As Henry and Brandon carried the Foosball table out of the Lounge, we bid farewell to an era. With its departure, hundreds, if not thousands, of hours of memories and enjoyment left a feeling of emptiness within us. All of the best of sevens won and lost, the money-matches, and the trash-talking (I'm looking at you, Josh ;) ) would never be the same anymore. We never asked for any of this; we were content with our Foosball lives as they were. But times change, and eventually so did our beloved Foosball table.
Just as the old table left, a new one took its place. To a bystander, it is a complete upgrade. Most notably, the table doesn't look like it came out of dumpster. With its polished wooden frame and strengthened interior, there aren't many competitors on the market that could surpass its build and beauty. The table almost looks out of place in the Lounge, giving off an aura of dignity and cleanliness; words I'm sure no one can attest to when describing the Lounge. Furthermore, the table offers a new squad of players controlled by wooden handles (in contrast to the taped-together players and rubber handles of the old table), increasing their endurance so we don't resort to replacing them with playing cards folded in on themselves as a substitute.
However, to us Foosballers, the table is unanimously regarded as a downgrade. Yes, we agree that the table looks and feels nice, but all we care about is gameplay, and in that aspect the new table is lacking. Unlike the concave surface of the old table, this table's surface is flat. Slightly tapping the ball causes it to move across rows, meaning trapping (an important tactic where you control the ball through moving it parallel to the goals) is near impossible, lowering the skill expression of the game and negating the role of the "three" row by a large factor. Furthermore, the flat surface makes the ball prone to getting stuck a lot, requiring us the physically move it with our hands, which is a big nuisance and slows the pace of the game. As a result, I've seen a decrease in the number of games played and overall enjoyment between us. The hierarchy that first brought order to the table for now has been abolished as we struggle to reestablish what drew us to the table in the first place: a few minutes of pure excitement and unpredictability.
Nevertheless, we're a determined group and won't give up at this slight inconvenience. If we can't have the old table back, why not turn the new table into our old one? For obvious reasons we can't physically alter the table itself and risk destroying it, so we've resorted to modding it in various ways. While we decide on a way to return the table surface to a concave state, we've dismantled one of the Lounge's tissue boxes and used it to add slopes to the areas that infringe on the ball getting stuck the most. Furthermore, we've also removed/reduced each row's rubber sidings to give players an increased range of motion and allow them to hit the ball from any part of the table.
While we wait for more modifications to take place, a new gamemode has come to light: two ball doubles. Played in 2-3 minute sessions, the team to score the most goals or get both balls into the goal at the same time wins. Although this mode takes away from the "skill/organization" of one ball doubles, the unpredictability of two balls is a necessary sacrifice to counteract the slower pace games are being played at. So far, I've enjoyed play-testing this gamemode even if I have to compromise my skills built from hundreds of hours on the old table. However, it's only been a week since the gamemode's conception, so there aren't many opinions on it as of now.
As uncomfortable playing on the new table makes me and as much as I wish for us to go back to the old one, I'm optimistic to see the outcome once we mod it to our content. However, as ordinary human beings we will forever complain about the new and reminisce about the old.
Below are my quantified opinions on the tables. What are your thoughts?
OLD TABLE NEW TABLE
BUILD: D A
GAMEPLAY: A C till further improvements
ENJOYMENT: A D (B with the new gamemode)
I enjoyed this in-depth analysis of the foosball tables differences. Upon walking into the lounge the other day I was met with the shocking revelation of the change. I quickly came to the same conclusion you did, that it looks much nicer, but that the gameplay had gone down significantly. Overall, I am also disappointed with the change, but I also do not think all hope is lost yet. Uni students are very innovative, and I am sure over time the table will only get better!
ReplyDeleteI read your first blog about the Foosball table and I think it complements it very well. It made me understand how emotional the departure of the old foosball table was, and how the new table may never measure up to the old one.
ReplyDeleteI agree, the new foosball table is a total downgrade. I don't even play foosball that much and I can tell. I really miss the old table, it had character. However, I have to commend you guys for thinking of using the tissue box parts. It makes a huge difference. Made the foosball table go from a 3/10 to a 6/10.
ReplyDeleteAnother eye opening post by the young Sparsh, foosball legend. I remember coming in the first day the foosball table came in and playing my 2nd game ever. It felt fun, but I understand why it's dislike. I witness the first issues with the ball getting stuck continuously, as well as the innovation in fixing the table, and it's cool to see problem solving as well as the adaption of the table into lounge culture like this.
ReplyDeletePerhaps the most interesting development of the past few weeks has been how distraught people are at the loss of the table. I played some junior year but never really "got it", i still don't get it and I never will but I'm always interesting in hearing any new updates, good post.
ReplyDeleteCompletely agree the new table is downgrade. The table doesn't mesh well the the color scheme of the lounge. There's no discolored wood and remnant of sticker remains on it. I also love the fact that you talk about the strategy that it forgoed with the "upgrade"
ReplyDeleteI love the true since of emotion that is expressed in this. Even more so since I truly feel for you and what you went, seeing how I went through it as well. But getting the story from a completely different perspective in relation to events that had taken place is refreshing and I thank you for letting me experience that.
ReplyDeleteI was aware of the Foosball table being a downgrade, but never to the extent which you described it with, like the removal of trapping. I think I see this alot in my time spent playing Video Games, as while a Developer might think they're fixing a bug relating to combat, the community had already adapted and found balance around those types of bug. I think, just like you highlighted, there still is always a silver lining to each cloud. And while you may have lost an old friend, you have a new friend, with new strengths you potentially haven't found yet.
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