Time Warp

Quickie Version:

Right side chute to the bullseye target whenever you can, drop targets when you can’t.

Go-to Flipper:

Left

Risk Index:

High to Very High; the banana flippers take some getting used to

Skillshot(s):

Make the top saucer, ideally the “lites bullseye for 30,000 & 3 adv” [bonus advances] award; other awards, which cycle, are 5K, and one advance, increase bonus multiplier, and light 5000 lane [return lane, normally 2K].

Full Rules:

Ah, “Banana Flippers.” Only two games had them, this and Disco Fever. Puts a whole new spin on flipper skills and ball control. They take some getting used to, so try to get practice time in on the game if it will be used in competition. A lot of people hate it, but I really enjoyed playing it when it came out (okay, I’m weird; sometimes different is good). The “bullseye” target at the top end of the chute on the right starts off worth 10K and a bonus advance; finish the target 5-bank or get the top saucer award and it changes to 30K and 3 advances. Shooting the bullseye also feeds the right saucer, scoring your bonus which is not reset. The kickout from the collect saucer goes into the bumper area; once in a while, it will go into the collect chute from the bumper side, too. You might get more than one bonus collect from a single bullseye shot. Make the bullseye a lot! Completing the drop target 5-bank on the right advances your bonus multiplier. It goes 2X, 3X, 5X, 10X; I think this was the first game with a 10X bonus multiplier. That last multiplier advance is huge. If you have 5X already with the ball on the left flipper, making the 5-bank for 10X can be more valuable than shooting the bullseye. The 5-bank also lights an outlane for 30K the first [left] and second [right] times you finish it. The drop target 3-bank on the left scores progressive values when finished: 5K, 10K, 15K, 20K, 30K. It’s not worth special effort to go for it, but do shoot it if the ball is on the right flipper; target shots to either bank tend to rebound into the other set of drops, so you often get one [or more] targets in each bank per shot. Shooting at the 3-bank usually helps you complete the more important 5-bank. The A-B-C lanes merely give bonus advances and progress you towards a Special, so ignore them. The top saucer is mostly useful to light the bullseye; once you do that, you can ignore it.