Attack from Mars: Strategy guide to Rule the Universe!

[Cloda]

I first posted this in the original Zen forum...

I did not realise prior to the release of the Williams tables that the skills I developed while*playing Zen’s original tables don't translate well to the “real life” tables, irrespective of the physics mode (here are some notes on my journey to adjusting to classic arcade physics). My strategy for playing the zen tables always revolved around kickbacks (see here for an example of my approach for Fantastic Four) and most Williams / Bally tables don‘t really bother with those . Nudging thus becomes so much more important for keeping the ball out of the outlines and in all honesty, I still haven‘t been able to get on top of that. That doesn‘t say you can’t do well with the Williams / Bally tables without that, but you end up losing a few more saveable ball.

Anyway, I am trying to beat Attack from Mars on classic single player physics mode and got close (only needed to get a super jackpot) but today I thought I’ll see if the game is easier on Zen’s physics mode. I played around for a few minutes to get used to the different flipper angle and balls speeds and then I recorded a play through to Rule the Universe. The long and the short of it is that it is much easier because the ball is is more in your control.

Here is the strategy I followed in the video I recorded, developed from my playing on both physics modes…

- Hold the left flipper in at ball launch for the ball to go past the bumpers and come around to your flippers. You have a few seconds for a direct shot to the panel of targets under the saucer (you usually have to hit at least 3 times) to immediately start the Attack wave. It is well worth missing out on the 5x multiplier for that.
- If you shoot directly for the panel, either to start the Attack wave or to attack the saucer, rather do it from the right flipper towards the right of the panel as it is a less risky shot. You can do a nudge pass or post pass to get the ball to the right side. Practise the post pass as the timing is different between single player and classic single player physics.
- Most suggestions are to not shoot directly at the panel under the saucer but to bank your shots of the martian targets on both sides. I find it more risky but that is up to you to experiment with.
- Flying shots at the Stroke of luck hole is risky so rather bring the ball under control first.
- Forget about real life pinball tricks (drop catch, live catch etc.) to bring the ball under control as they don’t work reliable and end up increasing your risk.
- In multi-ball don‘t just flail. This table (as many tables do) requires of you to aim and shoot for specific shots. Figure out the best way for you to bring the balls under control and try to aim and shoot one ball at a time. It requires flexibility to do well in multi-ball but overall, the better you can control the ball, the better chance you have of doing well.
- The order I approach the tasks required to reach Rule the Universe is to start with Conquer Mars (i.e. Saucer attack) first. By the time you complete that you should have most of the other tasks completed especially 5-way combo, total annihilation and super jets. If not, then I’ll aim to complete those first as it interlinks them to a degree i.e. some of the same shots can contribute to multiple tasks.
- The last two tasks (super jackpot during multi-ball and martian multi-ball) you can trigger whilst completing the Conquer Mars task but I find that if I concentrate on the Conquer Mars task, I still end up needing to complete them. Once Conquer Mars is completed, I find it easier to shift my attention over to all the uncompleted tasks.
- Keep an eye out for extra balls as you stand a better chance of Ruling the Universe if you can collect some. They are from - Video mode, lighting all the lights that active stroke of luck in the in and out-lanes ten times, hitting the panel 10 times during Strobe multi-ball and the easiest of them all - saving your first two cities during the Conquer Mars task. I don‘t want to be funny but “Stroke of luck” has not once awarded an extra ball... but it is technically possible.

Ok... I’ll add to this if I think of anything else or something else struck me. Please let me know if you have any tips I can add or if you find that a different approach works better for you.

 

[wilbers]

Taken me ages, but I was trying to get the achievement for this table - ended up finally getting it, and then got just about everything else on the table and finished Rule the Universe. Saw the upper echelon's of the scoreboard, and not for the first time wonder how pinballwiz got a massively higher score than that - is it somehow possible to Rule the Universe more than once, or is it just keep hitting everything for the raised values lots and lots and lots of times?

 

[Tarek Oberdieck]

is it somehow possible to Rule the Universe more than once, or is it just keep hitting everything for the raised values lots and lots and lots of times?

[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Tahoma,Calibri,Geneva,sans-serif]You can Rule the Universe multiple times. After the first completition it's much easier cause the Attack Waves are not needed anymore for the mode. The big points in the game hide in Total Anihilation.[/FONT]

 

[twopossums]

This is great. I'm trying to tackle this table after Medieval Madness. Thank you.

What I need though is how do I score enough points for the daily challenges on Safe Cracker, Black Rose and The Getaway. I can never get enough points on those.

 

[Tarek Oberdieck]

What I need though is how do I score enough points for the daily challenges on Safe Cracker, Black Rose and The Getaway.

The Getaway:
Super Jackpots are the key. Go for Redline Mania. I use the right freeway lane to advance the gears. You can catch the ball most of the time
on the left flipper after the shot and repeat the task.


Black Rose:
Sink as many ships as possible. Multiball is the way to reach this.


Safecracker:
This is more a gambling machine than a pinball. It depends on how lucky you're in the board game. Enter the vault with a huge stuff and go for the
jackpots in the following multiball.


For all thee tables it's a good idea to set the upgrades to score boost and multiball.

 

[twopossums]

Ok. Thanks. I’ll give those ideas a try. Black Rose is a hella ball drain game for me. I spend half the time reshooting.

I never use upgrades. I thought it was just fancy ball colors and trails. Guess I’ll have to look into that. Lol.

 

[MBeeching]

Ok. Thanks. I’ll give those ideas a try. Black Rose is a hella ball drain game for me. I spend half the time reshooting.

I never use upgrades. I thought it was just fancy ball colors and trails. Guess I’ll have to look into that. Lol.

You're right, those Wizard Powers aren't available on mobile (though I agree with Tarek they're the best ones to use). Some of the mobile challenges are awful so I wouldn't worry about failing to complete a few of them - I refresh basics a lot and skip anything too time consuming.

Safe Cracker 5 Minute typically requires luck on the board, though Survival is easily achievable. I use the upper right flipper to hit the Getaway lock on the far left, then let it rack up more points travelling back through the pop bumpers. If the guard asks for a bribe on the board game just keep refusing and get back on the table asap.

Black Rose is a pain on mobile. Get the ball under control on the right flipper, let it roll slightly then shoot straight up the middle for broadside. It gets kinda repetitive though. On one ball mode aim for the skill shot then let it drain immediately, exploit the ball save to instantly load and fire the cannon.

On High Speed I use the right flipper to hit the targets and increase the Supercharger (10m), on Survival mode try to save that shot until you're running out of time. With the left flipper you just want to keep shooting the right orbit, occasionally using the lock to get that easy 5m or play the DMD game. On one ball mode get as many loop shots as possible at the start, if you miss you can usually exploit ball save to pick up some easy points and have another attempt.

 

[shutyertrap]

I just completed this on mobile for the daily challenge, the Premium 1 ball challenge of AFM. It requires an absolutely stupid score!

5 stars - just over a billion points (didn't catch the goal needed before blowing past it)
10 stars - 4.48 billion, which if you got on one ball in a tournament people would be high fiving you.
15 stars - 8 billion!!

So AFM requires different strategy based on what challenge you have to do. For 1 ball, I avoid the center saucer shot like the plague and just shoot the orbits and ramps until I get Total Annihilation going. I start with the shots on the right, since any ball kicked out of the scoop is easily caught on the left flipper. Once the right orbit has been completed, it'll act as a true orbit and let the ball go all the way around, and I'll just dead flip from left to right flipper and catch. Now I start working on the left shots. By accident I'll get a ball locked here and there, maybe get a ricochet shot hitting the center so that hopefully it drops the gate, but I don't actively shoot for it until I've got multiball going, and even then it's not my priority. Shoot those lanes, get those jackpots. It took MANY tries for me to hit that 8 billion, and the most saucers I'd destroyed that entire time was 2.

Survival is fairly forgiving if you set yourself up right. Yes, you can now shoot the center to your heart's content, quickly going through the first few stars. The problem is as you climb higher, the point totals needed per star are ever greater and saucer destruction takes too long for the one minute you have. Instead, spend the first few stars getting your lanes lit to 3 each but not completing them. Then go for the center shot. If you ever find yourself running out of time, shoot one of the lanes for completion and then collect the hurry up. That'll buy you another minute and you can go back to pounding the center. For 5 stars any strategy will actually work, for 10 stars it can get close. For 15 stars, this is absolutely crucial, as on premium you need 5.4 billion to beat it.

5 minute AFM is tough when it comes to the 15 stars. You can get away with just pounding the middle and destroying saucers for 5 and 10 stars, but that won't work for 15. You are going to not only need to destroy 4 saucers, but you are also going to need either Total Annihilation or regular multiball to put you over the top. 4.52 billion is what's needed on Premium, and it's a royal pain.

If you ever want to know what any scores needed are for any of the mobile challenges, my chart is almost filled in now and anyone can look at it here https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Nnz1x_Xy3LU_qfhBQMY5l-ps5nVIHv02UOOlS_7poWc/edit?usp=sharing

 

[shutyertrap]

Tips for...

Black Rose

It's all about the shooting broadside, no matter the challenge. Learn the skill shot to get that ramp flipped up. As MBeeching said, if it's 1 ball then let the ball drain immediately and do a full plunge into it. Otherwise shoot the left ramp and then use the middle flipper to make the shot. Shoot cannon up the middle, even if you barely miss you'll start Double Broadside. Always catch the ball on the right flipper, you just let the ball start rolling, and then up the middle it goes. Scores go 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 million, and even if you only get to 16 million you'll be well set up to beat most 15 star goals. After that it's a matter of shooting the middle some more and collecting points. I never bother with the Whirlpool ramp, and only really shoot for the left ramp if either jackpot is lit or I need to set up the middle flipper shot. I ignore Millions mode and just continue shooting for Broadside.

This strategy by the way is only for Daily Challenges. With no timers and 3 balls, multiball and sinking ships becomes much more important.

The Getaway

I find the mobile version of this to be a nightmare that I can't seem to shoot well on at all. My strategy for 1 ball and Survival are pretty much the same; shoot the right orbit, catch the ball on the left flipper, repeat. Do this until a lock is lit, video mode is available, or Redline Mania is lit. I'm terrible at the right flipper to left orbit shot, and am flabbergasted at how I miss the supercharger so badly, so this is why I compensate with the right orbit. For 5 minute challenge, it's all about getting to Redline Mania as fast as you can as you absolutely need to hit jackpots to survive the 15 star goal, something I've yet to achieve in the Premium challenge.

Safe Cracker

The DMD animations are your worst enemy. They suck up all your time in the worst way. So far in 40 days of playing, I've never had a 1 ball challenge with SC, but survival and 5 minute are alive and well, believe me. Interestingly, the 5 star goal is the hardest in Survival as only having a minute to reach the 5th star is brutal. The 10 and 15 star goals are just under double that 5 star goal, but you now need less points per star which makes them easier. On top of that, they both share the same goal so 15 stars is the easiest of them all. The 5 minute challenge is about as fun as hitting yourself with a board that has a nail in it. It's pure luck, and I honestly have not figured out a good strategy. Hitting the vari target and getting it primed for Explosives is a good thing, but by no means easy or quick to do. Make sure you have at least 5 donuts before doing the board game, otherwise the guard will want a cash bribe. NEVER pay him, by the way, not during a challenge. TNT multiball is okay if you can keep it going for longer than 15 seconds, but unfortunately it really is all about that board game and collecting the stash. Anything else, you'll just be wasting your time.

 

[Tarek Oberdieck]

I've played these Attack from Mars Survival game 3 days ago. My last reached score goal was at 104 Billion, the next is 115 Billion. 11 Bilion in one Minute! Very hard to get. I guess with an empty score boost nearly unreachable except you have build up a huge Total Anihilation jackpot.

 

[shutyertrap]

Yeah, the target scores are totally different between OC and mobile precisely because there are no score boosts to enable

 

[Tarek Oberdieck]

Yeah, the target scores are totally different between OC and mobile precisely because there are no score boosts to enable

[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Tahoma,Calibri,Geneva,sans-serif]No upgrades on mobile available? That's new for me. I've installed the williams app on my Android but never really played the game. A phone is for calling, not for pinball games. Just my opinion… [/FONT]

 

[shutyertrap]

[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Tahoma,Calibri,Geneva,sans-serif]No upgrades on mobile available? That's new for me. I've installed the williams app on my Android but never really played the game. A phone is for calling, not for pinball games. Just my opinion… [/FONT]

I'm not a fan of playing on a phone either, except that it's a great way to pass the time while I wait in the car to pick up my son from his various things he does.