I prepared harder for this week than ever before. I spent around 24 hours in total practicing on Black Knight 2000 and Grand Lizard. I got the #1 score on BK2000 and the #2 score on GL. I felt very ready to put down a good score on both.
This week’s machines:
Haunted House
The Shadow
Grand Lizard
Black Knight 2000
We had taken the previous week off. I spent most of my off week playing and fixing up the Getaway. When it was time to get back to work, I spent a ridiculous amount of time preparing at the arcade. On Monday when we met up, A LOT of people didn’t even show up. That was disappointing. I don’t know if they gave up, or were spending St. Patrick’s Day elsewhere. Regardless, I didn’t want to do well by default.
The good thing about this was I was able to suggest that the #1 ranked guy play with our group to keep things from being lopsided. The way I look at competition is, yes, I’m playing to win. However, I will do what I can to help other people with the things I’ve learned throughout the week. #1 is the same way. Turns out that we had come up with the same strategies. There was nothing cut throat about it. We were able to help and cheer each other on.
First up, Haunted House. I love the theme and I always wished I was better at it, but it’s a notoriously difficult game to play. I don’t play it much, because it just seems to want to constantly drain. I played a few games prior to this though and finally discovered the secret. Don’t play fancy. Especially on the right side. Using this strategy, and some liberal nudging, I did way better than I had hoped. Out of two games I still got beat by #1, but it looked like I had a solid #2 score.
First Place: 162,380 (#1's score)
My score: 125,390 (2nd overall)
We then went to The Shadow. I have played it before, and I had a pretty good grasp on the strategy. Multiball is the key, as it is in many games. I had one game of practice before the league. I got 260 million and a replay. I felt pretty good about it. You know how in multiplayer games sometimes when you lock a ball, instead of a new ball launching it drops one because another player already had one locked? Well, it did that to me, several times. I wasn’t expecting it, and it shot straight down the middle. It was frustrating, but you can’t win them all. I was pretty sure I didn’t even hit one of the top three scores.
First Place: 242,329,440 (#1's score)
My score: 94,460,550 (4th overall)
Grand Lizard was up next. I didn’t really expect to like it very much, but I found that I did. Like, a lot. I had gotten really good at getting extra balls. That wasn’t going to help in competition, but at least I thoroughly knew the machine. I won one game, but even with a decent score I lost game two to #1. He was really good and knew the machine about as well as me. I congratulated him. I was sure I would take the top score, but he beat me fair and square.
First Place: 1,054,880 (#1's score)
My score: 857,440 (2nd overall)
Finally we played Black Knight 2000. I love this game, and I was very ready to play it. My girlfriend didn’t have much time to practice this week, so I gave her the best quick strategy I could come up with. When the ball enters the lower playfield, catch it, and hit it back up. As long as you can keep it going, it doesn’t matter how much you are scoring. Just avoid draining on the bottom, and if you can, spell WAR during two ball multiball for a million points.
She did just that, and easily took the top score. I can have great games of BK2000, but I had two really bad games in a row. I was very proud of her. It just goes to show that you can excessively practice (roughly 12 hours) on a game, but still get defeated by someone who didn’t. I don’t practice so much expecting a victory. I do it to increase the odds of victory and to truly learn a machine. It wasn’t time wasted. This game will come up again, and when it does, I won’t have to prepare as much.
First Place: 2,333,660 (my girlfriend's score)
My score: 1,178,520 (3rd overall)
Afterwards, I got to talking to #1. We got along really well. Everyone else left, but he and I stayed and played till midnight. He showed me everything he knew about Star Trek TNG. Everyone has “their game” and that one is his. If he makes it to the finals, and I don’t doubt he will, that will be the game he picks. Here he was teaching me, his most likely competitor, the secrets of his game. He didn’t have to do that, and I thought that was one of the nicest things ever.
I came in 2nd place this week. My girlfriend came in 3rd, and 1st place was taken by #1.
We were told next week’s games would be Black Knight and Theatre of Magic. I’ve already been practicing. For the last few nights #1 and I have been meeting up, discussing strategies, and trading Grand Champion victories. Currently I’m the ToM Grand Champ, but he could take it anytime, and I’d be happy for him.
The game I’ve been secretly going to pick if I should make the finals is Bugs Bunny’s Birthday Ball. No one likes it, and no one knows it except me. I know it like the back of my hand, and now #1 does too. It was only fair to teach him my game. Now if we make it to the finals it will be a true test of skill and not a curve ball.
We’ve joined forces and it doesn’t matter who wins, we’re making each other even better. This is exactly what I had hoped to find by competing to begin with.
Total Standings after week 4:
1st place: #1 with 130 points
2nd place: me with 120 points
3rd place: my girlfriend with 106 points
OMD
This week’s machines:
Haunted House
The Shadow
Grand Lizard
Black Knight 2000
We had taken the previous week off. I spent most of my off week playing and fixing up the Getaway. When it was time to get back to work, I spent a ridiculous amount of time preparing at the arcade. On Monday when we met up, A LOT of people didn’t even show up. That was disappointing. I don’t know if they gave up, or were spending St. Patrick’s Day elsewhere. Regardless, I didn’t want to do well by default.
The good thing about this was I was able to suggest that the #1 ranked guy play with our group to keep things from being lopsided. The way I look at competition is, yes, I’m playing to win. However, I will do what I can to help other people with the things I’ve learned throughout the week. #1 is the same way. Turns out that we had come up with the same strategies. There was nothing cut throat about it. We were able to help and cheer each other on.
First up, Haunted House. I love the theme and I always wished I was better at it, but it’s a notoriously difficult game to play. I don’t play it much, because it just seems to want to constantly drain. I played a few games prior to this though and finally discovered the secret. Don’t play fancy. Especially on the right side. Using this strategy, and some liberal nudging, I did way better than I had hoped. Out of two games I still got beat by #1, but it looked like I had a solid #2 score.
First Place: 162,380 (#1's score)
My score: 125,390 (2nd overall)
We then went to The Shadow. I have played it before, and I had a pretty good grasp on the strategy. Multiball is the key, as it is in many games. I had one game of practice before the league. I got 260 million and a replay. I felt pretty good about it. You know how in multiplayer games sometimes when you lock a ball, instead of a new ball launching it drops one because another player already had one locked? Well, it did that to me, several times. I wasn’t expecting it, and it shot straight down the middle. It was frustrating, but you can’t win them all. I was pretty sure I didn’t even hit one of the top three scores.
First Place: 242,329,440 (#1's score)
My score: 94,460,550 (4th overall)
Grand Lizard was up next. I didn’t really expect to like it very much, but I found that I did. Like, a lot. I had gotten really good at getting extra balls. That wasn’t going to help in competition, but at least I thoroughly knew the machine. I won one game, but even with a decent score I lost game two to #1. He was really good and knew the machine about as well as me. I congratulated him. I was sure I would take the top score, but he beat me fair and square.
First Place: 1,054,880 (#1's score)
My score: 857,440 (2nd overall)
Finally we played Black Knight 2000. I love this game, and I was very ready to play it. My girlfriend didn’t have much time to practice this week, so I gave her the best quick strategy I could come up with. When the ball enters the lower playfield, catch it, and hit it back up. As long as you can keep it going, it doesn’t matter how much you are scoring. Just avoid draining on the bottom, and if you can, spell WAR during two ball multiball for a million points.
She did just that, and easily took the top score. I can have great games of BK2000, but I had two really bad games in a row. I was very proud of her. It just goes to show that you can excessively practice (roughly 12 hours) on a game, but still get defeated by someone who didn’t. I don’t practice so much expecting a victory. I do it to increase the odds of victory and to truly learn a machine. It wasn’t time wasted. This game will come up again, and when it does, I won’t have to prepare as much.
First Place: 2,333,660 (my girlfriend's score)
My score: 1,178,520 (3rd overall)
Afterwards, I got to talking to #1. We got along really well. Everyone else left, but he and I stayed and played till midnight. He showed me everything he knew about Star Trek TNG. Everyone has “their game” and that one is his. If he makes it to the finals, and I don’t doubt he will, that will be the game he picks. Here he was teaching me, his most likely competitor, the secrets of his game. He didn’t have to do that, and I thought that was one of the nicest things ever.
I came in 2nd place this week. My girlfriend came in 3rd, and 1st place was taken by #1.
We were told next week’s games would be Black Knight and Theatre of Magic. I’ve already been practicing. For the last few nights #1 and I have been meeting up, discussing strategies, and trading Grand Champion victories. Currently I’m the ToM Grand Champ, but he could take it anytime, and I’d be happy for him.
The game I’ve been secretly going to pick if I should make the finals is Bugs Bunny’s Birthday Ball. No one likes it, and no one knows it except me. I know it like the back of my hand, and now #1 does too. It was only fair to teach him my game. Now if we make it to the finals it will be a true test of skill and not a curve ball.
We’ve joined forces and it doesn’t matter who wins, we’re making each other even better. This is exactly what I had hoped to find by competing to begin with.
Total Standings after week 4:
1st place: #1 with 130 points
2nd place: me with 120 points
3rd place: my girlfriend with 106 points
OMD
