So after watching the Valinor tutorial for the millionth time I was left wanting a more basic tutorial run down of some of the features and techniques. The Valinor tutorial even prefaces itself by saying " This tutorial assumes you already know the basics of LOTR". Nt sure how popular it would be but I would love something that goes through the multiball objectives, gifts of the elves, scoring strategies, and just how to have fun. We all know you can spend…an hour+ on the game, what else can you do with me…
Or maybe this is just me… Any takers? I have seen some really great tutorials come out from a lot of people lately.
Modes start on the center shot (ring). If mode start not lit, three white shots lights it. Modes are generally “shoot the flashing arrows”.
Three main multiballs…
Fellowship: qualify by shooting 8 major shots, plus collect 20 (I think) pops for the 9th. Once qualified, start on left orbit. During multiball, alternate center shot and ramps 9 times to win.
Two Towers: qualify locks by completing inlane/outlanes. Right ramp locks balls. During multiball, shoot flashing arrows.
Return of the King: put balls onto the mini-playfield (skill shots or right inlane -> left orbit combos do this) to collect souls by time and rolling over switches. 5000 souls qualifies multiball, starts on the orbits or right VUK (Gollum). During multiball, shoot flashing arrows.
There is SO much more to the game, but that will get you started.
Heh, after rereading your message, I gather you’re actually looking for a Bowen-style video tutorial… Sorry. I’ll leave my previous message anyway just since I bothered typing it.
You can change the lit mode with the flipper buttons, so you can set up which mode to start if taking a controlled shot to the ring. Ents is the best one because you can use it to easily build up souls for ROTK multi
Modes: Use flippers to select mode (lights around ring) before shooting mode start. Prioritize getting modes started, and relighting mode start. Elf rings (white insert) needed to (re-)light mode start. If you shoot one, quickly combo another ring shot to gather the remaining 2. Even moderate mode performance helps if you complete them all and start Here and Back Again, so don’t stress (too much) about not completing them. Learn the shot flow for each of the modes, because LOTR won’t give any mode shot feedback when stacked with a MB. Most are pretty straightforward to learn, but it’s good to know how Gandalf vs Saruman wraps up, and the sequence in Ringwraiths so you can finish them blind. Personally, Witch King is probably the most challenging because of the timing constraints.
Mode flow: Rringwraiths and Shelob are good in single-ball while you are collecting the Fellowship. I usually go for Ents in single ball to accelerate qualifying RotK. GvS and Witch King are good stacked with FotR. I like Warg, or Shelob with 2T MB.
Gifts: When you finish a mode or a MB, it lights a Gift from the Elves. You can use the Mystery target at the top of the Shire to select the next gift. Don’t waste 2x! It can be super lucrative to line up 2x playfield with 2T + mode (Warg?). I tend to play 2T very flow-y as scoring jackpots in sequence builds playfield multiplier.
Add-a-ball: Concentrate on getting Palantir lit before (or during MB) and use it for add-a-ball extend multiballs. I usually save Palantir for when I’m down 2 ball in FotR and RotK, but use it early in 2T as each ball in play is an extra multiplier. Likewise, when you qualify Gollum MB, hold it to use as to restart a movie multiball, or stack with Witch King to ease the timing constraints.
If Cave Troll is enabled at the start of FotR, it’ll start flow-y, so modes like Warg or Shelob make sense to stack with first FotR, but Cave Troll is only available on the first play of FotR.
To get decent points without really knowing what’s going on in extreme detail, work towards stacking a mode with Gollum Multiball, and any of the three main multiballs (basically, have three things stacked). The mode and Gollum can be started in whichever order, but your main multiball (Two Towers is the easiest to get to) has to be started last. Locks for Two Towers are lit on the right ramp by spelling “K-E-E-P” on the inlanes. Get your third lock lit, then start a mode and then Gollum, then collect your last lock to start the multiball. You don’t really need to know anything here, just shoot lots of flashing shots and watch your score snowball really, really fast.
Rings are what progress towards lighting Gollum as well as your modes. Collect 9 of the orange/reddish rings to light Gollum, collect three white rings to light your next mode.
If you absolutely need video to help learn the basics, watch the PAPA competition videos of LOTR play. I seem to recall that the commentators did a decent job of basic overview.
I’ve got the game, and the camera setup…I just need to get someone willing…and capable…of doing the tutorial. It can’t be me. I have a hard enough time destroying the ring.
Well I have a LOTR now. Going through it and super shopping it. Once I do that I will move some cameras and record the worst LOTR straight game play tutorial ever. You’re all welcome
