Please send any comments/revisions to me at whuang@ugcs.caltech.edu.
_________________________________________________________________
Rulesheet for Capcom's Breakshot pinball
Rulesheet Credits
Thanks go to:
* The members of the Free State Pinball Association. The following
members sent me personal e-mail with some details:
+ Stephen Jonke
+ Joe Schober
+ Kim Brennan
+ Dave Stewart
* Various posters on rec.games.pinball
* Howie's Sub Shop, where the FSPA plays Breakshot at
* Neil Schuldenfrei. I can't thank this guy enough for providing
many details.
Pinball Credits
Company
Capcom Coin-Op, Inc. They own all the rights to the stuff, I
don't.
Designer
Greg Kmiec, who worked at Bally during the 70's and 80's.
Breakshot bears a few similarities to Kmiec's popular "Captain
Fantastic."
Artwork
Stan Fukuoka
Introduction
Breakshot was released in May 1996 by the ex-pinball company Capcom
Coin-Op, Inc. Significantly lower-priced than its contemporaries, it
has the look and feel of a 70's style pinball machine -- but the
gameplay is quite modern. Your score is displayed on the DMD, but the
game often shows it as if they were old EM scoring reels, even
simlating the lag delay. (By the way, although there are only seven
digits in the reel, scores higher than 10M are shown as numbers "over
the top.")
Theme
The theme of the game is that of a pool hall. You complete pool games
over and over until you get tired. The four main games are:
* Eight Ball;
* Nine Ball;
* Rotation; and
* Cutthroat Countdown.
The rules for these games are similar to the actual games in pool;
winning the games are achieved by "sinking balls." (No, draining the
pinball is still bad.) Cutthroat Countdown is quite lucrative and can
be considered the "wizard mode" of the machine -- if you can get to
it, you've had a pretty good game.
Playfield
We'll start at the bottom and going in an approximately clockwise
fashion, saving the middle "island" of stuff for last:
Drain
Like most other drains. A ball-saver is lit here at the start
of each ball for a few seconds. If the ball-saver has run out
and the last ball on the playfield enters the drain without
hitting an outlane switch, a "Bad Shot" is registered, with an
appropriate animation on the DMD. [In pool, a "Bad Shot" is a
shot which does not sink any balls and usually results in a
loss of turn.] According to an indication on the playfield,
hitting the drain collects bonus; according to me, this does,
in fact, happen.
Center Post
Haven't seen one of these since Gottlieb folded. (No, I haven't
seen X-Files yet. Shush.) There is a rubber-lined post between
the flippers that can stop STDM balls and embarrass the player.
Flippers
It might be worth noting that although the playfield is rather
like an old EM, these flippers are modern flippers that propel
the ball quite a ways.
Slingshots
Each time a slingshot is hit the player gets 10 points or 1K
points. Which one is decided by the Williams/Bally method.
Left Inlane
Scores 3K. Usually (apparently when Collect Bonus is not lit)
lights the 8-ball saucer for Call Your Shot, which times out
pretty quickly.
Left Outlane
Usually sends the ball to the drain and registers for a
"Scratch." [In pool, a "Scratch" is sinking the cue ball into a
pocket, usually resulting in a loss of turn.] A "Scratch" is
worth 30K. The outlane can be lit for a kickback, called a
"Kicker," that sends the ball back into play; what lights the
Kicker has been a source of speculation (see Kicker, below).
"Green" Targets
These are three white drop targets with a yellow stand-up
target behind the middle one. The drop targets reset every
ball; hitting each one is worth 3K points. When all three drop
targets are down, the stand-up target can be hit. When this
process (hitting all drop targets and then the stand-up) can
"sink a ball," the appropriate light in front of the targets is
lit steady (when not all the drop targets are down) or flashing
(when all the drop targets are down and the stand-up can be
hit). During Nine Ball, the light is the square yellow "Spots 9
Ball" light; during the other two games, it is either the
6-ball or the 14-ball. [These two balls are colored green in
actual pool.] The stand-up target scores 3K points if it isn't
lit for anything else.
Left Orbit
Usually sends the ball to the rollovers; is sometimes lit for a
Super Cue (by the "Orange" Target), in which case the ball goes
all the way around to the Right Orbit. A successful Left Orbit
shot spots a ball in 9-ball (in addition to any balls that
might be spotted by Super Cue). See more on Super Cue later in
the Scoring Section. An unlit orbit shot is 3K points.
Captive Balls
Unlike most captive balls, this is a two-ball system similar to
the Tiger Saw ball in Theatre of Magic; the lower ball can be
hit from many directions, A weak shot will trigger an internal
rollover (worth 3K points), but a strong shot will hit an
internal target (which adds an additional 30K to the 3K). Only
the internal target counts as a "real" hit. Registering a hit
shows an animation of The Moose getting hit by a ball. Hitting
the captive ball will light up the green lights to the right of
the captive ball; when all green lights are lit, the captive
ball can be hit for an extra ball. On default settings this
takes four hits, but the operator can change this number. The
operator can also decide whether or not progress is stored
between balls (default is yes), and decide how many balls can
be stacked each game (default is only one).
Jet Bumpers
There are three of these arranged in an inverted triangle below
the rollover lanes. The points earned for each Jet Bumper hit
cycles between 1,000, 1,010, and 1,020.
Rollover Lanes
There are three rollover lanes: "Yellow" (1-ball and 9-ball),
"Blue" (2-ball and 10-ball), and "Red" (3-ball and 11-ball).
During Eight Ball and Rotation, each corresponding rollover
lane "sinks" the appropriate ball. In addition, the rollover
lanes have lights with the shape of a diamond on it that behave
like typical bonus multiplier rollovers. The flippers do not
cycle the ball rollover light but do cycle the bonus multiplier
rollovers; this behavior can be changed by the operator. A
rollover that doesn't sink a ball awards 3K.
Bank Shot Lane
A small orbit with an optical sensor. If lit, scores a "bank
shot," which usually "sinks" the next ball (see the Bank Shot
section later in this rulesheet). It's pretty hard to hit this
lane with anything except the upper-right flipper.
"Brown" Targets
Another set of three drop targets and a standup that function
exactly like the "Green" Targets, except that this set scores
for the 7-ball and 15-ball (colored brown in normal pool) when
appropriate.
Right Orbit
Usually sends the ball to the rollovers; is sometimes lit for a
Super Cue (by the "Purple" Target), in which case the ball goes
all the way around to the Right Orbit. See more on Super Cue
later in the Scoring Section. This lane is sometimes easier to
score by a backhand from the upper right flipper. If unlit,
scores 3K points.
Upper Right Flipper
A short-length flipper that can be used to score the Bank Shot
lane. Also can score the "Brown" Targets, the Right Orbit (by a
backhand), and the Jet Bumpers. It's worth nothing that this
flipper can actually catch the ball, unlike many Lawlor games
with a small flipper.
8-Ball Saucer
This saucer will score the 8-ball when possible. Can also be
lit for Call Your Shot (after the left inlane), Collect Bonus,
Ball-O-Rama, or certain combinations of the above. When nothing
is lit, scores 10K.
Plunger
A manual plunger. A weak shot will send the ball to the upper
right flipper (lighting the Skill Shot); a strong shot will
send the ball to the rollovers or score a Right Super Cue when
lit.
Right Outlane
Like the left outlane, scores a "Scratch" worth 30K; unlike the
left outlane, cannot be lit for a ball-saver.
Right Inlane
Scores a whopping 3,000 points.
"Purple" Target
A target to the left of the central island. Scores the 4-ball
or 12-ball when lit; otherwise scores 3K. When the purple light
is flashing, a hit lights the right Super Cue.
"Orange" Target
A target to the right of the central island. Scores the 5-ball
or 13-ball when lit; otherwise scores 3K. When the purple light
is flashing, a hit lights the left Super Cue.
Center Pockets Area
Finally, the main feature of this machine. The front of this
contraption has an optical sensor and a round post that can
rise up and block balls from going in or out. Inside, there are
three saucers that can capture balls and eject them as desired.
There is also an opto that senses when a ball has just crossed
the entrance and/or is leaning on a raised post. When one or
two balls are resting on a raised post, the contraption acts
like a captive ball; a sufficiently hard hit on the post will
propell the balls into the side pockets.
Games
There are three games, all of whose purpose is to be sinking balls.
"Sinking" each ball in each game awards 30K or 31K, with the exception
of Cutthroat Countdown. When each game starts, all the drop targets
are thrown back up. The current game will be indicated by a flashing
light on the playfield:
* During Eight Ball, the chalk above the left slingshot will be
flashing;
* during Nine Ball, the 9-ball in the center above the word
"Breakshot" will be flashing;
* during Rotation, the chalk above the right slingshot will be
flashing.
Completed games will have a steady light. On default settings,
completing all three games leads to Cutthroat Countdown, but this
number can be changed. Another Cutthroat Countdown will begin after
the completion of each subsequent game, which is picked in a fixed
order (Nine Ball, Eight Ball, Nine Ball, Rotation).
The balls you have sunk will be displayed by the lights on the
playfield right above the flippers, as well as on the DMD when you
have just sunk a ball.
The rules for the games in detail:
Eight Ball
Like the real game of Eight Ball, in Eight Ball you have to sink eight
different balls -- the seven "solids" (1 to 7) or the seven "stripes"
(9 to 15) in any order, followed by the black 8-ball. In real pool,
the first ball sunk by any player determines whether that player is
trying to sink the solids or the stripes; in Breakshot, the game
chooses which set you are going for using some esoteric random
decision awfully similar to the way Bally/Williams decides if their
next machine is going to be a Bally or a Williams. Don't worry; the
seven targets are the same. You have to hit one of each of the seven
"colors":
* "Yellow": The left rollover lane.
* "Blue": The center rollover lane.
* "Red": The right rollover lane.
* "Purple": The standup to the left of the Breakshot Area entrance.
* "Orange": The standup to the right of the Breakshot Area entrance.
* "Green": The row of drop targets and standup on the left side of
the playfield.
* "Brown": The row of drop targets and standup on the upper right of
the playfield.
After "sinking" all seven of these balls (in any order), shoot the
8-ball hole (on the right side of the playfield) to finish the game.
Fortunately, sinking the 8-ball before you sink the other seven balls
does not automatically make you lose the game, as it does in actual
Eight Ball. One interesting feature is kept -- when the 8-ball is lit,
Call Your Shot is also lit. Presumably the original idea was to have
the game be like regular eight ball, where the player not only has to
sink the 8-ball but call the pocket it sinks in -- fortunately, you
don't have to do that. Rather, hitting the 8-ball saucer sinks the
8-ball, finishing Eight Ball, and then Call Your Shot allows you to
finish the next game (usually Nine Ball) almost immediately.
Finishing Eight Ball scores 100K points.
Nine Ball
In the actual game of Nine Ball, the purpose of the game is to sink
the balls from 1 through 9 in order. Fortunately, in the Breakshot
variation, you need only to hit certain targets to sink the "next"
ball. They are:
* The Left Loop
* The Captive Ball stand-up target (The "Sink 9 Ball" light on the
Left Loop is actually for this!)
* The Right Loop
* The "Green" stand-up target
* The "Brown" stand-up target
It is usually necessary to shoot the drop targets to get to the
stand-up targets. Each one of these will score the next ball in Nine
Ball. Hit them nine times to finish the game.
Getting the ball past the Center Pocket entrance opto during Nine Ball
scores the Nine Ball Bonus, which is determined by the triangular
light lit right underneath the Center Pockets, which is one of
* "Points" (200K points times the number of times this has been
collected or 250K, I dunno)
* "Special" (Usually a free game)
* "Extra Ball" (Duhhh, I dunno...)
The Nine Ball Bonus can only be collected once each game of Nine Ball.
The Bonus alternates every seven seconds between "Points" and "Extra
Ball"; however, if no target is hit for seven seconds, it "freezes" on
"Points" (this is so that a player can't hold a ball and wait for the
Extra Ball). During (and only during) the second game of Nine Ball,
The "Special" also appears in the sequence. The operator can change
the round the Special appears, or not at all. The Special can only be
collected once each game.
The operator can adjust the settings so that the player cannot collect
the same Nine Ball Bonus in two consecutive Nine Ball games.
If Nine Ball is finished by choosing the Center Pockets during Call
Your Shot (and succeeding) immediately after Eight Ball, the Nine Ball
Bonus is always "Points."
Nine Ball scores 200K points when finished.
Rotation
In this game, you must sink all the balls in order from 1 through 15.
Otherwise, the targets are basically the same as Eight Ball.
Finishing Rotation scores 500K.
"Sink Next Ball" shots
Certain shots will automatically sink the lowest-numbered ball that
you can sink. They are:
* The Super Cues (see below);
* The saucers in the Center Pockets Area. If the kickout from the
saucers is too hard, the ball will often bounce into another
saucer, sinking another ball again and again (this is good) until
the machine decides a saucer sensor must be broken and ignores it
(this is bad).
These shots are often easier than the actual targets you need to hit.
In addition, increasing the bonus multiplier by the rollovers sink the
lowest-numbered yellow, blue, or red ball. (That is, the balls that
can be scored by the rollovers.)
Game Features and Modes
Tilt
The player gets two tilt warnings by default. If the machine is tilted
too many times, the DMD shows an interesting animation of a female
falling off a pool table. The operator may decide to disable the tilt
when the ball is hitting the pop bumpers, in case your machine has
those really energetic pop bumpers ...
Ball Saver
At the start of each ball, a Ball Saver is lit for 8 seconds. In
addition, a Ball Saver is also lit (for 8 seconds) when a ball is
ejected from the 8-ball Saucer. The operator may turn either or both
of these off.
Center Pockets
The main feature of this pin, the Center Pockets will often give the
player progress in the individual games, as well as allow the player
to play multiball, known in this pin as Ball-O-Rama (a 2-ball
multiball, see below) or Breakshot Frenzy (a 3-ball multiball, see
below). Like most games with multiball, the player is required to
light locks, lock balls, and start multiball. The logistics of this
area are a bit confusing, so listen up:
First, there are these yellow pointer lights that point to the
saucers. These lights correspond to the side saucers and are either
unlit (lock is unlit and can be lit), flashing (lock is lit), or
steady (a ball is locked).
To light a lock, the ball must land in a saucer (either the center
saucer or an unlit side saucer) and not bounce out immediately. To
lock a ball, the ball must first be resting against a raised center
post and then land in a pocket that is lit for a lock.
There are three progressively difficult stages that govern how the
locks are lit. In the first stage, the locks start out lit and do not
have to be lit. In the second stage, the locks start out unlit, but
any successful saucer hit will light both locks. In the third stage, a
saucer hit will only light one lock, and another (non-locking) saucer
hit is required to light the other lock.
If the post is down, any ball that enters the Center Pockets area will
trigger the optical sensors at the mouth of the area, raise the post,
and another ball will be ejected to the plunger trough -- unless there
are already two balls locked in the Center Pockets area, in which case
there is no ball to eject to the plunger trough and the post will not
go up immediately. (It will go up eventually if the ball lands in the
center unoccupied saucer and stays there, since this is what starts
Breakshot Frenzy.)
If the post is up, there will be one or two balls lying next to it. A
good hit on the post will propel those balls into pockets, which may
or may not be occupied or lit for locks. The post will then lower if
and only if all balls in the area were resting on the post and all of
them were just locked; otherwise, the machine will eject all the balls
that are being held in pockets to lie against the post.
The post is down and the area is empty at the start of each game. In a
one-player game, the state of the Center Pockets does not change from
ball to ball; in a multi-player game, the game will sometimes raise
the post and eject all balls stuck in saucers prior to each player's
turn (unless, of course, there are no balls in the area). Also, it is
suspected that the game may make locks harder to do in a multi-player
game. This area needs more research.
If a ball lands in a saucer that is lit for a lock and the post was
up, then the ball will be locked. In any other case where a ball lands
in a saucer, the ball will be ejected and ready to lie against a
raised post.
A successful saucer hit will generally "sink" a ball regardless of
whether that saucer is the center saucer, an unlit side saucer, or a
flashing a side saucer. (A steady-lit side saucer has a ball in it, so
it is presumably quite difficult to get another ball in that saucer.)
This will award the standard 30K or 31K for "sinking" a ball, along
with any other bonuses detailed in the next paragraph:
A "Good Shot" is when the ball is shot into any saucer when the post
is down (and less than two balls are locked). It does not award any
extra points aside from the standard 30K or 31K. A "Trick Shot" is
when one ball is shot into a side saucer when the post is up. It gives
100K extra points. A "Nice Combo," aka "Breakshot," is when two balls
are shot into both side saucers when the post is up. It awards 250K
extra points.
Ball-O-Rama is lit at the 8-Ball Saucer when and only when one ball is
locked; Breakshot Frenzy is lit at the center Center Pocket when and
only when two balls are locked.
The preceding paragraphs, while factually accurate, have no doubt
quite confused any reader as to what is going on. So, here is a sample
step-by-step scenario that might happen during the second stage:
1. At the start, neither lock is lit.
2. The player shoots a ball into the Center Pockets but fails to keep
the ball in a saucer.
3. The post rises up. The first ball lies against it.
4. A second ball is ejected to the plunger.
5. The game says, "Go for the Trick Shot!"
6. The player plays the second ball and hits the post, propelling the
first ball into a pocket.
7. The game says "Trick Shot!" and awards the player 100K + 31K and a
sunk ball.
8. The game lights the locks (both lights are now flashing).
9. The game ejects the first ball from the pocket. It lies against
the post.
10. The game says, "Go for the Trick Shot ... one more time!"
11. The player hits the post with the second ball again, propelling
the first ball into a pocket again.
12. The game says "Trick Shot!" and awards the player 100K + 30K and a
sunk ball.
13. The blinking light corresponding to the saucer the first ball
stayed in becomes steady.
14. The post goes down.
15. Ball-O-Rama is lit at the 8-ball saucer.
16. The player shoots the second ball into the center saucer; it stays
there.
17. The game says "Good Shot" and awards the player 30K and a sunk
ball.
18. The post rises up.
19. Ball-O-Rama is turned off.
20. A third ball is ejected to the plunger.
21. The first two balls are ejected from the saucers. Both lie next to
the post.
22. Both yellow lights are now flashing.
23. The player plays the third ball and hits the post so that only one
ball lands in a saucer.
24. The game says "Trick Shot!," awards the player 100K + 31K, a sunk
ball, and ejects the ball so that it is lying next to the post
again.
25. The player hits the post again, this time hard enough so that both
balls land in saucers and stay there.
26. The game says "Nice Combo!," awards the player 250K + 30K + 31K,
and two sunk balls.
27. The post goes down.
28. Both yellow lights are now steady.
29. The player hits the center pocket and the ball stays there.
30. Breakshot Frenzy starts.
When balls get ejected from the saucer to the post, the game does so
one ball at a time and gives the ball time to settle. This, combined
with the one-way flaps that lead to the side saucers, tend to ensure
that if two balls are lying against the post, they will be on
different sides. (The game cannot compensate for both balls being on
the same side, and subsequent goals will be rather difficult.) The
main drawback, however, is that this takes some time, and an impatient
player may already have the next ball in play and find himself or
herself unable to make a shot in the center.
Occasionally a ball will be ejected from the saucer and bounce into
another saucer. The game counts this as the other saucer being scored,
and player will get another ball sunk with a 30K or 31K bonus, but no
Trick Shot bonus. If this happens too many times in a row, the game
may decide that something is malfunctioning and refuse to eject any
more balls. The long-term effect of this is unknown.
The requirements for the locks in the Center Pockets to be lit depend
on how many times Breakshot Frenzy has occurred. The operator can set
the pockets on Easy, Normal, or Hard, which affect the stages in the
following way:
* Easy:
+ Start of game: locks are automatically lit
+ After Breakshot Frenzy has been played twice: both locks are
lit by one shot
+ After Breakshot Frenzy has been played four times: each lock
must be individually lit
* Normal:
+ Start of game: locks are automatically lit
+ After Breakshot Frenzy has been played once: both locks are
lit by one shot
+ After Breakshot Frenzy has been played three times: each lock
must be individually lit
* Hard:
+ Always: each lock must be individually lit
Kicker
The Kicker will light if any set of drop targets has been dropped in
order (i.e., top-middle-down or down-middle-top). Kickers do do not
stack, but they can be set to stack by the operator. Partial progress
on the targets can be made while the Kicker is lit. The two sets of
drop targets do not affect each other; the player can drop some on one
set, then some on the other, then finish the first set (in order).
The Kicker is lit at the start of the first ball. The operator can
turn this off or give the player a Kicker at the start of every ball.
The operator can also decide whether or not the Kicker stays between
balls; the factory default is yes.
Super Cues
Hitting the "Purple" and "Orange" targets while the respective purple
lights are flashing will light the appropriate Super Cue. The target
on the left lights the Super Cue on the right, and vice versa. A ball
must go all past both rollover gates to count as a Super Cue -- a weak
ball that goes to the rollovers does not score the Super Cue.
The Super Cues cannot be stacked, since the purple lights go out if
the corresponding Super Cue is lit.
After each successful Super Cue collection, however, that Super Cue
light will begin flashing, and the player can score multiple
consecutive Super Cue shots on that Super Cue. Hitting any other
switch will turn it off. The Super Cues stay lit between balls, so
often a Right Super Cue will be scored by merely the plunger. Each
Super Cue scored sinks a ball and awards 60K times the number of
consecutive Super Cue shots just made (so, one is 60K, two is 120K,
etc.).
If both Super Cue shots are lit, shooting either one sinks two balls
(if balls can be sunk by Super Cues) but only scores as one Super Cue.
During Nine Ball, both Super Cue shots are lit all the time but only
sink one ball each.
If both Super Cue shots are lit, shooting one immediately after the
other lights the Captive Ball for an Extra Ball.
During Cutthroat Countdown, neither Super Cue can be lit, although if
one was lit when Cutthroat Countdown started, it will still be lit.
Bank Shot
Light the Bank Shot by shooting an unlit Bank Shot (worth 10 points).
The operator can set the machine so that any other target hit lights
the Bank Shot, or any other target except the "Brown" drop targets.
The last one is the default.
Hitting the Bank Shot when lit results in 100K points. It also makes
the Bank Shot flash for another consecutive Bank Shot, worth twice as
much. A third consecutive Bank Shot is worth three times as much, etc.
Shooting the Left Super Cue prior to the Bank Shot lights a Bank Shot
Bonus worth 50K, to be added to the actual Bank Shot points. Each Left
Super Cue shot after that for that ball doubles the Bank Shot Bonus;
Bank Shot Bonuses of 3.2M have been reported.
Hitting any other target after the Bank Shot is flashing turns off the
Bank Shot, except for the Brown targets (but the operator can decide
to let the Brown targets turn off the Bank Shot as well).
When a ball is initially plunged (and not, say, given due to a Center
Pocket shot) and is too weak to reach the rollovers, the Bank Shot is
lit for a Skill Shot worth 100K and a sunk ball.
Call Your Shot
Call Your Shot is lit by the left inlane (but only for a second or so)
and collected at the 8-ball saucer. Call Your Shot also stays lit
whenever the 8-ball is lit. When it is scored, the DMD cycles through
three choices:
* Center Pocket Area
* Left Super Cue
* Right Super Cue
After one is selected by hitting a flipper button, the game ejects the
ball from the 8-ball saucer. If the selected choice is hit within the
next second or two without hitting any other target, the current game
is automatically finished, with all rights and privileges awarded
therein. Unless the player is in Cutthroat Countdown, in which case
Call Your Shot awards a mere one million points (this can only happen
if the previous game was Eight Ball).
Collect Bonus
Collect Bonus is lit at the 8-ball saucer once at the beginning of
each ball. It means what it says -- you score your bonus. Each ball
sunk gives 10K in bonus, then each ball that was sunk at the start of
the ball gives another 10K in bonus. The total is then multiplied by
the bonus multiplier (scored by the rollover lights). The Bonus
Multiplier has been seen as high as 13x. Another way to collect bonus
is to hit the drain, but you don't want to do that.
Ball-O-Rama
When there is one captive ball in the Center Pocket Area, the 8-ball
saucer is lit for "Ball-O-Rama." Both balls will eject, the Moose will
say "Ball-O-Rama," and the game will go into a 2-ball multiball where
everything scores two times the normal score. The 8-ball saucer is lit
for a jackpot-like thing (the game doesn't call it anything, but the
moose does call it "Bodacious!"), which starts at 100K and climbs 10K
every second (although it will stop if no targets are being hit, to
avoid flipper catching). The jackpot does not reset after being
collected.
Breakshot Frenzy
When the third ball is captured in a Center Pocket Saucer, Breakshot
Frenzy begins. Breakshot Frenzy is a 3-ball multiball where all scores
are tripled, and the center Center Pocket is lit for an "easy"
jackpot, worth starting at 200K and increasing with time similar to
Ball-O-Rama, but erratically at a rate of 5K, sometimes every second,
sometimes every two seconds. The jackpot stays lit (but drops back to
200K after being collected) until a set number of "easy" jackpots have
been collected (default is 2). Once the player has run out of "easy"
jackpots, the jackpot can be relit again by shooting any Center
Pocket.
Once a jackpot is collected, the game raises the Center Pocket post to
make sure that no other balls get in. However, if the player manages
to get another ball in there, it will trigger the opto next to the
post and a "Double Jackpot" will be scored. A "Triple Jackpot" is not
possible; there's only one opto at the entrance. The DMD doesn't make
a very big deal about the double jackpot; perhaps it thinks that this
is "dirty pool, old man" and doesn't like it. :-)
Cutthroat Countdown
When a certain number of games are finished, Cutthroat Countdown
begins. There are four types of Cutthroat Countdown, which only differ
in terms of the balls you need to sink during Cutthroat Countdown:
* Eight Ball "Solids" Cutthroat Countdown (balls 1 through 8);
* Eight Ball "Stripes" Cutthroat Countdown (balls 9 through 15 and
then ball 8);
* Nine Ball Cutthroat Countdown (balls 1 through 9); and
* Rotation Cutthroat Countdown (balls 1 through 15).
The first, third, and every other Cutthroat Countdown is always Nine
Ball Cutthroat Countdown; the fourth, eighth, and every fourth
Cutthroat Countdown is always Rotation Cutthroat Countdown; the rest
(second, sixth, etc.) are Eight Ball Cutthroat Countdown. The
Cutthroat Countdown game determines what the player's next game, after
Cutthroat Countdown, is.
The "Sink Next Ball" shots, such as the Super Cues, no longer sink
balls.
The player is given 60 seconds while the game calls each ball, in
order, for no more than ten seconds. Hitting that ball's target sinks
that ball, scores one million (or more; see below) points, adds 10
seconds to the countdown timer, and forces the game to call the next
ball. For the Green and Brown balls, it is necessary to hit all three
drop targets but not necessarily the stand-up to sink the ball. If the
game has called each ball but there is still time left, the game gives
another 10 seconds per ball for the player to score the balls he
"missed," this time in random order (although during Eight Ball
Cutthroat Countdown the 8-Ball is always called last). If at any point
all the balls (for that game) are sunk, the timer countdown
immediately ends.
If the player drains the ball while there is still time on the clock,
the next ball will still be the Cutthroat Countdown with the same time
left.
After the timer countdown ends, Cutthroat Countdown ends if the player
was incompetent enough to not sink any balls. Otherwise, all balls in
the Center Pockets are thrown out, and the center Center Pocket is lit
for a Super Jackpot worth 2 million (or more; see below) per ball sunk
during Cutthroat Countdown. Collecting the Super Jackpot ends
Cutthroat Countdown and the player begins a normal game -- if the
player was playing Nine Ball Cutthroat Countdown, the player also gets
the Nine Ball Bonus when scoring the Super Jackpot.
Cutthroat Countdown does not really interfere with the Center Pockets
except for the purpose of the Super Jackpot. Therefore, it is possible
to get Ball-O-Rama or Breakshot Frenzy during Cutthroat Countdown. The
multipliers apply to the sunk ball bonus but not the Super Jackpot;
therefore, a sunk ball during Cutthroat Countdown could be as much as
9M.
When Cutthroat Countdown ends, a normal game starts depending on which
Cutthorat Countdown started, and the player is automatically awarded
all balls that were sank during Cutthroat Countdown. This means that a
"perfect" Cutthroat Countdown (collecting the Super Jackpot with all
balls sunk) not only shows an interesting animation, but also spots
the next "regular" game and throws the player into the next Cutthroat
Countdown.
When the player has completed all the balls during multiple Cutthroat
Countdowns, subsequent Cutthroat Countdowns are worth double the
points (2M per ball, 4M times balls for Super Jackpot). Completing the
balls again makes the points triple (3M and 6M); there is no further
increase.
Capcombo
A Capcombo can be scored two ways:
* by a Bank Shot loop (the Bank Shot does not have to be lit)
followed by a Right Loop shot (the Right Super Cue does not have
to be lit).
* by a Left Super Cue followed by a Right Loop Shot.
It awards 250K.
Pinfo
Holding in a flipper button for a while during a game gives "Pinfo"
screens with useful information like:
* Player number, Ball number, and current score
* Number of stacked extra balls
* Number of tilt warnings left
* High Scores
* Score needed to get a free game
Buy In
Extra balls can be bought for one credit each by pressing start after
the game ends but before the match.
Easter Eggs
The Capcombo animation is that of the moose kicking a cow, a dig at
Bally/Williams.
In the attract animation sequence where (something) falls down the
female's bosom, her teats are visible through her clothes for one
frame. The same sequence also appears during the match sequence, but
the frame only appears when there is a match.
Needing (Personal) Verification
* Are the balls in Rotation Cutthroat Countdown called in order or
randomly after the player has gone through the list once?
* Does the Left Super Cue *really* have to be hit consecutively to
increase the Bank Shot Bonus?
* Does the Bank Shot sink a ball? Always sink a ball?
* What is the maximum Ball-O-Rama jackpot value?
* What is the maximum Ball-O-Rama or Breakshot Frenzy jackpot value?
* How many points are subsequent Nine Ball Bonuses worth? How are
they determined? Is there a limit?
* Calculating Bonus
* When is Collect Bonus lit? Once at the beginning of each ball?
* Status of locks during transitions within a multi-player game.
Unanswered Questions
* In a multi-player game, is the lock difficulty shared by all
players or is it different for each player?
* What happens when Eight Ball is finished for the second (or third,
etc.) time by hitting the 8-Ball saucer and a successful Call Your
Shot is scored? One Million Points? Does the Cutthorat Countdown
multipler apply to this?
* To do: hypertext links within this document
* What other stuff is in Pinfo?
* Machine Credits, Copyrights, Production trivia, etc.
Version History
* Version 0.0 -- November 15, Wei-Hwa Huang, first draft
* Version 0.1 -- November 19
* Version 0.2 -- November 23
Fixed several errors after feedback from the FSPA.
* Version 0.4 -- November 24,
Received an e-mail from Neil Schuldenfrei that helped immensely.
(He says he's been wanting to write a rulesheet for while but
hasn't gotten around to it.)
* Version 0.5 -- November 25
A few more suggestions from Steve and Dave. Moved the Center
Pockets into a different part of the document.
* Version 0.6 -- December 1
Few more stuff from Neil, "Pinball Credits" added.
* Version 0.7 -- December 4
Some more corrections from FSPA viewing.
* Version 1.0 -- December 9
Added more HTML and what not.
_________________________________________________________________
Wei-Hwa Huang
