From: hlsw_ltd@uhura.cc.rochester.edu (Dave Hollinsworth)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: Monthly post:  the game-playing tips list
Date: 22 Jan 93 05:52:08 GMT
Organization: University of Rochester (Rochester, NY)

Well, I'm back from break now, and I finally had time to sort out the stuff
that people sent me and add it to the list.  This month's edition:

New in this revision:
	- Corrected (again) an error I made in the section about flipper 
mechanisms.  (Turns out I was right the first time.)
	- A brief mention about floor surfaces.  (Friction and such).
	- Added info about the "status report."
	- One new technique for "Bang Backs."
	- The "Before Starting" section has now been merged with "General 
Playing Tips."  (Why?  They just seemed to be getting a little redundant 
to me--that's all.  If this is a real problem, let me know.)

I'm still looking for some info on how Gottlieb handles flippers;  see 
"Flipper Coil" in the definitions section.  Could someone fill me in?

-------------------- Cut Here --------------------
The rec.games.pinball game-playing tips list.
Last update:  1/22/93.

Contributors:
Andrew Arensburger		(arensb@kong.gsfc.nasa.gov)
Andrew M. Boardman		(amb@cs.columbia.edu)
Phaedrus			(phaedrus@halcyon.com)
Jerry Duffy			(jduffy@s.ms.uky.edu)
Dave Hollinsworth 		(hlsw_ltd@uhura.cc.rochester.edu)
Mike Kahler			(kahlerm@sumax.seattleu.edu)
Kamchatka Charlie		(kamchar@ibm.cl.msu.edu)
Kevin Martin			(sigma@ipl.rpi.edu)
Dallas Overturf			(Dallas_Overturf@vos.stratus.com)
Tad Perry			(tvp@gibdo.engr.washington.edu)
Daina Pettit			(dpettit@javelin.sim.es.com)
rON				(blowfish@carina.unm.edu)
Lyman F. Sheats Jr.		(lfs@mbunix.mitre.org)
Joe Schwartz			(xor@acm.rpi.edu)
Erik Wesselak			(wesselak@suna0.cs.uiuc.edu)
Matt Wilding			(wilding@cli.com)

If you have any corrections, additions (please?), or comments, please 
send them to Dave Hollinsworth (address given above).

The list is organized as follows:
* General Category *
<Subcategory - not always present>
	- The tips

* Definitions *  (or, "Speak Like a Pro")
	- "Catch":  when the ball is held in the V formed by an upraised 
flipper and the lower part of the inlane.
	- "Drain":  the act of losing a ball.
	- "End of Stroke Switch" (abbreviated "EOSS"):  the part of an 
older-style flipper mechanism that "shorts out" a section of the coil so 
that the current is stronger.  See "Flipper Coil."
	- "Flipper Coil":  the mechanism that drives a flipper up.  On an 
older Williams machine (pre-Addams Family), when you press the flipper 
button, the current flows through only a portion of the coil, generating a 
high magnetic field that forces the flipper up with a lot of power.  When 
the flipper is all the way up, the end of stroke switch opens, and the 
current now must flow through the entire coil.  This creates a lower 
magnetic field, which holds the flipper up without burning out the coil 
(the high current would do this very quickly).  On a Data East, there are 
two current inputs, one at 50 volts DC and the other at 8VDC, and no 
EOSS.  When you press the flipper button, the higher current activates to 
fire the flipper, and then a timer will switch to the lower current, to 
hold the flipper up.  This setup is called a "Solid State Flipper."  A newer 
Williams machine uses one 50VDC current and two coils, one for high 
power and the other for low power, and uses an EOSS instead of a timer 
to switch off the high-power coil.  This allows the flippers to maintain 
that classic "Williams Feel."  If the EOSS breaks, the flipper will operate 
on a timing setup similar to the Data East one.
[Aside:  could someone fill me in on how Gottlieb does things?]
	- "Habitrail":  this is the rec.games.pinball given name for the wire 
guides that are used above the playfield to move the ball somewhere.
	- "Inlane":  the two lanes near the bottom of the machine that 
return the ball to the flippers.  Also called a "return lane."
	- "Outhole":  the area below the flippers where lost balls go.
	- "Outlane":  the two lanes near the bottom of the machine that 
lead to the drain area.
	- "Slam":  a form of tilting, usually caused by hitting the coin box 
too hard, by dropping the machine, by pounding the underside of the 
cabinet, or by striking the back cabinet.  This immediately forfeits your 
entire game.
	- "Slingshot":  the two triangular things located immediately above 
the flippers.  Hitting one ricochets the ball off in the opposite direction.
	- "Solenoid":  a coil, with another coil or magnet inside, used in 
flippers and kickers and such.  When the coil(s) are energized, the 
opposing magnetic fields cause the inner piece to move.
	- "Tilt":  what happens when you shake too hard.  This forfeits your 
bonus for that ball, and causes you to lose the ball currently in play (and 
on some older machines, your entire game).
	- "Tilt Warning":  if you get one of these, the game is saying to you, 
"Well, I could have tilted you, but I'll be nice.  Just don't do it again."  :-)

* General Playing Tips *
	- If you're a novice, and want to become a wizard, make sure you 
have the time and the money.
	- Wear comfortable clothing.
	- Before playing any game for the first time, read the rules card 
that accompanies it.  Most of the time, these cards are less then helpful, 
but they are good for getting a basic feel for a game (i.e. what shots to 
go for, the names used for various playfield objects, etc.)
	- Extension to the above:  take the time to learn the layout of a 
particular game.  Learn where the best shots and the drain shots are, and 
how the various shots interact with one another, so you don't, say, spend 
time sending the ball to the bumpers when another ramp shot will light 
the extra ball.
	- Probably the most important first thing to learn is to flip with 
*one flipper at a time*.  Witness someone using both flippers 
simultaneously, and you'll probably see why.  :-)

<Stance>
	- Choose some comfortable position for your wrists.  They will get 
tired if they aren't held properly.  About waist level is about right for 
most people, depending on height of the person and the machine.
	- The higher you hold your head, the better you'll see the ball's 
position.  The lower you hold it, the better you'll be able to judge its 
direction (e.g., while trying to decide whether or not to let it bounce off 
the center post);  find a good compromise.

	- Playing regularly is more important than playing a lot:  playing 
for five hours consecutively once a month is worse than playing for half 
an hour twice a week.
	- Be willing to spend a few dollars just practicing the various 
tips.  Just tell yourself, "OK, for this game, score doesn't matter.  I'm 
just here to practice my slap saving," so you don't get too frustrated at 
not winning replays.  :-)
	- Learn about a specific machine by watching others play.
	- Being able to control the ball, and being able to make controlled 
shots is probably the key thing to increasing one's average score on any 
game.
	- Once you have developed a basic feel for the flippers and how the 
ball moves on them, and you're trying to make an upper-playfield shot 
that's been causing trouble, just look at the shot you're trying to make.  
Your instinct for where the ball is on the flipper is usually suprisingly 
good.
	- Unless explicitly advertised, or your operator is disreputable, 
pinballs *do not* have magnets anywhere underneath them.  Spin and 
rubber are the usual causes of weird motion.  
	- If you drain miserably, don't tilt the machine out of frustration.  
You'll just lose more points if you do.
	- If the game has a period after the number of credits (i.e. it says 
"CREDITS 0." instead of "CREDITS 0"), this means that the game's self-
diagnostics have found a problem.  Usually, this means that a switch has 
not been triggered in about 30 balls, so the game assumes that it's 
broken.  There's no way to find out more specific information except 
opening the cabinet door and pressing the "ENTER" button.  (Note:  some 
earlier machines may light the period after player 1's score, rather than 
after the number of credits.  The meaning is the same.)
	- On all new games, you can hold down either flipper while the 
game is in progress, and the game will display a few stats about the 
current game situation (replay, credits remaining, number of ramp shots 
to light the extra ball, etc.).  Williams calls this the "status report," and 
Data East calls it "instant info."
	- Entering your initials:  left flipper button to go one letter back in 
the alphabet, right flipper button to go forward in the alphabet, start 
button to record this initial and go on to the next.  (This is true of most 
machines, although some Gottliebs have separate buttons for initial 
entry.)

* Etiquette *
	- Don't touch another player's cabinet.
	- Give other players plenty of space.
	- Shut up.  It's usually OK to tell someone things that they couldn't 
have seen (such as how big the jackpot was), but people usually don't like 
it when you point out the obvious to them.  Same goes for trying to 
engage in idle chatter while someone is playing:  unless the player is a 
good friend of yours, this is usually frowned upon.
	- If you walk away from a machine, you forfeit any credits on it 
(so don't ask someone to watch the machine while you go to the 
bathroom. If you come back and find him playing your credits, don't be 
surprised).
	- If you want to play a game that someone else is playing, ask the 
person *between balls*.  In many places, it is customary to plunk down a 
quarter on the glass, on top of the rules sheet;  just make sure that you 
do this between balls.  If you do either of these while a person has a ball 
in play, it could interfere with his concentration, which could make him 
interfere with your life.  :-)
	- During the very first ball of any game (i.e.  Player 1's Ball 1), 
pressing the start button will add another player to the game.  From the 
second ball on, pressing the start button will abort the current game for 
all players and begin another one.  (Beginning with Fish Tales, Williams 
has adopted a polling scheme that will only restart your game if the 
button is held down for about a second.  Kudos to them for this great 
idea.)
	- Keep an eye on any small children in the immediate area.  A lot of 
games have ended because of kids deciding that your start button would 
be a fascinating plaything (see the previous tip).  If the kids are yours, 
don't let them run around near pinball machines.

* Shaking and Nudging *
	- Machines are usually much more sensitive to side-to-side 
shaking than to forward-to-back.  Shake this way whenever possible.  
However, there are situations where side-to-side shaking is necessary 
to save the ball.
	- Forward-to-back shaking is effective for the entire playfield, 
while side-to-side shaking is really only effective for the lower part of 
the playfield.
	- Don't be shy about using body english:  although, of course, it's 
much more impressive if you manage to get a high score without ever 
nudging the machine.

* Saving a Center Drain *
<Without a center post>
	- Slap saving:  the object of a slap save is to brush the ball with 
one flipper just enough to knock it onto the other flipper.  From there, it 
can either be hit back into play, or knocked back onto the first flipper.  
Basically, if a ball is going to go down the center, choose (quickly) which 
flipper you think the ball will come closer to.  Wait until the ball is a 
few inches above that flipper, and then wind up and slap both the flipper 
button and the side of the machine.  Hard.  If you do this with the right 
timing, the ball will hit the tip of the upraised flipper.  Usually the ball 
gets hit just enough to be reached by the opposite flipper, so you'll 
probably want to follow up the first slap with a lighter one on the other 
flipper button.  If you get enough of the ball, you can either catch it or 
hit it back into play from there.  Otherwise, you will have to do a 
secondary slap save to hit the ball back to the first flipper.  This, 
however, requires that the first flipper be returned to the down position 
by this time.  You'll probably find that on a badly maintained machine, the 
flippers take their sweet time returning to the down position, making 
this move impossible.  (This is also the case if the player is so thrilled 
that he actually saved the ball that he forgets to lower the original 
flipper :-). )  However, if you are lucky enough to be playing on a pin with 
quick flippers, you can perform this "three-point" slap save.

<With a center post>
	- Center posts are a little more tricky, since you have to decide 
whether to use the flippers or whether to let the post do the work for 
you.  On a game without a post, you always go for the slap save, but on a 
game with a post, there's that additional split-second decision making 
thing going on that makes games with posts a little more challenging 
(although they look easier).
	- It takes practice to develop the nerves to just let a ball bounce 
off of the center post.  Generally, the ball will only bounce back into play 
if it is heading *straight* down the middle towards the post.  Some 
people prefer to always go for a slap save whenever possible, and to only 
let the ball bounce if it is heading exactly between the two flippers.
	- If you do decide to let the ball bounce, *don't flip*.  If you use 
the flippers and the ball hits the post, most of the time the ball will just 
hit the underside of a raised flipper and drain.  Also, try to nudge the 
game in such a way so that the ball will hit the post as squarely as 
possible.  This will help to put the ball back in play, as it can counteract 
any spin that the ball has picked up.

<Either one>
	- Sliding the machine:  some machines will put up with side-to-
side sliding without tilting because there is very little jarring of the 
machine involved.  If the ball is heading toward the center drain, slide 
the machine to move one of the flippers into the path of the ball as it is 
coming down.  The ball basically moves along the same line in space 
whether you slide or not.  This technique takes advantage of this fact to 
ensure the ball always hits a flipper.  If you get really good at this 
technique, you will hardly ever suffer center drains on machines that 
easily allow sliding.  Note:  Sliding is easier on some machines than 
others due to total weight, weight distribution, playfield height, the 
floor surface friction, and of course, tilt sensitivity.  Try to get behind 
your push as much as possible to avoid hurting yourself.

* Saving an Outlane Drain *
	- Nudge the machine forward as the ball strikes the slingshot 
bumpers or heads for the outlane area, to force the ball back up the 
playfield.  Note that this does not work well with some outlane 
configurations--experiment a little.
	- If the ball is heading toward an outlane, try to bump it out of the 
way before it gets to the top of the outlane (e.g., try to bump it against a 
slingshot).  Once it gets to the post that divides the inlane from the 
outlane, it's much harder to save it.
	- If the ball stops on the divider between the outlane and inlane, 
move the machine sharply toward the inlane, then as quickly as possible 
toward the outlane.  Balls tend to pick up more velocity on the first 
movement, so most will fall on the inlane side of the divider.

<The "Bang Back" or "Death Save">
	- This is a way to save a ball after it has gone down an outlane.  
Usually, it works better on the right side, but it also works from the 
left.  Basically, when the ball drains down the side, hold up the flipper on 
that side, and wait until the ball is about to hit the piece of metal below 
and between the flippers (where the kicker that returns the ball to the 
ball storage area near the plunger is).  Just when the ball is about to hit 
this piece of metal, give the machine a hard bump down and forward.  
Depending on the speed of the ball, the distance between the piece of 
metal and the flippers, and the tilt sensitivity, you may experience a 
moderate degree of success at getting the ball back in play.
	- Before you try this on a game, look immediately below the 
flippers.  On some games, there are two small metal rods sunken into the 
playfield.  If your game has these, the technique probably won't work.
	- This technique is the one that should be practiced the least, 
because of one reason:  it is very prone to slam tilts.  Loose coin doors 
and sensitive slam switches are usually very uncooperative when it 
comes to popping the ball back up into the play area from behind the 
flippers.  You may want to pre-test a game's slam sensitivity before you 
actually do it when you are playing.
	- If you're going to try a Death Save, pull the game out from the 
wall.  If you're against the wall, your chances of a successful Death Save 
decrease to almost nothing, and you run the risk of doing serious damage 
to the upright portion of the machine.  Or, pulling the plug out of the wall 
(yes, it happened to Kevin Martin once  :-) ).
	- Some people find that this technique works better with crossed 
hands (i.e. if the ball drains out the right side, use your left hand to hold 
up the right flipper and bump the machine with your right hand), and 
others say that it works better with hands in the normal positions.  If 
you decide to try this technique, try both ways and see if one is 
preferable to you.
	- For a machine with a relatively sensitive Slam Tilt, but little 
Tilt, a variation on this technique is (given for the right side;  reverse 
left and right if necessary):  as the ball goes down the right lane, pull the 
game to the left--this tends to normalize the behavior of the draining 
ball, and give you a better push on the next part.  Hold up the LEFT 
FLIPPER and just as the ball comes to the metal plate at the outhole, or 
slightly before (you have to get the hang of it for each particular 
machine), move the machine quickly to the right and slightly forward.  
The ball should come to rest on the end of the right flipper--quickly drop 
the left and flip the right.
	- If you're playing a game with a center post but little or no Tilt, 
you can sometimes manage a desperation Death Save by holding up both 
flippers and pushing the machine forward quickly as the ball hits the 
lower plate, so that the ball comes up past the post.  Then, nudge the 
machine towards the ball (putting the post under the ball), lower the 
flippers, and nudge again to put the ball back into play off of the center 
post.

* Other Flipper Techniques *
	- Backhand shots:  this general term refers to any shot made with 
the flipper that wouldn't be normally used.  (Example:  using the right 
flipper to hit the right ramp in a game.)  These type of shots are usually 
made from the edge of the flipper closest to the slingshots, and are 
usually not as powerful or accurate as forehand shots.  However, being 
able to use them effectively can increase scores.  Some games are more 
friendly towards backhand shots than others;  experiment a little.
<Trapping the ball>
	- Beginning players tend to just flail randomly at everything that 
comes near a flipper.  Intermediates tend to just hold the flipper up and 
keep it there.  This works for some cases, but in others the ball will 
bounce randomly back up into play, or roll up the inlane and right back 
down the outlane, or any of a number of uncontrollable things.
	- The "Dead Trap":  when the ball is moving toward a flipper, in 
such a way that if you held the flipper up for the duration, the ball would 
roll up the inlane (either a little or a lot), hold the flipper up, and just as 
the ball hits the flipper, let the flipper drop.  This will absorb almost all 
of the ball's energy, and you'll wind up with the ball just sitting on the 
lowered flipper.  It's easier said than done, and usually takes a lot of 
practice to master.  But it's well worth it.  (This works best with 
Williams flippers, but then again, what doesn't?  :-) )
	- The "Live Trap":  basically, this is the opposite of the Dead Trap.  
Instead of holding the flipper up, time your flip so the flipper will be all 
the way up at the instant the ball hits it.  If done properly, the ball will 
then roll down into the standard catch position.
	- This tip is very machine-dependent, but it's useful nonetheless:  
if the ball is caught on one flipper and you wish it were on the other 
flipper, many times there is a playfield feature (such as a ramp) which 
can be hit from one flipper and returns the ball to the other.  (The ramps 
on T2, for example.)  This is especially helpful when you want a running 
shot on a flipper;  that is, you'd rather make a shot from an incoming ball 
than from a caught ball.
	- The "Bounce":  if a ball is heading toward a flipper, and you really 
wish the ball was heading toward the other flipper so you can catch it, 
just keep the flipper down and let it bounce off the flipper rubber and 
over to the other flipper.  This won't work very well if the game you are 
playing has loose, dirty, or torn flipper rubbers.

<Flipper Passing>
	- These are techniques designed to move the ball from one flipper 
to the other.  Note that the "Bounce," given above, also applies here.
	- The "Trap Pass":  with a flipper up and the ball caught on that 
flipper, just release the flipper and very, very, very quickly give it a tap 
back to the up position.  The ball should hit the lower corner of the 
slingshot, hit the flipper (or the bottom part of the return lane), and 
move over to the other flipper.  It's actually pretty easy to do;  all it 
takes is a little practice.  And it's better to flip too soon than too late 
for this one--too soon will usually just make the ball bounce around 
without leaving the flipper area, or roll back up the inlane, while too late 
will often bounce the ball unpredictably back up into the center of the 
playfield.
	- The "Tap Pass":  with a caught ball, release the flipper and then 
very gently and quickly tap the flipper button just enough to move the 
ball to the other flipper.  Technically the ball does not have to be trapped 
on the flipper to use this technique.  It can be moving or not;  it depends 
on how refined your control of the flippers is.  Trapping it to start is the 
easiest way, but it can be used while the ball is moving, where the trap 
pass is not possible to do.  This tends to work better with the "old" 
Williams flippers than with solid-state ones.  Note:  the difference 
between this and the "trap pass" is that you do not bank the ball off the 
slingshot or anything else.  It is a pass from flipper to flipper that when 
done correctly touches nothing but the two flippers.  Also, in the case of 
the "trap pass," the flipper noticeably moves, but in the case of the "tap 
pass" the flipper normally moves no more than .25 inches.
	- The "Lane Pass":  this is much more risky.  Basically, you want to 
shoot the ball across the opposite flipper and up through the opposite 
return lane.  With the ball in the same position as above, just let the 
flipper down, so the ball starts rolling down the flipper toward the 
center drain.  Hit the flipper button just as the ball reaches the tip end 
of the flipper.  The ball should shoot just over the opposite flipper and up 
the opposite return lane.
	- The "Touch Pass":  With the ball in the catch position, lower the 
flipper and let the ball roll to about halfway down the flipper.  Then, tap 
the flipper button extremely lightly (do not push it all the way in).  The 
ball will bounce over to the opposite flipper.  Strength required depends 
on the condition of the flippers.  Flipper button switches must be in good 
shape for this to work, but it works on more machines than you might at 
first imagine.
	- The "Speed Pass":  If a ball is coming down an inlane at a fairly 
high speed (usually by a ramp shot or other shot that involves habitrails), 
you can sometimes just hold the flipper on that side up, and let the ball 
"ramp" over to the other flipper.  Sometimes a small forward push when 
the ball nears the center space can help the ball make it across.  (An 
extension to this:  with a little practice, you can learn to raise the other 
flipper at just the right time so the ball will roll gently down into a 
catch position.  It's very similar to the "Live Trap," given above.)

* A Final Word *
	- OK, you say.  So what's their secret?  You say you know and 
practice all the above techniques, so why aren't you a wizard?  One word:  
Consistancy.  The best players know and apply their techniques on a 
regular and consistant basis.  How many times have you caught yourself 
saying "Damn, if only I hadn't missed that ramp" or "Too slow, needed to 
slap save there"?  Remember when you had that incredible 500 Million 
point game--everything "went right."  Well, remember how you played 
that game, and look at the above listed methods.  Sure, the best players 
get a break every now and again;  we all do.  But that wasn't why you did 
well.  Didn't you find yourself saying "Wow! did you see that shot--went 
straight in" or "What a save--barely made it!"  The good players do that 
on a steady and consistant basis.  In short--learn the techniques.  
Practice them.  Use them.  *That* is how one moves from "regular" to 
"wizard" status.
-- 
********  Dave Hollinsworth  *******  hlsw_ltd@uhura.cc.rochester.edu  ********
*     "Somewhere in this sprawling metropolis, another job for--" - PWEI      *
************  DISCLAIMER:  They're my opinions.  Are they yours?  *************