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Message: <blockquote data-quote="bavelb" data-source="post: 5379" data-attributes="member: 358">copy paste from my post in the hiscore thread.I have learned to really keep my cool when playing TOTAN. There are a ton of features on the table that make the ball make an unexpected turn and entice you into a flipfest. Don't get yourself lured into this, force yourself to put the ball on a flipper and take a breath. Especially the Lamp is so attractive to shoot to rake up the turns, wishes and lightning score, but more often then not it results into a drain. I now generally take the lampturns as they come, IGNORE the damn lightning lamp untill it gets into the REALLY attractive stages (150k and up) and don't put up the x3 lamp score at early stages unless you are 1/2 shots away from starting multiball with it. At the start, use wishes for x3 fireball, x3 Tiger loops or Jewels. I tend to only use wishes for jewels when it's one of the harder/riskier ones (Roc, Ali Baba, Flying horse) or when I have a ruby (and even then I sometimes pass on a jewel if I'm on an easy one or almost finished one). Fireballs are a hazard as well. I try to only shoot for it when the ball is on my left flipper, because shooting with the right can cause a ton of unexpected bounces and during fireball the bottle won't hold the ball with it's magnet. So when on the right flipper, I try to build it up by shooting the ramp untill the divider steers it to my left (or I can bounce/pass it from right to left) before I take a shot often resulting in a 800k shot (hopefully with the x3 modifier). Another tip when it comes to shooting the lamp if you do want to rack it up a bit faster, is to shoot it when the geniebottle is lighted or multiball is about to start. This way the risk of a bouncing flipfest is lessened due to the magnet giving you a breather. Also the genie is a damn hazard, really take note of the lampposition when deciding to shoot for him. Only shoot the genie from the right flipper when the "lampposts" are vertical or close to. Otherwise, use the left flipper to shoot the genie, either directly or by banking it of the spot targets above the lamp (the ones you can shoot to spell SESAME). At multiball, ignore the genie. Focus on the lamp, the genie jackpot almost comes automatically that way. Keep at least 1 ball under control, while you take potshots at the lamp with the other(s). On early multiballs, you can even decide to trap all balls and let the lightning time out, so you can rack up 15 more spins, get another wish and another level (or 2) of lightning. This is ofcourse assuming you didn't get into multiball with a x3 multiplier on the lamp Plus, I nudge like a mofo on that table, trying to avoid the areas that cause those unexpected bounces, or those STDM drains like Tiger loops. I love TOTAN due to the above strategizing, the fact it lures you into certain pitfalls away from said strategies, a lot of times literally ("come, shoot it again!!") and the risk/reward factor of that damn lamp amd genie.Addendum: if you aim to score high in the long run, then you need to start building your game slowly and avoid a lot of risks untill you can afford to take a few. Lamp shots, especially with an already spinning lamp, Genie shots with the right and sloppy rampshots (that post between the ramp and the genie is a *****) count as such risks.Short term goal is simply collect jewels, spend wishes wisely (Tiger loops or 3 x fireball, 3 x lamp score if multiball is closeby, don't use it on lighting lamp imo, don't use it on jewels when it's an easy jewel or you are almost done with it, even if you have a ruby. Early on the Bonus is a bit meager bit normally still means a million or more) and get a lot of multiballs (try to get the secret lock early on) so you can safely ramp up lamp spins. Try to keep your wishes spend or as close to as, or you won't profit from bazaar. Mid term goal: after you first princes rescue:  Extra balls and keeping your cool, even if the lamp is lighted. Remember that if you get close to a maxed lamp (119 spins) a lighted lamp is already 200k. It's better to get a maxed lamp then to risk losing a ball to a lamp that is halfway. The game (especially "your genie") has a million ways to hype you up and trick you into rushing. F her and the lamp she rode in on, take your time and line up each shot and try to control each deflected ball or bounce. Spend less wishes on jewels and more on everything else (only exception would be when you have a ruby I think). It's even worth it to light the lamp now and take a few shots on it. Don't overdo it though. And never ever shoot at an already moving lamp. Try to keep your bonusmultiplier up (Wishes with a bonus on the right with a high bonus multiplier are golden by this point).Long term goal: a maxed lamp, lightning and spin that b.... but line up your lamp shots by taking them from the correct flipper. Most of the time that is the left one, as you can get the best angle as described earlier. Get multiballs (spell Genie twice).</blockquote>

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