Table of the Week Club...week 9: WHITE WATER!

[Slam23]

I nudge predominantly left/right with a little bit of up nudging. I almost never use diagonal nudging. I use touch scheme F on iOS and use my index fingers to nudge, while keeping my thumbs on or near the flipper areas. It's get automatic after a while and for me it meant going from mediocre to good scores and also more even scoring over multiple games. It took me a while though to get good at it. Some tables are instant death without nudging, for example the bumper area to left outlane on STTNG. On Whitewater I don't nudge as much, only around the outlanes a bit, preventing SDTM drains and now with advice from Gus getting the extra ball from a right inlane catch. I'm really trying to get my pre-emptive nudging into the game, where I see the ball going towards the outlane instead of being there already, and also to keep balls off certain areas on slingshots that eventually turn into an outlane drain (BSD for example or Firepower).

 

[Extork]

That's always key. I've yet to see a pinball machine wher the slingshots are the main focus of scoring (that'd be cool though). So always do what you can to keep the ball away. Whitewater has preventable drains due to nudging around the slingshots, but most of the time it's trying to drain out the left outlane. Which is usually lit for a kickback. It wouldn't hurt to make that a #1 priority. Lighting the kickback. Much like Firepower. Correct me if I'm wrong. It all depends on how risky lighting the kickback is, ala F-14, High Speed. Sounds like a good idea to me about whitewater to always make sure that kickback is lit. Well not all of us have the ball control that you pros have. Good/bad idea?

 

[Reagan Dow]

Hope you have your life jacket on, because Table of the Week number 9 is White Water.

This is the start of our next 4 table cycle. Regardless of whether FarSight releases Cyclone this week or not, we will press on. Otherwise it screws up our tournament schedule!

Speaking of, don't forget to sign up for the March TotM starting this Wednesday, the 25th. Sign ups will run through Friday night. As mentioned before, if you don't make the sign up, we will still take scores and use those as alternates should they be needed. Don't take that chance though, register!

Enjoy the rapids!

Hey SYT, tried to sign up for the Tourney and it says "no longer accepting applications" I thought we had till the 25th? Is there only a limited number of people accepted?

 

[EldarOfSuburbia]

Hey SYT, tried to sign up for the Tourney and it says "no longer accepting applications" I thought we had till the 25th? Is there only a limited number of people accepted?

Pretty sure registration is starting on the 25th, not ending.

 

[Reagan Dow]

Pretty sure registration is starting on the 25th, not ending.

Pretty sure I'm an idiot. Perfect example of why one should not talk on the phone while reading something of importance. Thanks for pointing that out Eldar!

 

[HOW]

Gonna try again....though not really played any of the tables this month :/ LOL

Though I hit the link to register and get the below.....HELP!

BlahCade Tournament of the Month (March 28th)
The form "BlahCade Tournament of the Month (February 28th)" is no longer accepting responses.

Try contacting the owner of the form if you think this is a mistake.

Pretty sure I'm an idiot. Perfect example of why one should not talk on the phone while reading something of importance. Thanks for pointing that out Eldar!

That'd include me too......... :/ LOL

 

[shutyertrap]

Yep, it OPENS on Wednesday and closes late Friday night.

But I'm glad you guys are eager!

Also, if you follow on Twitter @BlahCade you'll get all the notices of when tourney is open, links, and also TotW selections. Essentially what you can find here, just quicker.

 

[Slam23]

That's always key. I've yet to see a pinball machine wher the slingshots are the main focus of scoring (that'd be cool though). So always do what you can to keep the ball away. Whitewater has preventable drains due to nudging around the slingshots, but most of the time it's trying to drain out the left outlane. Which is usually lit for a kickback. It wouldn't hurt to make that a #1 priority. Lighting the kickback. Much like Firepower. Correct me if I'm wrong. It all depends on how risky lighting the kickback is, ala F-14, High Speed. Sounds like a good idea to me about whitewater to always make sure that kickback is lit. Well not all of us have the ball control that you pros have. Good/bad idea?

I say good idea although maybe not top priority as in Firepower. I think it's not very dangerous to ricochet a shot of those light kickback targets. I get shots trough "the Drop" and to the left into the "No Way Out". You do get a lot of those targets for free in normal play though, especially with multiballs. I find myself playing predominantly for Boulder Garden rewards (to stack extra balls and get to the Whirlpool Challenge), lighting the Whirlpool through Insanity Falls and flipper passing from left to right on that return with a quite safe one-timed shot to "No Way Out" or ramp, which feeds the upper flipper for a Whirlpool shot and reward. Rinse and repeat. This minimizes the risk of a left outlane drain, so I'm not that focused on the kickback.
I get my points off playing Whirlpool Challenge, I would let the timed modes like Man Overboard and 5x Playfield time-out or only take shots that are part of aforementioned pattern. I lose the most balls when I'm forced to play Wet Willies (the Whirlpool can't be activated while in that mode and it doesn't time out), although that can net a nice 100M on top of those 10M shots. Danger area number one is the Boulder Garden from the left orbit shot and a good second is trying to shoot the right orbit through those bumpers. Better to get a couple of shots to "the Drop" to clear that hazard. I did find that flipper passing a ball that returns from the upper playfield to the right flipper can yield a quite clean shot from the left flipper to the right orbit. Just keep that nudge ready when the bumpers in the Boulder Garden catches the ball!

Upped my best to 9,5B by the way, I was careful not to pass 10B because of a rollover problem that prevents getting HOF points. I would like to get closer to the 10B to max those out and then go for bigger scores.

 

[kinggo]

This is one of those games that I just didn't get. Even scoring that EB was an achievement. And then it was in one tournament and good folks here manage to explain me what is it about and I eventally made some 1.7B and started to like this one very much.

 

[switch3flip]

White water is one of my absolutely favorite pins both TPA and real. A great mix of easy and hard shots, fun stacking with 5x, mellow music, good flow and lots of fun.
A tip for 5way is to hold up left flipper and help the ball hopping over to right by a nudge left or up for passing for insanity to no way out. It is also possible to nudge to the right just as ball comes into left inlane from insanity falls and then shoot directly to no way out. Little harder but cooler.
A little detail about rafts, advancing rafts increases jackpot, so advance a couple rafts before starting multiball. Makes a difference in timed tournaments, real tournaments and high score chasing IRL.

This table is heavy and sturdy IRL which for me makes nudging harder and harder to save SDTM balls. The lock can also reject balls especially from left flipper for some reason. I experienced this in a tourney unfortunately. I was in semis (2player). Decisive game. Last ball on white water. I was player 2 and needed 60 million. I had last lock for multiball lit and 5x lit and ready. Normally I would just play it safe because the whirlpool kickout is always dangerous but I wanted to win in style of course and couldn't resist. I plunge and make the shot to start the 5x, but kickout is a nightmare and ball bounces around on playfield but I managed to get the tip of left flipper on the ball and shoot it to lock...suddenly the ball just rolls back down SDTM and I didn't manage to save it. Game over.

 

[Captain B. Zarre]

White water is one of my absolutely favorite pins both TPA and real. A great mix of easy and hard shots, fun stacking with 5x, mellow music, good flow and lots of fun.
A tip for 5way is to hold up left flipper and help the ball hopping over to right by a nudge left or down for passing for insanity to no way out. It is also possible to nudge to the right just as ball comes into left inlane from insanity falls and then shoot directly to no way out. Little harder but cooler.
A little detail about rafts, advancing rafts increases jackpot, so advance a couple rafts before starting multiball. Makes a difference in timed tournaments, real tournaments and high score chasing IRL.

This table is heavy and sturdy IRL which for me makes nudging harder and harder to save SDTM balls. The lock can also reject balls especially from left flipper for some reason. I experienced this in a tourney unfortunately. I was in semis (2player). Decisive game. Last ball on white water. I was player 2 and needed 60 million. I had last lock for multiball lit and 5x lit and ready. Normally I would just play it safe because the whirlpool kickout is always dangerous but I wanted to win in style of course and couldn't resist. I plunge and make the shot to start the 5x, but kickout is a nightmare and ball bounces around on playfield but I managed to get the tip of left flipper on the ball and shoot it to lock...suddenly the ball just rolls back down SDTM and I didn't manage to save it. Game over.

A good way to handle the Kickout is holding the right flipper up. This usually prevents drains from happening

 

[Pinballwiz45b]

Now, for this month's tournament, is it just EB's off? I hope it's also not a timed one.

I plan on broadcasting, but not quite sure.

 

[shutyertrap]

No extra balls, not timed (don't know where that idea started).

 

[Pinballwiz45b]

No extra balls, not timed (don't know where that idea started).

Thanks for the reply. Wasn't sure about that.

 

[shutyertrap]

Just to make it painfully obvious...

Sign-up are open for Saturday's tourney.

http://goo.gl/forms/HTjuvvolUK

 

[Maggie]

Whitewater seems to be buggy for me. I'm wondering how much of this is 'normal'.

1. Twice I've had river class VI, wet willies, and a complete boulder garden, launched multiball, and gotten just the regular multiball. I have yet to score a vacation jackpot, so I don't know if it even can work for me.
2. I just had it skip wet willies entirely. I was about to launch it and all of a sudden I was back to raft 2.
3. The boulder garden awards are wonky. Especially when the ball doesn't go through the whirlpool. Sometimes I get to launch a ball for the whirlpool challenge, other times it launches itself -- sometimes with a fair delay after the reward was 'triggered'. Hard to describe, but about 10-20% of the time the rewards might show up, but not immediately after getting that shot, and possibly sometimes not showing up at all.

I could well be missing something in the rules where all this makes sense! If so, let me know!

 

[shutyertrap]

Finally nailed the 5 way combo. Two games later I got the traveling hazard. Only thing left is to complete the vacation planner. Easy, right?

 

[mpad]

Yes, you just have to do everything again in the right order now

 

[Captain B. Zarre]

Finally nailed the 5 way combo. Two games later I got the traveling hazard. Only thing left is to complete the vacation planner. Easy, right?

Let's just say the Vacation Jackpot animation is worth the price of admission.

 

[switch3flip]

Whitewater seems to be buggy for me. I'm wondering how much of this is 'normal'.

1. Twice I've had river class VI, wet willies, and a complete boulder garden, launched multiball, and gotten just the regular multiball. I have yet to score a vacation jackpot, so I don't know if it even can work for me.
2. I just had it skip wet willies entirely. I was about to launch it and all of a sudden I was back to raft 2.
3. The boulder garden awards are wonky. Especially when the ball doesn't go through the whirlpool. Sometimes I get to launch a ball for the whirlpool challenge, other times it launches itself -- sometimes with a fair delay after the reward was 'triggered'. Hard to describe, but about 10-20% of the time the rewards might show up, but not immediately after getting that shot, and possibly sometimes not showing up at all.

I could well be missing something in the rules where all this makes sense! If so, let me know!

Can't really say what's up with your vacation jackpot or wet willys other than you obviously missed something. Go through the rules again or just keep playing you'll figure it out.

About ride the whirlpool multiball, some shots that are too hard or something don't go down to the whirlpool but just jump over that ramp diverter or something and go straight to to your right flipper. You'll have to shoot the ball up to the lock to start whirlpool multiball then.
If you have 1 ball locked already (might be 2 don't remember exactly) and start whirlpool the ball will not be fed to plunger but releases a locked ball instead up at the upper flipper for whirlpool multiball.