Hehman's Guide to
Mary Shelly's Frankenstein
Version 1.0 - Released 11 Sep 1995
This is a rules sheet for the Sega Pinball Inc. machine Mary Shelly's
Frankenstein, based on the Trimark movie of the same name, which is in
turn based on the book by Mary Shelly first published in 1818.
ObDisclaimer: All trademarks and other legal nonsense are duly
acknowledged as belonging to Sega Pinball, Trimark Pictures, Edgar
Winter, and whomever else owns trademarks this guide refers to.
This guide is copyright 1995 by Christopher T. Hehman, insofar as this
is possible given that the subject matter is even more copyrighted.
Distribution of this guide is permitted and encouraged, so long as no
profits are made from that distribution and proper credit is given to
the author and all others who contributed. All rights reserved.
Corrections, additions, flames, suggestions, and cases of beer are
exceedingly welcome.
Some abbreviations used in this guide:
- Ob = Obligatory
- VUK = Vertical Up Kicker
- TZ = Twilight Zone
- IMHO = In My Humble/Honest Opinion
- r.g.p.= rec.games.pinball Usenet group
- STTNG = Star Trek: The Next Generation
Enough of this. On with the rules...
Starting the Game
- Choose Music(!)
-
Before each player's first ball, they are asked to choose what
background music they want. Left flipper chooses the film
soundtrack, while the right flipper chooses Edgar Winter's guitar-
laden instrumental "Frankenstein". The former is a dramatic
orchestral piece which fits the theme well. The latter is true
classic rock 'n' roll which has nothing to do with the theme but
everything to do with pinball. Both arrangements squeeze all they
can from Sega's sound system (BSMT 2000), which pales in comparison
to any Wms/Bally from TZ to the present. If you are absolutely
unable to decide, the game will pick Edgar Winter's for you after a
long delay.
- The Switch
-
Located where you would expect to find the plunger. It is a nice
solid lever which can be moved between an 'up' position and a 'down'
position, although all that matters is that you 'throw the switch' to
the other position to launch the ball. Note that you can press both
flippers simultaneously to launch the ball instead. This is
particularly important if the switch on your machine is broken or
flaky, which seems to be rather common.
Tournament mode:
You MUST use the switch; you can't use both flippers to launch the
ball. Better hope that the switch works 100% of the time.
- Skill Shot
-
Think back to any cheezy monster movie you have ever seen, and you
should remember a device consisting of two metal poles and a blue
electrical pulse connecting them, starting at the base and rising up
to the top. The display shows a similar device with the values 5M,
10M, 15M, and 20M between the poles, and an electrical arc shifting
among them. Throw the switch (or press both flippers) to receive the
shown award and to launch the ball. The arc always starts at 5M, and
steps to 10M, 15M, and 20M in order. Then it hops about quickly on
and/or between the values. If you throw the switch while the arc is
between values, you receive only 1M.
If you are ready at the start of your ball, you are guaranteed 20M.
If not, you will need to rely on fast reflexes and a little luck.
On a good note, this is the closest thing in the game to a video
mode :)
The Playfield
- Flippers
-
Three of 'em, all full size. Two in the normal positions and one on
the upper right, about where Whirlwind's upper flipper is located.
- Slingshots
-
Standard triangular.
- The rest of the playfield clockwise from the left flipper:
- Left Inlane
-
Lights the Ingolstadt spinner at the start of the right orbit.
- Left Outlane
-
Awards special when lit. Leads to the Alive Kickback.
- Alive Kickback
-
Your average kickback. Relight by shooting the Ice Cave.
But wait: If the ball goes to a lit kickback while a ball saver is
active, the ball is kicked as usual BUT THE KICKBACK STAYS LIT!!
This finally rectifies a long-standing discrepancy in games with
both a ball saver and a kickback.
There is also a 'Super Kickback' random Ice Cave award, which
keeps the kickback lit permanently for the rest of the current ball.
- FRankenstein letters
-
2 of 12 (!) standups you need to light to start a mode. Don't worry,
there are ways of spotting letters. Note that the 'F' is partially
obscured from the right flipper by the left slingshot.
- Geneva (lower) scoop
-
A generously sized scoop. As there are no under-the-playfield
tunnels in Frankenstein, any shot into the scoop pops out from it.
Geneva kickouts are very easy to catch, and shooting Geneva is a
good way to pass the ball from the right flipper to the left one.
Hit the Geneva scoop when lit to spell 'GENEVA' to start Geneva
multiball. Geneva multiball jackpot starts at 20M, and is increased
by 1M by shooting the Geneva scoop when not lit, up to a maximum of
50M. Geneva is automatically lit at the start of each ball and
immediately after Geneva multiball. To light it yourself, shoot the
left lane. Before starting your second Geneva multiball, the right
inlane will temporarily light Geneva.
- Bumpers
-
This is an area of 4 pop bumpers, similar in location to the pops on
Jurassic Park. Bumpers start at 250K/hit, and the last one hit will
flash. Hit the spinner (right orbit) from the left inlane to
increase the flashing bumper value by 50K/spin, up to a max of 1M.
There is also a random Ice Cave award which maximizes the flashing
bumper to 1M. All bumpers reset to 250K after each ball and there is
no way to hold values. Don't expect huge points here.
- Left Lane
-
Make the left lane by splitting the bumpers. A strong enough shot
will make it all the way around to the spinner at the right orbit
entrance, and feeds the upper flipper. It also lights both the
Geneva and Sarcophagus scoops. This is one of four jackpot shots.
- frANKenstein letters
-
3 more standups to the right of the left lane entrance, facing
sideways to the right. Complete with the other 9 to start a mode.
- Change Scene / Move Jackpot target
-
A circular standup which faces up and to the right, so it cannot
be hit directly from a lower flipper. If no modes are active in
single ball play, this changes the lit scene. During multiball this
can change the location of lit jackpots (!)
- Sarcophagus (upper) scoop -- (no relation to Stargate's sarcophagus)
-
Not directly shootable from the lower flippers, and kicks back to the
upper flipper. Shoot when lit to collect the Sarcophagus value,
which starts each ball at 10M. Shoot when unlit to raise value by
5M. If there is a limit on how high you can build the Sarcophagus
value, it is at least 55M.
Light Sarcophagus by shooting the left lane or right orbit. If you
make the left lane to Sarcophagus combo (via the upper flipper), you
are awarded twice the normal Sarcophagus value. Sarcophagus spots
one FRANKENSTEIN letter.
- Ice Cave
-
A mostly hidden hole accessible from the upper flipper, or by an
extremely fortuitous pop bumper bounce. If the kickback is not
lit, Ice Cave will light it for you ("Alive!"). If you are not
in a mode or in multiball, a random award is given from this list:
- 5M points
- 10M points
- 20M points
- Pop bumper maxed
- Spinner at max
- Geneva letter spotted
- Double bonus lit (right outlane)
- Spot three FRANKENSTEIN letters
- Start Creation scene (mode)
- Super kickback
- Extra ball lit
- Special lit (left outlane)
Ice Cave will also spot a FRANKENSTEIN letter and is a jackpot shot.
The ball is kicked into the bumper area when finished.
Note: "Spot three FRANKENSTEIN letters" already counts the one that
is always spotted. So it really only spots two extra letters.
Tournament mode:
The Ice Cave awards are always given in the same order. The
first three are 5M, Spot 3 Letters, and Pop Bumper Maxed.
- Small Lane
-
A small lane connecting the very back of the playfield with the
side of the Sarcophagus scoop. Partial left lane/right orbit
attempts will sometimes dribble down this lane, and may enter the
Sarcophagus. I have yet to see it do anything special.
- ObToy: Frankenstein's Monster
-
A big plastic monster which towers over the back portions of the
playfield. The head moves about quizzically from time to time, and
both arms are raised with spots for a ball in each hand.
Creature 2-ball (more on this later) is the only time in the game
that the monster is used. If Creature 2-ball is started from the
North Pole VUK, the ball is popped to the left hand (left from the
player's point of view, not the monster's). Once a second ball is
launched, the monster half-heartedly drops the first ball into the
bumper area. This is very unexciting, and as one r.g.p.'er
politically incorrectly noted, "Frankenstein throws like a girl."
But after Creature 2-ball is completed (and a ball is popped to the
right hand), the monster hurls the ball at the lower right flipper in
a much more impressive manner. Not as impressively as the Raptor Pit
in Jurassic Park, but this is probably a good thing.
- frankENStein letters
-
Another bank of standups, facing the lower flippers. Complete with
the other 9 to start a mode.
- North Pole
-
Leads to a VUK which feeds the right inlane via a lengthy habitrail.
This shot is in the back center of the playfield and is roughly in
the same place as 'Start Mission' on STTNG. Shoot when lit for extra
ball. If no mode/multiball is running, it spots two FRANKENSTEIN
letters. The North Pole is also a good (but slow) way to get the
ball from the left to the right flipper. This shot can be used to
start Creature 2-ball when lit, and serves as the lock during
Creature 2-ball. This is also a jackpot shot.
The first time you shoot North Pole in a game to spot FRANKENSTEIN
letters, you will see a book entitled 'Journal of XXX' where XXX is
someone's initials. See the Spoilers on how to get YOUR initials
here, if you must know.
- frankensTein letter
-
Standup between the North Pole and the ramp. Complete with the other
11 to start a mode.
- Ramp
-
The only ramp in the game, and it takes a reasonably solid shot from
the left flipper to make it all the way up. Feeds the left inlane,
so it is loopable. The ramp is a jackpot shot. Making ramp shots is
the only way to light Creature 2-ball, the prelude to full-blown 3-
to 6-ball multiball. This is important.
- frankenstEin letter
-
Standup between the ramp and the right orbit. Complete with the
other 11 to start a mode.
- Ingolstadt spinner (start of right orbit)
-
Normally worth roughly 100K/spin. When lit from the left inlane it
is worth ~200K/spin and increases pop bumper values. A random Ice
Cave award can maximize spinner value at ~300K/spin for the rest of
the current ball.
To answer the inevitable question, Ingolstadt is a medium-sized city
in southwest Germany where Victor goes to study medicine.
- Right Orbit
-
Shoot to feed the pop bumpers and light Sarcophagus. It's an
alternate way of starting Creature 2-ball when lit.
- Secret Diverter
-
Surprise! There is a diverter somewhere behind the North Pole VUK
which, when active, will block right orbit attempts and feed the ball
to the upper flipper instead. The diverter is active right after the
kickback is used to feed the upper flipper, and also when:
- The kickback is not lit
- The spinner is not lit by the left inlane
- Creature 2-ball is not lit
This right orbit, under these conditions, is the preferred way of
feeding the upper flipper for the Ice Cave to relight the kickback.
It is really a shame that this diverter is not active more often,
and that the player has no hints of when it is active, or even that
it exists. In general the game does a rather good job of pointing
out what shots the player should go for, and this is the sole (but
glaring) exception.
- frankensteIN letters
-
Two standups immediately below the automatic plunger lane exit.
Complete with the other 10 to start a mode.
- Right Outlane
-
Awards double bonus when lit. As the name suggests, this doubles
your end-of-ball bonus. Double bonus can be lit by a random Ice Cave
award.
- Right Inlane
-
Lights Geneva temporarily until your second Geneva multiball. Then
it doesn't seem to do much at all.
Creation Scenes
These modes are started by completing all 12 FRANKENSTEIN standups or
via a random Ice Cave award. Remember that letters can be spotted by
shooting the North Pole, Sarcophagus, or Ice Cave. Letters are spotted
starting with 'T' and moving right, wrapping around the word if
necessary to find an unlit letter to spot. Note that the FRANKENSTEIN
letters in the bottom center of the display indicate which letters are
lit and unlit. This is amazingly handy, as you would otherwise have to
scan the playfield for 12 individual lamps.
You are awarded 20M points for starting a scene. All points collected
in the scene are awarded immediately. With the exception of "Light
Extra Ball", your scene total is displayed once the scene is over.
Note that this total includes 10M of the 20M you are awarded when you
start the scene.
Depending on how far you get in a given scene, you can be awarded a
CREATION letter. This is very desirable, and is the ultimate goal of
each scene. Your question now, of course, is "what happens when you
finish spelling CREATION?" Check the spoilers if you really must know
what the CREATION letters are good for. But I recommend figuring it
out for yourself.
There are eight scenes indicated in a circular pattern on the playfield.
"Frankenstein Millions" is always the first lit. You advance clockwise
one spot by ending a mode or by hitting the "Move Scene" target.
Starting at the 6 o'clock position and moving clockwise:
- Frankenstein Millions
-
Shoot all 12 FRANKENSTEIN letters within 30 seconds. You can spot a
single letter by shooting the North Pole, Sarcophagus, or Ice Cave.
You are awarded 6M each for your first six letters, 8M each for the
next three, and 10M each thereafter. Once you have finished spelling
FRANKENSTEIN, the letters reset and you can spell it again, with 10M
per letter. Note that letters collected in this mode (or any mode)
do not help towards starting the next one.
Shoot all 12 letters within 30 seconds to collect a CREATION letter.
This is worth 100M + 10M * any extra letters you hit.
- Stoning
-
A frenzy for 30 seconds with all targets worth 500K each. After
making a certain number of targets [30?], values increase to 750K,
and after some more they increase to 1M each. The right orbit has a
spinner and leads to the pop bumpers, so many switches can be
triggered with this shot. Scoring in this mode tends to be lower on
average than most of the others.
Shoot a total of around 50-60 switches to collect a CREATION letter.
This is worth about 51M + 1M * any extra switches you hit.
- Creature Feature
-
You have 30 seconds to spell CREATURE by shooting the ramp eight(!)
times. The ramp awards 20M, 30M, 40M, 50M, 50M, 50M, [?], and [?]
respectively. Ramps shots in this mode do not count towards lighting
Creature 2-ball.
I imagine that a CREATION letter would be collected by spelling
CREATURE with 8 ramp shots, but I don't know of anyone who has
actually done it.
- Lynch Justine
-
Shoot the Left Lane for 3 consecutive hurry-ups. The first starts at
60M and counts down 1M/second until collected. After shooting it,
the second starts at 60M, and once that is collected, the third
starts at 80M. The mode ends once all 3 have been collected or
20 seconds have elapsed.
Collect all three hurry-ups for a CREATION letter.
This is worth 210M - 1M/seconds elapsed.
- North Pole
-
Shoot the North Pole VUK for a hurry-up starting at 90M, counting
down 5M/second down to 20M before expiring. One shot ends the mode
and awards a CREATION letter.
- Light Extra Ball
-
Extra ball is lit at the North Pole. The 'mode' ends immediately.
A CREATION letter is automatically awarded!
- Voltage Mode
-
Shoot the ramp for 20M, then the North Pole for 30M, then the Ice
Cave for 40M, then the Left Lane for 50M. Note that a voltmeter
counts down your time left before an overload.
Make all four shots in time for a CREATION letter.
This is worth 150M.
- Graveyard
-
This mode is (IMHO) the most fun one other than Light Extra Ball ;)
Make a monster by collecting two arms, two legs, a torso, and a head
from the various holes. Get arms from Geneva, legs from the North
Pole, the torso from the Sarcophagus, and the head from the Ice Cave.
You get 30M per body part, plus a 30M completion bonus for finishing
your dastardly work.
Complete the monster (6 shots) for a CREATION letter.
This is worth 220M.
See Spoilers if you really must know what happens when you finish all
the modes. But it's cooler if you do it yourself first.
Multiball
Multiball in Frankenstein is as complicated as multiball gets. Don't
worry if you have to reread this several times to get the hang of it.
Shoot the ramp to advance towards Creature 2-ball. On most machines you
need 4 ramps to light it for the first time, but this is operator
tweakable. If you successfully complete Creature 2-ball, you will need
an additional 2 ramps to light it again.
If you haven't completed Creature 2-ball yet, a ramp shot is spotted for
you when starting Ball 2 and when starting Ball 3. It is not spotted
when starting extra balls, earned or bought. If you only needed one
ramp, Creature 2-ball will be lit for you.
There are two lamps at the ramp entrance, marked "Lock 1" and "Lock 2".
Disregard the traditional meanings of Lock 1 and Lock 2. This is what
these lamps are telling you:
Ramps needed to light Creature 2-ball | Lock 1 lamp | Lock 2 lamp |
6 or more | Off | Off |
5 | On | Off |
4 | On | On |
3 | Flash | On |
2 | On | Flash |
1 | Flash | Flash |
Confused yet? Just wait...
Once lit, shoot either the North Pole or the right orbit to start
Creature 2-ball. A ball saver is active for a few seconds at the start
of this and all other multiballs. If you start it with the North Pole,
the ball is popped to one of the monster's hands, which "throws" it
while another ball is autolaunched. If you use the right orbit, another
ball is simply launched.
Shoot the North Pole to lock a ball (the ball is popped to the monster).
After a few seconds a big '6' appears on the display and numbers start
to count down. The jackpot value starts at 69M and counts down to 30M.
Quickly shoot the North Pole, Geneva, the ramp, or the Sarcophagus to
stop the countdown and start multiball. The first number in the
resulting jackpot value indicates how many balls you will have during
multiball (3, 4, 5, or 6). If you cannot lock the second ball before
the countdown expires, the locked ball will unlock. You then have to
relock a ball at the North Pole and try again (the jackpot value will
again start at 69M). During the countdown, the pop bumpers will
increase the jackpot value by 1M/pop, up to a maximum of 69M. If you
drain either ball before starting 3-6 ball, Creature 2-ball is over.
A good strategy here is to catch a ball on each flipper. Shoot the
North Pole from the left flipper. WAIT A FEW SECONDS until the big
'6' appears, and then shoot the Geneva scoop. If you miss and are
feeling greedy/risky, you may opt to wait out the countdown before
trying again in order to go for more balls and a higher jackpot.
Confused now? It gets better...
Once 3-6 ball is started, the appropriate number of balls are launched
and the monster releases any balls he is holding. Two jackpots shots
are lit, the ramp and the left lane. The jackpot value of each starts
at the countdown value from Creature 2-ball, and can be increased by the
FRANKENSTEIN letters, 2M/letter. To make life more fun, the location of
the jackpots is subject to change via the "Move Jackpot" target. The
jackpot shots shift from the left lane -> Ice Cave -> North Pole -> the
ramp -> left lane. Completing both jackpots adds a ball if fewer than
six are in play. At the same time, complete all of the FRANKENSTEIN
letters for 20M. There is no way to spot letters; you have to hit each
standup. Having 6 balls bouncing around makes this much easier.
On some machines (I'm guessing this is operator settable), if you fail
to make either jackpot during 3-6 ball, the North Pole is lit for a
second-chance multiball. Shoot the North Pole quickly and multiball
restarts with the jackpots equal to the Creature 2-ball countdown value.
Now once you've made both jackpots and spelled FRANKENSTEIN, the ramp
is lit for a 100M Creature Jackpot. This value can be increased by 1M
per spin at the spinner. After collecting the Creature Jackpot, hit the
Sarcophagus to light the Super Jackpot. The Sarcophagus is also worth
an alleged 50M, but this is not exactly advertised.
Once lit, the Super Jackpot cycles between the four possible jackpot
shots. I am told that after getting the Super Jackpot, you start all
over again, except you have to hit all four jackpots and spell FRANKEN-
STEIN. The insanity ends once you are down to less than two balls.
Read it all again and it might be a little more clear. Or not.
For those who can't take it, there is a simpler but much less lucrative
Geneva multiball.
Geneva Multiball
Spell GENEVA at the Geneva scoop to start, as described in the "Geneva"
section of the Playfield description.
A 3-ball multiball is started immediately, and all four jackpots are
lit for the Geneva jackpot value. There does not seem to be a way of
increasing this value during Geneva Multiball. Once all four jackpots
have been collected, shoot the Geneva scoop to relight them, and repeat
until less than two balls remain. The "Move Jackpot" target has no
effect in Geneva Multiball.
After Geneva multiball is over, the jackpot value reverts back to 20M.
Starting Multiball During Modes
This is complex and confusing enough to merit its own section.
Ramps made during modes count towards lighting Creature 2-ball, except
during "CREATURE Feature". Once Creature 2-ball is lit, the North Pole
and the right orbit will always start it. The mode ends immediately,
and as described below, sometimes a CREATION letter/extra points are
awarded.
Shooting the Geneva scoop when lit during a mode will award a GENEVA
letter, except during Graveyard before both arms have been collected.
Geneva multiball will start once all letters have been awarded, and the
mode ends immediately. I'm not sure, but I think that multiball will
start even if Graveyard is running and less than two arms have been
collected. This needs double-checking.
Once multiball starts, the mode ends and the scene total is displayed.
Under certain conditions, extra points are awarded as if you had
completed additional goals within the mode, and sometimes a CREATION
letter is also awarded. Bear in mind that the scene total and CREATION
letter animations are sometimes pre-empted. Here is what I know so far:
- Frankenstein Millions
-
No extra points are awarded, but a CREATION letter is always given.
You should try to complete the mode normally if you are good at
shooting standups, because letters are worth 10M each after spelling
FRANKENSTEIN.
- Stoning
-
You are awarded 51M and a CREATION letter if you have not already
gotten them on your own. Even if you are a pro at the spinner shot,
and the spinner and pops tend to trigger very often, you won't be
able to get very many extra points by doing the mode yourself. This
is a very good time to light and start Creature 2-ball.
- Creature Feature
-
You don't get anything other than what you've already done.
- Lynch Justine
-
The currently lit hurry-up is collected at its current value. If the
third hurry-up is lit, the CREATION letter is also awarded.
- North Pole
-
You get a CREATION letter and the hurry-up at its current value.
- Voltage
-
You are always awarded full credit for the mode (150M) and the
letter, so there is no advantage whatsoever in doing it yourself.
This is another good time to start Creature 2-ball.
- Graveyard
-
This is weird. For starting Creature 2-ball, you are given the
head, torso, arms, and one leg. If you already had at least one leg,
you get the CREATION letter, otherwise you don't. I'm not sure
about what happens if you start Geneva multiball, or if that makes
any difference. This needs more study.
Miscellaneous
There is a distinct lack of any kind a grace period anywhere, not with
the ball saver, the mode awards, or the multiball jackpots. Multiball
in particular ends the INSTANT that the second-to-last ball is detected
in the trough, which is very frustrating if the last ball is a split
second away from triggering a jackpot. This is particularly frustrating
in that the ramp switch is on the return part of the path, so it is very
possible for a ball to be safely up the ramp but not count as a jackpot
because another ball drained in that instant. Ack.
Sometimes if you have a mid-to-low scoring Ball 1 and have not received
an extra ball yet, the scene indicator moves to "Light Extra Ball". If
this happens, the Ice Cave will always award Light Extra Ball if you
shoot it before starting the Light Extra Ball mode. This can be very
handy to know, as you could end up with two quick extra balls. I am
guessing that this is somehow connected with extra ball percentaging.
I have seen this happen after Ball 1 with a score as high as 415M.
Also, I have seen Special lit at the start of ball 3 during an
especially low scoring game. I am guessing that this is somehow
connected with replay/credit percentaging. It is interesting to note
that whenever Special is lit, the kickback is also lit. So when you get
a special, you always get the ball back too. Weird.
In order to be asked if you want to buy in, you must press the Extra
Ball button hidden below the start button DURING THE GAME, before the
final bonus count leads to the match sequence. The machine I play is
set to One buy-in, and buying in does not seem to disqualify you from
making the high-score chart. You may consider getting in the habit of
pressing the Start button and then the Extra Ball button every time you
start a game to avoid missing opportunities to buy in.
Fun With Bonus
Only shots made during the current ball count towards bonus. There is
no way to hold bonus. Only actual standup hits count towards
FRANKENSTEIN letters, spotted letters do not apply.
- A) Ramp Bonus
-
Multiply ramp shots by 1M.
- B) Frankenstein Letters
-
Award 1M for first 20 FRANKENSTEIN letters, and 500K for each
additional letter.
- C) Shot Bonus
-
Take sum of shots to Geneva, left lane, Sarcophagus, Ice Cave,
North Pole, and right orbit, and multiply by 1M.
Your bonus is A + B + C + 1M, all multiplied by 2 if you get "Double
Bonus". I don't think that you can double your bonus more than once.
Bugs
After ending 3-6 ball multiball, sometimes the 'Shoot Sarcophagus to
Light Super Jackpot' message stays on well after multiball is over.
Same thing with 'Shoot Geneva to Relight Jackpots' in Geneva Multiball.
It fixes itself after you do something which uses the full display, like
spelling GENEVA or spotting letters at the North Pole.
Also, I have witnessed a scenario in 6-ball where the ramp was the sole
jackpot left, and I hit the "Move Jackpot" target several times, but the
display continued to instruct me to shoot "THE RAMP". The correct
jackpots flashed in turn after every hit and the ramp was no longer
flashing, but the display was never updated. I have since seen the
same behavior with "NORTH POLE" and "LEFT LANE".
Strategy
Multiball is the best source of quick points. Modes take time to start
and are not always lucrative or easy to complete. However, successfully
completing modes can be very rewarding in the long run, especially once
you finish all of them.
One relatively safe but very slow way of collecting FRANKENSTEIN letters
is to make endless North Pole -> Geneva -> North Pole shots. You may
consider using this strategy to complete the 'T' and 'E' ramp targets
and the 'FR' and 'IN' fringe targets, as they can be hard (and maybe
dangerous) to hit. The 'ANK' and 'ENS' banks are easier and safer.
The Creature 2-ball -> 6-ball sequence is the fastest way to get big
points. Looping the ramp shot is the key to lighting 2-ball, so get
good at this shot. The ramp is rather steep (by necessity to get around
the monster assembly), so often the ease of ramp shots on a given
machine is a function of the left flipper strength.
Geneva multiball is something of a throw-away since it is so hard to
increase the jackpot value to a useful figure. You could try shooting
the unlit Geneva scoop, letting the kickout bounce over to the right
flipper, and repeat. This gets old very quickly, however, and does not
represent a significant return on the investment of time and risk.
If you are playing for a tournament, you probably want to concentrate on
6-ball. Modes don't give huge points unless you get all of them, which
takes forever and is quite difficult. If you want to own a high score
chart, you will likely want to use a balanced attack of modes and
multiball, starting multiball during modes when appropriate.
Quotes
Under construction
Cows
No cows. But there are four hedgehogs; one on the display during
attract mode, and three under the glass somewhere ;)
Credits
Game Credits:
They're listed during attract mode, and there's lots of 'em.
I will have them available for the next version of this guide.
Guide Credits:
The author (me):
Contributors (alphabetically):
- Lea Ann Armentrout
- Graham Bisset
- Orin Day (thanks, Orin!)
- Matt Hehman
- Steve Lane
- Doug Taylor
Special thanks to everyone who posted to r.g.p. on the subject, and to
Kevin Martin for making those posts easily searchable.
More Work To Be Done
If you have any information not found in this guide in the following
areas, please enlighten me.
- Maximum Sarcophagus value
- Miscellaneous scoring
- Number of switches needed for scoring levels in Stoning scene
- Finishing Creature Feature scene
- Starting multiball during Graveyard scene
- Super Jackpot scoring
- Jackpot values after SJ
- Ice Cave award order during Tournament mode
- Operator settings (any info is better than what I have)
Please also mail if you find anything missing from the Guide, and
especially if you find something which isn't 100% correct. I'm
working on the quotes, so don't worry about those until next time.
Spoilers
For those who haven't finished all the modes or found the other Easter
Eggs mentioned above, stop reading now if you want to savor the
experience of discovering these things for yourself.
Stop reading! Go away and start playing!
For those with absolutely no patience:
- Completing both jackpots and FRANKENSTEIN letters in 6-ball multiball
makes you 6-ball Victor! Your initials will then be shown on the
Journal cover in attract mode and upon the first North Pole shot
that doesn't do anything special. Actually, I haven't been able to
rule out that just the jackpots are enough... anyone know?
You don't seem to get 6-ball Victor if you also got a high score :(
- After finishing all eight modes, the scene indicators all flash.
Upon starting the "ninth" mode, you are awarded 100M times the number
of CREATION letters you have collected. Extra ball and double bonus
are lit. Then a 6-ball multiball starts where all switches are worth
1M points each, with the North Pole worth 10M and the ramp worth 20M.
You also get 100M each time you spell FRANKENSTEIN. Any drained
balls are relaunched, and Super Kickback is active. After 60 seconds,
all balls drain and your CREATION multiball total (I think this
includes the 100M times CREATION letters) is displayed. Then a single
ball is plunged and you can start collecting modes all over again.
Super Kickback will remain active for the rest of your ball (yay!)
ObBrag: My best CREATION multiball total is 934M.
- In attract mode: Become an Organ Donor 1-800-474-8667.
I haven't tried it yet.
- There is a hedgehog on each flipper :)
Editor's Notes
- HTML added by David Gersic dgersic_@_niu.edu
- E-mail addresses have been expunged to prevent web-bot spamming, and Web links have been updated where possible.
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