VP8 Williams SS Recreation Star Trek: The Next Generation v2.2 JPG-PINS 2020-01-28

[jpsalas]

I guess this table doesn't need any introduction, so after a few wips here it is my final version of this table

The table is available here at PN.

First I should like to say thanks to the authors who made this table before me, like Destruk, Jamin, PK, without their work I could never find out the right numbers for the lights and solenoids. I'm completely lost when the numbers in the manual don't correspond to the vpinmame numbers.

The table uses fading lights, based in PD's system. But it doesn't use the 8 levels available for the GI. I found out that the GI just turns on and off from time to time but it is not used very much.

There is a darker playfield in the table is you prefer that. In the editor just change the table's image "pf" with "pf_dark".

The table uses the ROM "sttng_l7" as default since it looks like it is the most stable. But I have been using the "sttng_s7" most of the time (this is the SP1 of the L7 ROM). All the roms are available at the IPDB. To change a ROM in the table just press F6, choose the rom, quit the table and VP and start it again.

Enjoy!

JP

 

[TheHermit]

Looks great! Plays great! Final version?

 

[jpsalas]

When has a 1.0 been the final version? :D
I have a friend (André) working on a rendered cannons. The images have to be very small to fit VP, but I'm sure he'll do a great job.

 

[TheHermit]

Ah. I thought I remembered you mentioning that, but with the cannons looking so good I thought they had been rendered as a single image then rotated! My bad...

 

[francesco]

tank you JP

DEAR JP tank for your great job STNG is wonderfull.

 

[cbmlover]

Another masterpiece!
Thanks for that great work!

 

[rjsoeps]

great work.. one of the best

 

[ddtheluck]

sound problem

The sound of effects like flippers and such mechanical sounds are way too loud compared to the voices and the music.
Is there a trick i didn't find to adjust the sounds volumes.
The game is great but unpleasant because of it.

 

[rjsoeps]

thanks nice table!

 

[SmaMan]

I'm having a problem with the DCS sound effects/music. It's pitch seems to be going up and down a lot sounding kind of like an old VHS at times. Sometimes it's pitch will go up a bit and be stable for a few seconds but then it reverts back down again. Is there any way to fix this? Am I just using the wrong ROMs?

 

[jpsalas]

To all having problems with the sound: just press the "9" key to increase the ROM sound volume (press "8" to decreased). I recommend setting it at 28.

This works for most of the vpm tables. Some tables you need to press the "END" key to open the "coin door" (this is because some real games you need to open the coin door to access the volume buttons),

JP

 

[SmaMan]

That isn't helping my problem. Is the sound supposed to sound like a shaky old VHS? I noticed it also does this with your Flintstones table. Keep in mind this is the ROM sound having this problem, not the flippers, bumpers, etc. Any suggestions?

 

[wangho]

this is one of the cleanest looking tables I've seen yet. Perfect job on this one!

 

[bender78]

That isn't helping my problem. Is the sound supposed to sound like a shaky old VHS? I noticed it also does this with your Flintstones table. Keep in mind this is the ROM sound having this problem, not the flippers, bumpers, etc. Any suggestions?

well... i was wondering about that, too, but if i remember correctly from an old thread in the vpforums this is an issue with the DCS sound system used by some pinball tables.
Since only a few tables use it, vpinmame isn't optimized for DCS sound playback, or something in that direction at least...

tl;dr : it's not just you


cheers

 

[m4paws]

That's funny, I've never had any sound issues on DCS games... Though according to the PinMame changelog there were issues with DCS corrected in version 1.55.001 back in 2007. I assume you're running the newest version (2.1 as of this writing), so I have no suggestions for what's causing your sound issues. It's not a problem for everyone though.

 

[Arctic Blast]

Just wanted to congratulate JPSalas on this one. It might be the one table that took more of my money than any other, and I'm loving playing this version of it as well. Really good job.

 

[wangho]

"pf_dark" for the dark version of the table seems to wipe out the table graphics. I'd like to try this version to see which I prefer

 

[Quixotequest]

v2.2 sound not working

JP -- I installed the newest v2.2 table today and unlike the v1.x table the sound is not working anymore. I tried raising volume using the "open coin door and 9" function but the volume is already "turned up" loud. I just can't hear anything besides the mechanical sounds. Are there new things I need to be doing for these latest tables?

(I've had the same disappearing sound problem when I installed the new AFM 2.2 today as well.)

Beautiful tables, as always! I love what you did with the STTNG probe launchers.

 

[m4paws]

Shouldn't be anything different... Unloading VP completely between tables often will help with this. You can also right-click the DMD, select Game Settings and sure "Use Sound" is selected.

 

[Heatseeker86]

Honestly JP, I played your STTNG table so much I got to the 'Final Frontier' mission, where both cannons launch and theres all sorts of chaos going on, and well, it crashed. I mean the rom reset and the table 'reboot' only after 10 seconds of starting that mission. Anyone else get that?

 

[joeH]

This TNG table is one of the best I've found. Great job. However, I've been experiencing some problems with the table physics...namely the flippers. If I leave the table at the default PhysicsVP, it becomes very difficult to hit the center target (which advances the Command decisioin jobs) with the left flipper. I've tried the PhysicsUltracade option which gives a much better flipper response, but the table seems to get very buggy, with the balls getting stuck in strange places often. I've looked at possible changing the flipper values in Visual Pinball, but there are tons of options, and I'm not quite sure which to change first. Does anyone have a good idea on how to change the flipper values under PhysicsVP to increase the strenth of ball hits from the center of the flipper to allow easier center table shots?

 

[jpsalas]

The table was made to use the PhysicsVP since the ULtracade Physics had too many bugs when used in a table with ramps.

The flippers were tweaked by Groni to simulate as close as posible to a real table he has access to. They are difficult to use and you need to pass the ball from one flipper to the other to get nice shots. They can be changed, but since we used two flippers on top of each other to reduce the ball through flipper error it will be kind of difficult to get a nice change without spending many hours testing.

JP

 

[joeH]

Ok, sounds good. I'll just have to get more creative with my shots. :) Great job again on the table!

 

[smasha]

My table is facing the wrong way.

How do I fix it?

 

[Shockman]

I don't know. I think you have to change the rotation from 270 to 90, but that's just a guess. It may be at 90 for all I know and you would have to change it to 270.


I have mixed feelings about the new JP version. It's nice to see a painted mod remade, and the gameplay is good, but the cannons look really bad, and are glitchy.

The pop bumpers have not shot the ball back up into the lanes for me. Not one single time. I suspect it is because of the ball size in 9. Despite what anyone tells you, the size change was the worse and stupidest thing that ever happened to VP, and some say it was wrong before and right now. That is simply and obviously not true.

It is hundreds of times easier than a real one as well, but the real ones that I have played were set to hard. It's kind of nice to go through all the modes on the first play, with just 3 buy-ins, but the main physical element of difficulty, the right outlane post will have to be opened up soon. Again the ball size could have the biggest role in this, it just can't seem to find it's way out.

It seems a bit too wide to me, or short, but that is obviously the perspective. The FS one looks too narrow.

The fact that the more obscure version, the FS one has the better graphics is a turn off. Again, the virtual all of us are left with the extra work to maximize it.

With some nice cannon reels though, extra effort into the model to accommodate the extra large ball, and a few tweaks this will be an incredible re-creation.

Thanks JP