Journalist Tool

Kineticist

  • HDashboard
  • IItems
  • ↓Ingest
  • SSources
  • KBeats
  • BBriefs
  • RIntel
  • QSearch
  • NName Review
  • +Health

v0.1.0

← Back to items

I Played More of Galactic Tank Force Pinball...

Cary Hardy·video·19m 48s·analyzed·Apr 19, 2023
View original
Export .md

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.026

TL;DR

Carrie Hardy defends GTF criticism, highlights audio/design issues, rejects calls for unconditional praise.

Summary

Carrie Hardy discusses her continued negative experience with Galactic Tank Force, defending her critical previous video against accusations of unfairness. She addresses community pushback on Pinside, argues that manufacturers should test games before public streams, and provides detailed critique of the game's audio issues, lighting design, and stop-and-go gameplay flow. Hardy emphasizes she applies consistent critical standards across all manufacturers, not just American Pinball.

Key Claims

  • American Pinball removed the glass 5 times during the initial stream but only 3 times in the edited video

    high confidence · Direct comparison of her previous video to the live stream; Hardy states she 'went easy on them' in the video

  • American Pinball did not test the game before streaming it to the world; they stated they had 'merely just got the legs put on'

    high confidence · Hardy references the stream intro where American Pinball representatives stated readiness without testing

  • Not every GTF game played the same at Texas Pinball Festival, and at Pinbrew two machines had issues with one being down most of the time

    high confidence · Hardy cites show reports and Pinside feedback about recurring problems across multiple machines

  • GTF has audio clipping issues when the tank explodes and audio ducking problems during multiball jackpots

    high confidence · Hardy demonstrates audio examples and describes technical sound design problems in her playtest

  • The tank shot has a high risk of ball drain that creates anxiety for players, making it feel diminishing

    high confidence · Hardy observes anxiety-like behavior from experienced player on stream and notes frequent rejection on middle shots

  • GTF was designed by Dennis Nordman and Paul Reno as a combined effort

    high confidence · Hardy explicitly credits both designers and notes this is important context for game design philosophy

  • Hardy's Foo Fighters game had two small issues that were reported to Jack Danger and fixes are 'already in the works' for production

    high confidence · Hardy uses this as example of how responsible manufacturers handle issues

  • The high-resolution close-up images showing 3D printing quality were provided by American Pinball themselves on their website, not taken by Hardy

    high confidence · Hardy defends herself by showing the American Pinball website with the high-res zoom-able images she allegedly 'posted'

Notable Quotes

  • “I felt that I went easy on them in that video because I only removed the glass three times in my video. On the actual stream, they removed the glass five times.”

    Carrie Hardy@ 0:57 — Establishes the severity of GTF mechanical issues at the public reveal stream

  • “At least test the game before you decide to stream it to the whole world. Bare minimum. And you didn't even do that.”

    Carrie Hardy@ 2:29 — Core criticism: inadequate QA before public demonstration

  • “To not test your game before you're showing it to the entire world, showing them the fruits of your labor, you merely decide to just wing it? That is showing us that either you have a shit ton of ignorance or a shit ton of confidence in your product.”

    Carrie Hardy@ 3:08 — Frames the decision as either incompetence or dangerous overconfidence

  • “The bad is outweighing the good but evidently I should look past all of the factual data and information that has been received from many people.”

    Carrie Hardy@ 5:59 — Pushes back on community members dismissing reported issues as lies

  • “When a company does something good, I praise them for it. When a company does something poorly, I give them shit.”

    Carrie Hardy@ 8:43 — Establishes her consistent critical standard across manufacturers

  • “This game does not have [flow]. This game is a very stop and go game. This game is a little more stop and go. And it's honestly a difficult shooter.”

    Carrie Hardy@ 15:34 — Core aesthetic criticism of game design and playability

Entities

Carrie HardypersonAmerican PinballcompanyGalactic Tank ForcegameDennis NordmanpersonPaul RenopersonJack DangerpersonStern PinballcompanyFoo Fightersgame

Signals

  • ?

    business_signal: American Pinball's inadequate pre-stream testing and QA protocols suggest possible production/timeline pressure or quality control gaps

    medium · American Pinball stated they only had 'legs put on' before streaming; no mention of playtesting; multiple machines with issues at shows

  • ?

    community_signal: Pinside community dismissing legitimate GTF concerns as lies; polarization between defenders and critics; accusations that reviewers are unfair without watching evidence

    high · Hardy's direct address of community responses, criticism of echo chamber behavior, example of users claiming issues don't exist despite show reports

  • ?

    community_signal: Hardy actively defending critical analysis methodology and inviting community dialogue; positioning herself as advocate for quality standards rather than manufacturer cheerleader

    high · Extended explanation of critical approach, invitation for community feedback in comments, repeated emphasis on consistency across manufacturers

  • ?

    design_philosophy: GTF game flow is stop-and-go with high ball-loss risk on primary shots, creating negative player experience; tank shot design causes anxiety; middle shot rejection pattern diminishes fun factor

    high · Hardy's detailed gameplay analysis, observation of player anxiety during stream, multiple mentions of risk/rejection mechanics

  • ?

    personnel_signal: Co-designer structure (Nordman + Reno) for GTF; Hardy emphasizes importance of understanding multi-designer collaboration impact on game philosophy

Transcript

youtube_groq_whisper · $0.059

0:00
What's up internet and welcome to the stream and we're going to be playing Galactic Tank Force once again. Now, as some of you know, we didn't have a good experience in the last stream and I have taken measures to make sure that doesn't happen again. I have removed the glass already. So now I will no longer have to remove the glass and disrupt the stream or anything like that. So, let's get to it. One minute later. Okay, so removing the glass to play this game was a bad idea. Evidently the glass is there for my protection. I went for the tank. I should know better. It ricocheted and came back and hit me.
0:46
I don't really know what else to say besides that huge shout out. There are some of you out there that thought my video about the GTF stream was unnecessary. or too harsh. But honestly, I felt that I went easy on them in that video because I only removed the glass three times in my video. On the actual stream, they removed the glass five times.
1:18
What's up guys and welcome back to my channel where I talk and do everything pinball. Now before I get to talking about my latest experience with Galactic Tank Force, I feel like I also need to respond to a couple of items regarding my previous video. Now look, the purpose of that video was to not poke fun at American Pinball in general, or Galactic Tank Force in general. It was poking fun at that game. The one used in the stream. And we all saw the same stream for those of you that did watch it. Which made the video, in my opinion, more humorous. because if you watched the stream and then you watched my video, a lot of you were just like, yeah, okay, I see the satire in it now. And if you can honestly look me in the eyes and tell me that you watched that entire stream and you felt overwhelmingly confident in purchasing this game, then maybe my standards are just way too damn high. I guess asking for a fully working game that's been in development for well over a year is too much to ask. Hell, I'll tell you what, at least test the game before you decide to stream it to the whole world. Bare minimum. And you didn't even do that. Because they stated at the beginning of the stream that they merely just got the legs put on and they're ready to play the game. Not testing it to make sure it works. I mean, I don't know how many of you out there have moved games, whether it be from one location to the next, or even merely from one spot to the next, and you've had some sort of issue. Something gets out of place or something. It's bound to happen. It's pinball. There's a lot of moving parts. So to not test your game before you're showing it to the entire world, showing them the fruits of your labor, you merely decide to just wing it?

  • “When you go up the middle, you get immediately what seems like rejection... if you go for the tank, it's very likely that you're going to lose your ball.”

    Carrie Hardy@ 16:17 — Identifies fundamental gameplay balance issue

  • “I don't want to be in an echo chamber with you guys... it doesn't mean that I'm wrong or you're wrong. It just means that we're different.”

    Carrie Hardy@ 18:52 — Addresses polarization in community and advocates for diverse perspectives

    • Jurassic Parkgame
    Godzillagame
    Total Nuclear Annihilationgame
    James Bondgame
    Pinsideorganization
    Texas Pinball Festivalevent
    Pinbrewevent

    high · Hardy explicitly credits both designers and notes this context is important for understanding design decisions

  • ?

    product_concern: GTF exhibits systematic mechanical failures (glass ejection hazard), audio clipping/ducking issues, inconsistent playfield behavior across multiple machines, and unreliable pop-up bumper mechanics

    high · Hardy's direct playtest, stream comparison, Pinside reports from multiple show attendees, tank ricocheting and striking player, repeated glass removal incidents

  • ~

    sentiment_shift: Community sentiment on GTF may be hardening negative as evidence of issues accumulates across multiple shows and players report similar problems

    medium · Hardy cites recurring issues at Texas Pinball Festival and Pinbrew; multiple Pinside users reporting bad experiences; initial excitement potentially dampening

    • 3:20
    That is showing us that either you have a shit ton of ignorance or a shit ton of confidence in your product. I mean, I get it. Things happen. The luck of the draw. I mean, you can't win them all, right?
    3:40
    Or maybe there are underlying issues. And I say that because not every game played the same at Texas Pinball Festival. And just most recently at Pinbrew, they had two machines there, one of which was down most of the time for a variety of reasons. and the one that was up more often still had technical issues. And when I use the word issues, it's funny. I look on Pennside, and it's like you have certain people that have played this game at Pembroke, and they give their feedback, and they give them an experience that wasn't good overall, and highlighting all these issues, and that people just automatically think that the individual is lying. Like, no, I didn't have that experience, so therefore you're lying.
    4:33
    What's more likely? Games that are built with hundreds of parts, if not thousands, if you count every little bitty thing, that sometimes games don't come out working all the way. Or every game works flawlessly and there just a couple of people out there that don like it and want to crap on it What is more likely I mean even my Foo Fighters is not impervious to having issues I've had two small, very small, and I brought them up to Jack's attention, and they are being resolved in production going forward. Like, they've already caught this, and it's already a fix is in the works. But to say that you have a massive company like Stern, they're not impervious to making mistakes or getting products out the door without certain little things getting by so i understand that it's completely possible at least i understand evidently those of you on pin side some of you are just like no i love this game i'm buying this game i want it there is no way there could be issues i am going to completely ignore them and obviously you guys are liars i have full faith in this game good for you i hope that the game that you receive that you have purchased works flawlessly i hope it does but whenever you take all the data that people have experienced whether it be on locations recently or at shows as of right now the bad is outweighing the good but evidently i should look past all of the factual data and information that has been received from many people.
    6:16
    Block it out. Don't worry about them. And I should just praise and worship anything any manufacturer puts out because, you know what, I love pinball, and I want to share the love of pinball and how much I love it to all of you, regardless that things that are coming from these manufacturers have problems. I should just... Nothing but butterflies and rainbows and all that kind of stuff. That's all I should evidently talk about.
    6:48
    God, no. I mean, going back to the stream, Jack Danger put on a great quality stream. He held up his end. He gave American Pinball a platform, an audience, high quality, great audio, answered questions, did anything that they needed. He was there, had a moment's notice, here you go. Show the world your game. Show us what you can do.
    7:12
    And what we were given was work in progress. I mean, it was quite obvious during the stream, as well as even my most recent gameplay experience, that there's some more bugs that need to be worked out in the coding. And I get it. I mean, it's pretty much a guarantee. Any game coming off the assembly line and going out into the public is not going to be 100% on code. things will need to be resolved over time. I get it. But this looks like it needs a little more than just a little here and there. I mean, this might be worse than James Bond. So how far along are they on the code for this game? How complete is the software right now? The software?
    7:55
    I wouldn't be foolish enough to put a percentage on that. That was the answer we got at the seminar, and that's also pretty damn close to the same answer that was given during the stream. And it's not, I hear that, and a part of me is like, I don't know if it's that they refuse to tell us, or they honestly just don't know. For some reason, people think I'm just picking on American Pinball. What? Evidently, you are new to my channel. Because if anyone has taken the most flack from me, it's Stern Pinball. Including their latest release of James Bond, which was a total debacle. but just because I don't agree with everything that they do doesn't mean I won't buy their games. When a company does something good, I praise them for it. When a company does something poorly, I give them shit. I thought that was pretty obvious by now. So should I praise anything that any manufacturer decides to release to us no matter if it has issues. No, I will not do that because they're not making these products for charity. They're not doing it because they love it. They're doing it because they love money. They're doing this for machines that cost $8,000 plus. Are you kidding me? So I'm supposed to just go, you know what? It's okay. They're only charging us eight grand. You know, the 3D printing is a little off. we'll let it go, it's only eight grand plus, which reminds me, another thing that was pointed out was that supposedly I posted a picture
    9:41
    of a close-up image of the 3D printing to Galactic Tank Force, which supposedly highlighted something that no one else has seen before I didn post this picture I merely shared the image that was shared by who was it again That right It was shared by American Pinball on their website I could show you right now See, here we have American Pinball website. Galactic Tank Force. Let me just scroll down. Oh, yeah, I can click here to buy it if I so want to. Oh, they provided us some pictures right here. isn't this sweet of them all look at all these nice close-up images oh here's one let me just click on that oh look at that high-res images that you can zoom in on and you can see obviously I didn't do this American pinball did this so it just cracks me up it does when those of you out there that love these games so much no matter the manufacturer I get it not everyone can have passion and love for a particular theme no one can have the equal amount as you have for it there are people out there that will say that the Foo Fighters game is horrible you have your right to your opinion but it doesn't mean that you're wrong it It means that you look at the game and you like things that are different. I get it.
    11:15
    If only more of you out there thought the same way, though, then maybe Pennside would be a much better place for me to recommend people to go to. But as of right now, I'm like, you don't want to go there. So now I'm going to speak to you about my latest experience with Galactic Tank Force. And this is honestly probably going to be the shortest portion of this video. One thing I feel like I need to comment on is the sound system within this game. When I hit the tank in a pretty controlled environment, this was the only game going, guys. Out of everything that was there, it was me and this machine. It has very good bass on it. When I hit the tank, it sounded really good. I mean, we're talking like, you know, Total Nuclear Annihilation subwoofer good. Like, boom! Don't know if the bass is going to pick up that effect. But the bass was there whenever I hit the tank. Okay, so that sounded good. When the tank explodes, there's clipping. Like there's audio issues with this game that can be resolved in coding and stuff like that. Those are things that can be fixed over time. But I felt for someone like me that's very sensitive to sound and very picky about it, That is one of my biggest gripes is the audio for this game. Certain sound effects are much louder than anything else. You still have the audio ducking issue during a, you're doing your multi-ball and every time there's a jackpot, you'll hear the announcer say things like, Bazinga or jackpot or way to go or whatever. And for those of you that don't know what audio ducking is, this will give you an idea.
    12:59
    Bazinga. Jackpot. I mean, we're talking like total silence. Like the music is pumping, and then when you make a jackpot, the audio dies, and all you hear is that call out. Bazinga. And then right back into the audio again. It's like, what? So when it comes to audio for this game, it needs work. they need to go through that with a fine tooth comb figure out the audio levels the decibel readings on certain sound effects because some of them are way too loud and honestly hurt when it comes to the light show this is one of the best honestly i mean if you put it up against every game that's been released galactic tank force has a very good lighting show for it that's something i definitely got to give to it i mean when it comes to that mode or it's like a radar or sonar where it goes over the play field and then you have to see where you need to shoot like it highlights it blue when it goes across very good lighting the light show on the pop bumpers are great i really love the visualization that you get with those pop bumpers and how they react to the game going into the meltdown mode stuff like that it's a very good light show for pop bumpers which you don't typically get a light show and pop bumpers these days on machines now Now when it comes to design, I feel like I need to spread the word on this because evidently a lot of people are not aware that two people designed this game. You have Dennis Nordman and Paul Reno. It was a combined effort to make this game. So when it comes to design this is not a game for me Now I say that because I know what I like what do i like i like games like food fighters that why when I watched it I was like I need this game because I know what I like same reason why I got Jurassic Park I know what I like there's just I love flow this game does not have it if you're like oh yeah does know what doesn't this does not flow like a food fighters like a Jurassic Park like a Like a Godzilla. No. This in my opinion is a very stop and go game. Not that there's anything wrong with that. So before you keyboard commando start tapping away at me. That I don't know what I'm talking about. Or it's a great game or whatever. It's just not a game that I feel is a fun shooter. It's not my type. Okay. This game is a little more stop and go. And it's honestly a difficult shooter. I mean you can probably close the out lanes. to make it a little bit more forgiving. But when you have one of the people that has played this game since its infancy there on the stream, and he is basically what looks like he's having an anxiety attack because he knows that if he makes a particular shot, that the risk is very high. It seemed like the risk was very high on a lot of shots by the way he was acting about it. But we all know that that game in particular was having issues. But we all know that if you go for the tank, it's very likely that you're going to lose your ball. Which is very diminishing for a lot of people that want to experience a game and a majority of our shots are probably going right up the middle. And this game, when you go up the middle, you get immediately what seems like rejection. now luckily in this controlled environment it didn't feel as rejecting whenever i heard the sound effects that go along with hitting that tank that bass it just made it feel like okay i just did something that was nice so there is still that issue that you are very likely to hit that up the middle and for it to come right back down the middle and that pop up bumper whatever they want to call it the rubber plunger it's still not working a hundred percent of the time i also feel like the diverter on the ramp is overkill for something so simple i i don't feel that was necessary i felt they could have definitely saved money on parts labor coding and everything if they just would have put a mechanical diverter up there instead like you've seen these on road kings guns and roses i mean it's merely just a small little device that when you hit it the ball goes one way so the ball has no choice but to go the other way next time you go at the ramp and it's like okay i like being able to control the ball where it goes but as of right now we really don't know if that diverter is very important at this time at least for the coating things i mean over time there may be a very important reason or value to using that diverter but at this point in time i'm not seeing it so basically if you want a game that shoots different than any other game right now if you like that feeling that almost every shot you make means you might lose your ball if you like stop and go then galactic tank force is the game for you it's that plain and simple it's not that the game sucks or is bad or anything like that it's just not a game that i feel like is something that i will ever enjoy because i know what I like. And it doesn't mean what I like is something that you should like. So whenever you disagree with me on what I think and feel about games, it doesn't mean that I'm wrong or you're wrong. It just means that we're different, which I am thankful for because I don't want to be in an echo chamber with you guys. So in my comment section down below, by all means, let me know your thoughts and feelings about Galactic Tank Force. If anything has changed for you over the last couple of weeks since the stream i want to know about it down below until next time guys peace out bazinga jackpot