For L2 modes, I like Nero and Klingon. But I definitely don’t have all L2 nuances memorized like I do with L1.
Drilling down to L3 if you feel like you can actually finish them might be a good idea if you’re getting a doubler for a shot you like and that you know will be used on a mode or MB you’ll have later. Even though I own a ST, I don’t have anything specific in mind as far as that goes. 
Are you going to get to Enterprise Amok? Or another set of super ramps/whatever? If not, (some of the) lvl 3 modes are fairly lucrative, plus the permanent doubler is kinda neat.
As documented in another thread, the local STLE is set up super hard, so I’ve found that drilling down is correct even at the start of the game, skipping a Kobayashi attempt entirely. The Lvl 2 and 3 modes have more intricate rules that are worth knowing, and no I don’t know them all. . . . (I tend to go for klingons all the way down.)
Yeah, I don’t even bother with KM unless I have 5 gold medals
I ended up burning through almost my entire game on the third Vengeance round – and, it appears to be a round where you can’t start or do anything else once it’s running.
When you say “burned through” you mean you kept draining trying to complete it?
Keith, are you suggesting that the KM jackpot values without 5 gold medals are not worth enough in your opinion to justify that multiball?
Well something like that. Obviously the ultimate strat is to have all your PF shots doubled except one, start 2x scoring, start KM and cash in the medals at 2x and play a 4x KM. In a tournament I wouldn’t try this but I would try to get as many 2x shots and medals lit before KM. Just like HOTK is worth way more on GoT so can KM be worth more than EA or 5ym if set up right.
Ok so you’re suggesting then at some point you’re going to switch gears and go for KM.
Right. I lost ball 2 and ball 3 trying to finish the thing.
Ball 3 or I’m down to one mode left that hasn’t gone 3 deep
Reminds me of GoT a bit. I really hate games that funnel you into doing something you don’t want to do. With GoT all the lights shut off for HotK and IT leaving you clueless as to strategically set anything up. With ST same thing you “get stuck” playing a lame mode through to the finish before you can go back to strategic planning and execution.
I have owned this game for a long time, but only recently started exploring level 2 and 3 modes and was surprised at how easy some of them are. I came here to get some clarification, but sadly there is not much here.
Can someone explain Nero III arrow moving to me. It seems like right controls one arrow, left controls the other. But exactly how it works is confusing me. Also, it the best strategy to try to get them both on an easy shot and score it with a combo?
Nero III: left flipper moves one lit arrow to the right. R flipper moves a separate lit arrow to the left. Lit arrows wrap around when they reach the edge. If the two lit arrows line up, they’ll flash purple/yellow, and making shots when dual-lined up get more points and enables you to get a gold medal.
If you repeat any one shot (like left ramp), you will not get the combo benefit.
Easy way to get a gold medal on Nero III if you can backhand the left ramp:
Trap ball on left flipper.
Press right flipper until moving arrow aligns on left ramp.
Without releasing ball, lightly tap left flipper until other moving arrow is 1 shot “before” the left ramp.
Backhand left ramp.
Press left flipper button six times while ball is rolling down the habitrail.
Backhand left ramp (seventh flipper press).
Repeat 5x.
You can play all three Klingon modes before attempting this to achieve the combo benefit and maximum possible score.
Other combinations are possible, but much more difficult as they require the use of both flippers.
Combo Value - Instant Info
What is the purpose of the “combo value” on the Instant Info screen? It lists Total Combos (which count towards Combo Champ) and Combo Value. Combo Value does not correspond with the amount of points you collect for 2-way, 3-way, etc-way Combos.
The Combo Value appears to start at 100K and add 1M per unique character combo (limit one per character, per player, per game)
So far I’ve discovered the following unique character combos (are there more?) and gotten it to 5.1M, but what does it do? Is this just a code stub to be finished in a later release?
Kirk: Left Loop, Warp Ramp
Bones: Left Loop, Left Ramp
Sulu: Right Loop, Right Ramp
Uhura: Right Ramp, Left Ramp, Right Orbit
Spock: Left Ramp, Right Ramp, Left Loop, Warp Ramp
Yeah, not sure. Probably unfinished.
I do wish they finished this game. It was so close!
I don’t think there’s a better shot sequence than the Spock combo in any of Stern’s recent games.
V1.62 released today. It really was a Five Year Mission.
GUI has documented precisely how the mode scores are calculated. The TL;DR is “Your mode shots grow on a unified counter (which lasts your entire game), with more points added for current ball progress, and more points for higher level missions”
Here’s a link to GUI’s video- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpOTXxVz59U
The only topic not touched on is how the mode scores are recalculated after initiating Galactic Away Team during a level 1 mode.
Last night I was playing Prime Directive 1, I had vengeance scoring running, right as I timer expired I hit away team. And everything just stopped running. I was no longer in vengeance scoring. I didn’t get galactic away team, nor could I start a new mode. Vengeance should have still been running and blocking mode start, but it wasn’t.
It is possible that first prime directive timed out, then the galactic away team lane switch triggered, and then vengeance scoring timed out? If so, the only question left, is why didn’t it autoplunge? A bug? Or did it autoplunge?