pinball Hall of Fame, FX seemed like a complete joke.

I don't think FX2 is a "complete joke", but I understand what you are saying - if realism and licensed tables is your thing, then Hall of Fame and Pinball Arcade is the only choice. I think FX2 wins with interface and leaderboard support (very important!), plus it has plenty of fun and outrageous tables.


So that's the divide - FX2 is video pinball; it concentrates on doing crazy things that couldn't happen in real life. OTOH The Pinball Arcade tries to accurately simulate the real tables as close to possible. The thing that's tricky with PA is the "uncanny valley"; the closer it gets to real pinball, if something is slightly off, it feels very wrong to some people. If FX2 gets something off, many people will give it a pass because it doesn't feel like real life.


The good thing is - we get a choice as to which approach we prefer.
I like 'em both, but would lean stronger on Pinball Arcade if it had better leaderboard/score chasing support and a slicker interface to draw me in.


Changing subject - great news from the dev on Facebook (EDIT pics are for reference and not from Pinball Arcade):

"We are very excited to announce that the next two Pinball Arcade downloadable tables will be Cirqus Voltaire and Funhouse!




Cirqus Voltaire was designed by John Popadiuk and released under the Bally label in 1997. It features a dot-matrix display mounted in the playfield, a pop bumper which rises during gameplay, and a moving Ringmaster head. This table makes nearly everyone’s top-10 list of the best pinball tables of all time!




Funhouse was designed by Pat Lawlor and released by Williams in 1990. This is an iconic table featuring a talking animatronic head named Rudy who responds in real-time to game events, including taunting the payer and following the ball with its eyes. Funhouse was featured in FarSight’s Pinball Hall of Fame several years ago, but this version is all-new and uses our ROM-emulation technology instead of the scripted rules simulation we used previously.


Both of these tables will begin appearing on Pinball Arcade platforms in May!"
 
#46 ·
I HATE that little b*stard Rudy in Funhouse...


I much prefer Pinball Arcade to FX. It's not even close. I don't think FX simulates real pinball even as well as Hall of Fame did, and PA seems to be a big improvement on HoF.

Black Hole is a terrible table though. Not sure what people see in it.


I always gravitated towards the Williams tables growing up in the arcades in the mid to late 80s/early 90s. Fingers crossed for Taxi, PinBot...maybe even FIRE! would be sweet.
 
#47 ·
took me a bit to realize that these pics aren't from the 360 version.


ahhh, Funhouse was actually one of my favorite tables in PHOF. loved making the guy eat the ball. But I don't know about buying it again right away.


Are they selling tables individually? Or only in packages? I'll probably end up getting Funhouse again anyway.



The only other PHOF table I really really love and can't wait for is Whirlwind. That was one of my favorites of my youth and I loved it in PHOF as well.
 
#48 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by onlysublime /forum/post/21941253


took me a bit to realize that these pics aren't from the 360 version.


ahhh, Funhouse was actually one of my favorite tables in PHOF. loved making the guy eat the ball. But I don't know about buying it again right away.


Are they selling tables individually? Or only in packages? I'll probably end up getting Funhouse again anyway.



The only other PHOF table I really really love and can't wait for is Whirlwind. That was one of my favorites of my youth and I loved it in PHOF as well.

Sorry about that - I just googled the pinball tables and put pics for reference. Those aren't from the game - I'll edit the post to reflect that, thanks.


Funhouse was also my favorite from Hall of Fame. I got sooooo addicted to that table.
 
#49 ·
Medieval Madness was my fave by a mile. Soooooo much to do on that table and it was insanely more difficult than any of the others...at least in terms of getting EVERYTHING accomplished in a single game.


After that, it's Funhouse. Hated Whirlwind. Gorgar was infuriating. Taxi was a cakewalk. Black Knight was boring. Space Shuttle and Firestorm were both pretty bland. Never liked Tales of Arabian Nights layout much. That Gopher game was fun, but too crowded. Any others I forgot?
 
#50 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by spyder696969 /forum/post/21941672

Medieval Madness was my fave by a mile. Soooooo much to do on that table and it was insanely more difficult than any of the others...at least in terms of getting EVERYTHING accomplished in a single game.


After that, it's Funhouse. Hated Whirlwind.

how can you hate Whirlwind??? that spinning platform that would change the trajectory of the ball... the guy saying ominously, "the storm is coming..." The fan blowing in your face from above the pinball machine (the real machine, that is).


though Medieval Madness is awesome, with the shaking tower, cool graphics, etc.
 
#51 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by onlysublime /forum/post/21942177


how can you hate Whirlwind??? that spinning platform that would change the trajectory of the ball... the guy saying ominously, "the storm is coming..." The fan blowing in your face from above the pinball machine (the real machine, that is).


though Medieval Madness is awesome, with the shaking tower, cool graphics, etc.

The fan was pretty cool...pretty funny to watch some kid's face when he was watching me play and got blasted by a shot of air upside the head. However, I'm not a fan of things that randomly change the trajectory of a ball that way. I prefer skill to luck in all things.


Since I've beaten every one of the these machines on actual tables, I can easily say that Medieval Madness was, without a doubt, the biggest ***** to complete ALL tasks on. That last damn castle took far too many hits to destroy...and those f'ing Trolls were ball-killing a-holes at times. Sometimes, I still randomly hear "I am the Duke of Burbon!...I think..." in my head for no reason.
I probably spent a good hundred hours or more trying to complete "Battle for the Kingdom." (Each game taking upwards of a full hour to complete...the one where I actually did it, they timed me at 1 hour, 39 minutes. That's 50 cents worth, for sure!
)


I'll never be able to do it on HoF though. An emulator can never compare to the tactile repsonse of the cabinet and environment to the movements of my body...though I'd still find myself leaning back and forth and side-to-side while playing on Xbox.
 
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