Table of the Week Club...Week 19: EL DORADO CITY OF GOLD

[shutyertrap]

or wait! Collecting the extra ball actually matters a lot, since you get to plunge it and will get 190k in bonus

You'll only be able to collect a max of 3, 1 per ball. So that's 570k you can add.

 

[EldarOfSuburbia]

Yeah, it's kind of Black Hole-lite. Imagine if your bonus carried over ball-to-ball in BH and all you needed to do was build up the multiplier.

 

[Gus]

You'll only be able to collect a max of 3, 1 per ball. So that's 570k you can add.

Yeah, a ton of points for these settings I'd say But hard to pull off three times straight.

 

[Reagan Dow]

SYT. Can't believe it only took you 30 min to finish all the goals. I've been stuck at 1.5 mil and still have the extra ball to finish my STANDARD goals. Admittedly I played this table quite a bit when I first got it but since then I play it once or twice per month, 10-20min per shot. Going to spend some serious time on this for the rest of the week. Need to get my head back in the game!!

 

[shutyertrap]

SYT. Can't believe it only took you 30 min to finish all the goals. I've been stuck at 1.5 mil and still have the extra ball to finish my STANDARD goals. Admittedly I played this table quite a bit when I first got it but since then I play it once or twice per month, 10-20min per shot. Going to spend some serious time on this for the rest of the week. Need to get my head back in the game!!

Not how it happened. I spent off an on yesterday working through the standard goals. That stupid extra ball one took me forever. Then, last night I sat down and for 2 hours did nothing but play this table. The 'score 1 million on one ball' goal glitched and gave it to me. The bonus count was fairly easy. I finally got the 3 extra balls at the end of the night, and called it quits. I tried again this morning, and found success with the final two goals in the same game. I actually didn't count one of the specials I earned, so I wound up collecting 4.

When I am in 'wizard hunt' mode, I ditch a game as soon as conditions go south rather than play it all to the end. On CBW, I was draining my first two balls just to get to the third with the automatic multiball. With this table, if I didn't activate the hold bonus on ball 1, I just started over. The thinking being, I gain nothing by moving on to ball 2, but lose everything if 2 and 3 are good and I really needed just one extra ball to put me over the top. Start fresh, use all balls afforded to me. The problem now is, I'm so primed to just start a game over when a ball drains, I've actually dumped accidentally on subsequent balls!

I would say that now I can sit back and enjoy the table, find ways to score that I find fun. Unfortunately this table doesn't afford any to me!

 

[Xanija]

When I am in 'wizard hunt' mode, I ditch a game as soon as conditions go south rather than play it all to the end. On CBW, I was draining my first two balls just to get to the third with the automatic multiball.

Hehe, exactly what I did. And then I the super jackpot didn't register when I got it the first time. It was a bit weird because I shot the ball up the ramp and the other one hit the cueball with last colored ball at the same time. I already thought I had to hit the ramp again, when it suddenly gave me the super jackpot - but not the wizard goal for it. So I had to do it again....

With this table, if I didn't activate the hold bonus on ball 1, I just started over.

Same as me. But it will be a hard landing when it comes to the tournament. It happens quite often I lose the first ball without having 10k points. I do have the 2m goal now - with 2,014,460 points.... I already thought the table would show me the middle finger again, when the last ball drained at the - guess where - left outlane.

This table and me, we have a hate-hate relationship. We both hate each other. Well, it's not that bad, but it's one of those tables which makes me aggressive over time. Same as with Big Shot, Gon' Nuts or Space Shuttle. I just don't seem to get much better when playing these tables.

 

[shutyertrap]

This table and me, we have a hate-hate relationship. We both hate each other. Well, it's not that bad, but it's one of those tables which makes me aggressive over time. Same as with Big Shot, Gon' Nuts or Space Shuttle. I just don't seem to get much better when playing these tables.

Right? Like you've hit the apex of how good you are ever going to get with these tables, no matter how much more time you put into them.

And just think, those 3 tables you list have yet to come up for TotW yet. Something to look forward to?

 

[Locksley]

I like that the tables Tilt is set rather tight (I have no idea how Switch3 will manage), good practice in aiming and thinking about dangerous shots; a devil of a skillshot (for me at least).

The playfield art is a bit blurry (taken with the 'old' camera.... yeah well surely something can be done?) but I like it. Avoid at all cost the left outlane contraption, the rest is easily controllable (remember I almost never tilt on tables but this one it comes in spades).

Have a hard time getting much more than 1 mill; guess I gotta buckle down and get serious (means I will also read all the posts here in this thread not just a bunch).

For tourny play; build up max bonus on ball one and get hold bonus.

Don't mind this table much at all, not a favorite but I am not hating on it

 

[vikingerik]

Like you've hit the apex of how good you are ever going to get with these tables, no matter how much more time you put into them.

This feeling is very real, I get it too. But it's also not true. You can always get better. But it's a question of improving at pinball and TPA in general, not just on these specific tables.

These tables can't be gamed by exploitable railroads or lopsided strategy. You need to play the entire table on titles from this era like El Dorado here, Big Shot, Gorgar, Space Shuttle, Genie. And the things you shoot on these tables - nasty drop targets, not friendly loopable ramps - will send the ball out of control so you need to recover it. That's where you get better. There's always more room for more skillful catching and controlling, even for me.

It's not a matter of putting time into the table. That matters for some, to learn the shot lines and angles and rules, but not these. It's a matter of putting time and deliberate effort into improving your flipper skills across the board in general. Your results and scores will follow across all of these tables.

Genie was where I broke through in this area. I felt the same way, that I was as good as I was going to get at it, when I was topping out under 2 million in most games. But that wasn't true. I seriously focused on my efforts to carefully catch and control everything, and that really did make a big difference on Genie and carried over to similar tables like Gorgar and El Dorado.

 

[shutyertrap]

Good point, vikingerik. Makes me wonder the kind of new life these tables might get when FarSight slowly starts rolling out the new flipper physics.

 

[Locksley]

Anyone notice how much better Eldorado looks after a few shots of Rom? No, anyone....

Anywho... The artwork is real interesting because (without checking) this is the only table that has a whole topview landscape, very un-pinball like. I like it allot although I don't feel that the design truly fit the art.

It's a bit like looking down on a 'level' in a adventure game, maybe old comendore64 commando

And as you said SYT, it will be real interesting when flipper-physics 3.+ rolls out on this and other tables!

Did anyone else notice that dead/live catch got a bit harder with the first update? I was dead catching everyday out of Sunday when Xenon was released, now I have to try a bit harder and concentrat (that it without the rum mind you... middle of the week; yeah, the best days to mellow down). Only on Xenon I know - I didn't mean Eldorado

As I mentioned before, I don't mind this table at all; gives me good practice - I even keep the sounds on (maybe they brainwash you with jungle fever...)

SYT, if ya plan going up Bearlake for an interview would you mind doing a thread about questions to ask - like the A.S.K. interview?

Cheers

 

[Xanija]

On top of that, it is nothing but frustration for me to get down to one last drop target only to lose the ball and then have to start all over.

About half an hour of gameplay today:

http://imgur.com/a/N6khp/all

This table is really evil. I wants to destroy my 360 pad.

 

[Kratos3]

Good point, vikingerik. Makes me wonder the kind of new life these tables might get when FarSight slowly starts rolling out the new flipper physics.

Yes! I can't wait for even the next table with the new flipper physics.