Future of pinball emulation has promise

[NIVO]

http://www.futurepinball.com/

looks promising, lets hope they keep us all updated.

[Brad]

Black was/is heavily invloved in Visual Pinball. He joined the dev team from memory. Now I know why Visual Pinball development is now non-existant.

Brad

[Trenchbroom]

Holey Moley...good stuff.  Finally a use for my desktop computer now that most of my gaming is done on my cabinet!

[fleevo]

woahhhh! can't tell if it's real or if it's fake. gonna keep track of the site and hope that by easter of 2005 they'll have a working version.

[Lilwolf]

He is the only one with visual pinball source for ages..

But Randy came back and added a few items... No clue if that will continue.

but as for blacks site.  GREAT to see some additions... and some good additions! 

It should be real... the question is if people will convert their vpt over is another.

[Howard_Casto]

Well, there in lies the biggest problem.

The scripting langauge has changed somewhat so old school table authors will have to completely re-learn how to make takes.  Also there is the question of artistic talent.  It's real easy to, let's say take a picture of the space shuttle on the Start Trek TNG table at the appropriate angle to use in place of the prop in the existing "flat" vpt tables.  The same goes with textures.  Unfortunatley, it takes quite a bit more skill to re-create that model in a 3d modeling program, shade and texture it properly, add in any needed animations, and get the mechanics of how it moves just perfect for when the ball comes into contact with it (no more fudged physics).

I have no doubt that it will be released and that it will be a great tool and simulator.  I just have severe doubts as to if enough people will use it that we'll ever have a good collection of tables like visual pinball does. 

Also did you notice that section with hardcoded keys in the screenshots?  That's not cool, you'd think he'd know better by now. 

[Chris]

I have no doubt that it will be released and that it will be a great tool and simulator.

[Howard_Casto]

Agreed, but I didn't want to open that can of worms. 

I also have a severe problem with him charging people for it, considering he'll be using it to illegally make copies of real life tables.  Can you say lawsuit?

[Chris]

Agreed, but I didn't want to open that can of worms.

[Howard_Casto]

Well, presumably HE won't, others will.

Well the snaps on his site are tables he's making, and terminator 2 and black knight 2k are on there, so he already is. 

[Chris]

Well, presumably HE won't, others will.

Well the snaps on his site are tables he's making, and terminator 2 and black knight 2k are on there, so he already is.

[Howard_Casto]

Your right. 

Ship no, but they will be made available on his site I almost guarantee.  And giving away free, yet unliscensed, simulations to help sell a commerical product is just as illegal and attention getting. 

[Chris]

Your right.

[Lilwolf]

btw, if hes smart... he will give free copies out to the original authors if they are willing to even look at converting their tables.  Heck... if he gives out free betas to anyone who has produced a table hes a smart guy.  If I can download 100s of tables (legal or not) I'm sending him some cash. 

I'm also glad he came up with a real physics engine.  Hopefully the old ball through the flipper item is gone.

And if the tools are there... people will convert them.. maybe not as fast... but looking at the new screenshots (and now dual layer tables) I'm guessing that we will see a bunch moving over.

but this will assume that vpinmame is connected of course... But I believe that was done through the scripts also (wasn't it?).  So hopefully it will be.

Anyway, I'm excited about it.  I've already talked to him about moving the viewport.  So you should be able to set the tables so its sitting IN your cabinet.  I'm hoping that we can add nudges (to move the viewport also)... 

If it works out like I hope... I really want to build a dedicated LCD cocktail pinball table.  That you move the whole thing to produce nudges.  How cool would that be!

[Chris]

If it works out like I hope... I really want to build a dedicated LCD cocktail pinball table.