Rules to Sega's Golden Cue Provided by Jon Norris, Sega Pinball Inc. - 10/27/98 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This game uses a new concept in pinball play. The following example uses Golden Cue, our first "Tournament" game. Golden Cue is a 'Goal Oriented' game with closed ended scoring. Highest scores are obtained by completing the goal quickly, thus collecting the highest possible Time Bonus. The sum of all scoring from features adds up to approximately 92.5 Million. When a feature is completed, it goes away, so no further scoring is possible from it. Scoring goes as follows: Left Shot- 1M, 2M, 3M, 5M Sum = 11.0M Ramp- 2M, 3M, 4M, 5M Sum = 14.0M Multiball- Each Lock- 1M, Start- 5M, Jackpot- 10M Sum = 17.0M Pool Balls- 7 Bank- 3M each, 8-Ball, 8M Sum = 29.0M VODKA- Each Letter- 1M, Complete, 5M Sum = 10.0M GOLDEN- Each Letter- 1M, Complete, 5M Sum = 11.0M Each Skill Shot (center Rollover) 100K times 5 Balls Sum = 0.5M ==================================================== ============ Sum of Sums Sum = 92.5M All other scoring is very small. Now I will go over the single most important aspect of the scoring on this game. At the beginning of the game, a slow counting countdown bonus begins. When the six above items are completed, then a "Collect Bonus" shot is qualified. Shoot this shot (Corner Pocket) collects the countdown bonus and ends the game. Since this value is added to your app.. 92.5M, the real difference in the final scores is the value of the countdown bonus. Certain shots/devices on the playfield freeze the countdown bonus for a brief period. This aspect will vary from tournament to tournament, so that different strategies will need to be implemented with new tournaments. Some tournaments may even have no freeze applied. The standard freezes will be: Locks - Freeze until ball is put into top rollovers. Multiball Start - Freeze until all balls are served into play. Pop Bumpers - Freeze about two seconds. Ramp Shot - Freeze about two seconds. Orbit Shot - Freeze about two seconds. Outlanes - Freeze about two seconds. End of Ball - Freeze until next ball. Other possibilities: Slingshots- Short Freeze. Pop Bumpers- Reduce freeze to one second. No freezes with slower counting countdown bonus. All lit shots Freeze for two seconds, Completed Check marks Freeze for five seconds. Any combination of the above. For example one tournament may only have freezes for lit shots/check mark completions AND have a two second freeze from the Pops. The next new tournament may have no Freezes with a slow counting countdown bonus. The tournament after that may have only Freezes on Rollovers and the ramp, but this could be a five second freeze. By varying the freeze method from tournament to tournament, we can keep the basic game rules the same, but require the player to learn and implement new strategies from tournament to tournament. Tournaments will last for a specified time period (perhaps two weeks), then there will be a short period of time (perhaps one week) with no tournament. After that off time, a new tournament will start. Specific Game Rules Each major feature has a "Check mark" located above the instruction card. Completing all six check marks qualifies Corner Pocket to "Collect Time Bonus". Completing the Collect Time Bonus completes game. All game are up to FIVE BALLS per play. Draining ball five ends game. Note the words "up to", because the game does end upon completion of the ultimate goal (collect time bonus). Spell V-O-D-K-A to complete check mark. Complete one rack of Pool Balls, then sink the Eight Ball to complete check mark and qualify G-O-L-D-E-N. Spell G-O-L-D-E-N to complete check mark. Locking two balls (Corner Pocket) qualifies "Multiball". Shoot Corner Pocket while "Multiball" is flashing to begin multiball. Shooting the "JACKPOT" during multiball (ramp shot) completes check mark. There is no limit to multiball sessions. Completing the ramp "5X" completes check mark. Note: This feature scores 1,000,000 times "X" for each completed shot. The multiplier value does not affect any other scoring. Completing the Left Shot 5M (fourth shot) completes check mark. Any of all of the above is subject to change, since this game is still being developed. The purpose of the this scoring method is to give the average player a chance to compete against expert players in both handicapped and non handicapped tournaments. Non-Handicapped Tournament. Implementation of this scoring system means that most players, have the opportunity to achieve a respectable score when playing against the best players. For example, if I complete the game (as most average players will have the ability to do), my score from the playfield will be around 92.5 Million. Lets say that since I did not have the skillful ability to do this efficiently, my final countdown bonus is 3,000,000. My final score would be 95,500,000. An Expert player may finish twice as fast as the average player and collect a countdown bonus of 6,000,000. Their final score would be 98,500,000. In reality, the expert player played a game twice as good as the average player because they finished twice as fast (had double the bonus of that of the average player), but the final scores look to be much closer than they really are. In traditional pinball scoring systems, expert play is rewarded with longer play time, so the difference in scores between average players and novice players is dramatic. Using this scoring system high scores are results of efficient play and execution of strategy rather than forcing the player to qualify a deep scoring feature. Handicapped Tournaments - (this can also apply to league play). Simple to implement a players handicap. Using this system, a score of 100M is the benchmark for a good score by a good player (PAR). Calculate the players average score from a series of ten games (or more), then subtract from 100M (the avreage difference). Finally, multiply by .8 to get the players handicap. (We do not want to give them the full value, similar to other sports). Now, this player can compete directly against expert players in a fair platform. Definitions Minimum assured scoring If a player completes a specific set of objectives (or a single objective), they are garanteed a specific score. This can be used to make the players score appear to be much greater than it really is, giving the player the illusion that a mediocre final score is close to an excellent final score. This method is most effective only if score is very difficult to accomplish after the said objective(s) have been completed. (In our game, the countdown bonus is the only other significant score available to the player, thus the incentive to the player is to finish their game as fast as possible)(In our game, completing all objectives related to MAS qualifies the final shot, which collects the countdown bonus and ends the game.) Goal Oriented Game This is any game which ends when the player accomplishes a specified objective. (Example, in Pool, sinking the 8-Ball). This concept can be applied to pinball, where the game ends upon completion of a set goal rather than when the last ball drains. This system solves the problem of having an expert player dominate a game for long periods of time, since "Good" players will finish faster than average players, like in Pool.