tiltjlp
PN co-founder
- Joined
- Jun 9, 2003
- Messages
- 3,403
- Reaction score
- 145
- Points
- 65
- Favorite Pinball Machine
- Flying Trapeze 1934
Come Easter, a new version of Future Pinball is due. While I hope that it gives us all renewed hope for the further development of Black’s toy I do have my doubts. Besides the promised ramps, will we finally have the ability to create and import models of our own? Will we also have any of the requested and begged for flexibility the vast majority of us long for? Or will Black, as has been his habit in the past, ignore his users and continue to stick to his tunnel-vision view of what FP should become?
Now I doubt if we’ll hear anything from Black himself, but his henchman Leon will surely castigate me yet again for daring to speak against his hero. Leon will be sure to point out the Future Pinball is Black’s and no one else’s project, and that no one has the right to demand a thing. I don’t completely agree. I feel that when someone offers a program of any sort to the public, they have the responsibility to listen to and seriously consider new features and ideas. And if a developer says he will include a feature, then he should include that feature. It seems as if Black’s ideal for pinball is fairly recent, SS and beyond, him not being a fan of EMs or earlier eras, which is his right.
But I assume Black’s goal in creating FP was to provide a 3D method of recreating pinball games, as well as originals in the modern style. He may accomplish part of that with the promised ramps, since authors have found a work-around for the lack of DMD support. But I still have what I feel is an honest request, walls that can drop and rise, which has been denied. My question again: are dropping walls possible in Future Pinball or not, given the Newton engine? One simple answer could quiet me, but since an answer hasn’t been offered, I have to believe Black is of the opinion such walls are not needed. So, why are there dropping targets?
What I believe, I’m sad to say, ir that since I’m not part of Black’s in-crowd, I have not gotten dropping walls, nor Black’s once promised flipperless template. Because by no stretch of the imagination can the Ballyhoo cabinet now provided be considered a flipperless template by anyone who understands pinball. Granted, flipperless templates don’t equate to “modern” pinball. But neither do the Mushroom Triggers which Leon needed for his recent 50/50 table release. So it appears that if you’re a pal of Black’s, a 1965 Bally can be considered “modern”. I’m not at all upset that mushroom triggers are included, but I do have to wonder why dropping walls seem to be outlawed. Again, yes, it’s Black’s program, so he can do what he pleases. But if he expects and wants to see Future Pinball as popular as possible, both his thinking and Future Pinball need to be more flexible.
This isn’t only about a flipperless template that was promised but not delivered, or about dropping walls. This is about listening to loyal users of his program and giving them what they want. Will the Easter version provide us model importing, improved physics, and realistic ball movement, or will it once again disappoint his small band of FP authors who are begging for more freedom to create the tables they dream of making? Black has always been close-mouthed, but now is the time for him to explain to his loyal users just what they can expect, and what they will never see, beyond no VPM support. If Black ignores his users much longer, it might not matter what the future holds.
Now I doubt if we’ll hear anything from Black himself, but his henchman Leon will surely castigate me yet again for daring to speak against his hero. Leon will be sure to point out the Future Pinball is Black’s and no one else’s project, and that no one has the right to demand a thing. I don’t completely agree. I feel that when someone offers a program of any sort to the public, they have the responsibility to listen to and seriously consider new features and ideas. And if a developer says he will include a feature, then he should include that feature. It seems as if Black’s ideal for pinball is fairly recent, SS and beyond, him not being a fan of EMs or earlier eras, which is his right.
But I assume Black’s goal in creating FP was to provide a 3D method of recreating pinball games, as well as originals in the modern style. He may accomplish part of that with the promised ramps, since authors have found a work-around for the lack of DMD support. But I still have what I feel is an honest request, walls that can drop and rise, which has been denied. My question again: are dropping walls possible in Future Pinball or not, given the Newton engine? One simple answer could quiet me, but since an answer hasn’t been offered, I have to believe Black is of the opinion such walls are not needed. So, why are there dropping targets?
What I believe, I’m sad to say, ir that since I’m not part of Black’s in-crowd, I have not gotten dropping walls, nor Black’s once promised flipperless template. Because by no stretch of the imagination can the Ballyhoo cabinet now provided be considered a flipperless template by anyone who understands pinball. Granted, flipperless templates don’t equate to “modern” pinball. But neither do the Mushroom Triggers which Leon needed for his recent 50/50 table release. So it appears that if you’re a pal of Black’s, a 1965 Bally can be considered “modern”. I’m not at all upset that mushroom triggers are included, but I do have to wonder why dropping walls seem to be outlawed. Again, yes, it’s Black’s program, so he can do what he pleases. But if he expects and wants to see Future Pinball as popular as possible, both his thinking and Future Pinball need to be more flexible.
This isn’t only about a flipperless template that was promised but not delivered, or about dropping walls. This is about listening to loyal users of his program and giving them what they want. Will the Easter version provide us model importing, improved physics, and realistic ball movement, or will it once again disappoint his small band of FP authors who are begging for more freedom to create the tables they dream of making? Black has always been close-mouthed, but now is the time for him to explain to his loyal users just what they can expect, and what they will never see, beyond no VPM support. If Black ignores his users much longer, it might not matter what the future holds.
