Pinball FX 2 - Free Paranormal table from 10/26 to 11/2!!!

[quote name='JStryke']Here's a question. For the buccaneer table, I thought I read that for new buyers, that table comes with the game. If so, does the buccaneer table also get exported over or no? For some reason it sounded like it didn't from a post early in the thread but there wasn't really much info to go on. Mainly asking this as apparently I have a demo for the first game (which I don't remember downloading at all).[/QUOTE]

I don't know how the Buccaneer table works exactly. I have the free Buccaneer table download for Pinball FX, but I never bought the game, and it didn't import for me. I assume it's only for people who had the original full game.

However, I do think I know where your demo came from. It's one of the demos that Microsoft pre-loads for onto Xbox 360 hard drives. If you got your 360 or its hard drive after April, 2007, it's likely from there.
 
[quote name='Hoffer']How are people getting such high scores in this game? I just smack the pinball around and hope for something to happen. I also look at all the achievements and have no idea what they mean. Even the ones I do unlock, I don't know how I did it.[/QUOTE]

Typically, you can follow the flashing lights on the table to figure out what the game wants you to do. Reading the display box in the top left will also help. I know it's a lot to keep an eye on, but in order to get really high scores, you have to play through the table missions and achieve the objectives.
 
[quote name='Hoffer']How are people getting such high scores in this game? I just smack the pinball around and hope for something to happen. I also look at all the achievements and have no idea what they mean. Even the ones I do unlock, I don't know how I did it.[/QUOTE]

Once you load up a table, hit Start to bring up the menu. Go to Help & Options, then select Rule Sheet. It will give you some info about various features of the table. Unfortunately, a lot of it is still hard to understand.

You can also hold down X and use the sticks to look around the table to see where things are.
 
[quote name='Spybreak8']Wooo, apparently you can clear your hdd's cache and the Pinball FX 2 shirt finally works (props goes to xbox.com forums).[/QUOTE]

How do you clear the HDD cache?

[quote name='Hoffer']How are people getting such high scores in this game? I just smack the pinball around and hope for something to happen. I also look at all the achievements and have no idea what they mean. Even the ones I do unlock, I don't know how I did it.[/QUOTE]

One thing that I find helps is, when learning, do NOT skip the little fly by preview of the machines when you first start. In those things you can actually see what the text says on lights and such and it helps you figure the game out. Then I'd say to just play a game and see what happens, and then read through the rules sheet (hit start to pause, then select Help/Options and finally the option to view the rules). Unfortunately the rules there are mostly pretty incomplete, but they can get you started. Also, ask here. I'm sure somebody has figured pretty much everything out.

Also, unlike a real machine, everything behaves 100% the same every time, which isn't a good thing and is my number 1 complaint with all pinball simulations so far, including Pinball Hall of Fame, but if you want a high score you should take advantage of it. I mean, if you hold the ball on a flipper and then make a shot around a loop, for example, if you use the same timing the next time you make the same shot in the same situation, the outcome will be EXACTLY the same. The ball will come out of that loop with exactly the same trajectory, speed and spin. While this is bad, you should take advantage of it if you want a high score. It's not just shots that are exactly the same, but the most obvious example of this are the kickouts. The kickout on Rome, for example, does precisely the same thing every single freakin' time. Try letting the ball bounce off the left flipper. It will go to the right flipper in exactly the same way every time without fail, and your timing for the subsequent shot (or whatever - maybe it's holding the flipper up to catch it) will be exactly the same as a result. The problem here is that the game starts to feel like the same thing over and over and over, especially if your playing games that are lasting a long time, and that's because it IS exactly the same every time! I'm not saying the game isn't fun, because it is, but it could be a lot better if they'd just stop trying to be so perfect. The real world is not perfect and real pinball machines aren't perfect and that's part of what makes them more fun them simulations (I'm not talking about faulty machines, of course.)
 
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Speaking about the game's physics engine, a weird thing happened last night. For some odd reason when I was in a multiball session one of my pinballs collided with another one and immediately blew off the table. I mean it like hit the ball and went straight up and off the table!?
 
^^^ LOL.

Something weird for me last night as well: I had two balls end up in the kickback at the same time on ... now I'm forgetting which machine... and they proceeded to do a sort of swinging metal balls on chain deal repeatedly, one hitting the other and making it rattle back down, repeat, until finally the kickback timed out and they both drained. I had a ball saver going, so all was good. :)
 
[quote name='crunchewy']^^^ LOL.

Something weird for me last night as well: I had two balls end up in the kickback at the same time on ... now I'm forgetting which machine... and they proceeded to do a sort of swinging metal balls on chain deal repeatedly, one hitting the other and making it rattle back down, repeat, until finally the kickback timed out and they both drained. I had a ball saver going, so all was good. :)[/QUOTE]

^^^LoL. I bet it was Pasha
 
[quote name='2DMention']^^^LoL. I bet it was Pasha[/QUOTE]

Is that from experience?? :) I think that might have been it in any case.

I was bummed to see I'd done my math wrong. My 1600 points card didn't get me all the DLC tables. All but the halloween one. Now I need to get another points card. Oh the agony!
 
[quote name='Hoffer']How are people getting such high scores in this game? I just smack the pinball around and hope for something to happen. I also look at all the achievements and have no idea what they mean. Even the ones I do unlock, I don't know how I did it.[/QUOTE]

Check out the xbox forums:http://forums.xbox.com/2634/ShowForum.aspx

There are plenty of people there just as clueless lol. Some tables tell you basically what to do but most of the time you usually just have to figure it out by trial and error or by observing all the flashing parts on the table. Speed Machine, Agents and Extreme were much more enjoyable once I read how to play those tables. I still hate Agents though haha. I'm getting better at Pasha but god damn I hate the little defeat the guards mini game with a passion.
 
[quote name='Spybreak8']Check out the xbox forums:http://forums.xbox.com/2634/ShowForum.aspx

There are plenty of people there just as clueless lol. Some tables tell you basically what to do but most of the time you usually just have to figure it out by trial and error or by observing all the flashing parts on the table. Speed Machine, Agents and Extreme were much more enjoyable once I read how to play those tables. I still hate Agents though haha. I'm getting better at Pasha but god damn I hate the little defeat the guards mini game with a passion.[/QUOTE]

lol, me too

Let me know when you get better at the guards so you can give me some pointers. Seems I drain down there 85% of the time.
 
That guards thing is annoying. The best thing to do, probably, is to flip the ball straight up or even backward, so an early flip, and keep doing that until you knock down most of the guards. If the ball goes off screen (out of view), just hold the flippers up because it's going to come flying down the "inlane" at a high speed most likely. Try to catch the ball whenever possible. I still can't get it through the back most of the time, but I have done it maybe 25% of the time or so (???), and also unlocked the achievement for knocking all the guards down the other night.

The part of that game that I hate is that magnet mini-game. I find that incredibly frustrating.
 
Yea the magnets were tough at first... When you get the timing down its easy. I start out holding down the right magnet and go from there.

Do you guys like the Arcade FX? or do you turn them off?

I prefer them off, but it is nice to see the points rack up for certain shots.

Oh and 1 more thing... Has anyone completed the crane multiball by knocking down 5 balls from the moving crane on Secrets of the Deep? I can knock out the first one, but haven't gotten any further than that. That has got to be the hardest multiball mode I have encountered.
 
What do you mean by "Arcade FX"?

I haven't even got to that crane multiball yet. I presume that's from doing the crane thing several times? How many are required? I'll have to go for that next time....
 
[quote name='crunchewy']What do you mean by "Arcade FX"?

I haven't even got to that crane multiball yet. I presume that's from doing the crane thing several times? How many are required? I'll have to go for that next time....[/QUOTE]

Arcade FX is in the options menu... You can turn it on or off. While on, the ball has a white trail, points flash up on the table, and there are sparks whenever there is metal on metal contact. Turned off gives a more authentic pinball experience with none of that flashy stuff.

Yea try for it... its the only multiball mode on SotD that I havent completed yet. The 4 modes are:

Mine Chaos (hit the far ramp on the left a couple of times then perform a couple combos on the ramps with a 2 ball mode to complete it)

Abyss Multiball (load up the sub and lock 3 balls for a 4 ball multiball which you must dive to 50m by keeping the multiball alive)

Shark Attack (activated on the upper playfield on the left, once activated a 3 ball starts and you have to feed the shark by hitting the far left lane)

Crane Multiball (activated by using the crane to land 3 balls on the flashing magnet spots, once you do that the crane moves out with a ball on it and you must knock the ball out of the crane to start a 2 ball mode. From there you have to activate the crane and then pop it in the crane hole to start the crane moving with another ball then knock that one loose. And repeat 3x more. Once you get a 5 ball multiball going the mode is completed.)

Each multiball mode corresponds to a letter in "DEEP". After completing all the multiball modes you spell out "DEEP" and the wizard mode begins.

BTW, set a decent score on Buccaneer for you to top ;) Good luck
 
About the tournament a few pages back... Count me in :)

KGSoloman8000

Also interested in your guys high score on Medieval Madness in PHoF: tWC... How well have you done? I think mine is right around 550 million.
 
[quote name='sp8001']About the tournament a few pages back... Count me in :)

KGSoloman8000

Also interested in your guys high score on Medieval Madness in PHoF: tWC... How well have you done? I think mine is right around 550 million.[/QUOTE]

I'll add KG when I get home.

My High Score in Medieval Madness is only 102 Million and I haven't come close to touching it for quite awhile..

Edit: NVM, added you online :)
 
Some of the folks on my friends list have way higher wizard scores then me and yet I've got the high scores on most of the machines among them. Obviously you folks are hooked up with some friends that have good scores, and I need them on my friends list. Do tell. :)

I'll have to check on Medieval Madness. I haven't played in a long time, but I'd like to get back to it to finish out the achievements if nothing else. I have yet to get the wizard mode on MM on there. In the real world I haven't ever gotten the wizard mode either - it's damned tough!
And sp8001 - I'll check that score of yours tonight, but first maybe I should look for those rule sheets....
 
[quote name='crunchewy']

I'll have to check on Medieval Madness. I haven't played in a long time, but I'd like to get back to it to finish out the achievements if nothing else. I have yet to get the wizard mode on MM on there. In the real world I haven't ever gotten the wizard mode either - it's damned tough!
And sp8001 - I'll check that score of yours tonight, but first maybe I should look for those rule sheets....[/QUOTE]

I've heard of wizards with 20 years of pinball experience not even being able to do it. Spelling fire all those times is just insane! You need multiple multiballs to do it!
 
[quote name='2DMention']I've heard of wizards with 20 years of pinball experience not even being able to do it. Spelling fire all those times is just insane! You need multiple multiballs to do it![/QUOTE]

I'm not revealing how many years of experience I've had. State secret. Let's just say that I was, last year, a number not unknown to Douglas Adams fans. ;) I think I liked that number better then this year's number.
 
Lol yeah Medieval Madness is one of my favs on PHoF:tWC and just having Merlin going SUUUUPEER JACKPOT gets me every time. I have a good high score on there but I haven't played it in a while since Pinball FX 2 is taking my pinball time. I finally figured out how to do some of those modes on Rome. What's everyone's easiest garrison to complete? I know Coastal is a total bitch and there's a reason it's last on the list to choose from lol.
 
[quote name='Spybreak8']Lol yeah Medieval Madness is one of my favs on PHoF:tWC and just having Merlin going SUUUUPEER JACKPOT gets me every time. I have a good high score on there but I haven't played it in a while since Pinball FX 2 is taking my pinball time. I finally figured out how to do some of those modes on Rome. What's everyone's easiest garrison to complete? I know Coastal is a total bitch and there's a reason it's last on the list to choose from lol.[/QUOTE]

That's strange lol... I think coastal is the one of easiest to complete since it gives you the most time to make the shots. Some of them only give you about 15 seconds to make shots where as coastal gives you a full minute after every made shot. Plus it banks 5 million once complete. I can't seem to complete the Romulus multiball mode. I want to because of the massive points it dishes out if you do it quick. Hitting the captive ball I'm ok with, it's just the shot into the statue head while it's turned sideways is extremely difficult. I will nail it eventually and get the 50 - 75 million that it awards.

I double checked my MM score. Apparently I was disconnected from live during my best game of 584 million :( but still have a decent score of 390 million on the online leaderboards.

While checking out the leaderboards for PHoF, I noticed I was one spot up on Pure Apathy on Sorcerer, so I shot him an friend request and was shot down due to him being to popular, lol. :)
 
Hey All,

I'm still here and I swear I'll get on top of organizing something sooner than later!! Work (and fifa 11) have been distracting me lately.
 
[quote name='crunchewy']Steve M, presuming it's the same Steve M which seems likely, use to be in the FSPA, before the bastard moved to NYC! I'm so jealous.... :) My wife and I (and our kids too) love to visit NYC and she and I dream about living there some day. We'd go to Joe in Greenwich Village every day, probably twice, and sit there for hours drinking heavenly cappuccino (she, a mocha)... and gaining (happy) weight. Of course we'd also burn off all that fat with all the walking we'd do, so perfect! Just don't ask me to root for the Yankees! ;^)

i wasn't proposing that a Pinball FX league be handled like the FSPA, I was just trying to sell the FSPA and maybe get somebody to join in if they live in the area (can also guest if you are visiting). I would be up for a Pinball FX 2 league as well and absolutely.[/QUOTE]

Definitely the same Steve M. I went to his apt a month or two ago and it's AMAZING. Mint condition LOTR, Circus Voltaire (which I boarded, hooray!), Lost World (had never played it before but its fun) and Gold Strike (I think that's it - it's an EM). Add to the fact that he has a kegerator and a cocktail pacman and I'm basically in heaven.

I'll probably head down to the next FSPA event if someone has room in their car. Will shoot you a PM if I do. If you're ever in NYC too shoot me a PM and I'll hit you with the best spots for pinball.
 
I usually go to NYC with my wife and kids, though on one occasion we had a weekend babysitter so got to go on our own. Thanks for the offer and I'll keep it in mind! Steve has invited us over the last two times we went, but we couldn't fit it in.

When I was playing Pinball Hall of Fame I didn't have a single person on my friend list who had the game, so I didn't really go for scores. I was mainly trying to get all the goals/achievements. Now that I've got so many pinball CAGs on there, I'm going to be inspired to go back to it... but like everybody else I'm into Pinball FX 2 right now.
 
I beat that score on Buccaneer, KG. Not by much, but now you need to beat my score. :) I'm probably going to start focusing on getting the rest of the achievements now. I'd like to 100% this game.

One thing I'm curious about: if you get all the achievements for all of the current games and you then have Pinball FX 2 listed under the games you've 100%'d, and then they add some new tables as DLC, does Pinball FX 2 then drop out of your 100% list?
 
Sent out a couple more friend requests. Might as well keep boosting that wizard score.

I just wish I could figure out why Rome hates me so much. Most of my attempts result in scores of less than 1mil, which is really kind of sad. I can't hit that skill shot on launch, and so many of my ramp shots seem to go halfway up and then rocket back down, right out the drain hole. Any tips for conquering Rome? (Oh, I'm going to lame joke hell for that one...)
 
I think Rome hates us all. The skill shot is nearly impossible. I think I've made it maybe twice total, if that. It's way too hard to judge that shot. Some of the modes seem to require you to make that shot at the end too, thus they seem impossible.

Regarding the ramps, if the ball doesn't make it up and is heading to the middle, try a sort of slap save, though it's not really a slap save - hit one flipper then immediately the other. The game seems to let you save a ball this way even when I don't think it should.

Rome is definitely one if least favorite games in the set. It often feels like a chore. I just want to get the garrisons achievement and then I'll be done with it. FYI, on the xbox forums it was noted that you can complete that achievement by doing tge same garrison over and over - it doesn't have to be all of them.
 
[quote name='crunchewy']I think Rome hates us all. The skill shot is nearly impossible. I think I've made it maybe twice total, if that. It's way too hard to judge that shot. Some of the modes seem to require you to make that shot at the end too, thus they seem impossible.

Regarding the ramps, if the ball doesn't make it up and is heading to the middle, try a sort of slap save, though it's not really a slap save - hit one flipper then immediately the other. The game seems to let you save a ball this way even when I don't think it should.

Rome is definitely one if least favorite games in the set. It often feels like a chore. I just want to get the garrisons achievement and then I'll be done with it. FYI, on the xbox forums it was noted that you can complete that achievement by doing tge same garrison over and over - it doesn't have to be all of them.[/QUOTE]

I think the two tables I like the least are SotD and Rome. Biolab is ok; doesn't seem like there's much to do in it, and too many mini-games. Pasha is awesome.
 
[quote name='2DMention']I think the two tables I like the least are SotD and Rome. Biolab is ok; doesn't seem like there's much to do in it, and too many mini-games. Pasha is awesome.[/QUOTE]

Pasha is my fav. Rome seems to play the fastest thus making it the hardest, plus the 2 ramps drain all the time when you get it half way up. The ramps seem a little too steep. I do that one flipper then the other quickly and have been able to save some balls that were drains, but sometimes it backfires and it results in an insta-drain. I wish the tilt was a little stronger and a little more forgiving. Sometimes when I tilt the ball doesn't change trajectory at all, specifically on Rome's right ramp.

The ball still seems a little too heavy to me. Much better than FX1, but still not perfect.

And I agree, Rome's skillshot is extremely tough.
 
I do that little trick in Rome all the time. It's great when you can get your ball to go to the kickback underneath your flippers (the dead zone) and the kickback activates. If the ball is rushing down the middle, bump the table man. This tactic can keep you alive for a while and I'm still trying to master it.
 
[quote name='Spybreak8']I do that little trick in Rome all the time. It's great when you can get your ball to go to the kickback underneath your flippers (the dead zone) and the kickback activates. If the ball is rushing down the middle, bump the table man. This tactic can keep you alive for a while and I'm still trying to master it.[/QUOTE]

I'll be honest, I'm horrible at bumping. Generally, I tend to panic and end up bumping the wrong way, sending my poor silvery friend to his doom...
 
Rocky & Bullwinkle is somewhat broken. It explains the 9+ billion scores. Basically the only thing you should try to do in this machine is get multiball over and over, but what makes matters worse is that sometimes, not infrequently, one of the 3 balls ends up stuck in the lock and doesn't come out unless you bump the machine. End result is that you have a one ball multiball with the jackpots still lit. I have to presume that's how people have gotten such insane scores. As it was I got just over 500 million.

I'm up to 94+ thousand wizard score, mostly by slumming in the xbox forums for friends to help boost my score. :) I need a few more people as friends it would seem, or one of those 9.9 billion R&B folks! Or perhaps some more big scores and/or those rumored tournaments to pop up.
 
[quote name='2DMention']Doesn't that apply to any pinball game?[/QUOTE]

Often, but not always. On the (real) machine Frankenstein (Sega), I do much better if I play the modes rather then going for the main multiball.

To be clear, I'm talking about the 3-lock multiball in Rocky & Bullwinkle. Shoot the (drop?) targets at the upper right, then lock 3 balls at the left loop. FYI, you can backhand those targets from the lower right flipper and that's the easiest way to hit them. If you also nudge the machine you'll perhaps get more bounces and hit all of them. Do that to get locks lit, then lock three balls and go to town. Rinse and repeat. Along the way you'll also get modes running and they run during multiball, so even better.
 
Earlier today I decided to fire up Pinball Hall of Fame for the first time in a long time, inspired by Pinball FX 2 and... I was taken aback by the play of that game. It's not nearly as good as I remembered, though the problem is mostly that it's moon ball land. Medieval Madness plays in slow motion. The physics in Pinball FX 2 are a lot better IMHO. Still a good game, but I wish they'd tweaked the physics with an update. All they have to do is increase the virtual slope of the playfield. I'm pretty sure that's the issue. They just have it set up (virtually) at way too shallow angle.
 
[quote name='crunchewy']Earlier today I decided to fire up Pinball Hall of Fame for the first time in a long time, inspired by Pinball FX 2 and... I was taken aback by the play of that game. It's not nearly as good as I remembered, though the problem is mostly that it's moon ball land. Medieval Madness plays in slow motion. The physics in Pinball FX 2 are a lot better IMHO. Still a good game, but I wish they'd tweaked the physics with an update. All they have to do is increase the virtual slope of the playfield. I'm pretty sure that's the issue. They just have it set up (virtually) at way too shallow angle.[/QUOTE]

Eh I think it's with regards to the simulation to arcade difference. Williams Collection is more towards simulation as FX 2 is more towards arcade fast fun.
 
[quote name='crunchewy']Earlier today I decided to fire up Pinball Hall of Fame for the first time in a long time, inspired by Pinball FX 2 and... I was taken aback by the play of that game. It's not nearly as good as I remembered, though the problem is mostly that it's moon ball land. Medieval Madness plays in slow motion. The physics in Pinball FX 2 are a lot better IMHO. Still a good game, but I wish they'd tweaked the physics with an update. All they have to do is increase the virtual slope of the playfield. I'm pretty sure that's the issue. They just have it set up (virtually) at way too shallow angle.[/QUOTE]

Really? I think it plays almost perfect. Pinball FX 2 is much better than 1, but it still plays like it's in space. PHoF's ball is less floaty.

PHoF is kind of simple compared to FX 2 too. I hope they make a new one with bally tables.

On Rocky & Bullwinkle - I like the art of the table, but too often, you're hitting the ball and it's not doing anything. Also, the views on R&B and NM seem more limited in FX2 than they were in 1.
 
[quote name='2DMention']Really? I think it plays almost perfect. Pinball FX 2 is much better than 1, but it still plays like it's in space. PHoF's ball is less floaty.

PHoF is kind of simple compared to FX 2 too. I hope they make a new one with bally tables.

On Rocky & Bullwinkle - I like the art of the table, but too often, you're hitting the ball and it's not doing anything. Also, the views on R&B and NM seem more limited in FX2 than they were in 1.[/QUOTE]

I agree with 2D on this one... PHoF feels more realistic to me. Lighter ball than FX2.

And about MM playing in slow motion... I think you need to go back and get a few more games in... That ball will rocket down the drain at light speed if you're not careful.

Actually kind of disappointed in the camera angles for the old FX1 tables. Hard to find one that works well for me. The new tables have a decent camera selection but the old ones not so much.
 
I play a Medieval Madness almost every week and it is *way* faster then how it plays in PHoF. PHoF is moon ball in comparison. The ball seems about right in PFX2. I suppose it's a matter of preference.
 
[quote name='crunchewy']I play a Medieval Madness almost every week and it is *way* faster then how it plays in PHoF. PHoF is moon ball in comparison. The ball seems about right in PFX2. I suppose it's a matter of preference.[/QUOTE]

I play MM quite a bit (usually in the summer/spring when the mini golf course and fair are open), and that thing rockets around on the PHoF table.
 
[quote name='crunchewy']Nice score there on Secrets of the Deep KGSoloman8000 - how'd you get all those points? :)[/QUOTE]

Multiball :)
 
Oooh... DLC. But that's more money. 4 machines, so I presume it will be another 800 points. Ouch. I'll almost certainly get it, though. Would be nice if they surprised us with a 400 point price, but I'm not holding breath.
 
[quote name='clickpow']Hey guys we got word on the marvel tabes DLC pack + add me if you play arcade games (pinball, fighting, shump etc). I'm clickpow xbl =)

http://www.joystiq.com/screenshots/marvel-pinball-xbla-and-psn/#/0[/QUOTE]

Video of the tables is available here: http://www.marvelpinball.com/

They're also holding a vote to decide on the next table. You can choose between Hulk, Captain America, The Fantastic Four, and Ghost Rider. Personally, I want all 4 of them. :)
 
They look pretty good. Can't wait for them so I can feed my addiction some more.

I got my wizard robe the other day, but truth be told it's really kind of goofy looking. :) Still, I will wear it proudly. Sort of. Seeing how I went fishing for "friends" just to boost my wizard score, I suppose I shouldn't be so proud. :)
 
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