Forum Overview :: Gamerasutra
 
Future Pinball by Fussbett 05/20/2007, 2:26am PDT
Future Pinball came out last year, and is the exact opposite of Visual Pinballs brilliant concept paired with a terrible execution. This pinball engine is all about a great player experience. Future Pinball crushes Visual Pinball in the graphics department (shaders, hardware lights, trilinear blah blah, etc), each table looking beautiful, but it sadly lacks the PinMAME support, so unfortunately the tables are all pre-80s, aka before ramps. What you lose in over-the-top pinball craziness of the 80s and 90s, you get back in authenticity and charm. Sure the Harlem Globetrotters table sucks, but it's hard to get angry at it.

I had to fiddle with the settings to get decent performance. I was originally getting 150+ FPS, but for some reason the ball looked choppy at times. VSync cured that, and now I'm running 1600x1200 2xAA and it's great. I also use the F2 view and then press F11 for the "manual" camera, which locks it in place (I get sea sick with the auto-tilting) but lets me move the mouse (!!!) to look up at the back glass when I want (!!!).

The best news about Future Pinball is that it's being actively developed by some ex-Amiga game/demo dude, so I'm hoping for constant improvements. Maybe PinMAME support one day? Anything is an improvement over Visual Pinball's "I'm never touching this thing again but neither can you" author.

Anyway, here's the quick list of Future Pinball tables I like so far:

Firepower
Cyclone
Truxton

Cyclone?! I thought I said that there were no PinMAME tables! Apparently 5 dudes are hand coding the programming instead of relying on the ROM. I don't pretend to know how the Scandinavians do it, but their superior school system means that now I'm playing an awesome rendition of Cyclone, and it's only at version 0.66.

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Truxton?! Yeah, some guy made an original table based on Truxton, and it's great. I get the feeling there are more great original tables out there too.

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Recommendation Request: Pinball games for the PC by Ice Cream Jonsey 05/12/2007, 6:35pm PDT NEW
    I refuse to recommend a pinball game for the PC by Grumah 05/13/2007, 5:40am PDT NEW
        NICE REFERENCE >:( by Jhoh Cable o_O 05/14/2007, 11:54am PDT NEW
        Re: I refuse to recommend a pinball game for the PC by Ice Cream Jonsey 05/14/2007, 1:20pm PDT NEW
            I do not appreciate the sarcasm FACEFUCK (assuming that was sarcasm) NT by Grumah 05/14/2007, 5:07pm PDT NEW
                It was not sarcasm by Ice Cream Jonsey 05/14/2007, 5:23pm PDT NEW
                    ok great ^_^ NT by Grumah 05/15/2007, 7:55pm PDT NEW
    Future Pinball by Fussbett 05/20/2007, 2:26am PDT NEW
        Re: Future Pinball by Fussbett 05/20/2007, 11:52am PDT NEW
        I have just played my first FP table by Ice Cream Jonsey 05/20/2007, 4:09pm PDT NEW
            Re: I have just played my first FP table by Ice Cream Jonsey 05/20/2007, 4:17pm PDT NEW
                Dead Hunters was released today, from the makers of Three Angels and Road Girls. by Fussbett 05/21/2007, 7:57pm PDT NEW
                    Dead Hunters was released today, from the makers of Three Angels and Road Girls. by Ice Cream Jonsey 05/22/2007, 1:12am PDT NEW
                        Re: Dead Hunters was released today, from the makers of Three Angels and Road Gi by Mischief Maker 05/25/2007, 11:00pm PDT NEW
                            Re: Dead Hunters was released today, from the makers of Three Angels and Road Gi by Ice Cream Jonsey 06/03/2007, 11:03pm PDT NEW
                                Re: Dead Hunters was released today, from the makers of Three Angels and Road Gi by Mischief Maker 06/04/2007, 8:12pm PDT NEW
                                    My grandfather got me the original nintendo Bubble Bobble for my 11th birthday. by All-Caps Forum Conquistadora Zseni! 06/04/2007, 8:54pm PDT NEW
                                        WHY DONT PEOPLE THINK THE SAME AS ME!!!!! NT by Time for a new rule! 06/04/2007, 10:32pm PDT NEW
                                        They're talking about a virtual bubble bobble pinball table. by Worm 06/05/2007, 12:05pm PDT NEW
                                            Re: They're talking about a virtual bubble bobble pinball table. by All-Caps Forum Conquistadora Zseni! 06/05/2007, 12:34pm PDT NEW
                                                Having never played the table in question, I think you may have a point. NT by Jerry Whorebach 06/05/2007, 12:57pm PDT NEW
                                    I'm sneaking Future Pinballs sessions in at work! by Fussbett 06/05/2007, 11:26am PDT NEW
                                        Re: I'm sneaking Future Pinballs sessions in at work! by Ice Cream Jonsey 06/05/2007, 2:05pm PDT NEW
                                            Some pinball tables have a recess that traps your ball and then shoots it out by Ray of Light 06/05/2007, 3:37pm PDT NEW
                                                Re: Some pinball tables have a recess that traps your ball and then shoots it ou by Bruce Lee's mother-in-law 06/05/2007, 7:19pm PDT NEW
                                                    I always imagined Zseni sounding like my mother. NT by Someone who calls his mom 'mother'. 06/05/2007, 7:58pm PDT NEW
                                                        That's got to make imaginary sex with either of them even more troubling :( NT by Jerry Whorebach 06/05/2007, 8:21pm PDT NEW
                                                            Psh, Provincial North Americans. by Oedipus 06/05/2007, 9:32pm PDT NEW
                                                    Re: Some pinball tables have a recess that traps your ball and then shoots it ou by Bruce Lee's mother-in-law 06/06/2007, 12:46am PDT NEW
                                        Goddamn it by Entropy Stew 06/05/2007, 8:47pm PDT NEW
                                            HA ha ha! NT by Ice Cream Jonsey 06/05/2007, 10:49pm PDT NEW
                                                I spent like 3 hours adjusting those rails at the top :( NT by Entropy Stew 06/05/2007, 11:39pm PDT NEW
                                                    Re: I spent like 3 hours adjusting those rails at the top :( by Ice Cream Jonsey 06/06/2007, 9:47am PDT NEW
                                                        Go nuts, and be sure to shoot me a link to whatever it is you're doing by Entropy Stew 06/06/2007, 10:07am PDT NEW
                                                            Re: Go nuts, and be sure to shoot me a link to whatever it is you're doing by Ice Cream Jonsey 06/06/2007, 1:41pm PDT NEW
                                                                sent NT by Entropy Stew 06/06/2007, 3:03pm PDT NEW
                                            I hope making this has sparked a fire within you! by Fussbett 06/05/2007, 11:44pm PDT NEW
                                                "About Caltrops" NT by Ray of Light 06/05/2007, 11:47pm PDT NEW
                                                It turns out it sparked a fire within ME! by Fussbett 06/08/2007, 2:51am PDT NEW
                                                    POSITIVE! NT by Entropy Stew 06/08/2007, 2:54am PDT NEW
                                                        Does this table have a Bipolar Mode? NT by Entropy Stew 06/08/2007, 9:58am PDT NEW
                                                    I must play this game. This is the table to end all tables. NT by Ice Cream Jonsey 06/08/2007, 2:56am PDT NEW
                                                    You must include Senior B flexing with his knife, possibly with a Mushroom cloud NT by Mischief Maker 06/08/2007, 5:42pm PDT NEW
                                                        No! by Fussbett 06/08/2007, 7:08pm PDT NEW
                                            Beta 2 by Entropy Stew 06/06/2007, 9:40pm PDT NEW
                                                Ball often finds its way back to entrance gate and gets stuck there by Ray of Light 06/06/2007, 10:48pm PDT NEW
                                                    I noticed that and did nothing about it by Entropy Stew 06/06/2007, 11:17pm PDT NEW
                                        spoiler by Ice Cream Jonsey 12/30/2008, 1:11pm PST NEW
        New version of 3 Angels just came out! by Mischief Maker 12/28/2008, 9:39am PST NEW
            I'll check by Fussbett 12/28/2008, 9:59am PST NEW
 
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