Firepower Tactics and Strategies

[k88dad]

Firepower had a few firsts, including the right flipper changing the lit top lanes. It only switches in one direction, unlike more recent machines. Plan ahead to drop a launched ball into an unlit lane. Bonus multiplier can really up the scores on this one. Completing F-I-R-E past 5x bonus awards an extra ball.

Firepower has a fast feel to it. Play a few games just to get used to the reaction time required. Bouncing off of the six standup targets will send the ball back at you in a hurry.

The main goal in Firepower is to lock three balls and initiate multiball. You enable the locks by completing the six standup targets in the middle.

Advanced strategies

Competing FIRE and POWER scores points that increase each time it is accomplished. It also starts a mission that is competed by hitting one or more moving targets (watch for the lights.)

Firepower has an unusual jackpot during multiball. You have to relight the locks (again, with the six standup targets) and then re-lock all three balls. This is quite a challenge, but it pays off with 600,000 points (quite a lot for this machine.) Multiball will continue and this can be repeated ad infinitum (you wish.)

 

[Kolchak357]

On iOS just about any hard plunge will land in the "E" lane so make sure it is open.
In addition almost all kickouts from the top lock will hit the "R" lane.
Throw the ball up there as much as possible to get that multiplyer up.
This is what I have done to get my best scoring games.

My best so far is a little over 1.5 million. Really fun table.

 

[Pinballfan69]

This is based off my SG3.

Since the basis of this table seems to be hitting all 6 targets to light locks etc. It can be dangerous shots. I do better if I back Hand shots to their respective targets. (right flipper --- right targets vice verse) Anyway that's something to think about or at least these have been my experience.

 

[Nik Barbour]

Re: Strategy thread

Android - hardest plunge and top lock kickouts nearly always lands in "R" good idea to keep this one free.

Light the Shield kickback as quickly as possible.

Play for safe shots - for me, I only shoot opposites. Ie. Left flipper for Right targets, and Right flipper for left targets.
Using the same flipper and target side, banks the ball off out towards the outlanes too much.

When completing the "FIRE" rollovers, safe shot is to go through the orbit loops. I prefer to go up through the centre (from the L flipper - so R flipper is free for cycling) shoot just past the stand up target, and you generally get 2 for 1, the "R" and the "E".

 

[Fungi]

Good lord, the way this game is tuned, it makes STTNG and BS feel fair. I'm going back to TZ and AFM.

 

[Matt McIrvin]

Good lord, the way this game is tuned, it makes STTNG and BS feel fair.

Yeah, it's awesome.

It's really like that. I'm way worse at the real machine. Now that I see the two side by side, I think ST:TNG's deadly outlanes are basically a remake of the left outlane from Firepower.

People who like to play very controlled, start-stop pinball seem not to favor Steve Ritchie machines: he does a lot of things to throw you off balance and require running shots. And Firepower revolves around that bank of six standups that are absolutely deadly. I don't claim to be a great player; my scores aren't excellent, but for some reason I find this kind of thing addictive.

 

[Nik Barbour]

Re: Strategy thread

Now that I see the two side by side, I think ST:TNG's deadly outlanes are basically a remake of the left outlane from Firepower.

I was just playing some STTNG and thinking that exact same thought.

 

[Matt McIrvin]

Light the Shield kickback as quickly as possible.

While that kickback is obviously better than draining out the outlane, I find that disturbingly often the ball drains within a second or two anyway. It shoots out with quite a lot of energy, and it can be hard to regain any kind of control. The kickback unlights immediately, and the ball can easily ricochet right back down the drain.

On the other hand, I've occasionally gotten it to go into the right lock off the kickback. I'm not sure how.

 

[Shaneus]

Yeah, it's awesome.

It's really like that. I'm way worse at the real machine. Now that I see the two side by side, I think ST:TNG's deadly outlanes are basically a remake of the left outlane from Firepower.

People who like to play very controlled, start-stop pinball seem not to favor Steve Ritchie machines: he does a lot of things to throw you off balance and require running shots. And Firepower revolves around that bank of six standups that are absolutely deadly. I don't claim to be a great player; my scores aren't excellent, but for some reason I find this kind of thing addictive.

It's like I'm posting from your account. I prefer pinball when it's a game that suits "fast and loose" play (I learned that term while watching this video of F-14 Tomcat at a PAPA tourney) because it rewards reflexes and single-mindedness over planning and a steady hand.

In fact, that'd be the next game I would love to see on PA. Just brutal. There's no point in learning how to get good at pinball on an easy table. To paraphrase what those commentators said... this table (looks like it) scares the **** out of me.

Good pickup on the S. Ritchie parallel w/ TNG anf Firepower. They feel just as harsh as each other, but never feels like the table is cheating (actually, maybe a little moreso on TNG than FP).

 

[Matt McIrvin]

There are a couple of things I'm wondering about in the original post:

(for FIRE + POWER)

It also starts a mission that is competed by hitting one or more moving targets (watch for the lights.)

Where are these moving lights? All I've seen is what shows up on online rulesheets, that collecting the 50,000 bonus lights a special.

Firepower has an unusual jackpot during multiball. You have to relight the locks (again, with the six standup targets) and then re-lock all three balls. This is quite a challenge, but it pays off with 600,000 points (quite a lot for this machine.) Multiball will continue and this can be repeated ad infinitum (you wish.)

I don't think I have a prayer of verifying this one way or another, but most rulesheets claim that Firepower's multiball has no goal or jackpot. Is it just so hard to attain that hardly anyone noticed it?

 

[netizen]

The only moving lights that come to mind are the special lights in the out lanes or one in the right bank of targets (the power ones)

IIRC the locks do relight in multiball, but it is ridiculously difficult to do.

 

[Clawhammer]

Firepower has an unusual jackpot during multiball. You have to relight the locks (again, with the six standup targets) and then re-lock all three balls. This is quite a challenge, but it pays off with 600,000 points (quite a lot for this machine.) Multiball will continue and this can be repeated ad infinitum (you wish.)

I've played a lot of Firepower IRL, and have never heard of/seen/read about this rule. It's also not in the instructions that come with the game on TPA. Not saying it's wrong, but curious as to where you heard about that/have accomplished it yourself?

 

[k88dad]

I've played a lot of Firepower IRL, and have never heard of/seen/read about this rule. It's also not in the instructions that come with the game on TPA. Not saying it's wrong, but curious as to where you heard about that/have accomplished it yourself?

That would be from the instruction cards zip file at ipdb.org

Personally, It's rare that I can manage a multiball on Firepower, let alone achieve this amazing repeat. I am curious as to whether or not it was implemented in PA. It may be one of those things that is not in every version of the ROM.

 

[Sean DonCarlos]

That would be from the instruction cards zip file at ipdb.org

Personally, It's rare that I can manage a multiball on Firepower, let alone achieve this amazing repeat. I am curious as to whether or not it was implemented in PA. It may be one of those things that is not in every version of the ROM.

The multiball jackpot sequence is from an unofficial ROM. It was not found in production versions of Firepower, so it would not be in TPA.

 

[Clawhammer]

The multiball jackpot sequence is from an unofficial ROM. It was not found in production versions of Firepower, so it would not be in TPA.

Mystery solved.

 

[Thnikkaman]

I've been playing this table a bit lately and it's brutal, especially the outlanes and the 6 target shots. I thought Gorgar was hard at first, but I've done way better on it. I have to say though, despite the difficulty, it's not unfair. I haven't yet been able to get a multiball going -- I can get two balls locked, but then I start to get nervous trying to lock the final one. Maybe it's because I'm trying too hard. I also tend to SDTM on this one a lot, and nudging isn't very easy on an iPad, IMO (I use the touchscreen nudge.)

I should also mention that it's nice to take a break from some of the busy newer tables and play one that has a largely open playfield.

 

[Clawhammer]

I've been playing this table a bit lately and it's brutal, especially the outlanes and the 6 target shots.

Gotta love that Steve Ritchie signature left outlane vacuum.

 

[Kratos3]

Gotta love that Steve Ritchie signature left outlane vacuum.

Yeah. Love it.

My favorite is launching the ball and it drains down the right outlane and there's almost nothing you can do about it. The bumpers are inconsistent as well. Sometimes the ball fires off of them, sometimes they just roll over them.

 

[DanBradford]

so...... what is a good strategy for this table then?

stay up top, get F_I_R_E as much as possible, shoot only forehands?
it's not really reached any consensus in this thread so far, and this game is in my sights for the next week or so.

 

[Kratos3]

I've found that the safest way to hit the 6 front targets is to shoot at the left bank from the right flipper, and vice versa.