MONSTER BASH RULESHEET
(c) 1998 Matt Magnasco
v1.13
11/20/98
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Shameless plugs:
My web page: http://teriyaki.resnet.gatech.edu/matt
My pinball page: http://teriyaki.resnet.gatech.edu/matt/pinball.shtml
This rulesheet: http://teriyaki.resnet.gatech.edu/matt/texts/pinball/
monsterbash.txt
http://www.fiendation.com/things/monsterbash.txt
Email: matt@teriyaki.resnet.gatech.edu
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I. INTRODUCTION
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1.1: Monster Bash is George Gomez' newest pinball creation. It is also the
next-to-last WPC (Williams Pinball Controller) game Williams will
produce, as after their next game Cactus Canyon, Williams will introduce
to the world "Pinball 2000" (P2K), whose changes are as yet unknown
to people outside of Williams. This is also a licensed game, as
Williams licensed some of Universal Pictures' most famous monsters.
Monster Bash is a fairly simple game, presumably designed for someone
other than us wizards. :)
1.2: Design Credits:
Design: George Gomez
Software: Lyman Sheats
Music: Vince Pontarelli
Art: Kevin O'Connor
Mech. Engrg.: Chris Shipman
(c) 1998 Williams Electronics Games.
Email: monsters@wms.com
Web Site: www.pinball.com/games/bash
Pictures: members.aol.com/JOCKOPILOT/monsterbash.html
1.3: Credits for helping with the rule sheet:
Mark Phaedrus phaedrus@halcyon.com
Greg Dunlap gdd@tezcat.com
Chris Heckman checkman@math.gatech.edu
1.4: Objective:
To collect the 6 monsters' instruments and show the world the
scariest band since KISS.
1.5: The Monsters:
(in no particular order)
Creature from the Black Lagoon
The Wolfman
Frankenstein
Bride of Frankenstein [not to be confused with Bride of
Pinbot. :) ]
Dracula
The Mummy
II. PLAYFIELD LAYOUT
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yet another game built on the AFM playfield layout. If you were good at
the shots in AFM and Medieval Madness, you shouldn't have too many
roblems here. Call me cynical, but as far as I can tell, George just
took the drawings for AFM, made a few cosmetic changes, and spat out AFM
3. Several posters on r.g.p. have expressed that Monster Bash
feels like a Brian Eddy game (designer of AFM and MM), so my conclusion that
MB is AFM 3 is somewhat justified.
(in usual order, clockwise from center drain)
* Left flipper and slingshot:
Normal.
* Left inlane:
Normal-sized, but can be lit for "Phantom Flip". More on this
later.
* Left outlane:
Normal. Can be lit for special.
* Creature from the Black Lagoon:
Under-the-playfield toy which glows green whenever you shoot
the...
* Creature's Black Lagoon:
A lane that's in the exact same shape and position as Crazy
Bob's in NBA Fastbreak and the Tube in No Fear. Used to start
and in playing "Creature Feature".
* Left loop:
Can either feed the jet bumpers or careen around just like in
AFM. Used to start and in playing "Full Moon Fever".
* Phantom Flip target #1:
See "Phantom Flip" later on.
* Left ramp:
Tight figure-8 ramp that feeds the left inlane. Used to light
and in playing "Ball and Chain". Weak shots will roll back
down, carom off the above Phantom Flip target, and hit the right
slingshot.
* Phantom Flip target #2
* Frankenstein:
2-bank motorized drop target. Blocks access to the center ramp.
Used to light and play Frankenstein Multiball.
* Phantom Flip target #3
* Center ramp:
Protected by Frank. Feeds the right ramp prior to starting
Frank Multiball.
* Mosh Pit (center lane):
A lane much like the Mode Start/NAS Cure lane on Johnny Mnemonic
and in the same position as AFM's saucer. Awards various awards
after so many shots. Used to light Mosh Pit Multiball. Used during
pretty much everything. Can be shot from either flipper,
although I think it's easier from the right flipper.
* Tomb Treasure Target:
A large standup about halfway up the Mosh Pit and offset from
the lane itself. Adds +1X bonus X and the same number of points
that 10 jet bumper hits would score.
* Scoop:
Fowards-facing-only scoop that awards random awards a la Stroke
of Luck or Merlin's Magic. Used to get the extra ball and in
starting Drac Attack, Mummy Mayhem, Mosh Pit MB, Monster Bash, and
Monsters of Rock. No feed from the jet bumpers, but it's got a
fairly large mouth so direct shots aren't necessary.
* Jet bumpers and D-I-G rollover lanes:
Lanes -- advances the bonus X as normal, and is lit for skill
shot at the beginning of each ball. Successful skill shots
award 100K+50K points and a Monster Bomb (think Martian
and Troll bombs. More on these later.) Spelling D-I-G
raises the jet value by 5K and spots 5 hits on the jets.
Jets -- advances toward lighting Mummy Mayhem and starting
Mummy Jets (a.k.a. super jets), both occuring at 75 jet hits.
* Right ramp:
Flat ramp which loops around and feeds the right inlane. Weak
shots will fall back and normally hit the left flipper.
* Right loop:
Same as left loop.
* Dracula's loop:
A semicircle in the playfield on which Dracula travels. (Drac
says, "I will mezzzzzzzmerizzzze you with my semicircular
movements!")
* Dracula's coffin:
Where Drac rests when Drac Attack, Monster Bash, and Monsters of
Rock are not active.
* "Drac" and "Attack" standups:
In the same position as the "AN" martian in AFM. Used to light
Drac Attack.
* Right outlane, inlane, and slingshot:
Same as left.
* Plunger:
Automatic. It's also how you use the monster bombs.
III. OBJECTIVE AND MODES
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The objective is to collect the 6 monsters' instruments to light
Monsters of Rock multiball. To collect the instruments, you must
*complete* the modes, not merely *play* them. Playing all 6 modes lights
a mini wizard mode, Monster Bash.
All modes are timed modes. Modes stop when (1) they're completed, (2)
they time out, or (3) the ball drains, whichever occurs first.
3.1. Creature Feature (20 seconds AND hurry-up):
Similar to Royal Madness in Medieval Madness. Shoot all major shots --
both loops, both ramps, and the Mosh lane before time runs out. The
first shot is a 1M hurry-up, subsequent shots score 2X, 3X, 4X, and 5X the
hurry-up value (max 5M). Creature Feature ends on the 5th shot. You have 20
seconds to shoot each shot; the timer resets to 20 after each shot. The Black
Lagoon and a spear gun (see monster bombs) will each spot one shot, end
the hurry-up if active, and reset the timer, like the super jackpot/lock
shot during Royal Madness in MM.
Some quotes:
"He's so cute and slimy."
"Amphibians rule!"
"You're an awesome amphibian!"
3.2. Full Moon Fever (Several hurry-ups):
Shoot both loops four times collectively. Those balls will end
up in the jet bumpers. Once FMF is started, however, balls will careen
around, so watch out! Upon starting FMF, a 1M hurryup is lit on both
loops. Shoot to collect and reset the hurryup to 2M, 3M, and 4M.
Collect all 4 hurryups during one FMF to get the Wolfman's drums.
A monster bomb awards the current hurry-up, starts the next one, and
spots one loop. The hurryup value increases by 250k per hurryup per
completed Full Moon Fever (ie, FMF #2 scores 1.25M --> 2.50M --> 3.75M
etc.)
If FMF and Mummy Mayhem (q.v.) are active concurrently, the controlled gates
will divert the ball to the jet bumpers, so it will not careen around.
Some quotes:
"NO, I will NOT be your date to the prom!"
"But I've had all my shots."
"Get away from me, you fleabag!"
3.3. Ball & Chain (30 seconds):
Shoot each ramp three times to start, and then shoot them each
three times more to collect the Bride of Frankenstein's microphone. The
timer may be reset to 30 seconds up to three times by shooting the mosh
pit lane. Both ramps score 2X the ball and chain value (starts at 500k),
and the mosh pit lane scores 1X. Once the Bride's microphone is
collected all scoring is tripled until the timer runs out; time can
still be extended by shooting the Mosh Pit. A monster bomb spots one
ramp shot.
Some quotes:
"Tall, dark, handsome. NOT!"
"It's outta here!"
"I heard he's got a monstrous organ." (groan....)
"Somebody stop me!"
With the 3X scoring once the mode is completed, Ball and Chain can be _very_
lucrative during multiballs, especially since the timers are stopped (see
"Timers during multiball" section).
3.4. Frankenstein Multiball:
Assemble Frankenstein by shooting him 7 times. He will then
raise up and expose the center ramp; shoot it to start Frank MB. Frank
MB is a 3-ball MB whose objective is to beat up on Frankenstein.
Collect 6 super, double super, and/or triple super jackpots by hitting
Frankenstein to collect his keyboard. Frank scores super, double super,
and triple super jackpots; every other major shot scores a normal jackpot
(base value 400k). Double and triple super jackpots are lit by shooting
regular jackpots before shooting a super jackpot: a double super requires
one intervening jackpot and a triple super requires two. Jackpots are
increased by 50k and super jackpots are increased by 250k each time you
complete Frankenstein during multiball. Double supers count as two shots
to Frank and triple super jackpots count as three. A flaming torch (see
monther bombs) will spot the next lit super jackpot, including double and
triple supers if they're lit, so a flaming torch will spot anywhere from 1
to 3 hits on Frank.
The way Frank registers hits is a metal bar attached to Frank's torso hits
a microswitch. More than likely, the microswitch which registers hits
on Frank will get bent or otherwise break over the course of time. The
Phantom Flip targets on either side of Frank will compensate when Frank
is broken.
If you did not get the keyboard during multiball, Frank will raise up
and re-expose the center ramp to restart Frankenstein monoball. This is
the "last chance" analog of the super jackpot sudden death in AFM or the
Battle for the Kingdom sudden death in Medieval Madness. You have 15
seconds to pound away on Frankenstein and get the remaining amount of
super jackpots to spot the keyboard. Each hit on Frank restarts the
timer at 15 seconds; regular jackpots may still be collected and will
stil light double and triple super jackpots.
Some quotes:
* (Igor) "What a torso! What's a torso?"
* (Igor) "You put your left leg in."
(Scientist) "This is no time to do the hokey pokey!"
* (Scientist) "Get ready when I flip the switch!"
The light show to start Frank multiball kicks ass.
3.5. Mummy Mayhem (45 seconds):
Think of a 1-ball Rule the Universe. You have to score 7.5M
points within 45 seconds. All switches scores 50k, and jets are tripled
(minimum 30k). Each major shot is lit for a mayhem jackpot, whose score
is 500k plus all switches since the last mayhem jackpot (like Fear Fest on
No Fear) Score at least 7.5M to collect the Mummy's bass. Started at the
scoop. A monster bomb here spots one mayhem jackpot. Getting a multiball
running concurrent with Mummy Mayhem should make this mode a breeze.
The quotes to start and during this mode are *really* funny.
3.6. Drac Attack (30 seconds):
Spell D-R-A-C-U-L-A by hitting the two red "Drac" and "Attack"
buttons on the right side of the playfield 7 times collectively.
Once started at the scoop, Drac will come out of his coffin and move
around periodically. Each time you hit Drac, the timer resets to 30
seconds. Hit him five times to collect his guitar. If you hit him while
he's moving, you'll score 2X the Drac value, but you'll only receive one
hit. The monster bomb spots one hit on Drac; if you use the monster
bomb when Drac is moving, you do get the 2X score but only 1 hit.
D-R-A is spotted for you at the beginning of the game.
Listen for the quotes when a ball rolls back down the right Bride ramp
and strikes Drac on his backside. Otherwise....
Some quotes:
* "Back off, I'm the lead guitarist!"
* "Hey, those are my Bruno Malis!" {the shoes OJ was wearing
the night of the murders}
* "Do you think you can hit dis bat with dat ball?"
3.7. Extra Ball and Special:
Collecting a reflexing amount of monsters will light an extra
ball. Collecting a reflexing amount of instruments will light the special
on alternating outlanes. The EB is lit until collected, but the special
is only active for the current ball. The special alternates outlanes
each time a slingshot fires.
3.8. Monster Bombs:
Same exact thing as martian bombs in AFM. Spots 1 hit/shot
towards collecting the monster's instrument. They are, and the monsters
that they're for:
* Garlic clove Dracula
* Hair dryer Bride of Frankenstein
* Ancient scroll Mummy
* Silver bullet Wolfman
* Spear gun CFTBL
* Flaming torch Frankenstein
The monster bombs can be collected by skill shot, 3+6 (i.e., 3, 9, 15, 21,
etc.) mosh pit shots, or as an award from the scoop. Garlic cloves may
also be collected by spelling D-R-A-C-U-L-A more times prior to starting
Drac Attack.
3.9. Instrument Bonus:
Each time you collect an instrument, all major shots light for
Instrument Bonus, which is Monster Bash's equivalent of victory laps
after Rule the Universe in AFM. Scores 900k + (100k * number of
instruments collected on that ball). Completing a subsequent instrument
relights all shots and raises the instrument bonus. Shooting the mosh pit
lane relights all shots but does not increase the instrument bonus.
Instrument Bonuses will not light during multiballs, but any ones active
prior to starting multiball will remain lit. Instrument Bonuses are only
active for the ball on which the corresponding instrument was received.
IV. MULTIBALLS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
4.1. Mosh Pit:
Light by shooting the center lane 6 times. Started at the
scoop. Initially two balls, up to two more may be added -- with a fresh
but short ballsaver each time -- by shooting the center lane. Jackpots are
worth 750k + (5k * # of mosh pit shots). All shots (lagoon, both loops,
both ramps, mosh pit) score a mosh pit jackpot. 10 shots to the Mosh
Pit scores a Mosh Pit Super Jackpot, which is ________. Mosh Pit MB is
also lit at the 24th Mosh Pit shot during regular monoball play.
4.2. Monster Bash:
Start (not necessarily complete) all six monsters' modes to
light light MB at the scoop. 4-ball multiball with each monster worth
2M, and the center lane lit for Bash Jackpots of 2M + 500k * number of
monsters bashed since last Bash Jackpot (max 7.5M). Generous ball
saver. Lit as soon as the 6th monster's mode is started. Subsequent
Monster Bashes raise the monster value by 500k. Monster Bash is Monster
Bash's equivalent of AFM's Total Annihilation.
4.3. Monsters of Rock (wizard mode):
Collect all six monsters' instruments by *completing* their
respective modes. Shoot scoop to start. Each instrument (you may
collect it multiple times prior to starting MOR) is worth 5M, and
there's a 25M bonus for each *complete* set of instruments. If you can
start MOR without previously starting Monster Bash, you get an additional
50M. And that's just the bonus for *starting* MOR!
MOR itself is a 4-ball multiball with each monster being worth 4M.
Very generous ball saver. Each shot to the Mosh Pit lane during MOR scores
the Monsters of Rock jackpot, 4M x # shots to Mosh Pit during that current
MOR. In other words, the Mosh Pit lane score 4M, 8M, 12M, 16M, and so
on, with no apparent maximum, during the current Monsters of Rock.
If you start Monster Bash and can complete all remaining instruments
during Monster Bash, Monsters of Rock will automatically start with a
fresh ballsaver and MOR scoring.
4.4. Timers stop during multiball:
As the animations clearly state, any and all active timers are
stopped. But you can still play the mode(s) that is(are) active! I
don't know if this is a bug or a (ahem) "feature"[*]. Either way, take
advantage of this, and use Frank, Mosh Pit, and/or Monster Bash multiballs
toward collecting instruments. Therefore, if you have a multiball lit, try
to start at least one mode before starting the multiball.
[*] As in, "It's not a bug, it's a feature!"
4.5. Commentary:
Frank, Monster Bash, and Monsters of Rock multiballs are
unbalancing to this game. If you can keep them going for a long time, and
can get a few of each over the course of a game, 1.5 or even 2 billion on
this game is not out of the question. I've gotten an MOR over 400M; my
score for the game was 661M, so MOR was 60% of my game's score!!
V. SCOOP AWARDS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Each shot to the scoop will award a random award, much like the
Stroke of Luck in AFM. Each award is "featured", as in a rock band, at
a certain monstrous venue somewhere in the world. I say monstrous
because Williams renamed common venues to have monstrous names:
Wolfstock, Fillgore East and West, Cadaver Club, etc. See also "Lyman's
Lament". The awards I've seen are:
* Points, 50k, 75k, or 100k
* Light EB
* Light Drac Attack
* Light Mummy Mayhem
* Start ____________ (any monster's mode)
* Advance ____________ (toward starting a monster's mode)
* ____________ monster bomb (any monster bomb)
* Hold bonus X
"Advance Mummy" spots 10 hits on the jet bumpers, whereas "Advance
(anything else)" spots one shot or hit. "Advance Bride" alternates which
ramp it will spot, unless one ramp is already completed.
VI. MISCELLANEOUS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
6.1. Phantom Flip:
By hitting the three Phantom Flip targets 7 times collectively,
a stackable amount of Phantom Flips can be lit on the inlanes. Phantom
Flip is the return of Thing Flips! Monster Bash used some AI to flip
the flipper for you, taking what the game thinks is the best shot. More
often than not, however, I've seen Phantom Flip fail to make the shot
cleanly, so the ball caroms off somewhere. Probably after many plays,
the AI will have improved enough so that the Phantom Flip becomes
accurate, i.e., it must be "trained". On the machine that I play, the
Phantom Flip completes its shot maybe a third of the time.
6.2. Extra balls:
Can be lit by --
* Enough monsters (reflexes)
* 12 Mosh Pits
* Scoop Award
The monster EB is available after every Monster Bash and the instrument
special is available after every Monsters of Rock, much like the Castle
EB in Medieval Madness is available after every Battle for the Kingdom.
The animation for extra ball is reminiscent of the AFM martian getting
bonked upside the head with a pinball: Drac is bustin' a move and gets
squished by a disco ball. Drac normally provides the quote "Extra
ball!", but if Full Moon Fever is running, the Wolfman will howl it
instead.
6.3. Lyman's Lament:
After shooting the scoop 43 times during normal (i.e.,
non-multiball) play, the 44th award is "Lyman's Lament", which is
supposed to be something really cool. Lyman Sheats himself provides the
speech for this mode.
6.4. Strategy:
MULTIBALL!!! Which one is irrelevant, just keep 'em going for a
long time, and try to start them when you've got modes running.
Getting Monster Bash should just about guarantee at least a
replay.
6.5. Ball Saver:
The factory default for the beginning-of-ball ballsaver is OFF.
6.6. Easter Eggs and Cool Backglass Stuff:
* Elvira and Wonder Woman appear on the backglass, to the right
of all the monsters.
* Usually, if you've collected 5 monsters and/or 5 instruments,
the scoop will generally start the remaining monster's mode.
Multiple times, even!
* Cows:
* "Cow palace" venue
* On the left side of the Mosh Pit MB animation is a cow
skeleton
* Some of the peasants on the backglass are wielding
non-standard farm implements like a Garden Weasel (looks like
a pitchfork with gears) and a shrub trimmer.
* Dracula is simultaneously on stage and in the audience.
6.7. Canceling animations:
You can stop any animation at any time by pressing both flippers
simultaneously, like you do to speed up a bonus count.
VII. FUN WITH BONUS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The bonus is just a switch count multiplied by the bonus X, just
like in AFM and MM. Getting a 20X-30X bonus X on this game is fairly
easy, since there are two ways to advance it (the D-I-G rollovers and
the Tomb Treasure target) and multiballs are plentiful. Many balls
during a multiball will hit the Tomb Treasure target by accident. Since
Lyman Sheats did the software for AFM, MM, and MB, I presume that the bonus
X maxes out at 250X.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Questions? Comments? Random artillery fire? Please email them to me
at matt@teriyaki.resnet.gatech.edu.
