Grumbling at the ProPinball Forum

I have already voiced my anxiety over the delay of Timeshock and the lack of communication from the ProPinball developer team. Then it started at the VIP forum

Feb 20th

Wasn't the alpha due just before/after Xmas - minus the physics update?

Then, Feb 25th

I am sure they are doing a great job when it comes to programming, developing and bringing us the best pin-ball simulation ever. But actually I am not THAT sure anymore, not even a single video for VIP:s, no back stage photos, no weekly updates, no guesstimated timeframe (1 month, three? five more? a year?).

VIP pledgers were promised developer diaries. No such diaries are to be found here. Developer diaries sounds like you would get daily micro updates of whats going on, but we got none at all. Then when a lot of people are curious and kindly are begging for at least quick weekly updates, they will not even provide that. It is quite arrogant actually.

I guess I still think they will create the most awesome video pinball, It just that the project doesn't seem that fun to be part of anymore. 

It's a Kickstarter project, they should keep their pledgers in the loop. 

and three more of similar content

Feb 26th

Is anyone of the Pro-Pinball crew reading this thread? Why is there no comment? What have we paid for? If there is nothing to test, we still have a right on information!

Then, at long last, on Feb 27th a reply by Adrian Barritt

Humble apologies for the recent silence everyone, we've had our heads down working on the Alpha. We hear what you're saying about not getting enough info, and Adrian Page, who's spearheading the new technology, will be posting weekly updates in this section going forwards. I will also be posting a major Kickstarter update either today or tomorrow.

Sorry once again, I promise we'll do better going forwards.

Let us see how this works out 

P.S. The VIP forum and Kickstarter page have been updated. Given the report of Adrian Page it is clear that work is progressing at top speed. Simply, the initial time estimate was overly optimistic.

A new Zen pinball table

Let me state from the outset that I do not like the tables of Zen Studio. Too many moving things distract from the pure simulation. One does not have the feeling of playing a pinball but rather a video game which incidentally has a ball moving around, a ball one hits with flippers. Of course this is a question of taste and other people may very well think differently. I must also point out that the physics of the Zen pinballs is not bad (not tops, but acceptable) and the graphics are excellent. Still, for me, the game play is uninteresting.

So I am not going to buy the new, football themed, table, all the more so since I do not like football at all (but one never knows, I might change my mind one day, about buying the table, not about footbal). The new table is called Super League-Zen Studios F.C. 

If anybody has played this game it would be interesting to have their impressions in the comments.

Farsight plods onwards

The new, season three, table of Farsight arrived to Pinball Arcade. As per the new practices this pinball offers a single table at the same price which bought you a pair of tables in seasons one and two.  (I wonder why aren't people yelling at Farsight, but then this probably goes with the passivity which characterises the modern times).

 Anyhow, the new table is Black Night 2000

As my friend Doc/Nick has predicted I did not like it. As always I cannot understand why the Farsight people do not abandon the silver, reflecting, ball. The game (like most Farsight pinballs) is totally unplayable with it. Fortunately this can be somewhat improved using the white ball, as you can judge from the screenshot below

Nick suggests using a green ball, which makes sense, given that there are no green hues on the table. You can try both white and green and settle for the one that suits you better.

Progress report on Timeshock (ter)

Ade (Adrian Barritt) has posted some more renders, this time of drop targets

"while they are pulling the first playable version together". Their renders (not only the ones of the drop targets but all the previous ones also) look gorgeous. I just hope the game is not a guzzler of graphical resources (but then I trust the Pro Pinball team to tweak the game so that it plays nicely on all platforms).

I cross my fingers for a first, alpha, version soon.