Pinball game-playing tips

 From: hlsw_ltd@uhura.cc.rochester.edu (Dave Hollinsworth)

Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball

Subject: The game-playing tips list returns!

Date: 18 Sep 92 17:38:54 GMT

Organization: University of Rochester (Rochester, NY)

Well, I finally have my net access back after the summer, and so here's the

latest revision of the tips list that I started last spring.  There's only

one change from last time:  during one of the three times that I was able to

borrow a friend's account and read news, there was a discussion about a

technique called the "Bang-Back."  Well, I liked that term better than my own

made-up one (the "Death Kickup" :-)  ), so I changed the name.

Have fun, and please mail me any suggestions or additions that you may have.

-------------------- Cut Here --------------------

The rec.games.pinball game-playing tips list.

Last update:  9/18/92.

Contributors:

Andrew Arensburger (arensb@kong.gsfc.nasa.gov)

Andrew M. Boardman (amb@cs.columbia.edu)

Phaedrus (phaedrus@u.washington.edu)

Bennett (mcelwee@wampyr.cc.uow.edu.au)

Dave Hollinsworth (hlsw_ltd@uhura.cc.rochester.edu)

Kamchatka Charlie (kamchar@ibm.cl.msu.edu)

Dallas Overturf (Dallas_Overturf@vos.stratus.com)

Tad Perry (tvp@gibdo.engr.washington.edu)

Daina Pettit (dpettit@javelin.sim.es.com)

Lyman F. Sheats Jr. (lfs@mbunix.mitre.org)

Joe Schwartz (xor@acm.rpi.edu)

If you have any corrections, additions (please?), or comments, 

please send them to Dave Hollinsworth (address given above).

The list is organized as follows:

* General Category *

<Subcategory - not always present>

- The tips

* Definitions *  (or, "Speak Like a Pro")

- "Catch":  when the ball is held in the V formed by an 

upraised flipper and the lower part of the inlane.

- "Drain":  the act of losing a ball.

- "End of Stroke Switch":  the part of the flipper coil that 

"shorts out" a section of it so that the current is stronger.  See 

"Flipper Coil."

- "Flipper Coil":  the mechanism that drives a flipper up.  

When you press the flipper button, the current flows through only 

a portion of the coil, generating a high magnetic field that forces 

the flipper up with a lot of power.  When the flipper is all the way 

up, the end of stroke switch opens, and the current now must flow 

through the entire coil.  This creates a lower magnetic field, 

which holds the flipper up without burning out the coil (the high 

current would do this very quickly).

- "Inlane":  the two lanes near the bottom of the machine 

that return the ball to the flippers.  Also called a "return lane."

- "Outhole":  the area below the flippers where lost balls go.

- "Outlane":  the two lanes near the bottom of the machine 

that lead to the drain area.

- "Slam":  a form of tilting, usually caused by hitting the 

coin box too hard, by dropping the machine, by pounding the 

underside of the cabinet, or by striking the back cabinet.  This 

immediately forfeits your entire game.

- "Slingshot":  the two triangular things located 

immediately above the flippers.  Hitting one ricochets the ball off 

in the opposite direction.

- "Solenoid":  a coil, with another coil or magnet inside, 

used in flippers and kickers and such.  When the coil(s) are 

energized, the opposing magnetic fields cause the inner piece to 

move.

- "Tilt":  what happens when you shake too hard.  This 

forfeits your bonus for that ball, and causes you to lose the ball 

currently in play (and on some older machines, your entire game).

- "Tilt Warning":  if you get one of these, the game is saying 

to you, "Well, I could have tilted you, but I'll be nice.  Just don't do 

it again."  :-)

* Before Starting *

- If you're a novice, and want to become a wizard, make sure 

you have the time and the money.

- Wear comfortable clothing.

- Before playing any game for the first time, read the rules 

card that accompanies it.  Most of the time, these cards are less 

then helpful, but they are good for getting a basic feel for a game 

(i.e. what shots to go for, the names used for various playfield 

objects, etc.)

* General Playing Tips *

<Stance>

- Choose some comfortable position for your wrists.  They 

will get tired if they aren't held properly.  About waist level is 

about right for most people, depending on height of the person and 

the machine.

- The higher you hold your head, the better you'll see the 

ball's position.  The lower you hold it, the better you'll be able to 

judge its direction (e.g., while trying to decide whether or not to 

let it bounce off the center post);  find a good compromise.

- Playing regularly is more important than playing a lot:  

playing for five hours consecutively once a month is worse than 

playing for half an hour twice a week.

- Learn about a specific machine by watching others play.

- Being able to control the ball, and being able to make 

controlled shots is probably the key thing to increasing one's 

average score on any game.

- Once you have developed a basic feel for the flippers and 

how the ball moves on them, and you're trying to make an upper-

playfield shot that's been causing trouble, just look at the shot 

you're trying to make.  Your instinct for where the ball is on the 

flipper is usually suprisingly good.

- Unless explicitly advertised, or your operator is 

disreputable, pinballs *do not* have magnets anywhere 

underneath them.  Spin and rubber are the usual causes of weird 

motion.  

- If you drain miserably, don't tilt the machine out of 

frustration.  You'll just lose more points if you do.

- Entering your initials:  left flipper button to go one letter 

back in the alphabet, right flipper button to go forward in the 

alphabet, start button to record this initial and go on to the next.  

(This is true of most machines, although some Gottliebs have 

separate buttons for initial entry.)

* Etiquette *

- Don't touch another player's cabinet.

- Give other players plenty of space.

- Shut up.  It's usually OK to tell someone things that they 

couldn't have seen (such as how big the jackpot was), but people 

usually don't like it when you point out the obvious to them.  Same 

goes for trying to engage in idle chatter while someone is playing:  

unless the player is a good friend of yours, this is usually 

frowned upon.

- If you walk away from a machine, you forfeit any credits 

on it (so don't ask someone to watch the machine while you go to 

the bathroom. If you come back and find him playing your credits, 

don't be surprised).

- If you want to play a game that someone else is playing, 

ask the person *between balls*.  In many places, it is customary 

to plunk down a quarter on the glass, on top of the rules sheet;  

just make sure that you do this between balls.  If you do either of 

these while a person has a ball in play, it could interfere with his 

concentration, which could make him interfere with your life.  :-)

- During Ball 1 of any game, pressing the start button will 

add another player to the game.  From Ball 2 on, pressing the start 

button will abort the current game for all players and begin 

another one.

- Keep an eye on any small children in the immediate area.  

A lot of games have ended because of kids deciding that your 

start button would be a fascinating plaything (see the previous 

tip).  If the kids are yours, don't let them run around near pinball 

machines.

* Shaking and Nudging *

- Machines are usually much more sensitive to side-to-side 

shaking than to forward-to-back.  Shake this way whenever 

possible.  However, there are situations where side-to-side 

shaking is necessary to save the ball.

- Forward-to-back shaking is effective for the entire 

playfield, while side-to-side shaking is really only effective for 

the lower part of the playfield.

- Don't be shy about using body english:  although, of course, 

it's much more impressive if you manage to get a high score 

without ever nudging the machine.

* Saving a Center Drain *

<Without a center post>

- Slap saving:  if a ball is going to go down the center, 

choose (quickly) which flipper you think the ball will come closer 

to.  Wait until the ball is a few inches above that flipper, and then 

wind up and slap both the flipper button and the side of the 

machine.  Hard.  If you do this with the right timing, the ball will 

hit the tip of the upraised flipper.  Usually, the ball will also have 

an almost horizontal direction after it hits the tip of the flipper, 

sending it over to the opposite flipper, so you'll probably want to 

follow up the first slap with a lighter one on the other flipper 

button.

<With a center post>

- Center posts are a little more tricky, since you have to 

decide whether to use the flippers or whether to let the post do 

the work for you.  On a game without a post, you always go for the 

slap save, but on a game with a post, there's that additional 

split-second decision making thing going on that makes games 

with posts a little more challenging (although they look easier).

- It takes practice to develop the nerves to just let a ball 

bounce off of the center post.  Generally, the ball will only bounce 

back into play if it is heading *straight* down the middle 

towards the post.  Some people prefer to always go for a slap 

save whenever possible, and to only let the ball bounce if it is 

heading exactly between the two flippers.

- If you do decide to let the ball bounce, *don't flip*.  If you 

use the flippers and the ball hits the post, most of the time the 

ball will just hit the underside of a raised flipper and drain.  

Also, try to nudge the game in such a way so that the ball will hit 

the post as squarely as possible.  This will help to put the ball 

back in play, as it can counteract any spin that the ball has picked 

up.

<Either one>

- Sliding the machine:  some machines will put up with 

side-to-side sliding without tilting because there is very little 

jarring of the machine involved.  If the ball is heading toward the 

center drain, slide the machine to move one of the flippers into 

the path of the ball as it is coming down.  The ball basically 

moves along the same line in space whether you slide or not.  This 

technique takes advantage of this fact to ensure the ball always 

hits a flipper.  If you get really good at this technique, you will 

hardly ever suffer center drains on machines that easily allow 

sliding.  Note:  Sliding is easier on some machines than others due 

to total weight, weight distribution and playfield height.  Use of 

this technique on machines that are difficult to slide may damage 

your elbow (tendonitis?) so try to get behind your push as much 

as possible to avoid this.

* Saving an Outlane Drain *

<An ounce of prevention>

- Nudge the machine forward as the ball strikes the 

slingshot bumpers or heads for the outlane area, to force the ball 

back up the playfield.  Note that this does not work well with 

some outlane configurations (The Addams Family, for example - 

never try this here).

- If the ball is heading toward an outlane, try to bump it out 

of the way before it gets to the top of the outlane (e.g., try to 

bump it against a slingshot).  Once it gets to the post that divides 

the inlane from the outlane, it's much harder to save it.

<The "Bang-Back">

- This is a way to save a ball after it has gone down an 

outlane.  Usually, it works better on the right side, but it also 

works from the left.  Basically, when the ball drains down the 

side, hold up the flipper on that side, and wait until the ball is 

about to hit the piece of metal below and between the flippers 

(where the kicker that returns the ball to the ball storage area 

near the plunger is).  Just when the ball is about to hit this piece 

of metal, give the machine a hard bump down and forward.  

Depending on the speed of the ball, the distance between the piece 

of metal and the flippers, and the tilt sensitivity, you may 

experience a moderate degree of success at getting the ball back 

in play.

- Before you try this on a game, look immediately below the 

flippers.  On some games, there are two small metal rods sunken 

into the playfield.  If your game has these, the technique probably 

won't work.

- This technique is the one that should be practiced the 

least, because of one reason:  it is very prone to slam tilts.  Loose 

coin doors and sensitive slam switches are usually very 

uncooperative when it comes to popping the ball back up into the 

play area from behind the flippers.  You may want to pre-test a 

game's slam sensitivity before you actually do it when you are 

playing.

- Some people find that this technique works better with 

crossed hands (i.e. if the ball drains out the right side, use your 

left hand to hold up the right flipper and bump the machine with 

your right hand), and others say that it works better with hands 

in the normal positions.  If you do decide to try this technique, try 

both ways and see if one is preferable to you.

* Other Flipper Techniques *

<Trapping the ball>

- Beginning players tend to just flail randomly at 

everything that comes near a flipper.  Intermediates tend to just 

hold the flipper up and keep it there.  This works for some cases, 

but in others the ball will bounce randomly back up into play, or 

roll up the inlane and right back down the outlane, or any of a 

number of uncontrollable things.

- The "Dead Trap":  when the ball is moving toward a flipper, 

in such a way that if you held the flipper up for the duration, the 

ball would roll up the inlane (either a little or a lot), hold the 

flipper up, and just as the ball hits the flipper, let the flipper 

drop.  This will absorb almost all of the ball's energy, and you'll 

wind up with the ball just sitting on the lowered flipper.  It's 

easier said than done, and usually takes a lot of practice to 

master.  But it's well worth it.  (This works best with Williams 

flippers, but then again, what doesn't?  :-) )

- The "Live Trap":  basically, this is the opposite of the Dead 

Trap.  Instead of holding the flipper up, time your flip so the 

flipper will be all the way up at the instant the ball hits it.  If 

done properly, the ball will then roll down into the standard catch 

position.

- The "Bounce":  if a ball is heading toward a flipper, and you 

really wish the ball was heading toward the other flipper so you 

can "catch" it, just keep the flipper down and let it bounce off the 

flipper rubber and over to the other flipper.  This won't work very 

well if the game you are playing has loose flipper rubbers.

<Flipper Passing>

- These are techniques designed to move the ball from one 

flipper to the other.  Note that the "Bounce," given above, also 

applies here.

- The "Trap Pass":  with a flipper up and the ball caught on 

that flipper, just release the flipper and very, very, very quickly 

give it a tap back to the up position.  The ball should hit the lower 

corner of the slingshot, hit the flipper (or the bottom part of the 

return lane), and move over to the other flipper.  It's actually 

pretty easy to do;  all it takes is a little practice.

- The "Tap Pass":  with a caught ball, release the flipper and 

then very gently and quickly tap the flipper button just enough to 

move the ball to the other flipper.  Technically the ball does not 

have to be trapped on the flipper to use this technique.  It can be 

moving or not;  it depends on how refined your control of the 

flippers is.  Trapping it to start is the easiest way, but it can be 

used while the ball is moving, where the trap pass is not possible 

to do.  This tends to work better with the "old" Williams flippers 

than with solid-state ones.  Note:  the difference between this 

and the "trap pass" is that you do not bank the ball off the 

slingshot or anything else.  It is a pass from flipper to flipper 

that when done correctly touches nothing but the two flippers.  

Also, in the case of the "trap pass," the flipper noticeably moves, 

but in the case of the "tap pass" the flipper normally moves no 

more than .25 inches.

- The "Lane Pass":  this is much more risky.  Basically, you 

want to shoot the ball across the opposite flipper and up through 

the opposite return lane.  With the ball in the same position as 

above, just let the flipper down, so the ball starts rolling down 

the flipper toward the center drain.  Hit the flipper button just as 

the ball reaches the tip end of the flipper.  The ball should shoot 

just over the opposite flipper and up the opposite return lane.

- The "Touch Pass":  With the ball in the catch position, 

lower the flipper and let the ball roll to about halfway down the 

flipper.  Then, tap the flipper button extremely lightly (do not 

push it all the way in).  The ball will bounce over to the opposite 

flipper.  Strength required depends on the condition of the 

flippers.  Flipper button switches must be in good shape for this 

to work, but it works on more machines than you might at first 

imagine.

-- 

********  Dave Hollinsworth  *******  hlsw_ltd@uhura.cc.rochester.edu  ********

*     "Dont dream it - be it." - theme from the Rocky Horror Picture Show     *

************  DISCLAIMER:  They're my opinions.  Are they yours?  *************