In this episode, we dive into Zen's announcement for Pinball FX VR!

We also give our gut reaction to the Kickstarter for Wonderland Amusement's Alice Goes To Wonderland pinball machine. Is it a toy or is it more to it than this label?

https://www.blahcadepinball.com/blahcade-286/

This go around we've got a show packed full of shorter pinball topics:

• Zen being unusually quiet
• A new Wikipidia page about Pinball FX
• How to fight pinball doldrums
• Tables you should give another chance
• Zaccaria Pinball's new look!

Enjoy the mixed bag!https://www.blahcadepinball.com/blahcade-285/

In this episode, Chris and Jared break down all the advantages and disadvantages of owning a real pinball machine versus a digital pinball cabinet. https://www.blahcadepinball.com/blahcade-276/

We pick up where we left off from in Episode 176 and talk about the possibilities that could result from getting the cabinet out into the wild later in this year. 

For now, we’ll have to hunt down some of the test cabinets in the wild and see if we can get hands-on: they are not located where you might think.

It looks like Zen are also up to their now standard trick of reshuffling everything when they release a new version pack on Mobile platforms.

Get a preview of what they've done on Android by listening to some of the feedback left on the Digital Pinball Fans forum.

It's… not that complimentary.

Check out https://blahcadepinball.com/177-zens-commercial-pinball-cabinet for show notes and all the usual goodness.

We go through some of our thoughts about the tables announced as part of Volume 4, and go through some of the observations we've made about the upcoming release.

So pull down the episode and listen to a bit more info about what's in store for you all for Vol. 4.

See https://blahcadepinball.com/176-vol-4-reactions for show notes and timings and stuff and things.

https://www.blahcadepinball.com/blahcade-175/

Here we go, folks. It's the moment you've been waiting for when Mel Kirk joins Chris for his regular Williams Pinball release announcement chat. 

This time there are three tables on offer: Hurricane, Roadshow, and Whitewater.

So pull down the episode and listen to what's in store for you all with Volume 4, and in the future.

There’s not much news to report in the week that was in digital pinball so Chris and I use this opportunity to exercise our right to randomness.

Check out the show and get ready for an interview in the next one.

See https://blahcadepinball.com/174-volume-4-announcement-eve for a pile of links to great videos in the show notes.

In this episode, we open with exciting news about a Magic Pixel Zaccaria Pinball table remake that features the voice of one of your favourite co-hosts.

We then give props to the excellent Buffalo Pinball reveal of Jersey Jack’s Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory pinball machine.

We round out the show with some discussion about what it would take to open a successful pinball location today.

Check out https://blahcadepinball.com/173-friebus-free-bus for links to what we talk about in the show. 

Chris was about ready to drop this really helpful document for folks new to Zen Pinball's Williams Pinball app on iOS and Android.

But as you'll hear in this episode, these best-laid plans were thrown out. 

We spend this episode discussing what has changed in the freemium model within Williams Pinball and offer some suggestions about what you can do to get maximum enjoyment out of this game.

There's also some interesting news about some developments Zen Studios has been working on that we shed light on as well, so get listening.

https://blahcadepinball.com/172-shifting-sands for show notes.

If you’ve ever tried to diagnose a fault on a Pinball machine, you’ll know how frustrating it can sometimes be. Jared had just such a problem last week with his Star Race.

Chris has been diving into the stats side of Williams Pinball more and has yielded some interesting insights from the data collected.

There’s some interesting movie talk in this episode as well that breaks up the show a bit.

Enjoy, and let us know what you think. Don't forget about the blog post about the episode: https://blahcadepinball.com/171-earths-wins-and-fire

Chris has had the opportunity to give Campaign Mode on Zaccaria Pinball a go, and he's got plenty to share about the gameplay and features.

Stern has also dropped a new Black Knight table on us and we go into a little bit of detail about our thoughts about the overall package and our hopes for balanced gameplay in the title.

We round out the show with some Williams Pinball discussion and include a little exploit you can use (at time of writing this post) to guarantee massive points on Junk Yard in certain modes.

Check out https://blahcadepinball.com/170-zaccaRIa-not-zaccARia for show notes and links.

Plenty of hardcore pinball app folks on Android and iOS have been complaining about how much grinding you need to do on Williams Pinball to get ahead. 

Zen Studios will be releasing a table pack approximately every 8–10 weeks.

We know that those all-important table parts are randomly dropped across tables.

Because you now have seven tables to spread your parts over, it may become difficult for new folks to the platform to unlock a table to the two-star level so they can play them in the basic and advanced daily challenges.

Chris outlines details about his efforts to get some data around the freemium unlocks so that we have facts rather than speculative analysis about the freemium experience in the game.

See https://blahcadepinball.com/169-analytics-here-we-come for links to show notes and coarse timing points.

In predictable fashion, Zen Studios released Williams Pinball Vol. 3 across all platforms today after announcing the game a few weeks ago.

We got early access to a press copy of the latest release just before the weekend (yeah, not a huge preview but we'll take it), and recorded this episode so we could push it out on the day of release for you.

Vol. 3 enters the ring, distracts us with a card trick while breaking the vault open with some explosive features. So sit back and enjoy our musings over how Theatre of Magic, The Champion Pub, and Safe Cracker feel in their new digital home.

Then download this bruiser and get flipping!

See https://blahcadepinball.com/168-williams-pinball-vol-3 for show notes and links to the new channel our podcast is now available through. 

Since the last episode, seven tables have dropped on Pinball FX!

Chris and Jared take a look at them through an abbreviated play-through.

Before that happens, Chris talks about Zen's 45 new table packs coming to AtGames Legends Pinball 4K. https://www.blahcadepinball.com/blahcade-275/

Yep, this is a bit of a weird episode, because it is out of sync with the timeline leading up to the release date announcement for Williams Pinball Volume 3.

That doesn't mean there's nothing good to be had in the episode. Far from it! 

There's news about Zaccaria, Farsight, Zen, and a bit of front-loaded movie banter to ease you into the weekend. 

We're back to our regularly scheduled shows after this one, so enjoy the randomness and we'll see you on the other side.

Check out https://blahcadepinball.com/167-out-of-sync for the usual show notes and links to things.

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Now that the Williams Pinball Vol 1 and Vol 2 Beta has run its course on iOS and Android, it's time for Zen to channel their inner Ariana and say "thank u, next" for the latest Williams Pinball DLC drop across all platforms. 

Hear Mel Kirk and Thomas Crofts (apologies from Akos Györkei who had to bail early to get Zen's Twitch stream set up) lay down what we can expect from Volume 3. 

For those forensic fans out there, one of the tables will not be a surprise. But there may be a couple of tables in Volume 3 that have come out of left field. 

There's also some (now somewhat old, but nonetheless) awkward and uncomfortable news about Magic Pixel's Zaccaria Pinball app on Android at the end of the show.

There was an update recently to the iOS Williams Pinball app from Zen Studios.

Chris gives us an update of what changes were made in the app, and what clues it gives for Android users still suffering from the 10x mark-up on IAP in-game currency pricing.

We also clarify a few things said in the previous beta coverage podcast about graphics and stuff.

There is also a question at the end of the show that Jared would love the answer to. So please think about it and let us know.

Check out https://blahcadepinball.com/165-data-is-king for the timings and links.

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Thomas and Mel take time out of their work evening to chat with us about how Zen goes about engineering their tables, and the experience that goes along with designing the premier mobile pinball experience.

It's a short but oh-so-sweet interview and will fill the gap you have between the slightly longer episodal gap we've been having of late.

Enjoy, and let us know what you reckon.

In software development, running experiments to test out hypotheses is an important part of product management and product development.

We've already worked out that Zen Studios has been doing this for a while on mobile. They were testing out their free-to-play models on mobile, so they could gather the data they needed to implement it correctly in Williams Pinball on iOS and Android.

We explore the different experiments out there on mobile. We also work out what could be done to unify the experience in line with the new Williams Pinball mobile mode.

See https://blahcadepinball.com/162-a-unified-experience for the show notes and pictures of things we were showing on the YouTube Live session.

Chris took the drive from La Habra to Banning, CA to visit one of the finest collections of pinball on the West coast: the Museum of Pinball.

Open only three times a year, the museum flung its doors open to pinheads for what was an amazing couple of days of pinball action at the It Never Drains in Southern California (INDISC) pinball tournament.

Chris talks about his favourite experiences at INDISC in the first half of the show, then we talk about how Zen is doing with recreating the mobile pinball experience on iOS (and Android, soon).

Check out https://blahcadepinball.com/161-indisc-action for show notes and links to the things we talk about.

The folks at Zen Studios have punched out another beta for Williams Pinball Volume 2, and Chris gets some hands-on time with it. There's plenty of iterative improvements over the first beta, so we go into some of the juicy details.

Then we get our thinking caps on and try to do some extrapolation about what titles Farsight Studios could theoretically and affordably produce from the Stern, Data East and Sega back catalogue. You'll find out just what this could look like if you take a listen now.

Jump to https://blahcadepinball.com/157-a-box-of-chiclets for a whole bunch of links to stuff we cover in this episode.

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We told you didn't we!

When news is quiet, there are things-a-brewing. And sure enough, we get a huge announcement from Zen Studios about what to expect in Volume Two of FX3 Williams Pinball.

Join us for a session with Mel Kirk from Zen Studios. This is a pure interview and nothing else so sit back and get comfy: you've got a lot of great things about to be pumped into your ears about FX3.

When it’s a quiet news week like this one is, we know there are things happening behind the scenes in digital pinball that are sure to blow up.

The festive season is typically a busy season for games developers, and pinball game developers are no different.

With a mixture of topics this week, you’re sure to find something you like the sound of, so sit back and enjoy listening to the latest instalment.

See https://blahcadepinball.com/154-slow-news-week for super-detailed show notes about this episode. 

When you play a video game, you do it to have fun. What is fun to one person differs, but in general you usually want to either complete the game or unlock everything in it.

So what happens when your experience is interrupted by a game funding model that sucks the life out of your enjoyment of the game?

You get a bad case of the Smurfberries.

We explore a few recent examples of In-app Purchase (IAP) models that are at the expense of the game experience. We also talk about the effects of an unbalanced "buy it now" model in free-to-play games.

To balance it out we also give you some examples outside of digital pinball where IAP doesn't need to be gross and distracting.

See https://blahcadepinball.com/153-smurfberries for the full show notes, including links and other info.

Chris explains why the Gottlieb packs for the AtGames Legends Pinball 4K might leave you wondering if FarSight even tried. Also, three tables were announced for Pinball FX, so we give our thoughts based on what is in the trailer before they release in May 2024. Follow us on Twitter: @BlahCade If you would like us to feature or review your pinball-related product or have other inquiries, send an email to: BlahBlahBlahCade@gmail.com #pinball #pinballfx #atgames

There's a point at which you just shake your head and say "nope, that's too far".

For some, it is when you change even the slightest part of an original item to meet today's censorship laws. For others, it ranges from "a bit is OK" to "hey, I really couldn't care less".

In this episode, we focus on an article in Ars Technica that documents the censorship of Zen Pinball FX3 Williams Pinball. 

It will be interesting to hear what you think about the approach taken in the article, so do comment if you have a position on this.

We know one thing for sure about this last month: Zen do give due consideration to the community when it comes to what matters to us.

Check out https://blahcadepinball.com/152-censorship-buzz-kill for detailed notes and links for this episode.

After covering some brief news items we dive into some first experiences with virtual pinball cabinets and then have a great chat with Mike from Farsight Studios about the new Stern Pinball Arcade VR release on Oculus Rift. 

We round out the show with an announcement about our new merchandise: it's not just Tshirts this time.

See https://blahcadepinball.com/151-stern-vr-interview for detailed show notes and links to things we talk about.

It’s been a MASSIVE month for digital pinball fans. So many forum posts, podcast episodes to digest, posts to read, and beta builds to play (if you’re on Steam).

We take a step back from the hamster wheel and talk about some questions that we’ve been thinking about from when the FX3 Williams Pinball announcement went public.

If you’re wondering what we’re talking about, go back and listen to the last couple of episodes and you’ll be ready to listen to this one.

Check out https://blahcadepinball.com/150-zen-williams-pinball-retro for detailed show notes and links to stuff we talk about in this episode.

https://www.blahcadepinball.com/blahcade-149/

In this podcast, we have a huge chat with Mel Kirk from Zen Studios.

Nothing is really off-limits in the interview and we use that to our advantage to ask questions that have been burning a hole in our minds for years now.

There's nothing more to say really, apart from getting on with the job of listening.

In this podcast, we'll dive into some speculation about how the evolution of the Williams and Bally licence properties changed hands over time. 

We're also going to focus in on some evidence-backed timings that are critical in understanding how the changeover between Farsight and Zen may have happened.

There's also coverage of the FX3 Williams Pinball public beta to go through, including some opinions about how the DNA of the Alpha is being diluted in the Beta. 

Also, a big welcome to all our new listeners. It's great to have you along for the ride during this exciting time in digital pinball.

See http://blahcadepinball.com/148-wms-license-speculation-time for full details about the show.

You need to head over to https://blahcadepinball.com/147-zen-studios-wms-license for the summary. It's just too big to fit in the editor. OMG, its epic!

https://www.blahcadepinball.com/blahcade-146/

Out of the blue, we get a request to talk digital pinball with a game studio. Of course we're going to say "hell yes" to that. 

The Community Manager from Magic Pixel gives us some welcome news about what's in store for fans of Magic Pixel's Zaccaria Pinball.

We round out the show with some fun from the Netherworld Sideshow and a surprising turn of events at Chris' Tournament he attended recently.

It sucks, doesn't it? There really isn't a lot happening in the world of digital pinball at the moment. 

When this happens, we always seem to find stuff we can put into a show. So get your glass filled with the lemonade of what lemons are around: it still tastes good.

See http://blahcadepinball.com/145-did-you-miss-us for show notes and the usual links to show topics.

Still no news about what's happening with WMS, so in this episode, we go back in time to one of the first table releases that Zen Studios published: El Dorado. 

We delve into the history of releases that Zen Studios have produced and how their table design DNA almost marry up with the history of pinball table design in real life.

See http://blahcadepinball.com/144-zen-through-the-ages for show notes and segment timings.

How can four little words spark so much rumor and speculation? We investigate the four little words show friend Brad Baker from VPCabs uttered about WMS Licences. 

We also check in on Zen and how they freely allow commercial use of their games (for the right price, of course).

Farsight have released the re-organised pack structures, and people are grabbing their pitchforks. We offer some suggestions about how to overcome the problem.

See http://blahcadepinball.com/143-four-little-words for show notes and links.

The boys dig into Chris' initial impressions of the ALP 4K now that he's had some time with it. Follow us on Twitter: @BlahCade If you would like us to feature or review your pinball-related product or have other inquiries, send an email to: BlahBlahBlahCade@gmail.com #pinball #atgames #zenstudios

Because the Pinball Arcade Fans forum has evolved over the years, we are at the point where we need a name change. If you can give the community a leg-up with that, then weigh into the thread.

The main event this week is the leak from Steam that reveals the most downloaded games, based on titles with Steam achievements. There are some surprises in the mix that even had us a little confused. All are linked in the notes for you to click through and check them out.

Check out http://blahcadepinball.com/142-leaky-pinball-valve for links to every game we talk about in the episode, along with episode timings.

Well, it's official. You can no longer purchase WMS tables from Farsight. It's a bit of a sad day and an end of an era for Farsight Studios, but it could be the beginning of a brand new phase for the studio. Time will tell.

We shirk the bad vibes and have a chat with Greg Holden from Spacies Arcade, who did a great YouTube Vlog on the Arcooda Video Pinball cabinet. He's got a host of great questions from the communities' viewpoint, which makes for a great perspective and a great show.

http://blahcadepinball.com/141-spacies-fireside-chat for show notes, and links to Greg's Vlog.

We get straight into the thick of it this week with a deep-dive into how the Kinect Views on the Arcooda Video Pinball cabinet actually work in reality. 

There are some definite caveats to the feedback Chris has about the cabinet version Farsight have, and we're pretty transparent about these in the show. 

If you're on the fence about putting money down on the cabinet, and don't have time to listen to the show at the moment we both feel it would be safe to do so.

To find out why, you'll just have to listen.

Make sure to check out http://blahcadepinball.com/140-arcooda-cabinet-hands-on for show notes and extensive linking to things we talk about.

We have a mixture of things to talk about on the show, but the highlight is news about the cabinet pricing for Arcooda.

We also think about what it would take for us to re-purchase a table in TPA if it was re-released by another company (we still live in hope someone has picked up the license).

See http://blahcadepinball.com/139-fully-sicario-bro for show notes and links to what we talk about in this episode.

Chris found a new thing on Steam this week that shows a lot of promise for platformer fans who like a pinball aesthetic.  

Arcooda have got their Arcooda Pinball Arcade product into the hands of cabinet enthusiasts.   

It's early on, but there is definitely the framework for an excellent product and development is rapidly progressing.  

Check out http://blahcadepinball.com/138-yokus-island for show notes and links to all the stuff we talk about on the show.  

This episode we’re joined by Mike Lindsey from FarSight to talk about Arcooda and a bit more about what you might see in the future from FarSight.

See http://blahcadepinball.com/chat-with-mike-wms for show notes and segment times.

With news as big as the cessation of sale of Bally Williams tables, we could only really do one thing: get someone from Farsight on to explain exactly what the heck is going on. 

Bobby King joins us in this bumper episode to explain everything. 
We then offer some commentary after the interview.

Of particular note to cabinet owners is that Arcooda has now gone live with an opportunity to get deeply integrated cabinet support on Steam. 

http://blahcadepinball.com/bobby-king-wms-license has all the timing points and discussion items.

After a longer than usual break we return with some calm before the ensuing storm. 
This episode was recorded two weeks before the WMS licensing issue announcement went public. 
So this episode doesn’t cover that.

There’s some news about us then some news about Zen and their Star Wars: The Last Jedi release which is a breath of fresh air.

Farsight has also been busy with some update action to Pinball Cadet, Pinball Tournaments, and Pinball Arcade. We’ll give you the low down there.

We round out the show with some restoration news. 

Keep your ears tuned in for the first in a series of episodes exploring the lows and highs of the recent WMS licensing termination Farsight is currently dealing with in the next few days.

Check out the show notes and timings at http://blahcadepinball.com/aaach-toe

It’s been a very eventful week for us.

Brain surgeries, changes in working arrangements, and lots of pinball.

Jared is doing this on an Android tablet so please understand that there is very little post production in this, and future episodes until he gets a MacBook again.

We’re baaaack! After a long break because life happens, we return with a long show full of pinball. 

You’ll get news about Zen tables on the horizon, some more gameplay thoughts on the iOS Pinball Tournaments app by Farsight and Skillz, and some IRL pinball tourney action to round out the show.

Check out http://blahcadepinball.com/life-and-pinball-happens for show notes and other cool info.

Zen Studios has partnered with Netflix for a free with subscription game called Zen Pinball Masters. Not only that, the studio has also released a brand new table, System Shock, for their Pinball M platform. Gregg from  @SpaciesArcade  also produced some cool videos to help Chris with VPX so he can get started fast with the AtGames Legends 4K Pinball and PC OTG. Show notes: https://www.blahcadepinball.com/blahcade-272/

It’s a bittersweet episode this week, where we learn in the newsletter that TPA are no longer releasing monthly table packs, and that a key member of the Farsight team has retired.

As you can imagine the show mostly revolves around these subjects, plus a few other surprises in what turns out to be a very interesting Farsight Newsletter.

Lets get started…

http://blahcadepinball.com/episode-131

We really get into some serious pinball talk this week, and it feels good. Reaal goood. 

There is talk about the next phase in Chris’ fixing of Eight Ball Deluxe, a good chat about Banzai Run now Jared’s had a chance to play it, a huge brain dump about the excellent Total Nuclear Annihilation by Spooky Pinball, plus a warm-up that was actually a warm down.

Show notes at http://blahcadepinball.com/episode-130

After a week playing Zen Studio’s new fossilrific releases, we have some thoughts on each game in the Jurassic world under glass.

Farsight Studios has been busy as well getting one of the most requested tables ready for cross-platform release: Banzai Run

Then there’s the Warm Up, which is actually at the beginning of the episode if you watch it live on our YouTube channel but ends up at the end of the episode after post-production. 

We do things differently here at the BlahCade Pinball. 
Hope you like it. ;)