Final Resistance
This is a work in progress, but wanted to get started in sharing the rules and information about this awesome game!
Team
- Playfield Design: Scott Danesi
- Art: “Johnny Crap”/Jonathan Bergeron
- Code: Michael Ocean
- Graphics and Animation: Rory Cernuda
- Rules: Bowen Kerins
- Mechanical: TJ Weaver
- Music and Sound: Scott Danesi
Playfield walkthrough
From left to right:
- The left targets (above the left flipper) are used to spell out LOCK to advance Lock and load multiball.
- The left orbit shot feeds out to the right orbit shot. The shot can be diverted via magnets to a hole that will eject elsewhere.
- Left ramp standup targets can be hit to advance progress in modes, and if lit yellow, collect progress towards mystery award.
- The left ramp feeds back to the left flipper via wireform.
- The center loop shot has a spinner, as well as a spinner display near the entrance. It feeds back to the orbit and generally returns to the left orbit shot.
- A traditional scoop, which is used to launch balls as well as collect powerups and mystery awards.
- A loop shot with a translucent drop target in front, which is used as a “Danesi Lock” for a two ball multiball, Lock and Load. The back of the shot diverts to the orbit area and can exit left or right orbit.
- Right Ramp standup targets can be hit to advance progress in modes, and if lit yellow, collect progress towards mystery award.
- The Shield is a feature that blocks progress to the right ramp and the lock scoop. Hitting the shield area will cause it to raise into the ship, granting access to the right ramp and right scoop.
- The right ramp returns via a hidden wireform to the right flipper return wireform.
- The right scoop is used to lock balls in the ship for Ship Multiball.
- Above the playfield, the ship cannon holds balls locked from the right scoop, and can launch balls to the left flipper.
- The right orbit usually feeds out the left orbit shot. When lit orange/red or during modes, it can divert to a Yagov-style kickback that returns the feed down the right orbit. Shots to the orbit can also divert via magnets to a hole for eject elsewhere.
- The right targets (above the right flipper) are used to spell out LOAD to advance Lock and load multiball.
- A series of walls and scoops that span the playfield from left to right about 70% of the way to the back of the machine are used as collects and obstacles throughout the game.
Skill Shots
The game has 2 skill shots available, and hitting the skill shot awards points and opens the shield in front of the lock and right ramp. Each skill shot has a second combo shot that awards a Super Skill shot for more points.
- Left Ramp (Super Skill shot: Combo the Right Ramp)
- Spinner (Super Skill Shot: Combo the Spinner again)
Hitting any other switch turns off the ability to collect the skill shot. There is no switch grace (ie — grazing a standup and making the spinner shot will not award the skill shot). Additionally, the spinner skill shot requires the shot make it all the way around the loop to score (not just spinning the spinner)
Super Spinner
Hitting the spinner during play will advance the digits on the spinner display upward. Not hitting the spinner will reduce that display number over time. If the display is advanced to 99, super spinner is awarded, where hitting the spinner will award the displayed value in hundreds per spin. This will continue as the spinner counts back down to 00, ending the super spinner mode.
Multiballs
There are two primary muliballs in the game: Ship and Lock and Load.
Ship Multiball
Ship multiball is achieved by locking three balls in the scoop to the direct right of the right ramp. This scoop is behind the shield blocking the ship, which must be raised by either dangerous shots to the shield, or a hack powerup. The muliball begins after the third ball is locked, with the balls being fired directly back at the player on a very short ball save. Jackpots are achieved by locking back in the scoop. A jackpot-like award is also available on the right orbit, though the kickback will be enabled. Jackpot x can be increased by hitting the jackpot saucer in succession, and the value will drop after a time.
Add a ball can be achieved if a Lock and Load ball is on the playfield and struck, but it sadly adds no additional ball save time.
Lock and Load
A ball can be added to lock and load by hitting the side targets to spell LOCK and LOAD on the left and right side of the playfield, respectively. This will flash the drop target in the middle of the playfield to the left of the right ramp/shield area. This ball will be captive until a mode is in play — hitting the drop target will not release the ball unless the mode is running. Lock and load provides a bit of mode safety and a short ball save when started.
Battles:
- Trapped
- The Fuse
- Ground War
- Blast Shield
- Power Down
- Missile Wave
- Firefight
- Swarm
- Annihilation
Battles (modes) will light after a set time at either orbit (with a flashing blue arrow). If 4 sets of ramps have been completed, the battle will start with an advantage to the player (and the orbits will be lit pink).
The objective of the game is to complete all battles successfully. If you succeed or fail in a battle, the game will still move on to the next battle until all battles have been played. The game will then cycle through the battles that have not been successfully completed until all battles have been successful, then the 9th battle will light.
Trapped
Victory Criteria: Complete 3 rounds of shooting the lit scoop wall. Survival rank is given for completing 2 modes, failure for 1 or less completed modes.
Pre-Emptive Strike Advantage: Instead of one wall being open, two walls will be open.
Walls will come up and the ball will be shot at the flippers from the ship (or the Right Flipper Return if there are not enough balls in the ship). All walls will be up and blue except for a single wall that is down and white. The objective is to shoot the ball into the white scoop to advance rounds. You can also open a second wall if not in pre-emptive strike by using the Simplify powerup. Using Simplify on a preemptive strike consumes the power up with no effect. Using a Freeze in Trapped will keep the next completed scoop open for subsequent rounds.
Shooting the open wall advances rounds, moves the wall, and adds a second ball in play (up to a max of 3). If the ball is not shot in to the scoop in a short time (8-10 seconds), balls will be added and the wall will move (balls added can go above 3 balls in play).
At any time, draining any of the balls shot to the lower playfield will “end” the mode: All scoops will turn white and open, and any shots will deposit the balls back into the trough via the scoops.
The Fuse
Victory Criteria:
Pre-Emptive Strike Advantage:
Ground War
Victory Criteria: Move the battle line all the way to the right to defeat the enemy.
Pre-Emptive Strike Advantage: Battle line starts further right
At the start of ground war, the virtual inserts at the top of the screen will all light yellow, green, or red from left to right. The goal is to advance shots so that the green shot gets all the way to the right orbit and beyond to win.
Over time, if shots are not hit, the green shot will move to the left and the prior green shot will turn red. Hitting shots will move the green shot to the right, and the prior green shot will become yellow. How much progress to the right is earned will be determined by the color of the hit shot: red advances progress a little, yellow a little more, and hitting a green shot advances it the furthest.
The battle ends by either moving the shot all the way right, or is lost by the shot moving all the way left.
Blast Shield
Victory Criteria: Hit each of 4 shots twice. Hitting each shot once will achieve a “Survived” rank.
Pre-Emptive Strike Advantage:
Build shields to protect yourself from a giant laser that will be shot at the end of a timed mode. 4 shots around the playfield will be lit blue, and hitting them will build a shield at that location. They are: Left orbit, Spinner lane, Right ramp, and Right Orbit. Successfully hitting a shot will add a shield light at that shot on the playfield. Using a Simplify powerup will spot one shield at the left two locations. Time slowdown can be used to give extra time to complete all shots.
At the conclusion of the timer (indicated by the ring around the mode icon in the center of the playfield), a laser will be shot, sweeping your shields from right to left. It is possible to keep building shields during this time.
Victory will be achieved by having two shields at each location at the completion of the laser. Survival points will be granted if one shield is in each location.
Power Down
Victory Criteria: Hit enough shots to reduce the number on the Spinner Display to 0, then hit flashing shot to complete.
Pre-Emptive Strike Advantage: Start at 69% instead of 99%
Power Down requires a certain number of shots (lit purple/dark blue) to be hit to lower the value on the spinner display. Each shot will reduce the number a percentage, and spinning the spinner will reduce the number per spin. If you’re comfortable shooting the spinner, this is the quickest way to reduce the number.
Once the spinner display has been reduced to 0, hit any flashing shot to complete the mode and earn victory.
Missile Wave
Victory Criteria: Get ship health below 100 by firing missiles at the ship.
Pre-Emptive Strike Advantage: start with a missile already on the left flipper
Missile Wave requires three shots to complete the sequence:
- Hit an orbit to add a missile to the left flipper,
- Hit the left ramp to “arm” the missile to the ship, and
- Hit the right ramp to shoot the missile at the ship
Shots will light on the right half of the playfield after the second step in either green, yellow or red. Green shots (right ramp) will do full damage to the ship (50% of the enemy health). Yellow shots (those adjacent to the right ramp) will do some partial damage. Red shots will see the enemy destroy the missile before it is launched, causing no damage.
Swarm
Victory Criteria: Hit a jackpot
Pre-Emptive Strike advantage: No perceptible change, though you will lose your pre-emptive strike.
Swarm is always the 5th battle you will face. It is an 8 ball multiball that begins by the walls all coming up and the game queueing all 8 balls above the walls before dropping them to begin. There is no ball save during this multiball.
Jackpot shots are at the shots behind the shield (Tip: use hacks to open the shield!). Shield can be opened by hitting orange-lit shots around the playfield. Jackpots are multiplied by the number of balls in play. After a period of time (~15 seconds) the shield will lower again. Play continues until a single ball remains.
It is not possible to fail this battle. Hitting some set of jackpots seems to always award an extra ball at battle completion.
Annihilation:
Victory Criteria:
Pre-Emptive Strike Advantage:
Annihilation is the 9th battle in the game, and is only achievable by successfully completing all prior battles.
Power Ups:
Powerups are awarded at the scoop by hitting white lit shots. Additionally, mystery is lit at the scoop by hitting all yellow standup targets. At this time, it appears mystery only ever awards a powerup, so I’m unclear what the distinction between the two are. Successful completions of battles will also award powerups.
Powerups are selected using the white buttons adjacent to the flipper buttons on each side. Powerups are used by hitting the launch button.
The powerups available include:
- Hack
- Shotgun
- Time Slowdown
- Freeze
- Simplify
- Nuclear Blast
Hack
Hack is the most prevalent powerup in the game. It can be earned by mystery/power-up award at the scoop, or by spelling H-A-C-K on the inlanes and outlanes.
Hack will raise the shield in front of the right ramp/lock scoop. If Hack is used while the shield is up, it is still consumed and the hack will fail.
Shotgun
Shotgun will spot shots to the left and right of a standup when a standup is hit. Once “used”, the shotgun will remain active and unconsumed until a standup is hit, or the ball is ended.
Time Slowdown
Time slowdown will slow all ingame timers (and the music — a nice touch!). Good uses for this is to give time to complete a few more shots on a mode before it expires and extending a ball save timer.
Freeze
The next mode shot hit after activating freeze will lock in that shot as a shot that will continue to advance the mode. This can be helpful in modes where the shots change to lock in a shot you can hit well, and have it to continue to make progress even if it wouldn’t advance the mode in normal conditions. Frozen shots will “thaw” after a period of not being hit.
Simplify
Simplify is based on the similarly named powerup from the television game show “The Cube”. In short, simplify makes “the thing” some degree easier — “the thing” varying from mode to mode. In some modes, this may spot shots, advance progress, or in Trapped, open another wall to use.
Nuclear Blast
Nuclear blast is awarded only after a certain number of battles have been won, though the exact criteria is unknown. Nuclear blast will award all shots on the playfield as being hit. The downside is it also kills the user: all solenoids turn off until the ball drains. Oops.