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Originally posted by surf1der
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3 of the new tables are the easiest tables that Zen has ever created (My Little Pony, Trolls, and How to Train Your Dragon). HTTYD requires only 7 (6 if you get a nice deflection on the bumpers) shots to complete all the modes to unlock the wizard mode. 2 consecutive orbit shots, 3 alternating captured ball shots, 1 shot to the bumpers, and 1 shot to the center spot targets. I think I started the wizard mode in a little over 2 minutes. Kung Fu Panda was more difficult until I plugged in a controller and had a viable nudge option to redirect outlane drains. I already inferred from the cartoon themes that these would be easy tables but they offer no challenge to pin veterans and they will quickly be bored with the lack of modes and challenges. I’m guessing this was a conscious decision to cater to young kids and novices with an Apple Arcade sub.
Positives:
1) Controller support. I’ve been waiting for this for 10 years and unfortunately it is only available on ZPP. I wish one of the devs could be bothered to spend a day or two to implement this in the ZP app. Some minor dings in regards to controller support is it defaults to xbox button names even when you have a ps5 dualsense controller paired to the app. Also, no remapping options. I like to use the L1 and R1 buttons rather than triggers for flipper activation. The triggers cause more finger fatigue and aching after prolonged games. Also I prefer the d pad for nudging rather the the left stick.
2) Improved aspect ratio. The game fully uses all of my 11” ipad pro gen 2’s screen real estate. ZP has black bars.
3) Decent variety of tables. I’m finally playing the fantastic Williams pinball machines. I refuse to touch your FtP monstrosity Williams pinball app (or pay 2 to 3 times the price for partially functional tables compared to every other platform).
4) Tournament mode. It seems pretty limited but it’s better than nothing. Not sure what the rewards are. It would be nice to organize tournaments with friends within the app instead of doing it on message boards which usually flounder without a dedicated tournament organizer. snow rider 3d
Negatives:
1) Low res assets. I did a side-by-side comparison of the tables in the ZP, WP, and ZPP apps. The ZPP app definitely uses a lower resolution and looks blurry in comparison. I’m not sure if this was a mistake or a calculated decision to keep the file size down but an option to download high res assets is sorely needed.
2) No landscape option. I like to play Williams tables in portrait but have always preferred landscape when playing Zen tables. They always seemed to be designed with tv aspect ratios in mind.
3) Swipe to nudge is just awful. I used tap to nudge on the ZP app which is a bit finicky and sometimes fails to register a nudge. But the swipe to nudge is just awful. Most of my swipes (probably greater than 75%) fail to register any nudge. A tap to nudge option like ZP and WP would be nice if I don’t have a controller nearby.
4) Buggy. I’ve had a few complete audio dropouts when starting a table which requires a forced app close to regain audio. Also when starting a new game I’ve been stuck on the launcher camera angle not being able to swipe down to launch the ball. Backing out to the table menu and restarting the table usually resolves this.
5) No friends high score list/filter. No local high score list. I even tested the status report on the Kung Fu Panda table and no local top 10 high scores.
6) Physics are different compared to the ZP app on some of the tables. I compared adventureland across the ZPP and ZP apps. The ball feels more floaty/slower on the ZPP app. Maybe the table incline was lowered to make it easier? Not sure I like this change though some might prefer it.
Overall if you’re a novice to video pinball and have an Apple Arcade sub, this is a nice intro to digital pinball. For ZP vets the new tables don’t offer any challenge and the lower resolution tables and easier physics might turn you away from the zen originals. For me, I’ll only be using this app to play Williams tables to avoid the FTP shenanigans of the WP app.
Positives:
1) Controller support. I’ve been waiting for this for 10 years and unfortunately it is only available on ZPP. I wish one of the devs could be bothered to spend a day or two to implement this in the ZP app. Some minor dings in regards to controller support is it defaults to xbox button names even when you have a ps5 dualsense controller paired to the app. Also, no remapping options. I like to use the L1 and R1 buttons rather than triggers for flipper activation. The triggers cause more finger fatigue and aching after prolonged games. Also I prefer the d pad for nudging rather the the left stick.
2) Improved aspect ratio. The game fully uses all of my 11” ipad pro gen 2’s screen real estate. ZP has black bars.
3) Decent variety of tables. I’m finally playing the fantastic Williams pinball machines. I refuse to touch your FtP monstrosity Williams pinball app (or pay 2 to 3 times the price for partially functional tables compared to every other platform).
4) Tournament mode. It seems pretty limited but it’s better than nothing. Not sure what the rewards are. It would be nice to organize tournaments with friends within the app instead of doing it on message boards which usually flounder without a dedicated tournament organizer. snow rider 3d
Negatives:
1) Low res assets. I did a side-by-side comparison of the tables in the ZP, WP, and ZPP apps. The ZPP app definitely uses a lower resolution and looks blurry in comparison. I’m not sure if this was a mistake or a calculated decision to keep the file size down but an option to download high res assets is sorely needed.
2) No landscape option. I like to play Williams tables in portrait but have always preferred landscape when playing Zen tables. They always seemed to be designed with tv aspect ratios in mind.
3) Swipe to nudge is just awful. I used tap to nudge on the ZP app which is a bit finicky and sometimes fails to register a nudge. But the swipe to nudge is just awful. Most of my swipes (probably greater than 75%) fail to register any nudge. A tap to nudge option like ZP and WP would be nice if I don’t have a controller nearby.
4) Buggy. I’ve had a few complete audio dropouts when starting a table which requires a forced app close to regain audio. Also when starting a new game I’ve been stuck on the launcher camera angle not being able to swipe down to launch the ball. Backing out to the table menu and restarting the table usually resolves this.
5) No friends high score list/filter. No local high score list. I even tested the status report on the Kung Fu Panda table and no local top 10 high scores.
6) Physics are different compared to the ZP app on some of the tables. I compared adventureland across the ZPP and ZP apps. The ball feels more floaty/slower on the ZPP app. Maybe the table incline was lowered to make it easier? Not sure I like this change though some might prefer it.
Overall if you’re a novice to video pinball and have an Apple Arcade sub, this is a nice intro to digital pinball. For ZP vets the new tables don’t offer any challenge and the lower resolution tables and easier physics might turn you away from the zen originals. For me, I’ll only be using this app to play Williams tables to avoid the FTP shenanigans of the WP app.
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