(Topic ID: 68378)

Pinball Arcade -- Game Selection Process ???

By mof

10 years ago


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  • 61 posts
  • 27 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 10 years ago by spideynhb
  • Topic is favorited by 4 Pinsiders

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There are 61 posts in this topic. You are on page 1 of 2.
#1 10 years ago

I am wondering what their "next game" selection process is. How in the world did they decide on Victory and Class of 1812?

I just counted 39 games total so far in Pinball Arcade. Usually I am impressed with their new game selection. I just got their new 2-pack, and played Victory and Class of 1812, and I'm... to be polite about it... "beyond perplexed" as to why they would choose either of these two titles given the 100+ titles that are more popular per the Pinside Top-100 and ipdb ratings. I won't name all 100 titles, but... Fathom, Tron, The Shadow, Lotr, Getaway, High Speed, among MANY others would be FARRR more relevant and appreciated than these two.

???
-mof

#2 10 years ago

It's amazing that the last four tables have sucked so hard......

#3 10 years ago
Quoted from tamoore:

It's amazing that the last four tables have sucked so hard......

What were the last two, I can't remember being excited since T2...
-mof

#4 10 years ago

Haunted House and Tee'd Off.

#5 10 years ago

Have they done any games yet that have more than two buttons? Just thinking about the phurba diverters in The Shadow.

I do think it's odd that the only Stern title is Ripley's.

#6 10 years ago
Quoted from Gov:

Haunted House and Tee'd Off.

That's right, thanks... I was happy to get to play HH (a top 100 game)... Not my cup of tea, but was glad to get a chance to learn about it. Tee'd off I played for 30 minutes and completely forgot about it.

-mof

#7 10 years ago
Quoted from Aurich:

Have they done any games yet that have more than two buttons? Just thinking about the phurba diverters in The Shadow.
I do think it's odd that the only Stern title is Ripley's.

HARLEY DAVIDSON, BABY!!!!

There's a real turd...

#8 10 years ago

1) In their packs, they've been including one "new" table and one "rerun" from their old Pinball Hall of Fame releases. Victory was in the Gottleib Hall of Fame. Presumably it is easier to port the game they already coded for a previous game; they also own the physical game already, which they need to create the digital versions

2) Many licensed themes (such as LOTR, TSSP, etc.) cost more to do, and in the past they've run Kickstarters for the pricier ones (T2, STTNG, TZ)

3) They don't have the SAM system emulated yet

4) There may be licensing issues in terms of renewing their B/W license. I believe they initially had a limited number of games on that license, but unlimited Gottleibs. I assume they will renew that license but for now they seem to be burning through Gottleibs. That would explain Class of 1812, which believe it or not was one of the highest vote-getters in a recent Gottleib poll on the Pinball Arcade Fans site. Mostly because "unlicensed SS Gottleibs" is a thin list overall

I would love to see AF, LOTR, TSSP, etc. too, but there is a method to their madness.

#9 10 years ago

I'm hearing potentially Addams Family is next. I'm HOPING for Indiana Jones but that will definitely need a Kickstarter from the license cost alone, probably for Addams family too.

#10 10 years ago

Ah ok, that shines new light on the situation for me, I appreciate it. I will stop throwing poo at the wall now.
-mof

#11 10 years ago
Quoted from Wolfanoz:

I'm hearing potentially Addams Family is next.

LOL. It would take a kickstarter from hell to make this one happen, I bet.

#12 10 years ago

Apparently AF is going to be even tougher than the rest since they are having trouble even getting a quote for a license, let alone raising the money. Speculation is that Raul Julia's estate is the hold-up but that is just speculation, they're not offering any details.

#13 10 years ago

There are still a lot of great B/W games left that would be fun to have. The Shadow, I500, Fish Tales, Road Show, etc. I would love to see Stargate, but I doubt that will happen due to rights. What I would really love to see is a bunch of the Gottlieb Wedgeheads converted, but I hear they do not like doing the EM's because they have to be programed instead of just using a rom for emulation.

#14 10 years ago

If you haven't seen the recent polls done on Pinball Arcade Fans, they're a good read:
http://pinballarcadefans.com/content.php/320-PAF-Top-Ten-Most-Wanted-Table-Poll-Series-THE-RESULTS-ARE-IN!!!

The biggest clue to future tables, beyond what got the most votes, is that you can see which tables are considered "light" licenses that they can do without kickstarters (like previous TPA titles such as RBION, MB, CFTBL, HD). Apparently this includes WCS, JD, BSD, TFTC, RCT, Monopoly, Rocky & Bullwinkle, SF2.

#15 10 years ago

As best I can tell, the least likely pins to ever make the Pinball Arcade are those with license issues which are also not extremely popular, like say, Barb Wire, Freddy, or Rollergames.

#16 10 years ago
Quoted from westofrome:

The biggest clue to future tables, beyond what got the most votes, is that you can see which tables are considered "light" licenses that they can do without kickstarters (like previous TPA titles such as RBION, MB, CFTBL, HD).

This is why when people say PPS wouldn't remake MB because of the licensing costs I simply don't believe it.

#18 10 years ago
Quoted from westofrome:

Speculation is that Raul Julia's estate is the hold-up but that is just speculation, they're not offering any details.

I remember reading somewhere that after Raul Julia passed away the family put the kibosh on any and all future licensing. May never happen.

#19 10 years ago

It's possible that based on their numbers these are light months in terms of sales. The plan might be to bring out more popular tables when people are inside playing games more often. I'm sure that they have a 3-5 year runway already planned out, so there's bound to be quite a bit of filler.

It'll be interesting to see where they go after they've exhausted all of the good tables though...they've built a huge multi-platform service, so I'd assume that they'll start building their own at some point? Or try and partner with JJP, Stern and some other boutique guys to bring out new tables along side the real ones?

#20 10 years ago
Quoted from Aurich:

This is why when people say PPS wouldn't remake MB because of the licensing costs I simply don't believe it.

Excellent point. I was one who thought MB might be difficult to pull off but I had forgotten about pinball arcade doing it.

Easily on the table imo.

#21 10 years ago

I wouldn't expect stern to license its current/modern titles like LOTR, Monopoly, etc. Well any game that they could fire up the assembly line and churn out with ease i mean. Why compete with themselves?

#22 10 years ago
Quoted from Rickwh:

I wouldn't expect stern to license its current/modern titles like LOTR, Monopoly, etc. Well any game that they could fire up the assembly line and churn out with ease i mean. Why compete with themselves?

Because it's not competing at all, it's advertising. No one here thinks playing on a console or iPad is anything remotely like the real thing, it's just a fun way to scratch an itch when you're not near a real pin. Play Tron on it, get hooked, want the real thing. Build enough demand and Stern does a run. It would be smart, which is why they won't do it!

#23 10 years ago
Quoted from Aurich:

Because it's not competing at all, it's advertising. No one here thinks playing on a console or iPad is anything remotely like the real thing, it's just a fun way to scratch an itch when you're not near a real pin. Play Tron on it, get hooked, want the real thing. Build enough demand and Stern does a run. It would be smart, which is why they won't do it!

That is a good point. Never considered that POV.

#24 10 years ago

I think Stern would be open to TPA doing any of their games - the biggest issue is that most of their games carry very expensive licenses. The other issue is that the SAM system has not been emulated yet - but I bet a factor in that is that anything other than maybe BBH and WPT would require a huge kickstarter.

That said, I wouldn't be surprised to see LOTR and TSPP kickstarted soon. I think they would be successful.

#25 10 years ago

SAM has been emulated for the better part of a decade, actually.

#26 10 years ago
Quoted from tamoore:

SAM has been emulated for the better part of a decade, actually.

True; SAM has not been emulated by Farsight to a level that works to their standards.

#27 10 years ago
Quoted from westofrome:

True; SAM has not been emulated by Farsight to a level that works to their standards.

And that's a pretty low bar, folks....

#29 10 years ago

I appreciate that you conduct interviews. Very cool. I listened to the entire thing. I didn't hear anything about game selection process. Did I miss something?
-mof

#30 10 years ago

Not specifically. Just seeing as how some of the above posts were talking about SAM, and in the interview Bobby talked about how those won't be coming anytime soon since the mobile platforms can't handle the processing for it yet.

I do know that in talking with Bobby, those in control of the Bally/Williams license have gently nudged FarSight in some of their choices, that they didn't want to front load the DLC with all AAA titles and then not have anything people want a few years later. Instead spread it out a bit, keep the interest going. Also some of the selection simply comes down to being able to find a table that is working, in decent shape, and for sale at a good price.

#31 10 years ago
Quoted from tamoore:

It's amazing that the last four tables have sucked so hard......

Haunted House doesn't suck at all. Classic table...the 1959 Cadillac of Pinball tables!

#32 10 years ago
Quoted from Part_3:

Haunted House doesn't suck at all. Classic table...the 1959 Cadillac of Pinball tables!

It would have been cool if it...,you know..... Played like a Haunted House......

It plays like it has cannons for flippers, and hand-grenades for pop bumpers....

#33 10 years ago

A few things...

They have to physically have access to a table to reproduce it. That's why some duds (VICTORY) are mixed in. Someone had a Victory when they were culling Gottliebs.

They're porting over most of the 'old' games (VICTORY), and there are only a few left, so that should free up spots for 'all new' games.

EM's are hard to do because they have to create the software from the ground up, they can't just move the ROM over. Not that the demand is huge anyway.

Not sure how they landed Goin' Nuts so early, but still don't have access to a bunch of other games...

#34 10 years ago
Quoted from tamoore:

It would have been cool if it...,you know..... Played like a Haunted House......
It plays like it has cannons for flippers, and hand-grenades for pop bumpers....

You've been playing some old, dilapidated HH pins!

#35 10 years ago

They don't have to physically have access to a table to reproduce it, actually. They might like to, but they don't have to. Hundreds of high quality video pinball tables have been created without access to the original machines....

#36 10 years ago
Quoted from tamoore:

They don't have to physically have access to a table to reproduce it, actually. They might like to, but they don't have to. Hundreds of high quality video pinball tables have been created without access to the original machines....

But they do.....for authenticity.

#37 10 years ago
Quoted from Part_3:

You've been playing some old, dilapidated HH pins!

Have you ever played a real one?

#38 10 years ago
Quoted from Part_3:

But they do.....for authenticity.

As shown in Central Park and Haunted House. Total authenticity!

#39 10 years ago
Quoted from tamoore:

Have you ever played a real one?

Recently....this spring.

#40 10 years ago
Quoted from tamoore:

As shown in Central Park and Haunted House. Total authenticity!

Scanning the parts? Yup.

#41 10 years ago
Quoted from Aurich:

Have they done any games yet that have more than two buttons? Just thinking about the phurba diverters in The Shadow.
I do think it's odd that the only Stern title is Ripley's.

The only Stern with finished code?

#42 10 years ago

I hope they make AC/DC for pinball arcade!

#43 10 years ago
Quoted from Nilroc:

The only Stern withe finished code?

LOL!

T3 is finished.

Elvis too?

Aren't all Ritchie game pretty much finished?

#44 10 years ago

I really enjoy HH and I'm having a lot of fun with 1812. I think TPA is really well done. Nothing beats the real thing but it is great to have all these tables on my iPad to play anytime I want anywhere I want.

Chris and Jeff- keep up the great work on the TP forums. Great stuff.

3 weeks later
#45 10 years ago

Ouch -- they did it *again* -- more reused Gottlieb titles.
I played each title once, and don't think I'll launch either title again.
I'm starting to question why I bought the year-pack. I would love a refund for the last 4 Gottlieb games.
-mof

#46 10 years ago

Season 2 has definitely been a let down other than T2. I'm tired of all these lame Gottliebs machines. I have the new version released today but I won't be buying these tables. I hope they have a better selection next year.

#47 10 years ago

Someone help with the latest hint...

85251c4e7732f319629ec0061d63792c.jpg85251c4e7732f319629ec0061d63792c.jpg
#48 10 years ago

Fathom fathom fathom fathom fathom fathom fathom fathom fathom fathom fathom

#49 10 years ago
Quoted from Aurich:

Because it's not competing at all, it's advertising. No one here thinks playing on a console or iPad is anything remotely like the real thing, it's just a fun way to scratch an itch when you're not near a real pin. Play Tron on it, get hooked, want the real thing. Build enough demand and Stern does a run. It would be smart, which is why they won't do it!

this worked for me. TPA is *WHY* I own STTNG and Black Hole. If Stern doesn't want their games in TPA for this reason, they're making a huge mistake.

#50 10 years ago
Quoted from westofrome:

True; SAM has not been emulated by Farsight to a level that works to their standards.

more like runs at level that works good on phones also the rom size ranges from about 20 meg zipped to 100 meg zipped if that needs to be loaded in to ram and most phones / tablets max out at about 2GB ram.

IOS hardware only has like 512-1GB ram MAX.

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