Happy Circuit final weekend! The Stern Pro circuit is taking place tomorrow (Saturday the 23rd) at Bottom Lounge in Chicago. If you’re in town and coming to the final, keep an eye out for an excitable, tall girl with a pinball denim jacket (me). Come say hello!
The machines for the final are as follows:
Seawitch
Meteor
Galaxy
Catacomb
Freefall
Robocop
Star Wars Pro
Guardians of the Galaxy Pro.
I’m really looking forward to seeing gameplay on Freefall and Galaxy (a pin I own, personally). I’m also hoping to finally understand Catacomb in some capacity, because everything I’ve seen or heard about it totally daunts me.
Today I thought I’d quickly go over one of the classics in the bank, Meteor.
Objective: Shoot drops to spell Meteor, racking up the value at the spinner.
The targets at the top spell METEOR. Shoot the drops but try and shoot for the middle “ETEO” targets first, as the M and R are worth more. Every target dropped is reflected to lights on the spinner. Inlanes spot METEOR targets, so if the ball travels down a lit inlane, your METEOR targets will reset.
Completing Meteor adds bonus multiplier. Cash in the bonus Multiplier by hitting 1′s, 2′s and 3′s.
Progress on Meteor letters is continued from ball to ball.
As with a lot of classic solid states and EM’s, nailing alley passes, tap passes and having good control/nudging off the “Kirk post” is super important for this game.
I get to work on Pinball 4 days out of the week and play almost every day. It’s therapeutic, and fun. It makes me so happy, but I’m greedy. I want a job where I can go to conventions like TPF and set up, show off and talk about new Pinball machines. I thrive on the idea of being a part of making people (like me, who love Pinball) excited and happy.
This entire weekend my heart has both hurt (because I’m not at TPF) and sung (because of all the exciting stuff happening there).
Anyway this was very personal and on my mind. One of these days I’ll write out a longer, more eloquent “love letter” to Pinball but for now I just wanted to write out some quick thoughts.
The good news is, I’ve been playing a lot of tournaments and getting more hours at the arcade. The bad news is that leaves me zero time for blog stuff.
Here is a little thing from my personal blog about TPF and my Big Pinball Feelings. It’s personal and mushy so heads up.
Hopefully I can get some consistency and discipline with posts very soon, cause’ this blog ain’t’ dying anytime soon!
Fleet (Jr.) (Bally,1934). Flipperless, E.M. Designed by Herb Breitenstein. 1c or 5c play.
I was daydreaming about pinball schematics and patents the other day and decided to do a google image search. I came across a small image of a patent for Bally’s Fleet and thought it looked really neat. There was something strikingly simple and elegant about the look of it and I was instantly interested to know more about this old pre-war pin.
Fleet was designed with seven electric cannons. Cannons could be loaded with balls and when the action hole was hit, all cannons would fire, sending the balls up the playfield. A Fleet Sr. and a Fleet Jr.; were both produced. The Fleet Jr. had two less trap holes, was a bit small and without long metal rails on each side of the playfield.
From The Billboard, June 23rd,1934: “Probably the first time in history of pin games that a machine has depended for action on a positive propelling force instead of the natural attraction of gravity in a slanting board.”
It’s odd to me that there is no note whatsoever about Bally and the only credit listed is “Automatic Amusement Co”. I’m guessing that’s a distributor? Why wouldn’t Bally or Bally Manufacturing Co. be shown anywhere on this flyer? Answers, please!
In the eternal words of Jack Danger; What’s up internet?
After a little hibernation, I’m back at it with more tutorials/ruleset write-ups! I could make any number of the usual excuses for a lapse in posts (holidays, laziness, anxiety, work yada, yada); but that’s not productive so instead I’ll just dive in.
Today I’m featuring this Jurassic Park vid from Pinball 101 (or Pinball 102, as the videos are titled). I had no idea that Pinball 101 did some rules/tips vids and I was delighted to come across their Youtube channel while trying to study up for an away league game a few weeks ago. More after the jump!
Jurassic Park; (Data East, 1993). Design by Joe Kaminkow, John Borg and Ed Cebula. Software by With art by Markus Rothkranz. Sofware by Neil Falconer, Lonnie Ropp and John Carpenter.
Objectives: 1: Start Tri-ball to get to CHAOS and collect super T-rex and super jps. 2: Get to System Failure via completion of all computer screens.
Skill Shot: Video mode; shoot the dino with the trigger. A hit dino is worth 2mil on Ball 1, 3mil on Ball 2, and 4mil on Ball 3. If the skill shot is made, Super Pops starts. The Turbo Bumpers are worth 100k during Super Pops. Every completions of the Turbo Bumpers is worth 1mil.
Start Tri-Ball: To lite Tri-Ball, hit all species stand-up targets. The lit boat dock also spots these shots. Mr. DNA also lites Tri-ball as does using the Smart Missle button (it’s better to save this for during Tri-Ball or Chaos). To start Tri-Ball, hit the T-Rex or the raptor pit a few times. During Tri-Ball, the ramp scores a 15 mil base JP and the inner loop scores the base 15mil + and additional 15mil. Spell C-H-A-O-S by hitting Chaos targets @ bumpers, the ramp and @ all scoops. Each CHAOS letter scores 5mil. Shoot the missile and score a CHAOS letter if down to one ball. Spelling CHAOS during Tri-Ball starts 6 ball play and the CHAOS letters have to be shot again with each shot being worth 10mil. After spelling CHAOS, feed T-Rex. Shoot the Boat Dock and then T-Rex for 50mil. The 2 Super JPs (the loop and the ramp) are worth 100mil per ball in play w/ 15mil bonus for the loop shot. When both sjs are collected, CHAOS restarts and continues with 2 balls.
Get to System Failure: Complete all Computer Screens. Light the Control Room by shooting the power shed scoop. It can also be temporarily lit via inlanes. The left inlane also lites the Boat Dock. Bumpers select the next screen when the Control Room is not lit. All computer screens increase in difficulty; Escape Isla Nublar being easiest and Mosquito being the hardest.
The Screens are as follows:
1. Escape Isla Nublar: Pops, Boat Dock and the inner loop score a starting “Escape value” of 21mil and counts down 1mil every second. Each shot score the value + 10mil. The Mode ends after 10mil is counted down.
2. Spitters: Shoot any of the 3 Dino targets 3 times in 20 seconds. The first hit is 5mil, the second 10mil, and the third is 15mil for a total of 30mil.
3. Feed T-Rex: Shoot T-Rex within 30 seconds for 30mil. Right flipper>left loop>to upper right loop (like the Picard Maneuver). This is important to master for use during Tri-Ball.
4. System Boot: Shoot the scoops within 15 seconds for 5, 10, and 15mil. The Smart Missile can be used to score the total of 30mil.
5. Stampede: Stampede is automatically lit at the beginning of each game. 20 seconds each target score 300k and increases by 10k for each hit. T-Rex scores for 5mil.
6. Lite Extra Ball: Boat Dock for EB. Extra Ball is worth 25mil when EXB is disabled.
7. Electric Fence: Get Timmy off the Electric fence by making 20 shots to pops/slings in 20 seconds for 30mil. The Smart Missile can be used to save Timmy. Using the Smart Missile in this round will save Timmy and award the 30mil.
8. Velociraptor 2-Ball: The boat-dock is lit for a 2-ball MB. The Smart Missile will also start 2-ball if the boat-dock is lit (except when Tri-ball is also lit). Raptor JP will be lit at the Raptor Pit. Raptor JP’s have a base value starting at 7mil and increase by 2mil for every JP collected. Tri-ball cannot be started during 2-ball.
9. Raptor’s Rampage: The Raptor Pit is lit during this timed round. Hitting the Raptor Pit awards the indicated value (somewhere between 5mil-10mil).
10. Bone Busting: Shoot 3 ramps in 25 seconds to 20mil.
11. Mosquito: Shoot captive ball within 20 seconds for 5mil. This value increases by 1mil each time the captive ball is hit.
Other Stuff:
T-Rex Bounty: A bounty value that can be carried between balls and games. Spell T-REX by hitting the T-REX, the T-Rex Bounty (or the Paddock JP) is awarded. The Bounty begins at 5mil and goes up by 100k for each ramp shot. Progress towards spelling T-REX is indicated by four red lights above the rules card.
Mr. DNA; Certain number of ramp shots (7? Less? Most rules/forum posts I’ve read indicate that it may be fewer) lites Mr. DNA at Hammond’s Bunker. Mr. DNA offers a choice between 3 selections, which are randomly selected from the following: 5M, 10M, 15M, 20M, Super Pops, Million Pops, Complete Egg, Light Special, Runaway, Extra Ball (at the Boat Dock, )Runaway Score (Hurry Up, 20M down to 5M), Runaway Two-Ball (Hurry Up, 10M down to 5M), Light Tri-Ball, Spitters Double Round, Advance Park Revenue, Advance Raptors 5mil, Raptor Pit Value Held, Award Lit CRT, Super Egg, Bonus Held. Select the award by flipping or using the trigger.
Park Revenue: Small value awarded by hitting Hammond’s Bunker when lit via the right inlane. The award is valued at 500; at the start of each ball and increases by 30k for each Turbo bumper hit. The value does not hold over the the next ball.
Victory Lap: When a replay value is reached, the ramp will be lit for a Victory Lap for 30 seconds. 5 consecutive ramp shots are worth 5mil (ea.) and the 6th is worth 25mil. Victory Lap totals max out at 50mil. Smart Missile cannot be used to complete the Victory Lap. Apparently this feature was popular with Data East machines and Jurassic Park was the last to use Victory Laps.
Death Saves and Bang Backs*: If a Death Save or Bang Back is accomplished (when a ball rolls over an outlane switch and then another sensor is tripped before landing in the trough), an award of 3mil is given, along with a neat animation of a skeleton TREX changing back to regular TREX. Now that I think of it, this would be a cool idea for The Walking Dead or Alice Cooper; A dead guy turns into a Walker or a zombie or something? I don’t know much about the WD tbqh.
*Special Service Announcement: NEVER DEATH SAVE (or Bangback) DURING TOURNAMENTS. And probably not while playing with other people, too. You’ll be DQ’d and could potentially fuck up your wrist/the pinball machine. Also you sort of look scary/like a jerk to people who are new to the hobby.
If you’re in Chicago, Jurassic Park is usually available to play at Emporium Logan square. If you’re not in Chicago, check out PinballMap to see if there’s one near you!
How? Hold either flipper (trap up or before plunging a new ball) and toggle with the opposite flipper. Instant info should tell you the ball you’re on, how many shots to various MB’s, what to hit for JP’s and multipliers. But this varies from machine to machine, I think.
Today I thought I’d dig a little deeper into the psyche part of being a better pinball player. This video was posted on NBC a few weeks ago and I can’t believe it slipped under my radar. It’s a great segment about our head-guts when we get in a “flow state” or “The Zone.” I’m sure if you talk to any pinhead, they could tell you about how crucial “The Zone” can be for good play.
A while back I was in a pretty bad performance slump. I was bricking shots, forgetting basic rules and getting very frustrated with my games. I was so fed up with my outcomes that fun wasn’t a part of the game anymore. A teammate recommended I read “The Inner Art of Tennis” to help get my mind in a better play-state. “But Krystle, Tennis is not pinball?!” you might ask. True, but this book speaks (for the most part) to other activities, too. The “Performance Coach” in the video, Ben Oliva, mentions flow pertaining to so many other creative or active endeavors; writing, sports, reading, teaching, etc. My dad, who raced motorsports for decades, said someone once recommended the book to him. I digress; the Inner Art of Tennis constantly references the importance of being mindful and to avoiding overthinking. The segment turned out to be a fantastic little companion to reading about mindfulness for performance.
Flow and success are certainly related. But how does one get in the zone? What are the elements of flow? Here’s what the segment says (as referenced from Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi):
Clear Goals
Immediate Feedback
Challenge=Skills
Action/Awareness
Focus
The video doesn’t go too deeply into these elements but a lot of the points are a bit self-explanatory. The important point is that some bit of skill is required to get to that flow state. I suppose this is where knowing and practicing flipper skills is the first and most important step. Once you have your skills, you can slow down, get control, approach the challenge calmly and finally enter a flow state.
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s TED talk on happiness and being in a flow state is available to watch here. It’s a great lecture and worth it if you have 20 minutes to spare.
Tips for “Getting in the Zone”
No, not quite that zone. But close.
Sometimes it’s tough to get in “The Zone”, because to get in the zone, one must be calm, relaxed and not actively thinking about...getting. in. The. Zone. Feels a bit like a counter-intuitive and frustratingly futile task, doesn’t it? There are some great tips listed in the video and practicing these can help.
1. Don’t try to get in the zone. As soon as one is cognizant of their flow state, their flow state can easily disappear. This is why meditation and calm can be important for successful play. When you’re relaxed and performing naturally, a productive flow state should engage.
2/3. Enjoy the process/Novelty of the game. Be present during your game and worry less about the end-game, score or outcome. Don’t try and recreate old successes, instead focus more on the game at-hand. If you don’t know the full rulesets of a game, just do what you can and enjoy it. While playing competitively, I’ve taken up not looking at the scoreboard between balls. It helps keep my stress levels down and keeps me focused on the task at hand.* Try and actively enjoy the aspects that you love about pinball. If you get a kick out of the call-outs on Addams Family, go ahead and call right back. Dance during the Mamushka. Do trigger fingers when you get a jp. Or just rejoice quietly in your own head. Whatever works for you.
Other tips:
These are mostly personal tips and may not work for everyone. Sometimes it takes a lot of practice to get into a positive, productive, creative, and mindful headspace. Overthinking will (or can) ruin it all.
Coaching: I think this is “illegal” in most major tourney games, but if you’re practicing with chums or people who know games better than you, it can be very beneficial. This was hard to do for awhile because the call-outs from my “coach” would feel more distracting and if I missed a shot they’d direct me to, I’d end up more frustrated. This took a lot of practice and mastering flipper skills made this a lot more effective.
Meditation: I hate to sound like a new-age hippie but meditation shouldh be practiced even if you’re just a regular, non-pinball Normie. It’s healthy, calming and clears toxic thoughts. I remember when I went to Pinburgh and observed the behavior of people between balls or games. I noticed a few people practicing active meditation. One guy sat cross-legged, staring into space, breathing deeply. Another would do yoga poses/stretches. Some do push-ups or tricep-dips. Anything to keep their minds active and clear. I have yet to see a tourney player bring adult coloring books, but who knows, maybe I’ll be “that guy”.
Headphones: Some players use headphones to drown out ambient noise. This can be especially helpful if you’re in a loud bar or a big ballroom/convention center filled with pins. Sometimes headphone users don’t listen to music, but rather, use noise-cancellation headphones feeding white-noise. Some listen to music because it keeps them alert and/or helps them sustain energy or positivity.** This can be a great tool for keeping in an active flow state.
One of the most important pieces of advice I’ve received while learning/improving my game is: Don’t be hard on yourself! Playing pinball is a fun, active and social game. If you’re still a bit new, there are a lot more skills yet to learn. As the old saying goes, “you have to learn to crawl before you can walk or run”. Don’t be embarrassed by your lack of skills; be patient and ask questions. If you know good pinball people, they should be happy to help and patient to teach. Enjoy the process, be persistent and play more pinball!
*Again, everyone is different. There are players who excel when they’re under pressure and all these tips are all but useless for them. Recognize who you are as a player and what works/doesn’t. It’s all about practice.
**Note: the reason why a lot of people don’t like headphones is because they cancel out important call-outs for games. If you’re good at multitasking and listening in multiple places, this may not be an issue.
This is probably my favorite spooky machine and definitely my favorite “Fan layout” pin (see Attack from Mars and Medieval Madness). This video is also an early PAPA tutorial cut (circa 2011!)
Objective: Collect all of the Monster’s instruments by completing all 6 rounds (modes). If all 6 modes are begun, a mini-wizard mode, Monster Bash starts. Although the modes are explained in order below, it’s usually best to start all 6 modes and stack them together (get all 6 modes started but do not complete). This way point value is increased during the mini-wizard mode and the chances of getting instruments are better (because a MB will be going).
Modes (from left to right):
Creature (sax): Hit the left saucer shot 4 times and start Creature Feature. CF is 20 second timed mode where 5 shots to any major shot (ramps, orbits, spinner) must be made. Shot one is a 1mil hurry-up. After that each shot increases in value times the hurry-up value (2x, 3x, 4x, 5x). The 20 second timer restarts after each shot is made. The Black Lagoon spots a shot, ends the active hurry-up and resets the timer.
Wolfman (drums): Shoot the loop shots 4 times (collectively) to start Full Moon Fever. When FMF begins, a 1mil hurry-up starts for either loop shot. When a loop shot is made, the hurry-up resets and increases to 2mil, 3mil and 4mil. Completing all 4 hurry-ups awards Wolfman’s drums.
Bride of Frankenstein (mic): Hit each ramp 3 times to start Ball & Chain. During B&C, the ramps must be hit 3 more times each within 30 seconds for each hit. Starting at 500k, the B&C value is worth 2x for both ramps. Shooting the Mosh Pit lane resets the timer (the timer is only able to reset at a max of 3 times). All scoring is 3x for another 30 seconds when the mic is collected (and the Mosh Pit spinner still +’s time), which is another great reason this mode can be super valuable when stacked with Monster Bash mode or Frank MB.
Frankenstein (keys): Bash on Frank 7 times to qualify Frankenstein Multiball. Once Frank MB has qualified, he’ll rise up to show a center ramp; shoot to start a 3 ball MB. Bash on Frank more to collect jps and eventually his keyboard. All other major shots score jps and Frank scores super, double super and triple super jps. If the keys are not collected during Frank MB, Frank moves back to his regular spot and a last-chance 15 seconds is given to attempt more bashing on Frank to get any of the jps missed during MB. The timer is reset each time Frank gets bashed. Bash Frank.
Mummy (bass): Jets light Mummy Mayhem and is collected at the scoop. I’m not clear as to how many hits have to be made to the pops for MM to be lit.
Dracula (guitar): Spell D-R-A-C-U-L-A by hitting Drac Attack 7 times (collectively) to start Drac Attack. D-R-A is usually spotted at the beginning of the game. When DA is started, Drac moves about the playfield for 30 seconds and must be bashed a total of 5 times to collect his guitar. Every time Drac is bashed on, the timer is reset. If Drac is moving when hit, 2x will be scored, but only 1 hit is counted.
Multiballs (not including Frank):
Most Pit: Hit the center spinner 6 times to qualify Mosh Pit Multiball. Start MPMB by hitting the scoop. All major shots score Mosh Pit jackpots. MPjps are worth a base value of 750k + (5k x the number of Mosh pit hits). MP Super jp can be scored by hitting Frank 10 times. When that’s been collected, shoot Frank’s red stand-ups 5 times for a second Super jp (scores for 3x the Mosh Pit jp value). Shoot Frank’s ramp 10 more times to get the first Super jp again and then the standups again.
Monster Bash: A 4 ball MB which is lit at the scoop after all modes are started (but not completed). MBMB is lit when the 6th Monster mode is started. During MBMP, 2mil is scored on each monster shot. Center spinner is a bonus shot (Bash jp) with it’s worth dependent on how many monster rounds are running. The jps are 2Mil + 500k x the number of monsters hit since the last Bash jp. This maxes out at 7.5mil.
Monsters of Rock (wizard mode): When all Monsters have been completed (ie their instruments collected) the scoop is lit for Monsters of Rock. MoR is a 4 ball MB with each Monster shot worth 4mil. Each time one monster shot is made, a MoR jp is scored. The MoR jp is 4mil x (the number of monster completions). A bonus of 50mil is awarded for starting MoR if Monster Bash had not previously been started.
More stuff:
Monster Bombs: A Monster Bomb spots a hit towards collecting an instrument. Each bomb is an item that corresponds to a character. Drac has a garlic clove, Bride had a hair drier, Mummy a scroll, Wolf a silver bullet, Creatch has a spear gun and Frank a torch. M-bombs can be collected via skill shot, hits to the Mosh Pit or as a Rando Scoop Award. Drac’s bomb’s are also collected if D-R-A-C-U-L-A is spelled a few times before starting Drac Attack.
Instrument Bonus: Whenever an instrument is collected, all of the major shots are lit for IB. Shots score 900k+(100k x # of instruments collected on the ball). IB can be lit during MBs and if an instrument bonus was lit during regular play, that bonus will remain lit during MB.
Phantom flip: A lot like Thing Flips! Hit the blue standups 7 times (collectively) and Phantom Flips will be lit on the inlanes. Once traversed down the lit inlane, an AI will flip for you. After awhile the AI learns how to make the correct shot (I guess, sometimes, maybe?). Whenever PF is ready, for fun, I raise my hands up and make like a badass (probably not recommended during comp. play).
Extra Balls: Extra balls can be lit by doing one of the following; making 12 Most Pits, collecting enough Monsters (3), or from a Scoop award. Collected at the scoop.
Scoop Rando Awards: Each shot to the scoop awards a mystery award.
Points: 50k, 75k, or 100k
Light EXB
Light Drac Attack
Light Mummy Mayhem
Start a Monster Mode
Advancement towards starting a Monster Mode
An M-bomb
Hold bonus X
“Advance Mummy” spots 10 jets hits and “Advance” (whatever else) spots only one hit. “Advance Bride” alternates spotted ramps.
If you’re in Chicago, MB can be found at Logan Arcade or HQ. If you’re not in Chicago, take a look at the Pinball Map to find one near you.
Welcome to the first installment in a series of “Spooky Toots”! Since it’s nearly a week to Halloween, I thought I’d post a few of the tutorials for the eerie/spooky pins out there. Mr. Jeff Teolis of Pinball Profile is also doing a Halloween poll to narrow down the best Halloween-related pin. Check it out and vote over at the Pinball Profile group.
Addams Family is one of the first pins I remember playing before I got the pinball “bug”. AF is a perfect “Baby’s First Pinball”, especially because it’s the best selling pin of all time. When I first played Addams Family, I was still a very new player. I often thought of pinball as a futile game and got very frustrated by how much money I was spending for such short game times. Still, I was so drawn to the callouts and flow of this machine, I kept at it.
I joined the Monday night Pinball Chicago league and my home team was headquartered at a punk rock bar, Delilah’s. Our one (and only) machine was an Addams Family, tucked away in the corner upstairs. The bar was dingy, the Monday night special was $1 American beer cans and the bartenders sulked at us for causing them to open the bar upstairs early. Still, we loved it. I learned how to dead bounce, trust and play conservatively on that machine. That Addams taught me it’s true; every pin is a bit of a special snowflake. I could, like clockwork, let the ball pop out of the Swamp, dead-bounce off my right flipper, onto my left flipper, and flip into the Electric Chair scoop.
I know a few people think the chair/ramp combo (for Tour the Mansion) gets a bit monotonous, but I really like how reliable it can be (if your machine is running/maintained well).
Addams Family is a classic Pat Lawlor game and a great example of a good “flow” game.
Objective: Tour the Mansion! (Or simply make big points from MB’s)
Skill Shot: Soft plunge to Thing. Ball one is worth 2mil, ball two is 3mil, ball three is 4mil and any additional skill shots are always 5mil. Skill shot is worth good money and when locking balls for MB(s), you get some extra chances at hitting the Skill Shot again and again.
Multiballs: Spell G-R-E-E-D at the bookcase and light locks for MB. Backhanding the Bookcase shot is usually safest. With the upper flipper, flipping away or to the left ramp for Mil+ after hitting the bookcase is a good method to avoid ball drains. Try not too flip too early, as this will send the ball to the Train Wreck shot which is pretty dangerous. The 1st ball can be locked at either Thing or the Vault. 2nd ball can be locked at Thing, Vault or Swamp. Try locking each ball at Thing, because it’s worth extra skill shot points. If plunged just short of Thing (and the ball doesn’t fall into the swamp), let the ball pop out, drain, and since no switches were hit, another try for the skill shot can be attempted. MB is started by shooting either the Electric Chair or Vault. If possible, get control of the balls, trap up and time-out The Power magnets. Base jackpot start at 10mil. Collect the jp by shooting the Train wreck target. The left ramp awards Super jp, which is a 2x jp for the first MB. After scoring the double jp, relight the super by shooting the open vault. Add 1mil to the jp by hitting the bookcase and the center ramp. This maxes out at 25mil. When the jp is collected, it’s value is reset to 10mil. For the second MB, the locks are only lit at the Vault. During the second MB, jps are worth 3x.
MB Restart: If only 1 ball is left in play during MB, a restart w/a 2 ball MB is awarded if the Thing ramp is made within 20 seconds. This is a great chance at making another skill shot and from the Thing eject, a jp can be scored from the Train Wreck shot or the left ramp.
Quick Multiball (mansion mode): QMB is lit at Thing. When hit, Thing will take the ball and feed it to Swamp kickout. Usually best to forehand for Thing Eject w/right flipper. Plunge for another skill shot. The vault will remain open during QMB and is worth 5mil. The 5mil increases by 1mil when the center ramp is hit or when Vault Millions is collected. This maxes out at 10 mil.
Modes; Mansion Rooms; “Tour the Mansion” by completing all modes (rooms) as indicated by the inserts in the big Mansion in the center playfield. Mansion rooms are lit yellow at either the swamp kickout or electric chair scoops. Usually the chair is lit at the start of each ball. Shoot the center ramp or the left ramp to relight mansion rooms. When a room is awarded, the corresponding insert will be solidly lit. The next room to be completed will be flashing. Jets change the currently flashing rooms. When all 12 rooms are completed, the “?” panel will be flashing and Tour the Mansion begins once the “?” is collected.
3 Million: Awards 3mil + spots the 6mil room if not collected
Graveyard @ Max: Jets are advanced and flashing, and each jet advances Graveyard value by 30k until the end of ball
Hit Cousin It: All targets score 200k for 20 seconds. This is a fantastic mode to stack with MB, if possible. When Cousin It is hit, the target value increases by 50k and scores 2mil
The Mamushka: One of the most classic callouts of all time (imho). All targets are worth 250k for 20 seconds
6 Million: Awards 6 million and spots 3mil if not awarded yet.
Quick Multiball: See “Multiballs” above
Tunnel Hunt: In any order, shoot the 3 tunnel shots; the scoops and the vault within 20 seconds. First shot is worth 5mil, the second is 10mil and the third is 15mil. If the electric chair or swamp kickout is lit during Tunnel Hunt, another mansion room will be awarded. Balls are not lockable during Tunnel Hunt
Seance: 3 ramp shots score 5mil, 10mil, 15mil on a (you guessed it) 20 second timer. Magnets are on during the round, flinging the ball around unpredictably. Each completed ramp illicit a knocking sound
9 Million: Awards 9 mil
Thing Multiball: A timer counts down to 3mil while Thing is lit. Successfully hitting Thing right away is worth 15mil. Score the value by shooting Thing again and the Vault value is set during Thing MB. All Bear Kick ramp shots return the ball to the right inlane. During the countdown (and Thing MB) Thing Flips cannot be lit. A ball is fed to the plunger (attempt another skill shot!) and MB starts. Vault value is set and does not increase during Thing MB
Raise the Dead: Flashing jet bumper hits add to Raise the Dead bonus while a 30 second timer is going. Each bumper must be hit 4 times to score 3mil. Each jet bumper hit is worth 100k
Extra Ball: Lights extra ball at Thing
Tour the Mansion: When all 12 rooms are completed, the “?” room will be flashing and Tour the Mansion begins once the “?” is collected. Shooting the chair or swamp starts Tour the Mansion. All mansion rooms are unlit except for 3mil, 6mil and 9mil. 50mil points is given. All jet bumpers are flashing and @ max for Graveyard. Outlanes are lit for Special and change from lane to lane with each slingshot hit. Extra ball is lit @ Thing. The remaining room rounds starts in this order: Mamushka>Hit Cousin It>Seance>Tunnel Hunt>Raise the Dead>Thing MB. Mamushka, Hit Cousin It, Seance, Tunnel Hunt are timed and when the timer runs out (or the ball drains) the mode ends. Thing MB ends if the round is not started.
Other Stuff:
Thing Flips: When the far left Thing Flips inlane is lit and rolled-over, a shot to the Bear kick ramp can be made, feeding the ball through the Jets and down to the left mini-flipper. The mini-flipper will automatically attempt to shoot the ball into the swamp for Swamp millions. Thing Flips is not lit during MB, MB restart or Thing MB countdown.
Bear Kicks: Bear Kicks increase by 1 at every shot to the center ramp. 2 Bear kicks can be awarded when the "2 Bear Kicks" is lit on the left inlane. Each number of Bear Kicks awards vary. Extra balls can be lit at Thing between 6-9 Bear kicks. Mansion rooms (with the exception of “?”) are spotted at 15, 25, 35, and 45 Bear Kicks.
Combos: There are two 3-way combos, worth 5M each and one 4-way Combo worth 10mil:
3 Way:
Right inlane>Adv Bonus X loop>Million Plus Ramp
Adv Bonus X loop>Million Plus Ramp> Swamp
4 way: Bear kick ramp>Adv Bonus X loop>Million Plus ramp>Swamp
THING Bonus: The left ramp spots a letter in THING, as indicated below the DMD. T, H and I are usually spotted at the beginning of each game (if not in tournament mode). Spelling THING lights THING Bonus at Thing (naturally). The 1st THING Bonus is 5mil, the 2nd is 10mil and the 3rd is 15mil (the max).
Stars: Corresponds with THING bonus. Stars is lit at the right orbit. Lite Stars remains lit until timed out or if the left ramp shot is missed. The left ramp, when lit, lights a Star and when THING bonus is collected, each Star is worth 5mil.
If you’re in Chicago, Addams Family is available to play at Logan Arcade, HQ, Emporium Wicker Park and Delilah’s. Otherwise check out Pinball map to find one near you.
Hey everyone! I’ve been playing a lot of catch-up at work and w/not a lot of free time to write, it’s been tough to make posts. After this weekend, I’ll be back on track. Look for some spooky Toots to come. Thanks to everyone who listened to my guest interview on the Pinball Players Podcast and thanks again to Jeff for having me on! He said it was one of the most listened-to episodes ever! In other news, I hosted my first matchplay tournament last night without a hitch. It was just a casual deal, with about 20 players. I got a great response and it seemed like everyone had a fun time. Tournament directing always seems so daunting to me but the matchplay site and a great group of people made it go really smoothly. I even got my tech on when a ball got stuck on a game of Party Monsters. I’m a woman of many hats or whatever that saying is. This weekend is Chicago Pinball Expo and I’ve got a full schedule. There are a lot of seminars and parties to hit up which will probably prevent me from playing in the Flip-out tournament (plus that steep entry fee, yikes). Still, I’m looking forward to watching some comp play and seeing a lot of pinball buds who are coming in from out-of-town. If you spot me, come say hello! You can follow the progress of the tournament at the itmeverdrains link above.
Tutorial #17: Indy 500 + Some thoughts on Pinball Arcade
For the past year or so, I’ve been digging on the Pinball Arcade app. The game gets a bit of criticism sometimes because it’s hyper-perfect. The satisfaction of real-life-nudging isn’t there and I’ve shatzed accidentally so many times, my expectations for irl intentional shatzing have become unreasonable.
Sure, it’s not the same as playing a real, physical game of pinball but PA is an invaluable source for learning rulesets. It’s also nice to have when real pinball is unavailable (last Christmas when I was visiting my folks, there wasn’t a pin in sight, so I spent a lot of time that week on the couch playing PA). If there’s a specific pin not in your area, it’s nice to get at least a simulation.
Right now Indy 500 has been the PA game of choice for me, mostly because it’s one of the free tables for the month (hey, techs dont make a lot of money, so I’ll take what I can get). I also like that I can watch a toot and immediately bring out my phone to apply what I’ve learned while it’s still super-fresh in my mind.
Lots of frenzy/timed modes! Should just be called “Hurry Up the Pinball Machine”. Although I suppose it makes sense; it being a racing themed pin. This also seems like a great game to practice roll-passing (or flick-pass or whatever you want to call them). Location games may vary but it works here and it works on PA, too.
Also! Bowen in sock feet! Does he always play in just socks? How did I miss this?
Skill Shot: Shoot for the flashing yellow car on the left ramp. A second skill shot is achievable by shooting the right ramp which starts Go For the Pole.
Modes: There are 10 modes or “Speedways”. Lite a mode by hitting the left loop. Start a mode by hitting the right ramp. Modes can also be started in the center hole (green flag) or the right scoop hole.
Wrong Turn: Frenzy mode; each hole increases value and every target scores that value. The points are earned at the end of each turn.
Quick Pit*: Right ramp is lit for Pit MB. The faster you pit, the more jps are lit (left loop, right loop, left ramp, right ramp). Each shot is worth 10mil + 2 mil for every additional shot. Bowen uses a good strategy for Quick Pit, which is to time out the Pit countdown so only the left loop is lit. This makes the left loop worth 10 mil (plus 2 for every additional shot) Passing, and Position, as well as a good, clean shot to the Turbo for the jp.
Go for the Pole: Hurry-up mode lasting 20 seconds. Spell P-O-L-E by shooting the right ramp. Trick!: If the launch button is hit during GftP, a letter (and 10 mil) is spotted. This trick also works during the skill shot.
Dueling Drivers: Shoot all 4 car shots (Left Ramp, Right Ramp, Left Orbit, Right Orbit) in 30 seconds to score passes and 5, 10, 15, 20mil. Apparently the above Launch button trick works for this mode, too.
Lite Extra Ball: Extra Ball is lit at the center hole.
Gasoline Alley: Hurry-up modes where 5 “doors” must be opened. The right orbit opens the next door. Awards are:
10 Laps [Also awards 5 million] Note: if 3x is active, laps are tripled as well
10 MillionPass 15 cars [Also awards 15 million]
20 Million
25 Million
Caution: Video mode. Control the car with the left and right flippers, avoiding debris (pronounced Da-briss) and collecting point values (1, 2, 5 and 10mil). To complete, 30 obstacles must be avoided.
3x Playfield: 30 second mode tripling all scores AND triples laps. This is a good mode to save for MB, if possible.
Turbo Boost: A 2 ball Multiball. Left loop lites lock. Lock two balls in the Turbo Lock with the upper flipper. Start Turbo Boost MB by shooting the right loop. JP starts at 10mil. Turbo shot is the jp. Left ramp adds 10mil to the base jp value, maxing out at 90mil.
Super Lite Ups: Or “Stupid Lite-ups”. Do nothing. Score same as in regular play. Garbage.
Super Jets: Score 30 mil by making 30 jet hits.
Checkered Flag: Checkered Flag is awarded when all Speedways are completed. Checkered flag is the last mode. Checkered Flags can also be awarded if 200 laps are made, if all cars are passed (and made 1st postition) and/or if all the lite-ups are completed. If any of these are completed, Victory Mode is lit in the middle scoop for a collect of at least 200mil.
Laps: Laps increase in value the more shots made and vary in number depending on what shot is hit. Game starts at 0 laps. Laps values are:
Left Orbit: 1 Lap
Left Ramp: 2 Laps
Center Hole: 1 Lap
Helper Hole: 1 Lap
Right Ramp: 1 Lap
Fast Laps: 2 Laps
Right Orbit: 1 Lap
Start a Mode: 5 Laps
Gasoline Alley: 10 Laps
Change Setup: 5 or 10 Laps
Right Ramp: Right ramp is the Speed Ramp. After a certain # of ramps, awards are given. Ramp #’s 2, 3, 10, 15, 17, 18, 20, 22, 24, 28, 35, 45, 60 and 70 award Advance Speedway. Ramp #’s 8 & 50 lites Extra Ball.
Loop Turbo Combo: Shoot left loop then hit the lock shots with the upper flipper for a bonus of 10mil + an additional 2mil for every additional combo. This bonus maxes out at 30mil.
Turbo Multiball: Jackpots work like Scared Stiff: ramps have to be shot alternating. So shoot either ramp for a jp, then shoot the opposite ramp. The lock will also be lit, and if hit will increase the jp by 10mil. If the lock shot is successfully made, the lock will hold the ball
I-N-D-Y/Souvenirs: Spelling INDY lights the left ramp to collect “Souvenirs”. There are multiple Souvenirs and each is worth a set value. It’s good to actively collect Souvenirs because it’ll make collecting points from lite-ups, pops, ramps, etc easier.
P-I-T: *same MB as Quick Pit. P-I-T MB is qualified by completed the upper lanes and then shooting the right ramp.
Victory Lap: Victory Lap is lit when any of the following is completed:
After 200 laps
Finishing wave 6 of the Lite-ups
Getting the Checkered Flag
After getting to Position 1
Victory Lap is worth 200 mil and is stackable.
If you’re in Chicago, Indianapolis 500 isn’t really available to play on location, unless you know my buddy Brad. In that case you could probably play it in his barn if you bring him some beers or something.
Pinball Arcade is available to purchase on Steam for most gaming consoles and for Mac or Android*
*Please note: This blog post and it’s honest review and thoughts was not sponsored by Pinball Arcade or FarSight Studios
After watching hours of competition videos, it’s clear to see that Keith Elwin is the master of flipper skills. I mean he practically wrote the tutorial book on how to flip. Keith can drop catch, post pass, loop pass and live catch with such ease, it’s almost as if he’s controlling the ball with his mind. Timballs reckons Keith is capable of time travel.
One thing I noticed in particular, is Elwin’s persistence at getting proper control during multiball. I say proper in the most distinct sense of the word. He doesn't JUST want to get control, he’s going for a certain number of balls on each flipper. He’s getting control with very specific intention; proper aim + insurance.
If there’s a shot for a jackpot that’s best achievable from the right flipper, he may want one ball on the right flipper and one (or sometimes 2-3) on the left (as a kind of insurance). Now he’s able to shoot for that jp and if the shot is missed, there’s an extra ball waiting on the other flipper. This kind of passing/control takes a lot of patience and a lot of practice.
Cradle separation has always been a bit elusive to me. If it goes wrong, I flip too hard and end up sending the ball up, over the slings and down the outlane. OR I flip too soft, sending the ball into the slings to be tossed around. Usually it’s best to start soft and go from there. If post-passing has occurred already during a game, usually that gives one a good gauge on the power/capability of the flippers.
Again, like with any flipper skills practice, it’s good to go out, find some free-play machines and just work on that specific skill. So get out there and practice!
PAPA just posted another new video and apparently there’s a lot more to come. Very exciting. The tutorials Bowen and PAPA make are so valuable as reference points (and w/o them I wouldn’t have this blog!) so if you have the extra dough, go to their Patreon page and support the good work they’re putting out.
Objective: Start 3 ball Multiball, get jackpots, get Millions while playing in Sudden Death.
Multi-Ball: Lite locks by hitting the 3 green drop targets (W-A-R), lock the balls by hitting the left side ramp. Lock drops are “sweepable” with the upper flipper but sweeping could also be a waste of good ramp shots. Balls feed quickly down the right habitrail. Jackpots are achieved by hitting “The Wall” (the left ramp). The magnet is on during MB, so collecting the first JP should be easy. The JP remains lit when 2 or 3 balls are in play and is worth 1.5mil for each shot (usually more for the first JP).
Sudden Death: A completely random timed mode. Timer starts at 20 seconds. During Sudden Death, feed The Pit or the side ramp. Shots the the side ramp are worth 1mil and every time the side ramp is hit, the timer resets.
Other Odds and Ends:
Lite kick-back by hitting the A-B-C stand-ups
The Magnet: is lit at the start of each ball, at the start of MB, when left stand-ups are completed, and when Instant Lock is earned.
The Jetway (left/right orbits): Either Jetway is lit by rolling over it’s opposite’s inlane. IE The left inlane lites the right Jetway and the right inlane lites the left Jetway. Hitting either Jetway spots a team. When all 6 teams are lit, the Jetways are worth 250k.
Combo Shot: At one point Bowen mentions trying to make a “Picard Maneuver” jackpot. This is a reference to a JP shot on Star Trek the Next Generation wherein one shoots for the left orbit, then for the left ramp with the upper flipper. It’s quick and tough. Hitting the left jetway and then the left ramp awards 100K the first time, 200K the second time, and so on up to 500k.
My buddy Ben talks a bit about pinball history, how he got into the hobby and how he started Pinball Chicago. Oddly enough, the story he tells about getting back into pinball in Chicago is indirectly the way I got pinball; sometimes I'd join him and his friend (who was my bf at the time) at the bar and play with them. When Ben started the league I said "what the hell" and joined.
Get into Chicago a day early for Expo weekend? Want to check out a great Chicago arcade while you're in town? Come by Logan Arcade for a friendly Group...
Tourney Plug! I’m hosting this Group Matchplay event the Wednesday night before Expo. It’ll be my first time TDing (at least in over a year) so hopefully all goes well. Tips/advice welcome.
