Batman 66 Rulesheet

[Snailman]

@Outlane_Eric

If some old EMs were considered a luck box, then modern games like this are a math box.

Excellent point and appropriate terminology for most modern games! And I like Math Boxes.

[Outlane_Eric]

@WWJ

However I found that it became a point that if you didn’t get Bookworm and Freeze on 1st ball your scoring opportunities were screwed

Interesting you say that, because in the time I had it I felt like I was getting very tired of always feeling obligated to start the game with Bookworm. Sometimes I might do one King Tut to switch things up since that first save progress reward sticks regardless, but for the most part Bookworm to start almost every time. Then if successful on to Freeze next, and if not then option to Mad Hatter. It made the game feel somewhat linear in practice.

I was actually thinking the game might be better overall if all of the minor villain awards were automatically permanent, and then Bookworm’s reward could be to save progress (like a bookmark eh) instead of King Tut, and all of Tut’s awards could just be channel multipliers from the start (which simplifies rules explanation too). I just figured that would allow some more variety in the approach to minor villain progress at the start of games by taking away the fear of immediately losing a reward right after getting it if you didn’t play Bookworm first.

[cornycrunch]

If I have a game with a bad ball 1 and 2, I may be inclined to just go with Freeze on ball 3. Assuming I don’t have a bad ball 3 too, worst case scenario, the rest of my ball is the rest of my game anyway, so I get the Mr. Freeze effect for the rest of that. If I’m getting close to getting an EB (and let’s assume this isn’t a tourney), then I may want to rope in Bookworm after the fact.

This gives me plenty of time to try to get the “replay failed villain modes” powerup, at the expense of putting me on a longer track toward a villain mini-wizard mode.

[LOTR_breath]

LZ, the ultimate Math Box!

[Rob_G]

@WWJ

However I found that it became a point that if you didn’t get Bookworm and Freeze on 1st ball your scoring opportunities were screwed, having the playfield multipliers, and hurry ups, and minor villain modes frozen forever along with the multipliers from Tut just made the game unenjoyable for me, and I only kept it a week before returning it.

I have an opportunity to sell mine now. I’m sitting on the fence, but your post reminds me what I dislike so much about BM66. Awesome theme, fair layout and mostly fun rules. It’s just a few rules that really break it for me…

Rob

[salz]

Is there any way to get Tut past 5x?

[CaptainBZarre]

Nope! 5x is the max.

[pinbull_pitball]

This is probably the best way to fix the game’s sole rules-related problem, but doesn’t address how to replay failed minor villain modes, which is the award from finishing your first Tut. Would that be a Bookworm award too?

[raydaypinball]

Replay failed villain modes is mad hatter’s award. I agree the Tut progression seems weird

[pinbull_pitball]

Oops, ignore me. Shouldn’t be posting on forums this early! First Tut award is minor villain progess saving, as @Outlane_Eric even noted in their post!

[salz]

I wish King Tut wouldn’t max at 5x. I find myself once I get that, plus the freezing 3x and the minor/major wizard mode stack the game kind of maxes out. At that point, it seems like the minor villains are a pointless slog when it should just keep adding playfield multipliers (for tut) IMO. It’s kinda a bummer once you have an amazing game going and the minor villains basically just account for you getting back into the minor villain multis. Anywho…

[raydaypinball]

Imagine a perk that holds your shot multipliers …

[cayle]

@salz

At that point, it seems like the minor villains are a pointless slog when it should just keep adding playfield multipliers (for tut) IMO

100B Egghead collects beg to differ

[ANM]

Let’s not change Lyman’s code anymore, nor propose to. The code’s darn good enough already. ‘nuff said

[cayle]

Agreed, its a masterpiece of points gluttony. Love it as it is! !

[salz]

Do explain, I tend to put off/not start Egghead

I probably just don’t understand some of the deeper collects. I’ve basically been getting tut up to 5x with the frozen 3x and stacking the major/minor wizard modes

[kruetz]

Complete the GADGET standup target bank on the left side of the playfield to award a Gadget that can be used by pressing the action button. Gadgets have three purposes, two of which are context-sensitive:

• During any and all modes (with a few exceptions - see minor villain modes), using a Gadget will spot a mode shot for you. Gadgets prioritize shots on the left side of the playfield.
• If Lock is lit and a ball is in the saucer at the apex of the left orbit, hold the action button just as the ball ejects from the saucer to enable the diverter and lock the ball. This counts as a Gadget use.
• During Egghead’s minor villain modes, Gadgets’ normal function are disabled. Instead, using a Gadget will cash out the value you’ve built up so far during any phase of the mode and advance to the next phase.

Couple of proposed additions/tweaks to this section:

The Gadget Lock is a feature I think most do not know about or take advantage of. A great way to use it is the following:

• Get 2 balls locked for VMB
• Light minor villain from the TV standups
• Shoot the left orbit to get into the bat saucer for minor villain select
• This part can be a little tricky, but basically you need to do a double tap on the action button to select the minor villain with the first tap and then open the diverter with the 2nd tap so the ball ejects out of the saucer and falls into the ball lock which will then start your minor villain mode with VMB right away vs having to shoot the 3rd lock shot (I assume this doesn’t work with MB Shame) - Worth testing if it’s easier to get this to work by letting the minor villain mode selection timeout then action button as I have sometimes failed at the double tap.

You can also perform a Gadget Lock from a plunge but I believe you have to wait to hit the action button until the ball hits the switch on that gate near the top right of the playfield. I think if you try hitting the action button earlier such as right after the ball goes past the switch by the 3 arrow inserts in the shooter lane, it’s too early. I typically use the action button to plunge and then hit it again when the ball hits the gate since it plunges the ball slower/more consistent vs a manual plunge but YMMV

Regarding the 3rd point in the quoted text about the gadget use during Egghead modes, I believe it does different things depending on which Egghead mode you are in.

Looks like the info under each Egghead mode says what the gadget does in that context.

[kruetz]

Looks like this is still possible on the current code and is very useful! I always get thrown off when I do the stack and have Freeze since it keeps the ball save flashing during VE phase 1 but your ball save for the TV wizard has already ended.