Foo Fighters Rulesheet

Quick Links:

Official Rulesheet

Game Information & Overview:

  • Lead Designer: Jack Danger
  • Code/Rules: Tanio Klyce, Raymond Davidson
  • Lead Mechanical Engineer:
  • Artwork: Zombie Yeti
  • Display and Animations:
  • Sound Design: Bob Baffy, select contributions by Tanio Klyce
  • Release Date: March 2023
  • Wiki Rulesheet based on Code Rev: 0.97
    • Edit the Code revision, if applicable, when you make changes

Jack Danger’s first full-fledged pinball machine is as eclectic as the designer himself. In today’s episode of “Foo Fighters Saturday Morning Action Time!” our heroes discover a being known only as the Overlord that aims to reformat the world and erase all music from existence. Take control of the Fighters’ stylish van, mod it out, and save the cities that the Overlord has conquered while defeating his army of spider-bots.

Rules Overview:

  • Weigh your options accordingly for the skill shot. A very soft plunge into the rock-o-meter lane will advance towards playfield multiplier, but plunging for the drop targets will mod out your van instantly and improve the next van mode.
  • Shoot white arrows to light the left ramp to start a city mode. All city modes score well but can score even better if you complete them on your first try and / or mod out your van by shooting the paddle behind the drop targets. Mini-wizard modes at three and six cities saved.
  • Shoot the captive ball to charge up your action button. This allows you to press it to collect lit shots during modes and multiballs.
  • Shoot the Overlord until the insert there turns green and then lock a ball there; shoot it three more times for multiball. The first multiball is generally best played as a utility to help with your first van mode, while the second and third multiballs are far more lucrative (though they require way more shots).
  • 5 right ramp shots will start Area 51 multiball, another good utility multiball. All shots score jackpots and are lit red. Once they turn blue, super jackpot can be accessed by shooting the right ramp followed by the captive ball as a combo.
  • Mystery award – shoot the radio targets then quickly shoot either of them again when the white insert is flashing. Max out the radio dial this way to start supersonic radio mode.
  • Right orbit shot lights rock-o-meter to advance towards 2x playfield, then 3x playfield if already running. Paddle target must be hit to light right orbit subsequently. Ray gun targets at return lanes multiply the next shot by 2x or 4x if both were hit.
  • Bot target hits light the “bot award” target. 1st award lights ball save at right outlane, 2nd lights extra ball, 4th lights left ramp for bot frenzy (shoot the spinner for big points and targets to multiply them).
  • Shoot the side ramp to light the Combotron inserts. Make 3 combos of at least 4 shots in a row to light the side ramp for their combined value.
  • Players that succeed at completing all of the above tasks will be able to activate the FooBot and take down the Overlord with the Fighters’ giant mech.

Layout:

Premium/LE:

Pro:

Skill Shots:

A skill shot opportunity is presented at the start of each ball, and after locking the ball at the Overlord.

  • Plunge the ball into the Rock-O-Meter lane to advance it. The advance is determined by which insert on the Rock-O-Meter is flashing - try to time it for when the top insert is flashing as this lights an entire insert. Scores 100k x the lit insert (1, 2, or 3).
  • Plunge the ball to the flippers, and shoot either Sonic Radio target to score 1M, advance the dial and score a mystery award.
  • Short plunge the ball so that it hits the drop targets for 250k and a level of whatever Van Mod insert is currently lit.

Super Skill Shot

  • Left crossover shot to side ramp or side loop. The sequence can be repeated for up to a 6-way Super Skill Shot for 500k x the length of the super skill shot.

Secret Skill Shot

  • Plunge the ball into the left inlane for 2.5M & additional ball save time.
  • Plunge the ball into the left outlane for 5M & light Overdrive.

Van Modes:

Shoot white shots to spell V-A-N and light “Start Van Mode” at the left ramp. Only one white shot is needed to light the left ramp for the first mode, up to a maximum of three white shots. As the game progresses, less and less white shots are available.

Each mode corresponds to a specific city and song and can be completed across multiple attempts, though completing a mode in one try scores more and is required to assemble the FooBot. Up to 12 shots are required to complete each mode: some shots give double progress, and 3 shots worth of progress are spotted for the first mode played during a game (the number of spotted shots decreases by 1 for each completed mode). Double progress shots will add double incremental points to the next mode shot.

All modes are subject to the upgrades that can be collected by shooting the MOD-ulator target. Shots can be spotted during van modes by pressing the action button if it has been qualified via the UFO captive ball. All modes are timed for 50 seconds, but 3 seconds of time are added for each increment of progress made during the mode.

Making the final shot in each mode - which is always at the Overlord - awards an additional Time Bonus worth 1% of the mode total (excluding extra points from 2x or 3x playfield) x the number of seconds remaining. The final shot award is halved if it took you multiple attempts to win the mode. Scoring more than 50M in a van mode upgrades the FooBot left leg and increases the base jackpot value during Austin.

Fully complete three van modes to enable the Austin and D.C. wizard modes. They can either be selected right away, or held off for later.

  • Seattle (This Is A Call): Two shots are lit. They start on the right and move their way to the left, and then back to the right, as you shoot either one to help spread Foo Fighters music throughout Seattle. The side loop will count as 2x progress (and 2x Award increment).

    • Award starting value: 2M
    • Award increment: 400k
    • 3x Value + 2x Progress Shot: Side Loop
  • Roswell (Run): The Foo Fighters (orange shot arrow on random shot) are trying to run away from the Overlord (green shot arrow). The Overlord will move towards the Foo Fighters - if he catches them you will lose mode progress so keep running!

    • Award starting value: 1.5M
    • Award increment: 150k
    • Single Value Shot: Overlord (Green arrow)
    • 3x Value + 2x Progress Shot: Foo Fighters (Orange arrow)
  • Los Angeles (Learn to Fly): Shoot the ramps to help the Foo Fighters learn to fly. Combo ramps for multiplied awards! The side ramp scores double what the left and right ramps score.

    • Award starting value: 1M
    • Award increment: 100k
    • Double Value Shot: Side ramp (will not increase the combo multiplier)
    • 2x Progress Shots: Any ramp if you are in a combo (fast flashing)
  • New Orleans (I’ll Stick Around): The Foo Fighters are living it up in N’awlins! All shots start lit; shooting one will then light only that shot until you shoot it again. Side flipper shots only need to be made once, but will count as being hit twice!

    • Award starting value: 2M
    • Award increment: 200k
    • 2x Value + 2x Progress Shots: Side loop and side ramp
  • Chicago (Something From Nothing): Save the people of Chicago from being reformatted! A hurry-up will start on one shot, but if you don’t hit it fast enough, it will spread to a nearby shot. Extinguishing all the shot arrows will boost the base hurry-up value, and reset it.

    • Award starting value: 3.5M (counts down with time)
    • Award increment: 500K (when you hit the solitary-lit shot)
    • 2x Progress Shot: If only one shot is lit and you hit it, 2x progress is awarded
  • New York (Breakout): Shoot the spinner to draw out and destroy the spiderbots. Build the shot value with the spinner, which will also light a random shot (determined by the spinner) for 3x progress and value. Once the spinner hasn’t been hit in 3 seconds, shoot it again to collect the value.

    • Award starting value: 500k
    • Award increment: 100k per progress shot + 10k per spin during build phase
    • 3x Value + Progress Shots: The non-spinner lane roving shot

Van Mods:

After shooting all three drop targets, the MOD-ulator target behind them will be lit for a short time to level up the van mod indicated by the flashing insert on the left side, which cycles between the three available mods. You lock in your cycling mod when you knock down the first drop in the bank. Keep shooting it to advance the level, before the 10-second timer runs out. If the mod has already been collected, the drop targets can be completed further times to collect more mods, or to upgrade the level of a collected mod.

If the MOD-ulator target is shot without knocking down all three drop targets prior, the Bonus X will increase and the targets will reset.

  • Engine: Adds more time to the next van mode - 20 seconds at base +10 seconds per upgrade.
  • Speakers: Increased scoring for the next van mode - 500k at base +250k per upgrade.
  • Bomb: The next van mode requires less shots - 2 less shots at base +1 per upgrade. If the final shot is scored with an active bomb mod, the base points, plus increment awards, for the spotted shots are collected alongside it, and factor into the Time Bonus as well. Note: modes with award increments greater than 200K use 200K as their increments for Bomb Bonus purposes.

The level of each mod can be identified by the color of its insert:

  • Level 1: Yellow
  • Level 2: Lime
  • Level 3: Green
  • Level 4: Cyan
  • Level 5: Blue
  • Level 6: Purple
  • Level 7: Red

Van mods also increase the base jackpot values in D.C..

Multiball Modes:

Overlord Multiballs:

Shoot the Overlord or the targets surrounding it to advance towards and start Overlord Multiballs. For the first multiball, three shots to any Overlord target must be made to light the Overlord for lock, then the ball can be locked and shot three more times to start the multiball. The number of shots required to lock a ball and start multiball increases with each multiball played, eventually requiring shots to the targets surrounding the Overlord before the ball can be locked. Area 51 Multiball can be progressed towards and started during any Overlord Multiball.

The jackpot value is shared across all Overlord Multiballs and starts at 1M, increasing by 25k by shooting the center Overlord target, 150k by shooting the Overlord captive ball during multiball, and 150k for each jackpot scored during the first multiball & double jackpot scored during the second multiball.

  • All My Life: 2-ball Multiball. Jackpots are lit in the following sequence: L ramp / R ramp / spinner, L crossover / R orbit, side loop / side ramp, then Overlord target for super jackpot worth the jackpot total. Shoot the Overlord targets and lock a ball to spot a jackpot, and enable 2x jackpots for a short time.
  • Monkey Wrench: 3-ball Multiball. All shots are lit for jackpot - once one has been collected, shoot it again to score a double jackpot. Score jackpots at all shots to light super jackpot at the Overlord target. Shoot Overlord targets and lock a ball for 2x jackpots for a short time.
  • The Pretender: 4-ball Multiball. All shots are lit for jackpot and relit by shooting any other jackpot shot. Shoot all unique shots at least once to light super jackpot at the Overlord target. Shoot Overlord targets and lock a ball for 2x jackpots for a short time.

If all three multiballs have been played and the final battle isn’t ready, “The Pretender” multiball will be the only one available until the wizard mode is started.

Area 51 Multiball:

Pro: Shoot the right ramp 5 times to start Area 51 Multiball. Subsequent multiballs require 9 shots to the right ramp. This multiball can be progressed towards and started during any Overlord Multiball.

During multiball, all shots are lit for jackpot (750k), and the two bot targets flanking the right ramp (along with the right ramp itself) are lit to increase the jackpot value (by 750k). After collecting enough jackpots, shoot the right ramp followed by the UFO captive ball as a combo to score the super jackpot worth 1M + (750k per lit shot collected), which can continue to be increased by shooting other shots until it has been collected. Scoring the super jackpot enables the jackpots again and increases the jackpot value by 500k.

Prem/LE: Shots to the right ramp divert the ball to the Area 51 mini-playfield. Complete the targets, then shoot the spinner, then the loop, and finally the secret files target at the back to start Area 51 Multiball. For the first Area 51 multiball, progress is spotted with each right ramp shot - subsequent multiballs require more hits to the upper playfield shots, and won’t spot progress. This multiball can be progressed towards and started during any Overlord Multiball.

During multiball, all shots are lit to score jackpots and increase the super jackpot value; the jackpot value can be increased by 500k by making shots on the upper playfield. The super jackpot is scored the same way that the player started the multiball (upper playfield targets, then spinner, then loop, then secret files target) and can be collected at any time.

FooBot Multiball:

Completing certain game features will collect a FooBot part and light its insert. There are Upgrade Criteria for the game feature that will instead make the insert flash, as indicated below.

Collected FooBot parts will enable a 2x shot multiplier at the corresponding band member’s shot until the end of the ball. Upgraded parts will have the 2x shot multiplier carryover for the whole game. Collect all 6 FooBot parts to light FooBot Multiball at the left ramp.

FooBot Parts

Part Member Shot Feature Upgrade Criteria
Torso (Heart) Taylor 2x Side Ramp Collect a Combo-Tron jackpot Collect a Combo-Tron jackpot of at least 10M points
Head Dave 2x Right Ramp Start Area 51 Multiball Get a super jackpot in Area 51 Multiball
Left Arm Nate 2x Side Loop Score an Overlord Multiball Super Jackpot Get two super jackpots or one 2x super jackpot in an Overlord Multiball, or play the 2nd or 3rd Overlord Multiball
Right Arm Chris 2x Right Orbit Start Bot Frenzy Score at least 25M points in Bot Frenzy
Left Leg Pat 2x Left Ramp Complete a van mode in one visit Score at least 50M points in a van mode
Right Leg Rami 2x Left Crossover Start Supersonic Radio Score the radio jackpot during Supersonic Radio

During the multiball: All band member shots (the three ramps and three orbits) are lit for jackpots. Once a jackpot is scored, that shot and the Overlord will be lit; the player can either keep making the shot to increase the jackpot and its multiplier, or shoot the Overlord to attack him for the current jackpot value + multiplier, with more Overlord shots required to light subsequent jackpots. Repeat with all 6 band members to light Overlord for Super Jackpot, multiplied by all 6 multipliers added together. Every other time the required Overlord shots are completed, a ball will be added.

The jackpot value for this multiball starts at 3M, but each jackpot shot is increased by a percentage of scoring from the feature that was used to collect their respective FooBot part, up to 10M:

Combo-Tron Multiball:

(Currently not implemented.)

Other Features:

Overdrive Ball Save:

The left outlane is lit for Overdrive at the start of the game, and after two completions of the Sonic Radio targets (one for Prem / LE models). This is a virtual ball save on Pro models; on Prem / LE models the Deadpost will raise when the ball rolls over the left outlane. Hold up the left flipper quickly to save the ball.

Sonic Radio Targets:

Each completion of the Sonic Radio targets enables a radio mystery award at the targets for a limited time - the player must collect this mystery award to advance the dial and lock it in, otherwise it will reset. During wizard modes, awards can be scored at the targets, but the dial rule won’t apply. Possible radio mystery awards are:

  • Add-a-ball (context-sensitive as usual)
  • 2.5M points
  • 5M points
  • Upgrade any of the van mods (if collected during a mode, the perk is automatically applied)
  • +3 spinner level
  • Max tractor beam (instantly awards three uses of the action button)
  • +1x Bonus X
  • Light ball save (at right outlane)
  • Light extra ball (rare, percentage-based)

Maxing out the radio dial by scoring five mystery awards starts Supersonic Radio mode and collects the right leg of the FooBot. For 50 seconds, all shots are lit gray to boost the value and increase the value scored for pink shots during the mode. Shooting any gray shot will turn its insert pink, and shooting it again will score the built up value (and light the Sonic Radio targets to add 15 seconds of time). Shoot all lit pink shots to enable the Sonic Radio targets for the radio jackpot worth the total value of all shots.

Scoring the radio jackpot during Supersonic Radio upgrades the right leg of the FooBot.

Combo-Tron:

Shooting any shot marked with a Combo-Tron insert will begin the Combo-Tron sequence. Spawn these shots by either shooting lit Combo-Tron shots, or by shooting the side ramp.

The Combo-Tron is the icon at the bottom right corner of the display. Each shot on the playfield is marked with a circle insert representing a different segment of the Combo-Tron (on Prem / LE, the upper playfield shots are mapped to the side ramp and side loop and are an alternate way to achieve those shots). Making these shots as combos scores points indicated by the color of the combo on screen, which increases as more shots are made and as full sets of combos are completed. The best combo value you scored during the ball is scored as part of end-of-ball bonus.

There are also six band member combos, which increase all combo scoring once collected and score a bonus, with extra ball lit after scoring all six:

Member Shot 1 Shot 2 Shot 3
Taylor Side ramp Spinner Side ramp
Dave Right ramp Left ramp Right orbit
Nate Side loop Side loop Side loop
Chris Right orbit Left ramp Right orbit
Pat Left ramp Spinner Side ramp
Rami Left crossover Side loop MOD-ulator target

Combo-Tron shots are worth 25k + 5k per band member combo this game + 10k per band member combo this ball x the current level each shot has been advanced to (make multiple combo shots to the same shot to advance its level further).

Collect 3 combos of at least 4 inserts or more to light the side ramp for the Combo-Tron jackpot, worth the total value of the 3 combos collected. Scoring this jackpot awards a FooBot part.

Collecting enough combos lights the side ramp for Combo-Tron Multiball.

UFO Captive Ball:

Rolling over the loop switch by shooting the UFO captive ball enough times (8 switch hits +4 to advance levels) will light the action button to collect the “most valuable” shot during Van Modes. The captive ball cannot be advanced while any multiball mode is active, unless you shoot it immediately after a Left Crossover shot combo.

You can earn up to 3 action button uses at a time (yellow if one use, green if two, red if three). The number of shots needed to light one depends on whether you currently have any - as you collect uses, further uses are easier to qualify.

Rolling over the switch at the exit of the left crossover shot lights the captive ball for a bonus worth 250k + 50k for each time the captive ball was shot prior, and multiplied by 2x if quickly shot via the upper flipper. Each UFO bonus you collect will increase the rate at which the UFO bonus grows in the future by 25k, or 50k if you scored a 2x UFO bonus. Making this combo also adds +1 to the UFO captive ball progression regardless of any ongoing modes.

Super Spinner:

Roll through either of the left and right return lanes three times to enable one of the inlanes for super spinner, which can be toggled with the flippers. Super spinner lights the spinner to score 5x the spinner value for a limited time.

The base spinner level can be increased by shooting it enough times or via a radio mystery award.

Playfield Multiplier:

Roll through the lit Rock-O-Meter lane while the “battery” insert is lit, either indirectly or through right orbit shots, three times to start a 40-second timed 2x playfield multiplier. Completing the process of qualifying the playfield multiplier again while it’s running will reset the timer and increase the multiplier to 3x. Completing it while 3x is running will add 10 seconds to the playfield multiplier timer.

The Rock-O-Meter is advanced by making skill shots to the lane or by shooting the right orbit.

Subsequent playfield multipliers are more difficult to start. The “battery” to advance the Rock-O-Meter eventually has to be lit at the right orbit by shooting the MOD-ulator target (on a timer at the highest difficulty).

Bot Awards & Bot Frenzy:

Shoot the 4 standup targets enough times (outside of any wizard mode) to light the Bot Award target for an award.

  • 1 set: Light ball save at the right outlane
  • 2 sets: Light Extra Ball
  • 3 sets: Bot Bonus (100k x number of bot targets scored over the course of the entire game)
  • 4 sets: Light Bot Frenzy at the left ramp

Bot Frenzy is a 40-second timed single ball mode, though it can be brought into and started during all other modes in the game, where shots to the standup targets increase the value of the spinner by 5k and add a multiplier to the spinner value (up to 5x with a shot to all four targets). The built-up value is only applicable for one spinner rip, at which point the value will reset albeit at a higher base value (10k base + 5k per spinner rip).

Lightning Target:

The lightning target is located slightly above the entrance to the Rock-O-Meter lane and covers a surprisingly large amount of distance. Hitting the lightning target lights the lightning bolt inserts at the left and right ramps for 50k - make these ramp shots as combos to increase the current lightning target value by 50k and award it again.

Collecting 10 lightning target hits starts a 30-second timed Super Lightning mode (5 seconds are added for every target hit and lit lightning ramp scored prior). During Super Lightning, the left and right ramps are lit to award 10x the lightning value that was built up through target hits or combos prior.

Ray Gun Targets:

Shatzing / alley passing either ray gun target will enable a 2x shot multiplier on the next shot made following the ray gun target completion - 4x if the player immediately shoots the ray gun target on the other side. This multiplier stacks with the permanent ones that can be earned from Foo-Bot parts, the timed playfield multiplier, and the 2x jackpot multiplier during Overlord Multiball modes. Shots spotted via the action button are not subject to these multipliers.

If the left crossover shot is made with a shot multiplier active, they will also apply to the next upper flipper shot (either upper loop or side ramp).

The ray gun targets are relit by rolling through their respective inlane.

Extra Balls:

Extra ball can be lit at the Bot Award target by:

If extra balls are disabled or the extra ball cap has been reached, 10M points are awarded instead. This is multiplied by playfield and ray gun multipliers.

End-of-Ball Bonus:

Bonus is determined by:

  • Van mode shots - 100k x the number of lit mode shots this ball
  • Van mods collected - 50k x the number of mods collected or advanced this ball
  • “Best of You” - the highest combo value collected this ball

All multiplied by the bonus X, built at the paddle target when drops are still active. If you have 1 or 2 drop targets knocked down and hit the MOD-ulator target, they will reset and you will progress toward increasing your Bonus X (1 circle if 2 drops down, 2 circles if 1 drop down). The circular inserts indicate your progress toward increasing your Bonus X. The number of completions required increases for further multipliers.

Wizard Modes:

Austin Mini-Wizard Mode ("Times Like These"):

Complete 3 Van Modes to qualify this as an option on the Van Modes map. Either this mode or D.C. can be selected, the other wizard mode is then qualified after completing 6 Van Modes.

The Foo Fighters are having a BBQ cookout when they are interrupted by the Overlord and his army of
Spider-Bots! For each van mode you managed to complete in one try, your starting jackpot value will be larger.

Shoot the red shots to score jackpots determined by the player’s performance in the van modes (1.5M + 500k per van mode completed in one try) +50k per jackpot, and increase the value of the super jackpot, worth the jackpot total, by +1x. The super jackpot is collected at the blue shot, whose location can be changed by shooting the Overlord. Each super jackpot adds +100k value to the jackpots that follow it. Scoring a 5x super jackpot, by scoring 4 jackpots before the super jackpot, will add a ball; two more add-a-balls are awarded for the first 6x and 7x super jackpots.

D.C. Mini-Wizard Mode ("Holding Poison"):

Complete 3 Van Modes to qualify this as an option on the Van Modes map. Either this mode or Austin can be selected, the other wizard mode is then qualified after completing 6 Van Modes.

The Foo Fighters’ van has been dismantled by Spider-Bots! Help the band get all the parts back from them to rebuild their van. Mod out the van by shooting the MOD-ulator target to increase the base jackpot value for this multiball.

All band member shots are lit for jackpots determined by the mods the player has added to their van (1M + 50k per mod + 25k per subsequent jackpot). A roving light on the drop targets will show you the various van parts that are missing. Completing the drops and then shooting the paddle target behind them will light a super jackpot at the corresponding band member for the jackpot total up to that point, and add a ball for the 1st, 3rd, and 5th unique super jackpots.

If the player manages to score all 6 unique super jackpots and reassemble the van, victory laps will start.

The Final Battle Wizard Mode ("Rescued"):

The left ramp will light to commence the final battle against the Overlord after completing all three of the following tasks:

The Overlord has successfully captured the Foo Fighters, but not for long…

Rescue Pat and Dave by making hurry-up shots to the left and right ramps; shooting both bot targets flanking the right ramp will spot a right ramp shot. The other band members must then be rescued by making their corresponding shots - the three orbits and the side ramp - with each hurry-up increasing the multiplier for the next. The hurry-up value starts at 10M per shot + 2.5M per shot made.

Once all six members have been rescued, the band uncovers the truth behind the Overlord. All shots are lit to score damage for 5M and increase the multiplier for subsequent shots, but can only be collected once before they must be relit by shooting the Overlord (which also deals 1x damage, resets the multiplier, and is required for the final blow).

After depleting the health bar, multiball will begin to finish the Overlord’s mech off as the FooBot is brought out once more. All shots are lit to deal damage for 1M and unlight until a different shot is made, with a super jackpot + add-a-ball available by first completing the two Overlord standup targets and then shooting the flashing shot, which can be moved by shooting the Overlord. All scoring during this phase of the final battle is multiplied by the number of balls in play.

Once the Overlord is defeated, all process will reset and all FooBot parts will be reset, but their shot multipliers will be increased by +1x for the next play through of the game!

Competition Install:

  • Van modes = timer is 40 seconds by default instead of 50.
  • Overlord difficulty = medium (cannot shoot inside overlord to spot targets).
  • Overlord lock behavior = lock empties at end of ball if 2+ players.
  • Mystery awards are given in the following order (replace van mods w/ 250k if scored during a wizard mode):
    • 2.5M points
    • Upgrade engine van mod
    • Advance spinner
    • Upgrade speakers van mod
    • Max tractor beam
    • Upgrade bomb van mod
    • 5M points
    • +1x Bonus X
    • Light ball save
    • Light extra ball
3 Likes

Can this be turned into a wiki please?

Seconded!

1 Like

Hmm… So it turns out I can actually turn the post into a wiki. Good to know.

Added the secret skill shot from plunging into the left inlane.

Source: Foo Fighters Pinball LE Gameplay Reveal - YouTube

4 Likes

I had a chance to play this today and will probably go back to play it in a few minutes–it’s a ton of fun.

Does anyone know if the Van Mods carry ball to ball or if this is built up only for the current ball in play?

Yes, they carry between balls.

Anybody know what the hell is going on with this game release-wise? Stern announced all sold out, now only four are showing on the map with two on the west coast, one in AZ and one in Colorado. West coast usually gets games late and the bad weather should’ve made it even later. No games east of Colorado? Makes no sense. Are home games getting into homes?

That’s not my department but this is!

PREMIUM/LE
V0.91.0 - March 23rd, 2023

= BUG FIXES =
-Fix bug where van modes didn’t reset properly
-Fix overlord lock light effects in Overlord 2 and Overlord 3
-Fix final shot animation when you completed the mode with 0 seconds on the timer.
-Fix bug where area51 and overlord lights would flash during Austin or DC when their multiballs couldn’t actually be started
-Fix bug where bot targets would be disabled during Area51 Multiball
-Fix overdrive behavior during multiball: it will now instantly save it upon hitting left outlane switch.
-Fix bug with Rock-O-Meter being lit when it shouldn’t
-Fix display issue where the penultimate mode shot would not display its award animation
-Fix bug in roswell where the “too slow” animation would sometimes play after the mode was finished
-Fix UI items showing on screen during Match sequence
-Improve overlord lock device behavior

= RULE TWEAKS =

SKILL SHOT
-add instant mystery award when you get the radio targets skill shot
-left inlane, right inlane, right outlane, Rock-O-Meter now instantly validate playfield
-change Rock-O-Meter skillshot:
level 1 = 1x value
level 2 = 2x value + 1 Rock-O-Meter advancement
level 3 = 3x value + 2 Rock-O-Meter advancement
advancement means turn a light that is off into a blinking light, or a blinking light into a solid light

VAN MODES
-Every van mode now can get one shot awarded from the upper playfield inner loop and upper playfield outer loop.
-When you make the first shot in a city, 6 units of progress are awarded instead of 1.
This number decreases by one for each van mode you have completed.
-Roughly double the scoring in all van modes
-Tweak NY Van Mode so that the spinner value doesn’t reset between collects
-NY Van Mode now lights the upper spinner to always build value.
-Tweak Final Shot scoring so completing it with less than 10 seconds on the timer will score a guaranteed minimum award value
-New award display added to Chicago

OVERLORD Multiball
-Change re-lock feature to only bump the jackpot (no longer awards a double jackpot)
-The Right Arm Foobot part will now be awarded upon playing Overlord 2 or Overlord 3 (in addition to getting a super jackpot in Overlord 1)

UFO
-Fixed UFO Button Tractor Beam calculations to more accurately find the most valuable shot
-Do not allow progress towards UFO Buttons on captive ball during multiballs
-UFO base value now 250k
-UFO bonus now lit via the left crossover complete (all the way through to upper flipper) shot, 2x if hit from the upper flipper

DC
-you can now visit DC upon saving 3 cities. If you do this, Austin will be available once you save the other 3.
-add a ball in DC each time you get a unique super jackpot

AUSTIN
-change / balance rules and scoring:
-each red shot increases the multiplier on the blue shot (super jackpot)
-the first time you score a 7x super jackpot, add a ball
-each super increases jackpots by 100k
-new formula for starting jackpot value: 1,000,000 + 500,000 per van mode completed on the
-The Overlord shot will always be lit for 250k and change the location of the blue “bot” shot

COMBOTRON
-tweak Combotron scoring
+10k per band member combo made this ball
+5k per band member combo made this game

AREA 51
-add text over area 51 advance animations so you know the award value

SOUND
-add some missing switch and shot sounds
-add some missing display sequence sounds

LIGHTNING
-reset lightning value after the lightning mode ends
-add display effect for lightning awards
-lightning mode no longer raises shot value with each hit. value is determined by how many lightning shots made up until mode was started
-lightning mode timer 30 seconds → 40 seconds

MYSTERY
-Allow van mods to be given as mystery awards if you’re in a van mode
It will act as though you cleared the drop targets instantly (either adding time, value, or progress in the current mode you are in)
-Fixed Advance Spinner mystery award
-added some missing mystery audits
-add competition mystery award sequence in this order:
-2.5M, Engine Upgraded, Raise Spinner, Speakers Upgraded, Max Tractor Beam, Bomb Upgraded, 5 mil, Bonus X, Light Ball Save, Light Extra Ball
-if it can’t award a van mod because you are in a wizard mode, 250k will be awarded instead

BOT FRENZY
-allow Austin and DC to start at the same time as Bot Frenzy or while Bot Frenzy is running.

OVERDRIVE
-the Overdrive points award is now disabled during multiball. The Overdrive post save will still activate.

EXTRA BALL

  • When Extra Ball is disabled, Extra Ball consolation points increased from 500,000 → 10,000,000
    This value is affected by Playfield and Raygun Multipliers.
    Show consolation points in text on top of the extra ball video

MULTIPLIERS
-Playfield X and Raygun X apply to ALL scores

= ADJUSTMENTS ADDED =
ROCK O METER DIFFICULTY,
-add adjustment ROCK O METER DIFFICULTY, difficulty will go up each time you end a playfield x session, default EXTRA EASY:
Extra Easy: Battery (right orbit) always lit
Easy: Hit the Mod-ulator paddle (target behind the drops) to light battery, battery stays lit until playfield timer expires
Medium: Hit the Mod-ulator paddle to light battery, hitting battery turns it off, unless playfield x timer is running
Hard: Same as Medium but battery is on a 30 second timer, unless playfield x timer is running
Extra hard: Same as Hard but battery on a 15 second timer, unless playfield x timer is running

ADJUSTMENT: PLAYFIELD X SECONDS
-Added adjustment PLAYFIELD X SECONDS, default 40, competition install 30
-Added competition mode adjustment back to standard adjustments
-Added target game time back to standard adjustments
-added adjustment “NUM VAN SHOTS SPOTTED” default 5
-added adjustment “VAN MODE STARTING TIME” default 40 seconds
-added adjustment “TIME ADDED PER VAN SHOT” default 3 seconds

  • SYSTEM 3.35

PRO difference:
-Area 51 super jackpot on PRO now takes 8 shots to light (previously 4)

3 Likes

I’m wondering if I’m understanding the Van mode stacking rules correctly or if I just somehow am not remembering the game from last night correctly.

It appears that if a mode shot is lit on the right ramp no Area 51 progress is made but if, for example, I’m playing New Orleans and hit the left ramp first (lighting only it for a second shot) I can make multiple shots to the right ramp to bring in Area 51. I’m sure a similar application happens in Los Angeles because the next shot is expecting a combo and I believe the right ramp would be unlit for at least a brief window of time.

Should all right ramp shots count toward Area 51 MB progress/start?

All shots to right ramp progress Area 51 on a pro.
The second time you play Area 51 (which requires 9 shots instead of 5) you will only see an animation on your first shot, your half way to starting shot, your penultimate shot, and the starting shot.

1 Like

Does the Area 51 MB increase by 4 shots each time? (My location FF has had some small issues with the Overlord locking mech so I’ve been focusing on A51 for now.)

I’m also realizing right now that the Van mode animations are probably superseding the Area 51 progress animations.

Added to wiki

2 Likes

I was able to stack Area 51 MB on top of my first Overlord MB. Is this supposed to be possible? This was on a pro and believe it’s on the latest code since it was just set up two days ago.

Anyone having issues with right ramp shots flying off the return wireform into the shooter lane or right outlane?

I’ve played two copies and it happened about 10% of the time on one which was fine, and probably about 60% on the other, which was was pretty frustrating. If there’s a simple fix for this I’d like to pass it along to the op to get it corrected.

Yes

2 Likes

I was trying to find this in the rules and the Ray-supplied PDF but couldn’t find it (or accidentally glossed over it). Do the “UFO smart bombs” carry over ball to ball? I can’t believe I don’t know this after how many times I’ve played it, but I just haven’t paid close enough attention.

Additionally, I ran across a fairly interesting “bug” that I’m not totally sure is repeatable under normal circumstances. I was logged in and playing and I think was about to receive an achievement when the arcade internet had just cut out. The screen froze and did a hard reset on the machine.

I’ve had the game reset on me twice. Both times I was in a city and running the first overlord mb. One city was New Orleans and the other might have been that or Chicago. To answer your question, they do carry ball to ball.

@raydaypinball, fantastic job on the rules. This is by far the most complete Stern code release I have experienced. You being on the rules influenced me to purchase the LE. Keep up the outstanding work!

4 Likes

Interesting. I’m not going to remember the specifics of whether it was for sure a Chicago/Overlord stack but I will say that if I’m ready to start Overlord MB I very recently decided to pick Chicago as the mode to bring in. I typically will (attempt to) bring in Area 51 with New Orleans which is why I’m even writing this in an attempt to narrow down potential scenarios.