Cellar Hole Standard Goal?

[Espy]

Okay, so I'm finally catching up with TPA, but due to life I am ages behind and playing through the last few tables of Season 4. I'm trying to unlock the wizard goals for Safe Cracker, but having no luck as the standard goal for the cellar award isn't popping. Can someone explain how to get this one? It doesn't seem to work at all. I have got the ball behind the vari-target plenty of times, seen it award thing such as the bank teller note etc, but it's not popping. Have I completely misunderstood this?

 

[Captain B. Zarre]

Okay, so I'm finally catching up with TPA, but due to life I am ages behind and playing through the last few tables of Season 4. I'm trying to unlock the wizard goals for Safe Cracker, but having no luck as the standard goal for the cellar award isn't popping. Can someone explain how to get this one? It doesn't seem to work at all. I have got the ball behind the vari-target plenty of times, seen it award thing such as the bank teller note etc, but it's not popping. Have I completely misunderstood this?

The only item you can get for the goal to register is the Hot ATM Card, the first cellar award. The goal won't register if you collect any of the others.

 

[Espy]

The only item you can get for the goal to register is the Hot ATM Card, the first cellar award. The goal won't register if you collect any of the others.

Thanks. I will give that a shot tomorrow. Still trying to understand the table properly, to be honest. Is it possible to play it for a long time, or are games always shorter due to the ball save rules? I've played it in real life and it's a blast, but now I'm actually trying to strategise it I'm struggling.

 

[vikingerik]

It's always short. There's no way to earn time faster than it depletes. And the clock actually speeds up after you've added more time a few times.

The one strategic thing you can do is get Light Outlanes from the cellar scoop, which acts as a ball save on an outlane drain. That's the only thing you can do with any resemblance to an extra ball.

 

[Tann]

Still trying to understand the table properly, to be honest. Is it possible to play it for a long time, or are games always shorter due to the ball save rules? I've played it in real life and it's a blast, but now I'm actually trying to strategise it I'm struggling.

Well, a game can last for a long time if you start the TNT multiball each time you're ejected from the bank (and that happens a lot in one game), but the score stays low.

For my part, I tried to "strategise" (disable alarms, get the most items possible) to finally understand that you have to rely on only one thing: LUCK.

Because this table is literally a board game.

Here's my strategy to reach the Top 100 (done it yesterday with ~7M).

1)
Enter the bank as soon as possible. Don't collect anything, just lit the lock, lock two balls (hold trap the ball on left flipper is the easiest way to shoot constantly the ramp), then enter via the main entrance. The path to the vault will be the shortest possible. Now, rely on luck and reach the vault (the stash collected would be about 150K)

2)
Keep the Vault Multiball alive as long as possible, focus on wheel-ramp-wheel-ramp. Rinse and repeat. The timer should be full again.

3)
- Once only one ball remains, it's time to play "on the fly", i.e. never hold trap the ball and always aim for the bumpers/drop targets area to lit lock again, but if the Bank Wheel is lit, go for it (Lit Lock, Teller's gift which can be useful -multiball, time, etc.). Don't aim for ALARM targets, you will hit them randomly anyway.

- Never try to shoot the Cellar Hole, it requires 3 shots to open it, and the bonus are almost useless (ATM Hot Card = useless, Teller Note = almost useless, Lit Outlanes = go for it only if it's available and the Cellar Hole is open without wanting it, Vault Letter = totally useless in a highscore attempt).

- Once lock is lit, lock two balls, and enter via the main entrance. Never enter via the cellar (longest path possible). The path to the vault will be two times longer that the previous bank robbery. Time to rely on luck again. If the vault is reached, the stash wil be about 250K.

4)
Most of the time, you won't reach the vault, because the dice are loaded.

Numerous times, I have only one case to avoid. I can make 1, 2, 4 or 5 but not 3. Either I choose Fast or Slow, 3 will show. Or after a very good run on the board game, avoiding successfully all traps and being very near of the vault, the guards suddenly rolls two 6 in a row and catches me. ORLY!

If you're lucky, and reach the vault, the stash should be about 250K.
If you are ejected, entry the bank a third time as soon as possible, and rely on luck again.

5)
Then again, keep the Vault Multiball alive as long as possible like in #2.

6)
Here comes now the real strategy. Reaching the vault again is no more the main goal. At this stage, your score should be about 3M-4M points. And you should have a lot of donuts (at least 30-40), and a bonus multiplier to x3 (it's highly unlikely that you've reached the vault in the two first attempts). Basically, your end game bonus already has a value of 5000 x 30 x 3: 450K points (without counting the number of times you visit an ATM case on the board game).

Lit lock a 4th time requires a lot of drop targets now. So, just shoot the ramp again and again to collect donuts (hold trap with the left flipper). With the time and missed ramp shots, it's possible you lit lock again (via the drop targets or the Bank Wheel if the Lit Lock award is available - go for it).

If so, lock one ball and enter the bank.

7) On this board run, rely on luck to avoid the "Bribe guards" case. And as always, as the dice are still loaded, you will land on it for sure. And these stupid fat guards take 3/4 of your donuts!
If you reach the vault (that is almost impossible), great, otherwise feel happy to have been ejected without losing your precious donuts.

Now, you have a x4 bonus multiplier, and a lot of donuts. Shoot the ramp again and again until you lose the ball. With that, a game ends with at least ~1.5M bonus points. If you can enter the bank a fifth time, go, but then again, beware of the "Bribe guards" case.

With this strategy, you end easily with at least a +5M to 6M final score.

- The time you keep the vault multiballs alive makes the difference for higher scores, as well as the number of donuts you collected (200 max).
- The rest just rely on luck on the board game.

Note: when you roll the dice, it's still possible to turn the odds. Always use "Fast", and really try to get the number you want. Sometimes it works, but most of the time, you're screwed by the game.
I never tried the "start/pause" cheats, because I'm lazy (and it's not fun).

Note 2: if you're ejected from the bank because of a Cyber Dog or a triggered alarm, never start the TNT multiball. The safest way to come back into the bank, is to shoot the Cellar Hole from the left flipper (hold trap the ball, then flip almost as soon as the ball is released). 15 seconds is enough to shoot 3 times the Cellar Hole, but if you see you're short, go for the TNT multiball (it's better than nothing).

 

[relaxation]

If the intention is getting a high multiplier then you should shoot for cellar re-entry after purposely landing on vault alarms.. I didn't do it on purpose but I got to 5X quickly..
started boardgame: 2X
Vault alarm
cellar re-entry: 3X
vault alarm
cellar re-entry: 4X
cyber dog (doesn't count)
tellar gift x bonus: 5X
Not getting screwed getting to the vault alarm when entering from the cellar may require luck but at worst you would only have to restart the board game once more from scratch to get to 5X

if you wanted 20th place, 8,650K, you would have to collect (8,650K / 5X multiplier), 1730K / 5K donut, 346 ramp shots.

 

[Tann]

If the intention is getting a high multiplier then you should shoot for cellar re-entry after purposely landing on vault alarms.. I didn't do it on purpose but I got to 5X quickly..
started boardgame: 2X
Vault alarm
cellar re-entry: 3X
vault alarm
cellar re-entry: 4X
cyber dog (doesn't count I don't think)
tellar gift x bonus: 5X

Wow, didn't know that (and in fact, never noticed it). I thought you earned +1x multiplier bonus, for each whole new access to the bank (after having locked balls), not for a re-entry just after being kicked out.

Thanks!

PS: like me, I see you can't stand anymore the table music.

EDIT:

if you wanted 20th place, 8,650K, you would have to collect (8,650K / 5X multiplier), 1730K / 5K donut, 346 ramp shots.

According to Tarek, the max number of donuts is 200. My record is about ~85. There's still room.

 

[relaxation]

oh is there a max? I didn't check.

The other route is collecting ATMs but cellar re-entry to vault alarm is going to require some dedication to skills that aren't pinball, I don't know if a hot atm card will stay with you the whole time or not. About 44 re-entries or less will get you to 20th place, perhaps half that if you got the hot atm card.

Otherwise as you said a good multiball is your only other option, since donuts will only amount to 5M at the bonus screen.

 

[vikingerik]

The ATM card lasts the entire game once you collect it once.

It's most important because the doubled ATM payouts add into your stash value for the jackpots in Vault Multiball.