Eric Mooney may know about pinball, but he doesn't know "jack" about software development. 1. MS pinball NEVER claimed to be a Timeshock. 2. Physics models are not plug and play, they need to be customized for each table. Given that both products had about the same development cycle, Empire had 7 times longer to tweak its physics model for its single table. MS had to customize physics for 7 tables. 3. And talking about physics, it's easy to make great physics when you can change the table to cover your physics problems. Case in point. Microsoft has a problem with plunger physics. Well they aren't the only one, except by using a Therotical table, Empire can just junk the plunger all together and make a push button plunger. Problems solved. Microsoft didn't have the luxury of designing a table to cover their physics problem areas. Timeshock makes great use of Ramps, chutes, and Auto-Plungers, to limit available ball paths, thereby limiting physics problems. Also, much of Timeshocks' area is concealed. So, no problem, if you can't see the ball, you can't comment on the physics. Haunted house on the other hand is a WIDE open table, and Microsoft can't do anything but work with what it has. As a result, its physics are much more open to scrutiny. Microsofts' plungers may be weak, but at least they have em. Timeshock doesn't Nothing against Timeshock, or other Pro Pinball tables, its just that it is much easier to make a great physics model, when you can also change table layout to minimize the problem areas. With historical tables, Microsoft just has to do the best they can with what they have. 4. People who have already prejudged a game should not review it. By already knowing that microsoft wouldn't do a good job, he biased his review. MS Arcade pinball would have had to beat Timeshock in ALL areas just to get a decent review. Ok, now off my soap box. Personally, I love historical tables and am much more likely to play Microsoft Pinball Arcade than timeshock for that very fact. Microsoft Pinball Arcade provides more gameplay, less cost, and for the first time, allows me to play an unbroken "Haunted House" (Those of you alive back then know Haunted House was almost ALWAYS out of order or had something broken on it.) I feel that Microsoft has done a great job at catching the neuances at each table. Checkout Spirit of 76. Hit two knockdown targets simultaneously. Did you get ripped off of 500 pts and a bonus advance? Yes! And you should have. The old electro-mechanical tables didn't have a "memory" buffer, so any scores you made while a particular scoring wheel was active, you lost. That's pretty good detail. I give Microsoft credit for coming out with a SOLID (not perfect) pinball title that overcomes a lot of its flaws by simply providing us with "actual" real life tables. Kudos! A note to Empire: You wan't to impress me with your physics? Do a port of Bally's Fireball. With a wide open table and that turntable in the middle, you have nowhere to hide. Plus it has a manual plunger. If empire can pull that one off, then I will be truly impressed.

• Re: MAP Review Carsten 11/14/98 (3)
  • Re: MAP Review William Thomas 11/15/98 (0)
  • Re: MAP Review William Thomas 11/15/98 (1)
    • Re: MAP Review Carsten 11/15/98 (0)