Safe Cracker

> "We're working against the clock here!"
>
> - Crook

***Safe Cracker*** is one of three Williams pinball tables initially converted by Zen Studios in Volume 3 of their Williams pinball collection. Originally created by Pat Lawlor as a hybrid between a traditional pinball machine and a redemption game, *Safe Cracker* is a bank heist-themed table in which the player aids crooks in hacking past the CANDY-2000 security system and into a safe containing untold riches.

## Objective & Timer

*Safe Cracker* does not follow the typical play and flow of most pinball tables; players have one ball with a long ball saver instead of a finite supply of balls, and the main goal of the game is to access and win the **board game** to win a Magic Token and start **multiball**.

The player has 45 in-game minutes to crack the bank's safe, with every 5 in-game minutes equating to 3 seconds in real-time play. Once the timer expires and the ball drains, the game will end and the **end-of-game bonus** will be awarded. Minutes can be added to the timer in several ways:

* Completing the A-B-C rollover lanes (5 minutes)
* "Disable Computer" **Wheel Value** (freezes the timer for 20 seconds)
* Random awards from the **Teller** or the **board game**
* 45 switch hits during **TNT Multiball** (20 minutes, then 5 minutes for subsequent attempts)
* Scoring jackpots during **multiball** (10 minutes)
* Rolling through a lit outlane (20 minutes)

### Starting the board game

To start a board game attempt, the player must complete the required flashing bank entry target banks; the number of targets required is determined by how many times the board game was attempted, from 2 to a maximum of 4 target bank completions. Knocking down the left drop target bank, or falling into the Getaway kicker by chance, will count as one valid target hit for the closest completed set (if all targets require the same amount of hits, it will be the leftmost target bank).

Once the required targets are hit, Lock lights at the ramp. Each ball lock opens one of the four gates to the vault on the board game, and up to 2 balls can be locked per attempt. In turn, collecting a Lock lights the three entrance shots; the number of entrance shots is reduced by 1 for each board game activation, but entrances can be relit by completing the left drop target bank.

It is possible to bypass the target bank requirement by earning the "Light Lock" **Wheel Value**, or as a random award from the **Teller**. The "Call Guard" Wheel Value also has a 50/50 chance of activating the board game; if the board game is activated this way, the player will always start from the main entrance.

### Playing the board game

Once the board game begins, the player will be placed in a starting square corresponding to which entrance shot they made. The player must reach the central finishing space, representing the vault, by following a path clockwise from their starting space determined by the balls that were locked earlier.

To move spaces, the player uses a spinner themed as a combination lock dial to determine how many spaces to move, with numbers ranging from 1 to 5. It will constantly spin until the player presses the left flipper button to stop the spinner instantly, or the right flipper button to stop it slowly. Once the player enters the circular track or lands on a "bribe guard" space, a security guard will begin pursuing the player from the same space that they began from, using a 6-sided die to move. If the guard lands on the same space as the player, the board game ends in failure.

Each space on the board game has a symbol corresponding to a different feature:

* *$*: Scores 20,000 points, adds 20,000 to the vault jackpot, and adds 10,000 to the end-of-game bonus. If the player stole an ATM card from the **cellar awards**, the award is doubled to 40,000.
* *?*: Starts a 5-second random roulette consisting of 5 icons. The player presses the flipper button as the roulette randomly cycles through them to stop it on one of the five, or waits the allotted 5 seconds, to choose one of the five items. Some items can only be awarded through landing on the ? space - see the "Perks" section for details.
* *Bribe Guard (two hands)*: Summons a guard who must be bribed to continue. The guard will either take the player's **donuts** (if at least 5 have been collected), or barter for a fraction of the player's score. The player can ask the guard to lower the value he wants, but there is a chance that he will not ask for anything less and apprehend the player, ending the board game in failure prematurely.
* *CANDY-2000*: The vault is protected by a high-tech computer christened CANDY-2000. Unlike the Mystery Roulette, landing on either of these spaces spins a roulette full of perks, represented as three-letter codes. One is chosen at random by pressing the flipper button to stop the roulette as it cycles through the codes.
* *Cyberdog*: Kicks the player out of the board game and causes the player's position on the board game to rapidly move clockwise. Within 15 seconds, the player must make any of the three entrance shots to lock in their position and return to the board game. Successfully entering the board game after defeating a Cyberdog will disable them for the rest of the current attempt, scoring 50,000 each time a defunct Cyberdog is visited. Collecting a Cyberdog Biscuit from **?** or **CANDY-2000** (DOG or MAT codes) allows the player to bribe the Cyberdog and keep playing the board game.
* *Alarm (circle with number)*: Lit alarm spaces indicate active alarms, while unlit ones are disabled. Completing the ALARM targets disables an alarm, starting at the top left alarm and ending at the bottom left alarm. If the player lands on an active alarm space, the player will have 15 seconds to enter the cellar for their current **stash** and another attempt at the board game from the cellar entrance.
* *Teller*: Scores a random **teller** award, though here, there is a 50-50 chance that the teller can hit the player with a money bomb to knock them out and end the board game attempt in failure. Collecting "Note to Teller" from the **cellar awards** will prevent money bombs from being given out, though this will prevent other random awards from being awarded as well.
* *Run and Hide (two arrows)*: The 5 spaces left and right of the current space will begin flashing randomly, and the player can lock in their position by pressing the flipper button.
* *#*: Scores a Big Find, worth 100,000 points and adding that value to the current **stash**.
* *!*: Activates a deadly laser trap that ends the board game in failure, with no chance to restart it.
* *Gate*: Starts a 5-second roulette between three gates, one of which will be locked. If the player selects the locked gate and lacks the Skeleton Key from **?** or **CANDY-2000**, the board game ends in failure. Otherwise, the player will keep going, only one space away from entering the Vault.
* *Vault*: The finishing space of the board game. If the player reaches the Vault space, the player earns their current **stash**, one Magic Token, and **multiball** will begin.

### Multiball

After successfully entering the Vault, 3-ball multiball will begin. Shots to the ramp score jackpots worth the stash value that the player built up and adds 10 **minutes** to the timer. To relight the jackpot after scoring one, the spinning disc must be shot. The board game resets once the player exits multiball.

If the player spelled VAULT through random awards or by collecting "Safe #" from the **cellar awards** before entering the Vault, Token Multiball will start instead. This behaves the same way as normal multiball, though this is a 4-ball multiball and the first two jackpots during this multiball award additional Magic Tokens (with 150,000 points awarded in their place for subsequent jackpots).

## Perks

* **Bonus Multiplier**: The end-of-game bonus multiplier advances with each board game attempt, up to a maximum of 5x. When it is maxed out, any further board game attempts will light the outlanes for Extra Time if it is not lit already. The multiplier can also be advanced as a random **teller** award.
* **TNT Multiball**: TNT Multiball acts as a "last resort" for players who might be unable to access the board game after being kicked out, though it can also be awarded as a **random award** (ending the board game prematurely if awarded). Shooting the ramp after being kicked out of the board game with a chance to restart it begins TNT Multiball, where collecting 45 switch hits adds 20 minutes to the timer + 5 minutes for every subsequent collection of the switch hits.
* **Cellar Awards**: Shooting a ball into the hole behind the vari-target scores a cellar award. The award starts at **ATM Card** each game and moves down one position with each completion of the A-B-C rollover lanes. Cellar awards include:
	+ *Hot ATM Card*: All values scored from the **$** spaces on the **board game** are doubled.
	+ *Note to Teller*: Prevents the **teller** from awarding money bombs during the board game, though this also prevents other random awards from being scored.
	+ *Explosives*: Starts a frenzy mode for 20 seconds. All switches score 5,000 points and the ramp scores 25,000 points per shot.
	+ *Safe #*: Awards a letter in VAULT.
	+ *Light Outlanes*: Lights a random outlane for Extra Time.
* **Donuts**: Shooting the center ramp awards 1 donut, doubled if the ball just rolled through the right inlane. Completing the A-B-C rollover lanes after the timer has expired, or during a multiball, will also award 1 donut. 4, 6 or 12 donuts can also be awarded as random awards from **CANDY-2000** (DNT code), the **teller** or **?**. Collecting at least 5 donuts allows the player to bribe guards without losing points when the player lands on a Bribe Guard space in a board game attempt, and any remaining donuts contribute to the end-of-game bonus.
* **Wheel Value**: The currently lit award at the main entrance can be changed by shooting the spinning disc when lit with a shot to the ramp, or briefly after feeding the ball to the upper flipper. Possible rewards are:
	+ *Light Lock*: Enables the lock at the center ramp. If this award is collected after activating an **alarm** on the **board game**, scoring Light Lock will instantly award credit for shooting the cellar and return the player to the board game.
	+ *Call Guard*: 50/50 chance of either awarding 100,000 points, or starting the **board game** at the main entrance.
	+ *Light Deposit Window*: Scores a random **teller** award.
	+ *Disable Computer*: Freezes the timer for 20 seconds, returning to normal once time runs out or the player drains.
* **Teller**: Shooting the main entrance shortly after the ball passes through the left inlane, or collecting the "Light Deposit Window" **Wheel Value**, will grant a random award.
* **Other ? Awards**: The **?** space on the board game has a chance of awarding certain items that can't be scored elsewhere:
	+ *Winged Shoes*: Causes the player's position on the board game to quickly move clockwise. Pressing a flipper button causes the player's position to slowly come to a stop, and the space they land on is their new position.
	+ *Lightning Bolt*: Summons a lightning bolt that moves clockwise around the board game. If it hits the guard, the guard will be sent back to where they started; if it hits the player, the board game will end in failure.
* **End-of-game bonus**: After the timer has expired and the ball has drained, a bonus is awarded of 5,000 per **donut** + 10,000 per **$** space visited, all multiplied by the **bonus multiplier**.

## Assault on the Vault

If the player has scored a Magic Token, they can put it back into the game for a chance to play Assault on the Vault, a 90-second timed 4-ball multiball. Each drop target bank completion during multiball advances their corresponding routes one space towards the Vault, and shooting the vari-target or completing the left drop targets counts as a space for all three routes; reaching the Vault awards 250,000 points. The player can also score jackpots worth 50,000 points by shooting the ramp, increasing by 5,000 with each spin of the spinning disc and resetting with each jackpot collected.

Once the timer runs out, the mode ends and a final bonus is awarded worth 5,000 per space moved + 50,000 per jackpot + 750,000 & a VAULT letter for each time the player completed all three routes towards the Vault.

## Tips

* The easiest, lowest-risk path into the Vault can be accessed by locking two balls, then shooting the main entrance. Assault on the Vault scores are counted towards normal scores, so Magic Tokens should ideally be your priority during normal play and this path is the most reliable way to score them.
* Work on disabling alarms while the ball saver is running - it can be quite the pain to access the easiest "main entrance to gate 1" route, yet have that attempt ruined by landing on Alarm 1. Shots towards the "R" and "M" targets can also result in bounces towards the drop target area.

## External links

* Table walkthrough by ShoryukenToTheChin