54 replies to this topic

[Csilk]

File Name: Bram Stokers Dracula (Williams 1993) [Csilk MOD] ALP

File Submitter: Csilk

File Submitted: 05 Oct 2022

File Category: VPX/VPinMAME - MOD Tables

Author(s): rom
francisco666
ICPjuggla
Dozer316
JPSalas
Csilk
Manufacturer: Williams
Year: 1993
ROM: Link to ROM
Media Pack: Link to Media Pack
Permission to MOD?: Yes, without approval

use the latest 10.7.2 BETA
 
' Bram Stoker's Dracula [Csilk MOD] ALP
'
' CREDITS
' Originally ported to VP by ICPjuggla and Dozer316, the original FP version was created by francisco666 and rom.
' Magnet script by Dorsolas/Lander's script, with just a small modification
' Some materials, RTX BS, dampening and flipper code based off the VPW example tutorial table
' Amy MacDonnel for the coffin texture, thanks amers.
' Thalamus for guidance on slope and difficulty slider
' Wiesshound and fluper for LUTs
' JPSalas for VP9 version and sound script
' Bigus for initial versions of the mod relying on his physics and table setup
' Sorry if I have missed anyone else, if you feel you have been left out contact me on VPFORUMS and I will add your credit.
'
' Known issues
' Spamming launch before ball is ready to be launched can cause the machine to be forever stuck forcing a restart
' A soundfile is missing and needs to be debugged further to figure out which one is missing
'
' Option Keys
' GI Color Up, Down, Right Arrow Keys
' Playfield Tinting Left Arrow Key
' Table Flood Lighting MODIFIER KEY + left Arrow Key
' Room Lighting Strength MODIFIER KEY + NUMPAD PLUS and MINUS
' GI Full Color MODIFIER KEY + Up, Down, Right Arrow Keys
' Light Intensity control NUMPAD PLUS and MINUS
' Light Falloff control use bracket Keys
' Light Falloff power control use ; and ' keys
' GI Intensity Control comma and period
' Coffin mod toggle NUMPAD *
' Extra sling plastics NUMPAD /
' Pop plastic removal NUMPAD .

Click here to download this file

[tmpc]

Very nice update, thank you.

[clyde]

Great job on this mod,looks really good! Is there any way to save changes such as when you toggle plastics, change color to top or bottom etc. so you don't have to do it every time you start the table?

[bolt]

Very good mod, thanks.

[Nathan 1980]

thank's.

[Csilk]

Great job on this mod,looks really good! Is there any way to save changes such as when you toggle plastics, change color to top or bottom etc. so you don't have to do it every time you start the table?

 

edit the top of the script with the choices you like the most.

[Csilk]

if anyone has played the real dracula table please message me on discord or here

 

Chameleon_Silk#2680

[Csilk]

Trying to add nfozzy flippers and flipper tricks but there is a problem related to the processing of balls and the magnet for MIST holding a ball, causing MIST balls to just drop on the playfield... not sure I can fix without some help.

[Mike DA Spike]

if anyone has played the real dracula table please message me on discord or here

 

Chameleon_Silk#2680

Sorry, I don't use discord, but played it for the last time around 6 months ago in real life.
I miss the speed of the original table..
Although your table plays fine, it looks like all is in slow motion.

 

I didn't have a POV for cabinet, so used this one :

		<fullscreen>
		<inclination>7.000000</inclination>
		<fov>35.000000</fov>
		<layback>55.000000</layback>
		<rotation>270.000000</rotation>
		<xscale>1.000000</xscale>
		<yscale>1.250000</yscale>
		<zscale>1.000000</zscale>
		<xoffset>-15.000000</xoffset>
		<yoffset>0.000000</yoffset>
		<zoffset>-165.000000</zoffset>
	</fullscreen>

I think it should be easier to save the settings to a settings file and read the file again when loading the table.
 

Good job on this !

Edited by Mike DA Spike, 06 October 2022 - 04:42 AM.

[Csilk]

Mike can you tell me at what difficulty the slider should be set for a more realistic speed of the game? I'd like to go through and update the physics of the rubbers and stuff probably something I'll chip away at. I did manage to get nFozzy flipper tricks working.

Edited by Csilk, 06 October 2022 - 04:50 AM.

[Thalamus]

Diffuculty slider has NOTHING to do with realistic speed of the game. I saw that Bigus1 suggested changing that value to make a game play more realistic. Short version, he is wrong. Depending on what time frame in history. The recommended angle of play has changed. For the most modern game it is at 6 degrees, in some cases 6.5. I general, the older you get, the slower you reactions get. So, if your reaction time is lower, then you prefer to feel like a god, playing shitty physics tables - maybe at 4.5 to 5 degree, or broken ones where the outlane is almost blocked ! The angle of the table though, has almost NOTHING to do with the physics, if the friction and fall off isn't set correctly compared to your angle. Change the slope of the table by just a fraction, actually changes ALL the elements used. They all need to be adjusted accordingly. And, this is WHY we still struggle to get the perfect physics. VP isn't perfect out of the box.

 

If you really want to get close, VP needs to change its current physics, or, you have to make a shit-load of code to overcome it's default. For MANY computers, downloading a table where the scripting is full of calculations will actually do the opposite of what the creators wanted. It will make it play worse. JP has in that respect, because of experience I expect, come to terms with that his physics isn't perfect. But, then again, 100% of the people here can enjoy his table without needing a super computer. I consider myself a good friend with JP, we've has a few small ... suggestions going back and forth between us over the years. Every time, he has come back with very valid reason for keeping his "standard" settings, which I should add. I don't think is perfect, but, very good using just default VP.

Edited by Thalamus, 06 October 2022 - 03:13 PM.

[bigus1]

The slider adjusts the playfield rake when it has been properly setup by the author. That is the primary and often only adjustment on all pinball machines. The min and max slope settings need to be set in the table physics or else it does sweet FA. Many tables are not setup to use it. Can change the flipper length too. Maybe there's more to it than that, but that's the bits I know about.

[Csilk]

Thalamus what is the reason you chose to not use the rubber dampening functions? I was wondering your thoughts on it as I am implementing nFozzy/Roth stuff myself into the mod and I notice you opted out of implementing the dampener routines.

 

there are aspects that bigus table gets right but yours certainly feels better speed wise. I understand that difficulty slider actually changes the table slope depending on how high the difficulty is set, in the end I'm hoping for somewhere in the middle between your two tables as I do think they both offer something.

Edited by Csilk, 06 October 2022 - 03:27 PM.

[Thalamus]

Honestly. I believe I fucked up and I never saw the reason to go for it. You see, at that time I had a different computer, much of the physics was stolen from TOM, which I really hate to play when I have my friend over. If you stay in LA-LA land, playing only VP, you will get your head so fucked up after a while that you believe that what you think is good physics in VP is actually good.

 

Spend a weekend playing playing tournaments, until you hardly can stand on your own two feet. Then, next day, turn on your VP cab. No-one in their right mind, even with the best re-creations can with their hand on their hearth say that we've nailed it. We're closer than every before, sure, but, still far away from perfect. I admit, there is ONE thing that might be wrong with my conclusion and that is the fact that I'm still only on 60Hz 4k. I've heard, and I don't find it ridiculous claims, that 120Hz make all the difference.

[Csilk]

well uncapping frame rate to run more physics calculations probably the same as having 120Hz display... I don't think that the monitor really has much to do with the way it works under the hood. If you mean just seeing the ball better maybe, I do notice that any other slope besides 5 on the table makes the kickers not behave the way they do on my reference footage but I have implemented some of the physics stuff now and it plays like a cross between the two of your tables.... admittedly it probably isn't fully implemented and what I may have is something that doesn't satisfy the players who want the challenge of a realistic style or the laid back scoring style of Bigus version but it certainly is sitting in-between right now.

 

I might go through using the manual and try and make all the parts the right materials, but that is a ton of work.

Edited by Csilk, 06 October 2022 - 04:55 PM.

[Thalamus]

"well uncapping frame rate to run more physics calculations probably the same as having 120Hz display... "

 

I would think the same, but, won't judge before I've tried it myself. Well, if you're going away from Bigus1' physics, and closer to mine, your at last on the right track - LOL ... yes, a joke. As long as you're having fun, and you enjoy what you're doing, that is what really matters isn't it ?

[Csilk]

yeah I decided I would go through and label all the rubber parts and work on getting the dampening fully implemented in the end, should be interesting to see how it turns out at the very least, who knows.

 

I noticed many parts have walls around them too not sure whats up with that, when im setting the part as say a rubber ring I'm not sure if i want the wall or the actual part? I'm assuming the wall but maybe I am wrong, even more confusing is that the part jets out past the wall but also has a hit property can you elaborate as to why?

Edited by Csilk, 06 October 2022 - 05:27 PM.

[Thalamus]

Consider the new walls, you can easily split a wall into different segments with different properties. We could not at that time this one was made. A long rubber pr. example has slight different properties depending where you hit it. And, one thing I think that most have not done right yet, me included, is that rubbers tucked close to edges ... like pr. example to top of a sling, Tightly snugged, is quite springy - more than almost all tables I've seen to date. If you get that right, you should see balls going from almost top of the table, hitting the top of the sling, almost going half the way up the table on the opposite site - IF the hit is on the very top peak of the rubber. Of course, if angle is perfect for that to happen.

 

This leads to what wrd1972 has said many times, and I totally agree with him. VP is still too much up/down, not enough side so side movements. Much of it has to do with material properties, but, also, the table slope etc. Just like I told you in the beginning. You can get this perfectly right, then just change the table slope for more speed and you're back again at zero, everything isn't working as before. This is why it is so hard to get VP to work perfectly. And this is also where you can get blinded by your own work. You kind of struggle on something, and are so bored of the table that you don't check all the other things you might have broken by the very tiny change ... that wasn't.

Edited by Thalamus, 06 October 2022 - 05:38 PM.

[Csilk]

for now I'm making collections and naming the parts based on the dracula manual perhaps once I do that I'll consider redoing the walls to simulate the tighter snugness at the tops to see what that results are I could probably focus mainly on the slings to begin with. I'm naming the parts in sequential order with the thickness of the rubber included in the name so it should be pretty easy to modify the material settings a bit based on thickness if I want to get in that deep.

Edited by Csilk, 06 October 2022 - 05:46 PM.

[Thalamus]

Slings are the area where you notice it most, because the ball is in danger of draining of whatever. But, the physics is exactly the same all over the table, as long as the angles and speed are the same. Very often though, if not always ? slings are unique. They often are hit with balls as higher speeds, if not from the bumper area.