Announcement: Visual Pinball 9.0

Phoenixx

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Nanotech has sent me a brandnew VP9 executable, which will be incorporated in the Visual Install Pack shortly. I still hope to combine the update with the new release of VPM, but since i dont know when it will be ready i might be compiling an 'intermediate' VIP build to get the new VP out as fast as possible. Maybe this weekend.


More VP Updates by Nanotech to come.

VP 9.0 ReleaseNotes: >CLICK ME<
 
You might want to hold off on that Phoenixx - it needs a few more fixes.
 
Well, they asked me to update.

What fixes does it need and why?

Or are you are talking about the new VPM?
 
Well, they asked me to update.

What fixes does it need and why?

Or are you are talking about the new VPM?

No overlapping reels, also reels and decals are not usable by default, for instance My original Street Fighter locks it up in an instant, it uses overlapping reels and decals. Perhaps VP beta 9 may have been a better designation? Either way no table I've tried with VP9 has worked at all, they all lock up?

Sempron 3100+ (1.8Ghz) single core, 1GB ddr400, 256MB 6800GS, XP SP3...1600x1200 20.1 inch Samsung LCD. ForceWare 175.16
 
Thanks for the info Steve, that doesnt sound too good in deed.

I didnt try it myself yet, (i found it in my inbox this morning and thought i write a quick announcement before i have to leave), but i will look into it and try to clarify that with NanoTech. In the worst case, meaning if the new exe is really still too unreliable for it to be the main program, i will include the new one as a second option and have the installer create two shortcuts on the desktop. Then a user can try both versions and decide for whichever they need or prefer.

(Besides, it is always good to have some sort of alternative anyway, so keeping the 8 version in the pack for people who have really bad problems with VP9 might be a good idea anyway. I will however replace the version thats in the VIP now with the NanoTech version of VP8 to ensure PinballWizard support.)


I suppose running a table alternately in VP9 and VP8 doesnt lead to any problems?
 
On second thought, two VP exes could be a bit of a dilemma. Because the file association, (and consequently the ability to start tables by doubleclicking a .vpt file), works only with one specific executable. That means either VP8 or VP9 has to be the 'main-executable' which starts when a .vpt is being doubleclicked and/or when a context-menu option is being used.

I hate stuff like that,...it makes things complicated and i hate complicated.

But i will think of something,...
 
VP9!? And Nanotech has involved
in it!? That sounds awesome. :D :thumleft:
 
No overlapping reels, also reels and decals are not usable by default, for instance My original Street Fighter locks it up in an instant, it uses overlapping reels and decals. Perhaps VP beta 9 may have been a better designation? Either way no table I've tried with VP9 has worked at all, they all lock up?

Sempron 3100+ (1.8Ghz) single core, 1GB ddr400, 256MB 6800GS, XP SP3...1600x1200 20.1 inch Samsung LCD. ForceWare 175.16

StevOz - fix your flippers. There are new values for rubber offset height and rubber width - that's why your tables all seem to crash on you. The default offset height is 8, and default width is 34.
Your bumpers are set to a side color of RGB 0/0/0 which isn't supported in vp9 - it will reset the RGB values to 7/7/7. If you want the bumper side to be invisible, there is a checkbox for the bumper to select which is "Side Visible" - when unchecked it does the same thing as your 0/0/0 does.

The overlay transparent emreels of vp8 and colored slingshots will be in an upcoming release. (Not the next one)
The next release already has emreels and decals on by default as you requested. A new vp table doesn't exit vp when quit. Light objects set to blink work again. I had compiled the first vp9 with an older copy of the source code and didn't notice the light blinking bug that we had fixed earlier, so I apologize for the confusion.

Here is a screenshot of your table running in it with the above changes. The EMReels will look better when we're done I'm sure. quality reduced to fit in size limit here.
 

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Good to see that the geniuses of VP/VPM are already hunting the bugs.

As Mrmachine used to say in his avatar in VPF, "Thank you Destruk!":appl:
 
Wrong Mr. there. It was Mrhide.

And to anyone who cares, I'm back.

The McD
 
Good to see ya the hell back McD! :)
 
Sounds awesome, but what about issues with Intel's onboard video chipsets? Wiil this new VP be compatible or fix certain issues with that?
 
There is a checkbox to use hardware renderer. If that is unchecked, it should work ok with intel's video and smaller video cards, at a sacrifice of some speed. The selection boxes going over is on the checklist to do.
 
I've read that VP 9 is not backwards-compatible with all the older tables. Will that be the case, or will there be a fix for that in future updates?
 
I've read that VP 9 is not backwards-compatible with all the older tables. Will that be the case, or will there be a fix for that in future updates?

Is there a list of tables that aren't backwards-compatible...and what things are preventing them to be?
 
Is there a list of tables that aren't backwards-compatible...and what things are preventing them to be?
The balls need more room on the side and up.

That will mess up some tables.
 
All tables will not work without considerable modification, not just wall/flipper/elasticity settings, also the source graphics and such will need considered adjustments as well, better off to start from scratch if you chose to build using the VP9 engine, I've yet to see any advantages with it whatsoever, unless you're going for a vertical cabinet build and then again VP6.1 may very well be a better bet.
 
So...is there a chance to use VP8 settings as an option in the EXE file.....just like there's VP/Ultracade physics option?
 
StevOz - if you consider the few changes I posted for your Street Fighter 3/4 table to be considerable, then you are correct. The bumper sides, and flipper settings, and backdrop checkbox changes I made to that table took all of 1 whole minute to do and it runs fine here now. Of course you do have some options to make the games much better with scatter angle, oblique correction, more physics options, more versatility in table design, moving ramps, collidable walls, etc. The monopoly spinner type can be recreated with ease by turning off supports, ramp transparency, top down transparency,... to say there is absolutely no benefit isn't fair.
 
Well I just looked at the screen shot and thought that looks really shit, the side wall images for the spot targets were noticeably degraded, the centre decal likewise and what's with those black side shadows on various walls including drop targets, come on?
 
StevOz - it's your attention to detail that really helps. I'll pass that information on to the graphics renderer guys and see if those can be corrected. Windowed mode doesn't work very well either.
DWallN, DWallA, and DWallD don't render the side image at all - that's a bit trickier to deal with as you'd have to set those walls to not be collidable, and change the script to match. Then rotate them -2 degrees so the side image shows and add invisible collidable walls for the hit events right now. So at first what appeared simple, has indeed become more complex, and I didn't realize that at first. Still, it's nothing that absolutely can't be worked out.
 
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