Competition Install Cheatsheet

General
#1

This is a wiki for common competition and tournament settings for various games.

Manufacturers

Games

Manufacturers

Bally

When Bally SS games are set to NOVELTY, Extra Balls will be worth 25,000, and Specials will be worth 50,000.

Other settings vary from game to game, but typically toggle carry-over for Bonus, Bonus X, and other game features.

Stern Pinball

There are two common methods for tournament settings, depending on your tournament director’s preference:

  • Competition Mode
    • In Standard Adjustments, change:
      • Competition Mode: YES
      • Extra Ball Limit: NO EXTRA BALLS
      • Special Award: POINTS
    • Removes randomness from game features
    • Mystery awards will typically be in a fixed order
    • Reflexive settings will typically be set to a fixed value
  • Competition Install
    • In the Utilities → Install menu, install both:
      • Install Competition to install various tournament settings
      • Install Novelty to disable extra balls and specials
    • Enables Competition Mode along with changing other adjustments

Games

Avengers

  • Competition Mode

    • Bingo awards are always the same. The important part about this is that the center column and center row awards are Super Ball Save and Light Portal Lock, while every other row and column is a super mode.
    • Mystery awards in a specific order

  • Competition Install

    • Competition Mode: On
    • Start game with lockdown button: Off
    • Tilt Debounce: 1000ms
    • Instant Info Auto Scroll: off (instant info will not auto scroll)
    • Insider Connected Computer Gem Mania Award: off (cannot start Gem Mania from computer if signed in to insider)

Godzilla (Stern)

  • Competition Mode
    • Maser Mystery award in fixed order
  • Competition Install
    • Competition mode: On
    • Tilt Debounce: 1000ms
    • Start game with lockdown button: Off

Iron Maiden

  • Competition Mode
    • Fear of the Dark is the initially lit mode.
    • First drop target award is Advance Bonus X instead of Light Orb (One extra completion needed to qualify Trooper MB)
  • Competition Install
    • Competition Mode: On
    • Secret Skillshots: Off
    • Madness Mode Enabled: Off (Can I Play With Madness disabled)

Jurassic Park (Stern)

  • Competition Mode
    • Amber Frenzy modes in fixed order (Amber Pops, Targets, Slings, Ramps)
  • Competition Install
    • Competition Mode: On
    • Tilt Debounce: 1000ms
    • Start Game with lockdown button: Off
    • Smart Missile can award Invalid Frenzy: Off
    • Goat Mania: Off

Led Zeppelin

  • Competition Mode
    • If Extra Ball Records is set to Auto, EB will be lit at 5 records.
  • Competition Install
    • Competition mode: On
    • Start Game with lockdown button:
    • Build Icarus During Multiball: No
    • Zeppelin MB lock difficulty: Medium (requires spelling ROCK to lite locks)
    • Lite Start Tour: requires +1 R ramp
    • Earn Sales from Active Playfield: No
    • Electric Magic: 3 completions of LED ZEP
    • Band Boosts: 0(?)

Rush

  • Competition Mode
    • Mystery awards are in fixed order (Activate Instruments, 2.5M, add bonus X, …)
    • Red Barchetta is the initial Time Machine MB (change by hitting the VUK shot)
    • Far Cry MB jackpots are in a fixed order(?)
  • Competition Install
    • Time Machine MB Difficulty: Medium (10 hits)
    • Freewill MB Difficulty: Medium (2 Instrument sets)
    • Far Cry MB Difficulty: Medium (standups → timed R ramp → Side scoop lock)
    • Outlane Ball Saves Advance in MB: No
    • Drops Stay Down on Full Set: No (drops are always able to be raised and won’t stay down if you have all the instruments)

Star Wars (Stern)

  • Competition Mode
    • Mystery awards are in fixed order
    • Shot multiplier maxes at 10x instead of 20x
    • Tie Fighter Hurry-Up starts at 50 Tie Fighters instead of 35
  • Competition Install
    • Competition mode: On
    • Allow Missions to Stack: Off

The Walking Dead

  • Competition Mode
    • If 1st Walker EB is set to Auto, EB will be lit at ? walker kills(?)
  • Competition Install
    • Competition Mode: On
    • Combos for Multi-Kill: Off
    • Supplies for Multi-Kill: Off
    • Bicycle Girl Shots for Multi-Kill: Completed
    • Fish Tanks for Multi-Kill: Off
    • Barn Shots for Multi-Kill: 5
    • CDC Shots for Multi-Kill: Completed
    • Riot Shots for Multi-Kill: 3
    • Tunnel Shots for Multi-Kill: Completed
    • Arena Shots for Multi-Kill: Completed
    • Blood Bath MB Shots for Multi-Kill: Jackpot
    • Cross-Bow Shots for Multi-Kill: Off
    • Prison MB Shots for Multi-Kill: Super Jackpot
    • Well MB Shots for Multi-Kill: Super Jackpot
    • 1st Walker Bicycle Girl Lit: 7 (7 walker kills required to light bicycle girl)
    • Bicycle Girl Lit at Game Start: No
    • 2nd+ # Supplies for Modes Lit: 0
    • Max # Supplies for Modes Lit: 1
    • Shot Modes Light/Start with MB: Start (Cannot qualify modes during multi-ball)
    • Prison MB Super Jackpot with Bomb: No (Cannot use prison bomb to get super JP)
    • Well MB Super Jackpot with Bomb: No
    • Multi-Kill Shot Sequencing: Left to right (Fixed shot order for multi-kill)
    • Multi-Kill Scores Carryover Horde: Yes (Multi-Kill scores don’t reset after Horde mode)
    • Horde Escape/Select Advances Walkers: Yes (Choosing to not escape Horde advances walkers?)
    • Horde Lost Advances Ball-In-Play: Yes (Getting bit during Horde ends your ball)

Viking

  • Inline drops may score 5 bonus advances (Sw. #8)
  • EB, Special, outlane 25k lights, and drop target point value may carryover
  • EB worth 25k, Special worth 50k
#2

Good luck. Most times when install is selected the TDs don’t even know what it changes.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a listing of the changes for any game except maybe GOT. Would be nice to have a database of that info though. But would take lots of work.

#3

maybe we can use this thread to source that info and compile it?

here’s the stuff I know:

IMDN: Secret Skill Shots Off, first mode set to Fear Of The Dark.
TWD: Can’t start modes during multiball.

#4

Also, only 1 set of drop targets needed to light modes.

#5

Are you sure these lists are complete for Maiden and TWD? I know TWD has more than that one change.

#6

Only way to be sure is to restore the game to factory, do comp install, then go through the menus to see what has changed.

1 Like
#7

By no means are they complete. That’s literally the only things I know, That’s why I want to get a list like this together lol

2 Likes
#8

This is a great idea. Unfortunately, I have nothing to add.

1 Like
#9

If someone wants to set up the table formatting and fill in stubs I could help fill in all the details for any stern SAM or Spike game.

4 Likes
#10

Maiden also starts drops on bonus X. Biggest change is both revives are removed when one is used.

#11

Yeah. If the form is setup I can do it for my games.

#12

So if this does happen, the wording has to be just right. Stern’s have a competition mode standard setting and a player competition mode standard setting. Player competition mode is usually enabled by default (hold both flippers to enable comp start). Typically evens out mystery awards, but every manual says subject to change. Competition mode, which is a lower numbered standard setting, is what we want.

Also some games have a competition install available. Those manuals should give you a clue to what has changed, but as always, subject to change. Because the two standard settings went into all games, I wouldn’t assume either setting does anything. Install director’s cut is on all the older games too, but rarely does anything.

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1 Like
#13

Maybe this should be another wiki page? Or is it better placed in individual game rulesheets?

I’d love to have a list that included both “Competition Mode” changes and “Competition Install” changes. I also sometimes want a list of common settings tweaks on classics games that have an effect on strategy (super bonus + GLOBE cycling on Harlem, etc.). Currently I end up downloading the manuals from IPDB. :slight_smile:

2 Likes
#14

godzilla -

  • competition mode on
  • can’t start game from lockdown button
  • tilt debounce set to 1000 instead of 750 (love it, Keith must know how tournament directors always go overboard with sensitive tilts…)

jurassic park -

  • competition mode on
  • can’t start game from lockdown button
  • can’t choose invalid frenzy from smart missle
  • debounce to 1000
  • no goat mania

led zeppelin -

  • competition mode on
  • can’t get sales from just having active playfield
  • extra ball set to 5 records
  • can’t start game from lockdown butotn
  • Zeppelin multiball requires ROCK targets to light locks
  • Tours requires a right ramp shot to light left eject
  • Starting band boosts: 0
  • Can’t build icarus in multiball
  • Show tour instructions set to ON
  • Icarus target build song values set to NOT IN MULTIBALL
  • Electric Magic set to 3 completions of LED ZEP instead of 1

Rush

  • Ramp diverter starts on left instead of right (oops! doesn’t set competition to YES)

mando:

  • Can’t start game from lockdown button
  • Competition - Can’t let players change game modes (impossible mode, etc.)
  • Must do hunter mode to relight razorcrest (this actually became the default setting)
6 Likes
#15

I wondered why the debounce on GZ was set so low. I was playing with a tight tilt and getting murdered by it. :grin:

#16

Does the debounce even really work? Our local ops sets them as low as the software will allow to try to stop me from making bug moves. I can still pretty much always make a big move for a double danger.

#17

I was wondering about that. My GZ also goes to double danger very quickly. Then next move is tilt. Much different than my JP. Have not compared the debounce settings.

#18

The minimum is 750 ms. It does work yes

3 Likes
#19

I’ve been kind of wondering exactly how the debounce adjustment works, my understanding is that it is a grace period that prevents quick, repeated closures of the tilt bob from counting as a warning. So would that mean that if it’s set to 750 ms, then you’d take one danger but if the tilt bob closes again within 750 ms it wouldn’t count as a danger?

3 Likes
#20

I believe so.