CFTBL alternative rules

Games
1

I’m looking at making an alternative game of CFTBL using FreeWPC.
I’m bound by the sounds in the rom so that limits creativity a bit.
I have to make all rules from scratch and I can’t re-use dmd animations.

I was first thinking of making the game more about getting the girl (in your car) but could get too sexist/abusive. The kiss implementation in the current game is just enough, I don’t want to make that more explicit.
One of my initial ideas was also going to the movies multiple times and each time earning a nicer car (the whole list on the backbox) and a nicer girl. But I couldn’t make that idea work with the game layout / inserts / sounds.

Then I was thinking of making the game more about the movie plot. But the movie is more that the creature kills people and gets killed in the end. I don’t want to make this game about killing.
Again, the current implementation has to my feeling enough balance between implementing movie ideas and keeping it just about rescuing the girl.

The current game everywhere (art/inserts/sounds/…) has a duality between the drive-in and the movie. So that’s something you have to use. There are things you do at the drive-in, and when you collect film the movie starts and multiball is all about the movie plot.
I want to change things here a bit.

Below is my idea. There are still some things I’m not sure about. I hope to get some feedback and ideas from people here.
Especially about:

  • Some goals become harder, I’m not sure if that will make the game still fun or too hard.
  • Spelling PAID will light a movie mode multiball, I’m not sure if that will keep the story clear these modes can maybe get mixed with what you do at the drive-in.
  • everything with ?? in the rules
  • it’s still very much mode based like the original rules. I’d like to make it more like a modern stern with more complicated rules but have to work out the details. Wizard MB would be more worth depending on how you did in previous mode.

New rules:

  • skillshot:
    • blinking paid letter for points
    • plunge to flippers, shoot immediately at:
      • snackbar for points
        ?? - right ramp for points (or repeat shots for big millions) ?
        ?? - slide for points (or start a slide mode) ?

KISS letters:
- repeat for each letter:
- shoot left scoop, letter will blink
- girl will tell what she wants to eat from the snackbar
- right ramp to light snackbar
- hit correct target (others are ok too)
- snackbar to collect food and collect blinking kiss letter
- shooting kiss before or with wrong order gives sound hands off buster, correct order moves over until kiss sound when 4 letters collected

Double Combo:
- shoot left ramp, starts timer
- make shot again to increase 5M, maxes at 50M
- collect bonus at center shot

extra ball
- enough normal left ramp shots light XB
- collect XB at center shot

  • center shot
    • collect double combo

?? - move your car / parking ok
- MYC is such an iconic mode. I don’t really want to copy it as I can’t use the dmd animations, but I don’t know a good alternative yet.
I’d like to tie it to the cars on the speaker panel.
Make enough shots and collect points each time?
Turn it into a timed mode in which you repeat the center shot and move to front of the line? (so MYC with other graphics)

  • snackbar

    • hit targets and collect kiss orders

  • shoot right ramp

    • (count up to feature lit) to light mode on slide
      • mega menu
      • big millions
      • playground award
    • to open snackbar and collect orders
    • to start right ramp millions if previous 2 are done
      • repeat right ramp shot in time (4 seconds?) to score 5M

  • mega menu

    • timed mode
    • shoot snackbar targets and collect jackpot in snackbar

  • big millions

    • timed mode
    • alternate shoot the left and right ramp to score big millions (inserts on left slingshot)

  • playground award:
    ?? - award ? timed mode ?

  • spell paid

    • to admit one

      • light video 1 left or right ??

    • next admit one

      • light video 2

    • 3rd admit one

      • light rescue at snackbar

    -4th admit one
    - light start movie left/right to start multiball / wizard mode

  • video 1

    • 2 ball multiball
      • hit enough bumpers to move Rita ship to black Lagoon
      • shoot left ramp and spell creature in bowl to light jackpot at snackbar
        ?? - mb continues after collecting jackpot ?

  • video 2

    • 2 ball multiball
      • hit enough bumpers to remove blocked exit of black Lagoon
      • shoot left ramp and spell creature in bowl to light jackpot at snackbar
        ?? - mb continues after collecting jackpot ?

  • rescue mode

    • 2 ball multiball
      • she’s in one of the tunnels sound
      • shoot correct tunnel shot

  • wizard multiball

    • lock balls to start 2 or 3 ball multiball
    • try to spell FILM letters
      • ?? make 4 film shots once? spell paid/kiss again (2x 4 shots) during mb?
      • not sure yet what goals to make during wizard mode

?? Issues I’m having with the multiball is that some people might hold a ball and continue a long 2 ball mb?
So after collecting the jackpot, do I just let 2 ball mb run (and people can spell creature over and over and collect jackpot)
or you can only collect jackpot once and then normal gameplay continues: you can build paid/kiss whilst having 2 balls in play?
I was thinking of using the right kickout as a lock, once you collect jackpot in the snackbar then multiball is over and the ball
remains locked, but having 1 locked ball on the playfield can give issues with multiple players / locking balls in other modes.

2

I think the trough supports 3 balls so a 3-ball MB would be nice.

I would encourage you to keep the Drive-in as the primary theme and keep the mostly wholesome, fun/humorous, light-hearted tone. That is what makes the original so charming.
If you want to go more serious for the movie bits that would be OK imo.

Good luck. Creech could really use an update.

3

I guess I disagree. I think CFTBL’s rules are great, and varied options on gameplay and scoring paths. I wouldn’t change anything outside of the fixes already addressed in a prior Custom ROM that:

  • Fix the “overflow” issue on Snack Bar hurry-up that allows for the 9.9B hurry-up exploit.
  • In comp setting, allow for deterministic Find the Girl # of shots, so it’s the same across players.
  • There may have been other minor fixes in that Custom ROM, but those are the two most important.

I think the 2-ball MB is great – prioritizes careful thoughtful play during MB. And yet, there are a # of single-ball scoring methods that are enjoyable challenges, and hold up scoring-wise against an average mulitball.

Of course, knock yourself out on customizing your own game… though I do hope that CFTBL for everyone else – on location or when I play in someone else’s collection/event – remain the CFTBL we’ve all grown to love.

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