"300" / Top Score

Top Score

Quickie Version:

Top left saucers all day from the right flipper, center spinner from the left.

Go-to Flipper:

Mild bias Right, but beware draining behind it

Risk Index:

High; watch the Waterfall exit, and check to see if there is rubber on the post below the bottom right lane!

Skillshot(s):

I like to go for the left of the two top lanes; the ball will fall onto the right pop bumper from there, and I try to nudge the bounce off the bumper into the upper [right] add-bonus saucer.

Full Rules:

This is the 2-player version of “300”. Your primary objective on this bowling-themed game is to build bonus with shots around the playfield, including the right-hand saucer, and collect it in the left-hand saucer. This game has a rare “ball count” bonus display feature, inside the backglass. Your bonus is one thousand per ball shown in the window. You want to get the bonus up close to its maximum of 10K, collect it, and repeat that process. The collect part is important since you can’t advance the bonus beyond 10K - bonus advance shots don’t add any bonus at that point. If your bonus is at 10K, collecting it is your absolute priority. Primary feature: the two saucers at the upper left. The left saucer collects and resets your bonus, plus giving you 1000 points. The right saucer randomly adds 1K, 2K or 3K to your bonus. Bonus is built in many ways. The center spinner advances bonus 1K per five spins. The return lanes, outlanes, upper left lane and standup targets all advance it 1K when lit. The right side of the game is a set of eight lanes in four side-by-side pairs. These are lit crosswise, i.e. either (top-left) + (second-right) + (third-left) + (bottom-right) or vice versa. If you shoot the ball into these, you’ll want to keep it in the lit lanes to add bonus, so nudge accordingly. The bottom right lane drops to a gap between the right return lane and a rubbered post and will drain if not nudged properly, unless the gate is open. The upper left lane, below the saucers, opens that gate at the right outlane; you want that gate open whenever possible. The lane can’t be reliably shot directly, but you can nudge the ball in when it’s bouncing off the left bumper. If the ball is in the vicinity, try to do so! Right flipper: shoot for the saucers. Left flipper: shoot the spinner to advance bonus and get the ball rattling in the bumpers where it might bounce into a saucer or over to the left to open the gate. You can also consider shooting for the eight right side lanes, but I suggest doing so only when the crosswise sequence has the top right lane lit. The ball usually goes in there when you shoot it up that way, so you’ll likely get at least one advance, up to four if the ball falls through the sequence of lanes optimally. This sequence has the right return lane lit, too, which is where you want the ball to go if it falls through all four levels of lanes rather than bouncing out into the center of the playfield. Ball Control: do NOT hold the right flipper up to roll the ball up to a cradle: it will often go up and out the gap at the right side of the wire form. Live catches and drop catches are fine but use caution so you don’t accidentally do the roll-out.