Revenge From Mars rulesheet
Last revised 4/14/99 (still in progress)
Any questions/comments/complaints/hate-mail can be directed to me,
Roya Naini, at roya@blarg.net. Obviously this is not complete and is
probably going to skip over some details. More information about the
game can be found directly at http://www.pinball2000.com. Any
additions to this are completely welcome. This rulesheet may be
reproduced and edited as long as the credits remain intact.
Credits
Thanks to the following people who helped with this rulesheet:
John Zmaczynski (jjz@tezcat.com), Keith Johnson, Greg Dunlap
(gdd@tezcat.com), Lee P. (leep@infinet.com), Therese Edwards
(tntgame@netwalk.com), Graham West, Brian Lutz
(emurumor@rocketmail.com), Josh Sharpe (PinWizJ@aol.com - Attack Mars
and some other mode information borrowed from his rulesheet), Amy Ryan
(eighmi@access1.net), Matt Magnasco (matt@r44h56.res.gatech.edu),
David Gersic (A02DAG1@wpo.cso.niu.edu), Scott Tiesma
(tiesma@pclink.com)
Background/Objective
Revenge From Mars is the Pinball 2000 sequel to the popular Attack
From Mars pinball machine which came out in late 1995. The goal in
Attack From Mars was to defend the Earth from martian invasion and
ultimately defeat them to Rule The Universe. Revenge From Mars, as
noted by the title, brings these martians back again for another round
of fun. The objective here is to Attack Mars once again. Specifically
this is achieved by lighting all 9 Saucer lights, completing the Bonus
Wave multiballs (Fuel, Saucer and Weapons), and getting Mothership
Multiball. Once these have been completed, Attack Mars will light.
Notes
The latest software revision for Revenge From Mars is 0.90 and is
referred to whenever possible throughout the rulesheet unless where
specifically stated (e.g. the previous revision 0.70). The default
difficulty setting is Medium--there is also Easy and Hard.
Features
Since this is the beginning of the new Pinball 2000 series, there is
much in the way of new features for this game. Many of these features
will no doubt appear in future Pinball 2000 games, so they will be
noted here briefly in relation to the game only. Various other
technical aspects involving the design can be obtained from the
Pinball 2000 website at http://www.pinball2000.com.
Starting from the outside of the machine:
Auto-plunger
Square button which is pressed to plunge the ball into play. There are
or will be some "bombs" (similar to Attack From Mars) that have yet to
be determined at this time, but make use of this button as well. There
is no beginning-of-ball ball saver.
Action buttons
The regular sized left and right flipper buttons are mounted next to a
curved button which circles halfway around them. These buttons will
presumably provide more interaction during play for future Pinball
2000 games. For this particular game, they are used to choose between
two groups of modes (Fuel or Weapons) at the beginning of the game,
and during various other modes (see Modes below).
Speakers
These are located just under the "backglass" area of the machine in
one long horizontal panel.
The inside of the machine:
Video display
A video image is projected onto the upper part of the playfield which
displays information about the modes, various humorous graphics and
other neccessary information for game play. This is the major change
that makes Pinball 2000 differ from its past and is a fairly
impressive sight to see. The image is "interactive" in that it
responds when a target just behind it is hit so that it appears as
though you are interacting with the video itself.
Center Target bank
This is a small barrier of targets at the very center of the playfield
which is hidden by the video image projected onto them. It is
worthwhile to take a look at this when the video is not on to get a
feeling for where the ball would be going once this barrier is hit.
Shooting the targets on this barrier count as hits towards the running
modes and also affect what is shown on the video display.
Capture Lane
This is basically the lock and is located just to the right of the
Center Target Bank. Shooting the ball into the Capture lane will
either 1. light Capture and feed it to the top left rollover lanes and
jet bumpers or 2. award a Capture (lock the ball) and send a ball down
the right ramp. There are 3 Captures and each Capture must first be
lit before a ball can be "locked". Upon awarding the 3rd Capture, the
regular multiball will start (see Multiballs below).
Jet Bumper Lane
This is located to the left of the Center Target Bank. Shooting a ball
here will make the ball end up in the Jet Bumpers area.
Ramps
There are two ramps, one on the right and left side, which feed the
ball to their respective inlane (similar to Attack From Mars). They
have corresponding red lights on the playfield at their entrance which
signal when to shoot them during a mode.
Mini ramp
This is located on the center of the playfield just below the Center
Target Bank and lays flat until the end of a mode is near. When the
mode is about to be completed, this ramp will raise up. Shooting the
ball across the ramp will cause it to fly up and land on a mini
platform just above the Center Target Bank where it rolls to the left
and rests as the video displays the mode completion sequence. Once
this is done and a new mode starts, the ball is fed into the jet
bumpers located to the left on the upper part of the playfield. This
mini ramp has a corresponding red light on the playfield which signals
the player to shoot the ball up the ramp and finish the mode.
Jet Bumpers
There are 3 of these in the upper left corner of the playfield, just
below the two rollover lanes. They dont seem to have any other purpose
right now other than to award 10 points per hit.
Rollover Lanes
There are two of these in the upper left corner of the playfield that
sit above the jet bumpers. Rolling a ball through them will cause
their corresponding lights to light up. Hitting a flipper button will
cause these lights to switch from one to the other, making it possible
to light both and advance the Bonus Multiplier.
There are also four of these located at the entrance of both inlanes
and both outlanes. These work the same way as the ones from Attack
From Mars--the object being to use the flipper buttons to guide the
ball down an unlit one to light it and eventually light all four to
get Stroke of Luck lit.
Stroke of Luck
This is a scoop located on the upper part of the playfield near the
right side. There are three lights below it labelled "Stroke of Luck",
"Extra Ball" and "Martian Attack". The awards for shooting the ball
into the scoop while one or more of these is lit are as follows:
Extra Ball: extra ball
Martian Attack: begins Martian Attack mode (see Modes)
Stroke of luck: random award (below is a list of possible awards)
500,000 points
1,000,000 points
Light Martian Attack
3 Missles
Martian Bomb
1 Saucer Light
Hypno Multiball
Capture Multiball
Outer Loop
The ball can be shot to the left or right outer loops, and there are
corresponding red lights on the playfield which will flash when it is
neccessary to do so during a mode. Shooting the ball to the left loop
will feed it to the Rollover Lane and Jet Bumper area in the upper
left corner. Shooting the ball to the right loop will feed the ball to
the top left rollover lanes and jet bumpers.
Saucer lights
There is a saucer painted on the playfield in the very center which
has 9 red lights. These red lights must all be lit up for Attack Mars
to light. There are many ways to get one or more of these lights and
they are as follows:
Complete a mode with a Flawless rating (1 saucer light)
Score a Super Jackpot in regular multiball (1 saucer light)
Bonus Wave Multiballs (see table below)
Martian targets
There are a total of 7 martian targets on the playfield. 3 on the left
side underneath a rubber green martian (just like Attack From Mars!)
and another 3 plus a martian on the right side, as well as 1 to the
left of the Center Target Bank. Hitting all of these martian targets
and lighting their respective lights on the playfield will light
Martian Attack via the Stroke of Luck scoop.
Skill Shot
There will be a skill shot for this machine, but for now there is only
the action button choice at the start of the game. There is an X
second wait for a choice to be made until the game defaults to the
Fuel mode group and starts Alien Abduction. Depending on which sets of
modes the player finds easier or worth risking for points, either of
these two can work to one's advantage.
Extra Ball/Replay & Warnings
The game defaults to giving out an extra ball at a certain score level
rather than a replay. When an extra ball is given, the machine will
sound its virtual knocker (similar to a regular replay sound). There
may actually be two "replay" levels with one score being a bit higher
than the other to acquire more than one extra ball for a higher score.
The game also defaults to 1 tilt warning, but again this can be
adjusted by the operator.
Modes
There are 9 different main modes which can each be completed to obtain
a Saucer light. These 9 modes are divided into 3 different groups and
are listed below. The initial mode begins upon selection of the mode
group at the start of the game (either manually with the action
buttons or automatically after the choice times out). It will always
be the first mode of the chosen group that starts the game, and the
mode groups move from left to right in sequence automatically after
the previous mode has been completed (i.e. there is no "start mode"
shot). Each individual mode continues until it has been completed,
even between balls. When a mode has been completed, the video will
display a report. (more details on this will come later). If the mode
is completed properly according to the directions on the video
display, the player will receive a "Flawless" rating. This rating must
be achieved in order to obtain one Saucer light. Thus completing all
of these modes with a Flawless rating will complete the Saucer lights
requirement neccessary. This, along with the other 2 requirements
(stated in the Background/Objective), will light Attack Mars. Remember
that Saucer lights can also be obtained in other ways, so getting
Flawless on all of these modes is not a requirement.
Fuel
Alien Abduction
The scene is in front of the White House. A large saucer is
hovering overhead, with smaller saucers appearing to the sides.
Various objects (sportscars, cows, etc) appear at the sides as
well, and the smaller UFOs attempt to use their tractor beams to
steal these objects (these objects can be cycled through by using
the Action buttons). The scoring is based on saving the item being
beamed up and goes up to 3 million--this can also be boosted.
Hitting the center targets, ramps and loops will destroy the
smaller UFOs, as will the missiles. After six of the smaller
saucers are destroyed, one final hit up the middle Mini ramp will
destroy the large saucer, ending the mode. Destroying all eight
saucers will award a Flawless rating and a Saucer light.
Martian Happy Hour
Five martians walk into a bar... Oh, never mind. In this well-done
mode, there are five martians sitting at the bar in various states
of inebriation, cracking bad human jokes, consuming various
flammable substances and engaging in dangerous pasttimes. Overhead
are suspended three "kegs" of kerosene, gasoline and propane, which
can be set off by the Missiles with devestating effects. Each
martian takes a certain number of hits to be killed, starting from
left to right: 1, 2, 3, 2, 3 (left ramp, martian target, middle,
Capture lane, right ramp). This can be adjusted by the difficulty
setting. Each martian destroyed awards 1.5M points. All five must
be destroyed in order to obtain a Flawless raing and a Saucer
light. At the end of the round, the remaining "kegs" at the top of
the screen will be destroyed for 2M points apiece, taking with them
any remaining martians (although these won't award any points or
count for a Flawless rating).
Secret Weapon
Having gotten a clue finally, the Martians turn the Big-O-Beam on
themselves, creating a giant Martian. In response, Mankind has the
ABE (Advanced Battle Emancipator) to fight back with. This mode is
depicted as hand-to-hand combat between the ABE and one of the
Big-O-Martians. a "life bar" is shown at the top for the martian,
and various shots will cut down this life bar (Didn't they already
try this one in Champion Pub?). Finally, when the life bar is down
all the way, in a callback to the Mortal Kombat games, "Finish
him!" appears on the screen, and one last shot will send the
martian flying upwards and hitting the saucer, causing it to
explode dramatically. This is one of the easier modes to get a
Flawless rating in.
Saucer
Tower Struggle
The leaning tower of pisa is being used for a game of Tug-of-War by
four martians. Shoot the left and right ramps to destroy the
saucers with one hit apiece, and the two martians that are located
on the lock shot and the top martian light. As in several other
modes, there is a "life bar" which is decreased by shooting the
tower (Center Target Bank), and enough hits will eventually raise
the ramp to end the mode. Destroying the two martians and saucers
will immediately raise the center Mini ramp to end the mode with
one more shot. All four must be destroyed for a Flawless rating.
Mystery Mode (?)
I can only explain Martian aerobics because it's the only one
programmed right now. Shoot any shot and you will shoot a missile
at the martians on the screen. The martians are lined up like
Galaga and each missile usually takes out two or three depending on
where you hit them. Destroy all 32 before they escape to receive
your saucer light.
Drive-In Demolition
There is a power bar that tells you how much damage you still have
left to do. Every shot adds to the damage and at a certain point
you can shoot the middle ramp and a huge bomb will drop down and
destroy everything. In order to get your saucer light you must
complete the meter all the way down.
Weapons
Paris in Peril
This mode begins with a flying saucer located over the Eiffel
Tower. There is a catapult in the center which is used to fire
various objects (Watermelons, spiked balls, cows, ?) at the saucer.
Hitting the center targets will fire the catapult, with each hit
doing 13% damage. The missile lanes on the outside will do 25%
damage to the saucer. After the saucer is hit once, 4 martians will
parachute in (some may not be initially visible as they float off
of the screen) on the left and right ramps, the Capture lane and
the martian target to the left of the Center Target Bank. Each
martian can be destroyed by one hit from the ball. All 4 must be
destroyed for a Flawless rating. You can complete this mode with or
without destroying the martians by hitting the middle X times (the
side shots do 2x the middle damage). After 8 hits of damage, the
center Mini Ramp will pop up, and one more shot will destroy the
saucer (with a rather nice explosion effect), ending the mode.
Unfortunately, the new and improved technology doesn't seem to do
much to help the insults in this mode.
Big-O-Beam
This mode is set on a farm, where the livestock seem to have taken
on rather large proportions. There is a saucer hovering over the
barn, and large barnyard animals to the side. Hitting the center
targets will cause the barn to leap up and damage the saucer (makes
a lot of sense, huh?) for 2M points per hit. The ramps and orbits
will, in addition to awarding missiles, shrink the currently
enlarged animals. There are 4 animals (a cow, a duck, a pig and a
chicken) which need to be "saved" for a Flawless rating. There is a
"Life bar" above the saucer that shows how much damage is left.
When this is depleted, the center ramp will be lit, and as usual,
one final shot will end the mode.
Mars Kneads Women
There are six television stations you can tune in on. The left ones
can be viewed by either hitting the loop or the left ramp/middle
ramp combo. Same goes for the right side. You can also change the
station by using the Action buttons. To view the middle screens
shoot the middle shot and then the ramp will pop up. View either
just the two in the middle or all six to raise the ramp and destroy
the TV.
other modes and related things
Missles
During modes, shooting either the outer loop on either side or the
ramps will award missiles, and will have positive effects on the
current mode. By default, once 20 missiles have been collected (and
also at 50), extra ball will light via the Stroke of Luck scoop.
Alternatively, missiles may be spotted as a Stroke of Luck award. On
any given ball, the first missile will be 500K, and subsequent
missiles collected will be an additional 100K (e.g. second missile
600K, etc.) This value is reset back to 500K at the beginning of the
next ball.
Martian Attack
This works in the same way that it does in Attack From Mars, except
only 2 rubber martians wiggle around and must be killed. Once this is
done, the center Mini Ramp will raise up and its corresponding light
will flash signaling to hit the ball across it and kill the giant
martian on the video display. When the giant martian is killed
successfully, Martian Multiball will begin (see Multiballs).
Attack Mars
This is where your 300 Mil game becomes your 600 Mil game. The center
shot must be hit to start Attack Mars. There are 3 steps (kinda like
Cirqus Voltaire except the balls don't drain after each one): 1)
Destroy three ships with radar. You have to use the action buttons to
move the ship to the center of the screen, then shoot the middle shot
to blow it up. Although it is difficult the first time you do it, it
isn't that hard. 2) Destroy four weird looking things (I don't quite
know what to call them) by shooting the main shots of the game. 3)
Destroy the Big Brain martian by shooting the middle shot and then the
middle ramp when it is raised. Once completed you get easily over 100
Mil just for the end shot.
Multiballs
Martian Multiball
This multiball begins once Martian Attack mode is completed. It's a
two ball multiball where every shot destroys a martian for 1M points
apiece. Shoot the middle shot twice, then that will raise the middle
ramp and if you hit that twice you blow up the middle big martian and
another one will take its place. This multiball is mutually exclusive
from Regular multiball (unlike in Attack From Mars) and interrupts the
mode in progress.
Regular multiball
This begins after being awarded the 3rd Capture (or a Stroke of Luck
award). In this 3-ball multiball, the object is to shoot down 10
saucers (located on all the major upper playfield targets) which will
award points based on where they're located (the center targets are
500k, the Capture lane and martian target are 1M, and the ramps are
1.5M) and will also increase the super jackpot. After 10 saucers are
destroyed, the center Mini ramp pops up to collect the super jackpot
(and 1 Saucer light is also awarded). The process then begins again,
until the multiball round ends (although a short amount of time after
the second to last ball drains is allowed to complete a super
jackpot.) This multiball is also mutually exclusive from Martian
Multiball (unlike in Attack From Mars) and interrupts the mode in
progress.
Bonus Wave Multiballs (Fuel, Saucer & Weapons)
These multiballs begin after completing either the Fuel, Saucer or
Weapons mode groups and are functionally identical. These modes are
5-ball multiballs where the goal is to collect weapons and/or fuel.
All shots at the top will add weapons, and at random shots will be
available for 2x or occasionally 3x weapons. The Action buttons can be
used in this mode to move the roving bonus from shot to shot.
Collecting the roving bonus from all shots during the multiball gets
you a big award (this may apply to the Saucer/Weapons Bonus Wave
multiballs as well, as yet unconfirmed). One thing to note is that
while the balls are being launched at the start of the multiball
round, this is a good time to boost the bonus multiplier and with
balls in the jets and rollovers, the multiplier can be boosted by 5-6x
or more. 40 items collected (on normal/medium setting, 50 on harder
setting) will start mothership multiball, with various awards at every
5 collected. Newer software revisions have made changes to the awards,
noted below.
Revision:
# Items 0.7 0.9+
5 JP JP
10 SL JP
15 JP SL
20 EB JP
25 JP JP
30 SL EB
35 JP JP
40 Mothership Multiball
JP=Jackpot
SL=Saucer light
EB=Extra Ball
Also of note: In version 0.7, jackpots increment by 2M, while on 0.9
and later, jackpots only increase by 1M. When all but the last ball
has drained, the center ramp will raise for "Sudden Death." A final
shot on the center ramp will award a bonus of 100K per item collected
during the multiball round and show a total score for the round. The
items collected in Bonus Wave Multiballs are cumulative, meaning you
don't need to collect all 40 items in a single multiball.
Mothership Multiball
When the appropriate number of items in Bonus Wave Multiballs are
collected (40 medium setting, 50 hard setting), the flippers will be
disabled, allowing all balls to drain, at the start of Mothership
Multiball. As implied, the goal is to destroy the Martian mothership.
Shooting the side ramps and orbits will damage the saucer until the
center ramp pops up for a final shot to destroy the mothership for big
points. Of course, the martians aren't done with you yet. Destroy the
mothership and you'll next face the (groan) Grand Mothership.
Defeating this one is more of the same, after which you face the
(double groan) Wicked Step-Mothership, and so on, until all but one
ball is drained. (NOTE: More info is probably needed here.)
Hypno Multiball
Think strobe multiball without the flashing. All playfield lights go
out except for those relating to a lit shot. Corresponding to the lit
shot a giant rotating spiral with 3 smaller rotating spirals are shown
via the heads up display. Hitting a spiral adds balls. After hitting
all of the small spirals the large spiral remains. Repeat. First award
is an extra ball(?).
Cows, Easter eggs & misc.
There is a plane on the backglass that says "P2K" and "Gomez" on the
side.
The extra ball animation that was to be the Pinball 2000 version of an
Attack From Mars martian getting bonked upside the head (see Scott
Slomiany's web site) has been removed and replaced with a dull "Extra
Ball" text screen. Scott himself has said that the animation is/will
be the first Pinball 2000 entry in the Lost Temple of DOHO.
