Andrew Arensburger, Andrew M. Boardman, Tom Capek, David D. Clark,
Jonathan N. Deitch, Adrian Donati, Jerry Duffy, Brent Earl, Slender
Fungus, Brian Hindenburg, Dave Hollinsworth, Keith Johnson, Stephen
Jonke, Mike Kahler, Kamchatka Charlie, Kevin Martin, Dallas Overturf,
Tad Perry, Daina Pettit, Mark Phaedrus, rON, Lyman F. Sheats Jr., Joe
Schwartz, Dave Stewart, Erik Wesselak, Matt Wilding, and John Yeates.
Wear comfortable clothing.
Before playing any game for the first time, read the rules card that accompanies it. Most of the time, these cards are less then helpful, but they are good for getting a basic feel for a game (i.e. what shots to go for, the names used for various playfield objects, etc.)
Extension to the above: take the time to learn the layout of a particular game. Learn where the best shots and the drain shots are, and how the various shots interact with one another, so you don't, say, spend time sending the ball to the bumpers when another ramp shot will light the extra ball.
Learn about a specific machine by watching others play.
If you drain miserably, don't tilt the machine out of frustration. You'll just lose more points if you do.
Unless explicitly advertised, or your operator is disreputable, pinballs do not have magnets anywhere underneath them. Spin and rubber are the usual causes of weird motion.
One way to take spin off of the ball is to give the machine a "downward slap" whenever the ball bounces against rubber, or even metal. This is literally just slapping down on the lockdown bar. It looks and sounds silly, but it can often help reduce spin and speed.
If the machine has a very sensitive Slam Tilt, it is often due to a loose coin door. One way to solve this problem is to wedge a coin of some sort between the door and the metal frame around it. This will wedge the door in place and solve a lot of loose-door Slam Tilt problems.
During the very first ball of any game (i.e. Player 1's Ball 1), pressing the start button will add another player to the game. From the second ball on, pressing the start button will abort the current game for all players and begin another one. (Beginning with Fish Tales, Williams has adopted an optional polling scheme that will only restart your game if the button is held down for about a second. Kudos to them for this great idea, and if your operator doesn't have this option turned on, harass him until he does so.)
On all new games, you can hold down either flipper while the game is in progress, and the game will display a few stats about the current game situation (replay, credits remaining, number of ramp shots to light the extra ball, etc.). Williams calls this the "status report," and Data East calls it "instant info." While this is active, some games will let you tap the other flipper button to page quickly through the screens. Gottlieb games will usually display just the replay value, and sometimes the high scores.
Entering your initials: left flipper button to go one letter back in the alphabet, right flipper button to go forward in the alphabet, start button to record this initial and go on to the next. (This is true of most machines, although some Gottliebs have separate buttons for initial entry.)
Choose some comfortable position for your wrists. They will get tired if they aren't held properly. About waist level is about right for most people, depending on height of the person and the machine.
The higher you hold your head, the better you'll be able to see the ball's position. The lower you hold it, the better you'll be able to judge its direction (e.g., while trying to decide whether or not to let it bounce off the center post); find a good compromise.
Try to put your weight more on your feet then your hands. This way, your shaking will have more impact, and you run less risk of hurting yourself.
Don't touch another player's cabinet.
Give other players plenty of space.
Shut up. It's usually OK to tell someone things that they couldn't have seen (such as how big the jackpot was), but people usually don't like it when you point out the obvious to them. Same goes for trying to engage in idle chatter while someone is playing: unless the player is a good friend of yours, this is usually frowned upon.
If you walk away from a machine, you forfeit any credits on it (so don't ask someone to watch the machine while you go to the bathroom, unless he's a really good friend; if you come back and find him playing your credits, don't be surprised).
If you want to play a game that someone else is playing, ask the person between balls. In many places, it is customary to plunk down a quarter on the glass, on top of the rules sheet (caveat: be careful that your quarter doesn't slide down below the lockdown bar and get eaten); just make sure that you do this between balls. If you do either of these while a person has a ball in play, it could interfere with his concentration, which could make him interfere with your life. :-)
If there are people standing around watching you and/or waiting to play your game, don't add any more money yourself before you offer the opportunity to join in. As long as you have credits on the machine, you are entitled to play them out, but when there are zero credits on the machine you should move aside or offer to play doubles. (It's up to you, some people really don't play doubles but for the most part, it makes you look better if you're not a machine hog. And besides, when you are playing well, it's so much more fun to have people watching when you get a good game.)
If you are really good at a particular game, you may want to ask if anyone wants to join in before you start any new game, even if you have credits left (with them adding money, of course, unless you're feeling generous today). If they don't join in, then they can't complain that you're taking too long. Sometimes people say that they'll wait till you are finished, in which case you can politely tell them that you plan on racking up replays for a little while longer, so they should join in now. (IMHO, this is great if you're known as the local wizard . . . you get a little respect and admiration, and you get to give pointers to the people you're playing with. Kinda gives you a Tommy complex, but hey . . . )
Keep an eye on any small children in the immediate area. A lot of games have ended because of kids deciding that your start button would be a fascinating plaything. If the kids are yours, don't let them run around near pinball machines.
If you're a novice, and want to become a wizard, make sure you have the time and the money.
Be willing to spend a few dollars just practicing the various tips. Just tell yourself, "OK, for this game, score doesn't matter. I'm just here to practice my slap saving," so you don't get too frustrated at not winning replays.
Probably the most important first thing to learn is to flip with one flipper at a time. Witness someone using both flippers simultaneously, and you'll probably see why.
Playing regularly is more important than playing a lot; playing for five hours consecutively once a month is worse than playing for half an hour twice a week.
Play a varied selection of games, since this will give you a better feel for games in general. Playing one game all the time will of course improve your ability on that game, but then you will find that you're not as good at making a similar shot on another game.
Being able to control the ball, and being able to make controlled shots is probably the key thing to increasing one's average score on any game.
It is vital to watch the ball through the entire operation of the flipper. A glance away at the last instant to look at the intended destination will often affect your timing. (Sometimes holding your head low to the playfield will allow you to see both the ball and your destination simultaneously. Also see "Multiball Play", Section 9.)
Aiming the ball involves knowing when to operate the flipper according to the ball's position on it. A good way to learn how to aim the ball to a desired place: with the ball in the catch position, straighten out your free hand (i.e. the one not holding the flipper up) and use it as a guide, pointing from the flipper to the desired place. This is like using a cue stick in pool as a guide to find the right angle for a shot. Then, once you have a feel for the flippers, you can learn to aim with a moving ball.
Shaking the machine is one of the things that must be practiced in order to get right. The timing will become more apparant as it is practiced more. The art of nudging is not an easy thing to describe in words, but here's an attempt anyway.
Machines are usually much more sensitive to side-to-side shaking than to forward-to-back. Shake this way whenever possible. However, there are situations where side-to-side shaking is necessary to save the ball.
Forward-to-back shaking is effective for the entire playfield, while side-to-side shaking is really only effective for the lower part of the playfield.
Don't be shy about using body english: although, of course, it's much more impressive if you manage to get a high score without ever nudging the machine.
One area of the playfield where nudging is absolutely vital is around the slingshots. A ball that is moving horizontally is much more likely to drain, especially on newer machines. Knowing how to nudge the machine, both when the ball first hits the slingshots and when it leaves them, will greatly decrease the number of outlane drains. Generally, if a ball is going to hit the lower half of a slingshot (i.e. closest to the flippers), nudge forward just as the ball makes contact with the slingshot rubber. If a ball is going to hit the upper half of a slingshot, nudge foward just after the ball ricochets, to force it further up the playfield and away from the outlanes.
If the ball is heading for the center drain, all is not lost. Try
one of these techniques on for size . . .
Some machines will put up with side-to-side sliding without tilting because there is very little jarring of the machine involved. If the ball is heading toward the center drain, slide the machine to move one of the flippers into the path of the ball as it is coming down. The ball basically moves along the same line in space whether you slide or not. This technique takes advantage of this fact to ensure the ball always hits a flipper. If you get really good at this technique, you will hardly ever suffer center drains on machines that easily allow sliding.
Note: Sliding is easier on some machines than others
due to total weight, weight distribution, playfield height, the
floor surface friction, and of course, tilt sensitivity. Try to
get behind your push as much as possible to avoid hurting
yourself.
The object of a slap save is to brush the ball with one flipper
just enough to knock it onto the other flipper. From there, it
can either be hit back into play, or knocked back onto the first
flipper. Basically, if a ball is going to go down the center,
choose (quickly) which flipper you think the ball will come closer
to. Wait until the ball is a few inches above that flipper, and
then wind up and slap both the flipper button and the side of the
machine. Hard. If you do this with the right timing, the ball will
hit the tip of the upraised flipper. Usually the ball gets hit
just enough to be reached by the opposite flipper, so you'll
probably want to follow up the first slap with a lighter one on
the other flipper button. If you get enough of the ball, you can
either catch it or hit it back into play from there. Otherwise,
you will have to do a secondary slap save to hit the ball back to
the first flipper. This, however, requires that the first flipper
be returned to the down position by this time. You'll probably
find that on a badly maintained machine, the flippers take their
sweet time returning to the down position, making this move
impossible. (This is also the case if the player is so thrilled
that he actually saved the ball that he forgets to lower the
original flipper.) However, if you are lucky enough to be playing
on a pin with quick flippers, you can perform this "three-point"
slap save.
Center posts are a little more tricky, since you have to
decide whether to use the flippers or whether to let the post do
the work for you. On a game without a post, you always go for the
slap save, but on a game with a post, there's that additional
split-second decision that you have to make that makes games with
posts a little more challenging (although they look easier).
It takes practice to develop the nerves to just let a ball
bounce off of the center post. Generally, the ball will only bounce
back into play if it is heading straight down the middle
towards the post. Also, the ball needs to be moving fairly fast in
order to bounce high enough. Some people prefer to always go for a
slap save whenever possible, and to only let the ball bounce if it is
heading exactly between the two flippers.
If you do decide to let the ball bounce, don't flip. If you
use the flippers and the ball hits the post, most of the time the ball
will just hit the underside of a raised flipper and drain. (A group of
players in Detroit calls this not flipping "The Chill Maneuver," since
you have to use a lot of restraint.) Also, try to nudge the game in
such a way so that the ball will hit the post as squarely as possible.
This will help to put the ball back in play, as it can counteract any
spin that the ball has picked up.
Although it may sound obvious, the best way to save a ball
from an outlane is not to let it get near one in the first place. The
next two tips are based on that little piece of wisdom:
Nudge the machine forward as the ball strikes the slingshot
bumpers or heads for the outlane area, to force the ball back up
the playfield. See Section 5 for a little more
detail.
If the ball is heading toward an outlane, try to bump it out of
the way before it gets to the top of the outlane (e.g., try to
bump it against a slingshot). Once it gets to the post that
divides the inlane from the outlane, it's much harder to save it.
If the ball does get to that post, use nudging and rubber in that
area to save the ball.
If the ball stops on the divider between the outlane and
inlane, move the machine sharply toward the inlane, then as
quickly as possible toward the outlane. Balls tend to pick up
more velocity on the first movement, so most will fall on the
inlane side of the divider.
This section is intentionally not very descriptive, because
there are already two separate tip sheets devoted to this subject:
Dave Stewart's "Guide to Bang Backs" and Kevin Martin's "The Pictorial
Death Save." (which is also available in Postscript format)
You can also refer to
Sean Grant's tips for the pinball wizard and to Erik Wesselak's
bang back and death save animations.
Generally, a slow-moving ball is better for a Bang Back, and a
fast-moving ball is better for a Death Save.
Before you try these on a game, look immediately below the
flippers. On some games, there are two small metal rods sunken
into the playfield. If your game has these, the techniques are
harder to do successfully. (They interfere more with Bang Backs
than Death Saves, but they do reduce the margin of error for both
techniques.)
If you're going to try either of these, pull the game out from
the wall. If it's against the wall, your chances of a successful
Bang Back/Death Save decrease to almost nothing, and you run the
risk of doing serious damage to the upright portion of the
machine. Or, pulling the plug out of the wall.
Word of warning: these techniques are both prone to slam tilts.
Loose coin doors and sensitive slam switches are usually very
uncooperative when it comes to popping the ball back up into the
play area from behind the flippers. You may want to pre-test a
game's slam sensitivity before you actually do it when you are
playing. Bang Backs are more dangerous in this regard, because
the motions involved are very close to those that you might use
to intentionally slam tilt the machine.
If you successfully do a Bang Back/Death Save, be
especially careful not to disturb the machine for a few seconds
afterwards to let the tilt pendulum settle. A slap save or even
sending the ball to the bumpers can easily trigger a Tilt.
Some of the newer widebody games (Judge Dredd and ST:TNG,
particularly) are VERY heavy. Unless you do a Bang Back or Death
Save just right, you will very likely hurt yourself. In
other words, find another machine to practice these on.
When the ball drains down the side, it rolls along a metal wall
while on its way to the ball trough. Hold up the flipper on the same
side as the ball, and when the ball is almost below that flipper, give
the machine a hard bump forward and either upward or parallel to the
playfield. The ball should move parallel to the raised flipper, and
come to rest on the lowered one. The trick is not to push the machine
a lot, but to accelerate the machine hard and for a very short period
of time. If done properly, even a sensitive-Tilt machine won't notice
it.
Some people find that this technique works better with crossed
hands (i.e. if the ball drains out the right side, use your left hand
to hold up the right flipper and bump the machine with your right
hand), and others say that it works better with hands in the normal
positions. If you decide to try this technique, try both ways and see
if one is preferable for you.
Generally, the slower the ball is moving, the easier it is to Bang
Back, both because there isn't as much natural motion to contradict,
and because it gives the player more time to prepare.
Usually, this only works from the right side, but see the special
"Gottlieb Death Save" below. Look immediately below the flippers on
any machine, and there will be a piece of metal facing up and right
(immediately above the kicker that returns the ball to the ball
storage area near the plunger). As the ball goes down the right
outlane, hold up the left flipper. Just as the ball comes to the
aforementioned metal plate, or slightly before (you have to get the
hang of it for each particular machine), move the machine quickly
forward and slightly to the right. Depending on the speed of the ball,
the distance between the metal plate and the flippers, and the tilt
sensitivity, you may experience a moderate degree of success at
getting the ball back in play. The ball should come to rest on the end
of the right flipper--quickly drop the left and flip the right. Again,
push hard and fast, so as not to disturb the Tilt pendulum.
On Gottlieb machines, there is a small post below the flippers. If
the ball drains down the left outlane, it is possible to do a
"Gottlieb Death Save" off of this post. Just reverse left and right in
the above paragraph, and use the post instead of the metal plate.
On most new games, a significant percentage of the points are
awarded during the various multiball modes. This section gives various
techniques for playing in multiball. Of course, most of the tips in
other sections are still valid. :-)
Note that "Multiball" (or "Multi-Ball") is a Williams/Bally
trademark. Data East ran afoul of Williams lawyers, and for a few
games (Lethal Weapon 3 through Jurassic Park) called their
mutiple-ball play "Tri-Ball." In Last Action Hero, it was called
"M-Ball." Then, Data East settled their suit with Williams. Starting
with Tales From the Crypt, they use the word "Multiball" (even though
it still says "M-Ball" in some of the displays). Gottlieb has always
used the word "Multiball" without a problem . . . wonder why?
Although this may seem obvious, try to manage things so that you
only have to worry about one ball at a time. Several balls bouncing
wildly near the flippers usually means a quick drain for at least one
of them. Some solutions are: try to trap one on a flipper (a temporary
solution, as Murphy's Law dictates that the other ball(s) will soon
arrive at the same flipper), or "park" one ball somewhere on the table
where it can occupy itself for several seconds. Bumpers are good for
this, as are ramps.
Multiball is the one time when flailing at the balls is an
acceptable method of play. Just make sure that it's constructive
flailing, not random flailing. :-)
In multiball, it is often impossible to watch a ball through the
entire operation of the flipper; try to "zoom out" and look at the
entire playfield, not just one ball. Then you can "zoom in" on a
particular shot that must be made. Having a good "feel" for the
flippers helps a lot here, too. (Twilight Zone> is a great machine for
practicing this tip, because it will stop the ball and play the Zone
theme ("Do Doo Do Du" . . . you know what I mean) before a Jackpot or
Camera shot. Just "zoom out" until you hear that music, and then look
up and "zoom in" on the upcoming big point shot.)
Most games with upper-playfield flippers have jackpot shots that
are meant to be shot from this flipper. On these games, be aware when
a ball is coming to this flipper, and sometimes it's better to ignore
the lower balls for a second, even if one of them drains, in exchange
for getting a jackpot. Also, look for shots that will feed a ball to
the upper flipper (for example, the Hidden Hallway on Funhouse, or
Thing on TAF).
If you have one ball on or coming to a flipper while another is
about to center drain, just aim and hit the second ball with the
first. A bit unpredictable, but it will work.
This refers to any shot made with the flipper that wouldn't
be normally used. (Example: using the right flipper to hit the
right ramp in a game.) These type of shots are usually made from
the edge of the flipper closest to the slingshots, and are
usually not as powerful or accurate as forehand shots. However,
being able to use them effectively can increase scores. Some
games are more friendly towards backhand shots than others;
experiment a little. Note that games with short flippers are
harder to backhand on.
Short backhand shots can be set up from a flipper-trapped
ball. If you have a ball trapped beneath the target or lane you
want to hit, make a very quick and tiny flip, and hold the flipper
up. The ball should roll up the inlane a bit, gaining enough
velocity to roll up the upraised flipper a little. When it is at
the right position and has the right velocity (usually none or
just as it's starting to go back down), flip quickly and hard.
You can often slap the ball up parallel to the slingshot and
wherever you wanted. Of course, there is a danger that it may
just go over the slingshot and into the outlane.
Beginning players tend to just flail randomly at everything
that comes near a flipper. Intermediates tend to just hold the
flipper up and keep it there. This works for some cases, but in
others the ball will bounce randomly back up into play, or roll up
the inlane and right back down the outlane, or any of a number of
uncontrollable things.
The "Dead Trap" (aka the "Drop Catch"): when the ball is
moving toward a flipper, hold that flipper up, and immediately
before the ball hits the flipper, let it drop. This will absorb
almost all of the ball's energy, and you'll wind up with the ball
just sitting on the lowered flipper. It's easier said than done,
and usually takes a lot of practice to master. But it's well
worth it. (This works best with Williams flippers, but then
again, what doesn't? :-) ) Be aware that the ball may still have
a lot of spin--it may bounce slightly, come down, and accelerate
towards the center drain at about Warp Factor 9. Be ready to
flip.
An animation of the
Dead Trap
The "Delayed Dead Trap/Drop Catch" this is very similar to
the technique above, but you release the flipper exactly as the
ball hits it, or just slightly afterward. After the flipper comes
to a rest, the ball will actually roll slightly back up the
flipper, possibly into the inlane for a catch or immediate shot.
Note that both variations of this technique are easier when the
ball is moving fast, since in order for this to work the ball must
be moving faster then the flipper. The faster it's going, the
less likely you will release the flipper too early, and the ball
is more likely to catch up with the flipper before it reaches its
rest position.
The "Live Trap": basically, this is the opposite of the Dead
Trap. Instead of holding the flipper up, time your flip so the
flipper will be all the way up at the instant the ball hits it.
If done properly, the ball will then roll down into the standard
catch position.
An animation of the
Live Trap
The "Bounce": if a ball is heading toward a flipper, and you
really wish the ball was heading toward the other flipper so you
can catch it, just keep the flipper down and let it bounce off the
flipper rubber and over to the other flipper. This won't work
very well if the game you are playing has loose, dirty, or torn
flipper rubbers. A nudge at the moment of contact can be helpful.
These are techniques designed to move the ball from one flipper to
the other. Note that the "Bounce," given above, also applies here.
If the ball is caught on one flipper and you wish it were on
the other flipper, many times there is a playfield feature (such
as a ramp) which can be hit from one flipper and returns the ball
to the other. (The ramps on T2, for example.) This is especially
helpful when you want a running shot on a flipper; that is, you'd
rather make a shot from an incoming ball than from a caught ball.
The "Trap Pass": with a flipper up and the ball caught on that
flipper, just release the flipper and very, very, very quickly
give it a tap back to the up position. The ball should hit the
lower corner of the slingshot, hit the flipper (or the bottom part
of the return lane), and move over to the other flipper. It's
actually pretty easy to do; all it takes is a little practice.
And it's better to flip too soon than too late for this one--too
soon will usually just make the ball bounce around without leaving
the flipper area, or roll back up the inlane, while too late will
often bounce the ball unpredictably back up into the center of the
playfield.
An animation of the
Trap Pass
The "Tap Pass": with a caught ball, release the flipper and
then very gently and quickly tap the flipper button just enough to
move the ball to the other flipper. Technically the ball does not
have to be trapped on the flipper to use this technique. It can
be moving or not; it depends on how refined your control of the
flippers is.
Trapping it to start is the easiest way, but it can be used while
the ball is moving, where the trap pass is not possible to do.
This tends to work better with the "old" Williams flippers than
with solid-state ones.
Note: the difference between this and the "trap pass" is
that you do not bank the ball off the slingshot or anything else.
It is a pass from flipper to flipper that when done correctly
touches nothing but the two flippers. Also, in the case of the
"trap pass," the flipper noticeably moves, but in the case of the
"tap pass" the flipper normally moves no more than .25 inches.
The "Lane Pass": this is much more risky. Basically, you
want to shoot the ball across the opposite flipper and up through
the opposite return lane. With the ball in the same position as
above, just let the flipper down, so the ball starts rolling down
the flipper toward the center drain. Hit the flipper button just
as the ball reaches the end of the flipper. The ball should shoot
just over the opposite flipper and up the opposite return lane. Be
careful not to shoot too fast, though, or the ball may go all the
way up the inlane and drop neatly into the outlane.
The "Touch Pass": With the ball in the catch position, lower
the flipper and let the ball roll to about halfway down the
flipper. Then, tap the flipper button extremely lightly (do not
push it all the way in). The ball will bounce over to the
opposite flipper. Strength required depends on the condition of
the flippers. Flipper button switches must be in good shape for
this to work, but it works on more machines than you might at
first imagine.
The "Speed Pass": If a ball is coming down an inlane at a
fairly high speed (usually by a ramp shot or other shot that
involves habitrails), you can sometimes just hold the flipper on
that side up, and let the ball "ramp" over to the other flipper.
Sometimes a small forward push when the ball nears the center
space can help the ball make it across. (An extension to this:
with a little practice, you can learn to raise the other flipper
at just the right time so the ball will roll gently down into a
catch position. It's very similar to the "Live Trap," given
above.)
For those of you who like to impress and/or annoy your arcade
operators, presenting some behind-the-coinbox info!
Info on how the different manufacturers' flippers work, and some
probable causes for flipper weakness:
So why do they get weak? On most older machines, the cause is dirty
or pitted contacts. Andy Oakland's FAQL on maintaining machines has
more info on this, but suffice it to say that the sparks generated by
electrical contact slowly affect the contact's ability to, well,
contact. So, less electricity gets through, and the flipper loses
power. Cleaning the contacts with a business card usually solves the
problem. Weak flippers on newer machines are usually the result of
misalignment in the flipper mechanism itself. This, of course,
requires a techie to correct, although contrary to what most operators
think, it isn't that hard. :-)
Info on how the various machines will flag the operator if
their self-diganostics detect a malfunction.
This section gives info on how to find out what version of a
particular game you are playing.
OK, you say. So what's their secret? You say you know and practice
all the above techniques, so why aren't you a wizard? One word:
Consistency. The best players know and apply their techniques on a
regular and consistant basis. How many times have you caught yourself
saying "Damn, if only I hadn't missed that ramp" or "Too slow, needed
to slap save there"? Remember when you had that incredible 1 Billion
point game--everything "went right." Well, remember how you played
that game, and look at the above listed methods. Sure, the best
players get a break every now and again; we all do. But that wasn't
why you did well. Didn't you find yourself saying "Wow! did you see
that shot--went straight in" or "What a save--barely made it!" The
good players do that on a steady and consistant basis. In short--learn
the techniques. Practice them. Use them. That is how one moves
from "regular" to "wizard" status.
P.S. When I first included this passage, it referred to "that
incredible 500 Million point game." Times have changed, haven't they?
:-)