Moon Shot / Astronaut

Quickie Version:

UTAD.

Go-to Flipper:

Balanced

Risk Index:

High (all shots have risk, but UTAD shots usually get a fair amount of bumper action first)

Skillshot(s):

Get the ball to hit both upper bumpers as it enters play.

Full Rules:

The playfield on Astronaut is more self-explanatory than most games and provides most of what you need to know. The big points come from the two curved rocket lanes in the center. Use the top bumpers and the lower small rollover buttons above the flippers to advance them on their respective sides. Both the upper and lower stand-up targets on each side open the swing gates on the same side of the machine. These gates use a different design than more recent gates: they’re metal, and both return the ball to a flipper, not the shooter lane. Separate return lanes weren’t invented until about this time; this was Chicago Coin’s way of turning an outlane into a return lane, saving space vs. having one of each. If the ball doesn’t hit both open gate targets before coming down to the flippers, you should try to open those gates rather than working on your rocket values, but don’t shoot at the lower standups to do that! Shoot the ball up top to the bumpers to hope that you hit the upper standups. Why? Notice that huge center drain area with a not-too-useful center post (which might not even be there; I’ve seen this both with and without the center post). Shots at the lower open-gate targets risk center drains way too much. If you’re accurate enough, make your shots to the top through the rocket lanes; if not, go up the sides towards the upper stand-ups. An ideal side shot to the top will probably just miss the inside of either advance rocket rollover button; don’t worry about missing the button, the ball will likely go over it on the way back down. Button shots can hit the posts to the inside of the lower stand-up targets and bounce dangerously out of control. The small white rollover buttons raise the rocket value in stages (what else?) from 50 points to a maximum of 500. There’s no bonus, and tilt ends just the ball in play, not the whole game, so feel free to shake hard to save if necessary.