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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Zaphod77" data-source="post: 136686" data-attributes="member: 2101">BTW, here are the guidelines i'd use for operator settings were I the TPA operator.  They are simple and consistent to apply.1) Replay awards extra ball always. UNLESS my testers can roll the game way too easilly.  This is because you can get one replay per game, except for old games like f-14 tomcat, where you can rescore the replay after rolling the game.  If my testers are rolling the game more than once, the physics are too easy. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />  I would have to disable replay completely on f-14 tomcat most likely, as i've rolls most recreations of it i've played.2) Specials that cannot be repeated should also award extra balls. Funhouse has a non repeatable special. It should award an extra ball (and does). Whirlwind has a repeatable special off the mega door score. It should award points instead (and does). Black Rose has a non repeatable special, i think.  It should award extra ball.  Instead, it awards NOTHING, and penalizes you by resetting the jackpot!  I would have fixed this. 3) all one time extra balls, like the skyway tolls ones in whirlwind, should always get awarded, if possible. If you can collect it only once on default settings, it's ok to have in.  If collecting all non repeatable extra balls, plus one, exceeds the stacked balls cap, that cap is too low, and should be raised.  It sucks to deprive players of extra balls when it's not needed to prevent you from infiniting it.4) extra balls that can be obtained every ball. that's the hard part. If possible, I would change the operator settings to make these unlimited extra balls dry up. UNLESS the game is a true add-a-ball (like many EMs), in which case this behavior is by design.  This means when doing an EM game, use the add-a-ball version ALWAYS! because it's balanced around that.  If I CAN cap it, i would set the cap for each one to three for a three ball game, or five for a five ball.  If I cannot cap the repeatable extra ball itself (not an uncommon occurrence, unfortunately), well that's what the rest is about. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />My guidelines are to keep people from infiniting TPA and crashing the tables. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />  Here's i how I would do it.If the game defaults to having a max extra balls per ball in play, and not a max per game, use that unchanged.  This means the manufacturer already did it for me.  The game cannot be played forever.  I'm not gonna argue.If the game has a max extra balls per game setting (a true one, not a max balls stacked setting) use that, and set it higher then all of the one time extra balls. I suggest the number of one time extra balls, plus three (or five for a five ball game).  For whirlwind, this is six. (replay, tolls ramp X2).  Oddly enough Williams did this already.  Actually because score is a replay, it should have been five, but six is correct for us.If the game actually has both settings turned on by default (a true max per game and per ball in play) disable the ball in play one, and use the per game one, as dealing with both caps sucks. It's preferable to use the total per game limit, because it's less confusing to players.If the game doesn't have true max extra balls per game (it probably has max stacked balls instead), but does have max extra balls per ball in play, I would use that instead.  Use the formula for max balls, per game, and divide by the number of balls, round up to get the max balls per ball in play setting.  If my testers are running into the cap because of one time extra balls too often, then I would consider setting it no higher then the number of one time extra balls, plus 1.  People may run into this cap early, but it's the best available option at this point...  If there is NO WAY to cap the extra balls per ball in play, OR the extra balls per game, then set the maximum stacked extra balls setting to 1, to make it as hard as possible to infinite by rules. (EatPM) Otherwise, leave the stacked extra balls setting equal to the number of unrepeatable extra balls, plus 1.  If the default stack limit is LOWER then this amount, I would raise it.  If my testers are still infiniting it after this, I would tweak the physics to make trying to infinite more dangerous. EatPM needs this done.  I wold make it so rejects from the ramps drain 75% of the time.  Problem solved.</blockquote>

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