Start of MB: the Power on or off?

[Slam23]

Hi folks,
Just watched the great TAF tutorial over at PAPA.org by Bowen: http://papa.org/learning-center/video-resources/tutorial-videos/
I noticed some differences in how the table behaves (most of them tournament settings), of which the start of MB was very interesting. In TPA TAF the Power is on when you have to lock the 3rd ball for the start of MB, in the case of Bowen playing TAF, this was twice definitely not the case. Maybe not a huge difference, but it makes for a different strategy. For one I start the last ball from the swamp to get as quickly as possible to the left flipper to start MB from the chair. This shot seems to have the least risk of getting caught by the Power. Going for the skillshot risks getting the ball over the playfield to the flippers and therefore crossing the Power. Also trying to start MB from the Vault from the lower flippers can be risky in that way. Is this a table setting? Or does TPA TAF behave incorrectly? Anyway, you can always wait out the Power when not hitting switches for 10 seconds.

 

[Pinballwiz45b]

Hi folks,
Just watched the great TAF tutorial over at PAPA.org by Bowen: http://papa.org/learning-center/video-resources/tutorial-videos/
I noticed some differences in how the table behaves (most of them tournament settings), of which the start of MB was very interesting. In TPA TAF the Power is on when you have to lock the 3rd ball for the start of MB, in the case of Bowen playing TAF, this was twice definitely not the case. Maybe not a huge difference, but it makes for a different strategy. For one I start the last ball from the swamp to get as quickly as possible to the left flipper to start MB from the chair. This shot seems to have the least risk of getting caught by the Power. Going for the skillshot risks getting the ball over the playfield to the flippers and therefore crossing the Power. Also trying to start MB from the Vault from the lower flippers can be risky in that way. Is this a table setting? Or does TPA TAF behave incorrectly? Anyway, you can always wait out the Power when not hitting switches for 10 seconds.

Probably because he didn't hit any switches in the process of starting Multiball. All in the game's ROM; that's why the Power wasn't turned on when Multiball was ready. If he hit a switch, then the Power would turn on as normal.

 

[switch3flip]

Yeah that is how I play multiball on tpa as well. Works just like in the video. You plunge the last ball for multiball a little harder than for skill shot, so the ball rolls down to flipper without touching anything. It will end up perfectly on left flipper and you can shoot for chair without power disturbing.

 

[IGoFirstIndy]

Yeah that is how I play multiball on tpa as well. Works just like in the video. You plunge the last ball for multiball a little harder than for skill shot, so the ball rolls down to flipper without touching anything. It will end up perfectly on left flipper and you can shoot for chair without power disturbing.

thanks for this!

 

[Kolchak357]

I usually just short plunge. Then let the kickout dead pass over to the left. Must more consistent for me.

 

[Slam23]

This triggers the Power though, because it's a switch. Then again, wait 10 seconds and you're on your way again. This is like a mandatory time-out before downloading on one of those free download services.....

 

[DoX]

I use this strategy - when I lock 2nd ball, plunge the 3rd ball into swamp, from there it lands on the right flipper, you can either choose to pass it to the left flipper and then to the chair or shoot it directly from the right flipper to the chair to start MB. Either way, you don't have to mess with power... Of course if you don't miss the shots...

 

[Kolchak357]

I use this strategy - when I lock 2nd ball, plunge the 3rd ball into swamp, from there it lands on the right flipper, you can either choose to pass it to the left flipper and then to the chair or shoot it directly from the right flipper to the chair to start MB. Either way, you don't have to mess with power... Of course if you don't miss the shots...

Ditto

 

[Epsilon]

This triggers the Power though, because it's a switch. Then again, wait 10 seconds and you're on your way again. This is like a mandatory time-out before downloading on one of those free download services.....

Yeah, but I find it VERY rare that the Power disturbs a shot starting from a trapped left flipper to the Chair. It seems like that path is on the very edge of the Power's range. I think just going for the Swamp kickout on the plunge will give you an easy shot for multiball. But yeah, I suppose you could just wait 10 seconds and read the Status Reports for a bit too.

 

[Slam23]

Yeah, but I find it VERY rare that the Power disturbs a shot starting from a trapped left flipper to the Chair. It seems like that path is on the very edge of the Power's range. I think just going for the Swamp kickout on the plunge will give you an easy shot for multiball. But yeah, I suppose you could just wait 10 seconds and read the Status Reports for a bit too.

Always very nice those Status Reports I'm with you on the "do not disturb" with respect to the left flipper to Chair, my favorite way to start MB. Chair kickouts with the Power on though are sometimes hair-raising, buttcheekclenching affairs, especially with Seance. Lost my fair share of balls that way.

 

[Epsilon]

Always very nice those Status Reports I'm with you on the "do not disturb" with respect to the left flipper to Chair, my favorite way to start MB. Chair kickouts with the Power on though are sometimes hair-raising, buttcheekclenching affairs, especially with Seance. Lost my fair share of balls that way.

Yeah, Seance is rapidly becoming my nemesis. At first I kind of scoffed at the idea of trying to just exclusively focus on the Bear Kick ramp and NOTHING ELSE to go for the Super Bear Bonus, but time and time again I find if I get greedy with collecting Mansion Rooms, Seance will make me pay and regret wasting my time. It's almost like that mode is pre-programmed to have a particularly ruthless Power in place. Nothing like having a perfectly lined up full-strength shot from the left flipper to the Bear Ramp suddenly stop in its tracks and fall SDTM just fast enough that I can't react with a nudge.