What's the shot you can only hit when you don't want it?

[mikehg]

It's a universal experience 'choking' on an otherwise easy shot when you really need to hit it. But there are a few that compound the misery by being incredibly easy to hit when hitting them is the worst thing you could possibly do.

Space Shuttle is driving me completely insane, despite being one of my favourite tables. That target that randomises the award you get when you spell 'shuttle' seems to be completely impossible to hit, unless 'Extra ball' or 'Special' are lit already, in which case around 70% of shots from either flipper (probably 20% from the plunger too) sail straight into it. It has hoovers, it has magnets, hell - we're in space; it's probably got singularities, wormholes and perturbations in the space-time continuum.

I don't know whether to laugh or cry. Still, I got 3.5 million, which I'm pretty pleased with. And then got my initials wrong on the high score list because I was still shaking slightly...



So which shot is your bête noire?

 

[Captain B. Zarre]

Ugg... the right Taxi Chase when Killer is lit on W?D. It feels impossible to make without making a hold transfer.

 

[Espy]

My first rule of pinball is you will make every shot with ease, except for the one you're aiming for.

 

[Sean DonCarlos]

I invariably hit the Merlin's Magic scoop in MM when I only have one Madness light lit. But if Royal Madness or Extra Ball is lit there? Nope, may as well take the scoop off the playfield entirely, I won't be hitting it anytime soon.

 

[vikingerik]

None really on TPA, but much more on real machines.

Anything with an upper flipper and upper ramp/loop. I can smoothly slide the upper ramp shots on Addams or STTNG or Getaway or NGG all day when nothing is lit there, but light up a jackpot and I'll brick it at least three-quarters of the time.

Medieval Madness does it to me too with the lock shot. Balls will roll up there randomly all the time, but I'm terrible at actually shooting it deliberately, especially during multiball with the super jackpot lit. Strangely, AFM's lock shot is no trouble at all.

And Whitewater. Whichever of Disaster Drop or No Way Out I need to hit, you can bet the ball will fly up the other.

The original example of Space Shuttle stands alone somewhat. There aren't many tables where making a particular shot actively hurts you like Shuttle's re-randomizer. MM's scoop for a premature Madness is a good one, but on most other tables, the worst a misplaced shot will do is ruin a planned multiball stack or some such.

 

[Fungi]

I invariably hit the Merlin's Magic scoop in MM when I only have one Madness light lit. But if Royal Madness or Extra Ball is lit there? Nope, may as well take the scoop off the playfield entirely, I won't be hitting it anytime soon.

OMG this! Even when I aim for anything on the left, I miss, and for some reason, the uncontrolled bounce takes it directly to Merlin.

 

[superballs]

OMG this! Even when I aim for anything on the left, I miss, and for some reason, the uncontrolled bounce takes it directly to Merlin.

I always try and light damsel madness first because of this phenomenon. Especially if I don't have trolls lit or do have them lit with no madnesses lit otherwise.

AFM - can't hit the lock ramp if it's the last jackpot in multi ball.

TZ - piano? Why even try same with the camera.

Black hole - any time only one of the black or hole targets are standing.

Totan - lit ruby causes a force field to generate in front of the bazaar and transfers the ball to a tractor beam in the outlane

Rbion - one shot left for a letter in Australia and the vari-target I can hit with my eyes closed may as well be a millimeter wide.

Bop - jackpot lit? No soup for me.

 

[jbejarano]

I invariably hit the Merlin's Magic scoop in MM when I only have one Madness light lit. But if Royal Madness or Extra Ball is lit there? Nope, may as well take the scoop off the playfield entirely, I won't be hitting it anytime soon.

+1. Indeed, it's so bad, I often try to make sure that Damsel Madness is lit before any of the others so I don't have to aim for that side of the playfield with only one or two Madness' lit.

Also:
- The Telephone in Who Dunnit? when I need it for any reason
- The ramp to lock a ball in Black Knight 2000 if I have a chance to advance RANSOM
- The center spinner in Monster Bash back when I was trying to get the Monster Moshpit Standard Goal

 

[RagingBull888]

My first rule of pinball is you will make every shot with ease, except for the one you're aiming for.

That seems to be so true. Minute differences in the physics of a shot can make a huge difference in its location.

 

[mikehg]

The telephone gets bonus points for making a really annoying noise to emphasise the fact that you can't hit it...

 

[Deltaechoe]

Stretch the truth in fish tales, I hit that spinner all day until a fish is caught...

 

[Kolchak357]

I can hit any ball lock shot, unless lock is lit.

 

[Bowflex]

Hitting the genie incessantly when I am going for Tiger Loops or Harem Loops so I end up stuck with Lock loops. Of course every shot somehow makes its way to the genie. On the flip side I can only make the Tiger loop when it is for a ball lock so I get plenty of multiball, not so many extra balls or Harem multiball.

 

[DarkAkatosh]

All of them.

 

[Espy]

The shrunken head in Ripley's. It's a clean shot, why does it become so difficult to hit?!

 

[Zaphod77]

The special on black rose... when you are going for the jackpot goal.

 

[Zippy]

Theatre of Magic, when I'm trying to start an illusion with the ball locks lit... Suddenly I can't hit the trunk hole to save my life, and I miss by just enough to hit that inner loop and lock the ball. Then, once you've locked two, the trunk spins to start multiball, and you LOSE ALL OF YOUR PROGRESS TOWARDS STARTING THE ILLUSION.

It's such and ARRRRRGGGG moment for me.

 

[danivempire]

the F**KING casters club in fishtales...
damn...

 

[debuggiest]

Hitting the genie incessantly when I am going for Tiger Loops or Harem Loops so I end up stuck with Lock loops. Of course every shot somehow makes its way to the genie. On the flip side I can only make the Tiger loop when it is for a ball lock so I get plenty of multiball, not so many extra balls or Harem multiball.

Oh god yes. It's the reason I've yet to get Harem multiball.

 

[Fungi]

Soooooo... Has the topic of this thread officially changed?