Stern WIP BAM FizX FP Avatar (Stern, 2010) WIP

[NitroNimbus]

@JLou5641
"And bigus is far from talented"
I think this is a bit of an unfair comment, dedication and commitment are talents.
He has improved some tables, even if it is only 5% of his work, cheers!

 

[TerryRed]

@TerryRed Yes I am fully aware of Slamt1lts wishes about VPX and his table mod's, he has made it very clear.
But in all fairness he didn't created Jaws but only modded it. ROM is the author so his comment or bias has no foundation.
Certain this is not a question you need to ask of me, did Slamt1lt give you permission?
No......In FP you don't need permission, so in VPX neither do I.
I am also very aware of his tragic loss, I couldn't image life without my partner but life goes on. He has my deepest sympathy.
What makes me curios now is you would quote Slamt1lt VPX bias and mention his dead wife so I don't release a Jaws table?
Too be honest I was just messing with you to see how you would react to me stealing your ideas and adding them to VPX.
I got my answer, cheers!

No, you are the one reading WAY too much into my reply, and trying to stir up crap... again. This has nothing to do with your spam comments on my Jaws post... or your blatant misleading post in this site about a VPX version "Coming soon". I knew exactly what you were trying to do. Again... you "purposely" went out of your way to stir up crap only to try to piss off people (and mislead people).

I was legitimately replying to you about your reply in "this" topic, as many people don't know about SLAM's wishes (or his situation). Since you are the one who claimed you got permission on the VPX tables you released and posted (and it turns out Gorgar in part was sourced from SLAM's release).... I was letting you know, as I honestly didn't know if you knew or not.

In FP you don't need permission? Was this a declaration on your part about "all" FP content? Do you speak for all FP contributors and creators? The whole point (that most of the community in FP and VP understands) is to be courteous and at least "try" to honor the wishes of a creator and their uploads. If they made it clear what they wanted or didn't want, most of us honor that. If you think that it's ok to post a mod / release on VPU against another uploader's wishes.... well you don't know Dazz very well, or what VPU is all about. If it's not made clear by an uploader (and they are long gone from the scene)... then sure I think most people understand an upload of a mod at that point.

Did SLAM give me permission? Sure did. I corresponded with him about this very thing to be sure, and in great detail. He also makes it clear on all his U-Pro releases at the top of the table script, that his releases are free to mod without permission "for FP projects only". He was very specific. Everyone else (including VP authors) has up until now honored this. Most people, go back and use an earlier version of a table before he modded it as I said.

I also got permission from Rom, Steve, GLXB, and others. I at least "tried" to contact them first (and gave a lengthy amount of time for a reply). Luckily in my case they were able to respond. Not everyone will do that though, as some may be long gone from the hobby.

I mention in my PinEvent uploads (in my Disclaimer in the Install Instructions), they are free to mod. I do include SLAM's wishes in the table script to be sure others know about his wishes... since in some cases they are mods of his releases. That said, your post today just made me realize that someone may mod it for VP. I don't have an issue with my stuff being converted to VP... but... I thought it was important that SLAM's wishes be honored regarding his content.

I only mentioned SLAM's wife's passing, because as I said... he doesn't come on these sites... and many may not know why he's been so absent lately (many have been asking)... and therefor you most likely won't get a response from him if asking him permission. (again, I didn't know if you knew)

But nice try at trying to stir up even more crap again. It had nothing to do with your bs on my Jaws post. I was trying to inform you (and others) of the situation, as it was relevant in this case.

I'm direct and to the point. I don't play games, or post endless passive-aggressive comments or deal with useless "banter" just to piss off people. If I wanted that... I'd go to an Irish pub. (I'm Irish and I don't even drink) :)

 

[GeorgeH]

IK think you guys need to burry the hatchet and start fresh.

 

[TerryRed]

I have been in this hobby longer than you, if I need you to advise me of something I will ask.
You don't need to make me aware of anything. I do my research....
The, trying to stir up crap or same old crap line is getting old.
This is not not your thread, you decided to pipe in with thoughts on something that has no merit with this topic.
Yes I started banter on your Bigger Boat post but it was shut down, insulting God comments I think?
I got a warning!!! You asked for me to not comment again on your posts.
So why the fuck are you commenting on mine.
This is Avatar by @GeorgeH. So who is trying to stir crap now..... Do ya miss me!!!

I've been in this hobby since 2007. So if you've been in it since that long, then you should know better.

I've been "challenged" in this hobby at times... and by people with legitimate gripes... and we work it out, with respect. That is not what you do. You go out of your way to insult and belittle others. You offer a so-called compliment and "always" follow up with your usual belittling and insults. You've been told this over and over by numerous people now. We all see exactly what you try to do over and over again.

I know you're not used to people calling you out on your behavior, as you have taken advantage of the politeness of others to allow it to continue. Sites like this are not the place for it. Plenty of other social groups you can go on for this kind of stuff.

You say you are trying to do better. I hope so, but that starts with "you" and what you "don't" do. My crime was that I called you out right away for being a jerk towards me way back, unprovoked in my own download topic. You didn't like that I pointed it out, so you continued... and continued... and then carried it on to other sites and posts as well. "You" are the one choosing to do this. This is literally the first time I responded to you outside my own topics about this.

I was legitimately trying to help inform you, and it was relevant to this topic (not just your reply). Since you are so "well informed", then whatever you do is with clear intention and knowledge. I thought that also meant respecting the wishes of FP authors.

Fair enough. I'll leave you alone (as I have been)... but if you start spamming "other topics" with your usual passive-aggressive comments / insults directed towards me.... then that won't fly.

 

[NitroNimbus]

So yes!! I have been in this hobby longer than you.
Guesing I should, but don't know better.
No more spamming, no more comments.
I think this should be our last conversation, I shall leave it with a compliment.
Those that can do, those that can teach.
Those beyond learning are always out of reach......

 

[NitroNimbus]

@GeorgeH
Sorry for this getting so random, but it will get views and advertise you table, cheers!

 

[shiva]

Geez, now I feel real old reading this. Thanks guys...

 

[GeorgeH]

... can't help myself...

You need to control it or you probably will get banned again. Terry is a good guy and doesn't need the stress when you consider his health.

 

[xenonph]

Doesn't seem to understand rule #1 or thinks his off-topic commentary is okay, when it is nothing but hostile.

Forum Rules

1. No spam, porn or hacking. Repetitive hostile comments won't be tolerated. (This includes signatures and avatars.) 2. Any off-topic posts may get moved. Any attachments or links that are considered abusive or inappropriate by the staff will get deleted. 3. All staff actions will be announced...

pinballnirvana.com

 

[AnonTet]

I don't know what moves some people but being warned on 3 different forums (that I know of) must account for something. I took action long ago (ignore function is useful after all) but there's a better solution to this... just saying.

 

[Paolo]

I don't know what moves some people but being warned on 3 different forums (that I know of) must account for something. I took action long ago (ignore function is useful after all) but there's a better solution to this... just saying.

damn it's not easy, it's complicated at the same time!!
I did not know that nitro was in other three sites, and that he was warned, but this does not classify him as if he were a devil .... as I said it is complicated.

 

[AnonTet]

No, life is complicated.
It is not hard to change, it is called will power and if one still thinks that everyone else is wrong, after being warned multiple times on multiple forums, that's on him.

 

[Isaac Sauvage]

Geez, now I feel real old reading this. Thanks guys...

Twenty years ago I was a fresh-faced, eager 36-yr old, with stars in my eyes, and a good (if playful) word for my fellow man across the pinsim community.

And then... The Great PacDude Wars.

 

[shiva]

Twenty years ago I was a fresh-faced, eager 36-yr old, with stars in my eyes, and a good (if playful) word for my fellow man across the pinsim community.

And then... The Great PacDude Wars.

Oh god.... please don't remind us Nic.

 

[AnonTet]

Really, I know nothing about that and want to read the story :D :D :D

 

[GeorgeH]

Gimli is still working on his house so I decided to combine the Lighting Tweaker with the FizX Tweaker myself. He coded both tweakers using the same names in the script and all the subroutines in both tweakers had the same names. I started out with a copy of Avatar where he added the Lighting Tweaker and changed all the names so they are unique. I tested it after making all the changes to be sure it still worked. Then I worked on the FizX Tweaker demo table to make it compatible and still work. Then I combined the two. It wasn't smooth sailing but I got the job done and I learned a lot.

I set up the Special 1 key to toggle on one tweaker and then toggle the other and finally turn it off. I disabled the keys that operate the tweakers when the tweakers are turned off so you don't accidentally make changes while playing the table.

The changes to the settings that you make to each parameter can be saved. Both tweakers have about 40 parameters combined but there are only 32 places (registers) to save them. Both tweakers use a technology developed by Ravarcade that save 28 settings into one place (called an nvS register). Gimli did some math to get each parameter to save to 2 digits. So Ravarcade's code combines the 2 digits from each parameter into two 14 digit strings and saves it into one nvS register. Then when you play the table, the strings are extracted, and parsed back out into two digit entries. It makes it so that all the settings for both tweakers can be saved into two nvS registers. That leaves plenty of registers to use for other things of which I am already using 7. There are some limits but it works well.

Gimli didn't set up the FizX tweaker to adjust and save all the FizX parameters. I managed to add one to the Lighting Tweaker so hopefully I will be able to add the remaining FizX parameters as well.

I added some overlays above the DMD that have directions. These are screenshots of them:

 

[phéromones]

he... hello, George, I know the FizX well and the parameters that one can add to it. but not the "Lighting Tweaker". I always set with the physical restriction. So I modify the playfierld according to the restrictions. so the result changes according to the modification of the playfied. example: jupiter 1.1 with your xlm ... thank you but its constantly changing.

Ps: translate google result

 

[GeorgeH]

he... hello, George, I know the FizX well and the parameters that one can add to it. but not the "Lighting Tweaker". I always set with the physical restriction. So I modify the playfierld according to the restrictions. so the result changes according to the modification of the playfied. example: jupiter 1.1 with your xlm ... thank you but its constantly changing.

Ps: translate google result

The "Lighting Tweaker" uses the same technology and methods as the "FizX Tweaker". It is an extension of something I call the "lighting control panel" that is in the script of many of the tables I have modified in the past. They have 5 lighting modes that go from day to dark night. You can switch them via a menu I added but they don't have a tweaker. One of the most recent ones is "Space Shuttle":

Williams - SS - Recreation - BAM - FP - Space Shuttle (Williams, 1984)

Note: Click on the "Updates" tab to read the descriptions for versions 1.3 and 1.4 Note that the Special 2 key opens the menu. Space Shuttle (Williams, 1984) v1.2 Table Developers: Sepeteus, Tomasaco, Popotte, GeorgeH IPD No. 2260 "Space...

pinballnirvana.com

 

[GeorgeH]

I got sidetracked working on the FizX in-game tweaker tool. I'm back now after I managed to get the tweaker to display saved values on the DMD after you press the save key. When you press the save key on the tweaker, it goes through quite an evolution. It goes through a conversion when it is changed to 2 digits, then saved. Then retrieves the saved data, converts it back to the original digits and then it is displayed on the DMD.

I worked at trying to add both the FizX and the Lighting tweaker to Avatar. I didn't have much luck. Gimli says he won't be able to work on it until January. I decided I would release Avatar with the Lighting tweaker only without the FizX tweaker and update it next year with the other tweaker. I updated the Lighting tweaker with the same improvements I made to the FizX tweaker that are posted on the FizX topic.

 

[GeorgeH]

I made quite a bit of progress over the past few days. I added JP's menu system to Avatar and also added the pause function that JP wrote especially for my version of Space Shuttle. If you don't recall it, the menu system fills up the whole screen when it is opened so JP figured out a way to pause the game when you open the menu. To my surprise, I had very little trouble adding the menu. I had some errors that I should have resolved before starting the table but missed. They were easy to resolve. Maybe I have learned more coding than I thought.

An even greater surprise is I managed to add the game pause function with no errors at all and this was the first time I have ever added it to a table myself. Of course it helped that JP entered his initials in a comment on every line he added.

I forgot to mention earlier that I upgraded Avatar to FizX version 112a. It could be my imagination but it seems to play slightly faster now. My understanding is that JLou was able to cut the amount of code for it in half which should help on your PC resources.

I plan on recording a video about the lighting tweaker and the menu system.

 

[JLou5641]

oooh great initiative to use v112!
Yes v112 is lighter for CPU/fps time.

I don't give any news those time... But i'm still working on FizX2.0 with @ravarcade . He add some stuff from my wish, but it occur some performance issue that he try to solved. I hope we could solved this. Because it should be a big step.

 

[GeorgeH]

oooh great initiative to use v112!
Yes v112 is lighter for CPU/fps time.

I'm note quite sure of the settings on the new parameters. I couldn't hit many of the shots until I set Overspin Deleter to "0". I can send it to you if you want to check it out.

I don't give any news those time... But i'm still working on FizX2.0 with @ravarcade . He add some stuff from my wish, but it occur some performance issue that he try to solved. I hope we could solved this. Because it should be a big step.

I'm not sure how you are setting up Fleep sounds but you might make them optional which may help reduce resources.

 

[GeorgeH]

Today I added the BAM message that I have added to other tables so that when someone tries to play the table without BAM or use an out of date version. You will never see it work if you are using BAM version 329 or later. I don't think you would want it to work because it blocks the view of most of the table. It saves me some grief when someone tries to play it without BAM or uses an old version. It tells them to install a current version of BAM in four languages.

I did a little more work on the menu system. I added the correct sounds and added a new option that turns the video on the backwall and apron on or off. I am not sure if everyone is aware but the menu will automatically display correctly on a desktop application or on a cabinet. It uses the method I describe on the following tutorial:

Tutorial - Creating HUD Overlay for Desktops and Pinball Cabinets

Everyone knows a HUD overlay is squeezed together when it is displayed on a monitor that is rotated to 270 degrees. I have found you can create an extra wide version of the overlay that will display textures correctly at 270 degrees but then of course it will look stretched apart at 0 degrees...

pinballnirvana.com

I am planning to add Fleep sounds using the coding and method posted by AnonTet at the following link:

Code/Example - Fleep Mechanical Sounds code to use with FP

By now everyone should know about the awesome Fleep mechanical sounds used in some tables. I've ported the code to get them into Future Pinball within the limits of my ability. Although stuff like sound paning is not working I believe it is already a nice improvement over the default static FP...

pinballnirvana.com

AnonTet has subroutines set up for groups of sounds. I am not sure how long it will take me to do this. It seems to take some time to figure out where to insert the calls to run the subroutines. It looks like it will end up being nice because many of the subroutines play several different versions of the sounds.

 

[GeorgeH]

I am nearly finished adding Fleep sounds using AnonTet's coding. Before I started, I didn't really think they would be any better than the mechanical sounds that Slamt1lt added to Avatar. After playing it with the new sounds, I have to say they are better. Slam's sounds sounds seem to be overly bright now in comparison. Terry says that Fleep records real mechanical sounds from many different pinball machines to a very high standard / quality. I believe it now. I remember some movie producer saying that the music during the movie he had watched must have been good because he never noticed it. This is the way I thought about mechanical sounds on pinball. It seems the sounds change the whole pinball experience with the new sounds. The only thing that seems odd is that Fleep only recorded 4 gate sounds where most sounds have about 8 or 10 different versions. There are only options for when a gate is hit hard and soft. There is nothing in between.

 

[JLou5641]

As i work a little with fleep for Stargate sound that i recorded from my real one, i can assure that fleep sound package give another level step to table.
You can find more recorded sound in Flupper table if i remember right ( like in WhirlWind )