Table of the Week Club...Week 23: PIN*BOT

[shutyertrap]

Sorry for the delay in announcing this week's table, which is Pin*Bot. Was busy watching the skies explode with fireworks last night.

So yeah, Pin*Bot. We are now 2 out of 3 for this series of tables. Be very interesting to read people's comments on how to maximize scoring while avoiding the outlanes, which are very hungry on this table. See you on the other side of the galaxy!

 

[Captain B. Zarre]

- Above all, soft plunge the ball when the game starts. You don't want to be "rewarded" with 100k points and an instant drain.
- Try and focus on collecting the saucer values and activating multiball. While 100k as a Jackpot may not sound like much, it's easy to relight and it can add up quickly. Be sure to also take advantage of the 2x scoring during Multiball.

 

[EldarOfSuburbia]

Love me some Pin*Bot. The skill shot is an interesting risk/reward conundrum. I tend to feel it's worth the risk.

 

[Kratos3]

Love Pin*Bot!

 

[EldarOfSuburbia]

Not going for the skillshot 100K is depriving you of the best scoring opportunity in the game. Hitting 10 100K skillshots, assuming all are on the same numerical ball (Ball 1, Ball 2, Ball 3) will net you 5.5M, huge points in this game.

Yes you risk draining. But would you really turn down an easy million points because of that? Soft plunging is still a crapshoot, there's such a small margin of error - a bit too hard and you're into the bumpers anyway.

Also unless you're sensationally good with nudging on the bagatelle board, every ramp shot you risk the ball dropping into the bumpers.

 

[shutyertrap]

So I have never been able to get anything going on this table. Purely from a scoring standpoint, what are the 2 or 3 shots to master? For instance, I know getting the rollover on the left inlane is both important and tough. Is there a trick? Should I be more into catching and shooting as opposed to running and gunning? Is the collection of planets needed, and if so, where on the left flipper are you letting the ball roll to hit that collect standup on the right?

I have no love for this thing, so show me the errors of my ways!

 

[EldarOfSuburbia]

So I have never been able to get anything going on this table. Purely from a scoring standpoint, what are the 2 or 3 shots to master? For instance, I know getting the rollover on the left inlane is both important and tough. Is there a trick? Should I be more into catching and shooting as opposed to running and gunning? Is the collection of planets needed, and if so, where on the left flipper are you letting the ball roll to hit that collect standup on the right?

I have no love for this thing, so show me the errors of my ways!

The only reason to collect planets is to get EBs. So for the TotM they can be safely ignored. Each planet collected nets 20K in the end-of-ball bonus, but it's small change and it resets after The Sun is collected anyway.

There's no trick to getting balls in the left inlane; it's Pure Dumb Luck. You're better off shooting for the drop targets to spot planets, especially since it's easier to get balls on the right flipper.

Apart from the skill shot, the best scoring is, as previously mentioned, multi-ball. Each ramp shot increases the Solar (=Jackpot) value. In multiball, lock one ball in the visor, and shoot the ramp to collect. It resets after that but it's still 100K and can be repeated as much as you want.

Then there's the Energy Value. It's increased by the bumpers (danger!), and is lit to collect under the ramp by shooting the flashing drop target. It can get up over 100K so is worth collecting if lit.

Next there is the scoop. Lit by the right inlane rollover. Goes 25K-50K-75K-Lite EB, then back to 75K. Collect when flashing; shots to the scoop when it's not flashing just add 1K to the bonus.

Bonus is worthwhile too, up to 99K x 5. Ramp increases the bonus multiplier. Best way to accumulate bonus is banking off the side matrix targets into the visor matrix targets.

 

[shutyertrap]

Well that wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Just finished all the wizard goals. I really thought getting all the planets was gonna be a bear, but after taking the above advice, I started just knocking down the drop targets over and over and next thing I knew, goals collected. Still don't think this table will grow on me though, as I much prefer the rules that are in Jack*Bot as I find them much more entertaining.

 

[Pinballwiz45b]

 

[shutyertrap]

Ewwww, DX9! I think I just threw up in my mouth a little.

 

[Pinballwiz45b]

Ewwww, DX9! I think I just threw up in my mouth a little.

Keep in mind, that was almost two years ago.

EDIT: There, you happy?

 

[Extork]

About the left inlane, I've been able to get it by shooting the blue target from a trap on the right flipper. Still have to test how frequently it works, but I'd have to say most of the time

 

[Gus]

Are there any repeatable ebs? I just played a game where I got quite a few ebs during ball 1 - score, saucer, jupiter, sun and 2xchest lights. Maybe score gave new ebs every 10M, I didn't see any animations for Replay or similar though and I rolled the score a few times. The other eb sources were not repeatable.

 

[EldarOfSuburbia]

Jupiter and Sun Specials are not repeatable.

Saucer and Visor EBs (open the Visor twice) are repeatable, but only per numerical ball. So you can get one of each on Ball 1, Ball 2, and Ball 3.

I don't believe this is one of the System 11 tables where getting the replay score every time you rollover nets another EB. My best score so far this week is just over 10M so I've not got that far yet.

 

[Pinballwiz45b]

I don't believe this is one of the System 11 tables where getting the replay score every time you rollover nets another EB. My best score so far this week is just over 10M so I've not got that far yet.

Yep, you can.

 

[Gus]

Jupiter and Sun Specials are not repeatable.

Saucer and Visor EBs (open the Visor twice) are repeatable, but only per numerical ball. So you can get one of each on Ball 1, Ball 2, and Ball 3.

I don't believe this is one of the System 11 tables where getting the replay score every time you rollover nets another EB. My best score so far this week is just over 10M so I've not got that far yet.

Ah ok thanks guys! Balls 2 and 3 went straight down the left outlane for me so I didn't get around to try that. There are quite a few ebs to be had then, and with the score eb being unlimited even more so. Pin*Bot is an alright table. I prefer Jack*Bot for sure, but it's got a nice layout, some decent shots and a risky area that really can't be avoided (bumpers -> outlane). I will definitely go for the skillshot every time, lots of points there over the game and the risk/reward seems worth it to me as there are no other "fun" shots that net a lot of points. Most of the time I'm not really sure what to shoot for tbh. I must have circled the solar system 10 times for no reason

 

[vikingerik]

Yes, Pinbot does give another EB at the replay score after every rollover. It doesn't happen right at 10M, it happens each time you reach X2,000,000.

I do shoot for the skill shots, that's the biggest point value on the table by far, 500k average and 1M max is way bigger than anything else. It's important to keep locking balls and starting multiball just to keep getting more skill shots. I agree there isn't really much else to do on the table, since the Solar Value is so anemic once you collect it once.

The other moderately good source of points is the saucer at 150k when doubled during multiball, though I haven't found any reliable railroady way to grind it and would be pretty boring if I did.

 

[EldarOfSuburbia]

Someone mentioned a potential railroad of blue visor target --> left inlane.

It's unreliable.

The first two or three times I hit it, the ball did indeed rattle round the left inlane and safely went through.

The next couple of times, there were less friendly bounces that resulted in drains.

So it either requires a very precise hit to that blue target, or there isn't really a railroad. Either way, I don't think it's safe to try given a 50%-ish failure rate.

Disclaimer: this was on Android, other platforms ymmv.

 

[Qlorn]

Havent play this table much, but enjoy the harder tables to keep the ball up. A lot of good advice to be had here for me to give a try.

 

[Qlorn]

Just got a personal best 18 million. Darn high score postings only go up to 9,999,999. Odd. I have a new found appreciation for this table. Only have Sun Special left for Wizard Goal, which shouldnt be too hard to attain.

Q