Shockman said:
Looks fun, but it's hard to keep up with you, actually, it impossible.
I Like that you do this, very much. I'm happy that you enjoy it, thankful that you share, and honored to be a fellow.
There is nothing wrong with the way you build tables.
There is nothing wrong with the way anybody builds a table, why, how, but enough about Ron.
How does it work for real? You say you tweak it, and it shows. As a challenge they work, as a replica of a toy, tabletop or cabinet bagatelle, I don't think they work right. You can call me on that point though, I can't back it up. I have played a few, but you have too. So it's a matter of,. You know.
I think that you play yours laying almost flat, while I play mine standing up. Still 2 or 3 or what ever is too low for this I think. you have gates where if there was really a gate you would be able to see it in the picture you used. These gates and the rebounders and the nails too are way too bouncy I think.
Somethings VP just can't do. But you might be surprised at what it can do.
Somethings I'm probably anal about, but I think you would like to know about those things, if not The End. Thank you very much. I have liked every one that I downloaded, though I only downloaded the ones that I thought I might like.
Not much pre-rendering going on with these little things is there. I have as many know, a old but well build system, but it's just a 1gig P3.
I can play a 10 ball game slick as snot with these babies.
You can show the ball behind the nails without using graphics.
You can get rid if the solid rectangle that the table is on.
You can hide the VP plunger and animate the graphic one.
You don't have to destroy balls, well not every ball.
You can let more than one ball score, and even be in a pocket that is big enough together.
You could show the table at a angle and not have to see the front wall.
Flipperless needs a high resolution plunger, not so you could make every shot, but so you could miss some too.
You can do these things or not. If you did, would it matter, would people notice or appreciate it. And what if you did not, it would not make you a no talent hack. Anyone that called you that would read from me, I tell you.
Thanks for your feedback Phil. I'll try to answer at least some of your points, but first, since you brought up Ron, let's get that over with first. He has the right to do whatever he wishes, but if he releases his tables, that gives me and everyone else the right to voice our opinions. And that's all I'm doing. I don't feel pinball should be used to preach about religion or social reform. I also don't see much sense in releasing a table that is nothing more than a graphic switch. I even released a table with 15 interchangable playfields, since they all used the exact same layout.
Pin toys are very basic, as anyone who has played any will know. So I not only provide automatic scoring, I also include some basic sounds, and even enhanced nudging, none of which are in the hand-held version. On some of the games, when possible, I add more scoring or features, to make the game more fun to play.
There is zero rendering done, since I have zero graphic know-how or ability. I don't leave balls in pockets, because there are a lot of people who have computers that can not handle 10 active balls at one time. Also, none of my more recent table have the outer wall, what you call the rectangle the table is on. Instead, I use invisible walls to contain the ball.
As for the angle the table is displayed, if you don't care for it, just change it in the editor. I started using that viewing angle when Bob and a few other folks mentioned that the playfield detail wasn't readable with a more relaxed view. As for walls and such things being too bouncy, in many cases they are bouncier than the real game, and bouncier than I like, but without that bounciness, the ball will usually always end up in the same two or three scoring pockets every time. Nudging is a much bigger influence in my pin toys than a real pin toy, which in reality aren't all that much fun.
And yes, I could hide the plunger, but the VP plunger doesn't look that much different from an actual plastic plunger used in a pin toy. As for the nails/pins, I have always had them invisible, but I'll take a look at how they might look on at least some tables. It might sound like I'm explaining away everything, but I'm not, I'm explaining why I do things a certain way. But I'm always open to trying new approaches, and will look at some of your comments and suggestions, and will use the ones that seem better to me than the way I'm doing things now.
Would anyone notice? Well, at least you and I would. And while I might not be a no-talent hack, I probably am a limited-talent hack. Thanks for you suggestions and observations, I really do appreciate them, and the time you took to offer them. And no, I won't simply ignore what you've said.
