From: drew@juliet.cs.colorado.edu (Drew Eckhardt)
Subject: Re: The Getaway (Was: Re: What about Star Trek???)
Organization: University of Colorado at Boulder
Date: Sun, 27 Sep 1992 08:43:19 GMT

In article <9227016.24500@mulga.cs.mu.OZ.AU> gleeson@mundil.cs.mu.OZ.AU (Red Mountain) writes:
>In <1992Sep25.051016.21006@colorado.edu> drew@kinglear.cs.colorado.edu (Drew Eckhardt) writes:
>
>>The scoring is pretty bad. Ie, video mode is worth half what the 
>>(Even Williams fell into this "trend"  with HSII) jackpot 
>>normally is (10 mil vs. 25 mil).  
>
>Half? The jackpot in The Getaway is 25 mil and if you play video mode the
>way I do (shift straight up to 5th and sit on one of the lines and dodge)
>video mode is worth 27 mil. I love it :-)

I shouldn't post news when I'm suffering from a sleep defiency,
I'm talking about Start Trek with a 10M video mode vs.  a 25M jackpot,
and commenting that HSII is even worse in this respect - where jacpot
is generally 20-25M, and video mode is 25-27M (guaranteed, if you've
shifted to fifth gear after you've got video mode but before you've 
started driving, just stradle two lanes)


>
>The Getaway is currently my fave. I love how this game is so well thought out.
>From the rumbling at the start of each ball (and revving by hitting a flipper)
>to the supercharger, this is one great game (when it's well maintained, of 
>course).
>
>Comments on The Getaway? Who loves it? Who hates it? And why?

Only four minor things are wrong with HSII : 
1.  Video mode is worth a disproportionate number of points.

2.  Of the half dozen or so machines I've played, I haven't seen 
    the auto plunger working consistiently and properly (ie, 
    getting the ball up to the top flipper so you can shoot speed loops
    or lock a ball).

3.  Some times when you nail two or three balls into the super 
    charger at one time they colide and one shoots back out,
    straight down the drain.

    I've seen some machines that light Free Ride when this happens, 
    so it could be worse...

4.  The right flippers are not controlled by a two possition switch.  This
    means you can't trap a ball on the lower right flipper during multi-ball, 
    and still use the top right flipper.


I still love HSII.  

1.  The scoring is good.

Everything is progressive, ie you build up RPMs, getting better 
awards as you get more RPMs,  until you hit Red Line mania which 
awards 10M + light extra ball + light jackpot + multiball etc.  
The freeway awards additional points, until you light multiball.

Although there is one main objective (multi-ball, with multiple 
super jackpots), the other targets are still significant enough 
(ie, I've gotten ~15M helicopter bonuses, ~27M video modes, 
freeway millions, 10M for the super charger shot, 5M per loop 
from 4th gear redline except for the super charger, which is 
5-10-15, etc.

2.  The sound is good.

ZZtop.  No fake Jamacian accent or anoying Scotty telling you to 
"Shoot the transporter".  Some humor, ie "Anything you say will
be used against you in a court of law."

3.  The gimmick, ie the super charger, is an integral part of play.  

Not only is it neat, but the supercharger is a great place to park balls 
so you can get a break, or get other targets (like the helicopter bonus)
during multiball when you're going for super jackpot.

4.  I like the playfield layout.  

There are targets to hit off of each of the three flippers.  You have to 
play the six targets at the bottom of the playfield so you can relight
kickback (which, if set up right, generally kicks the ball right up 
to the tunnel, which will get you extra ball / burn rubber / tunnel
shots).  You have to play the targets at the top off of the top flipper 
so  

5.  Wms. did a good job at integrating the graphics into the game.

Ie, when you run the red light on the play field, you run the 
red light on the screen.  Getting RPM's increases a tach. on both
the playfield and on the screen.  

See how this compares to something like LWIII, where the movie "stunts"
look like they're just there so DE can say "Wow! look at what we can do"

The donut shop and hitchiker scenes aren't bad either. 

6.  It's real easy to light outlane special - on our machine, it's 
9-11 tunnel shots for the first one, ~60 for the second.

Combine this with one replay for score, another couple for a place 
in the top 4......

7.  I like the theme. 

"Run the red light" to get multi ball.  "Getaway" from the police. 
Drive through the tunnel with a police chopper in hot pursuit 
and watch it crash... 




-- 
Microsoft is responsible for propogating the evils it calls DOS and Windows, 
IBM for AIX (appropriately called Aches by those having to administer it), but 
marketing's sins don't come close to those of legal departments.
Boycott AT&T for their absurd anti-BSDI lawsuit.