Table of the Week Club...Week 45: STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION

[Pinballwiz45b]

59 billion points.

http://www.twitch.tv/pinballwiz45b/v/32925001

 

[shutyertrap]

Well I just spent over an hour and could only come up with 8.4 billion. So I'm curious to know actual strategies, not just "spam the right orbit".

Here's what I've been doing, tell me where I'm going wrong...

1st ball launch I'm selecting Warp 4 so that I can immediately get a 5th warp a lock in the multiplier. After that, I'm just trying for the locks. Any missions started is pure dumb luck.

All other ball launches I tend to select a mission. I had been selecting ball lock, but figure I can get those on my own fairly easily. I want the missions so I can get the big points of Final Frontier maybe.

I have been half heartedly playing any mission modes that start. You guys ignore them, or play them?

I really feel I've hit a wall and can't get past that 8 billion. Maybe I need to get better at shooting the jackpot during Borg multiball, or maybe there's a combination of events I'm not stringing together properly. I don't even know how to light extra balls, I just know to shoot for 'em when lit. I also haven't bothered reading the instructions to find out how to raise the Borg jackpot. Reading instructions is boring!

 

[Captain B. Zarre]

Well I just spent over an hour and could only come up with 8.4 billion. So I'm curious to know actual strategies, not just "spam the right orbit".

Here's what I've been doing, tell me where I'm going wrong...

1st ball launch I'm selecting Warp 4 so that I can immediately get a 5th warp a lock in the multiplier. After that, I'm just trying for the locks. Any missions started is pure dumb luck.

All other ball launches I tend to select a mission. I had been selecting ball lock, but figure I can get those on my own fairly easily. I want the missions so I can get the big points of Final Frontier maybe.

I have been half heartedly playing any mission modes that start. You guys ignore them, or play them?

I really feel I've hit a wall and can't get past that 8 billion. Maybe I need to get better at shooting the jackpot during Borg multiball, or maybe there's a combination of events I'm not stringing together properly. I don't even know how to light extra balls, I just know to shoot for 'em when lit. I also haven't bothered reading the instructions to find out how to raise the Borg jackpot. Reading instructions is boring!

Extra balls can be lit through:
- 8x bonus (this one is really easy to get plus if you don't have multipliers held you can do it over and over)
- Enough right ramp shots (I think the first one is at 12 and the second is somewhere like 50)
- Warp Factor 8 (first time in a game only, after it awards a random Artifact)
- Random Flipper Skill Shot or Probe award (very rare, usually only appears if you're doing horrendously)

You increase your Borg Jackpot by simply shooting the pop bumpers. The pop bumpers in the recreation are really powerful, and usually you can get a lot of points from them along with the Jackpot increases. Each bumper increases the Jackpot by about 100k.

Honestly my strategy for Borg Multiball is to drain one ball, and then attempt to trap one ball on each flipper. From there, I shoot the center shot repeatedly from the left flipper. If the shields go down, I shoot the left orbit with the right flipper and attempt to make the side ramp combo to earn a Super. Also, holding the right flipper from the ship kickout makes the ball ricochet off the right slingshot and into the spinner.

 

[Voof]

Well I just spent over an hour and could only come up with 8.4 billion. So I'm curious to know actual strategies, not just "spam the right orbit".

Here's what I've been doing, tell me where I'm going wrong...

1st ball launch I'm selecting Warp 4 so that I can immediately get a 5th warp a lock in the multiplier. After that, I'm just trying for the locks. Any missions started is pure dumb luck.

All other ball launches I tend to select a mission. I had been selecting ball lock, but figure I can get those on my own fairly easily. I want the missions so I can get the big points of Final Frontier maybe.

I have been half heartedly playing any mission modes that start. You guys ignore them, or play them?

I really feel I've hit a wall and can't get past that 8 billion. Maybe I need to get better at shooting the jackpot during Borg multiball, or maybe there's a combination of events I'm not stringing together properly. I don't even know how to light extra balls, I just know to shoot for 'em when lit. I also haven't bothered reading the instructions to find out how to raise the Borg jackpot. Reading instructions is boring!

Keeping the ball on the table is difficult in this game, learn what shots are not worth taking and steer clear of them.

 

[Slam23]

The Borg Jackpots also increase by hitting them from the cannon at the start of MB. If you can persist through say 5-6 MB's, your triple jackpots will have gone past the 1B mark. If the shields are down I believe you can still hit the Delta ramp for 3x jackpots, not sure about that though, doing this from memory. The Captain has the rest down, so go spam that right orbit and nudge when the ball leaves the bumper area to the left, otherwise drain.

 

[proco]

Always play the Poker game, guys!

 

[Slam23]

155B and now I'm fed up with the table for a while....
My single Borg jackpot was up to 800M+ at the end.
Funny how the real bottleneck in this game is the "hold multiplier" because this will prevent getting the 8x bonus multiplier and EB the next ball.

 

[shutyertrap]

What kind of scores are you guys earning without playing the extra balls?

 

[jaredmorgs]

The Borg Jackpots also increase by hitting them from the cannon at the start of MB. If you can persist through say 5-6 MB's, your triple jackpots will have gone past the 1B mark. If the shields are down I believe you can still hit the Delta ramp for 3x jackpots, not sure about that though, doing this from memory. The Captain has the rest down, so go spam that right orbit and nudge when the ball leaves the bumper area to the left, otherwise drain.

That sounds right to me. The game encourages you to keep loading the concealed Borg cannon, so awarding jackpots on that shot no matter what seems legit.

 

[jaredmorgs]

What kind of scores are you guys earning without playing the extra balls?

This is worth bearing in mind. We should be posting scores with the tourney rules in mind as a true reflection.

That being said, it is quite fun to play this table with the knowledge of "jackpots held".

 

[vikingerik]

Funny how the real bottleneck in this game is the "hold multiplier" because this will prevent getting the 8x bonus multiplier and EB the next ball.

So avoid that. Don't get warp factors. Keep it below 5. It's not that hard to avoid. Once you've been to factor 9 once, only an inlane -> spinner combo advances warp factor, so just don't do that. Sure it's super tempting to shoot a right inlane feed up there, but train yourself not to. Aim for Neutral Zone instead, which either gets the ball back under control by making the shot, or else usually results in a controllable drop towards the flippers.

This goes during multiball too. Never try a running shot to the spinner, aim such balls to Neutral Zone instead. When you need to relight the shields, get control and do it from a set shot with the warp factor spinner unlit.

 

[EldarOfSuburbia]

There's something to be said for not even getting the Warp 8 EB.

Getting the Warp 8 EB means getting Hold Bonus X at Warp 5, which locks you out of the 8X Bonus EB on the next ball (assuming you get it on the same ball as the Warp 8 EB), so gaining the Warp 8 EB loses one of the 8X Bonus EBs. It's a wash.

Maybe keep the Warp 8 EB "in reserve". It's relatively easy to get.

 

[Slam23]

So avoid that. Don't get warp factors. Keep it below 5. It's not that hard to avoid. Once you've been to factor 9 once, only an inlane -> spinner combo advances warp factor, so just don't do that. Sure it's super tempting to shoot a right inlane feed up there, but train yourself not to. Aim for Neutral Zone instead, which either gets the ball back under control by making the shot, or else usually results in a controllable drop towards the flippers.

This goes during multiball too. Never try a running shot to the spinner, aim such balls to Neutral Zone instead. When you need to relight the shields, get control and do it from a set shot with the warp factor spinner unlit.

I never thought of intentionally going to Warp 9 to avoid accidental Warps afterwards, that's an interesting idea! I usually get those accidental Warps by shooting the Delta Ramp for 3x Jackpots or locks.

 

[vikingerik]

Getting the Warp 8 EB means getting Hold Bonus X at Warp 5, which locks you out of the 8X Bonus EB on the next ball (assuming you get it on the same ball as the Warp 8 EB), so gaining the Warp 8 EB loses one of the 8X Bonus EBs. It's a wash.

It is indeed a wash, so just take it. The problem with keeping the Warp 8 EB "in reserve" is that you're still under the easier rules for advancing warps (upper ramp), so more of a chance that you'll inadvertently reach warp 5. Overall it's better to do warp 9 once so that avoiding warp 5 on subsequent balls becomes easier.

The important bit is that whenever you do first get warp 5, make sure to go directly to warp 8 on that same ball. Or else that's where the wash actually becomes negative, you ate a Hold Bonus once and will have to do it again to get to the warp 8 EB. (If this happens to me, I just restart the game.)

 

[Johni3w6]

Finally completed all wizard goals.