Those are the great news. Timeshock did arrive today. Admittedly this is just the alpha version but it is perfectly playable and far better than most of commercial pinballs out there.
Of course, being an alpha version, Timeshock lacks the polish of a final product. Some parts are even simply missing but this does not influence the gameplay in the least.
The pros. I find the physics great. But then, the alpha version uses the same physics as the original Timeshock. Also the game is perfectly balanced not too slow, not too rapid. The flippers are excellent, very precise and conveying a nice feeling.
The cons now. I find the table too orangy to my taste. Also the blinking lights are too strong of a distraction. Perhaps in the final version there will be a possibility to subdue them a bit. The multiball is a little bit jerky on my iMac, but after all this is just the first alpha. Also, to be fair, I must say that I do not like the ball. It is clearly visible at all times (or perhaps I have been conditioned by hours of play with the pinballs I am usually criticising for their ball). Still, the separation between the upper, non reflecting, part and the lower, reflecting, one makes for a bizarre sensation of levitating ball which spoils the gameplay a little bit.
All in all, I did enjoy playing with the new Timeshock and as soon as somebody posts a screen movie I will link to it so that you can get an idea of what I am talking about.
PS. After I have finished writing the report above I decided to go back to the forum entry and read the instructions. (Yes, I know, I should have done this before embarking upon playing). And, surprisingly, the light-adjustment sliders exist already in the alpha! You can make the table less orangy and the blinking lights less harsh. The guys of the ProPinball team are really the Numero Uno in the digital pinball world.
PS2. As expected there are videos of the new Timeshock in action now. Here are two links
A 90° rotated (landscape) video
and
A multiball game
Of course, being an alpha version, Timeshock lacks the polish of a final product. Some parts are even simply missing but this does not influence the gameplay in the least.
The pros. I find the physics great. But then, the alpha version uses the same physics as the original Timeshock. Also the game is perfectly balanced not too slow, not too rapid. The flippers are excellent, very precise and conveying a nice feeling.
The cons now. I find the table too orangy to my taste. Also the blinking lights are too strong of a distraction. Perhaps in the final version there will be a possibility to subdue them a bit. The multiball is a little bit jerky on my iMac, but after all this is just the first alpha. Also, to be fair, I must say that I do not like the ball. It is clearly visible at all times (or perhaps I have been conditioned by hours of play with the pinballs I am usually criticising for their ball). Still, the separation between the upper, non reflecting, part and the lower, reflecting, one makes for a bizarre sensation of levitating ball which spoils the gameplay a little bit.
All in all, I did enjoy playing with the new Timeshock and as soon as somebody posts a screen movie I will link to it so that you can get an idea of what I am talking about.
PS. After I have finished writing the report above I decided to go back to the forum entry and read the instructions. (Yes, I know, I should have done this before embarking upon playing). And, surprisingly, the light-adjustment sliders exist already in the alpha! You can make the table less orangy and the blinking lights less harsh. The guys of the ProPinball team are really the Numero Uno in the digital pinball world.
PS2. As expected there are videos of the new Timeshock in action now. Here are two links
A 90° rotated (landscape) video
and
A multiball game
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