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Interview: FarSight Studios Tells PSNStores About Pro Mode in The Pinball Arcade | PSNStores

Interview: FarSight Studios Tells PSNStores About Pro Mode in The Pinball Arcade

Posted by on February 19th, 2013 | 0 Comments | Tags:

The Pinball Arcade was released for PS3 and Vita back in April of last year and has since received eight additional table packs including one crowd-funded by Kickstarter, The Twilight Zone. Recently, FarSight Studios began offering “Pro” pinball tables in conjunction with the standard ones, but not much was known about what exactly that meant.

So I asked FarSight Studios Community Manager Rob Mann to tell us everything there is to know about the optional Pro Mode available for a few of the tables on offer. His answers will work well for both pinball veterans and beginners alike. Check out the interview below:

Q: The PlayStation Store mentions only “The Pro Menu includes the Operators Menu, Ball Control, and other cool features.” What exactly is the Pro Table Pack and what are the “other cool features?”

The Pro Menu has everything that an actual pinball machine owner could mess with, which is the coin door control. This has the rules for the machine, how much you score for various shots, etc. It will also allow you to change how many balls you can play on one playthrough. This mode also gives the user complete ball control for moving the ball anywhere on the table they want to go, to let less-experienced users complete the tables or see specific modes. It also comes with a camera control that allows the user to move the camera up and down the playfield and to zoom in and out for a closer look. Lastly, it comes with tips straight from the top pinball players in the world. These are tips to score big, hit massive jackpots, and launch multiballs for the most points.

Q: Can you explain the differences between the Pro Table Pack and the Pro Table upgrade to settle any confusion?

The Pro Table Pack is the base table plus the Pro Mode included, so you get everything at once, where the Pro Table Upgrade allows someone to purchase a table, then come back later and get the pro mode separately.

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Q: Which tables are currently offered in a Pro version? Which tables are next to get the Pro Menu? Will they all cost $4.99 per table pack to upgrade to Pro?

The tables that have a Pro Mode currently on PSN are Tales from the Arabian Nights, Medieval Madness, Scared Stiff, and Twilight Zone. Coming soon are the Star Trek: TNG Pro Mode and Attack From Mars. The only two Pro Mode upgrades that cost 4.99 are Star Trek and Twilight Zone. Tales costs 1.99, and all other Pro Mode upgrades are 3.99.

Q: Can you also elaborate on the custom ball(s)? How does someone get it in their game? Will there be more custom themed balls in the future?

Ball skins were included for free in a recent update. These are accessed by going into the individual table menu, hitting Extras, and going down to Ball Skins. There is also a special Twilight Zone ball that was given out to our kickstarter backers, and a Star Trek ball will be out soon. We plan to expand on this greatly by making themed packs, but the details are still being worked out.

I hope this clarifies what the pro table upgrade is all about and how to use the new custom ball skins while chasing those Wizard Goals. I’d like to thank Rob Mann for taking the time to enlighten us about Pro Mode. And thank you to everyone at FarSight Studios for making my favorite truly evergreen Vita game.

To get more information about The Pinball Arcade, check out this massive PSNStores post detailing many possible upcoming features and table packs. I encourage you all to follow @PinballArcade on Twitter or Facebook.