NEW Virtual Pinball (What a beauty !!!)

[MadEditor]

Hi folks,

I've come accross one of those beauty and tried it.... it's quite nice...

http://www.tab.at/TABUE/English/VirtualPinball.html

From the info i could gather, those are produced in Austria and just 10 of them has arrived to test them in Belgium, i was lucky enough to live near a place where one is.

[ntjedi]

I hope she comes with it  

[Thenasty]

Thats is the nicest one I've seen. I hope she comes with it too  

[SirPoonga]

That's pretty cool.  Now the quesiton is, will Virtual Pinball (the simulator) have name issues with this?

[John]

Looks very nice and good idea to have virtual playfield.  Not to be a pinball snub or anything but no electronic pinball comes close to the real thing.  A lot is lost without the real ball and the ability to slam and tilt the machine.  I'd much rather see an integration of both where maybe the playfield is a plasma screen on the bottom but it still use a real pinball to hit the targets on top.  Of course the cost would too high for production.

[Xiaou2]

 I agree with most of whats said.  It just wont feel right.  Also... the graphics are --I'm attempting to get by the auto-censor and should be beaten after I re-read the rules-- - esp compared to a real lit up machine.   Dosnt even use stereo 3d glasses or the new lcd based 3d display technology either.


 

 

[MadEditor]

A lot is lost without the real ball and the ability to slam and tilt the machine.

Actually you can slam AND tilt .... there's sensors inside for that ...

Check the PDF on the site

[RetroBorg]

I think it looks pretty good and depending on the reality of the physics engine, I personally think this could be the future of pinball, imagine what could be possible on a virtual table.

Here's just a few possibilities, I'm sure you can think of plenty of others:

One machine with an almost endless choice of tables.

Can you imagine some multiball features with say 100 or more balls?

Tables linking to other tables.

Ramps with turbo boosts.

Special effects like fire, explosions, water etc.

Perhaps having your view of the ball slightly obstructed by mist, cloud or smoke moving across the playfield.

Options limited by only your imagination.

[cbmeeks]

Just two words for this machine people.

DONKEY KONG!!!


cb

[Tiger-Heli]

That's pretty cool.  Now the quesiton is, will Virtual Pinball (the simulator) have name issues with this?

Doubtful since it's Visual Pinball (the simulator) and Virtual Pinball (the game cab)
 

[Xiaou2]

I think it looks pretty good and depending on the reality of the physics engine, I personally think this could be the future of pinball, imagine what could be possible on a virtual table.

Here's just a few possibilities, I'm sure you can think of plenty of others:

One machine with an almost endless choice of tables.

Can you imagine some multiball features with say 100 or more balls?

Tables linking to other tables.

Ramps with turbo boosts.

Special effects like fire, explosions, water etc.

Perhaps having your view of the ball slightly obstructed by mist, cloud or smoke moving across the playfield.

Options limited by only your imagination.

1) endless tables = endless crappy simulations
2) 100 multiball = bad game.  Highest multiball on a pinball is 13 balls - and people complained about it because it dosnt do much for gameplay.  Balls just get in the way and clump into a mass.
3) Link tables - can be done with real pinballs already
4) Turbo boost ramps - can also be done with hidden coils. Simular to magnasave but reversed.
5) Enviornmental fx - can be accomplished with holo-mirrors
(like in the latest starwars pin).. and other special technology.

  The biggest benefit is the ability to select multiple machines.  However... those machines shots look horrid.  

 The best pinball simulation ive seen so far has come from microsoft.  They actually digitally captured real machines and converted them.  So they look as real as a 5 mega pixil camera shot... rahter than a low color, blocky, poorly lit, poorly shaded,  p.o.s.
 
 Physics are also suspect in games like this.  Theres many things that arnt tooken into account - which changes the gameplay radically.  

  If you popped this machine right next to a real pinball machine... you can bet that anyone would rather play the real deal.  

 Ive recently aquired a black knight 2000... and its god-ly fun : )   In pinmame... its not too bad... but its definitely not the same.
Kinda Soul-less...  and looks horrid comparitively.

ms pinball pics






visual pinball attempt:



 

[NoOne=NBA=]

I like the idea that they could re-release some of my favorites on it, but think the machine would look better with a second display for a backglass.

[Tailgunner]

1) endless tables = endless crappy simulations

Depends on the emulator. Visual Pinball has been more or less dead in the water for how many years now?

The biggest benefit is the ability to select multiple machines.  However... those machines shots look horrid.

I'll reseve judgment till I can see one in person. I do think the need to add a backglass though, the machine looks odd without it.

The best pinball simulation ive seen so far has come from microsoft.  They actually digitally captured real machines and converted them.  So they look as real as a 5 mega pixil camera shot... rahter than a low color, blocky, poorly lit, poorly shaded,  p.o.s.

I've seen some Visual Pinball tables that looked really good too. I don't remember the builder's name, but one machine that comes to mind was Bally Supersonic. With a commercial emulation I'd expect first class graphics, not the "good enough" that passes for a lot of the VP tables.
 

Physics are also suspect in games like this.  Theres many things that arnt tooken into account - which changes the gameplay radically.

No arguement there, I know Visual Pinball cheats in a few areas. I would hope a dedicated pin emulator would go the extra distance to get the physics right, or at least as close as humanly possible.

If you popped this machine right next to a real pinball machine... you can bet that anyone would rather play the real deal.

Maybe, depends on the machine. If given a choice between a real Williams2000 machine and an near perfect emulator loaded with classic pins, my quarters would go into the emulator.  

Ive recently aquired a black knight 2000... and its god-ly fun : )   In pinmame... its not too bad... but its definitely not the same.
Kinda Soul-less...  and looks horrid comparitively.

Agreed, but there's only so close they can get before running into the limitations of Visual Pinball. Plus you're comparing playing a full size table to a tiny repro on a computer monitor. A full size simulated playfield would make a huge difference in playability.

[NoOne=NBA=]

You get me a "near-perfect" Evil Knievel/Hocus Pocus/8-ball Deluxe simulator vs. a "real" machine, and my money's going in the simulator.

Couple that tables allowing gameplay similar to Dragon's Fury and Dragon's Revenge for the Genesis (little guys running around getting hit by the ball, and "bonus" round fights against dragons/castles/etc....), and I'm completely sold.

[J_K_M_A_N]

It could be using this.

The Future Of Pinball

Maybe

I can't wait for this to come out. It looks VERY cool. I am hoping they release an editor with it. I would love to make my own machine. I am trying on Visual Pinball but it doesn't look half as good as that. I would also take a really good emulator with lots of games over one single machine. Especially if it had a 42" plasma screen. That would look awesome. Real machines are kinda hard to keep up. A friend of mine has a KISS machine that rocks but it does have a few problems with sound and cracks in the playfield. Too much maintanence(sp?). To each his own I guess.

J_K_M_A_N

[MadEditor]

I think some of you are having it thr wrong way... This is not suppose to be a SIMULATOR or EMULATOR in any way...

Just think of all the NEW pinball they'll be able to do with this...

And having 2 or 3 different games in a same machine could interest Arcade owner ...

another interesting point, in the one i saw, the second game was not a PINBALL...

This machine could be a interesting platform for new games...

One word EVOLUTION

[SirPoonga]

That's pretty cool.  Now the quesiton is, will Virtual Pinball (the simulator) have name issues with this?

Doubtful since it's Visual Pinball (the simulator) and Virtual Pinball (the game cab)
 

Whoops, my bad.  Shows you how long it's been since I played VP.



Xiaou2
Actually I think Pro Pinball's Big Race and Timeshock are the best simulators.  M$ simulators are very nice too, for simulatiing real tables.

[SirPoonga]

I think some of you are having it thr wrong way... This is not suppose to be a SIMULATOR or EMULATOR in any way...

Just think of all the NEW pinball they'll be able to do with this...

And having 2 or 3 different games in a same machine could interest Arcade owner ...

another interesting point, in the one i saw, the second game was not a PINBALL...

This machine could be a interesting platform for new games...

One word EVOLUTION

It is a simulator though.  I doubt people will be up for some fake physics and such.  Yeah, you can come out with cool ideas that you couldn't do with a real pinball machine.  


I'd rather have the real sights and sounds though.

[AlexSledge]

I think some of you are having it thr wrong way... This is not suppose to be a SIMULATOR or EMULATOR in any way...

Just think of all the NEW pinball they'll be able to do with this...

And having 2 or 3 different games in a same machine could interest Arcade owner ...

another interesting point, in the one i saw, the second game was not a PINBALL...

This machine could be a interesting platform for new games...

One word EVOLUTION

Actually, I'm thinking:

"Damn, Plasma screen, that has to be expensive. And Plasma sucks, stuff has a brightness halflife of 3-5 years tops, so you'll be replacing the playfield often! Glad I won't be one of the first suckers to buy one of those!"

I wonder if you'll be able to get the same profit out of them that you can a traditional pin, but I'm not an Op so I won't be wondering too hard.

[mr.Curmudgeon]

"Be a Pop-Star!!"

What the hell?



P.S. I like this idea, and agree w/ MadEditor...we're talking evolution here, not emulation. I can't imagine the type of hybrid games that could be played on a system like this. Uo Poko would be fun on this machine.