Black Knight Rulesheet
by Ray Johnson (fosher@juno.com)
An enhanced revision of Larry DeMar's original Black Knight rulesheet.
Game Objectives:
- Lock balls on upper playfield to start Multiball play.
- Hit drop targets to advance toward Extra Ball, and to light
Magna-Save features.
Multiball:
Multiball play on Black Knight involves two or three balls. Balls are
locked on the upper playfield, behind the left drop target bank. Balls
are released for Multiball play by locking three balls on upper
playfield, or by locking one or two balls on upper playfield, and
another ball in the kickout hole on the lower playfield (behind the
right drop target bank).
There is no time limit for locking balls for Multiball play. The game
can be adjusted to allow lit "LOCK" lights to remain lit from ball to
ball, or will reset with each new ball played (default). The latter is
the more difficult setting, and requires the player to lock two or
three balls on the upper playfield during the course of one
ball-in-play, in order to achieve Multiball play. See the game's
adjustments in the Instruction Booklet for more details.
During Multiball, all scoring is multiplied by the number of balls on
the playfield (2X, or 3X).
Drop Targets:
There are two banks of drop targets on each playfield level. Targets
on the left side of the playfield are denoted by blue lights in front
of them, and targets on the right side are denoted by orange lights.
The drop target banks are timed, so after hitting one or more targets
in a bank, you have only a limited amount of time to hit the rest of
the targets in that bank, before the bank is reset.
Completing a bank of drop targets activates a Magna-Save on the lower
playfield, if one or both are not lit. (See Magna-Save below.)
Completing a bank of drop targets also lights one of the three arrow
lights in front of the bank. Completing each bank of drop targets on
either playfield level three times each, lights the Extra Ball on the
upper playfield (see Extra Ball below).
The amount of time allowed to the player to complete a bank of drop
targets before they reset, is adjustable. See the Instruction Manual
for more information.
Extra Ball:
There are two possible ways to achieve an Extra Ball: one on the upper
playfield, and one on the lower.
To light the first Extra Ball light (upper playfield), the player must
complete the upper or lower playfield drop target banks three time
each. Then shoot the ball through the left ramp u-turn on the upper
playfield to score the Extra Ball.
The second Extra Ball is lit by completing all four drop target banks
(upper and lower playfields) three times each. This lights the Extra
Ball in the turn-around on the lower playfield.
One arrow in front of a drop target bank is lit each time the bank is
completed.
Mystery Score:
When the ball goes through the left flipper return lane (which may be
assisted by Magna-Save), the center ramp is lit for a short time for
Mystery Score. The Mystery Score is awarded upon completion of the
center ramp when lit, and awards a random value of 20,000 to 99,000
points. (Contrary to today's hyper-inflated-score games, this is a
significant award).
Spinner:
When the ball goes through the right flipper return lane (which may
also be assisted by Magna-Save), the spinner is lit for a short time
for 5,000 points per spin. A well-placed shot through the spinner can
award as much as 100,000 points!
Bonus Multipliers:
The turn-around on the lower playfield awards bonus multipliers. When
all bonus multipliers have been attained (2X, 3X, 4X, 5X), and bonus
value is at maximum, the bonus lights in the "sword" on the lower
playfield will animate and "scroll". The bell will ring each time
additional bonus-awarding targets are made after this point (flipper
return lanes, outlanes, and drop target bank completion).
Magna-Save:
Magna-Save features are activated by completing a bank of three drop
targets. The right Magna-Save will always become activated before the
left. Pressing the red button above the white flipper button will
activate the Magna-Save feature for the corresponding side of the
playfield. The Magna-Save feature is used to attempt to "grab" the
ball, and drop it down the flipper return lane, to allow it to
continue in play. Magna-Save features must be re-activated after being
used by completing a drop target bank again.
The amount of time that the Magna-Save feature is on, when activated
by the player, is adjustable. See game adjustments in the Instruction
Manual.
Bonus Ball:
If 2 or more players are in the game, the player with the higher score
at the end of the game gets a 30 second Bonus Ball (this feature, and
it's time limit are adjustable- see Instruction Manual). "Bonus Ball"
is actually an unlimited number of balls available to the player, but
only for the 30-second period. So you can lose the ball as often as
you wish during Bonus Ball, and it will be replenished, until the 30
seconds has expired.
The goal during Bonus Ball is to complete all 4 drop target banks in
the 30-second Bonus Ball time, in order to light the turn-around for
Special. The turn-around must be completed to obtain the Special.
Strategies:
- Go for the Extra Ball. It is easiest to complete the drop target
banks on the upper playfield to light the first Extra Ball (upper
playfield). And drop targets can be completed much faster during
Multiball.
- If center ramp is lit for Mystery Score, and you miss the shot from
the lower left flipper, but manage to get the ball up to the upper
playfield anyway, allow it to drain back down the center ramp, if
possible. This will award the Mystery Score if you can do it before
the Mystery Score light goes out.
- During Multiball, focus your concentration on the playfield level
that has the most balls on it. That is, if more balls (2 or more) are
in play on the upper playfield, focus your attention on the flippers
there. Or if more balls are on the lower playfield, focus your
attention there. The playfield with more balls on it will be the
source of more scored points during Multiball.
- During Multiball, concentrate on making the Mystery Score and
Spinner shots when lit, as described above. This is where the big
points come in, especially with the Multiball playfield score
multipliers lit.
- Biggest points are awarded during Multiball. To get bigger scores,
focus on locking balls for Multiball play, and on personal strategies
and skills for keeping balls in play longer during Multiball.
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