Black Hole Tactics and Strategies

[monkspider]

The other tables have an official tactics and strategies thread but I don't see one for Black Hole yet. Do you guys have any tips? I can surmise that the basic strategy is to try to hit the drop targets and then go to the lower playfield but I find that even good shots can often result in a drain. One in particular that drives me mad is when it rockets from the right drop targets down toward the outlane so fast that I never have time to react. Anyone out there that can help this novice?

 

[FurVid]

Here's my strategy (from another thread about a month ago, but I'll add a bit):

first goal is to light upper capture hole by completing the spot targets. Can hit at least some of these from all flippers. If ball is on right flipper and only lower spot targets needed, can hit to capture hole and then flip cross-table from upper left.

if ball goes to lower level before above is done, can either lock in capture hole or try to open gate and deliberately drain. too risky to just play the balls out down there when work is still needed on upper level. It is good though to complete right three-bank a couple times to light extra ball on the upper level - then hit from upper right flipper after letting ball drain with gate open. That's probably the easiest extra ball - usually get that one several times a game.

don't start multiball until at least one of BLACK or HOLE is completed. send balls to lower level as much as possible during multi ball. perhaps completing upper drops if not done yet and one is close.

once back down to one ball try to complete BLACK or HOLE if both aren't done yet and one is close. Otherwise just keep going to lower level and try to get 5x bonus and as much lower level bonus as possible. This point (when back down to one ball after multiball) is about the only time in the game in which I feel I can just go for points, since it's not possible to start a new multiball until after drain.


Shots to master:

top rollunder - can do from caught ball, but learn to hit from upper right flipper after ball return through gate - lots of extra balls here.

gravity tunnel - can do from caught ball, but very important to learn to hit on reentry - flip just as ball touches lower flipper - repeatedly send balls back here during multiball, unless need to complete upper drops.

upper lock - usually best from caught ball, upper flipper better

lower lock - caught ball from right flipper - watch for quick return around loop to left flipper (common cause of drains) - often better if you nick the top (closer to you) side of the path.

lower drops - right bank to open gate, left bank to rack up points

upper spots - as mentioned above, almost always first thing to go for - try to learn ways to hit from all three flippers

lower multiplier - usually don't need to go for this early on, since almost any good ball will quickly be 5x

 

[Jim O'Brien]

Those are good points FurVid, I always lock my ball in the lower playfield first than I go for the captive hole on the left of the main playfield (top). If you do it the other way around then you loose your ball from the captive hole if you drain before starting multiball.

 

[RetroBlast]

I started a new tactic and for me it seems to be paying off. At the start of the game, I solely concentrate on getting extra balls. I have found that in doing so, I generally wind up hitting the yellow spot targets and many of the top drop downs. When ever I see the ball traveling close to the yellow spots and parallel to them, I nudge the table to pick one off. Once down in the black hole I immediately go for the 5x multiplier and while doing so, generally inadvertently drop down the light blue right drop targets. But once those targets have been dropped twice, I either lock the ball in the catcher or exit with the gate open. As the ball comes out of the gate, I let it travel over the the top right flipper than try and nail top roll-under with the extra ball lit with the lower right flipper. I try and hit that roll-under 2x if I can for two extra balls.

I then concentrate on the upper drop targets and try to get at least one g force going. In the process of doing that, I usually find all the yellow drop targets are down opening up the top level ball catcher. I don't really go for that catcher but if I hit it by chance, all the better.

Then its back down into the black hole. If the special lights up down there, I nail it. If it does not, I drop the light blue right drop targets once and get out with the gate open. Now that the light blues have been dropped 3x, the special is lit up on the top roll-under and I try to nail it for a third extra ball.

After that, its down into the black hole for points and if I get out of there with the gate open, then I try for multi-ball, hopefully with 2 g force active and 5 times active. Of course, anything can happen, but I feel more relaxed with two extra balls under my belt at the get go. After starting this tactic, I finally broke 2 Mil and then 3 Mil, before using this tactic, I was lucky if I got close to 1 Mil. The beauty of lighting up the extra ball at the top roll-under is if you drain, it remains lit, and you can make up for a lost ball.

 

[Bahnzo]

Thanks for the tips guys, they all help! I really like reading how people approach the table and your overall strategy.

I'm trying to get into this table while I wait for the next DLC, and it's difficult. One thing I'm having troubles with is the lower playfield. There's two banks of dropdown targets, right. One on the left with three, and one on the right with 4...correct? The one with 3 I can see pretty easy, but the 4 bank on the left? Are those lights corresponding with the targets there that have been hit?

I'm sure I have more, but that really is what has me confused at the moment.

 

[RetroBlast]

I was wondering about the yellow drops down in the hole myself and if the lights mean they are dropped or if they mean they are simply worth more points if you hit them when they are lit. Always remember that the right purple drops down there control the reward for going through the top semi ramp and coming down through the three rollover lanes.

Drop them once, hit the ramp - 10,000 points

Drop them twice, hit the ramp - EXTRA BALL

Drop them 3x, hit the ramp - SPECIAL / WHICH IS AN EXTRA BALL

Dropping the targets are cumulative as well in that if you leave the hole and then come back to it, the targets were as you left them. In addition so is their effect on the ramp ... lose a ball and what ever is lit on the ramp remains for the next ball.

 

[Mudfinger]

Since the latest update, it seems that you can only have 1 extra ball at any time, no matter haw many are offered up on the table. This is the same update that changed (fixed) hitting the lower level pop bumper closing the gate. So it's pretty much a wash in keeping the game challenging and not making it so easy that we will lose interest.

 

[RetroBlast]

I thought that hitting the lower level pop bumper was supposed to close the gate and did not realize it was a bug. To be clear, are you talking about the rounded bumper down in the black hole?

Each platform seems to have its own problems and the game played differently on each platform. It seems to me that those using an XBOX experience quicker ball speeds and more bounciness. Those using the Vita have the bug where the left rollover for the multiplier never goes out, and some playing on PS3 complain of lag which I never experienced.

 

[Mudfinger]

Yes The pop bumper(s) on the lower level (down in the "Black Hole" as some refer to it) is Not supposed to close the gate according to the actual 'real-world' table rules. The Pop bumper(s) on the upper level , does close the gate as per the rules. Also only 1 Extra Ball per ball is given, no matter how many times you rollover or which of the 3 possible extra ball locations are shot. I played the VP version as well and this is the way it is there too.
The update has seemingly fixed all the rule issues. All they need to do then is change the onboard rule text to match.

I am still experiencing bugs in multiball mode such as camera staying zoomed in, and balls flying through solid objects occasionaly. (nothing really horrible, just minor stuff)

Playing On iOS IPAD

 

[RetroBlast]

ohhhh I will be sad to lose that second extra ball!

 

[RetroBlast]

Thanks for the tips guys, they all help! I really like reading how people approach the table and your overall strategy.

I'm trying to get into this table while I wait for the next DLC, and it's difficult. One thing I'm having troubles with is the lower playfield. There's two banks of dropdown targets, right. One on the left with three, and one on the right with 4...correct? The one with 3 I can see pretty easy, but the 4 bank on the left? Are those lights corresponding with the targets there that have been hit?

I'm sure I have more, but that really is what has me confused at the moment.

After just playing I can say that the yellow lights on the lower playfield by the yellow drop targets do not mean they are dropped, they mean if you drop them while lit you get a higher score.

 

[Mudfinger]

Those 4 yellow lights on the Lower Playfield correspond to the 4 yellow drop targets on the lower right of the Upper playfield. They give 10x the value of an unlit target , so if you have all 4 lit on the lower as well as both accelerators, man you can rack up some incredible scores. ........ I'm at 6.5M so far and trying for 10M.

 

[RetroBlast]

And you can light them up by hitting the yellow spot targets on the top playfield.

 

[RetroBlast]

Today I just popped the 3 MIL mark on this table on the Vita ... I dipped down in to the hole with 5x mulitplier lit, both accelerators, and all the yellow lights lit in front of the yellow drop targets ... it was a battle with the door opening and closing, not only in the Black Hole, but also on the bus which was packed. I was flanked with Jabba on my left and Granny on my right ... elbow room was no where to be found and I must have lost at least 4 balls that game due to buss jolts and Jabba & Granny nudging me in ways that could be considered sinful while in the act of executing a BODACIOUS BLACK HOLE MENUVER ... with each inexcusable ball drain the F BOMB was released from my lips and found its way reverberating deep inside the ears of all the riders, regardless of age or gender ... and then the critical moment ... FINAL BALL DRAIN ... the entering of my initials and then the vita frantically searching for a WiFi Signal ... and by the grace of god, it latched on to one just long enough to transport my score to the leaderboard ... Yes, Yes, Yes ... I gasped and looked up and all eyes were on the F BOMB boy! I could not help but smile back at all the stern faces.

 

[Jeff Strong]

Very impressive! I need to dive back into the Hole. I've been too distracted by Gorgar and Funhouse lately, but I can feel the Hole pulling me back in (especially once they get the rules straightened out).

 

[RetroBlast]

You know Jeff, for me, it really takes a magic moment to top my high score, and each time I top it, I need an even bigger magic moment to top it again. Its a damn battle and it takes a lot out of me ... and when I top my best score on The Black Hole, plenty of rest and fluids are needed. I need to walk away from the table for a week or so because I just can't force that kind of magic. I need a really magic moment on The Bride Of BinBot ... I have been lucky and nabbed the billionaires club 2 or 3 times but never have been lucky enough to have a WiFi signal when I did ... so no leaderboard posts from the Vita ... but the magic is coming, I can feel it! I can't wait for the rules to change on the Black Hole to what they should be ... I have been struggling with a difficult set of rules and fighting tooth and nail against the Gates of Hell ... it will be such a pleasure when the Black Hole keeps itself open for me ... dipping in and out at will ... oh the smell it, can't you almost taste it now?

 

[Jeff Strong]

I hear ya. We almost need a pinball training program to keep us in shape, complete with specific exercises, dietary guidelines, etc.

You're definitely going to enjoy the updated Black Hole rules. The only negative is that I think you can only have 1 extra ball at a time though....so that is one drawback....but it kind of balances out with the easier lower playfield rules.

 

[RetroBlast]

My 44 year old hands ain't what they used to be .... I can't be fingering around too much in tense situations like I once could when I was nothing but a wee lad ... spry, nimble, full of energy, dexterity, flexibility, and testosterone! I have not played a "thumb bustin" game like TPA in a long time ... and talk about clutching a joystick tighter than should be legal! These tables are a work out and in the spirit of the twitch gameplay we thought was a thing of the past.

I will miss the loss of that one extra ball but with that gate fixed, I think there is an opportunity to double or even triple our current scores ... can't wait!

 

[JPelter]

Blargh. Just had one last marathon of Black Hole for 36.5M. It took me something ridiculous like seven hours or so and I got really bored towards the end. Was constantly nervous about the geometry bug in the lower lock area too. I don't think I'll be touching the table again, except to give a quick look when they fix the extra balls and lower playfield diverter to see how much that changes. Overall I don't think it'll change all that much. Might make the ultra high scores harder to pull off and the regular play easier, although hard to gauge before testing.

e: Oh right this is the tactics and strategies thread. I'll give out some tips on how to get to grind mode. Warning: It gets pretty boring pretty fast.

1) Always keep two extra balls banked. Whenever you lose a ball your first priority is to bank another one. You can have approx. two extra balls banked at once. One regular and one special. I say approx. because there's some odd thing that is probably a bug that will actually sometimes roll your ball count back when you lose a ball. I have no idea what causes it. It's not very relevant though. The easiest extra balls are in the corridor on the upper playfield next to the gravity lane or whatever it is. You cycle through them with the lower playfield right bank of targets. You can't cycle past the special light without picking it up though.

2) Multiball is not important. You won't be able to keep multiple balls in the lower playfield for long and thus won't score super high with them no matter what.

3) When you have two extra balls banked, get either one or two Gs depending on how you want to play, and the four yellow lights on the lower playfield lit. Go to lower playfield and start grinding the bottom left bank of targets. Also get your multiplier up to 5x fairly soon. I tend to do it when I have 100k bonus banked if I don't have it maxed before that. Note: Avoid the lower playfield lock shot at all costs. The ball WILL eventually go in there and not come back, ever. Your game is over and you won't get a high score if this happens. Consequently, most of the bank shots you need to shoot for scoring are better done with caroms from the left flipper since this has 0 risk of ending up in the lock area.

Repeat this till you're so bored and tired and scared of geometry bugs you can't go on any more and drain the rest of your balls.

 

[ParallaxScroll]

It's been a few months since I played this, so I might be forgetting a few details, but here's essentially what I do. When I start each new ball, I immediately complete the BLACK and HOLE drop targets to light both accelerators. It really pays to master these drop target shots so you can complete the banks in order reliably. Most drop targets can be hit with a trapped ball from the bottom right flipper, including the H and O targets on the right. The bottom left flipper is only needed for the L and E targets on the right.

Almost all important shots on the table are made with the bottom right flipper. If I get the ball on the top right flipper, I trap it and then post-pass down to the bottom right flipper.

Once both accelerators are lit for 3x scoring, I send the ball to the lower playfield and immediately use the lower playfield's left flipper to shoot the right rollunder until the bonus multiplier is maxed at 5x. From there, the rest of the ball is spent making aimed shots at the bottom right bank of drop targets in the lower playfield. Lots of trapping and nudging helps keep the ball in play here. A trapped ball on either flipper can be aimed at those bottom right drop targets. These drop targets are where I get most of my points.

Completing the lower right drop targets a couple times also lights Extra Ball or Special near the top of the upper playfield. It's a good idea to grab that, so I make sure the gate is "open" and then let the ball drain out of the lower playfield and go back up top so I can get the extra ball. Then I send it back to the lower playfield to get more points.

I don't bother locking balls, since in my opinion Black Hole's multiball doesn't help with scoring.