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No Good Gofers Tips and Strategies
- Thread starter Advalle
- Start date
The key to making high scores on this table is starting multi-ball mode. Hit the center ramp to pop up a gofer, then hit the gofer, then lock the ball--repeat for the second gofer, then hit the putting green scoop to start multi-ball mode.
But then you have to actually hit some hard shots to score big points. First, you have to hit the left ramp to score the jackpot. Second, you have to start shooting the hole in one shot to score the super jackpot. Neither are very easy to to. I find I'm pretty crap at making the ramp jackpot shot. It will take more ramp shots for each consecutive multi-ball mode. Which means if you don't manage many points on the first one, you're in for a tough game.
There are other ways to score some decent points though. Ripoff mode scores pretty decent points if you can hit the ramps and captive ball and keep everything going for a while. Pop-a-gofer is 1m per gofer hit. Skill shots are progressively larger the more you hit (and pretty easy on this table).
This is a pretty hard table to score big on. I've only managed 161m so far. The newer tables seem to be all pretty tough, and are bringing down my HoF average! Scared Stiff, Big Shot, Taxi, and No Good Gofers! are all very hard to get high scores on IMO.
Last edited:
- Mar 17, 2012
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The opaque ramps covering the outlanes and upper flipper bother me enough that I won't play NGG on TPA until either the 360 version or the PC version of the table is released, but I'll give some quick tips from playing it on the Williams Collection (441M there.)
- NGG is one of those tables that has very progressive scoring, by which I mean that the longer you play, the more things are worth and the faster your score rises. I've played Cart Attack with the DMD cheerfully announcing "All drives worth 3,750,000" before (it starts at 250K!).
- Hence, one of your first priorities is to obtain extra balls, by quickly playing the first 4 holes, quickly raising the bonus X to 5X, and also quickly getting into multiball and getting your third Super Jackpot. Getting SJs requires hitting the Hole-In-One, which means you'll need to get good at that shot. Also, note that hole 4 continues to award extra balls your second and third time through the course.
- Also get good at the center ramp - center ramp - right ramp combo so that when locks start taking 7 or 9 center ramps each to light, you can continue unfazed. You want to be in multiball as often as possible - the jackpot value accumulates over the course of the entire game, so if you can get to your fifth or sixth multiball you can have the normal jackpot up to 20.5M or higher. Most of your points will come from here and Cart Attack.
- Don't forget the left ramp during multiball, especially if the Hole-in-One shot is being a pain. Right ramp relights normal jackpot, then left orbit to upper flipper to left ramp.
- Avoid risky shots. Leave the captive ball alone - Ripoff is not worth very much. Also avoid hitting gophers unless you must - hitting them for locks is OK, but leave Pop-a-Gofer be.
- Conversely, play safe modes that involve ramps and orbits. This is primarily Cart Attack, but Dance Party works too. Cart Attack has three things going for it: 1. It's relatively safe. 2. Ramps and orbits can be easily looped and combo-ed for fast scoring. 3. The Cart Attack value accumulates throughout the game, so you can eventually get to things like 3.75M-a-shot Cart Attacks later on.
alexk3954
New member
- Mar 8, 2012
- 126
- 0
I have managed to get two EBs in one hole in one challenge, so you can get at least a few. I'm not sure if there is any limit. NGG gets a little hectic sometimes, but I seem to remember getting EBs when scoring multiple super jackpots.
I think the key to this table is getting good at scoring in the standard multiball mode. Then just focus on starting multiball as many times as possible while completing some holes on the way, as the rewards can be very valuable with a little luck. Don't waste time on small points or risky shots. Like Serenseven said, after a while, I got the driving range award to be something like 3 million, which is quite a lot of points for a very safe shot. YOu just need to be able to keep balls in play long enough to get to that point. Pretty much all I am shooting is the ramps to start multiball. So far I have gotten to the low 700 millions using this strategy.
I do have a question though. Are you only allowed 1 multiball per ball? Seems like sometimes after I play multiball and complete a few ramps, the left gofer pops up and will not go down for the rest of the ball, making it impossible to start another multiball unless you get some lucky free locks from the wheel award. In this case I usually just try to complete holes so I can earn EBs in the hole in one challenge.
This must be why I'm so crap at hitting the jackpot ramp shot. I can't really see the ball until it's on the flipper, so I basically get by with timing by the speed it goes around the left loop and hope I make a good flip. I haven't played a physical NGG machine so didn't know those ramps were supposed to be transparent. But looking at pics on the interwebs, it definitely looks like that's what was intended!
Great tips.
- Mar 17, 2012
- 4,293
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You can't shoot 3 center ramps in a row or Bud does that. That's why I brought up the center ramp - center ramp - right ramp combo earlier: the right ramp doesn't do anything for your ramp count, it just resets the "three-in-a-row" count so that the gopher stays down.
Jutter
New member
- Dec 30, 2012
- 478
- 0
Collecting the sandtrap bonus:
this is small-fries at first, but i've had it building up to well over 2-million points (lots of water-hazzards; what can I say).
When the game says "Shoot at the moving line", look at the row of lights on the right of the playfield. Only one bulb is burning at a time... it moves up and down.
In my experience the ball always hits the same lightbulb... the bottom one.
Wait for the bottom light to burn, and launch the ball with your flipper. Cash in that sandtrap bonus.
this is small-fries at first, but i've had it building up to well over 2-million points (lots of water-hazzards; what can I say).
When the game says "Shoot at the moving line", look at the row of lights on the right of the playfield. Only one bulb is burning at a time... it moves up and down.
In my experience the ball always hits the same lightbulb... the bottom one.
Wait for the bottom light to burn, and launch the ball with your flipper. Cash in that sandtrap bonus.
Jutter
New member
- Dec 30, 2012
- 478
- 0
If available I'm posting the PAPA tutorials in these stickies.
I hope the moderatis and the administratos won't take this as spamming. It can be really educational to see pinball-champions in action on these machines.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=it-MEM2MedA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OZOhjgHkSQ
I hope the moderatis and the administratos won't take this as spamming. It can be really educational to see pinball-champions in action on these machines.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=it-MEM2MedA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OZOhjgHkSQ
Bonzo
New member
- May 16, 2012
- 902
- 1
ParallaxScroll
New member
- Aug 21, 2012
- 90
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Ah, that's why that happens.
mrgamesmaster
New member
- May 29, 2013
- 36
- 0
Yeah, Buzz'll say "You're makin' me dizzy!" and then he calls Bud out. Gotta be careful of that after you get two multiballs going since it takes 7 times total to raise one of them and then 9 after that.
Back during the recent tournament, I took 2nd on this table w/a little over 500 mil. When you can plunge the ball, just let it loose at full power. It'll add to the Hole-In-One value which starts at 900,000 and you get a free shot at it. Mastering that shot is very important. It's not easy, but so worth it when you get it. Sometimes the award wheel will give you one also. Near the end of my game, I had it at a little over 10 mil.
During multiballs, if the Jackpot is lit, Buzz will leave his section raised. Take advantage of that to try and shoot for the Jackpot ramp when it comes out. It takes timing, but that can make it easier to get. Super Jackpot is Hole-In-One, but you get unlimited tries, so just keep on trying to get it in there. The first two times will give you double the Jackpot points you have accrued. After that, it gives you extra balls. After you get the Jackpot, the right ramp re-lights it. if you get the Super Jackpot, you get some nice rock music afterwards.
Hole-In-One Challenge happens every 9 holes and lights pretty much everything and Hole-In-Ones are Specials. It used to be easier to get a lot of extra balls out of it, but now they've made it where you have to re-light it to get another one. I think it's after getting a Jackpot, but unsure. Hitting Ripoff during this is good since it'll give ya more balls...more on that below.
Other than that, keep hitting Bud and Buzz for lower strokes and more driving range shots, keep an eye on which ramps/when the captive ball drive the ball to keep completing the holes to get more awards. Every 18 holes completed is 10 mil and resets the bonus count. Each course completed is 2.5 mil added to the end of ball bonus. Captive ball is pretty important since it also raises Bud and Buzz's point values when you hit them, the Golf Cart value and finally a Driving Range shot which can eventually lead to Ripoff Multiball. Hope this helps.
Back during the recent tournament, I took 2nd on this table w/a little over 500 mil. When you can plunge the ball, just let it loose at full power. It'll add to the Hole-In-One value which starts at 900,000 and you get a free shot at it. Mastering that shot is very important. It's not easy, but so worth it when you get it. Sometimes the award wheel will give you one also. Near the end of my game, I had it at a little over 10 mil.
During multiballs, if the Jackpot is lit, Buzz will leave his section raised. Take advantage of that to try and shoot for the Jackpot ramp when it comes out. It takes timing, but that can make it easier to get. Super Jackpot is Hole-In-One, but you get unlimited tries, so just keep on trying to get it in there. The first two times will give you double the Jackpot points you have accrued. After that, it gives you extra balls. After you get the Jackpot, the right ramp re-lights it. if you get the Super Jackpot, you get some nice rock music afterwards.
Hole-In-One Challenge happens every 9 holes and lights pretty much everything and Hole-In-Ones are Specials. It used to be easier to get a lot of extra balls out of it, but now they've made it where you have to re-light it to get another one. I think it's after getting a Jackpot, but unsure. Hitting Ripoff during this is good since it'll give ya more balls...more on that below.
Other than that, keep hitting Bud and Buzz for lower strokes and more driving range shots, keep an eye on which ramps/when the captive ball drive the ball to keep completing the holes to get more awards. Every 18 holes completed is 10 mil and resets the bonus count. Each course completed is 2.5 mil added to the end of ball bonus. Captive ball is pretty important since it also raises Bud and Buzz's point values when you hit them, the Golf Cart value and finally a Driving Range shot which can eventually lead to Ripoff Multiball. Hope this helps.
vikingerik
Active member
- Nov 6, 2013
- 1,205
- 0
I just put up the #2 leaderboard score at 8.2 billion. Took something like 6-8 hours (I'm fairly unsure as it was played over several sessions including one overnight break.)
Like many tables, the upper reaches of scoring are about getting extra balls faster than you use them in order to play forever. NGG gives out so many. Each golf course of 18 holes would rack up 4-5 EBs between the wheel (directly or lighting outlanes), the automatic one at each hole #4, and from the Hole-in-One Challenges. This means that golf holes should be the main course of action, rather than just multiball. You can push through golf holes really quickly if you don't get distracted by other stuff. And each EB turns into tens of millions in bonus, as much as a jackpot.
Also, I got the right outlane lit for special probably a dozen times, though I'm not sure what caused that. It wasn't always the wheel award. Buzz said "Drain and you gain" quite a few times from no cause I could identify. Maybe something during Hole-in-One Challenge lights this special?
Got 77 for Hole-in-One Champion, although about 70 of those were during multiballs. It's way easier to hit that shot during multiballs when you get a much greater variety of balls rolling around and through the left inlane. The shot is just about impossible from a normal ramp inlane feed. You need the incoming ball to already have some unusual speed or spin to have any chance.
The best way to hit Hole-in-One is just to take a lot of shots at it and eventually something will drop in. Like, a serious ton of shots. A hundred or more. During multiball or Hole-in-One Challenge, just keep looping balls up the slam ramp around the middle and eventually you'll get the right angle to drop in.
Tip: During multiball, pay attention to relighting the jackpot at the right ramp, but there's no need to actually try for it at the upper ramp past the first jackpot. As long as the super jackpot is lit, just keep whacking balls up the driving range and eventually one will carom near the upper ramp switch to collect the jackpot for you.
Tip: When the drive shot is the upper ramp, it's often easier to skip that tough shot. Get the drive shot credit by way of the captive ball, or by locking a ball and collecting the upper ramp on the plunge.
Yeah. Past the first billion, the only scoring that matters is the progressive stuff. Anything that isn't progressive becomes laughably small chump change. I had in my game:
- Hole-in-One value over 70 million
- Jackpot at 38 million
- Cart Attack at 14.5 million
- Sand Trap at 14 million
Compared to 200M from a good multiball or Cart Attack or 70M from a single HI1 shot, stuff like Short Circuit for 2M is a total waste of time. Even Speed Golf or Ripoff Multiball wasn't worth playing for like 5M from the mode. I'd just trap a ball and drain the rest.
The Range Value is a bit unusual in the progressive department. It scales faster than everything else and dominates the scoring for a little while, perhaps even exceeding the jackpot value. But it maxes at 6,250,000. By the end of a multi-billion game, that's OK but not great. (Still always worth skipping the skill shot to plunge up the ramp for a shot at either Range or Hole-in-One.)
Like many tables, the upper reaches of scoring are about getting extra balls faster than you use them in order to play forever. NGG gives out so many. Each golf course of 18 holes would rack up 4-5 EBs between the wheel (directly or lighting outlanes), the automatic one at each hole #4, and from the Hole-in-One Challenges. This means that golf holes should be the main course of action, rather than just multiball. You can push through golf holes really quickly if you don't get distracted by other stuff. And each EB turns into tens of millions in bonus, as much as a jackpot.
Also, I got the right outlane lit for special probably a dozen times, though I'm not sure what caused that. It wasn't always the wheel award. Buzz said "Drain and you gain" quite a few times from no cause I could identify. Maybe something during Hole-in-One Challenge lights this special?
Got 77 for Hole-in-One Champion, although about 70 of those were during multiballs. It's way easier to hit that shot during multiballs when you get a much greater variety of balls rolling around and through the left inlane. The shot is just about impossible from a normal ramp inlane feed. You need the incoming ball to already have some unusual speed or spin to have any chance.
The best way to hit Hole-in-One is just to take a lot of shots at it and eventually something will drop in. Like, a serious ton of shots. A hundred or more. During multiball or Hole-in-One Challenge, just keep looping balls up the slam ramp around the middle and eventually you'll get the right angle to drop in.
Tip: During multiball, pay attention to relighting the jackpot at the right ramp, but there's no need to actually try for it at the upper ramp past the first jackpot. As long as the super jackpot is lit, just keep whacking balls up the driving range and eventually one will carom near the upper ramp switch to collect the jackpot for you.
Tip: When the drive shot is the upper ramp, it's often easier to skip that tough shot. Get the drive shot credit by way of the captive ball, or by locking a ball and collecting the upper ramp on the plunge.
Yeah. Past the first billion, the only scoring that matters is the progressive stuff. Anything that isn't progressive becomes laughably small chump change. I had in my game:
- Hole-in-One value over 70 million
- Jackpot at 38 million
- Cart Attack at 14.5 million
- Sand Trap at 14 million
Compared to 200M from a good multiball or Cart Attack or 70M from a single HI1 shot, stuff like Short Circuit for 2M is a total waste of time. Even Speed Golf or Ripoff Multiball wasn't worth playing for like 5M from the mode. I'd just trap a ball and drain the rest.
The Range Value is a bit unusual in the progressive department. It scales faster than everything else and dominates the scoring for a little while, perhaps even exceeding the jackpot value. But it maxes at 6,250,000. By the end of a multi-billion game, that's OK but not great. (Still always worth skipping the skill shot to plunge up the ramp for a shot at either Range or Hole-in-One.)
My strategy on my 25.9 billion game was pretty much just going for Hole-in-Ones.
I found that the left ramp shot from the upper flipper was quite easy after backhanding the left orbit, so I could keep trying for Hole-in-Ones repeatedly. I probably got few billion points just from the driving range shots. In the end of the game the Hole-in-One value was over 120 million.
I actually had to let balls drain to end the game because the table just kept giving me extra balls and it was getting late and Windows had installed some updates that required a restart.
I had a total of 151 Hole-In-Ones in the game.
I found that the left ramp shot from the upper flipper was quite easy after backhanding the left orbit, so I could keep trying for Hole-in-Ones repeatedly. I probably got few billion points just from the driving range shots. In the end of the game the Hole-in-One value was over 120 million.
I actually had to let balls drain to end the game because the table just kept giving me extra balls and it was getting late and Windows had installed some updates that required a restart.
I had a total of 151 Hole-In-Ones in the game.
Tx for your advices guys, and in particular the backhand left orbit, key to unlimted game, i just turned my personnal best from 370M to 9.9B, for the #2 spot. I stopped there coz nobody tried 10B on PS3, and after something like 8 or 9 hours of play i didnt feel like losing my game (i already had a very bad moment around 3-4B when balls desappeared one by one at every multiball, until i finally start a Hole in One contest with ony 1 ball which get stucked in the hole, tx god for the 1st time ever on TPA the "manager" gave me a new ball). Anyway the Anton score is so far i had to stop somewhere ^^
I achieved 98 holes in one, which was around 85M at the end, cart attack around 15M i think, sand trap 24M and jackpot only 14.5M. Happy about this score but here again, like in SS or TZ (or FH but i didnt really played this one until then) it's only a question of patience, and about not having technical probleme. Anyway, good start for my holidays ;p
I achieved 98 holes in one, which was around 85M at the end, cart attack around 15M i think, sand trap 24M and jackpot only 14.5M. Happy about this score but here again, like in SS or TZ (or FH but i didnt really played this one until then) it's only a question of patience, and about not having technical probleme. Anyway, good start for my holidays ;p
vikingerik
Active member
- Nov 6, 2013
- 1,205
- 0
Took back #1 with 41 billion. I was going infinite just fine, and drained out the last 6 balls once I was high and bored enough.
I did it with multiball jackpots. The jackpot reached over 150 million by the end of the game. I scored over a billion in a multiball several times. I'm pretty sure this is faster than the holes-in-one method. I had Cart Attack and Sand Trap values similar to yours, so the games were of similar length, about 9 hours.
This is the key multiball move. Trap a ball on each flipper. Backhand the left orbit. Quickly post pass right-to-left while the first ball is going up the orbit. Shoot the jackpot, then quickly shoot the right ramp with the second ball to relight it, while the first ball is still coming down the rail. Shoot up the slam ramp and just keep shooting until either it falls in the hole-in-one, or a random bounce towards the upper ramp collects another jackpot for you (this happens a LOT!).
In normal play I just grinded the center ramp for ball locks all the time, mostly ignoring the Drive shots. Holes would complete often enough from stray shots and occasional Holes-in-One (every ball lock gives you a free slam shot by plunging up the ramp.) Super jackpots also award EBs and were more than enough to keep me going infinite even not really trying for Hole-in-One Challenge.
Also there is the Cart Path for extra balls. I didn't really understand this before. It works just like Funhouse's Gangway and TZ's Spiral awards. Shoot an inlane > orbit combo to advance through the awards, with the 6th one on each ball being an EB. The instructions say the Cart Path EB is once per game but I'm pretty sure I saw it awarded repeatedly (as long as you're not already at 4 EBs.) But the big difference from other Lawlor games is that the awards are available during all multiballs too! Bang on the orbits during Speed Golf or Ripoff or even Hole-in-One Challenge, and you'll easily get those awards up to the EB.
I did it with multiball jackpots. The jackpot reached over 150 million by the end of the game. I scored over a billion in a multiball several times. I'm pretty sure this is faster than the holes-in-one method. I had Cart Attack and Sand Trap values similar to yours, so the games were of similar length, about 9 hours.
This is the key multiball move. Trap a ball on each flipper. Backhand the left orbit. Quickly post pass right-to-left while the first ball is going up the orbit. Shoot the jackpot, then quickly shoot the right ramp with the second ball to relight it, while the first ball is still coming down the rail. Shoot up the slam ramp and just keep shooting until either it falls in the hole-in-one, or a random bounce towards the upper ramp collects another jackpot for you (this happens a LOT!).
In normal play I just grinded the center ramp for ball locks all the time, mostly ignoring the Drive shots. Holes would complete often enough from stray shots and occasional Holes-in-One (every ball lock gives you a free slam shot by plunging up the ramp.) Super jackpots also award EBs and were more than enough to keep me going infinite even not really trying for Hole-in-One Challenge.
Also there is the Cart Path for extra balls. I didn't really understand this before. It works just like Funhouse's Gangway and TZ's Spiral awards. Shoot an inlane > orbit combo to advance through the awards, with the 6th one on each ball being an EB. The instructions say the Cart Path EB is once per game but I'm pretty sure I saw it awarded repeatedly (as long as you're not already at 4 EBs.) But the big difference from other Lawlor games is that the awards are available during all multiballs too! Bang on the orbits during Speed Golf or Ripoff or even Hole-in-One Challenge, and you'll easily get those awards up to the EB.
Rich Lehmann
New member
- Aug 26, 2014
- 522
- 0
Didn't realize this table needed a strategy. I cleared all the wizard goals and set the grand score just slapping the ball around. It gives out a crazy number of extra balls, I think I got as many as 6 once and multiball comes pretty regularly. As an average to below average player, this game makes me feel like that blind kid from The Who song, Donny.
Kolchak357
Senior Pigeon
- May 31, 2012
- 8,102
- 2
Thanks for all the help with this table, after I read this stuff I set a new high score & completed the Wizard Goals.
Congrats!