[dallow_bg]

Uh, having rewards is a huge reason why Kickstarter is successful. Can't you see how it would bother someone if they donated $50 and got the exact same reward if someone funded with $10? I'm an unemployed recent college graduate. If I end up backing for more than $10 there has to be a reason more than just goodwill.

If you're only concerned with little rewards rather than big picture, sure.

[lobdale]

These guys need to fix the horrible bugs that plague the PlayStation 3 and Vita versions before pleading to the public to hit them up for extra cash. A busted game with a shiny new coat of DLC is still busted.

The bugs are generally per-table, and the frontend will improve, they've stated as much. Once the table's in, it's in. It's a pretty far cry to call "the game" "busted" when really it's just not totally feature complete yet. Doesn't help that it takes Sony a month to approve the updates.

[Glass Joe]

Wait, so even if this gets funded there won't be a 360 version? Or Microsoft just won't let there be a DLC/Kickstarter association? Pardon the confusion. I want the table and $10 is worth it, but not sure why 360 is excluded.

[Kai Dracon]

Wait, so even if this gets funded there won't be a 360 version? Or Microsoft just won't let there be a DLC/Kickstarter association? Pardon the confusion. I want the table and $10 is worth it, but not sure why 360 is excluded.

Microsoft won't let publishers buy DLC codes in advance to give out to people. The table will still be available on 360. They just can't forward you a DLC code for your contribution; you'll have to pick another platform to receive your reward copy on.

[GDJustin]

In for $10. The Pinball Arcade as a product isn't 100% there yet, but Farsight is good people, and they're doing good, important work. They have a multi-year vision for this product so I have faith that in one or two years Pinball Arcade will be something incredible and unprecedented. And that it will feature a smoothed out UI & other important improvements beyond just adding more and more tables.

Anyway, this Kickstarter is an important precedent. If we EVER want to see tables like Aadams Family, Star Trek: TNG, Lord of the Rings, Indiana Jones, etc... this is the only way they're going to happen.

Edit: And of course there's the fact that I'm the very first press quote on their KS page. How could I not back? :p

[Jucksalbe]

They updated their Kickstarter page with a FAQ that answers some of the questions posted here, quote:

Will the Twilight Zone table be available on the Xbox 360? We will definitely release the table on the 360- we just can't give it to anyone as a reward for being a backer. The codes that Microsoft issues us only work for purchasing the main game, not for downloadable content. Tell us more about the Pinball Arcade Supporters Tournament! We are adding support for online pinball tournaments to the Pinball Arcade. We plan to host a special online Pinball Arcade Supporters Tournament featuring the Twilight Zone table for our backers, complete with prizes and goodies for the winners! Will the Twilight Zone table be available on PC? Yes, there will be a PC version of the Twilight Zone. We are currently evaluating different options for distributing the PC version of the game, but that should definitely be resolved by the time the Twilight Zone is finished. Will the Twilight Zone be available on the PS Vita? Yes, definitely! The Vita is one of our favorite platforms, and it's a great way to play pinball. How much more would have to be raised to digitize Star Trek: The Next Generation? We would love to do the Star Trek: The Next Generation table! We know we can get the licenses because they are both CBS properties.The cost of the licenses would be similar to the Twilight Zone (so an additional $55,000).

Blu10, your turn!

[MightyHedgehog]

I'll probably back this later, but I wonder why they couldn't just work out the numbers in a plan to pack expensive licensed tables together for a higher price the same way Zen releases Marvel packs of four tables at a higher pricepoint.

[Dacvak]

This is a good table, but I'm much more interested in getting Space Shuttle.

Out of curiosity, how does this game play on the Vita? Are you able to hold your Vita in portrait mode and play like that, so you get a nice verticality with the table? Maybe just use the touch screen for flippers, like on iOS? That would be fantastic since the iOS port isn't great, IMO.

[Jucksalbe]

This is a good table, but I'm much more interested in getting Space Shuttle.

Space Shuttle is already confirmed. No need to worry about that.

[Minsc]

I'll probably back this later, but I wonder why they couldn't just work out the numbers in a plan to pack expensive licensed tables together for a higher price the same way Zen releases Marvel packs of four tables at a higher pricepoint.

They have to get more licenses then Zen, they had to get a Bally license for the table, then on top of that they have to get licenses from every IP holder that the table uses, it's not just a case of making a new table and getting say Marvel, this table uses the original Twilight Zone IP, they need the television show's license, they need every actor that appears on the play-field and in the audio of the table, or on the back-glass. If there's music, they need licenses for the songs, and more and more. It's way more complex than what Zen does in getting a license to make a new table.

This is a good table, but I'm much more interested in getting Space Shuttle. Out of curiosity, how does this game play on the Vita? Are you able to hold your Vita in portrait mode and play like that, so you get a nice verticality with the table? Maybe just use the touch screen for flippers, like on iOS? That would be fantastic since the iOS port isn't great, IMO.

Yup, works in portrait or landscape. Not sure if you'll find it to be any better an experience than on a 4S or iPad 2 or higher though, using the Vita's touchscreen.

[MightyHedgehog]

They have to get more licenses then Zen, they had to get a Bally license for the table, then on top of that they have to get licenses from every IP holder that the table uses, it's not just a case of making a new table and getting say Marvel, this table uses the original Twilight Zone IP, they need the television show's license, they need every actor that appears on the play-field and in the audio of the table, or on the back-glass. If there's music, they need licenses for the songs, and more and more. It's way more complex than what Zen does in getting a license to make a new table.

Right, I knew all about the clearance complexities, but I'm wondering why they couldn't just pack two of the more costly licensed tables together for 800pts/$10? I guess they want to ensure all tables cost the same and can be purchased separately, but I wonder if they won't end up doing just that if this KS fails to fund.

[Minsc]

Right, I knew all about the clearance complexities, but I'm wondering why they couldn't just pack two of the more costly licensed tables together for 800pts/$10? I guess they want to ensure all tables cost the same and can be purchased separately, but I wonder if they won't end up doing just that if this KS fails to fund.

Maybe they just don't have the overhead to afford a $100K-$200K investment for licenses on two major tables + modeling and programming them upfront (vs what, $5K-$10K for the less popular licensed stuff)?

[Night_Trekker]

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.

I was actually just thinking about the TNG table. Yes it is a great one.

I dunno if it's considered good, but I remember loving the Jurassic Park table. The big T-Rex head that would eat the ball was so cool.

[Agent X]

The bugs are generally per-table, and the frontend will improve, they've stated as much. Once the table's in, it's in. It's a pretty far cry to call "the game" "busted" when really it's just not totally feature complete yet. Doesn't help that it takes Sony a month to approve the updates.

Feature complete? Please. The game is an unplayable mess on the PlayStation 3, with highly noticeable flipper lag. PS Vita version is moderately more playable (as it doesn't have the lag), but instead has altered physics, targets that don't register, and goals/trophies that fail to unlock when conditions are fulfilled. I've almost completely stopped playing both versions now, since the bugs tend to be more trouble than they're worth.

Even if the bugs are on a per-table basis, people like me who already paid for the base game deserve to have the existing bugs addressed first, rather than being asked to pay for future DLC. After all, if they can't even get the tables from the base game to play properly, then why should we suddenly expect the DLC packs to be flawlessly executed?

Out of curiosity, how does this game play on the Vita? Are you able to hold your Vita in portrait mode and play like that, so you get a nice verticality with the table? Maybe just use the touch screen for flippers, like on iOS? That would be fantastic since the iOS port isn't great, IMO.

I'd recommend that you avoid it. Not worth $10 in its current state, even if you do get both the PS3 and PS Vita versions (since both versions are busted). If they ever get around to fixing the numerous bugs that exist, then I might give it a stronger recommendation. The developers barely even acknowledge the bugs on the PS3/Vita now (going so far as to dismiss the claims of flipper lag as being a problem with users' TVs), so you could be in for a very long wait.

The Vita does support portrait mode, and the visuals look very good in that mode. It looks basically the same as it does on my Android phone, and has the same touch controls. I just don't like the touch controls very much to begin with. Unfortunately, portrait mode doesn't allow you to use the physical controls of the Vita for anything other than pulling the plunger.

[MightyHedgehog]

Maybe they just don't have the overhead to afford a $100K-$200K investment for licenses on two major tables + modeling and programming them upfront (vs what, $5K-$10K for the less popular licensed stuff)?

Yeah, I guess I underestimate their ability to self-finance, but given that their main project is all about simulating the best pinball tables of all time, it seems weird that they have to come to KS to cover this as I expected it to be part of the estimated and planned costs from the start. Like, 'hey let's take our revenue and fold it back into the licensing and production of deluxe tables.' *shrug* That said, I'm glad KS is there as a way to offer this opportunity, but I never guessed that FarSight would be using it.

As for the PS3 version of TPA, the flipper lag is much less when you force the PS3 display settings to 720p as max resolution. Makes PS3 Ripley's more playable, though still not as snappy-feeling as the X360 version for feel of flipper response time and a nice non-blurred DMD, though, at 720p, the PS3 DMD looks better than it does at 1080p.

[BiggNife]

If you're only concerned with little rewards rather than big picture, sure.

I think you're partially missing the point of Kickstarter - it's designed to be a win-win situation for both the creator and the consumer. Not only does the creator get his/her project funded but the consumer gets an appropriate reward in return. As a result, I really don't think it's unreasonable to view the lack of tiers as a pretty big deal.

If you want to pay $60 for a 10 dollar reward, be my guest. But there's no need to be condescending about it.

And it looks like they're planning to add more tiers so this is all kind of a moot point now anyway.

[bryehn]

Great table!

Would love to see Flash Gordon, Rocky & Bulwinkle and (lol) Star Wars too!

[dallow_bg]

I think you're partially missing the point of Kickstarter - it's designed to be a win-win situation for both the creator and the consumer. Not only does the creator get his/her project funded but the consumer gets an appropriate reward in return. As a result, I really don't think it's unreasonable to view the lack of tiers as a pretty big deal. If you want to pay $60 for a 10 dollar reward, be my guest. But there's no need to be condescending about it. And it looks like they're planning to add more tiers so this is all kind of a moot point now anyway.

I honestly don't think that's the point, and personally feel these things shouldn't have rewards at all. I'll agree to disagree though.
Admittedly, many would not get funded were it not for the rewards they offer as helpful incentive.

[endresults]

These guys have spoiled me on other pinball games; the physics never feel quite right except for Farsight's pins. Donated.

[2&2]

This could be the first kickstarter I contribute to.
I like what these guys are doing. The games themselves are still a little rough, but hopefully they'll continue to improve them. I kinda want to see what improvements they have before doing this, though. Still, $10, is not much to drop on this. Seems like a reasonable goal(?)

I do think they need to consider some more lower tier options as well.

[Mollymauk]

Wonder how much the Golden Earring license cost them, lol.

[jvm]

I am a fan of Agent X's posts, generally, but I humbly disagree with him on the PS3 version of TPA. I find it perfectly fine, and have already gotten probably a good 7-8 hours of enjoyment out of it. And that's just two tables.

I don't feel the lag, if there is any on my setup, and the bugs to me are minimal. I probably just play past them without knowing or being bothered by them.

Just my 2¢.

[gururoji]

Now this I can get behind. In for $15.

Just my 2 cents re: the PS3 ver: a few days ago I played ToM on PS3 and got a 3.6 mil, my highest score yet. Then I played on 360 and really found it far more responsive and scored a 5.4 mil. Obviously this is not an objective metric, but I found the difference very noticeable. The PS3 version is not unplayable, it's just a bit less responsive.

[Minsc]

I am a fan of Agent X's posts, generally, but I humbly disagree with him on the PS3 version of TPA. I find it perfectly fine, and have already gotten probably a good 7-8 hours of enjoyment out of it. And that's just two tables. I don't feel the lag, if there is any on my setup, and the bugs to me are minimal. I probably just play past them without knowing or being bothered by them. Just my 2¢.

It's not like there's a whole lot of legal options for pinball fans either, short of buying and housing dozens of tables or traveling to an arcade. There's older games, and collections, and the stuff Zen puts out (which seems to release even less frequently than TPA), and that's it. Lots of people are enjoying the various versions of TPA obviously, but like with PC games, a handful of people aren't. There are issues with certain configurations and some people are more sensitive to issues than others, but they seem to be getting resolved on the platforms that have been able to be patched. Things happen slowly on consoles, but that's because that's the way MS and Sony made it. Android patches can roll out in hours, and iOS has been updated 3-4 times already as well, each update bringing new features and fixing bugs (as well as perhaps adding bugs, but additional bugs do get squashed as well).

It sucks if you have issues with the game, but from what I've seen, time should get them patched out. The more they can commit to TPA as a platform, the more care they hopefully commit to it as well.

[GDJustin]

Yeah, I guess I underestimate their ability to self-finance, but given that their main project is all about simulating the best pinball tables of all time, it seems weird that they have to come to KS to cover this as I expected it to be part of the estimated and planned costs from the start. Like, 'hey let's take our revenue and fold it back into the licensing and production of deluxe tables.' *shrug* That said, I'm glad KS is there as a way to offer this opportunity, but I never guessed that FarSight would be using it.

KS is being used in this instance to mitigate some risk. I don't think it's that the company literally couldn't afford these licenses. I think it is more likely that they were worried it might put them out of business, because they don't know for certain how many people TRUELY want a Twilight Zone table.

Let's say their gut tells them TZ would be huge, so they front the cost, release the table for $6-8, and then no one buys it. A move like that could put the studio out of business.

But KS allows them to ensure the demand is there before they even start.

Edit: Let's think about it this way. FarSight has models that show them how many copies of a table they can expect to sell. They know they can move (for the sake of argument) 10K copies of a popular table. They sell it for $2.99. Minus transaction fees, FS salaries (dev cost), licensing fees, the company likely has a pretty good idea that they'll turn a profit. BUT... something like TZ throws a wrench in that. Their model shows them they won't sell more copies. So they have to make up the licensing cost by building it into the cost of the table. 55K in licensing fees would mean the table would need to cost $x more for everyone. X depends on how many tables they're truly selling. But they probably decided it was simply too big of a number.

[Akihabara]

Didn't know the game, looks awesome, makes me wanna play pinball games.

What's the best pinball game on PC ?

[Minsc]

Didn't know the game, looks awesome, makes me wanna play pinball games. What's the best pinball game on PC ?

Probably the Pro Pinball games from GOG (start with Timeshock!). This will be eventually when it makes it on PC, and you will have Zen Pinball 2 when it releases (it may be out on Windows 8 now). There's a couple of older pinball games on GOG too if you hunt around some more.

[Jucksalbe]

They added a new reward tier at $50:

Everything above PLUS an exclusive Twilight Zone Pinball wallpaper for the device of your choice AND an entry into the Pinball Arcade Supporters Tournament!

[Plinko]

If this doesn't work then FarSight probably won't be able to offer Addams Family Pinball.

The fact that they mentioned Star Trek: The Next Generation instead of Addams Family leads me to believe that the licenses for that game would be astronomical and not reasonable.

[Minsc]

The fact that they mentioned Star Trek: The Next Generation instead of Addams Family leads me to believe that the licenses for that game would be astronomical and not reasonable.

Well I had originally hoped that when they ran the kickstarter, it would be at a point in time that with the draw of them releasing a table such as this or TAF (it really should have been that even if it was over $100K in licensing), they'd be able to advertise "hey, look everyone who enjoys pinball, we just released the best table ever made" and not have the UI be the embarrassing low-budget mess it is now, so all the new people to the platform would be impressed and buy up a ton of other tables. Which maybe can still happen (perhaps it takes 4+ months to digitize/test/release, and they can clean a lot of the UI up by then)... and possibly sales of TTZ will be so successful, if it gets funded and made, that they will strongly consider the viability of releasing other high cost licensed tables like LotR, and so forth.

[added_time]

I highly doubt they will be fixing up the UI. They must think it looks good. It is very much in line with how the disc release looked in style and low-budget appearance. I'm not convinced they even realize how bad it looks since they keep making the same mistakes for years.

[Shaneus]

That they're still using the same UI sounds and fonts says a lot.

I really like they guys and what they're doing, but they shouldn't be neglecting other parts of their software. I doubt it would be doing them any favours, sales-wise.

[dallow_bg]

Edit: I'm dumb, didn't see that this question was kind of asked above already.

Here's a question:

Do they really not have 55,000 to invest in getting this license, or think profits made from selling the DLC table aren't enough to cover the costs?

I'm just curious about how much money this company makes as I thought they were doing well.

[Shaneus]

It's not so much that, but that there's no guarantee they'll get that return, whereas the other tables are far easier to make their money back on. $55k plus whatever time/money they spend developing it (which they're still "paying for" in regards to TZ) is a fair gamble for something they're not sure there's interest for.

I think they have the money, but I think this is effectively like sending out a questionnaire saying "Would you buy TZ if we released it?" with a go/no go number for breaking even. But with a history of gamers not following up on their word, a KS is the best way to ensure that people follow through on their intentions and that the company won't lose out. If they did, then TZ could have well been the last table we ever see from them.

I'm more than happy to donate (almost) whatever it takes, because I think it's imperative, almost even moreso than electronic games, to have an interactive record of pinball in one place given it's rich history and ability to be shown as a barometer of culture over the last 70 years or so.

Fuck, that was a ramble. Apols.

[Minsc]

I highly doubt they will be fixing up the UI. They must think it looks good. It is very much in line with how the disc release looked in style and low-budget appearance. I'm not convinced they even realize how bad it looks since they keep making the same mistakes for years.

They said they would redo the UI when enough tables were added in an interview a while ago, and I think with the name The Pinball Arcade, an actual, navigable 3D arcade would be a fitting UI. Even if they just fancy up the list and use the backglass to the tables, I'm sure that would help a lot over the swiping method they have now.

Here's a question: Do they really not have 55,000 to invest in getting this license, or think profits made from selling the DLC table aren't enough to cover the costs? I'm just curious about how much money this company makes as I thought they were doing well.

It's a pinball game, how much money do you really think it makes? :) Obviously fronting 55K vs next to nothing changes the balance of things, if they don't see the return. I agree with others, it's a matter of risk.

[The Bookerman]

The 5000$ tier is probably the worst, they don't even fly the guy out to the studio. All it really costs them is a lunch.

[2&2]

I highly doubt they will be fixing up the UI. They must think it looks good. It is very much in line with how the disc release looked in style and low-budget appearance. I'm not convinced they even realize how bad it looks since they keep making the same mistakes for years.

From their PSBlog article:

Yes, the menu system will be completely changed and features will be added as the collection grows.

[added_time]

They said they would redo the UI when enough tables were added in an interview a while ago, and I think with the name The Pinball Arcade, an actual, navigable 3D arcade would be a fitting UI. Even if they just fancy up the list and use the backglass to the tables, I'm sure that would help a lot over the swiping method they have now.

I'm not saying they won't re-do the UI. They might. However, I still would expect it to look low budget and amateur.
The Williams Collection had the arcade setup you are describing but it still wasn't very intuitive and had the same horrible fonts and graphics.
Another terrible thing about the UI on xbox360 is how you have to exit the entire game back to the dashboard just to switch to another gamertag! This is so annoying!
The other games I play (trials evolution and pinball fx2) are smart enough to realize that two players will want to take turns playing so they allow you to simply return to the title screen and let the other player press start and voila - the other gamertag is now playing the game.

None of these interface issues would ever stop me from buying every Pinball Arcade table since I love pinball but it could be a huge barrier for the casual player that needs to be wowed.

[dallow_bg]

It's a pinball game, how much money do you really think it makes? :) Obviously fronting 55K vs next to nothing changes the balance of things, if they don't see the return. I agree with others, it's a matter of risk.

Yeah true, but 55k seems really small to me for some reason.
If they can't imagine profiting enough to cover that cost, I don't see how their employees are even being paid properly.

[Lyphen]

From their PSBlog article:

Hmmm....well, I hope there's an announcement when that hits, because the UI is the main reason why I haven't purchased this on PSVITA.

[MightyHedgehog]

KS is being used in this instance to mitigate some risk. I don't think it's that the company literally couldn't afford these licenses. I think it is more likely that they were worried it might put them out of business, because they don't know for certain how many people TRUELY want a Twilight Zone table. Let's say their gut tells them TZ would be huge, so they front the cost, release the table for $6-8, and then no one buys it. A move like that could put the studio out of business. But KS allows them to ensure the demand is there before they even start. Edit: Let's think about it this way. FarSight has models that show them how many copies of a table they can expect to sell. They know they can move (for the sake of argument) 10K copies of a popular table. They sell it for $2.99. Minus transaction fees, FS salaries (dev cost), licensing fees, the company likely has a pretty good idea that they'll turn a profit. BUT... something like TZ throws a wrench in that. Their model shows them they won't sell more copies. So they have to make up the licensing cost by building it into the cost of the table. 55K in licensing fees would mean the table would need to cost $x more for everyone. X depends on how many tables they're truly selling. But they probably decided it was simply too big of a number.

Look, man, I appreciate your post, but I get all of this...I did before I posted. I just underestimated their ability to handle tables I thought were guaranteed since they would be pretty huge omissions in a software platform that aims to simulate the best pins of all time. TZ, among other licensed tables, is a must-have for a goal such as theirs, so it still comes as a surprise to me that they need to to go with KS at all since I assumed that it, along with several others, would be coming regardless. Perhaps this speaks to how small their audience and its sales potential might actually be with TPA...so far. In any case, I'm happy to back it despite not having an option to receive the X360 version for backing it (thanks, MS!).

[Dreamwriter]

Realize that this table's licenses were a lot more expensive than they thought they'd be. There's such a morass of licenses to pay for, it wasn't even a sure thing they'd be able to track down all of them. As an example of how murky TV/movie licenses can get, a while back Apple aired a tv commercial during the oscars showing a bunch of movie and TV clips of various characters answering the phone and saying "Hello". The person who wrote the screenplay for one of those movies (Charlie's Angels) got a check in the mail for $86.50 for the use of one of his words in a one-time commercial.

[MightyHedgehog]

Realize that this table's licenses were a lot more expensive than they thought they'd be. There's such a morass of licenses to pay for, it wasn't even a sure thing they'd be able to track down all of them. As an example of how murky TV/movie licenses can get, a while back Apple aired a tv commercial during the oscars showing a bunch of movie and TV clips of various characters answering the phone and saying "Hello". The person who wrote the screenplay for one of those movies got a check in the mail for a little over $1 for the use of one of his words in a one-time commercial.

Sure, I get that, but I rather wrongly assumed that they would have been able to be upfront with that much earlier on when they looked into it. Before now, the vague comments about licensed tables didn't let on that they might not get to make them purely down to costs alone. Ripley's showing up in the core release seemed to cast little doubts on the future of further licensed tables. The only thing that bothers me here is the lack of intent telegraphed earlier to their community as well as the general pinball enthusiast ones that have helped to bring attention to TPA. This KS coming out of nowhere seems...weird.

[meppi]

I certainly read way before the first tables were released that certain tables would be too hard to get the license for and how they would focus on tables that were doable, while also looking into the possibility to go for the hard to get tables in the future in one way or another.

They certainly never promised we'd be getting the hardest to find tables or anything like that.
They only stated a desire to do those kinds of tables in the future, while at the same time acknowledging that getting certain tables would be a long shot.

[Dreamwriter]

Sure, I get that, but I rather wrongly assumed that they would have been able to be upfront with that much earlier on when they looked into it. The only thing that bothers me here is the lack of intent telegraphed earlier to their community as well as the general pinball enthusiast ones that have helped to bring attention to TPA. This KS coming out of nowhere seems...weird.

How could they be upfront about it before they figured it out? They posted about the issue on their Facebook page on May 9 and asked for suggestions, I get the feeling they had only just gotten all the licensing stuff figured out shortly before that. If you want to talk about just licensing problems in general, they've been pretty open all along about how they'd love to do The Addams Family but weren't sure if it would be possible with all the licensing issues.

[MightyHedgehog]

I certainly read way before the first tables were released that certain tables would be too hard to get the license for and how they would focus on tables that were doable, while also looking into the possibility to go for the hard to get tables in the future in one way or another. They certainly never promised we'd be getting the hardest to find tables or anything like that. They only stated a desire to do those kinds of tables in the future, while at the same time acknowledging that getting certain tables would be a long shot.

Right, I read as much as anyone generally did before release, so I'm not expecting T2 or even STTNG, but TZ seemed so low on the list of tables with lots of hefty licensing and clearance work that I'm surprised it's the one to kick off their Kickstarter. Still, if they were intending to come to the community to help make it happen, why not let them know well in advance of starting it? I dislike the rush to KS in some of these cases, but whatever...as long as the old ones continue to get their fixes and they keep making 'em so I can buy 'em, it's all fine.

How could they be upfront about it before they figured it out? They posted about the issue on their Facebook page on May 9 and asked for suggestions, I get the feeling they had only just gotten all the licensing stuff figured out shortly before that. If you want to talk about just licensing problems in general, they've been pretty open all along about how they'd love to do The Addams Family but weren't sure if it would be possible with all the licensing issues.

Well, since this software project was started a long time back, I assumed (there I go again!) that they would have looked at all of the top pins and the ones they could and/or should go for and would have looked into it last year or maybe earlier. Seems strangely out of nowhere to me is all.

[Sho Nuff]

Addams is going to be insanely expensive because they have to get the music licenses PLUS likeness rights for every actor on the backglass PLUS dialogue rights for all the sound samples. It would be very, very difficult.

With Twilight Zone, all you gotta do is get the base license + music + likeness rights from Rod Serling's estate.

[meppi]

Right, I read as much as anyone generally did before release, so I'm not expecting T2 or even STTNG, but TZ seemed so low on the list of tables with lots of hefty licensing and clearance work that I'm surprised it's the one to kick off their Kickstarter. Still, if they were intending to come to the community to help make it happen, why not let them know well in advance of starting it? I dislike the rush to KS in some of these cases, but whatever...as long as the old ones continue to get their fixes and they keep making 'em so I can buy 'em, it's all fine.

I might be way of the mark here, but I believe their jump to kickstarter actually came into play because the community brought it up.
Didn't see any signs of them wanting to go that way at all. But people kept bringing up how these impossible seeming projects were getting funded with kickstarter, and how it might be a good idea to do this for "special" tables.

I never actually backed a KS project myself and wasn't planning on doing so.
But when this one popped up, I felt it was a worthwhile cause. Not only because I want to play the game, but because I love the idea of digitally preserving pinball tables in an official manner. Perhaps because that kinda hit close to home for me because of my own site...

[Cardigan]

I might be way of the mark here, but I believe their jump to kickstarter actually came into play because the community brought it up. Didn't see any signs of them wanting to go that way at all. But people kept bringing up how these impossible seeming projects were getting funded with kickstarter, and how it might be a good idea to do this for "special" tables. I never actually backed a KS project myself and wasn't planning on doing so. But when this one popped up, I felt it was a worthwhile cause. Not only because I want to play the game, but because I love the idea of digitally preserving pinball tables in an official manner. Perhaps because that kinda hit close to home for me because of my own site...

Yep, several people posted on their FB page about getting a Kickstarter going. Then FarSight made a post asking the community their thoughts on having a Kickstarter and the community responded quite positively to the idea. I think it's a great way to ensure that these licensed tables are financially viable for FarSight. After all, I'd rather have FarSight still around creating non-licensed tables than bankrupt.

[TxdoHawk]

As expected, things have (unfortunately) slowed down considerably. Looks like we are going to barely crawl past 40% today.