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Twilight Zone - The Pinball Arcade Kickstarter [Ended, $77K funded]

Update #5: Stretch goal for Kickstarter- Star Trek: The Next Generation!

TNG_table.jpg


If we reach this stretch goal (but only if we reach it), every backer Reward will also apply to Star Trek: The Next Generation. So everyone who pledges at least $10 will get the table on a single platform, everyone who pledges at least $25 will get an exclusive Star Trek virtual pinball, everyone who pledges at least $50 will get a Star Trek wallpaper, everyone who pledges at least $100 will get access to the Star Trek: The Next Generation operator's menu, and everyone who pledges $500 will be a Beta tester with early access to the Star Trek table. We would plan to launch Star Trek: The Next Generation a month behind the Twilight Zone (so approximately December 2012),

Reaching this stretch goal will require a similar level of support from our fans as what we've experienced with the Twilight Zone, but we're confident it can be done! Please pledge generously so we can make Star Trek: The Next Generation a reality!

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Kickstarter Link

Twilight-zone.jpg


tz1.jpg



We’ve received many requests to bring the Twilight Zone pinball table to the Pinball Arcade. This table was released by Midway under the Bally label and is unquestionably one of the greatest pinball tables of all time (in fact it’s currently #1 in user rankings on the Internet Pinball Database!) We’ve finally succeeded in negotiating all of the licenses we’d need to bring the Twilight Zone to the Pinball Arcade. Unfortunately when we add up the costs of each required license and calculate what we’d have to charge for the table, we’ve realized that the Twilight Zone is just not commercially viable. So we’ve decided to try crowd-funding the cost of the licenses.

We’ve set up a Kickstarter project for the Twilight Zone (just the licenses, not the development costs- we’ll cover all of those ourselves). If we can raise enough money through Kickstarter we’ll be able to digitize the Twilight Zone and preserve one of the greatest pinball tables of all time. If we don’t reach our goal no credit cards will be charged, but if we raise more than our goal we’ll be able to digitize other licensed tables as well (like Star Trek: The Next Generation!) We’ve put together a tempting list of rewards to say “thank you” for helping out. Plus the top five contributors will get their initials featured as the default high scores for the table, immortalizing them as true pinball fanatics! Check out our Kickstarter site and video using the link below. Please join us!

Pledge $10


Get the Twilight Zone pinball table on a single platform of your choice (except for the Xbox 360- Microsoft won’t let us!) plus the satisfaction of knowing you helped make the preservation of this table possible.

Pledge $100

Get a special version of the Twilight Zone pinball table with access to the table operator’s menu on every platform (again, except the Xbox 360). You'll also get an entry into the Pinball Arcade Supporters Tournament!

Pledge $500

Everything above PLUS be a Beta-tester with early access to the table, see your name listed as a supporter in the credits, and get a cool Development Team T-shirt!

Pledge $1000

Everything above PLUS a copy of Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection signed by the FarSight development team.


Pledge $5000

Everything above PLUS lunch and one-on-one with the FarSight design team! We’ll give you a tour of our studio in Big Bear Lake, California and you'll get an inside look at how we digitize pinball tables. We’ll show you what we’re currently working on (and you’ll be among the first outside the studio to play it!) You can also share your thoughts on what we should improve and which tables we should do next. You are responsible for your travel (but lunch is on us!)

Pledge $10000

The FarSight team will travel to a location of your choosing (within the continental US please, unless you live someplace really cool). We’ll set up and host a virtual pinball tournament for you and your friends complete with goodies and prizes. We’ll also bring along the latest new tables, and you’ll be among the first outside the studio to play them! Your name will also be highlighted in the credits as someone who really made a difference.
 

shuri

Banned
First, if you are TRULY desperate; there are pinball simulators that already do perfect emulation of this using the actual original roms for audio, gameplay, and the physics are pretty damn incredible.

Secundo, that pinball goes for around 5k on the aftermarket.

and THIRDIO - It's a nice pinball but nothing to go crazy about.
 
Pledged $10, but I"m not optimistic. I hope they reach the goal, this is seriously the best pinball machine I've ever played.
 

border

Member
For a second I thought this project was actually going to result in new Twilight Zone machines being produced.

Then I realized it was to make a videogame. Meh.
 

Bebpo

Banned
Man, I love the idea behind this project (The Pinball Arcade) but I don't want to have to kickstart every licensed table in the game from this point out. $10 a table is a lot! :(

Also the gaps in the rewards tier are going to kill them. Will be interesting if they can hit their goal with everyone on the $10 tier. Probably can.
 

Seraphis Cain

bad gameplay lol
On the Kickstarter page, they also said that if they exceed their goal, which I admit is unlikely, they'll be able to license other expensive tables, such as Star Trek: TNG. Which would be awesome.
 

Plinko

Wildcard berths that can't beat teams without a winning record should have homefield advantage
I'll gladly donate but I have no faith in them coming anywhere close to $55,000.
 

Kai Dracon

Writing a dinosaur space opera symphony
Man, I love the idea behind this project (The Pinball Arcade) but I don't want to have to kickstart every licensed table in the game from this point out. $10 a table is a lot! :(

Also the gaps in the rewards tier are going to kill them. Will be interesting if they can hit their goal with everyone on the $10 tier. Probably can.

In a sense, this is one time when we can visibly see a real reason for a premium price: we know that it's the licensing fees for certain properties that is the problem.

Personally, I wouldn't mind paying $10 a table for select premium tables under the philosophy that Pinball Arcade really is a form of digital preservation. These tables are works of individual playable art, and almost nobody will ever get to see and play them, if they're not recreated in digital form.
 

Bebpo

Banned
Personally, I wouldn't mind paying $10 a table for select premium tables under the philosophy that Pinball Arcade really is a form of digital preservation. These tables are works of individual playable art, and almost nobody will ever get to see and play them, if they're not recreated in digital form.

I would agree if the tables weren't so buggy and had so many glitches across platforms. I'd pay $10 for premium tables, but I want them working perfectly on the platform I play it on. Not glitched with some patch maybe coming 2 months down the line.
 

Jucksalbe

Banned
The video they've put on the page is done really well. They calmly explain what Pinball Arcade is about, what this Kickstarter is about and why it is necessary. That's how it's supposed to be.

I really hope they can meet and exceed their goal. The Twilight Zone table is great and it would be really nice to have it in the game. They should improve on the reward tiers, though. Going from $10 to $100 is a bit much.
 

Kai Dracon

Writing a dinosaur space opera symphony
I would agree if the tables weren't so buggy and had so many glitches across platforms. I'd pay $10 for premium tables, but I want them working perfectly on the platform I play it on. Not glitched with some patch maybe coming 2 months down the line.

Oh, don't get me wrong. I'm speaking in the abstract. I'm not that happy FarSight is putting so much emphasis on stuff like this kickstarter now, when the game itself is still in flux. One can't help but get the impression Pinball Arcade wasn't ready for prime time and has suffered a disjointed rollout across platforms.

If they can fix their issues though, I have no problem with supporting this method for preserving rare licensed tables.

psh, not paying $10 to download one table. It's unfortunate they can't afford to release it as regular DLC.

I get the impression Twilight Zone will be regular DLC if they can make it. But the reality here, is that 'premium' licensed tables may cost more due to the licensing fees involved. If so, there's really nothing anyone can do about it. Either the classic table is worth it to someone, or not.

To be fair, we've actually been getting high quality pinball tables for f**king dirt cheap with stuff like Zen Pinball. $3 a table has been a steal.
 

Jucksalbe

Banned
psh, not paying $10 to download one table. It's unfortunate they can't afford to release it as regular DLC.

Well, technically you're not buying the table for $10, you're supporting them to pay the license fees and happen to get the DLC as a bonus.
You will still be able to buy this table as regular DLC if they meet their goal (for whatever they will charge for it).
 

Jucksalbe

Banned
If they can fix their issues though, I have no problem with supporting this method for preserving rare licensed tables.

The release date for this table would be November. I'm hopeful that they will have fixed most issues the game has by then.
 

firehawk12

Subete no aware
God, I want the Star Trek TNG table... what a tease in that description. Of course, if this was a TNG kickstarter, I'd probably be more willing to donate to it.

(Also the World Cup 94 table is drilled into my brain... that stupid dog mascot).

It's too bad all this old stuff is trapped in licensing hell though.
 

Seraphis Cain

bad gameplay lol
I will happily throw $100 on this. It's never gonna make the goal though. :/

Yeah...I mean, regardless of the actual licensing costs, FarSight should have sat down and really thought about whether or not $55,000 was actually realistic. At this rate I really don't see them making it to the goal.
 

dallow_bg

nods at old men
This is kind of like when people pool money together to help get a rom dumped of some unreleased game beta so everyone can play.
 

Seraphis Cain

bad gameplay lol
Why? What's the typical percentage of your goal that you have to reach within two hours to succeed?

Okay, my bad, I really shouldn't have said "at this rate". I just don't see them hitting $55,000 at all. I'd love it if they did, but that's kind of a lot of money for a relatively niche project.
 

BiggNife

Member
First, if you are TRULY desperate; there are pinball simulators that already do perfect emulation of this using the actual original roms for audio, gameplay, and the physics are pretty damn incredible.

For most people, going that route isn't exactly legal. This is pretty much the only way we'll see a recreation of the table in a legal fashion, so if you want to play it you should really back this project instead of doing that. I don't think the fact that there are other ways to "acquire" a digital version of the table is a legitimate excuse. That's like saying there shouldn't be arcade games on XBLA/PSN because you can just play them though MAME instead.

Backed for $10. I want this to succeed, especially considering it might open the door for other licensed tables.
 

mclem

Member
Toying with pledging, but that's a heck of a jump of reward tiers.

Did we know this was coming out on 3DS and Wii U? 3DS interests me in particular, I've had a lot of fun with Zen Pinball 3D.
 

BiggNife

Member
I think they really need to offer more tiers between $10 and $100

A friend of mine suggested a tier where you can get the game for two platforms instead of one

They could also do a bundle where you get the game with a few other tables

As it is, the far majority of people are just going to go with $10
 

FatBaby

Member
I'm in for at least $10 but I would consider going a bit higher if they had something between $10 and $100.

One of the reward tiers should of been getting the actually table itself. :)
 
I would pledge but I only have the game for xbox360... it sucks that you wouldn't even get the game if you make a pledge... I understand that it's Microsoft's fault but it still makes me not want to do it.
 

Minsc

Gold Member
First, if you are TRULY desperate; there are pinball simulators that already do perfect emulation of this using the actual original roms for audio, gameplay, and the physics are pretty damn incredible.

Secundo, that pinball goes for around 5k on the aftermarket.

and THIRDIO - It's a nice pinball but nothing to go crazy about.

TPA uses the actual roms, and the physics are for the most part, way better than Future / Visual Pinball. They also include like a 500 page walkthrough about the table, and official leaderboards, etc. Definitely a nicer package (3D graphics are better as well, not to mention the lighting is also unmatched).

Plus there's always the chance that The Addams Family license becomes a stretch goal, or a future kickstarter once this is funded.

Edit: I see Star Trek: The Next Generation is labeled as the first stretch goal on the kickstarter, hopefully it's not the last.
 
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