LETHAL WEAPON 3 RULESHEET BY Ryan Avery _____________________________________________________________________________ Contents Introduction Abbreviations Disclaimer Acknowledgements Other Misc. Playfield Layout Laser Kick Left Outlane Left Inlane Laser Kick Standup LW1 Saucer Standup Targets Left Orbit/Spinner Freeway Ramp LW2 Saucer 9-1-1 Rollovers Pop Bumpers LW3 Saucer Right Orbit/Spinner Red/Blue Wire Drop Targets Autoplunger Right Outlane Right Inlane Flippers Rules Start Game Skill Shot Uzi Stunts Multiball Modes Bonus Discussion Tips and Tactics Manual Problems Game Problems Closing Abbreviations LW3 - Lethal Weapon 3 T2 - Terminator 2 SS - Scared Stiff ST:TNG - Star Trek: The Next Generation CV - Cirqus Voltaire MB - Multiball EB - Extra Ball M - Million Disclaimer This is my second rulesheet, so hopefully it should be better organized than my first attempt. All corrections, comments, additions, errors, etc. should be sent to Ryan Avery. Please feel free to e-mail me, as I am always happy to hear comments from other pinball addicts, and I'd love to hear your opinions and comments on what you want out of a rulesheet, or how you think it should be organized to display information the best. Acknowledgements I wish to give a big thanks to Brent Earl and Jens Goering, who both created rulesheets for LW3. It gave me the inspiration to purchace LW3, and inspired me to create my own rule sheet. *Your name here* if you help me with any of the problems discussed throughout the rulesheet. Other Misc. All rules that are mentioned apply to the factory settings. Other settings may be mentioned if need be, but might not always be mentioned. Also, I HATE the tiny details about points. I am not going to go through the game counting how much a single spin on the spinner awards. I will, of course mention all significant point values. Playfield Layout There is really nothing special about the layout, just the standard items. As per official RGP guidelines, the layout will be described from lower-left moving clockwise whenever possible. Laser Kick This is the left outlane ball saver. On factory settings, it is lit at the start of a ball. The ball, when kicked into play by the laser kick, has a tenancy to rebound straight back into the laser kick again. Luckily, the kick stays lit for a certain amount of time after it is used, usually 10 seconds. Laser kick can be re-lit through the Laser Kick Standup. Left Outlane This outlane is very wide, due to the fact that it has no rubbers to increase the chance of a sucessful nudge. This problem is further compounded by the fact that the metal rail is curved just so that the ball has an easy time slipping down the outlane at enormous speeds. This is probably the reason there is a left outlane ball kicker. The outlane can be lit for Murtaugh's Retirement. Left Inlane This inlane is fed to by the LW2 VUK. When Getaway is lit, any ball that touches the left inlane switch will start the Getaway, which is collected by shooting the right orbit. Laser Kick Standup The laser kick standup, when lit, lights laser kick. It can also be lit for Millions Plus. This is where each shot to the standup scores one million points. When the standup is not lit for either Unlimited Millons or Light Laser Kick, the game simply says a random quote. LW1 Saucer Lethal Weapon 1 is one of three saucers. The LW1 saucer can do one of the following: -Collect lit extra ball -Relight jackpot/light double jackpot if lit at this saucer -Scores the "1" out of 1,2,& 3 to award a stunt -Start fight mode randomally The saucer feeds straight back out its entrance, usually towards the left flipper. Standup Targets On a well set-up machine, the first thing a ball should hit when plunged are these targets, which are used for the skill shot. During regular play, lighting all 4 either lights Leo, if Leo is not already lit, or lights Super Leo if Leo is already lit. If Super Leo is already lit, then the standups award 1M when completed. Left Orbit/Spinner The left orbit can and will do the following things: -Complete a certain amount of bullets on the gun clip to start Showdown -Light a 9-1-1 rollover light to advance towards Bonus X -Light the subway. The subway is collected if two consecutive left orbit shots are made in a row. A subway relights the laser kick standup target. The left spinner gives a low amount of points during regular play, but awards a handsome sum of points each spin during Super Spinners. Freeway Ramp This shot is directly to the right of the left orbit. At first glance, this seems to be the main point of the game. In fact, it is relatively minor in order to progress to "big points". The freeway ramp does the following things: -Each shot counts up towards certain rewards. 3 million points at 3 shots 7 million points at 7 shots Points are also awarded at 14, 21, 31, 41, 51, 61, 71, 81, 91, and 99. -At a set number of shots, the freeway ramp lights an extra ball at the LW1 saucer. EB percentaging determines the exact number of shots required. -After a replay or a special is scored, the freeway ramp is lit for a Victory Lap, a usual feature in DE games. Victory Lap scores 15M. -Freeway Ramp Looping when lit. -A Jackpot, double jackpot, or a quadruple jackpot are collected by shooting the ramp during multiball. LW2 Saucer This saucer is directly to the right of the freeway ramp. This saucer is a VUK that feeds to the left flipper. It can do the following: -The saucer starts Video Mode, when lit. -Multiball is started and restarted in this saucer -Jackpots are relit and double jackpots are lit if they are lit at this particular saucer. -This saucer scores the "2" in LW 1,2,& 3 to advance towards a stunt. -Fight mode is randomally started from the LW2 saucer. 9-1-1 Rollovers The rollovers are in the exact center of the playfield, left to right. They are just below the top edge of the game, like many other games. These rollovers, like those of SS, ST:TNG, or most other games, advance the multiplier when all three are lit. The multiplier advances in the following order: 2X, 4X, 6X, 8X, Bonus and Multipliers Held When all of the items are lit, each completed 911 awards a cool 1M. Pop Bumpers The pop bumpers (called turbo bumpers by DE) are located just under the 9-1-1 rollovers. There are three pop bumpers (no, not labelled 1,2, and 3). Normally, they score an insignificant amount of points. They score 100,000 a hit during Super Pops, and 1,000,000 a hit during Super Duper Pops. LW3 Saucer The LW3 saucer is just left of the right orbit. The LW3 saucer is the random award hole. When Leo is lit at LW3, the following awards can be given: -5 million -Multiball Ready -Light Super Spinners -Super Pops -Light Getaway -Bonus and Multipliers Held -Light Video Mode -Light Murtaugh's Retirement -Maximum Multiplier -Light Laser Kick -Extra Ball Lit When Super Leo is lit at LW3, the player has a choice between two of the following awards: -Bank Heist (10M-30M) -20 Million -Special -Crazy Riggs -Super Duper Pops -Super Lethal Weapon -Extra Ball -Light Looping -Multiball Ready -Fight Mode In addition, the saucer can do the following: -Relight jackpot and light double jackpot if it is lit at this particular saucer -Start Fight mode randomly Right Orbit Physically, the right orbit and spinner are the same as their left counterparts, and anything discussed in conjunction with the left orbit will apply for the right. However, the right orbit also collects the Getaway value when lit. Red/Blue Wire Drop Targets There are two banks of three drop targets. One bank is located directly under the pop bumpers. The other is located on the right side of the game, directly above where the ball exits the plunger lane. They serve to light Multiball Ready, and start Millions Plus. Autoplunger The plunger is strictly an autoplunger, propelling balls up a short lane and then directing them into the playfield towards the skill-shot standups. The setup is exactly the same as T2, and closely resembles CV and Congo. The trigger is also used in many other modes. Right Outlane When Murtaugh's Retirement is lit, the right outlane scores a random score from 5M to 10M. Right Inlane Normal inlane. The Freeway Ramp feeds to this inlane, giving the player the ability to loop Freeway Ramps indefinately Flippers Normal Size, normal shape... Rules The rules, compared to many games made after 1990, are decent. There is no true wizard mode, but the game does have many modes and objects to go for. This is my first attempt at a large rules section (Older 1980's games don't have many rules), so please bear with me. I will try to follow the rules in sequential order, starting with the skill shot, but I will probably end up adding rules as I think of them. Many of the basic rules are already explained in the layout section, so if a certain rule is not listed here, go to the first section. Start At the start of the game, the player has the option to listen to one of three music samples. C+C Music Factory's "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)", Lethal Weapon 3's own music from the movie, and ZZ Top's "Sharp Dressed Man" are the three selections. Skill Shot Basically, it is exactly like T2's skill shot. Simply pull the trigger at a certain time so that the ball hits the lit standup. The lit standup switches quickly, so it is no easy task. Scoring is 2M on the first ball, 3M on the second, and 4M on the third. The value of each successive skill shot increases by 1M no matter if the previous skill shot was hit or not. Uzi The uzi is a collection of lights in the middle of the playfield. It consists of 6 bullets, and 6 awards. To light bullets, complete either orbits, and depending on the game settings, the game will award either 6, 3, 2, or 1 bullet per orbit. The factory setting is to award 6 bullets the first 2 times, and then 3, then 2, then 1. When you complete 6 bullets, the game says "Loaded...Grab the gun and fire." At the same time, a "bad dude" appears on the DMD. To kill him, simply grab the gun trigger and start firing away (up to 6 shots). The score that you recieve depends on how many bullets were fired, and when the shots were fired. To recieve maximum points, just wait until the game says "NOW!" and the guy's eyes are flashing to press the trigger. The maximum score is 6M. In addition, the game gives a different award each time 6 bullets are completed. In order, they are: -3 million -Hold Bonus and Multiplier & 1 million -Lite Super Leo Getz & Super Spinners -Lite Video & Getaway -Start Crazy Riggs Scoring -Super Lethal Weapon Oh, by the way, did I mention that the ball(s) are still in play while you are trying to kill the bad guys? Good luck, because this requires some careful planning and speed. Stunts The stunt lights are the 5 lights near the bottom of the playfield. They are awarded by completing the LW1, LW2, and LW3 saucers. Depending on the settings, the saucers might have to be completed in order, on the same ball. The factory settings allow them to be completed in order, carrying over to the next ball if necessary. Each time all three saucers are lit, the game stops play and shows a short DMD animation. During the animation, the game will say "Now!", and you can pull the gun trigger for an extra 1M. The stunts are: -High Fall, 5M -Police Chace, 10M -Toilet, 15M -Explosion, 20M -Helicopter, 25M The 6th stunt is the Super Stunt Spectacular. It is awarded by the same means as the other five stunts, except it awards 50 million points and a longer animation. Multiball IMHO, the best section of the game. To light multiball, you have to complete either bank of 3 drop targets 2 times. Depending on the settings, you might have to fulfill other requirements, such as hitting the drop targets in order or knock down a set more than twice. Once Multiball is lit, it can be collected at the LW2 saucer. A DMD animation is shown for a bit, and then 2 more balls are autoplunged into play. Jackpots - Depending on the setting, a jackpot is already lit at the Freeway Ramp, and "Light Double Jackpot" is lit at the LW1 saucer. To collect a jackpot, simply shoot the ramp. There are two types of double jackpots: lit and speed. The lit double jackpot is collected by shooting the light double jackpot saucer and then shooting the Freeway Ramp within 20 seconds. The speed double jackpot is collected by shooting two of the three balls up the Freeway Ramp within about 2 seconds. Sometimes, the first ball is shot fast enough to shoot again in order to collect the speed double jackpot. The Quadruple Jackpot is probably the hardest shot in the game. This is basically a combination of the speed and the lit jackpots. First, Light double jackpot by shooting the lit saucer. Then, shoot two consecutive balls up the Freeway Ramp. It seems that the Quadruple Jackpot timer is a bit longer than the Speed Double Jackpot timer, so a ball that goes up the Freeway Ramp for the lit double jackpot could be shot through the ramp a second time. Jackpots start at 10M, Double Jackpots 20M, and Quadruple Jackpots 40M. Each successive Jackpot is 5M more than the previous, thus Double Jackpots increase by 10M and Quadruple Jackpots increase by 20M each time. Modes There are a few modes in the game, most of which are lit/collected randomally from the LW3/Leo Getz saucer. These awards are also collected by reaching certain levels of the Uzi clip. Super Pops 100K a hit on the pop bumpers. When all three pop bumpers are hit, the game awards 1M. The mode times out after 30 seconds, but there is no timer on the display to keep the time. Super Duper Pops 1M a hit (WOW!) on the pop bumpers, but times out just like Super Pops. Video Mode This is a collected from the LW2 VUK when lit. It is set up as an old-style shooting gallery. When an enemy appears on the DMD, press the plunger trigger. Don't hit the helpless bystanders, however. When 10 shots have been fired, the mode ends. If you hit all 10 enemies, then you get a 10M bonus. If a cow appears on the display, shoot it for a cool million. I have a sneaking suspicion that this is an attempt at Williams-bashing Crazy Riggs Scoring This is a timed mode in which every switch scores 250K, and times out after 15 seconds. During this mode, sounds from the three stooges are heard. Super Lethal Weapon In this timed mode, shoot the Lethal Weapon Saucers for 10M each. It times out at 15 seconds. Freeway Looping During this mode, which lasts 20 seconds, simply shoot the freeway ramp as much as you want for 5M each. The mode begins when the first freeway ramp is shot. Getaway This mode is a hurry-up started at the left inlane, and collected at the right orbit. The value starts counting down at 15M, and ends a bit after it reaches 1M. Millions Plus Also known as Unlimited Millions, Millions Plus is lit by hitting the center drop target on either target bank, arming the bomb. The game will then say either "red" or "blue." If that drop target is hit before the other one is, the bomb is deactivated and Millions Plus is started. Multiple bombs can be armed and then deactivated during the same ball. Each hit on the Laser Kick Standup target awards (1M * Number of bombs deactivated) for the rest of the ball. The game's audits suggest a special award after raising the MPlus value to 5M... Murtaugh's Retirement Murtaugh's Retirement is randomally lit by Leo Awards at the LW3 Saucer. When activated, any outlane switch scores a random value between 5 and 10 million. Super Spinners Super Spinners is lit from both the Uzi and randomally from Leo Getz. As soon as one of the spinner switches is activated, the mode starts. During this time, each spin of the spinner awards a bunch of points (about 250K), and a good hit can usually score about 7 million points. This mode times out after 20 seconds. Fight Mode Fight Mode is randomally started from the LW1, LW2, and LW3 saucers. When started, simply hit the flippers as fast as possible, so as to throw more punches than the opponent in a certain amount of time. If you win, then 5 million is awarded (10 million if started from the Super Leo award). Discussion This is a section that I decided to add, partly because I thought it needs to be added in all rulesheets, and partly because I have so much to say. In this section, you will find manual problems, game bugs, tips and tactics, etc. Tips And Tactics Here is the basic tactic that I would try on a Lethal Weapon 3 that you have never played before. Immediately, shoot the Freeway Ramp so that you can see if the extra ball can be collected at a low value or not. If the extra ball can be lit within 7 shots (you might have to hit 4 shots on the ramp before you will be able to tell), then go for that first off. If not, then wait until later in the game to collect the extra ball. I can usually hit the orbits constantly, so I like progressing through the Uzi. This will eventually lead to some lucrative modes like Crazy Riggs and Super Lethal Weapon. Instead of shooting the LW3 saucer whenever Leo is lit, try to light Super Leo instead. Specials, Big Points, Extra Balls, and other nice things can be lit only from Super Leo. Even if you are good at the orbits and shooting the DMD bad guys, this might be the way to go. When facing a choice with Super Leo, remember that Fight Mode only scores 10 million if you win. Thus, here is the order of importance for the choices in my opinion: Super Lethal Weapon, Crazy Riggs, Extra Ball, Bank Heist, Multiball Ready, 20 million, Light Looping, Super Duper Pops, and Fight Mode. However, your order will be different depending on how comfortable you feel in your skills. If you think you can hit the shots, go for the modes. If you don't go for points that don't rely on skill. The best feature about this game is that modes can be stacked. If possible, this would be the best combination of modes: Multiball, Murtaugh's Retirement, and Crazy Riggs. However, I have gotten combinations of modes even better than this: Multiball, Murtaugh's Retirement, Crazy Riggs, Super Duper Pops, Super Spinners, and Getaway. When these combinations occur, remember these things: Keep Laser Kick lit by shooting the orbits twice in succession because a Murtaugh award is scored each time an outlane is triggered, and the Laser Kick puts the ball back into play. Keep a ball in the pop bumpers or the spinners, for Crazy Riggs scores 250K per switch you touch (and the spinners keep on spinning...). Also, keep your eye on any ball that is in position to light or score Jackpots. Doing this, you can theoretically score a HUGE amount of points. Multiball modes do not solely define a game, just as regular modes do not. The combination of them will determine a great game from a mediocre one, however. I would say that you should not usually try to light multiball. On normal settings, it is so easy to accidentally complete two banks of drop targets that you should focus on your efforts on the ramp, the uzi, or stunts. When Multiball is lit or is one drop target bank away from being lit, however, you should definately go for it. The Quadruple Jackpot is the best part of the game, both in the point value and the excitement of getting it. Although Super Stunt Spectacular is 50M points, it just does not give the satisfaction that the Quad Jackpot gives. Manual Problems I just want to mention that the manual is no help whatsoever for many problems. The game rules are limited at best. The manual states that Super Leo Getz only gives out Specials, Extra Balls, and Crazy Riggs. I admit that they were right in leaving some of the secret details out, but this is a little too much. Also, the manual gives no part numbers for game plastics other than a complete set, the cabinet part numbers are very limited, but I must give them credit for giving very accurate pictures and part numbers for major mechanical assemblies. Many of the rules are just plain wrong. The manual sometimes lists things that are not the way they are in the game. The manual refers to Millions Plus as Unlimited Millions. Even the instruction card has a bit of a problem with the manner of collecting jackpots. Another little complaint of mine is that "Lite" is used instead of "Light." This is definately not a problem, but rather just a "pet peeve" of mine. Game Problems Only one thing to mention: I have heard that on either earlier or later production games, Multiball was changed to Lotzaballs and/or Triball. I have heard that this was because of a lawsuit filed by Williams. However, the game that this rulesheet is created off of has Multiball, and not either of the other two. I am not sure what ROM revisions have the other two slogans, but if someone is willing to contribute that information, it would be greatly appreciated. Closing LW3 is a great game for its time. The sound is excellent, the animations are top-notch, there is quite a bit of humor in the Crazy Riggs mode, the Quadruple Jackpot is challenging, exciting, and rewarding, among other things. The best feature that was included is the ability to stack modes. The only complaint is a lack of a wizard mode. Although that is a major drawback, the game is quite fun without it. THE END