6 replies to this topic

[P3TER]

I always loved pinball, but I was growing up on PC games like pinball fantasies, illusions, pro pinball, because there were no real arcade pinball tables in the area where I lived. Thanks to this site I have just very recently discovered world of arcade pinball and checked ipdb about every solid state pinball ever created. I immediately fell in love and tried to play numerous software tables that were available to me.

 

I love playing for the high score but I do not like repetitiveness in pinball (built up jackpot, start multiball and score as much as you can).

Therefore I love modes in Pinball where you go through a story and where the skills require more then just mastering 1 or 2 shots. 

However the problem I find is that when you want to go for a high score, the modes and wizard mode is almost useless and not even worth doing as it does not reward you with a proper score.

 

Example: I was playing Arabian nights for about a week and my high score was 26 million. Today I have read about the strategy where you ignore the whole story and rescuing the princess, which awards 20 millions but that instead you just shoot the lamp which counts towards the bonus and starts its own minimode. So i have tried one game where I was just shooting the lamp, nothing else. After the very first game !!! of trying I have ended up with the high score of 210 million. The final bonus on the last ball has given me 16 million and when the mini game started for each hit to the lamp i was awarded between 3-5 million. When you look at this, you realize that going through the modes and saving the princess for 20 million is absolute nonsense.

 

I looked at some other tables but there always seems to be a cheat available, most of the time - ignore everything go for multiball. 

There are lot of tables and without knowing each one it is very difficult to find the one I am looking for. 

 

*Can anyone suggest any mode based table which awards you for playing the modes well (rather then waiting for them to be timed out) and specially for reaching and beating the wizard mode ? The more difficult the table the better.

 

P.S. You can also write me about the tables I should avoid and why, so I can write them off from my list.

I have heard that to get big score in STTNG is to do multiballs and in Medieval Madness is just to do the castles so these are also out of my list.

 

Few games that really caught my interest are: Lord of the rings (specially for a long journey to wizard mode), Indiana Jones, Judge Dredd, Cactus Canyon, Starhip Troopers, Junk Yard, Theater of Magic, Twilight Zone, Addams Family.

[The Loafer]

I do not know the answer to your question, however although I agree that mode hunting is a lot of fun and rewarding, there are other facets of pinball that brings its own enjoyment, such as the use of humor and enjoying the various shots that each different mode requires. On that note, maybe the best way to get a high score is not through exploring the various modes, but IMHO, you would be missing out on awesome humor by not playing Medieval Madness. Certainly, there is something to be said about just enjoying the game for what it gives you rather than what you want from it, especially when it comes to playing a game in a home environment or on a simulator.

There are tables that are one-trick ponies (AFM I am looking right at you), so I would totally get why some people state they can't stand it due to repetitive gameplay. But the game still makes me laugh all the time, it's a crime not to at least enjoy it for what it tried to do: entertain. Same goes for MM and many others. If the different shots can be deemed entertaining as opposed to a quest for high score, then STTNG, TZ and many others await you.

[dstott]

Try Twilight Zone.  Lost in the Zone is a high scoring multiball with all the steel balls and the creramic ball in play at the same time.  It is timed, but gives you plenty of opportunity to bring in a huge score.

[toxie]

Considering difficulty to reaching the wizard mode, LOTR and TSPP are top notch (along with almost all recent sterns).

[nFozzy]

It sounds like Popadiuk's games are right up your alley. Try World Cup Soccer (Bally), Theatre of Magic, or Cirqus Voltaire.

[P3TER]

Thank you for your answers. I really appreciate it.
These are pretty much tables I was hoping for I just needed confirmation that there is no way around wizard mode to score high scores.

The Loafer: You have a point there and therefore I have decided to beat wizard mode on each table so that I do not miss on any fun. Beating the Wizard mode will take quite a while so by that time I will know the table good enough to decide whether I still want to keep playing it or to move on.

Can anyone give comment on new Star Trek Vengeance ? Never played it but it seems like the table I am looking for. 18 modes that you have to play and finish. If you drain ball, you have to start mode again and continue to finish. It also rewards you for how well you play modes. I hope there is no spoiler in form of multiball that awards more than anything. If not, than that table would be probably the one for me.

[lodger]

I agree with the other posters. Something helpful to remember is that modes were still in their infancy when a lot of these different games came out...which meant on some games there was a huge imbalance either for playing modes or shots(consider WMS tables like bad cats or bride of pinbot where a single final jackpot shot can give a vast amount more then regular gameplay.) These games are fun, but imbalanced to be sure. as for games with decent balance, papadiuk is a really solid designer, using IPDB to find some of his games throughout the years is a really good start.