Slam23
Active member
- Jul 21, 2012
- 1,279
- 2
I wanted to start this thread early, although I'm still figuring the table out myself. I hope others contribute because I think this is a challenging table to get high scores on. Right now I hover around the 50M as max score, but my games can vary wildly. The first vibe I got from the table was "Taxi-like", but after playing some Taxi games, I think this table is even faster, more drainy and definitely more unpredictable. Scoring on Taxi is also more evenly distributed, on this table you can make sudden jumps in scoring when you get a good "DINE-TIME"-jackpot. But they share a lot of the same DNA in layout and style. Although the rulesheet is not particularly deep or anything, I think there is one important choice in strategy you can make and that will be discussed.
Skillshot
150K is the target and that is feasible every plunge when you do a full power plunge just right after the 100k lights up. This builds up to max 3x 150k on ball three, regardless from extra balls earned. With a bit of practice you can get this easily.
Rollover bonus
With a little effort and smart changing of the rollover lights, this is easily brought up to 5x bonus. After this, a rollover lights completion (E-A-T) will get you 100k which maxes out at 500k in ateps of 100 k. This is profitable side scoring, especially combined with multiball. Completing the roll-overs also light other fun stuff on the table like advance clock on one of the the inlanes and also "serve food" at the ramps.
Multiball vs. stirring the cup
Shooting the right ramp when you have completed the D-I-N-E-R letters (lit at start of the game) offers 2 things: you can shoot the ramp again within a time limit to "stir the cup", which can net you anywhere between 500.00 and 3.500.000 max, and lighting lock beneath the left ramp. I haven't figured out how to get the max score out of the cup, partly it seems that a clean, forcefull shot maxes the times the ball goes around, but other times it seems a bit random. I'm not sure if nudging helps to get more rotations, this sometimes also seems to stop the ball. The main question is if you should go for the cup. This is because of the second option: working towards multiball via the lock that opens under the left ramp. If you shoot for the cup, it resets the D-I-N-E-R letters, which needs 5 shots to the right ramp to light again for stirring the cup and the lock beneath the left ramp. If you time out the cup shot (not shooting for the right ramp), D-I-N-E-R stays lit for another cup shot, but also the possibility to go for lock again and multiball. When you start multiball and complete rush hour (shot through the middle lane to the rollover area, and shot to the right hole), the ramps lit for 500k each. This is a conundrum because shooting 5 right ramps is a drain hazard, and keeping multiball going long enough to lit the ramps for 500k (and then make ramps) is also quite difficult. Which strategy yields more points? If the cup would give out 3,5M each time, it would be no contest, it's really hard to get that score out of a multiball. Then again, multiball helps quite nicely to collect meals for your customers more quickly, which eventually will lead to a nice fat DINE-TIME jackpot, especially if you can start multiball multiple times. Offcourse there is always the "risk" that you inadvertently stir the cup when in multiball, but hey, then just be happy with that! The jury is still out on this one for me, but I gravitate towards favoring multiball over the Cup. Let's hear the opinions from other players!
* Late addition: the one rulesheet that I could find promotes the Cup a bit more than aforementioned multiball strategy, but an additional "tip sheet" that can be found, essentially says go for the multiball strategy.
Getting the extra ball(s)
Aside from the one you automatically earn by scoring minimum 6M, you can earn up to three extra balls (one per ball in play) from shooting a timed succesion of left ramp shots. The first extra ball needs 5 left ramp shots, all within max 12 seconds of each other. After that you have to hit more ramps (see rules). Normally I would say that getting this extra ball is priority number one for extended play, but I find hitting succesive left ramps really hard to do, there is a very narrow piece of real estate on the right flipper to shoot from to hit the ramp and the ball seems to accelerate when coming through the right inlane. Ramp shots on Taxi are in comparison very peaceful and much easier to get in rhytm. When you miss the ramp you essentially have a wild ball that is hard to get under control in a short amount of time, even aside from the drain hazard that this poses. So there seems not to be a really easy controlled way to get those shots in succession.
Don't forget the grill!
An easy and relatively hazard-free points pickup is hitting the Grill shot at various times during the game. It can be lit for max 1.5M and that is no chump change on this machine.
The sinkhole v.s. the middle lane
The sinkhole is solidly lit on the start of every ball, and can be temporarily lit through the left inlane, conveniently setting up a shot from the left. It's not a particularly easy shot and missing it towards the left is an immediate drain hazard from the rubber right ramp posts. I think it stinks when it comes to the rewards, I have played maybe 30 games now, and have never-ever gotten the extra ball. Any of you gotten lucky? I don't think it's a coincidence....
Most of the time it's a point reward, I got some customers and advance clock. It sure is dependable in starting multiball when you have a locked ball though. I favor the middle lane shot myself to start multiball, also very important in getting the DINE-TIME jackpot, so you better get good at hitting it!
To sum up:
Advantages of multiball strategy:
- increased change of completing customers which leads faster to DINE-TIME, which is the main way to get good points
- getting customers also increases the end of ball bonus tip % determined by the number of customers served up to 10. When you score around 50M, and you have a 10% tip, it's an extra 5M bonus. The internet rulesheet says don't bother with the bonus, but I heartily disagree. I do agree with not aiming purposely for the customers because of the drain risk, let the multiball do it's work there.
- one extra skill shot per multiball, yielding between max 150-450k depending on which ball you're on
- one extra ball that you can drain without risk, although you could also argue that playing multiball is harder to control and actually leads faster to drains.
- one more ball to get other good stuff like the Grill shot, roll-overs/bonus/advance clock, maybe even getting that extra ball from the left ramp
Advantages of the Cup strategy:
- chance for instant nice points, especially if clean shots can be mastered to get the 3.5M more consistently, and/or smart nudging will prove to be helpful in getting more rotations from the Cup
- really good practice for hitting that right ramp, because you'll have to hit it often.....
Slam23
Skillshot
150K is the target and that is feasible every plunge when you do a full power plunge just right after the 100k lights up. This builds up to max 3x 150k on ball three, regardless from extra balls earned. With a bit of practice you can get this easily.
Rollover bonus
With a little effort and smart changing of the rollover lights, this is easily brought up to 5x bonus. After this, a rollover lights completion (E-A-T) will get you 100k which maxes out at 500k in ateps of 100 k. This is profitable side scoring, especially combined with multiball. Completing the roll-overs also light other fun stuff on the table like advance clock on one of the the inlanes and also "serve food" at the ramps.
Multiball vs. stirring the cup
Shooting the right ramp when you have completed the D-I-N-E-R letters (lit at start of the game) offers 2 things: you can shoot the ramp again within a time limit to "stir the cup", which can net you anywhere between 500.00 and 3.500.000 max, and lighting lock beneath the left ramp. I haven't figured out how to get the max score out of the cup, partly it seems that a clean, forcefull shot maxes the times the ball goes around, but other times it seems a bit random. I'm not sure if nudging helps to get more rotations, this sometimes also seems to stop the ball. The main question is if you should go for the cup. This is because of the second option: working towards multiball via the lock that opens under the left ramp. If you shoot for the cup, it resets the D-I-N-E-R letters, which needs 5 shots to the right ramp to light again for stirring the cup and the lock beneath the left ramp. If you time out the cup shot (not shooting for the right ramp), D-I-N-E-R stays lit for another cup shot, but also the possibility to go for lock again and multiball. When you start multiball and complete rush hour (shot through the middle lane to the rollover area, and shot to the right hole), the ramps lit for 500k each. This is a conundrum because shooting 5 right ramps is a drain hazard, and keeping multiball going long enough to lit the ramps for 500k (and then make ramps) is also quite difficult. Which strategy yields more points? If the cup would give out 3,5M each time, it would be no contest, it's really hard to get that score out of a multiball. Then again, multiball helps quite nicely to collect meals for your customers more quickly, which eventually will lead to a nice fat DINE-TIME jackpot, especially if you can start multiball multiple times. Offcourse there is always the "risk" that you inadvertently stir the cup when in multiball, but hey, then just be happy with that! The jury is still out on this one for me, but I gravitate towards favoring multiball over the Cup. Let's hear the opinions from other players!
* Late addition: the one rulesheet that I could find promotes the Cup a bit more than aforementioned multiball strategy, but an additional "tip sheet" that can be found, essentially says go for the multiball strategy.
Getting the extra ball(s)
Aside from the one you automatically earn by scoring minimum 6M, you can earn up to three extra balls (one per ball in play) from shooting a timed succesion of left ramp shots. The first extra ball needs 5 left ramp shots, all within max 12 seconds of each other. After that you have to hit more ramps (see rules). Normally I would say that getting this extra ball is priority number one for extended play, but I find hitting succesive left ramps really hard to do, there is a very narrow piece of real estate on the right flipper to shoot from to hit the ramp and the ball seems to accelerate when coming through the right inlane. Ramp shots on Taxi are in comparison very peaceful and much easier to get in rhytm. When you miss the ramp you essentially have a wild ball that is hard to get under control in a short amount of time, even aside from the drain hazard that this poses. So there seems not to be a really easy controlled way to get those shots in succession.
Don't forget the grill!
An easy and relatively hazard-free points pickup is hitting the Grill shot at various times during the game. It can be lit for max 1.5M and that is no chump change on this machine.
The sinkhole v.s. the middle lane
The sinkhole is solidly lit on the start of every ball, and can be temporarily lit through the left inlane, conveniently setting up a shot from the left. It's not a particularly easy shot and missing it towards the left is an immediate drain hazard from the rubber right ramp posts. I think it stinks when it comes to the rewards, I have played maybe 30 games now, and have never-ever gotten the extra ball. Any of you gotten lucky? I don't think it's a coincidence....
Most of the time it's a point reward, I got some customers and advance clock. It sure is dependable in starting multiball when you have a locked ball though. I favor the middle lane shot myself to start multiball, also very important in getting the DINE-TIME jackpot, so you better get good at hitting it! To sum up:
Advantages of multiball strategy:
- increased change of completing customers which leads faster to DINE-TIME, which is the main way to get good points
- getting customers also increases the end of ball bonus tip % determined by the number of customers served up to 10. When you score around 50M, and you have a 10% tip, it's an extra 5M bonus. The internet rulesheet says don't bother with the bonus, but I heartily disagree. I do agree with not aiming purposely for the customers because of the drain risk, let the multiball do it's work there.
- one extra skill shot per multiball, yielding between max 150-450k depending on which ball you're on
- one extra ball that you can drain without risk, although you could also argue that playing multiball is harder to control and actually leads faster to drains.
- one more ball to get other good stuff like the Grill shot, roll-overs/bonus/advance clock, maybe even getting that extra ball from the left ramp
Advantages of the Cup strategy:
- chance for instant nice points, especially if clean shots can be mastered to get the 3.5M more consistently, and/or smart nudging will prove to be helpful in getting more rotations from the Cup
- really good practice for hitting that right ramp, because you'll have to hit it often.....
Slam23
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