@sk8ball Very minor display suggestion – if you ever revisit Maiden code for any further polish: on Instant Info screen with Tomb Treasures… have the Treasures that you’ve qualified but not collected highlighted in red text (with their “???”), and unqualified treasures in the current white text.
Also, maybe fix the bug to where you brick the game when you get a tilt at the same time as defeating the beast. Had 8 tombs and just beat the beast on ball 2 a couple days ago. Hit the lower loop for my last shot (I thought I had 2 left because I wasn’t paying attention), ball came around to the upper right flipper and I pulled a Maiden (shot it to the left outlane). Quick upward nudge for a tilt and the game was stuck. Showed 0 Health for the beast, no animation showing he was dead, all lights and coils were off, music kept playing and it never finished the tilt processes (no tilt animation). Was like that for a min or so. Even tried changing settings in the menu to unstick it. Only a power cycle worked.
I had something very similar happen to me the other day. I hit the last shot to get the beast health to 0 and drained immediately. The flippers stopped, the g.i. dimmed, and the beast health read 0. It kept going through a ball search until I took the glass off and hit a switch. At that point it gave me credit for defeating the beast.
@sk8ball IM Premium is my favourite game and I want to suggest some ideas for your future code update, in order to improve it even more:
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Depending on slope, the power features for Cyborg MB seem very uneven. That might be designed on purpose but it feels very onesided: For example power spinners gets almost instantly completed every game, and always first, even if set to max number of spins in the settings and not even deliberately shot for. Please give us more room to work with in the settings, so that we can adjust the necessary number of spinners, pops, etc. more to our liking and create variety.
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Also I feel that the build up phase of the power features could somehow be even cooler. First starting a feature, then finishing it and then finally being able to collect it feels limiting and redundant in some way, even though I get the idea. But It’s like doing the same feature just twice. I’d prefer it to be this way: You hit a feature enough times to activate it, which means that you can now collect it at the orb, together with every other activated feature. But at the same time you can build the jackpot indefinitely by shooting the activated features even more. That would feel more open and greater emphasize the risk/reward element.
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In non-competitive play the leftmost loop and mini loop are underused. You want the tomb treasure and the extra ball, yes, but still. Also the right orbit (premium) and left ramp (pro) are underused. Maybe you could think of a genius way to make these shots more attractive, besides being worth a lot of points. At harder settings on the premium for example, trooper locks could be tied to the right orbit only - I’d love that because it would also remove some of the dominance of the left orbit. You could just give us options in the settings for this. For my solution for the loops see point 4.
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The options for mode start (EDDIE letters) are very limited. The game would be way more interesting and challenging if these were revised! For example: For the first mode you can hit all white shots (including loops). For the second mode the big middle ramp is removed. For the third mode the left orbit gets removed, too. For the fourth mode, the right ramp is gone as well. The fifth mode you can only shoot loops and finally for 2m2m it is mini loop and revive spinner only, or something. OR, you can shoot all white shots but every time you hit a shot it gets unlit. Maybe also give us the choice here. How awesome would it be to repeat the loop shot to start a mode!
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Order of Tomb Treasures could be improved: Run to the Hills could be at 6 or 7 to let people actually experience it. Light Revive should never be wasted, too.
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2m2m always feels off to me. Maybe it should be reworked into a two ball mode, which ends if you lose one. Or it could become one of those “unlimited balls for 60 seconds” modes - this would fit the theme greatly here and be way more fun and also very challenging with the tough shots and cross playfield auto plunges.
Hope you find the time to read all of this. I love this layout and want it to be as diverse and balanced as possible! Best, Ben
Interesting creativity and opinion.
Sorry: I don’t agree with almost all of it.
Power features: I think they’re better that they get completed at different times.
Indefinite power jackpot build up? No: because it would lead to an exploit of L orbit (plus spinner), loop pass, post transfer, repeat.
The leftmost loop (big loop) is Underutilized? Not on the ones I’m playing.
Left ramp on the Pro I play: I use it all the time.
I do agree the mini-loop is underutilized outside of Loop Jackpot phase. KME has hinted he might be giving it a buff to incentive players to shoot for it more often.
I think the progression of diminishing Eddie letters is perfect. Definitely would not put it on Loops.
Make RTTH easier to get to? No way. It’s meant to be an ultimate wizard mode. Don’t cheapen it.
2MTM is perfect as a one ball mode. It’s so good. Great risk/reward. Definitely shouldn’t be a Multiball. And don’t want it turned into a Cherry Bomb MB mode.
At least that’s my two cents.
Thank you for your constructive criticism! Maybe I can appreciate the current code even more because of it.
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I think you are right here. Still it feels strange that spinner is almost always first and ramps are last and a bit wood choppy. Maybe I’m doing it wrong…
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An orbit exploit could be a problem, indeed! Numbers would have to be rather small or maybe only left spinner and right orbit count. But that’s too complicated, I figure. Well, yeah, probably it’s good as is and there is no better solution than just capping the build phase at some point.
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What are you using the left ramp and big loop for then on the pro (besides modes, that is)? These shots are very risky and on paper there are always other shots to advance the game more easily. What am I missing here? But great to hear that KME might buff the mini loop!
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Why would you not put it on loops? I’m really curious because in my book this would highlight these shots a bit more and not force ramp combos all the time.
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Totally get your point! I’m just sad there is a multiball I am never going to reach, ever.
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Fair point. To each their own!
Thank you for your time and insight and all of the other great work you contribute to this forum!
I think all I really want from a code update as this point is grace periods on the AH and ROTAM super JPs to qualify the soul shards; been burned too many times
If there is still a plan to update then I have one for the prem/LE. There is no situation where it is wise to go for the the double mummy jackpot. If you do so then you are locked out of putting a ball in the sarcophagus for double switch hits until you collect another jackpot. It’s smarter to just collect singles and continuing to the lock the ball in the sarcophagus. I would suggest reversing the rules. If I take the risk of two balls in play for the double and get control again then I should be rewarded with the sarcophagus lock availability. If I just want to take singles then take that option away so I have to play with both balls and score another jackpot before the sarcophagus opens again. Either that or make the double jackpot worth a lot more than it is.
L ramp: any time it’s lit, particularly from a cradle — I prefer it to the R ramp. And getting last modes’ Eddie letters, I’ll shoot L ramp, ski jump, and back to L ramp.
Big loop: mainly for loops and loop jackpot. Massive scoring potential. If you can find the shot/timing, it’s worth the risk. And on Mariner, I repeat loops to get the left side shots to qualify the SJP. I also use it as part of my go-to combo in Number of the Beast. It’s also a decent option on FOTD.
Yep. I just didn’t feel like explaining all my reasons. Good work!
Easily the most infuriating aspect of the game
Personally I find the progression of lighting EDDIE letters the most boring part of the game, and the only thing I’d change, as it turns into a grind hitting ramps to light EDDIE letters.
2 options to change to
A) To light 1st 2 modes all white arrows remain lit, 3rd mode random 4 white arrows, 4th random white arrows, 5th mode random 2 white arrows, 2mtm 1 random white arrow.
or
B) 1st mode all arrows, 2nd mode start with 4 white arrows lit, but when you hit first white arrow it turns off and turns on the unlit white arrow. I.e. 4 white arrows always lit. 3rd mode 3 white arrows always lit etc. 2mtm roving white arrow.
Or combination of the 2 ideas
Bricking on NOTB when you have killed him on a danger is even more frustrating . At least you can play AH or ROAM again versus power cycling the game.
Yeah sounds rough. I’ve never experienced that.
Anybody know what the call out is when you get a Mummy Super Jackpot with 3x going and hit the bullseye (i.e. 9x super?). I got it for the first time the other day. And, i could have sworn the call out was ‘Ultra Super Jackpot!’. It was intense!
I seem to recall it was something like that. I don’t have a Maiden anymore to try to get it again. And I recall it being pretty juicy points.
New code dropped!
Some things that caught my eye in the patch notes
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Flight of Icarus - added bailout shot at Bullseye when you qualify Soul Shard, continue to build value at Ramps or shoot Bullseye to advance to Soul Shard Hurry Up
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Fear of the Dark - added spinner combo (Right Spinner -> Left Spinner will cause Left Spinner to score 4x instead of 2x)
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Battle Modes - mini loop is now always lit for an Eddie letter collection during spellout phase
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Mummy Multiball - fixed an issue where the total screen could get into a endless state causing timed modes to continue forever
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Loop Jackpots - hitting mini loop during Loop Jackpot round will reset the timer based on new default for ‘LOOP JACKPOT TIMER BOOST’ adjustment being ‘RESET TIMER’
Hoping these are referring to a grace period for qualifying the shard with a final shot while returning to single ball play.
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Aces High - improved Soul Shard detection logic
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Rime of the Ancient Mariner - improved Soul Shard detection logic
Updated Rime of the Ancient Mariner. The target bank acts as a shot when completed during 2nd and 3rd shots on the right side of the mode. No lighting indicates this on the playfield, so called it out in this section. During the 3rd shot , only the mini-loop light is lit and it is very hard to get it with the timer ticking down, so using the target bank is probably easiest way to complete this mode. Also updated that mode since the jackpot in the premium/LE game is under the center ramp. If someone has a Pro, they can double-check whether the bulls-eye shot actually multiplies the jackpot shot, but it’s not available to be multiplied on the premium/LE, so I doubt the Pro does.
The lighting shows it on mine. You hit the right ramp or right orbit first then it blinks the drops.
Yeah mine also (LE) but also there is a call out.
I’ll have to pay attention to the blinking lights. I think I did notice that when just doing the test earlier. Been playing last couple days for obvious reasons, and that damn mode kept killing me, then my friend and I noticed the shots advance, finally guessed it was the drops.