265,170

[JefferyD]

Finally! I’ve been playing this table for six, maybe seven months. I've scored over 200,000 only three times before, and only once felt that I might actually achieve that 250,000 goal.

It's cliche to say that this is the best moment of my life except for marrying my wife and being present for the birth of my daughter, so I won't. This blows that stuff out of the water! And I type this as I'm feeding my lovely one-year old. (This feeling will probably fade back down to 3rd place by lunchtime, but right now that's where I'm at.)

My only regret is that I absolutely choked on ball three! I managed to knock down a mere 5 or so targets before fumbling it all away. I was dreaming of 300,000, easy! Dang.

Anyway, I'm not much of a post-in-forums kind of guy but I had to tell somebody and I knew y'all would understand. Couldn't tell my wife, y'know?

 

[DeeEff]

I totally understand. Congratulations!

Even better, you did it without the 3rd ball 3000-points-per-target bonus - I haven't done that and I've played approximately 3 gazillion games of Big Shot.

 

[Baron Rubik]

Nice one Jeff!
Same boat, but not had your breakthrough yet.
Hit 245k once - I still persevere.

 

[Kolchak357]

Way to go. Tough goal to hit.
I've only broken 250 one time. Unfortunately it was during a tournament.

 

[grashopper]

I totally understand. Congratulations!

Even better, you did it without the 3rd ball 3000-points-per-target bonus - I haven't done that and I've played approximately 3 gazillion games of Big Shot.

Isn't ball 3 still 1000? 5 is the 3k if you're playing 5 ball...which I'm sure everyone trying for the 250 is doing.

 

[gooche77]

Congrats. It took me around 4 months straight of relentless attempts.

 

[DeeEff]

Isn't ball 3 still 1000? 5 is the 3k if you're playing 5 ball...which I'm sure everyone trying for the 250 is doing.

D'oh, of course! My bad.

JefferyD, you only get the Level 1 "congratulations" then, unless you mess up ball 5.

 

[smbhax]

Conga-rats! : D

Now go for Genie! ; D

 

[JefferyD]

Funny you should mention it, smbhax! Genie is the other elusive-but-maybe-possible (for me) Wizard Goal I have an eye on. Some goals don't really interest me (Lyman's Lament? Pass. I'd rather pound my head on the table 42 times or whatever.)

Big Shot 250,000 has always seemed possible. I'd occasionally get a run of 2 or 3 extra balls in a row, but only one per game! I knew that if I could get two strong runs, something good could happen! Today, I had a great 1st ball and a spectacular second. Ball 3 brings a tear to my eye when I think about him, poor fellow could have been something really special!

Now, as for Genie, I've only hit the halfway to 3 million mark once, but how many times I've had ALL the extra ball lights lit only to have it sneak down one of the side chutes? At least a dozen times, I'm sure. For some reason I can't hit any of those shots on purpose when the lights come on. I've NEVER had more than one extra ball in a game. Never. So there have been a few times where I've felt I should have had a shot at 3 million, even if I've only just peaked over the 1 million mark.

That's me pep-talking me, ready to fire up the iPad!

 

[ScotchYeti]

Well done, JefferyD! It took me only 3 weeks instead of your 6 months but I feel you, this table can be absolutely cruel. Persistence is the key and you made it.

I hope you had no nightmares from the "klink klink" sounds?

 

[Pop Sergeant]

Way to go! I'm envious and completely understand your need to share it. I've only broken 250K once ... during a tournament ... so of course it didn't count for my wizard goal ... it's driving me crazy ... I just can't let it go ... maybe one day soon ... and then I'll probably never play it again just out of spite ... Congratulations!

 

[JefferyD]

DeeEff & Grashopper
I'm using the 3 ball setting. That no doubt causes a dip in my average score, but this way my lousy games are over much more quickly; and if I have a couple of good balls in a game, only one of them rolls with the underwhelming 1k bonus. I seem to be hitting around the same mark for good games that I did with the 5 ball option, and I'm burning less time. (This strategy is not working with Genie, so far.)

ScotchYeti
Weird, but I love the sounds of Big Shot. It's just abour my ideal aural representation of an arcade. If you were approaching an arcade in, let's say, heaven, you would hear the gentle sounds and clicks of Big Shot from within. As you got closer you would hear an angel swear and tilt the machine as a final ball committed a graceful sidestep and slipped down the left out lane.

 

[DeeEff]

Re: your 3-ball strategy; I'm gonna try that! Can't tell you how many times I've racked up several bonus sets on balls 1-3 (at 1000 per) only to bomb 4 and/or 5!

Re: Arcade heaven; +1 - perfect description of Big Shot's sounds.

 

[Slam23]

349.910! Heck of a game in which i not only broke 250.000 but also got the elusive 42.000 bonus wizard goal, finished them all now. Previous best score of 204.600. I started out with a 92.000 1st ball and offcourse an EB. Repeated close to that on my 3rd ball. Got the shakes on ball 4 with a fairly quick drain, but passed 250k and then had a killer ball 5. Some buttcheekpinching moments when I had cleared the whole table but final tally took me to nearly 350k. Look for slam23 at place 51 on the iOS leaderboards. Long time coming this one, and still only halfway to 1000 HOF points! But I'll take it,

 

[JefferyD]

Slam23, you rule. What a show that must have been. Super-heroic! Makes me want to crack my knuckles and put on my "350K or bust t-shirt."

My first visit back to the iPad netted a healthy +100K game, but the next attempt was a dismal three-balls-gone-in-20-seconds flop; a gentle reminder that -- even though I am improved and have had a game to be proud of -- always, I am a mere three plunges away from the all-time worst game, as well.

 

[Slam23]

Thanks JefferyD, but as usual the setting for this heroic game was kind of mundane, sitting next to my girlfriend who was watching the A-team movie. At my whooping and hollering she just rolls her eyes and comments: "having a good game honey? I'm kind of trying to watch a film over here" So I know the feeling that you want to share that awesome game with somebody....and while I definitely didn't cure cancer or solved hunger, I sure did feel like a super-hero for a fleeting moment.
I haven't touched Big Shot since, but I know that I'll suck for the next 20 games, that's just how this particular game will kick your behind mercilessly.
Game on,
Slam23

Reserve a T-shirt for me will you?

 

[big_kick]

Finally I got 250K goal and "Big Shot Wizard" trophy in PS3! Twenty-four months has been passed since my first try.

Genie's 3M goal still waits me...

 

[zmcvay]

347,110! After a full year of not quite making 200,000 on the PS4 I clear it just two weeks after moving to the Steam version. I love this table, but I don't think I've ever felt like celebrating so much for clearing wizard goals. And yes, I'm posting here because my wife didn't quite get the reason for all the tears of joy as well.

Congrats all, I'm off to try to knock down one of the other tough goals on my list.

 

[JefferyD]

Ha! I’d forgotten that I’d blurted out whoops of joy about this! Congrats zmcvay!

I did manage to clear my 350k goal a few times, but my next goal, 400K, eludes me. I suffered PinballArcade burnout for a few months earlier this year, but I'm getting over that and it's no surprise that Big Shot is again one of my most played. I hit a lucky 370-ish score recently but I've performed pretty dismally otherwise. Sub-200k for the most part. I've lost my edge. 'Ill have get back into shape to give 400k a decent run for the money.

My assaults on the Genie goal, before and after burnout, have been feeble and lackluster. I feel a twinge of bitter resignation settling in. I'd rather everyone just not talk about the 3m goal anymore, thank you.

 

[Slam23]

Trip down memory lane here also, haven't bettered my near 350k but also haven't played much Big Shot after that. Recently I picked it up again because of the new flipper physics and promptly scored a 325K, almost first game back. Very dumb of me to think that would open the highway to 1000 HOF points.....because I haven't been near 300K anymore after that. Now I'm chasing a better score on TOTAN, primarily trying to combine 3x Lightning Lamp with Genie Battle. Also quite soulcrushing I must say....
I won't mention that thing that you don't want me to mention, save for the fact I haven't yet been there either....