Strategies.

[Zaphod77]

The real source of points in this game is...

Basement multiball.

Just keep shooting the ball into the bumpers. Before long the jackpots will be half a million a pop.

Roulette will never take you under a 10 million barrier. it only considers the first nine digits for spin values.

Master the super skillshot. A clue, a bonusx, and a lock is an amazing reward and well worth getting.

Clues are VERY important, as collecting every clue for a case is an extra ball. And every extra ball means another super skillshot chance, for bigger end of ball bonus.

From a trap you can backhand

a) the phone
b) the left taxi chase
c) the right taxi chase

If you backhand a taxi chase, you can often use a loop pass to set up another trap, and another backhand. this is great for getting clues.

Elevator madness mode. after the target bank starts going up and down, start going for taxi letters if you haven't finished the clues. You can't get clues in roof multiball, and you are better off going for the bumpers in basement multiball until you have maxed the jackpot.

Mystery has very nice rewards and they tend to help you out. In single ball play it likes to hand out clues and light who dunnit a lot. During multiball it always awards the jackpot (which,as you know can go up to at least half a billion). Because of this, flailing around actually works.

Taxi chase is preferred to nudge slots, until you get your clues. then go for nudge slots and try to get more extra balls and jackpots.

100 billion is not out of the question, with patience.

So basic strategy is.

1) get all clues. if you are asked who dunnit, try to guess wrong. if you are given the choice in the elevator, don't accuse until you got all the clues.
2) go for basement multiball, and raise the jackpot as high as you can.
3) do try and catch the killer, you have to unlight the clues by doing that to get another extra ball.
4) plunge all extra balls into the lock saucer for super skillshot and more basement multiballs. Don't worry too much about roof multiball, it caps out at 100 million per shot, and basement multiball can get MUCH higher.
5) do abuse the penthouse party, it's a pretty easy billion. If you have lit the mystery, then the penthouse party is already available. But multiball is even more points. SO don't rage quit if you brick penthouse party and drain unless you also have no extra ball.
6) you have a 60% or so chance to win roulette. up to you if you wanna risk it. the gain can be great, but so can the loss. sadly, i have been unable to start tournament mode, which makes roulette non random. I really want to do that. That said roulette spins increase the end of ball bonus, so its' probably worth it in a truly good game to risk it most of the time.

 

[Captain B. Zarre]

I once stacked up Penthouse Party with the roof multiball... That one was pretty insane

 

[Baron Rubik]

This is how I've been playing it...
After game starts, watch the intro dmd scene, then with the TAXI rewards cycling, do not touch the flippers, leave TAXI cycling.
Plunge softly for the skill shot, its very weak, plunge tip just below first blue notch on the scale.

Whether the shot is successful or not - DO NOT TOUCH THE FLIPPERS - let the ball drain. If successful, you get 1 clue, 1 ball lock towards basement multiball, 1x increase on bonus multiplier, then as the ball ejects, let it drain. Also, if the skill shot misses, as long as it was weak and hasn't triggered a switch, let it drain.
The drained ball whether successful or not, returns to the plunge for another skill shot. Just keep repeating the weak skill shot - and drain until you have 3 balls locked, 3 clues, and you've increased your bonus multiplier by 3x also.
Then multiball starts, bumpers and keep slamming the Jackpots.
After that, train loops to get equipment list maxed, taxi chases to max out the clues. Do this early to build high scores faster. As soon as the train loops give you the flashlight, and you've maxed the clues, shoot the sewer for rewards. Once you max the clues you get the extra ball.
Once you have the extra ball from the maxed clues, solve the case you have active but not before.

On the start of a new case, use the weak skill shot - no flip - drain technique to get 3 further clues for the new case, and start the basement multiball again - bumpers and Jackpots.
Max the clues, extra ball, solve the case, catch the culprit.
Rinse lather repeat.

 

[netizen]

This is how I've been playing it...
After game starts, watch the intro dmd scene, then with the TAXI rewards cycling, do not touch the flippers, leave TAXI cycling.
Plunge softly for the skill shot, its very weak, plunge tip just below first blue notch on the scale.

Whether the shot is successful or not - DO NOT TOUCH THE FLIPPERS - let the ball drain. If successful, you get 1 clue, 1 ball lock towards basement multiball, 1x increase on bonus multiplier, then as the ball ejects, let it drain. Also, if the skill shot misses, as long as it was weak and hasn't triggered a switch, let it drain.
The drained ball whether successful or not, returns to the plunge for another skill shot. Just keep repeating the weak skill shot - and drain until you have 3 balls locked, 3 clues, and you've increased your bonus multiplier by 3x also.
Then multiball starts, bumpers and keep slamming the Jackpots.
After that, train loops to get equipment list maxed, taxi chases to max out the clues. Do this early to build high scores faster. As soon as the train loops give you the flashlight, and you've maxed the clues, shoot the sewer for rewards. Once you max the clues you get the extra ball.
Once you have the extra ball from the maxed clues, solve the case you have active but not before.

On the start of a new case, use the weak skill shot - no flip - drain technique to get 3 further clues for the new case, and start the basement multiball again - bumpers and Jackpots.
Max the clues, extra ball, solve the case, catch the culprit.
Rinse lather repeat.

Tried this on the market release, can't replicate it

 

[Baron Rubik]

Tried this on the market release, can't replicate it

I've got market release installed - still works for me.
If a switch other than the skill shot lock hole gets tripped 'auto-fire' kicks in. You have to plunge weakly.

 

[Pinetwig]

I've got market release installed - still works for me.
If a switch other than the skill shot lock hole gets tripped 'auto-fire' kicks in. You have to plunge weakly.

Just used this technique to get the 1K HoF-points. Fastest points ever.

 

[Zaphod77]

This trick is very picky.

You really have to do it exactly as described. And even when you do it right it will often autofire after you hit the hole twice.

MOre tips.

You can backhand the train ramp. you can then hold up both flippers and pass the ball back, and then backhand the ramp again. There is an extra ball at train award 3.

Always risk it! It's worth a bonus multiplier, even if you fail. These bonus multipliers add up, and you will eventually be getting 2 billion+ end of ball bonus every ball, which will make up for your losses.

 

[DerrickH]

I tried Baron Rubik's skill-shot strategy many times, and cannot get it to drop in there. I consistently hit just below the entry, and if I pull the plunger one "step" further back, the ball hits just above the entry, and tags the "I" in TAXI. I have tried it at least 100 shots, and haven't hit it once.


Note on roulette: The lit roulette wheel gives you +1X bonus whether you risk the bet or not.

 

[Zaphod77]

really. i didn't know that.

Outside of a tournament setting i still recommend risking it, as you will win more than you lose over the long run.

It's easier with a platform that has analog plunging independent of the flippers. if you try to analog plunge it with the mouse on pc, it will flip the flipper too, and too many flips cancels the exploit.

 

[superballs]

Always play roulette, it will burn you sometimes, but in the long run you will make points, especially in a long game, which we're aiming for here.

A fairly easy way to get TAXI letters is when the ball is rolling back down the left orbit, wait until it's next to a letter you are missing and give the table a sharp nudge to the right, effectively pushing the standup target into the ball. This will sometimes give you two letters.

Another easy way to get letters is the taxi chase, shoot the ball up into the elevator, use the flippers to light the appropriate inlane and shoot either the train ramp or the left orbit, the taxi chase is active for a few seconds after either shot is made, try and one-time it around a few more times.

While the train loop is a great shot, it's also very dangerous...if you shoot from the left flipper and hit the left post, it's coming back STDM. This is saveable by a sharp nudge table-right, but you pretty well have to see it coming.

For jackpot building purposes, having collected the revolver increases the jackpot for 5M per bumper hit as opposed to 1M without it.

The magnifying glass allows you to eliminate suspects from the unlit phone, but this can backfire on you if you're trying to collect clues and you accidentally activate WHO Dunnit with only one suspect left.

The map is very useful, as it enables the sewer map award:

+1X Bonus
Interrogate Suspect
Collect evidence (25M)
WHO Dunnit

 

[Zaphod77]

Always play roulette, it will burn you sometimes, but in the long run you will make points, especially in a long game, which we're aiming for here.

COrrect. your odds of winning are greater than loosing unlike real roulette.

A fairly easy way to get TAXI letters is when the ball is rolling back down the left orbit, wait until it's next to a letter you are missing and give the table a sharp nudge to the right, effectively pushing the standup target into the ball. This will sometimes give you two letters.

This works, but is dangerous to do with the bottom two letters, as you may get an outlane drain.

Another easy way to get letters is the taxi chase, shoot the ball up into the elevator, use the flippers to light the appropriate inlane and shoot either the train ramp or the left orbit, the taxi chase is active for a few seconds after either shot is made, try and one-time it around a few more times.

THIS. if you directly shoot the left loop at high speed hold the flipper up and it will bounce right into roulette VUK. You can then do it again.

While the train loop is a great shot, it's also very dangerous...if you shoot from the left flipper and hit the left post, it's coming back STDM. This is saveable by a sharp nudge table-right, but you pretty well have to see it coming.

That's why you trap the ball, and shoot it from the RIGHT flipper as a backhand, and hold pass it back to the right flipper and repeat. The backhand is safe, easy, and repeatable. Even if it appears to time out, you will get credit.

For jackpot building purposes, having collected the revolver increases the jackpot for 5M per bumper hit as opposed to 1M without it.

In a good game full of multiball this is huge.

The magnifying glass allows you to eliminate suspects from the unlit phone, but this can backfire on you if you're trying to collect clues and you accidentally activate WHO Dunnit with only one suspect left.

Right again. Avoid collecting it.

The map is very useful, as it enables the sewer map award:

+1X Bonus
Interrogate Suspect
Collect evidence (25M)
WHO Dunnit

These are honestly not that useful. The extra ball at train combo 3 is a lot more useful.

 

[DerrickH]

@Zaphod77: I'm on Mac (native app version, not Steam), and I am using the mouse for plunger. It does not trigger the flipper, so I can repeatedly try it, but even with the mouse the plunger pulls back in small "steps", not truly continuous pullback. I still have not been able to hit the super skill shot. Really annoying when hitting that is one of the table goals...

 

[Storm Chaser]

Trick to always hit the super skill shot. Use Camera 3. Pull the plunger so that two thirds of the round plunger head is above the straight line underneath it (try and you'll see what I mean). Then look for when the plunger is rounded (and not octagonal due to bad graphics). When its rounded, plunge and see it hit the skill shot.

It's a bit tricky to explain this but look for when the graphics show the plunger head perfectly rounded. It will be rounded in other positions as well but in that "sweet spot" it's a 100% clue to tell you when to release.

 

[DanBradford]

Trick to always hit the super skill shot. Use Camera 3. Pull the plunger so that two thirds of the round plunger head is above the straight line underneath it (try and you'll see what I mean). Then look for when the plunger is rounded (and not octagonal due to bad graphics). When its rounded, plunge and see it hit the skill shot.

It's a bit tricky to explain this but look for when the graphics show the plunger head perfectly rounded. It will be rounded in other positions as well but in that "sweet spot" it's a 100% clue to tell you when to release.

i'm gonna need a picture. on my ipad (air) camera 3 is the one where i can't see anything but a tiny slit of the end of the plunger, and one pair of blue triangles. on my iphone (4S) camera 3 lets me see two pairs of blue triangles. i think there may be too much variability. what are you using?

 

[Roo]

I was wondering about those Roulette odds. Real Roulette would be 50:50 (assuming no green), but you guys say it's 60:40. I was seeing much higher than that, even. I bet you I won about 17 out of 20 the other day. And I think my losses were usually when the value was on the small end of the "scale". I was definitely "risking" it every time.

 

[Zaphod77]

well looked over the manual, and it doesnt' say what the odds are, and no way to adjust it. but i know that in tournament mode every EVEN spin actually taken wins. Tested in pro mode. So you want to PASS until you have a low risk amount, then spin, then pass until you have a HIGH risk amount, then risk it. Red vs black targets have nothing to do with winning.

Also slot spins go in a specific order. nothing else is changed. first slot spin is always clue, for example.

I think the game would be improved by having tournament mode on.

 

[superballs]

Protip for real roulette:

The green spaces were added to roulette wheels to tip the odds in the casino's favor, before that, odds were actually a flat 2:1 for either colour or odd/even.

Adding 0 and 00 to the wheel gives 2 extra losing spaces than winning spaces no matter what you bet (if you're going for the "50:50" bets). The best odds you can get on a roulette table are something like 52:48 against. This doesn't seem like a huge edge until you consider the law of large numbers which means that after around 200 -500 small bets, you are almost 100% probability to lose all your money.

Your best bet at a roulette table is to bet it all on one bet and just deal with the results.
I'm not trying to advocate gambling, or betting it all of course...just saying that that gives you the best (if still not in your favour) chances of winning "big".

 

[mikehg]

A lot of people think the first rule of gambling is "Never bet what you can't afford to lose".

It isn't. If you know with complete certainty you're going to win, you should bet everything you have.

The first rule of gambling is "Never play games of chance." Only the house wins...

 

[DerrickH]

I tried to post a couple screenshots to show where I'm plunging the ball from, but it didn't post the images. How do I add a pic to a post?

 

[Zaphod77]

As for real roulette. there is exactly one bad bet on the table. it's the "quint" bet.

All other bets have exactly the same odds. You trade win frequency for win amount.

they would all be fair bets without the green spaces on the wheel.

Even with fair odds, the law of large numbers says the person with the MUCH smaller bankroll will almost certainly lose if they keep playing.