• 03Aug

    Un excellent topo sur toutes les règles du LOTR, un flipper extrémement complet au niveau gameplay.

    A lire et à relire !

    P i n b a l l R u l e s h e e t 1 . 0

    Written by Larry Scott – metallik@fuse.net (metallik on rec.games.pinball)

    Special thanks to PBLWZRD – without his machine, this rulesheet wouldn’t
    have been written!

    ————————————————————————–

    (c) Feb 2004. Permission granted to everyone to copy and use this
    rulesheet an any manner, provided it retains this author and copyright
    information. Feel free to add to it, fix mistakes, etc.

    This rulesheet covers the Lord of the Rings pinball machine manufactured
    by Stern Pinball, Inc (http://www.sternpinball.com). It is based off ROM
    version 5.01, but may be updated for future releases. Most of the rules
    and scoring ae based off factory settings – many things can be altered
    via the operator adjustments, so if your machine plays differently, it
    may not be running factory settings.

    =-=-=-=-=-=

    NOTE! Rather than edit one of the preliminary rulesheets that were
    written a while ago, I figured it would be easier to just start fresh.
    Too much new information, and I’m not that great at editing existing
    works.

    =-=-=-=-=-=

    NOTE! AS OF 1.0 THIS RULESHEET IS INCOMPLETE – NO VALINOR INFORMATION IS
    INCLUDED! I have yet to get to this mode, and refuse to get to it
    by “cheating” so it isn’t included. Anyone who HAS gotten to it is
    free to add this information!

    =-=-=-=-=-=

    NOTE! There are almost certainly mistakes in this rulesheet! Keith’s
    rules are incredibly complicated – many things affect scoring, some
    of them quite subtle. If you see a mistake, PLEASE POST so it can be
    FIXED. There also may be things MISSING (besides Valinor) – Feel free
    to reply with these additions so they can be added!

    =-=-=-=-=-=

    NOTE! This rulesheet contains SPOILERS! Do not read it through unless
    you want to SPOIL the thrill of discovery, ESPECIALLY if you just dropped
    four grand on this machine for your home. You can only learn the rules
    to a game ONCE – after that you’re just playing the same ol same ol.

    Abbreviations:
    ————–

    FotR MB – Fellowship of the Ring Multiball
    TTT MB – The Two Towers Multiball
    RotK MB – Return of the Kinf Multiball.
    PotD – the Paths of the Dead
    VUK – Vertical Upkicker

    ——————–
    Playfield layout
    ——————–

    Starting with the flippers and going clockwise:

    Two flippers – Standard position.

    Left slingshot – Standard position.

    Left inlane – lights first E in K-E-E-P. Inlane/outlane divider post ships
    with no rubber. Rubber can be easily added, however. Also lights “Spot
    Ring” target (see Rings).

    Left outlane – lights K in K-E-E-P. Has adjustable post on left side.
    Games ship with post in highest (most difficult) position.

    The Shire – Also known as Hobbiton. Big open area on left, similar to
    Medieval Madness’s Catapult shot. Instead of a gate, this area is recessed
    to keep shots in. Balls can get here either from the playfield, or from
    the Paths of the Dead. Can be lit for Mystery (see Rings). Can award
    Souls (see RotK MB). Can award Sam (see FotR MB).

    Left orbit – Shots here normally travel around the left orbit, across the
    top of the playfield and into Barad-Dur (upper-right eject). During certain
    modes, the game will raise a post to divert balls into Orthanc. Weak shots
    will continue around, under Barad-Dur and around the right orbit. Weaker
    shots fall into the O-R-C lanes. Very wek shots fall into the Orthanc VUK
    without the assistance of the post. This shot can be lit for a Gift of the
    Elves (see Gifts of the ELves), as well as Pippen (FotR MB).

    Left ramp – Feeds left inlane via wireform. This ramp awards Legolas
    (FotR MB). Can be lit for a Ring (see Rings)

    Orthanc Tower – VUK located behind left ramp. Can be accessed via either
    orbit (with help from a diverter post), or from the inner orbit shot if
    the diverter is open. This VUK feeds the Paths of the Dead.

    Inner orbit – Shot located betweem the left ramp and the Ring ramp. Awards
    Gandalf (FotR MB). Shots here normally travel around the right orbit. The
    ball will usually lose a bit of momentum around the right side, but can
    occasionally come around VERY quickly. Weak shots will fall into the O-R-C
    lanes. The “made” switch for this shot is the gate just around the first
    bend, so these weak shots count as successful inner orbits. Can be lit for a
    Ring (see Rings).

    Ring Ramp – Brass-plated metal ramp located roughly in the middle of the
    playfield, slightly off-center to the left. Has a spinner at the entrance.
    This ramp extends over the inner orbit, and ends apprx 2 inches away from
    the Ring in the backboard. Strong shots will jump the ramp and make it
    into the Ring. Weak shots will fall off the end of the ramp, into the
    upper orbit area and into Barad-Dur or the O-R-C lanes. This shot awards
    Frodo (FotR MB).

    Balrog – Large red Balrog toy located in the middle of the playfield.
    Normally is parked out of the way, between the Ring Ramp and Gollum’s Cave.
    During some modes, it will swing out and block the Ring Ramp. Shots to the
    Balrog MUST hit the center part of the figure – hitting the posts on
    either side does not count.

    The Ring – Large ring in the backboard. This shot can only be made by
    jumping the Ring Ramp into it. The Ring is equipped with a magnet that will
    grab the ball – the spinner switch triggers the magnet for a brief time
    to assist shots to the Ring. This shot awards Frodo towards FotR MB.
    The Ring also starts Modes (see Ring Modes). The magnet can drop the ball
    either out the front (usually if the Ring wasn’t lit for anything), or pull
    it through the Ring, where it will exit to the right, down the Gollum
    wireform and eventually to the right inlane.

    Palantir – White target located to the right of the Ring Ramp. Can award
    mystery awards when lit (see Palantir). Shots from the left flipper can
    easily rebound SDTM.

    Gollum’s Cave – otherwise known as the Right VUK – this is the VUK located
    between Palantir and the right ramp. Balls can get here either from the
    flippers, or from the jet bumpers just above it. Balls shot from the
    flippers can asily go over the saucer and into the jets. Rules for
    scoring lit awards are as follows: If the ball enters from the flippers
    and sticks, lit awards are scored. If the ball is shot from the flippers,
    goes through the VUK and into the jets, then back into the VUK, you get
    the award. You do NOT get the award if the ball arrives to the jets via
    any orbit, Ring Ramp or Barad-Dur, and then goes into Gollum. This VUK
    can be lit for Gollum Multiball, Extra Ball, Special, and Gimli (FotR MB).
    It will also award “Super” modes (see Gollum’s section). This VUK feeds
    the right ramp sword which feeds the right inlane.

    Jet Bumpers – three of them, located under the O-R-C lanes and above
    Gollum’s Cave. They have red flashers. Scoring enough bumper hits will
    award Boromir (FotR MB).

    O-R-C lanes – Three rollover lanes above the jet bumpers. Completing
    O-R-C increases the bonus multiplier. Lit lanes can be rotated with the
    flippers.

    Barad-Dur – Eject hole located in the far upper-right of the playfield,
    similar to Terminator 2. Has a model of Barad-Dur over it. Can be shot
    from the left orbit, or sometimes by luck as missed Ring shots dribble
    down into it. This re-lights Palantir and awards other bonuses
    (see Barad-Dur).

    Right ramp – otherwise known as the Sword Ramp or Aragorn. Shots here will
    usually hit a target at the ramp U-turn, then come back down a reproduction
    “sword” metalform. The “made” switch for this shot is under the hilt of
    the sword, so the white target isn’t essential to making this shot. Can
    award Aragorn (FotR MB), TTT MB locks and TTT MB start. This ramp feeds
    the right inlane. The sword metalform holds locked balls with a nylon
    post. If a ball is shot here when lock is not lit, and there are locked
    balls held by the post, the game will release a locked ball as soon as the
    first ball closes the “shot made” switch. If there are locked balls here
    and a ball comes from Gollum’s wireform, the game will release a locked
    ball as soon as the switch just below Gollum’s VUK is made. Be ready for
    these releases. Can be lit for a Ring (see Rings).

    Right orbit – Shots here orbit around the left orbit and back to the
    flippers. Weak shots will fall into the O-R-C lanes or Orthanc. Awards
    Merry (FotR MB). Note that very weak shots that close the first switch,
    then roll back and close the swich again will count as “made” and award
    any lit items. Bug? Can be lit for a Ring (see Rings).

    Spot Ring target – large white target along the side of the playfield,
    below the right orbit. Spots one Ring (Elf, Dwarf, Man) when lit.

    Right slingshot – standad position.

    Right outlane – Lights P in K-E-E-P.

    Right inlane – Lights second E in K-E-E-P. No rubber here from the factory
    on the divider post. Shots to the left orbit from a right inlane feed are
    diverted to Orthanc.

    Ring display – Just above the flippers, three concentric circles display
    how many Elf, Dwarf and Man rings are collected. See Rings for more
    information.

    Plunger lane – Auto/manual plunger.

    —————
    SKILL SHOTS
    —————

    Skill shots are lit on any ball plunged to the shooter lane EXCEPT balls
    saved by a ballsaver, and the plunge immediately after a successful Ring
    destruction. There are three skill shots: lanes, tower and flipper:

    Lane – Plunge the ball softly into the flashing O-R-C lane. Awards +5X
    bonus multiplier if made. Lit O-R-C lane can be moved via flippers.

    Tower – plunge a bit stronger to drop the ball into Orthanc. This awards
    250K plus 50K for each successive made tower skillshot. Also good
    for a free trip to the PotD.

    Flipper – Plunge strong to go all the way around the left orbit, then
    shoot the right orbit from the flipper. Good for 1.25M for the
    first shot, increasing by ????? for successive shots.

    ———
    RINGS
    ———

    +-+——————————————————–+-+
    +-+ +-+
    | Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky, |
    | Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone, |
    | Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die, |
    | One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne |
    | In the land of Mordor where the Shadows lie. |
    | One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, |
    | One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them |
    | In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie. |
    +-+ +-+
    +-+——————————————————–+-+

    Collecting Rings:

    Four shots (left and right ramps, inner orbit and right orbit) have three
    Ring inserts each, one for Elf, one for Dwarf and one for Man. While no
    modes or multiballs are in effect (except Gollum MB), each of these shots
    will have one of the three inserts lit. Hitting that shot will award one
    Ring of the type that was lit, and light all other shots for a short combo
    attempt to collect two more of the ring type just collected. Example:
    Player shoots left ramp, which is lit for a Dwarf Ring. This adds one
    Dwarf Ring, and lights every shot (via the red arrows) for two more Dwarf
    Rings. The combo attempt times out after a few seconds, at which point
    various Rings will again be lit at each of the four shots. When lighting
    Ring, the game tends to favor Rings the player needs more. Hitting the
    “Spot Ring” target will award one rin of random type. The left inlane
    will re-light this target – it remains lit until collected. Combo rings
    score increasing values, depending on the type of Ring.

    Note: if Mode Start is not lit, hitting the center Ring shot will award
    one Elf Ring.

    Ring Awards: Collecting all Rings of a type (3 Elf, 7 Dwarf, 9 Man) will
    award the following:

    Elves: Lights Mode Start at center Ring shot (see Modes)
    Dwarves: Lights MYSTERY at the Shire (see Mystery)
    Man: Lights Gollum Multiball at Gollum’s Cave. (see Gollum MB)

    Once an award is lit, Rings of that type can still be collected, but they
    simply award points until the lit award itself is collected, which resets
    the Ring count of that type. If you combo a Ring type that you have
    already completed, some shots will be lit for combos but for other
    Ring types instead.

    Ring Frenzy:

    Collecting all of each Ring type at least once (3 Elven, 7 Dwarven and
    9 Man) will start Ring Frenzy. This is a single-ball hurryup mode with
    the following shots and rules: Each of the three inserts at each of the
    four Ring shots will begin pulsing, the main Ring shot up the middle
    is lit for Jackpot, and a ten-second timer starts. Each shot to any of
    the four Ring shots collects an insert and lights it solid, awarding
    100K for the first insert, 125K for the second and 150K for the
    third. Collecting any insert also resets the ten-second timer.
    These points are also added to the main Ring jackpot, which starts
    at 600K. Completing all three inserts on any shot “finishes” that shot,
    and increases the main Jackpot multiplier by one, to a maximum of 5 (all
    four shot sets complete). Shooting the main Ring collects the Jackpot at
    whatever value and multiplier it was increased to, and ends Ring Frenzy.

    Note that it is possible to have all Rings lit in the LED display, but not
    get Ring Frenzy. How is this so? Each collection of Man, Dwarf and Elf
    rings counts towards only one Frenzy. Once Frenzy has been awarded, EACH
    of the corresponding playfield Ring awards (Gollum MB, Mystery and Mode
    Start) MUST be re-collected to reset that race’s Ring count. Frenzy will
    not be awarded until ALL rings are recollected – lit rings from the “last”
    Frenzy that haven’t been reset by collecting the playfield award will not
    count.

    Ring Bonus: The spinner on the main Ring ramp increases the Ring Bonus
    1000 points per spin. Shooting the main Ring when it is not lit for a mode
    will award this bonus. Ring Bonus normally resets after each ball, but some
    mystery awards will hold it.

    ———
    MODES
    ———

    Six modes are listed on the plastic surrounding the center Ring, two from
    each of the three movies. Hitting either flipper will change the currently
    selected mode. If Mode Start is lit on the center shot (from three Elf
    rings), shooting the Ring starts the currently selected mode. The game
    will hold the ball in the Ring while the mode intro is displayed, although
    occasionally the ball will escape and fall onto the playfield during the
    intro. Any mode intro can be aborted by the flippers.
    Modes are exclusive – only one can run at a time. Once it is finished,
    the player must collect three Elf rings to re-light Mode Start. After the
    into is displayed, the ball is sucked through the Ring, eventually fed to
    the right inlane.

    Completing a mode successfully will light a Gift of the Elves (see Elf
    Gifts)

    Modes are as follows:

    Escape the Ringwraiths:
    This mode is a hurryup mode. During the entire mode. two shots are always
    lit – the current ‘destination’ and the right ramp. 1,000,000 appears on the
    screen and quickly begins to count down. The player must hit the flashing
    ‘destination’ shot before this countdown expires. Shooting the right ramp
    (always lit) at any time adds approximately 200,000 to the countdown.
    Shooting the flashing ‘destination’ shot completes it and awards the
    current countdown value, then adds approximately 200,000 to the value and
    lights the next ‘destination’ shot. The shots are: right VUK, inner
    orbit, left ramp, and finally the right ramp to finish. If the countdown
    bottoms out at 200,000, the mode ends unsuccessfully. There is a short
    grace period at the end of this countdown.

    Gandalf vs Saruman:
    Help Gandalf battle Saruman. Both ramps begin lit – the player must shoot
    four ramp shots, scoring 250K, 500K, 750K and 1M. Any ramp shot
    immediately following a previous ramp shot scores double, so the last three
    could possibly be 1M, 1.5M and 2M. After these four shots, Orthanc will be
    lit for 1.25M. Next, a roving shot will light, starting at Gollum’s Cave.
    This shot is worth 1.5M. Finally, Orthanc will re-light to finish the mode
    for 2M. A 30 second timer runs – if this timer expires, the mode ends
    unsuccessfully.

    Warg Battle:
    This mode begins with another 30 second timer, and the left ramp lit.
    Shooting the left ramp awards 200K, kills a Warg, then lights all seven main
    shots (excluding The Shire), for Wargs. Each shot kills one Warg and unlights
    that shot. Warg values increase 100K each successful shot. Kill all Wargs to
    finish successfully. If the timer expires, the mode ends unsuccessfully.

    War of the Ents:
    Shoot Orthanc to help the Ents flood Saruman’s orc factory. Both outer
    orbits and the inner orbit are lit (the inner orbit diverter opens up to allow
    shots directly into Orthanc). Outer orbit shots score 750K, while shots
    directly to the Tower are worth 500K. Shoot six shots into Orthanc to win.
    Note that this mode is a great way to collect Souls, as each Orthanc shot
    is fed to the Paths of the Dead. Once again, a 30 second timer runs; if time
    expires, the player loses the battle, and the mode.

    Attack of Shelob:
    Don’t let Frodo become spider food! Three shots will light on the left side
    of the playfield – left orbit, left ramp and the inner orbit. Hit any of
    these to score 500K. Now, three shots light on the right – Gollum’s cave,
    right ramp and right orbit. Shoot any of these for another 500K. Now, the
    lit shots move back to the left, less the shot you just hit. Either of the
    two remaining shots are worth 750K and switch sides back to the right, again
    less the shot you hit the first time. Score either right-side shot for
    750K, at which point your last left-side shot lights for 1M. Shoot it, then
    the remaining right-side shot for 1M to kill the spider and win the mode.
    At all times, Shelob is chasing Frodo on the display, slowly gaining on our
    poor Hobbit. Scoring a lit shot will give Frodo more breathing room. If
    too much time elapses between scoring lit shots, Shelob catches Frodo,
    enjoys a warm meal, and the mode ends unsuccessfully.

    Kill the Witchking:
    This mode requires left ramp/right ramp combos to win. The left ramp will
    be lit. Shooting it lights the right ramp for a combo for a few seconds.
    If the right ramp is hit within this time period, a hit is scored on the
    Witchking. If not, the light times out and the left rmp is re-lit. Four
    combos total are required to kill him. Left ramp shots score 500K, right ramp
    combo shots score 1M. There is no limit to the number of left ramp shots
    that can be scored, but no progress is made towards finishing the mode unless
    the followup right ramp shot is made. 30 seconds are given to complete
    this – if time runs out, the mode ends unsuccessfully.

    Completing a mode, successfully or unsuccessfully, will light its
    corresponding lamp on the Ring solidly, and that mode cannot be played again.
    When all six modes are complete, all Ring lamps begin to slowly strobe.
    Shooting Mode Start now will begin the final mode…

    There and Back Again:
    Time to reminisce on all that has transpired on this long and grand
    adventure.
    Or, more precisely, the six modes we just completed. Once the ball is
    returned to play, the Ring will be lit and the mode lamps begin to
    cycle quickly. Shooting the Ring scores 1M and “locks in” the lit mode. All
    six main shots (less the Ring) are now lit. Shoot any lit shot to collect
    the total points you had originally completed the mode with. I.E. If you
    finished Ents with 6.25M, you will score 6.25M from any lit shot when Ents
    are locked in. After scoring the mode total, the Ring relights for another
    mode, with the completed one now lit solidly and excluded from the cycle.
    Also, the shot used to score that mode total is now cleared and
    unavailable for future modes during TaBA – only five shots will be lit for
    the next attempt.
    As each shot is “used up”, it becomes more difficult to score mode totals
    after each Ring shot. Completing all six modes and shooting the Ring one
    last time ends There and Back Again, awards 5M and lights a Gift of the
    Elves. A 60 second timer runs, and seems not to stop when the ball is hung up
    in the Jet, so work quickly.

    STACKING:

    As was said above, all modes are exclusive – none can run with another.
    However, any mode can be stacked with Gollum MB or one of the movie
    multiballs. To stack with a movie multiball, the mode must be started
    before the multiball. During the multiball, all of the red arrows will be
    used for the multiball jackpot shots, so the player MUST know what shots to
    hit for the mode, as there will be no playfield indications. Timers also
    will not be displayed, being trumped by multiball animations, however as the
    mode comes to an end, the game will still yell out the countdown as
    appropriate.
    Once a movie multiball has been started, no modes can be started until the
    MM is finished. Stacking with Gollum is easier, as modes can be started
    even after Gollum is started, and Gollum doesn’t pre-empt the shot displays.

    ——————–
    MOVIE MULTIBALLS
    ——————–

    There are three main multiballs in the game, each based upon one of the
    three stories: Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and Return of the
    King. Each one requires different steps to qualify, and each has its own
    rules. Progress towards qualifying any multiball is completely independant of
    the other, and they can be started in any order. The three multiball inserts
    by the flippers show the status of each. Off = not qualified yet,
    blinking = qualified, ready to start, lit solidly = completed (successfully or
    not). Finishing all three multiballs (successfully or not) lights “Destroy
    the Ring” – the main goal of the game. It is possible to play multiple
    instances of any movie multiball before starting Destroy the Ring, and indeed,
    it will usually take several attempts to complete each multiball’s goal.
    Progress made in any multiball is carried over to subsequent instances of
    that multiball. However, it does become more difficult to qualify each
    successive multiball (see notes for each).

    Add-A-Ball:
    During any movie multiball, lighting Palantir during the MB and then
    collecting it will usually give Add-A-Ball. This puts one additional ball
    into play, up to four (if the player hasn’t lost any). This award is
    pseudo-random – you will USUALLY get it within the first or second Palantir,
    but occasionally not. No ballsaver comes with this extra ball, however, balls
    drained SDTM *right* as the new ball is ejected will usually be returned to
    play as well.

    Fellowship of the Ring:
    ———————–

    Qualifying:

    This multiball is qualified by collecting each member of the Fellowship,
    then shooting Barad Dur to start. White Fellowship member lamps are arrayed
    across the middle of the playfield. Off means that member is not yet
    eligible to be collected, flashing means they can be collected by shooting
    the appropriate shot (see playfield description), lit solid indicates they
    are already collected. At game start, all members are flashing, ready to be
    collected. Future FotR multiballs have only some members flashing – only a
    couple are eligible for collection at any one time. Once all are collected,
    the whole line begins to strobe slowly and the left orbit is lit to start
    the multiball. Note that any ball that inds its way into Barad Dur will start
    the multiball, so a missed Ring shot that dribbles into the eject is just as
    good as a left orbit shot.

    Playing:

    This is a two-part multiball, however, most games will have the Cave Troll
    sequence disabled, as that is the factory setting. If the multiball starts
    with “This isn’t a mine… it’s a tomb! Orcs!!”, Cave Troll is enabled
    and you get both parts. If it starts “A Balrog… This foe is beyond
    any of
    us… RUN!” then that machine has Cave Troll disabled and you don’t
    get to
    see any of that – skip agead to “Balrog” below.

    Cave Troll: Once balls are put into play, all shots will be lit for Jackpot
    and a ballsaver is active. It takes 5 Jackpots to kill the Troll. On the
    first FotR MB of a game, these Jackpots are worth 00K (?), 250K, 500K, 750K
    and finally 2.5M (and one dead Troll). Later FotR multiballs have each Troll
    jackpot worth 1M. Once the Troll is dead, Balrog mode begins. A ballsaver
    runs throughout this initial Troll mode. If the player drains too many
    balls or takes too long to kill the troll, the game advances to the Balrog
    sequence anyway, with no furthur Troll jackpots available.

    Balrog: Gandalf will announce the presence of the Balrog and suggest flight.
    The glowing Balrog swings out to block the Ring ramp, and the battle begins.
    The player must first hit the Balrog (500K), then shoot either ramp to get
    one member of the Fellowship across the bridge (750K). Repeat eight times
    to rescue all Fellowship members except Gandalf, who will always be the
    last.
    On this ninth Balrog hit (YOU.. SHALL.. NOT.. PASS!!!), the Balrog is
    destroyed and the multiball ends successfully. Victory laps are now
    available (see Victory Laps). Killing the Balrog is worth 5M and lights a
    Gift of the Elves. Hits to the Balrog while it is unlit (ramps lit
    instead) are worth 100K each.

    The Two Towers
    ————–

    Qualifying:

    This multiball is qualified by spelling K-E-E-P with the bottom lanes to
    light Sword Locks, then locking three balls on the Sword (right) Ramp. On
    the first multiball, locks can be stacked (multiple K-E-E-Ps completed
    before locking a ball). Subsequent multiballs require each lock to be lit,
    then collected before the next lock can be lit. Locks are not virtual –
    balls are actually kept on the sword. Locks ARE remembered, however, in case
    other multiballs empty the Sword. No stealing other player’s locks here.
    Note that K-E-E-P letters can only be collected during normal play – any
    multiball or special mode “locks” the letters and prevents any more from
    being collected. If, during regular play, you have all four letters lit, that
    means you must lock a ball before the next set can be collected. On the
    first multiball, if all four stay lit, that means you already have all three
    locks qualified.

    Playing:

    “A new power is rising… TO WAR!!” Multiball begins with a base jackpot
    value, and two available multipliers. First, the number of balls in play
    determines if it is a regular Jackpot (2 balls in play), Double Jackpot
    (three balls) or Triple Jackpot (4 balls, via Gollum MB stack or
    Add-A-Ball).
    Next, the jackpot is multiplied by its “number”. All shots begin lit for
    Jakpot. As each is collected, it goes out and the number is increased
    by one.
    “Double Jackpot ONE! Double Jackput TWO! Double Jackpot THREE!” .. etc.
    As long as the player keeps hitting Jackpots one after another, the number
    keeps increasing, up to seven (the last lit Jackpot). If the player delays
    more than three seconds between collecting Jackpots, the number resets back
    to one and all Jackpots relight. The base value is first multiplied by
    2 or 3, depending on the number of balls in play, then by its number, so a
    “Triple Jackpot 5”, for example, is 15X.

    The base value of the Jackpot depends on how far through th battle you’ve
    progressed. It starts at 100K, then increases to 112.5K during Ladders,
    then 125K after the wall is breached, and finally 137.5K while falling back
    to the keep. Progress through the battle by scoring Jackpots. Doubled and
    Tripled Jackpots advance faster – approximately 7 Triples, 14 Doubles or 21
    Singles are required to progress to each new stage of the Battle of Helms
    Deep.
    At the end of the last “Fall Back” stage, all Jackpots go out and the
    center Ring is lit for a Super Jackpot. The value of the Super is
    determined by how many points are collected during the battle – I do not know
    the exact formula, but the better you do during the battle, the higher the
    Super. Average values are from 1.5M to 2.5M. Collecting the Super lights two
    more Supers at the inner orbit and Gollum Cave. After collecting one of these
    two, the other is available for a few more seconds, at which point it is
    forfeited and the next two Supers light, one on ech ramp. Same rule – after
    collecting one, you have about 5 seconds to get the other before it times out.
    Finally, the two orbits are lit for Supers. Same rule, get one then the
    other before it times out. Victory Laps are now available (see Victory Laps)
    and the battle is effectively over.

    Scoring the first Super Jackpot finishes the multiball successfully and
    lights one Gift of the Elves.

    The Return of the King
    ———————-

    Qualifying:

    This multiball is qualified by collecting 5000 Souls from the Paths of the
    Dead. Any time the ball falls into the Orthanc VUK during regular play (not
    during a multiball or special mode), it is kicked up onto the Paths of the
    Dead for soul collection. Four green lights are lit on the backboard, each
    corresponding to one of the four switches on the Paths. These lights will
    either be off, lit or flashing. Off = 100 souls, lit = 250 and flashing is
    worth 500. As of v5.00, if the ball falls into the Shire, the player is
    awarded 300 souls plus 50 more each trip to the Paths. Balls falling onto
    the wireform earn no extra Souls. Once 5000 souls are collected, Orthanc,
    Barad Dur and Gollum’s Cave are qualified to start RotK MB.

    The green lights on the Paths of the Dead are controlled two ways: Any
    white playfield target will advance one light one step (i.e. off to lit, lit
    to flashing), up to a maximum of four flashing lights. These targets are:
    the target in the back of the Shire, the target in the back of the right
    ramp, Palantir and Spot Ring. They add lights regardless whether they are
    lit for their normal awards. Also, the jet bumpers re-arrange the order of
    the lamps (obviously no effect if they’re all lit the same).

    Playing:

    This multiball is divided into stages, with four Jackpots per stage. The
    four Ring shots are always used for the four Jackpots – left ramp, inner
    orbit, right ramp and right orbit. Each will be lit with one to four lamps
    (the red arrow plus one to three of the Ring inserts). Single lamp shots
    are regular Jackpots, two lamps are Double Jackpots, three lamps means
    Triple Jackpot and four lamps score a 4X Jackpot. Base Jackpot value is 250K,
    plus 50K for each level completed – scoring all four Jackpots advances one
    level. Also, and very important, collecting Jackpots IN ORDER will increase
    the base multiplier by one for the next level. I.E. If you collect the
    Jackpot, Double, Triple and 4X in that order on the first level, the second
    level will have 2x, 3x, 4x and 5x multipliers for the four Jackpots. Collect
    those in order (lowest to highest) and level three will have 3x, 4x, 5x and
    6x. Messing up one level doesn’t prevent increasing multipliers on later
    levels – you just don’t get any advancement for *that* level.

    There are seven levels total. After getting the last Jackpot of the seventh
    level, all four shots relight for Super Jackpots – 1M each multiplied by
    whatever you’ve managed to push the multipliers up to by then. After
    collecting these four Supers, Victory Laps are enabled (see Victory Laps).
    Clearing Level 7 also lights one Gift of the Elves.

    —————-
    Victory Laps
    —————-

    Upon completing any movie multiball, Victory Laps are enabled. All 7 main
    shots are lit for laps. First is worth 500K, next is 550K, next is 600K,
    etc. As each shot is collected, it goes out – shooting the center Ring will
    relight all shots and the value resets back to the base value (500K). If you
    can collect all seven Laps before shooting the Ring to relight them, the
    base value is increased 50K for all subsequent sets of Laps – first is 550K,
    second is 600K, etc. This continues until the player drains back to one
    ball.

    ——————–
    Gollum Multiball
    ——————–

    Gollum Multiball is qualified by collecting nine Rings of Man (see Rings).
    Shoot Gollum’s Cave when it is lit to begin Gollum MB. Gollum cannot be
    started during any Movie Multiball, nor can it be during special modes
    such as Ring Multiball or Destroy the Ring. It CAN be started during any
    regular mode. Gollum is a NON-exclusive multiball – anything that was
    running before you started it will continue to run, modes and movie
    multiballs can be started, ouls collected, etc. Gollum Multiball simply
    does two things:

    1. Adds a ball into play. During regular play, you now have two balls with
    which you can score things. Very handy for clearing some modes. If a
    movie multiball is started, you get four balls instead of three – also very
    handy!

    2. Alters ALL scoring based on the following pattern: Every seven seconds,
    Gollum changes to Smaegol, and vice versa. If Gollum is up, all scores are
    HALVED(!). If Smaegol is up, all scores are DOUBLED. This is on top of
    any other multiplier or modifier that could be applied to the scoring in
    question, and affects ALL scoring, regardless of source (except Bonus, of
    course).

    Mathematically, Gollum MB is good overall, as the player will get scores
    of 1.25x normal on average. Skillful play (timing things so big scores are
    achieved during Smaegol phases) can signifigantly increase scoring.

    Note that on current software (5.01), Gollum MB cannot be achieved if RotK
    MB is qualified, as Gollum’s Cave starts RotK instead of Gollum MB. If you
    want to stack these, start Gollum BEFORE qualifying RotK.

    Ressurecting movie multiballs: If you just drained back to one ball after
    a movie multiball, and Gollum MB is lit, you can “ressurect” that movie
    multiball by starting Gollum MB *before* the final musical fanfare
    signifying the end of the movie MB is played (this fanfare is accompanyed by
    a screen showing your total points for the multiball). There is about a 5
    second grace period between the end of the multiball music and displays, and
    the actual “end” of the multiball, during which Gollum will “ressurect” the
    movie MB with two ball play.

    ————————
    Gollum’s Cave Awards
    ————————

    Shots to Gollum’s Cave are counted, and “Super” awards are given at
    specified intervals. “Super” awards increase scoring on a particular game
    feature. They are, in order of being awarded:

    Super Spinner: each spin is worth 15K
    Super Pops: each jet hit is worth 20K
    Super Ramps: each ramp is worth 250K
    Super Loops: each loop is worth 250K
    Super Everything: each switch is worth 10K

    After going through the cycle, the number of cave shots required for each
    award is increased by one, and the cycle begins again (on the next ball).
    Initially, every three shots gives a Super award… after one cycle, four
    shots are needed for each, etc. “Super” points are always scored,
    regardless of what modes are running.

    ——————–
    Barad Dur awards
    ——————–

    Shooting Barad Dur (either via the left orbit, or by a ball bouncing in from
    a missed Ring shot) will increment the Tower Hit count by one, and awards
    are given out at certain intervals – 3rd hit, 7th, 12th and every 5th from
    there onward. Hold Ring Bonus is the first award per ball, with future
    awards usually being 2M each. Light Extra Ball is always awarded at a
    certain interval (operator adjustable, usually the seventh hit).

    Shootign Barad Dur also re-lights Palantir if it is unlit.

    ————
    Palantir
    ————

    When lit, the white Palantir target will give helpful awards when it is
    shot. These awards are pseudo-random, but the game does a good job of
    giving out awards that are particularily helpful for the current game
    situation. Example: “Add-A-Ball” during a multiball, “Add 10 Seconds” if a
    mode is in danger of timing out, “10 Second Ball Saver” during Destroy the
    Ring, etc.

    Some examples of Palantir Awards:

    Spot Fellowship member
    Spot Keep Letter
    Spot one Ring (dwarf/elf/man)
    Spot 500 Souls
    Add-A-Ball
    10 second Ball-Saver
    Add 30 Seconds (to 2x Scoring)
    Add 100K to Bonus
    Add 3 Bonus Multipliers

    ———————-
    Gifts of the Elves
    ———————-

    Gifts of the Elves are valuable awards that the player gets when any mode or
    multiball is completed successfully. They are lit at the left orbit and
    collected at Barad Dur. Multiple Gifts can be queued up, but only one can
    be collected at any time. The six orange inserts near the left orbit
    indicate which Gift is ready to be collected (blinking), which ones have
    already been collected (lit solid) and which remain to be collected (off).
    You can change the flashing Gift by hitting the white target in the back of
    The Shire.

    The gifts are as follows:

    Light Extra Ball: Does exactly what it says – lights Extra Ball at Gollum’s
    cave. On factory settings, this lit EB is remembered if you drain the
    current ball in play.

    Ring Multiball: Begins Ring Multiball. This is a special, exclusive
    multiball mode with one simple goal: shoot the center Ring repeatedly. This
    shot awards a 600K jackpot, increasing 50K for each sucessive shot (to a max
    of 1M). Palantir can award Add-A-Ball during this multiball, and it can be
    stacked on a mode as long as the mode is started before collecting the Gift.

    Light Special: Again, does exactly that: lights Special at Gollum’s
    Cave. This is remembered under factory settings.

    Big Points: Awards 5M points instantly…

    2X Scoring: Doubles ALL scoring for 60 seconds. This is on top of ALL
    other multipliers that may be in effect (Gollum, TTT multipliers, RotK
    multipliers, etc. etc.) Nothing is excluded. Collecting Palantir during
    this mode will oftentimes add 30 seconds to the double-scoring timer.

    Super Ring Frenzy: Starts Ring Frenzy, which operates exactly like a regular
    Ring Frenzy, except the scoring is higher: each shot now earns 225K, 250K
    and 275K, and the base Jackpot start at 1M. Timers and multipliers behave
    the same as a regular Frenzy.

    ———–
    Mystery
    ———–

    Mystery is lit at The Shire by collecting seven Dwarf rings. Getting
    the ball into the Shire via the playfield (not the Paths of the Dead) will
    collect the mystery award and reset the Dwarf Rings. Mystery awrds can be
    pretty lucrative – be sure to collect them whenever you can. Note, however,
    that Mystery will often start movie multiballs that are close to being
    qualified, so if that is something you do NOT want to happen, avoid this shot
    until you’re ready.

    Examples of Mystery Awards:

    Start Fellowship (multiball)
    Start Two Towers (multiball)
    Start Return of the King (multiball)
    Spot 1000 Souls
    Max Paths of the Dead (all lamps 500 souls)
    Add 100K to Bonus
    Medium Points (1M)
    Light Extra Ball
    Ad 5X Bonus

    ——————–
    Destroy the Ring
    ——————–

    Once all three movie multiballs have been played, the center Ring shot is
    qualified for Destroy the Ring (no modes can be started until this is
    collected). This is a three-stage mode. First, the ball will be returned
    to play, and the four Ring shots (left ramp, inner orbit, right ramp, right
    orbit) are all lit. Each must be collected, to the tune of 1M, 1.5M, 2M and
    2.5M. Now, the Ring re-lights. Shoot it for 3M, and it will grab the ball
    and hold it while the game autoplunges a new ball. For the final stage, you
    must knock the captured ball out of the Ring. Doing this will destroy the
    Ring (and poor Gollum), scoring 5M points, and cause the machine to go nuts
    in celebration as both balls drain (you get your ball back). Destroying the
    Ring also lights one Gift of the Elves, and (as of ver 5.01), displays a
    hint towards achieving Valinor Multiball. Once finished, a ball is served
    to the plunger and the movie multiballs that were solidly lit go out.

    If you drain during any stage of Destroy the Ring, the mode ends and you get
    nothing except any points you may have already scored in it. Bummer.

    Malfunctions: It is possible to win Destroy the Ring early, if the shot to
    the Ring after the initial four shots is strong enough to go THROUGH the
    ring without being grabbed – this immediately ends the mode successfully.
    It is also possible to get both balls stuck in the Ring – if this happens,
    a ballsearch will drop both, and if either drains, you lose the mode. Not
    good. Usually, things work as intended.

    ———————
    Valinor Multiball
    ———————

    To be continued…. 🙂

    Bugs, scoring tips and other hints to come….!

    Posted by admin @ 9:47 am

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