My strategy for winning the BFTK despite the Troll bomb bug

[Storm Chaser]

I finally got the BFTK goal yesterday after some hundreds and hundreds of attempts, including reaching BFTK some 20+ times. I play on iOS which contain this annoying Troll bombs-used-automatically-bug but I found a way of overcoming this and beat the King.

1. Go for the castles at first. Make sure you don't have the castles as the last remaining task in order to start BFTK.
2. Make sure you get the Master of trolls, don't worry if you use any troll bombs. You won't be able to control it anyway.
3. Get two troll bombs like this: Use the right flipper to shoot the left troll target. It usually bounces back in a way that will allow you to shoot over and over (sometimes with the bounce off the left flipper). Make sure you get two troll bombs. One troll bomb will make it a bit easier but it still probably will be too difficult since the right flipper shot is blocked (and that is the easiest shot).
4. In case you accidently activate Trolls, and this is the kicker. Let it roll down the right part of the loop, let it bounce on the right flipper and over the left one. Just after the bounce of the left, when the ball is at it top of inclination, raise the left flipper and cradle it. This way you won't flip the right flipper and not use the troll bombs you have struggled so hard to get!
5. Wait for the 30s to end.
6. When you have two troll bombs, activate BFTK and win!

The reason you want to start with the castles is that if you have not gotten two troll bombs just before BFTK is about to start you might open the door to start BFTK while trying to shoot the troll targets. This will make it WAY more difficult to hit the troll targets without accidently starting BFTK.

Try to stay cool and continue to go for the troll bombs for as long as you can (until you only have 1-2 balls left).

A couple of months ago, I actually managed to open the door to win BFTK with two trolls but missed the last shot. But I haven't been able to come near of doing that again. So, it's not completely impossible with no troll bombs. Doable with one troll bomb (takes a lot of right to left flipper action during stress though) but decently easy to do with two troll bombs.

Good Luck!

 

[Duchess]

OK I don't understand the Troll Bombs. I've read the instructions, believe I have gotten it several times. It says to activate by using the plunger. I don't see any indication that I got bombs. How do I know if I even have troll bombs? Or am I misunderstanding the concept of bombs? Do they mean that all you do is hit the trolls? How again do you know if you even have troll bombs? And what do you do with them once you get them?

Sorry but this whole part of the game confuses me. Also I am on a Kindle Fire HD if it matters.

Thanks

 

[Storm Chaser]

On the real game the troll bombs are activated by the plunger but due to a "bug" in the tPA-version of the game it is activated by either the right flipper (during normal gameplay) or by nudging (during BFTK).

You can see how many troll bombs you have in the status menu (by cradling the ball and hold one flipper up for a few seconds). You get that info on the HUD.

You get the troll bombs by shooting the small yellow targets to the left and right of the castle entrance, not by shooting the trolls. There are other ways of getting them as well...

 

[Duchess]

Ok thanks. Next time I play I will check it out. But according to you the bombs are automatically used up because you have to use the flippers to play the game, right? I mean I guess I could not nudge, but you kinda have to use the flippers LOL.

Thanks again

 

[Sean DonCarlos]

The bombs won't activate unless you're in a mode that involves trolls, these being Trolls! itself, Royal Madness, Smack-a-Troll!, and Battle for the Kingdom. You can flip and nudge safely at other times.

 

[Storm Chaser]

Sean DonCarlos: You are right, but when the trolls are activated by flipper or nudge is not 100% clear to me. In BFTK they seem to be (only) activated by nudging whereas if you start them in a "normal game" they are activated by the right flipper. It's sometimes difficult to know for sure if a troll bomb has been used (unless you hear the Oh Ohhhhh-growl).

 

[David Smith]

By the way: my speculation on *why* the right flipper activates Troll Bombs is because of the dot after "FREE PLAY." The ROM image thinks that the physical "start" button is broken, and is using the right flipper as the switch replacement. Imaging the ROM *before* the dot appears, or simulating closure of the start button switch in TPA, would probably fix the problem.

 

[Storm Chaser]

This gives me a whole new idea about why this bug hasn't been fixed. I have always thought of this as "C'mooooon, how difficult can it be" but I see that they might have to surpass the ROM in one way or another, which gives the problem a new dimension.

 

[inspector42]

That makes so much sense David.

 

[Tuomas Hämäläinen]

By the way: my speculation on *why* the right flipper activates Troll Bombs is because of the dot after "FREE PLAY." The ROM image thinks that the physical "start" button is broken, and is using the right flipper as the switch replacement. Imaging the ROM *before* the dot appears, or simulating closure of the start button switch in TPA, would probably fix the problem.

Did you actually verify this by going to the operator menus and looking at the test report? On STTNG (which also displays the credit dot) the only issue reported is that date is not set. I thought it's the same thing with Medieval Madness, though I don't own the Pro menu for that one so I can't check it out. The credit dot appears on Mac too, but the right flipper never uses any troll bombs, they're working as designed.

Another thing that makes me question your logic here: it's not the start button that drops a troll bomb, it's the ball launcher switch. Perhaps you meant that instead of the start button. However, that switch is actuated at the start of every single ball, so it's highly unlikely the game software would consider it nonfunctional.

 

[pinballchris]

The only time I beat BFTK, I only had one troll bomb. Got lucky with keeping it out from behind the other troll, but I also had a couple balls left from the multiball.