I generally ONLY play Sterns in tourney mode, and in tourney mode it’s definitely the leftmost shot only.
Good enough for me, thanks for the info.
Can someone please explain what the rules are once in the Blackened mode?
I started it while in Snake multiball and was trying to trap up and see what to do, but could not figure out what the rules were while both modes were running.
Thank you
Here’s probably some bad information but I’ll throw it in there as a possibility anyways.
On Metallica premium, during the mode it seemed to want you to hit each of the four picks, then the crank it up scoop would light for some sort of collect (I did this maybe three times and it was for a relatively small value).
I figured since picks start the mode, there should be some use of the picks. I was treating it somewhat like Gauntlet on POTC, thinking I needed to hit the picks and jackpots, but honestly have no idea what was going on. I saw Blackened was on a timer, and was not sure what, if anything, increased the timer. With Snake running at the same time, I was getting a mix of Snake dots/jackpots and Horsemen dots/jackpots.
I don’t generally go for Blackened, but on this particular game, I decided to specifically go for it from the onset. I kept earning multiballs and used the regular ball saver and add-a-ball times to just bash away at picks. It was a lot of work/danger completing 15 sets of picks: 2+3+4+5 for all 4 picks+1 last set to start it.
And after all was said and done I only walked away with about 10MIL for the mode and don’t recall a collected jackpot like in CIU. The score was not even close to the default score, so clearly I have no idea what I am doing in the mode and am not even sure it is worth pursuing as a scoring strategy.
I look at Blackened like I do Fuel. I’m not interested in running it on it’s own, but it’s gravy to run it during other MBs, especially with some a multiplied playfield in the mix. I think my best Blackened score is in the 50-60 range and it was during a Coffin/Grave stack with lots of 2x and some 4x.
The worst part about Blackened is that it should be Four Horsemen to match the animations. Missed opportunity there.
Ok, but can you explain the rules?
I have only stumbled across Blackened once when not specifically trying. I tend to focus on a collection of picks when I need it for the 2x multiball/add-a-ball feature. Otherwise I have no specific reason to try for the picks; they typically come about from stray shots but 15 sets is a long haul.
I suspect if I focused on the 2x Fuel lane and 2x multiball multipliers running, my 10MIL would have been much better. When in CIU for example, having the 2x running is the key to massive scores.
But since Blackened was relatively new to me, I was in newbie “WTH do I do now” mode scrambling to just figure it out. I freely admit I have no clue what the heck was going on, hence my post 
I am hoping with some rule explanation , then I can decide if I want to incorporate it into a game plan.
And I agree about the Horsemen animations versus calling it Blackened. They are cool nonetheless.
I’ve just seen it as completing the pick targets over and over to collect the band members (again) during the mode. I haven’t noticed anything about a collect at the scoop, though I suppose its possible I collected without realizing…
Delzoppo, during my game at Brian’s I noticed during blackened that the crank it up light was lit so I went for it. It didn’t start crank it up though and just gave me a collect. Conversely, I got to blackened on a pro that Trent had out in location once and did not see the crank it up light lit at all during blackened. It might be a feature on the premium only.
Also, Brian said that he changed the blackened settings for the state finals so maybe that had something to do with it. Regardless, the crank it up light was definitely lit on his machine for some sort of collect that I got maybe 3 or 4 times that game.
Great write-ups on the pinballrevolution site Adam!
They instantly became popular in the Stockholm Pinball forum.
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Glad everyone likes them I’ll have to do more when time permits
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Does anyone here know if you COMPLETE a crank it up mode but do not hit the 4 lights, will it automatically light the scoop for a collect or do you still have to qualify the collect with the 4 items?
I am not certain but I believe you must still qualify the collect by hitting the 4 items.
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yeah i find myself picking off one or two items during ball save time just to have it closer to being ready. I wonder if it’s a better idea to just ignore the four items altogether and just take what the mode gives me.
Super skill is random unless tournament mode is on, then it is always left orbit to start.
Don’t forget about the other super skill shot. At nationals, the left orbit was a little dicey so I went with the very rare skill shot. You hold the left flipper in and plunge to the top lanes, but it’s not easy since the post is down.
Something I do on the LE, or a premium, is bank shot the fuel target into the drop targets. I’ve been able to bank all the way to the last drop target. The ball seems more controllable after that when you have the bank shot dialed in. Way better than the forehand. And of course you get the double scoring lit as well. Doesn’t work well on the pro because of the separate stand ups.
There’s even the other other super skill shot, which is to shoot the lane behind FUEL. Shooting this lane lights 2x scoring (but doesn’t start it) immediately. If you’re playing the right ramp combo technique, this is a really great way to start the ball.
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http://pinballvideos.com/?v=1179
Great match of metallica finally added to pinballvideos.com. @Adam v kiesler at the ifpa nationals.
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Great match, complete with buggy Coffin lock behavior. 
Coffin locks and Coffin MB are possible to get during the other multiballs. The latest code (that came out long after this match) fixes this bug. (Applies only to Premium/LE.)