Rulesheet for Stern's "The Simpsons Pinball Party" Bowen Kerins (bostonpinball@comcast.net) last update: March 21, 2005 (ROM version 4.00) --- Overview --- The Simpsons Pinball Party is one of the most fun, yet most complicated, games ever made. Playing it to have a good time doesn't require too much effort, since there should always be something to do. Playing it strategically takes more effort than almost every other modern pin, but it sure is worth it. If you haven't played it yet, why are you reading this? Go play the game, already. --- Help Me! --- Although thorough, this rulesheet sucks as far as being complete. If you know of things that should be here, please contact me at bostonpinball@comcast.net. Most places marked with square brackets [ ] are areas where I feel there is incomplete information, but please let me know if you find things that are dead wrong, too. --- Special Thanks --- Thanks to Tim Showalter for his ideas on a rule sheet, and TJ Beyer for his work on the list of Cletus Kids and the details on Captain's Bounty. Thanks to untold others for strategy tidbits and whatnots and whosits. --- Playfield and Basic Scoring --- This section describes, briefly, the location and basic scoring of shots. See later sections for specifics on mode and multiball scoring. This is roughly clockwise, from left to right. -- First, the main playfield. - Left inlane / outlane: Standard setup. Either can be lit for Extra Ball. Inlane lights spinner on Right Orbit for 3x scoring or higher. - Lite Otto standup: This target is in roughly the same position as the "G-R" standups of Addams Family. Hit the standup when lit, and Otto's Bus Tour will light at Springfield Elementary, activating timed 2x scoring on a shot. - Left (Cletus) Orbit: Through the bumpers, around the back, feeding the upper right flipper. Adds 1 Cletus Kid, and lights the Nuclear Value at the Pop Target. See "Cletus Kids" and "Nuclear Value" sections for more. - Pop Bumpers: Three, in standard arrangement. The left pop is standard, while the other two have a nuclear cooling tower that "pops", much like Data East's 1990 Simpsons game. Each pop bumper adds between 1,000 to 5,000 to the Nuclear Value. - Pop Target: Standup target above the pop bumpers. This target is frequently hit while the ball is bouncing in the pops, and can also be hit directly from the upper right flipper. When the timer is active, the Pop Target adds time (2 to 10 seconds, depending on how it was hit). See "The Timer" section for more. The Pop Target also collects the Nuclear Value when lit. - Adv. Pops standup: This target is in roughly the position of the Electric Chair shot of Addams Family. Hit the standup to advance one pop bumper's value from 1,000 to 2,500 to 5,000. - Comic Book Guy standup: This target is directly behind the Adv. Pops standup. It cannot be hit from either lower flipper directly, but can be shot from the upper right flipper or on a plunge. Starts a Hurry Up when lit. Also a Skill Shot. See "Hurry Ups" and "Skill Shots" sections for more. - Left (Treehouse) Ramp: Directly above the Comic Book Guy standup. This ramp feeds the upper playfield. Collects Treehouse of Horror when lit, and adds 1 Simpsons letter toward D'Oh Frenzy, or 2 if hit as a combo from the Left (Cletus) Orbit. See "D'Oh Frenzy" and "Treehouse of Horror" sections for more. - Left (Kwik-E-Mart) Loop: Inner loop above Left Ramp. Shots through Left Loop tend to hit Bully standups. Kwik-E-Mart collects Kwik-E-Mart value and adds a bonus multiplier. Also a Skill Shot. See "Skill Shots" section for more. - Kwik-E-Mart standup: Guards Left Loop. Adds a random value between 1,000 and 9,990 to the Kwik-E-Mart award. Shots off this standup from the lower flippers tend to hit Bully standups. - Garage: Big door in general vicinity of the Toilet shots of South Park. Hit the door and it opens. Go through the door and over a small ramp to enter the upper playfield. Shots that are not powerful enough to make it over the ramp fall to the bumpers via the Left Orbit (and count as Left Orbit shots). Collects "Clean the Garage" random award when lit. Often adds 1 Simpsons letter toward D'Oh Frenzy. See "D'Oh Frenzy" and "Clean the Garage" sections for more. - Right (Springfield Elementary) Loop: Inner loop behind Right Ramp. Shot is straight up the middle and can be made from either lower flipper. Feeds upper right flipper. Starts Otto's Bus Tour 2x Scoring and advances to Chalkboard Award. See "Double Scoring" and "Chalkboard" sections for more. - Bully standups: Three standup targets along the side wall of the Right Loop shot. Difficult to shoot directly, they are made through the Left Loop or off the Kwik-E-Mart target. Completing the bank lights a Daredevil Mode. Also a Skill Shot. See "Daredevil Modes" and "Skill Shots" sections for more. - Right (Moe's) Ramp: Get Duffed. Scores 25,000 for the first shot, then 5,000 more each shot to a maximum of 75,000. Also advances to Treehouse of Horror and Extra Ball. See "Treehouse of Horror" and "Extra Balls" sections for more. - Captive Ball: To the right of the Right Ramp is a captive ball. Hitting it a short distance spots a Bully standup, and also starts a Daredevil Mode or advances the value of a running Daredevil Mode. See "Daredevil Modes" section for more. - Right (Krusty) Orbit: Past the upper right flipper, through a spinner, to the bumpers. The first spin scores 1,000 points, and each successive spin is an additional 50 points. A set number of spins in one ball awards an increasing (but small) Spinner Bonus. Can be lit for triple value or higher via the left inlane. Lights TV Mode. See "TV Modes" section for more. - Itchy & Scratchy Drop Targets: Below the upper right flipper are three drop targets. Completing them scores 75,000 points, then 25,000 more each completion to a maximum of 150,000. Behind them is the... - Itchy & Scratchy Sinkhole: Behind the drop targets. Lights, then starts, an Itchy & Scratchy multiball. See "Itchy & Scratchy Multiball" section for more. - Right inlane / outlane / plunger lane: All three connected. It is possible to nudge the ball into the plunger lane for a free Skill Shot. The inlane can be lit for Extra Ball, while the outlane can be lit for Special. - Manual plunger: Can be used to try for three Skill Shots: the Comic Book Guy, Kwik-E-Mart, and the Bully standups. See "Skill Shots" section for more. -- And now, the upper playfield... - "Lite"/"Lock" standups: Hit these to light lock. Difficulty of lighting locks is variable. See "Couch Multiball" section for more. These targets can be hit from either upper playfield flipper, though are easier from the lower left flipper. - Side (Couch) Ramp: Exit upper playfield. If lock is lit, lock a ball in the Couch. If not, feed to the left inlane. Can be shot by the upper playfield's right flipper, but also possible on a carom from the left. The third lock starts Couch Multiball. - Light Mystery standup: Light "Clean the Garage" at the Garage if not already lit. - Upper (TV) Loop: Feeds from lower flipper to upper flipper on playfield. Starts TV Mode when lit. See "TV Modes" section for more. - Monorail: Drain from upper playfield to right inlane. Normally not a good thing, this is actually a required step in the "Stop the Monorail" TV mode. See "TV Modes" section for more. -- Whew, that's "all". --- The Timer --- The timer is your friend. Don't let the timer run out. All timed modes in The Simpsons Pinball Party run on the same timer. Starting a timed mode resets the timer. The timer is displayed on the TV board, and will change colors as it counts down: More than 15 seconds left: green. Between 6 and 15 seconds left: yellow. 5 seconds or less remaining: red. What does this one timer to rule them all mean for you? As long as you start something else before the time runs out, you get to continue EVERYTHING you have started since the timer became active. This is by far the most important thing to learn about playing this game strategically. There are at least 20 things that can reset the timer, so it is theoretically possible to have -timed- modes such as the D'Oh Frenzy running for more than 10 minutes. The timer stops when the ball is in the bumpers, and time can be restored by hitting the Pop Target. Hitting the target after hitting a bumper adds 2 seconds to the timer. Hitting the target directly from a flipper (usually the upper right, but possible from either lower flipper) adds 5 seconds to the timer ("Great googly moogly!"). Hitting the target from the upper right flipper as a combo shot from the Left (Cletus) Orbit adds 10 seconds to the timer ("Ahoy! You are the king!"). The timer can go above 30 seconds; its maximum is 60 seconds. Getting the timer to 60 seconds awards a special bonus of 2.5 million points the first time you do it in a game. The timer is reset to 30 seconds if it is not already above 30 seconds when starting any of these: - Any of the 10 Otto 2x Scoring modes - Any of the 7 main TV Modes - D'Oh Frenzy - Any of the 5 Treehouse of Horror timed modes: - Apu's Giveaway - Captain's Bounty - Krusty's Nightmare - Nuclear Disaster - Crazy Extra Ball - See "Spoilers" for some other timed modes. The timer is -not- cleared when a TV Mode is completed by making all its shots; instead, Victory points are awarded for each shot (see "Victory Points" section for more). The timer continues to run no matter what else is going on, including multiballs. There is a grace period of about 4 seconds on the timer (it will read 00). Hurry up and shoot something! Note that at most points in the game you are no more than 2 shots away from resetting the timer (Lite Otto, then shoot it). Don't forget about it! --- Double Scoring --- Shooting the Right Loop when Otto's Bus Tour is lit starts a double scoring mode. The double scoring modes are indicated by red lights at major shots. A flashing light indicates that the double scoring for that shot is currently running, while a solid light indicates that the double scoring for that shot has already completed and will not be available again until all double scoring modes are completed. The ten double scoring areas are: - Bumpers - Left (Cletus) Orbit - Left (Treehouse) Ramp - Left (Kwik-E-Mart) Loop - Garage - Right (Springfield Elementary) Loop - Right (Moe's) Ramp - Right (Krusty) Orbit - Itchy & Scratchy - Living Room (entire upper playfield) These ten areas are awarded in a seemingly random order. They are awarded in a fixed order during tournament play. Double scoring applies to ALL shots to that area, including shots during TV Modes and multiballs. Double scoring continues until the timer runs out or the ball ends. Since the timer can be reset, double scoring may run for a very long time. When all ten double scoring modes have been completed (and are not running), the red lights will pulse instead of being solidly lit. Then, shoot the Otto shot one more time to start... see "Spoilers" section for more. --- TV Modes --- TV Modes are lit after every 4 goals. No, that's not it. TV Modes are lit by shooting the Right (Krusty) Orbit. They are started by making the TV Loop on the upper playfield, or by an award from "Clean the Garage". Starting a TV Mode scores an instant 250,000 points and is counted toward the final score for the mode. Most completed TV Modes score 2,500,000 points, and possibly as much as 4,750,000 if double scoring is active. There are seven base TV Modes. Each resets the 30-second timer. You can control which TV Mode will be next by flipping the right flipper. TV Modes remain active until the timer expires, or until all shots in the mode are completed. If all shots for all active TV modes are completed, Victory points can be earned. See "Victory Points" section for more. Remember that any shot where "2x Scoring" is flashing will double in value at any time, including TV Modes. Here is a description of each of the seven TV Modes. -- TV Mode: Duffman -- "Duffman likes your attitude!" Shoot the right ramp to SCORE. Five shots to complete. Score from 250,000 to 650,000 by increments of 100,000. "OH yeah!" -- TV Mode: Homer's Day -- "Wake me up when it's break time..." Shoot the Nuclear plant bumpers, then shoot Moe's, then the Garage, and finally the Couch Ramp. Nice, huh? The first three shots score 500,000, while the Couch scores 750,000. "Beer. The cause of, and solution to, all life's problems." Check out the animation of Homer eating his dream donut at the end. -- TV Mode: Willie's Woes -- Hit the Bully standups for 250,000, then Springfield Elementary for 500,000. Repeat three times to complete. Stomp those flowers, Kearney. To hit the Bully standups, try the Kwik-E-Mart shots. Or, lock a ball and plunge the loop! -- TV Mode: Wiggum vs. Snake -- "Another dirtbag..." This "chase" goes across the board. The first shot can be any of the Right Loop, Right Ramp, or Right Orbit. The second shot can be either the Left Loop or Left Ramp. The third shot must be the Left Orbit. The first shot scores 500,000, the second scores 750,000, and the third scores 1 million. Try for shots that have double scoring active to make the round more lucrative. -- TV Mode: Bart's Day -- "Bite me, Skinner..." Shoot Springfield Elementary, then any Kwik-E-Mart shot (loop or target), then Treehouse, then the TV. The first three shots score 500,000, while the TV scores 750,000. Is this the first ever dot display animation of a full moon? -- TV Mode: Krusty's Last Stand -- Score 100 rating points to complete this mode. Shoot the Right Orbit to earn 20 rating points for each shot, plus 1 rating point for each spinner spin. Each rating point is worth 20,000 points, so completing the mode is worth 2,000,000 plus any extra ratings points on the last shot. Note: In earlier ROMs (2.04), each Right Orbit shot earned 10 rating points, not 20, making this mode last longer than it does now. -- TV Mode: Stop the Monorail -- In this mode, the ball must travel down the Monorail, the "drain" from the upper playfield. This scores 250,000 and lights all major lower playfield shots for 500,000. Shoot any shot to relight the Monorail "shot". Repeat this three times with three different lower playfield shots to complete the mode. Try for shots that have double scoring active. Watch the dot matrix when a main playfield shot is made to see what is being used to stop the monorail... When all seven TV Modes have ended, either by the timer running out or by completing them, the TV will be lit for... see "Spoilers" section for more. The first time through the TV Modes, a mode will automatically be lit at the start of each ball. After the first time through, the TV Mode will not be lit at the start of a ball, and you must shoot the Right Orbit to light the first mode of a ball. --- Victory Points --- Victory points, sometimes referred to as "Siegpunkte", are scored when a major shot is hit while - the timer is on, and - all active TV Modes have been completed during the current timer run The number of points scored depends on the number of completed TV Modes during the current timer run: - 1 completed TV Mode : 100,000 per shot - 2 completed TV Modes: 250,000 per shot - 3 completed TV Modes: 500,000 per shot - 4 completed TV Modes: 800,000 per shot - 5 completed TV Modes: 1,250,000 per shot - 6 completed TV Modes: 1,750,000 per shot - 7 completed TV Modes: 2,500,000 per shot These points will award for every major shot (loops, ramps, orbits, holes), along with a tinkly sound effect and an animation of Homer at the top of the mountain. Victory points can be huge, potentially more valuable than a well-played multiball, but they take a lot of work to achieve. All TV Modes in progress must be completed before any of these points are available. If you start a new TV Mode during Victory, you won't get any more Victory points until you finish the TV Mode. However, they will be worth more if you complete the mode. Double scoring applies to these points as long as an active shot is hit, so it is possible to make all major shots worth 5 million points for 30 seconds or more by skillfully playing TV Modes and starting Otto 2x Scoring. I suppose this depends on your meaning of "possible", though. --- Hurry Ups --- A Hurry Up is started by shooting the Comic Book Guy ("CBG") at any time, even during multiballs. When a Hurry Up begins, it will light at one of six major shots: - Left (Cletus) Orbit - Left (Treehouse) Ramp - Left (Kwik-E-Mart) Loop - Garage - Right (Moe's) Ramp - Right (Krusty) Orbit The Hurry Up value starts at 200,000 and counts down to 50,000. Hitting the Comic Book Guy again starts a second Hurry Up simultaneously. When multiple Hurry Ups are active, their value is increased and multiplied. Specifically, 50,000 is added to the base value and the base value is multiplied by the number of started Hurry Ups. So, if two Hurry Ups are started at once, their value is 250,000 x 2 = 500,000. [This might all be dead wrong.] The base value counts down at the same speed throughout, so the Hurry Ups will count down faster when more of them are active. When multiple Hurry Ups are active, shooting one collects the value, and adds 50,000 to the base value of the remaining active Hurry Ups (still multiplied by the number of Hurry Ups). [Again, might be dead wrong.] You may want to try to get a whole bunch of Hurry Ups completed in a single run. Completing a run of 3 or more Hurry Ups together gives a bonus award: - 3 Hurry Ups: Advance Itchy - 4 Hurry Ups: Award Couch Lock - 5 Hurry Ups: Light Extra Ball - 6 Hurry Ups: Light Special Double scoring applies to these points (of course!), so you may score double the displayed value. Hitting the Comic Book Guy from a plunger shot is a Skill Shot and starts two Hurry Ups immediately at a starting value of 500,000 (250,000 x 2). When a Hurry Up has been collected, its light will stay solidly on until all six Hurry Ups have been collected. When all have been collected, the lights will be pulsing rather than solidly lit. Then, hit the Comic Book Guy one more time to start... see "Spoilers" section for more. Don't drain while a Hurry Up is active, or the Comic Book Guy will lambaste you with his sarcastic "wit" - "Oh, and you were doing SO well." Similar wit applies when a Hurry Up times out. "The Flash, you are not." The Status Report keeps track of how many Hurry Ups you have made, as well as how many you have missed. [No idea what the number of missed means in terms of gameplay awards.] --- Daredevil Modes --- A Daredevil Mode is lit by completing the Bully standup bank, and is started by hitting the Captive Ball. It is possible to light as many as all four Daredevil Modes before starting one, and the Captive Ball starts only one at a time, always from top to bottom. Hitting the Captive Ball also spots one Bully standup in the bank of three. The lights in front of the Captive Ball indicate the status of each Daredevil Mode: - flashing: lit - pulsing: currently active - solid: completed Each Daredevil Mode accumulates points for a particular type of shot. These points are added to end-of-ball bonus. When a Daredevil Mode starts, its value is 100,000. When 750,000 points (or more) have been scored, a bonus of 250,000 points is added to complete the mode at just over 1 million. All in all, this is a similar system to World Cup Soccer's Ultra Modes, including the fact that no points are scored until the end of the ball. Don't tilt your Daredevils! Each Daredevil Mode scores on certain shots: - Daredevil Ramps scores on any ramp, including the Garage mini-ramp and the Couch ramp on the upper playfield. Starting value is 50,000 per ramp. - Daredevil Loops scores on either Orbit, either Loop, and the TV Loop on the upper playfield. Starting value is 50,000 per loop. - Daredevil Bumpers scores on any bumper or slingshot hit. Not since Mario Andretti have slingshots been worth this many points! Starting value is 12,500 per bumper. - Daredevil Targets scores on, well, targets. Standups and drops apply. Starting value is 25,000 per target. Double scoring applies to these points (of course!), which can help complete the mode that much sooner. The goal is still 750,000 points. Hitting the Captive Ball during a Daredevil Mode increases the value of each shot by 50% of the original value, allowing the Daredevil Mode to be completed more quickly. For example, one hit during Daredevil Ramps will make each ramp worth 75,000 -- another hit will make each ramp worth 100,000. Hitting the strobing Bully standup from a plunger shot (via the Kwik-E-Mart) is a Skill Shot, scoring an increasing number of points from 250,000 to 500,000 and immediately lighting a Daredevil Mode at the Captive Ball. When all four Daredevil Modes have been completed by earning at least 1 million points on each, all four lights in front of the Captive Ball will pulse. Then, hit the Captive Ball one more time to start... see "Spoilers" section for more. Don't tilt your Daredevils! --- Itchy & Scratchy Multiball --- The Itchy & Scratchy 3-bank of targets hides a sinkhole. To start Itchy & Scratchy Multiball, you must: 1. Knock down the entire bank of targets. 2. Shoot the hole. 3. Knock down the entire bank of targets again. 4. Shoot the hole to start the multiball. The rules are relaxed a bit for the first multiball. For the first multiball, you may shoot the hole without completing the bank of targets. For later multiballs, if you shoot the hole without completing the bank of targets, you do not get progress toward the multiball, and the targets all reset. The rules are tighter for the third and later multiballs. The bank of targets will reset on its own after a time. The timer seems to shorten for the fourth multiball, but tends to stay about the same after that. [?] Completing the target bank is worth 75,000 points the first time, then increases by 25,000, to a maximum of 150,000. Sweeping the target bank will award double the current value, and is hard to pull off on purpose. The lit Itchy & Scratchy Multiball can be changed by hitting the right flipper. All multiballs are similar. Starting the multiball will turn on a brief ball saver and fire a ball onto the playfield. Since Itchy & Scratchy Multiball can be started while other multiballs are active, there may be more than two balls in play. Jackpot starts at 100,000, and all major shots collect it. You must shoot a different shot for the next Jackpot, but only one shot will ever be unlit at a time. Collecting a Jackpot adds its value to the Super Jackpot, which starts at 500,000, maxes out at 2.5 million, and is collected by making the Itchy & Scratchy hole. The first Super Jackpot is collected by just shooting the Itchy & Scratchy hole. Later Super Jackpots in the same multiball require all three drop targets to be knocked down first. In each multiball, the Jackpot is raised by something different: - Spay Anything: Spinner spins add 2,000 to Jackpot - Kitty Kitty Bang Bang: Bumpers add 1,000 to Jackpot - Field of Screams: Captive Ball adds 25,000 to Jackpot - Esophagus Now: All shots add 10,000 to Jackpot Esophagus Now tends to be the highest-scoring of these four multiballs, due to the way Jackpot values increase. Since you can control which one you get by the right flipper, this is something to consider. Double scoring applies to these points (of course!), producing Double Jackpots and Double Super Jackpots. Listen for the special sound effect for the Double Super Jackpot! When all four Itchy & Scratchy Multiballs have been played, put the ball in the Itchy & Scratchy hole one more time to start... see "Spoilers" section for more. --- Couch Multiball --- Couch Multiball begins when three balls have been locked in the Couch. Locks are lit by hitting the "Lite"/"Lock" standup targets, then collected by shooting the upper playfield's ramp when the Lock light is on. If the Lock light is flashing, the next Lock shot starts Couch Multiball. Locks become progressively more difficult for each multiball: - For the first multiball, all locks are lit automatically. - For the second multiball, the "Lite" and "Lock" targets must each be hit once to light a lock, and all three locks may be lit at once. - For the third multiball, the "Lite" and "Lock" targets must each be hit once to light a lock, and each lock must be collected before the next can be lit. - For the fourth multiball, the "Lite" and "Lock" targets must each be hit once, in order, and each lock must be collected before the next can be lit. - For the fifth multiball, the "Lite" and "Lock" targets must each be hit twice to light a lock (in any order), and each lock must be collected before the next can be lit. - For the sixth and later multiballs, the "Lite" target must be hit twice, then the "Lock" target must be hit twice, then each lock must be collected before the next can be lit. The first lock scores 100,000 points, the second lock scores 250,000, and the third lock scores 500,000 points (and starts multiball, of course). Based on settings, you may be able to "steal" other players' locked balls or start Couch Multiball more easily if one or two balls are in the Couch at the beginning of the game. This can be a good reason to keep playing, since you can put 3 balls in the Couch over the course of several games and get the multiball. Couch Multiball is a three-ball multiball when nothing else is going on, and triggers a short ball saver. Eight major shots score an increasing Jackpot. The Jackpot value starts at 200,000 and goes up by 25,000 for every scored Jackpot. When a Super Jackpot is scored, the Jackpot value resets, UNLESS you score all eight Jackpots before the Super. If you do, the Jackpot value will be held and becomes the new base value for all future Couch Multiballs. The Jackpot value caps at 1 million. Upper flipper shots (Left Ramp, Left Loop) score Double Jackpots. The TV Loop scores a Triple Jackpot. Lower flipper shots (Left / Right Orbit, Garage, Right Ramp, Right Loop) score a Jackpot. The Couch Ramp scores the Super Jackpot, worth 5 times the Jackpot, and relights all eight Jackpots. The Super Jackpot will not always be lit immediately. The Nth Super Jackpot takes (N-1) Jackpots to light it. So, the first Super Jackpot is lit immediately -- and the fifth Super Jackpot won't light until you make at least 4 Jackpots. [After this, it seems to take 5 shots to light Super each time. Not sure.] Double scoring applies to these points (of course!), producing Double Jackpots, Quadruple Jackpots, Sextuple Jackpots, and Double Super Jackpots. Listen for the special sound effect on the Double Super Jackpot! When the Super Jackpot is lit, a family member's playfield light (look in the center) will flash, and when it is collected, the light becomes solidly lit for the rest of the game. When all five family members have been collected (i.e., 5 Super Jackpots have been collected), progress is earned toward... see "Spoilers" section for more. Couch Multiball ends when one ball is left on the playfield, but there is a long grace period where one or more additional Jackpot shots may be made -- it is even possible to start Itchy & Scratchy Multiball during the grace period, in which case both multiballs continue. Woo hoo! --- D'Oh Frenzy --- One letter in "Simpsons" is awarded for opening the Garage, shooting the Garage mini-ramp (to feed the upper playfield), or shooting the Left (Treehouse) Ramp. Two letters can be earned by shooting the Left Ramp after the Left (Cletus) Orbit. Listen for Homer's quality spelling job. "Simpso?!" "Ohhh, Simpsons!" When "Simpsons" is complete, D'Oh Frenzy begins. The timer is reset to 30 seconds if not already above 30, and all switches score. The first D'Oh Frenzy is worth 10,000 per switch, and further Frenzies score 2,500 more per switch. For the second Frenzy, you'll only get letters by shooting through the Garage or Left Ramp. For the third and later Frenzies, you'll only get letters by shooting the Left Ramp. [?] D'Oh Frenzy can run for a very long time, since the timer is reset by many different events. See "The Timer" section for more. D'Oh Frenzy ends only when the timer expires, the ball in play ends, or a mode that ends all timed rounds starts (see "Spoilers" section for more). --- Treehouse of Horror --- Treehouse of Horror is lit by making enough Right (Moe's) Ramp shots, then collected by shooting the Left (Treehouse) Ramp. There are many possible choices, some which give a quick point award, and others that start a timed round. You won't know what you're about to get until it's awarded, but the awards cycle: you will get all the Treehouse awards before seeing one for a second time. On default settings, Treehouse is lit at 5 ramp shots, then 15, 25, and every 10 thereafter. Treehouse awards are stackable, so you do not need to collect the award before lighting the next one. Here is a description of each of the Treehouse of Horror awards: -- Treehouse: Apu's Giveaway -- In this timed mode, the Kwik-E-Mart shot is worth more points than normal, and awards 2 or 3 bonus multipliers instead of just 1 per shot. The display will tell you how many multipliers will be awarded for the next Kwik-E-Mart shot. "Sanjay, give this man more points!" -- Treehouse: Captain's Bounty -- In this timed mode, each of the Left (Treehouse) Ramp, Garage, and Right (Moe's) Ramp score points. How many points? Read the treasure chests! Each chest starts at "1" -- the Left Ramp adds to the leftmost chest, the Garage to the center chest, and the Right Ramp to the right chest. You then score the number of thousands on the chest (so the first award is either 211,000, 121,000, or 112,000, depending on the shot hit). The Left Ramp adds the most to the value, but all three collect it. Each shot will max out at "9", so it is possible (hah!) to get each shot worth 999,000. -- Treehouse: Krusty's Nightmare -- In this timed mode, each spin of the Krusty spinner scores a random number of points. Each spin changes the number of digits, from 2 up to 6, then right back to 2. You can score as little as 10 points and as many as 999,990 points for an individual spin. "Are you nuts?" -- Treehouse: Nuclear Disaster -- "Mr. Smithers, it's happening again..." In this timed mode, each bumper hit scores 20,000. Earn 1 million points by making 50 bumper hits before the timer runs out. Further bumpers award 100,000 per hit, so this mode can be worth more than any of the TV Modes. -- Treehouse: Max Everything -- Max all incrementing awards, such as the Bumper value, both Ramp values, Chalkboard value, and 3-bank completion values. Great award. -- Treehouse: Really Big Points -- Awards 2 million points. Used to be called "Horrifyingly Big Points". -- Treehouse: 10x Nuclear Value -- Score 10x the current Nuclear Value. Also advances 1 (not 10) Nuclear Value collections toward Extra Ball. See "Nuclear Value" section for more. -- Treehouse: Crazy Extra Ball -- Oh boy. Extra Ball is lit at one of the three lanes (left outlane plus either inlane), but you do not get to control the lit lane. The GAME controls the lane, and you won't like its choices. Ball heading out of the bumpers? Oh, the right inlane will become lit. Ball heading down the Monorail? Oh, look, it switched to the left inlane just in time. Hilarious, unless you expect to get the extra ball! "Whoa, that's freaky." This is a timed mode, and you'll get 2 million for any "extra ball" rollovers after the first. This can be worth a lot of points! -- Treehouse: Really Small Points -- Awards as many points as Really Big Points, but in a super-small font! Note: this award was only available on older ROM versions of Simpsons. --- Cletus Kids --- Each time you shoot the Left Orbit (directly, or as fallback from a failed Garage mini-ramp shot), you get a Cletus Kid. The display will show the name of the new kid and the point award. Awards start at 25,000 and increase by 5,000 per shot. Great displays here, since all the previously awarded kids are still shown in the animation. The kids are Tiffany, Heather, Cody, Dylan, Dermot, Jordan, Taylor, Brittany, Wesley, Rumer, Scout, Cassidy, Zoe, Chloe, Max, Hunter, Kendall, Caitlin, Noah, Sasha, Morgan, Kyra, Ian, Lauren, Q-bert, and Phil. Since there are 26 kids, shoot Cletus 26 times to collect all the kids. Then, shoot Cletus one more time to start... see "Spoilers" section for more. --- Random Awards --- There are two shots that give random awards: the Garage and Springfield Elementary. The Garage gives "Clean the Garage" awards when lit, and Springfield Elementary gives "Chalkboard Completed" awards every few shots. -- "Clean the Garage" -- Clean the Garage is lit to start, and is relit by shooting the standup target on the upper playfield. Shoot the Garage mini-ramp to collect the award. The possible awards include [likely incomplete list]: - Light Special - Light Extra Ball - Light Lock - Award Lock - Light Otto - Award Otto - Light TV Mode - Start TV Mode - Start Hurry Up - Light Itchy (clear drop targets) - Advance Itchy (award hole shot) - Light Nuclear Value - Light Daredevil - Start Daredevil - Small Points (10,000-90,000) - Big Points (100,000-900,000) - Max Bumpers - Max Nuclear Value - Max Right Ramp - Max Left Ramp - Max Drop Targets - Max Chalkboard - Max Kwik-E-Mart - Max Headroom - Add to Bonus (50,000) - Add [ ]x Bonus (from 1x to 5x) - [ ] Simpsons Letters (from 1 to 3?) - Add [ ] Cletus Kids (from 1 to 3?) - Add [ ] Duffs (from 1 to 5) - Add [ ] Time (from 5 to 15 seconds) -- Chalkboard Awards -- Chalkboard Awards are given for shooting Springfield Elementary several times. Each shot gives a small number of points, but some shots also give a random award. It seems to take an increasing number of shots each time, starting from 3 shots. The possible awards include [likely incomplete list]: - Hold Bonus Multiplier - Hold End-of-Ball Bonus (value, not multiplier) - Hold Nuclear Value - Hold Chalkboard Value - Hold Left Ramp Value - Hold Right Ramp Value - Hold Kwik-E-Mart Value It appears to be possible to go through all the awards, and then they repeat. In this case, you'll get to carry the award over for another ball. --- Skill Shots --- There are three available Skill Shots in the game. The first is the Comic Book Guy target, which normally starts a Hurry Up. Hitting it from a plunge scores an increasing number of points, from 500,000 to 1,000,000 and starts two Hurry Ups immediately. The second Skill Shot is the Kwik-E-Mart loop, which normally adds a bonus multiplier. Hitting it from a plunge adds an increasing number of bonus multipliers: 5x, 6x, ..., up to 10x. The third Skill Shot is the strobing Bully standup. Hitting the Bully standup (almost always via the Kwik-E-Mart) scores an increasing number of points, 250,000 to 500,000, and lights the next Daredevil Mode immediately. Try maxing out one or more of the Skill Shots by hitting it six times! You'll like it. --- Miscellaneous Scoring --- -- End-of-Ball Bonus -- A switch bonus is kept throughout the ball; it starts at 10,000 and 130 points is added for every switch you hit. When you drain, this switch bonus is multiplied by the bonus multiplier, and any Daredevil Mode points are added to give a final value. There is a maximum of 99x bonus multiplier. Shots to the Kwik-E-Mart loop after 99x has been reached score 1 million each. Both the switch bonus and the bonus multiplier can be held to the next ball as a result of Chalkboard Awards. -- Combos -- Combos exist in the game, from 3-Way to 5-Way. A 3-Way Combo is worth 250,000 points. A 4-Way Combo is worth 500,000 points, for a total of 750,000. A 5-Way Combo is worth 750,000 points, for a total of 1.5 million. Some examples of Combos are Cletus > Treehouse > TV > Couch (4-Way), and Moe's > Elementary > Treehouse > TV > Couch (5-Way). -- Kwik-E-Mart -- The Left (Kwik-E-Mart) Loop scores points and adds a bonus multiplier. The number of points awarded by the Kwik-E-Mart Loop is increased by a random score between 1,000 and 9,990 by hitting the target in front of the loop. The maximum award for the loop is 200,000. Shooting Kwik-E-Mart as a combo from the Left Orbit will award more than one bonus multiplier. -- Moe's -- The Right (Moe's) Ramp scores 25,000 for the first shot, then 5,000 for each additional shot, to a maximum of 75,000. On the default settings, Extra Ball is lit at 10 ramps, then every 50 ramps after that. -- Nuclear Value -- The Nuclear Value starts at 100,000, and can be increased as high as 500,000. Add to the Nuclear Value by hitting any pop bumper. The Nuclear Value is lit by shooting the Left (Cletus) Loop, and collected by hitting the Pop Target directly above the bumpers. Collecting the Nuclear Value advances toward lighting an Extra Ball. On default settings, an Extra Ball is lit when the Nuclear Value has been collected 10 times, and every 50 times after that. The score and collection count depend on how the target was hit: - If hit as a bounce from a bumper, score the base value and count 1 collection. - If hit directly (no bumpers involved), score triple the base value and count 3 collections. This is usually done from the upper right flipper, but can be done from the lower flippers by luck. - If hit from the upper right flipper immediately after a Left Orbit, score five times the base value and count 5 collections. The Nuclear Value can also be scored at a 10x multiplier from a Treehouse of Terror award, but this only counts as 1 collection. -- Spinner Points -- Spinning the spinner adds an increasing number of points per spin, beginning at 1,000 and raising by 50 per spin. Going through the left inlane triggers a brief period where the spinner is worth triple, then quadruple. "Nail that clown!" "Hee hee, hit him again!" Additionally, a bonus is awarded after a number of spins [60? 80?]. This bonus is not a lot of points [200,000, then 300,000?], but a nice little addition. Double scoring applies to all these miscellaneous points (of course!), so get them while the getting is good. --- Extra Balls --- Extra Balls can be lit in many ways. Here is a list of some of the ways to light an Extra Ball: - Hit the Right (Moe's) Ramp 10 times, 60 times, 110 times... - Collect the Nuclear Value 10 times, 60 times, 110 times... - Complete 5 Hurry Ups in one run. - Score the first Super Jackpot during Couch Multiball. (Only once.) - Collect all eight Jackpots plus Super during Couch Multiball. (Once.) - Collect all the 1x Jackpots, then the 2x Jackpots, then the 3x Jackpot, then the Super during Couch Multiball. (Once.) - Get "Crazy Extra Ball" from Treehouse of Horror and hope for the best. - Light Extra Ball from a "Clean the Garage" award. - Score few enough points to light the "bozo" Extra Ball on your final ball. Or, should that be the Krusty Extra Ball? Extra Balls are lit on the inlanes and left outlane. All except the Crazy Extra Ball may be controlled by flipping either flipper. --- Spoiler Section --- WARNING: This section includes spoilers for many of the special features available in the game. Don't read this section unless you absolutely want to ruin the surprise of seeing these special features yourself. --- SPOILERS FOLLOW --- --- SPOILERS --- Okay, that ought to be enough space to keep everyone away. Oh, you're still reading? Fine, be spoiled, see if I care. -- Double Scoring -- When all ten double scoring modes have been completed (and are not running), the red lights will pulse instead of being solidly lit. Listen for the quote, you'll love it -- "You have come to the end of your journey, it's sad and alarming..." Then, shoot the Otto shot one more time to start... --- SPRINGFIELD MYSTERY SPOT --- "Where logic takes a holiday and all laws of nature are meaningless." Boy, you'd better believe it, because the left flipper button and the right flipper button have switched their abilities. "Aww, everything's all backwards!" Try playing cross-handed, or hitting both buttons at once. Fortunately, all major shots are lit for 500,000 apiece, double scoring is active for ALL ten shots, and five balls are put onto the playfield with a lengthy ball saver. Mystery Spot, by itself, isn't worth so many points; but WITH something else, it can make your score jump in a hurry. Springfield Mystery Spot ends when only one ball is left on the playfield, and things return to normal (you'll still be freaked out for many seconds). Fortunately, a ball saver kicks in at the end of this event to keep you from losing your ball due to switching back. To "win" Springfield Mystery Spot you must - first, complete all ten major shots that score Jackpots. - second, shoot the Garage for a Super Jackpot and 5 million points. The red lights that indicate 2x scoring will tell you which of the ten major shots you still need to collect. The most easily forgotten lights are the TV, the Left Ramp, the Right Orbit, and the Itchy & Scratchy hole. Why is the second phase so difficult? Because the Garage closes, and will only open for about 3 seconds when you hit it. So, to get the Super you must open the Garage then nail a second ball through it to score. If you do so, the first phase starts again. Note that if you drop out of Springfield Mystery Spot during the second phase, the Garage will be open for a nice, plum, Super Jackpot shot for several seconds. "Winning" Springfield Mystery Spot is pretty important if you plan on... see "Big Spoiler" section for more. -- TV Modes -- When all seven TV Modes have ended, either by the timer running out or by completing them, the TV will be lit for... --- ALIEN INVASION --- It's an Attack from Mars! No, wait... It's just Kang and Kodos, or one of them at least. The timer is set according to the number of TV Modes you completed during the run: 1 mode = 45 seconds 2 modes = 50 seconds 3 modes = 55 seconds 4 modes = 60 seconds 5 modes = 65 seconds 6 modes = 70 seconds 7 modes = 99 seconds In earlier ROM revisions, Alien Invasion always started at 60 seconds. There are four phases to Alien Invasion. In each phase the goal is to lock all balls. One ball may be locked in the Itchy & Scratchy hole and in Springfield Elementary at any time. Up to three balls may be locked in the Couch at any time. Additionally, if there is only one ball remaining, that ball may be locked in Springfield Elementary, the Garage, the Treehouse, the TV Loop, or the Couch. In each phase, an increasing number of balls are kicked out. In phase one, 2 balls must be locked. In phase four, 5 balls must be locked. If you lose a ball after the ball saver has shut off, you drop down to the next lower phase and must complete it again. Finishing phase four requires at least two balls to be locked in the Couch without losing a single ball. Supremely challenging. It can be helpful to lock the last ball of earlier phases in the Garage, giving enough time to hit the Couch during the next phase's ball saver. Each lock scores 500,000 points the first time through a level (and 50,000 thereafter). Finishing a phase for the first time scores 1 million multiplied by the number of balls in play for that phase, and adds 10 seconds to the timer. "Run!! He's got a board with a nail in it!!" Finish phase four and you "win" Alien Invasion. This is pretty important if you plan on... see "Big Spoiler" section for more. If you are not deliberately trying to "win" all these modes, it is probably better to keep Invasion going, since other points are available (most readily available is Daredevil). If the timer runs out, all balls drain and the mode is over. Invasion ends the regular gameplay timer, but will award compensation for anything in progress. In particular, it will automatically score any in-progress Hurry Ups, and scores 10 Victory awards if that is running. [There is a lot more detail here on what happens for other modes, not likely to be tracked down.] -- Hurry Ups -- When a Hurry Up has been collected, its light will stay solidly on until all six Hurry Ups have been collected. When all have been collected, the lights will be pulsing rather than solidly lit. Then, hit the Comic Book Guy one more time to start... --- SECRET STASH --- When Secret Stash begins, all six Hurry Up lights flash, and a countdown begins at 500,000. The countdown goes to 100,000. Shooting a Hurry Up clears it and resets the countdown to 500,000. You must hit ten Hurry Ups to complete Secret Stash. All six Hurry Ups will relight if you complete them all, or if you hit the Comic Book Guy during the round. Completing the six Hurry Ups without hitting the Comic Book Guy scores a 2 million "All Shots Completed" bonus. Completing Secret Stash awards a 1 million point bonus. Double scoring applies to all Hurry Ups (of course!), so each can be worth up to 1 million, and the round can be worth up to a total of 13 million points. Finishing Secret Stash is pretty important if you plan on... see "Big Spoiler" section for more. -- Daredevil Modes -- When all four Daredevil Modes have been completed by earning at least 1 million points on each, all four lights in front of the Captive Ball will pulse. Then, hit the Captive Ball one more time to start... --- DAREDEVIL MANIA --- Daredevil Mania is an untimed round where you must earn 5 million points from Daredevil shots. All four types of shots (ramps, loops, bumpers, and targets) score more points than they normally would for the other Daredevil modes. If a multiball is going on, you are very likely to finish Daredevil Mania by earning 5 million unless you drain. As with the Daredevil Modes, Daredevil Mania points are not awarded until the end of the ball, so don't tilt if you want the points. Finishing Daredevil Mania is pretty important if you plan on... see "Big Spoiler" section for more. -- Itchy & Scratchy Multiball -- When all four Itchy & Scratchy Multiballs have been played, put the ball in the Itchy & Scratchy hole one more time to start... --- SCRATCHY'S REVENGE --- Note that Scratchy's Revenge starts anytime the ball goes into the Itchy & Scratchy hole. You do not need to complete the drop targets. Scratchy's Revenge plays a lot like the other Itchy & Scratchy Multiballs, except that many Jackpots must be hit before the Super Jackpot may be scored. The required number of Jackpots is 15, less any Super Jackpots earned during the other four Itchy & Scratchy multiballs. The minimum required number is 5, regardless of how many Supers you got earlier. In earlier ROM revisions, the required number of Jackpots is fixed at 10. Since starting the multiball still only kicks one ball onto the playfield, it is strongly encouraged that you play Scratchy's Revenge in tandem with another multiball in order to get a Super Jackpot. In particular, Scratchy's Revenge plus Springfield Mystery Spot is perhaps the most valuable multiball combination in the entire game, since Mystery Spot doubles all Jackpots and Super Jackpots. Each Jackpot is worth at least double what it normally is during Itchy & Scratchy Multiball. Overall, it is quite possible to get more than 30 million points from this multiball. Getting a Super Jackpot during this multiball is pretty important if you plan on... see "Big Spoiler" section for more. -- Couch Multiball -- As mentioned earlier, you must get 5 Super Jackpots during Couch Multiball to earn progress toward... see "Big Spoiler" Section for more. -- Cletus Kids -- There are 26 kids, so shoot Cletus 26 times to collect all the kids. Then, shoot Cletus one more time to start... --- PRETZEL MULTIBALL --- You remember that one with all the pretzels? Well, too bad. It's good Cletus action. During this multiball, all switches score points and add pretzels. After the required number of switches are activated, a shot lights for Super Jackpot. [Which one? I think it's the Right Ramp.] Then repeat, more shots being needed to light the Super. When starting Pretzel, two balls will kick out. If starting Pretzel during Couch, it will be a five-ball multiball (two more than whatever is already going). The most valuable scoring in the game seems to come from Mystery Spot + Pretzel + Scratchy's Revenge + Couch Multiball. Sweet stackability. -- Secret Awards -- There are several buried secret point awards. - Max out bonus multiplier: 1 million bonus per Kwik-E-Mart shot. - Max out 1 skill shot: 1 million bonus. - Max out 2 skill shots: 2.5 million bonus. - Max out all 3 skill shots: 5 million bonus. - In Couch Multiball, score a 1x Jackpot, 2x Jackpot, and 3x Jackpot, in that order: 2 million bonus. - Max timer at 60 seconds: 2.5 million bonus. [Other awards are probably still out there. Find 'em!] --- Big Spoiler --- This is a really BIG spoiler! Don't read this unless you really, really, want to know what happens. --- SPOILERS FOLLOW --- --- SPOILERS --- What? You're still here? Okay, here's the spoiler: Bobo was a stuffed bear. Just kidding. Here's the real info. Finish the six tasks listed above, then shoot any hole in single-ball play. And so begins... --- SUPER DUPER MEGA EXTREME WIZARD MODE --- Yes, that is the actual name. There isn't much fanfare generated by the game, but quit your whining if you get that far and feel at all ripped off. During this five-ball multiball, all shots do good stuff. What good stuff? - Bumpers are 25,000, and spinner spins are 50,000. - All shots are lit for Jackpot, beginning at 500,000 and growing 50,000 on each travel down the Monorail. - Completing either bank of targets (Bully or Itchy & Scratchy) lights a strobing shot for two different types of Super Jackpot, worth 5x the regular Jackpot. - Locking a ball in the Couch multiplies Super Jackpots for about 20 seconds or so -- a timer will count down from 99, but it counts very quickly. The first lock doubles all Super Jackpots. A second lock before the countdown ends triples them. - Apparently lining up both strobing Super Jackpots at once does something really good ("Mega Jackpots", the display taunts). My best guess at this is a 4x Super Jackpot I once got -- it was worth 16 million! Yow. The round ends when only one ball is left, and then the rest of your game will have very little weather. Or, rather, I mean it will be anti-climactic. This mode seems to be good for somewhere between 50 and 100 million points, which makes it valuable but not all-powerful. --- END SPOILERS --- --- END SPOILER SPACE --- --- Strategy Guide --- Your mileage may vary, so take these ideas at face value. Watch out for spoilers in the strategy guide. -- The Timer is Your Friend -- Your #1 priority during the game should be the timer. Having double scoring on a shot or setting up Victory points are well worth the trouble, so you should give yourself every opportunity to keep the timer in play. So, in my opinion, the two most important shots in the game are the Light Otto standup and the Right Orbit. These are the shots needed to keep the timer going -- the other two (the Right Loop and TV Loop) are much easier to hit, and also easier to think of. My personal strategy is to try to keep these two lit at all times, and it is the first thing I will try to do when the timer starts at 30 seconds. The Light Otto standup can be hit as a reflex backhand from the left (I think it is safer that way). And yes, these same things apply MORE during multiball. I think that in multiball, lighting and starting as many TV Modes and Otto scoring modes as possible is more important than shooting for jackpots. It might seem counterproductive, but you're helping yourself reach the high-scoring opportunities later. It's quite possible to do this strategy and have nearly 10 things going on at once -- and at that point, pretty much every shot in the game will score jackpot-level points just in regular play what with all the modes running and the doubling and the flavin. "Oh, there's 5 seconds left, I'd better do something!" If you haven't hit the Otto standup or the Right Orbit, and you're down on time, you're in trouble. The best hope is the Right Orbit, since you might get some extra time from bouncing in the bumpers. And don't forget about the D'Oh Frenzy, which also resets the timer -- if you're close to spelling SIMPSONS, then shoot the Garage and get it started. -- Multiball Strategies -- During Couch Multiball, I aim for the Right Orbit immediately to light a TV Mode. If you're going to aim for a Super Jackpot, you may as well start a TV Mode while you're there -- those are worth 2 1/2 million on their own, which is just as much as a good Super Jackpot. Another good idea is to get Itchy & Scratchy -ready- by clearing the drop targets. Then, shoot for it when you're down to 2 balls (or, if you're daring, when you're down to 1 ball!). Getting these going together is very good for scoring. If you are playing Itchy & Scratchy, don't forget that you can still do everything you would normally do, including starting TV Modes, and even locking balls for Couch Multiball. You can start Couch during I&S by getting to the upper playfield, but this is pretty tough. Don't ignore the timer! You should still hit the Light Otto standup and the Right Orbit to keep those modes ready. To me, it is easier to start these during multiball than at any other time. -- Coordinating Big Scores -- The biggest scores in the game seem to come when you can coordinate the game's high-scoring multiballs. Specifically, Pretzel Multiball, Couch Multiball, Scratchy's Revenge, and Springfield Mystery Spot are huge when combined in any way and really, really huge when they all come together at once. How huge? Over 200 million points huge. So, you need to have some idea how close you are to all these as you proceed. Never, never start Scratchy's Revenge by itself, it is a big waste when it is only a two-ball multiball (it's too hard). If possible, keep track of where you are toward Pretzel. Starting Pretzel during a multiball kicks out two more balls than you started with (typically ends up being all of them) and turns on a nice, meaty ball saver. -- Victory Points and 2x Scoring -- The easiest way to get Victory points is to just start one TV Mode at a time and complete it before starting another, and shoot Otto only when the timer is at risk (under 5-10 seconds left). However, the Victory points are much greater when more TV Modes have been completed. If you can, try starting as many TV Modes as you can right away, then shoot Otto to preserve the timer. It is possible to get all 7 TV Modes started and completed -- and when that happens, EVERY shot is worth Super Jackpot points while the timer continues; if you've got some Ottos going, too, each shot can become worth up to 5 million. How big is this? Potentially over 600 million points on one ball. -- TV Modes -- This is the order I play the 7 TV Modes in (hit the right flipper to change selection): 1. Bart's Day 2. Stop the Monorail 3. Krusty's Last Stand 4. Duffman 5. Homer's Day 6. Wiggum vs. Snake 7. Willie's Woes Why? Overall I play them in order of difficulty, starting with the MOST difficult. This is due to the timer: if you keep the timer going, you get more time on all modes in progress. So, more time for the tough modes. Also, if the ball drains after the first few, I've got only easy modes left to get a pretty decent run of Victory points. Some variation could be had: Krusty can make sense to be first, since you have to shoot the spinner to light the next one anyway. And if I see Couch Multiball is lit, I'm taking Stop the Monorail regardless, so I can get credit for any ball that makes its way to the upper playfield one way or the other. -- Alien Invasion -- Don't bother -- it's not worth enough points. Instead, start as many Daredevil modes as you can, since they are so easy to finish during Invasion. If you want to finish it, the key is getting balls on the upper playfield as quickly as possible (say, during the ball saver). You need to lock at least 1 ball there in stage three, and 2 balls in stage four. If possible, lock the last ball in the Garage so it goes on the upper playfield immediately when the next stage starts. -- Other Stuff -- End-of-ball bonus can add up big, but there really isn't much strategy to it. Just don't tilt and blow 30-50 million when it happens. Hit the Lite/Lock targets with the upper left flipper, not the right. Get used to the timing on the Couch ramp shot, since this is a shot you really, really want to be able to make consistently during Couch Multiball (and Invasion and...). Having trouble with the Itchy & Scratchy shot? Try backhanding the ball off the "Adv. Pops" standup. Or, during multiball, if you have two balls on the right flipper, any Itchy & Scratchy shot suddenly becomes cake. Want to start a Daredevil mode cheaply? Push the game forward! The Garage, Right Loop, and Right Ramp can all be shot from either flipper. Try it, it's fun. No, seriously. Just got Crazy Extra Ball? Quick, start a multiball. Instant win. That's all for now. Please send me your strategies, and I'll add them to the sheet. --- High Score to Date --- If you must know: 1,624,319,470. Highest I know about, anyway. Until next time... - Bowen "So many buttons, so few brain cells..."