Revenge From Mars rulesheet Last revised 4/14/99 (still in progress) Any questions/comments/complaints/hate-mail can be directed to me, Roya Naini, at roya@blarg.net. Obviously this is not complete and is probably going to skip over some details. More information about the game can be found directly at http://www.pinball2000.com. Any additions to this are completely welcome. This rulesheet may be reproduced and edited as long as the credits remain intact. Credits Thanks to the following people who helped with this rulesheet: John Zmaczynski (jjz@tezcat.com), Keith Johnson, Greg Dunlap (gdd@tezcat.com), Lee P. (leep@infinet.com), Therese Edwards (tntgame@netwalk.com), Graham West, Brian Lutz (emurumor@rocketmail.com), Josh Sharpe (PinWizJ@aol.com - Attack Mars and some other mode information borrowed from his rulesheet), Amy Ryan (eighmi@access1.net), Matt Magnasco (matt@r44h56.res.gatech.edu), David Gersic (A02DAG1@wpo.cso.niu.edu), Scott Tiesma (tiesma@pclink.com) Background/Objective Revenge From Mars is the Pinball 2000 sequel to the popular Attack From Mars pinball machine which came out in late 1995. The goal in Attack From Mars was to defend the Earth from martian invasion and ultimately defeat them to Rule The Universe. Revenge From Mars, as noted by the title, brings these martians back again for another round of fun. The objective here is to Attack Mars once again. Specifically this is achieved by lighting all 9 Saucer lights, completing the Bonus Wave multiballs (Fuel, Saucer and Weapons), and getting Mothership Multiball. Once these have been completed, Attack Mars will light. Notes The latest software revision for Revenge From Mars is 0.90 and is referred to whenever possible throughout the rulesheet unless where specifically stated (e.g. the previous revision 0.70). The default difficulty setting is Medium--there is also Easy and Hard. Features Since this is the beginning of the new Pinball 2000 series, there is much in the way of new features for this game. Many of these features will no doubt appear in future Pinball 2000 games, so they will be noted here briefly in relation to the game only. Various other technical aspects involving the design can be obtained from the Pinball 2000 website at http://www.pinball2000.com. Starting from the outside of the machine: Auto-plunger Square button which is pressed to plunge the ball into play. There are or will be some "bombs" (similar to Attack From Mars) that have yet to be determined at this time, but make use of this button as well. There is no beginning-of-ball ball saver. Action buttons The regular sized left and right flipper buttons are mounted next to a curved button which circles halfway around them. These buttons will presumably provide more interaction during play for future Pinball 2000 games. For this particular game, they are used to choose between two groups of modes (Fuel or Weapons) at the beginning of the game, and during various other modes (see Modes below). Speakers These are located just under the "backglass" area of the machine in one long horizontal panel. The inside of the machine: Video display A video image is projected onto the upper part of the playfield which displays information about the modes, various humorous graphics and other neccessary information for game play. This is the major change that makes Pinball 2000 differ from its past and is a fairly impressive sight to see. The image is "interactive" in that it responds when a target just behind it is hit so that it appears as though you are interacting with the video itself. Center Target bank This is a small barrier of targets at the very center of the playfield which is hidden by the video image projected onto them. It is worthwhile to take a look at this when the video is not on to get a feeling for where the ball would be going once this barrier is hit. Shooting the targets on this barrier count as hits towards the running modes and also affect what is shown on the video display. Capture Lane This is basically the lock and is located just to the right of the Center Target Bank. Shooting the ball into the Capture lane will either 1. light Capture and feed it to the top left rollover lanes and jet bumpers or 2. award a Capture (lock the ball) and send a ball down the right ramp. There are 3 Captures and each Capture must first be lit before a ball can be "locked". Upon awarding the 3rd Capture, the regular multiball will start (see Multiballs below). Jet Bumper Lane This is located to the left of the Center Target Bank. Shooting a ball here will make the ball end up in the Jet Bumpers area. Ramps There are two ramps, one on the right and left side, which feed the ball to their respective inlane (similar to Attack From Mars). They have corresponding red lights on the playfield at their entrance which signal when to shoot them during a mode. Mini ramp This is located on the center of the playfield just below the Center Target Bank and lays flat until the end of a mode is near. When the mode is about to be completed, this ramp will raise up. Shooting the ball across the ramp will cause it to fly up and land on a mini platform just above the Center Target Bank where it rolls to the left and rests as the video displays the mode completion sequence. Once this is done and a new mode starts, the ball is fed into the jet bumpers located to the left on the upper part of the playfield. This mini ramp has a corresponding red light on the playfield which signals the player to shoot the ball up the ramp and finish the mode. Jet Bumpers There are 3 of these in the upper left corner of the playfield, just below the two rollover lanes. They dont seem to have any other purpose right now other than to award 10 points per hit. Rollover Lanes There are two of these in the upper left corner of the playfield that sit above the jet bumpers. Rolling a ball through them will cause their corresponding lights to light up. Hitting a flipper button will cause these lights to switch from one to the other, making it possible to light both and advance the Bonus Multiplier. There are also four of these located at the entrance of both inlanes and both outlanes. These work the same way as the ones from Attack From Mars--the object being to use the flipper buttons to guide the ball down an unlit one to light it and eventually light all four to get Stroke of Luck lit. Stroke of Luck This is a scoop located on the upper part of the playfield near the right side. There are three lights below it labelled "Stroke of Luck", "Extra Ball" and "Martian Attack". The awards for shooting the ball into the scoop while one or more of these is lit are as follows: Extra Ball: extra ball Martian Attack: begins Martian Attack mode (see Modes) Stroke of luck: random award (below is a list of possible awards) 500,000 points 1,000,000 points Light Martian Attack 3 Missles Martian Bomb 1 Saucer Light Hypno Multiball Capture Multiball Outer Loop The ball can be shot to the left or right outer loops, and there are corresponding red lights on the playfield which will flash when it is neccessary to do so during a mode. Shooting the ball to the left loop will feed it to the Rollover Lane and Jet Bumper area in the upper left corner. Shooting the ball to the right loop will feed the ball to the top left rollover lanes and jet bumpers. Saucer lights There is a saucer painted on the playfield in the very center which has 9 red lights. These red lights must all be lit up for Attack Mars to light. There are many ways to get one or more of these lights and they are as follows: Complete a mode with a Flawless rating (1 saucer light) Score a Super Jackpot in regular multiball (1 saucer light) Bonus Wave Multiballs (see table below) Martian targets There are a total of 7 martian targets on the playfield. 3 on the left side underneath a rubber green martian (just like Attack From Mars!) and another 3 plus a martian on the right side, as well as 1 to the left of the Center Target Bank. Hitting all of these martian targets and lighting their respective lights on the playfield will light Martian Attack via the Stroke of Luck scoop. Skill Shot There will be a skill shot for this machine, but for now there is only the action button choice at the start of the game. There is an X second wait for a choice to be made until the game defaults to the Fuel mode group and starts Alien Abduction. Depending on which sets of modes the player finds easier or worth risking for points, either of these two can work to one's advantage. Extra Ball/Replay & Warnings The game defaults to giving out an extra ball at a certain score level rather than a replay. When an extra ball is given, the machine will sound its virtual knocker (similar to a regular replay sound). There may actually be two "replay" levels with one score being a bit higher than the other to acquire more than one extra ball for a higher score. The game also defaults to 1 tilt warning, but again this can be adjusted by the operator. Modes There are 9 different main modes which can each be completed to obtain a Saucer light. These 9 modes are divided into 3 different groups and are listed below. The initial mode begins upon selection of the mode group at the start of the game (either manually with the action buttons or automatically after the choice times out). It will always be the first mode of the chosen group that starts the game, and the mode groups move from left to right in sequence automatically after the previous mode has been completed (i.e. there is no "start mode" shot). Each individual mode continues until it has been completed, even between balls. When a mode has been completed, the video will display a report. (more details on this will come later). If the mode is completed properly according to the directions on the video display, the player will receive a "Flawless" rating. This rating must be achieved in order to obtain one Saucer light. Thus completing all of these modes with a Flawless rating will complete the Saucer lights requirement neccessary. This, along with the other 2 requirements (stated in the Background/Objective), will light Attack Mars. Remember that Saucer lights can also be obtained in other ways, so getting Flawless on all of these modes is not a requirement. Fuel Alien Abduction The scene is in front of the White House. A large saucer is hovering overhead, with smaller saucers appearing to the sides. Various objects (sportscars, cows, etc) appear at the sides as well, and the smaller UFOs attempt to use their tractor beams to steal these objects (these objects can be cycled through by using the Action buttons). The scoring is based on saving the item being beamed up and goes up to 3 million--this can also be boosted. Hitting the center targets, ramps and loops will destroy the smaller UFOs, as will the missiles. After six of the smaller saucers are destroyed, one final hit up the middle Mini ramp will destroy the large saucer, ending the mode. Destroying all eight saucers will award a Flawless rating and a Saucer light. Martian Happy Hour Five martians walk into a bar... Oh, never mind. In this well-done mode, there are five martians sitting at the bar in various states of inebriation, cracking bad human jokes, consuming various flammable substances and engaging in dangerous pasttimes. Overhead are suspended three "kegs" of kerosene, gasoline and propane, which can be set off by the Missiles with devestating effects. Each martian takes a certain number of hits to be killed, starting from left to right: 1, 2, 3, 2, 3 (left ramp, martian target, middle, Capture lane, right ramp). This can be adjusted by the difficulty setting. Each martian destroyed awards 1.5M points. All five must be destroyed in order to obtain a Flawless raing and a Saucer light. At the end of the round, the remaining "kegs" at the top of the screen will be destroyed for 2M points apiece, taking with them any remaining martians (although these won't award any points or count for a Flawless rating). Secret Weapon Having gotten a clue finally, the Martians turn the Big-O-Beam on themselves, creating a giant Martian. In response, Mankind has the ABE (Advanced Battle Emancipator) to fight back with. This mode is depicted as hand-to-hand combat between the ABE and one of the Big-O-Martians. a "life bar" is shown at the top for the martian, and various shots will cut down this life bar (Didn't they already try this one in Champion Pub?). Finally, when the life bar is down all the way, in a callback to the Mortal Kombat games, "Finish him!" appears on the screen, and one last shot will send the martian flying upwards and hitting the saucer, causing it to explode dramatically. This is one of the easier modes to get a Flawless rating in. Saucer Tower Struggle The leaning tower of pisa is being used for a game of Tug-of-War by four martians. Shoot the left and right ramps to destroy the saucers with one hit apiece, and the two martians that are located on the lock shot and the top martian light. As in several other modes, there is a "life bar" which is decreased by shooting the tower (Center Target Bank), and enough hits will eventually raise the ramp to end the mode. Destroying the two martians and saucers will immediately raise the center Mini ramp to end the mode with one more shot. All four must be destroyed for a Flawless rating. Mystery Mode (?) I can only explain Martian aerobics because it's the only one programmed right now. Shoot any shot and you will shoot a missile at the martians on the screen. The martians are lined up like Galaga and each missile usually takes out two or three depending on where you hit them. Destroy all 32 before they escape to receive your saucer light. Drive-In Demolition There is a power bar that tells you how much damage you still have left to do. Every shot adds to the damage and at a certain point you can shoot the middle ramp and a huge bomb will drop down and destroy everything. In order to get your saucer light you must complete the meter all the way down. Weapons Paris in Peril This mode begins with a flying saucer located over the Eiffel Tower. There is a catapult in the center which is used to fire various objects (Watermelons, spiked balls, cows, ?) at the saucer. Hitting the center targets will fire the catapult, with each hit doing 13% damage. The missile lanes on the outside will do 25% damage to the saucer. After the saucer is hit once, 4 martians will parachute in (some may not be initially visible as they float off of the screen) on the left and right ramps, the Capture lane and the martian target to the left of the Center Target Bank. Each martian can be destroyed by one hit from the ball. All 4 must be destroyed for a Flawless rating. You can complete this mode with or without destroying the martians by hitting the middle X times (the side shots do 2x the middle damage). After 8 hits of damage, the center Mini Ramp will pop up, and one more shot will destroy the saucer (with a rather nice explosion effect), ending the mode. Unfortunately, the new and improved technology doesn't seem to do much to help the insults in this mode. Big-O-Beam This mode is set on a farm, where the livestock seem to have taken on rather large proportions. There is a saucer hovering over the barn, and large barnyard animals to the side. Hitting the center targets will cause the barn to leap up and damage the saucer (makes a lot of sense, huh?) for 2M points per hit. The ramps and orbits will, in addition to awarding missiles, shrink the currently enlarged animals. There are 4 animals (a cow, a duck, a pig and a chicken) which need to be "saved" for a Flawless rating. There is a "Life bar" above the saucer that shows how much damage is left. When this is depleted, the center ramp will be lit, and as usual, one final shot will end the mode. Mars Kneads Women There are six television stations you can tune in on. The left ones can be viewed by either hitting the loop or the left ramp/middle ramp combo. Same goes for the right side. You can also change the station by using the Action buttons. To view the middle screens shoot the middle shot and then the ramp will pop up. View either just the two in the middle or all six to raise the ramp and destroy the TV. other modes and related things Missles During modes, shooting either the outer loop on either side or the ramps will award missiles, and will have positive effects on the current mode. By default, once 20 missiles have been collected (and also at 50), extra ball will light via the Stroke of Luck scoop. Alternatively, missiles may be spotted as a Stroke of Luck award. On any given ball, the first missile will be 500K, and subsequent missiles collected will be an additional 100K (e.g. second missile 600K, etc.) This value is reset back to 500K at the beginning of the next ball. Martian Attack This works in the same way that it does in Attack From Mars, except only 2 rubber martians wiggle around and must be killed. Once this is done, the center Mini Ramp will raise up and its corresponding light will flash signaling to hit the ball across it and kill the giant martian on the video display. When the giant martian is killed successfully, Martian Multiball will begin (see Multiballs). Attack Mars This is where your 300 Mil game becomes your 600 Mil game. The center shot must be hit to start Attack Mars. There are 3 steps (kinda like Cirqus Voltaire except the balls don't drain after each one): 1) Destroy three ships with radar. You have to use the action buttons to move the ship to the center of the screen, then shoot the middle shot to blow it up. Although it is difficult the first time you do it, it isn't that hard. 2) Destroy four weird looking things (I don't quite know what to call them) by shooting the main shots of the game. 3) Destroy the Big Brain martian by shooting the middle shot and then the middle ramp when it is raised. Once completed you get easily over 100 Mil just for the end shot. Multiballs Martian Multiball This multiball begins once Martian Attack mode is completed. It's a two ball multiball where every shot destroys a martian for 1M points apiece. Shoot the middle shot twice, then that will raise the middle ramp and if you hit that twice you blow up the middle big martian and another one will take its place. This multiball is mutually exclusive from Regular multiball (unlike in Attack From Mars) and interrupts the mode in progress. Regular multiball This begins after being awarded the 3rd Capture (or a Stroke of Luck award). In this 3-ball multiball, the object is to shoot down 10 saucers (located on all the major upper playfield targets) which will award points based on where they're located (the center targets are 500k, the Capture lane and martian target are 1M, and the ramps are 1.5M) and will also increase the super jackpot. After 10 saucers are destroyed, the center Mini ramp pops up to collect the super jackpot (and 1 Saucer light is also awarded). The process then begins again, until the multiball round ends (although a short amount of time after the second to last ball drains is allowed to complete a super jackpot.) This multiball is also mutually exclusive from Martian Multiball (unlike in Attack From Mars) and interrupts the mode in progress. Bonus Wave Multiballs (Fuel, Saucer & Weapons) These multiballs begin after completing either the Fuel, Saucer or Weapons mode groups and are functionally identical. These modes are 5-ball multiballs where the goal is to collect weapons and/or fuel. All shots at the top will add weapons, and at random shots will be available for 2x or occasionally 3x weapons. The Action buttons can be used in this mode to move the roving bonus from shot to shot. Collecting the roving bonus from all shots during the multiball gets you a big award (this may apply to the Saucer/Weapons Bonus Wave multiballs as well, as yet unconfirmed). One thing to note is that while the balls are being launched at the start of the multiball round, this is a good time to boost the bonus multiplier and with balls in the jets and rollovers, the multiplier can be boosted by 5-6x or more. 40 items collected (on normal/medium setting, 50 on harder setting) will start mothership multiball, with various awards at every 5 collected. Newer software revisions have made changes to the awards, noted below. Revision: # Items 0.7 0.9+ 5 JP JP 10 SL JP 15 JP SL 20 EB JP 25 JP JP 30 SL EB 35 JP JP 40 Mothership Multiball JP=Jackpot SL=Saucer light EB=Extra Ball Also of note: In version 0.7, jackpots increment by 2M, while on 0.9 and later, jackpots only increase by 1M. When all but the last ball has drained, the center ramp will raise for "Sudden Death." A final shot on the center ramp will award a bonus of 100K per item collected during the multiball round and show a total score for the round. The items collected in Bonus Wave Multiballs are cumulative, meaning you don't need to collect all 40 items in a single multiball. Mothership Multiball When the appropriate number of items in Bonus Wave Multiballs are collected (40 medium setting, 50 hard setting), the flippers will be disabled, allowing all balls to drain, at the start of Mothership Multiball. As implied, the goal is to destroy the Martian mothership. Shooting the side ramps and orbits will damage the saucer until the center ramp pops up for a final shot to destroy the mothership for big points. Of course, the martians aren't done with you yet. Destroy the mothership and you'll next face the (groan) Grand Mothership. Defeating this one is more of the same, after which you face the (double groan) Wicked Step-Mothership, and so on, until all but one ball is drained. (NOTE: More info is probably needed here.) Hypno Multiball Think strobe multiball without the flashing. All playfield lights go out except for those relating to a lit shot. Corresponding to the lit shot a giant rotating spiral with 3 smaller rotating spirals are shown via the heads up display. Hitting a spiral adds balls. After hitting all of the small spirals the large spiral remains. Repeat. First award is an extra ball(?). Cows, Easter eggs & misc. There is a plane on the backglass that says "P2K" and "Gomez" on the side. The extra ball animation that was to be the Pinball 2000 version of an Attack From Mars martian getting bonked upside the head (see Scott Slomiany's web site) has been removed and replaced with a dull "Extra Ball" text screen. Scott himself has said that the animation is/will be the first Pinball 2000 entry in the Lost Temple of DOHO.