Download SCORPION 2.1

Williams Scorpion
 
 
 
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Game History, Artwork and Design
 
Released in July, 1980, Scorpion is a v-e-r-y wide body game.
 
Design by: Barry Oursler
 
Art by: Constantino Mitchell, Tony Ramunni
 
Software by: Larry DeMar
 
Playfield Layout
 
Described from the lower flippers, and going around the playfield clockwise.
 
Lower Flippers
There are two. Normal configuration, normal placement.
Left Slingshot
A normal slingshot, placed above the left flipper.
Left Inlanes
Scorpion is a wide body game with a lot of playfield real estate to use up. There are two inlanes that feed back to the left flipper. Both score 1000 points. The left one advances the Left Bonus. The right one advances the Right Bonus.
Left Outlane
Scores 5000 points. Can be lit for Double Timer Bonus.
Left Lock
A short lane, protected by rubber on both sides of the entrance, leads to a saucer. Locking the ball here collects the Left Bonus and locks one ball toward multi-ball.
Advance Left Bonus Target
A round standup target, protected by rubber on both sides, next to the Left Lock lane. When hit, it advances the Left Bonus shown on the playfield lights (1...10) that lead from the lower flippers to the Left Lock lane.
Upper Flippers
The upper left quadrant of the playfield is set up as a mini-playfield area. There are multiple ball exits, but the lower exit has a set of flippers so that it is possible to keep the ball in the mini-playfield area. They are placed in roughly the same position as any normal set of flippers would be, other than being in the upper left hand centre of the playfield.
Rebound Rubber
Between the upper left flipper and the 1-2-3 targets. Scores 10 points.
1-2-3 Targets
Three round standup targets. The "1" target advances the Right Bonus. The "2" target advances both the Left and Right Bonuses. The "3" target advances the Left Bonus. All three targets score 1000 points. Completing 1-2-3 lights a Pop Bumper. Completing 1-2-3 twice lights the Spinner.
Spinner
One possible exit from the mini-playfield area, at the top left corner of the game, is a spinner. It normally scores 100 points per spin, but can be lit for 1000 points per spin by completing 1-2-3 and/or 4-5-6 twice. On a hard plunge, the ball will enter the game here. Flipping the ball through the spinner will send it over the Top Loop to the 4-5-6 rollover lanes.
Upper Drop Targets
Two three-target-bank drop target sets are used to make a six-target bank, with a large rubber post in the centre to make it harder to complete the bank. There are two 10 point rubber rebound switches behind the banks, so that there is scoring even when most of the targets are down. Completing the bank advances the Upper Special.
Top Loop
Not a scoring loop, just a passage behind the Upper Drop Targets. It leads from the plunger and 4-5-6 Rollover area over to the Spinner.
Rebound Rubber
To the right of the Upper Drop targets. Scores 10 points.
4-5-6 Rollover Lanes
Similar to the 1-2-3 Targets. The "4" rollover advances the Left Bonus. The "5" rollover advances both the Left and Right Bonuses. The "6" rollover advances the Right Bonus. All three rollovers score 1000 points. Completing 4-5-6 lights a Pop Bumper. Completing 4-5-6 twice lights the Spinner. The right flipper button has a lane-change feature that will rotate the lit rollover lanes.
Pop Bumpers
Three Pop Bumpers, arranged in the familiar triangle pattern. These are below the 4-5-6 Rollovers. The ball can enter/leave the Pop Bumpers from/to the mini-playfield. Scores 100 points when not lit, 1000 points when lit.
Right Lane
A short lane, partially hidden by the playfield plastics. This lane can be lit for 50,000 points, Extra Ball, or Special, by the player's skill in Multi-Ball. There is a one-way gate at the top of the lane, leading back to the 4-5-6 Rollovers area.
Right Lock
A short lane, protected by rubber on both sides of the entrance, leads to a saucer. Locking the ball here collects the Right Bonus and locks one ball toward multi-ball.
Rebound Rubber
Below the Right Lock. Scores 10 points.
Right Outlane
Scores 5000 points. Can be lit for Double Timer Bonus.
Right Inlanes
Similar to the Left Inlanes, there are two inlanes that feed back to the left flipper. Both score 1000 points. The left one advances the Left Bonus. The right one advances the Right Bonus.
Right Slingshot
A normal slingshot, placed above the right flipper.
Centre Drop Target Bank
A 5-bank of drop targets, angled to the right, so that they can deflect balls to the Right Outlane. Used to advance the Bonus Multiplier, or to light Double Timer Bonus in Multiball mode.
Advance Right Bonus Target
A round standup target, protected by rubber on both sides, next to the Centre Drop Target Bank. When hit, it advances the Right Bonus shown on the playfield lights (1...10) that lead from the lower flippers to the Right Lock lane.
Manual Plunger
This is a normal plunger. Its lane leads to either the 4-5-6 Rollover lanes (soft plunge) or the mini-playfield via the Spinner (hard plunge).
Upper Special
 
A progessive series of playfield inserts can be lit by completing the upper 6-bank of drop targets. 10K, 20K, 30K, 50K, and Special can be collected this way. Special can be configured by the operator to award points, Extra Ball, or Credit.
 
Left and Right Bonuses
 
A progressive series of playfield lights, 1...10, leading from in front of the slingshots to the saucers. Each hit on the 1-2-3 or 4-5-6 targets advances this bonus, as do the left and right inlanes, and the two "Advance Bonus" standup targets. It can be collected by catching a ball in the appropriate ball saucer (Left Lock or Right Lock), which awards 1000 points for each lit number, multiplied by the current Bonus Multiplier. In Multi-Ball mode, the Left and Right Bonus can be advanced and collected, after which the locked ball will be kicked back in to play. Both Left and Right Bonus are awarded at the end of each ball. Once awarded, the bonuses reset to 1.
 
Bonus Multiplier
 
2X, 3X, or 5X Bonus Multiplier can be advanced by the player one of two ways. Either completing the centre 5-bank of drop targets, or starting Multiball, advances the Bonus Multiplier one step. 2X and 3X multipliers carry over from ball to ball, but the 5X Bonus Multiplier will be reset to 1X (implied) for the start of the next ball.
 
End-of-Ball Bonus
 
There are two things that determine the bonus awarded at the end of each ball. First, the player's Multiball Timer bonus is awarded. 1000 points for each second on the clock, doubled by the Double Timer Bonus if lit. Second, the Left and Right Bonus are awarded, each multiplied by the current Bonus Multiplier.
 
MULTI-BALL
 
The primary goal of Scorpion is to start two-ball Multiball play and keep it going for as long as possible. Multiball is started by locking balls in both Left and Right ball lock saucers. When this is achieved, the game pauses for a second, then kills the playfield and backglass general illumination (GI) lights via a relay, then starts a loud siren. This is enough to draw the attention of everybody in the room.
 
The Centre Drop Target Bank is reset, and the Bonus Multiplier is advanced.
 
Next, the Left Bonus is awarded, counting down from whatever number it was at to the 1 insert. During the countdown, the game flashes the GI lighting via the relay, and makes thunder/explosion sound effects for each 1000 points awarded from the bonus. At the end of this countdown, the ball caught in the Left Saucer is kicked out in to play and the Timer starts.
 
The Right Bonus is then awarded, via a similar countdown, and the ball from the Right Saucer is kicked out in to play.
 
Now that both balls are in play, your primary objective is to keep them in play long enough to light the awards. The game ensures that the player does not catch the balls on the flippers and wait, though, by checking for switch closures. It will stop the Timer after a couple of seconds of inactivity.
 
With both balls in play, the game uses the relay that it used to turn the GI lights off to make them flicker while you are playing. This is surprisingly distracting, and makes multiball a bit harder to keep going than it would otherwise be. And, since it is a two-ball only game, any mistake ends the mode.
 
Secondary objectives are also present. Collecting the Centre Drop Target Bank during Multiball lights the Double Timer Bonus, good for quite a points boost at the end of the ball. Both the Left and Right saucer lanes are available to collect the current Bonus. Advancing and collecting these can be done repeatedly while in Multiball, giving the player a place to park a ball temporarily, and quite a few points for doing so.
 
Collecting Multi-Ball Awards
 
Scorpion's primary goal is Multiball, which runs on a Timer. The longer the player can keep two balls alive, the more the game will give. The thresholds are operator configurable, but default to 15-seconds (50K points), 35-seconds (Extra Ball), and 50-seconds (Special). Passing each threshold lights the corresponding award on the Right Lane. Once lit, they stay lit until collected.
 
Lighting Double Timer on the outlanes via the centre 5-bank of drop targets while in Multi-Ball mode, then draining a ball via an outlane is good for points, though it does cost you the ball in play.
 
Tilt
 
Tilting the game results in a loss of the current ball...
 
Tips, Tricks, Strategies
 
There are four primary scoring goals in this game:
 
Max the Left and Right Bonus and the associated Multiplier.
Start Multiball and collect its Double Timer Bonus.
Light and collect the Left and Right bonuses during Multiball.
Keep Multiball going for as long as possible, collecting the awards on the Right Lane when lit.
Most of the other things available are distractions, or will happen on their own regardless of what the player does.
Get Multiball started as early, and often, as possible.
 
Both the Left and Right ball saucers can be hit with a backhand shot from the same-side flipper. On my game, the Left saucer is easier and safer to shoot for this way than it is from the "correct" right hand flipper.
 
Whenever possible, get the Extra Ball.
 
Bugs
 
I believe that there is a bug in the way the game handles a player collecting multiple Extra Balls on the same ball. I have not been able to reproduce this yet (without taking off the glass), but collecting three Extra Balls actually seems to have awarded me six of them.
 
Document written by David Gersic dgersic @ niu.edu