4 replies to this topic

[cogvos]

Dear all,

I am currently working on the bonus and jackpot scoring for a virtual pinball table. I would like to get the bonus awards and jackpot scored in a similar way to a physical table (no one in particular), however I do not know how they award the bonus and jackpot.

Is the bonus a percentage of the players score, or is it added to if they do something (like hit a complete bank of drop targets), a combination of these or something else.

Equally how do tables add to the jackpot? Is it when you have done something?

Does it just depend on the table, or is there a general way of doing this?

Confused

J.

[StevOz]

Bonus are typically awarded for hitting certain table elements during the ball in play, depending on the rules you decide.

The Jackpot feature is usually lit on the completion of a certain sequence of shots.

For instance here are the rules I created for my original Street Fighter table, which explain the scoring for bonuses, the shots required to light Jackpot and all the rules.

STREET scores 4000 pts and awards hold bonus, hold multiplier,lites extra ball and then scores 9000 pts.
VEGA scores 3000 pts, lites bumpers, advances bonus multiplier up to 7x, then lites bumpers for 1900 pts and scores 8000 pts.
FIGHTER scores 5000 pts and lites special or awards special when lit.
RYU scores 2000 pts, lites lower kickback and multiball.
U spot target lites upper kickback and lites jackpot during multiball.
Jackpot awards 100 000 pts, all scores x2 during multiball.
Left inlane lites right spinner for 1K and opens right loop shot.
Right inlane lites left spinner for 1K and opens left loop shot.
Left loop shot lites right inlane for 5000 pts.
Right loop shot lites left inlane for 5000 pts.
Left outlane scores 5000pts, advances bonus and extra ball when lit.
Right outlane scores 2000.
All drop targets score 100 pts and advance bonus.
Kickers score 2000pts.
All spot targets score 500 pts.
All lanes score 200 pts.
Press B to change balls from 3 to 5."

[Theguyoverthere]

Usually bonus on a modern table is either A.) A pure switch count multiplied by a very small amount of points, then multiplied by a bonus multiplier that doesn't cap out (TSPP, AFM, MM and others use this format) or B.) Each switch gives you a different amount of bonus points, multiplied by a bonus multiplier (usually one that caps out at 8x or so). For B.) usually the most common switches like slingshots and bumpers give you less points than those like ramp entrances, targets, and ramp completions.

Jackpots are pretty ambiguous, but if we go by what "most" tables consider a jackpot, usually it's one or two difficult shots that are lit up during multiball that score big points.

Edited by Theguyoverthere, 26 May 2010 - 06:31 AM.

[destruk]

Or in the case of newer stern machines, anything you hit with the ball during any multiball mode gives you a 100 point jackpot, and every shot in the game is lit for a jackpot all the time, practically. These days a jackpot is meaningless so you need to score 200 of them to make it worth your time. Williams had it right when they gave you a jackpot for a rampshot or something special.

[cogvos]

Many thanks for this, I was sort of on the right track then as follows.

The bonus multiply caps at 7 and is added to each time the payer manages to start the organ (yes there is an organ in the game). They need enough pressure in the reservoir and need to hit a set of switches, so this seems OK.

Bonus points are added for combinations, so you get some for the organ switches, some for starting and completing modes etc.

At present I only have 2 jackpot activators, one is hard, you get arrested and then manage to escape by collecting a disguise and the right cell key, - one is very hard as its right at the end of the game but gives the possibility of multiple jackpots.

So it looks like adding perhaps a small bonus for some of the standard switches, bumpers etc and adding to the jackpot on bigger items, completing parts of the main quest etc, would work pretty well.

Thanks again.

J.