Question: Do timers pause during the startup of saucer multiball? My guess is no. I started jet fighters and was hitting some shots. Started saucer MB. Flippers died, lights flash and unskippable intro plays. When balls are plunged into play jet fighters is no longer running.
Another deep/minor mechanic question: Does hitting your second wallop immediately after the first use up the wallop without spotting a shot?
Something that I think just happened:
I started a game, started gigan, hit a wallop, and then had a crazy bounce where I hit the wallop a second time in less than a second (the first wallop ball save was still running). After doing this, I only had one mode shot of progress toward gigan. Later in the same ball, I hit a third wallop. It did not trigger a ball save or spot a shot.
So it seems like the second wallop counted toward my two per game, but did not spot a shot (unless for some reason it spotted a shot other than a gigan mode shot which would be odd because I didnāt have anything else running).
And another related to saucer: itās not uncommon for me to hit a lit saucer too quickly after lighting it (rolling over the switch that makes it start flashing blue). I just did this where the ball bounced off the saucer into the wall into the saucer again (two quick hits) and the saucer remained lit and uncollected. So it seems that if the first hit is ātoo quickā then successive quick hits wonāt collect the saucer either.
Your three questions answered:
- Nope, as with many other things in the game, starting Saucer Attack MB does not stop timers. Though generally, the bumper is only lit to start it when no major modes are running. Jet Fighter Attack likely has lower priority so away it goes.
- Wallop only spots a lit shot once per mode activation (for instance; if you started Gigan, first Wallop will spot the left ramp, second will only score the points; if you fail it and start it again, Wallop will spot a shot again.) And if nothing is running, Wallop just awards even smaller points. All Wallop shots count towards the 2 ball-saves per game maximum.
- Yup, this is intended saucer behavior as the game doesnāt want you to get saucer attacks that easily.
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Thanks for the responses.
- The saucer mb startup process kills the playerās flippers for several seconds so it would seem appropriate to pause timers during that
- I hadnāt realized the once per mode wallop rule.
- Doesnāt feel like a too-easy thing to me. When Iāve had it happen, itās because of strategically flipping the first time the ball gets to the flipper after the game has visually signaled the saucer is qualified for destruction.
And further, that explanation doesnāt hold water from a game logic standpoint: if the game is signaling "hit x right now to accomplish y " and the player hits x, then y should happen. If it doesnāt, then that just confuses the player. If the concern is that the ball commonly rolls over the triggering switch and directly into the pop (not something Iāve particularly noticed or one would expect from the layout) then the solve would be to bake in a small delay between the switch rollover and lighting the saucer. Once the saucer lights, successfully hitting it should destroy it.
But lighting and hitting the saucer shouldnāt count via one shot. Needs to light, then be shot subsequently imo. I agree it would be too easy to get to the MB, also, I donāt want it to collect the saucer from that subsequent quick hit as I would be screwed out of my double saucer Shatz.
Right. Iām not talking about that. Iām talking about lighting it and then hitting it. Do it too quickly and it doesnāt destroy it.
The only function of the saucer attack insert is to indicate that hitting the saucer will destroy it. So it standards to reason that a hit to the saucer when itās lit always destroys it. I donāt see a reason why this would not be the desired behavior.
If thereās a concern that the saucer could be hit from the same shot that trips the switch to qualify it (not something I recall seeing given the ball almost always rolls over the switch moving away from the saucer) then an easy solve is to simply code in a small delay between rolling over the switch and lighting the insert. That would remove the confusing situation where the game is telling the player āhit the saucer now to destroy itā, the player complies, and the saucer is not destroyed.
Remember that pop hits qualify the saucer attack light too. I donāt want repeated quick hits giving me credit for a destroyed saucer. If I shoot the pop area and need 2 hits for the next saucer attack light, I donāt want it to count if my shot tot he area results in 3 quick hits to the saucer. I want to decide if I want to simply hit the pop or Shatz it after itās lit.
Desired or not, I hope itās not changed.
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Iām not suggesting any change in gameplay behavior. Only to not light the insert until hitting the saucer will destroy it. I canāt see how this would be a negative (having the visual cues match the game rules).
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Updated to code 0.98. Super spinner and loops are looking a lot more lucrative nowā¦
Super Spinner is definitely a late game goal. Assuming you only take over one city by the time your first one is ready, you would need double the spins compared to prior code to match scoring. Current code only matches previous code at 4 cities.
The uncapped value definitely has potential, but thereās some checks and balances thrown in to keep it from being over the top.
Can you collect the last Rage Combo shot with the heatray?
Yes. But you have to have jets running as well in order to have the opportunity.
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Or Hedorah
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Good to know! That would be easier to stack with rage than jets.
When magna grab is qualified what causes the magnet to grab the ball? Do you have to hit it solid enough for the captive ball to hit the switch? Iām getting really inconsistent āgrabsā and not sure why as it seems Iām making solid contact.
Has to be that switch. Put it in switch edges test and see how much of a smack from a ball it takes to trigger it. May have to adjust (slightly bend) the actuator.
Massive props to the huge buffs for Monster Rampage & Tier 2 battles in this update! Both were great before but making individual shots in Rampage for almost 100M, and getting painfully close to a billion-point Tier 2 cashout, are unbeatable now. The additional information on the display is also appreciated.
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Loving the new code (as usual). A few minor observations/ideas for future updates.
Current Carnage Bonus Value?
Is there any way to check his other than hitting the scoop when change city is lit? If not, adding to instant info/and or the UI would be helpful.
I was playing a ball where I had completed all monster monitors in a city and was trying to decide if I should continue to push for annihilation bonuses or cash out the carnage bonus. Since the next scoop hit would require me to switch cities, being able to know the current collect value another way would have assisted with decision makingā¦
Lighting tweaks for key gameplay elements:
-
Mothra Ball Save
Sometimes the Mothra ball save insert turns on as part of a light show despite the player not actually having the powerup. Iāve definitely let a ball or two go due to this which ended up ending the ball or game. -
Megalon Mode Shots
When Megalon is running during GZ multiball where there are also yellow jackpots, it can be difficult to quickly identify which is the active kaiju mode shot.
Had to laugh today when a location regular complained that the oxygen destroyer ruined death saves. Heāll get over it.
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