Centaur

Quickie Version:

Shoot the O-R-B-S targets in order to start multiball. In multiball, do that again, get the 1-2-3-4 targets in order, and shoot the left arc to hit the captive ball.

Go-to Flipper:

Mild bias Left

Risk Index:

High

Shots to Master:

precision on the O-R-B-S, plus the release target.

Full Rules:

Centaur may have the most fun multiball in pinball, letting you add balls without limit. The easiest way to start it is to hit the O-R-B-S drop targets in the center in that order; a two-ball multiball starts immediately and one ball is added to your virtual lock count. Get a target out of order and you have to finish the four drops and start over. You still get a virtual lock for completing them out of order, and can virtually lock up to four balls. How many balls you have locked is shown by the amber lights just above the flippers. The 1-2-3-4 drop target bank serves three purposes: completing them in any order lights the far top right target for collect bonus. Completing them in order scores extra points and extra bonus advances: 10K, 20K, 40K and 80K and 1-2-4-8 advances. Completing them in order also activates the far top right target for both collect bonus and to release all locked balls. The collect bonus shot has a timed shot multiplier – watch the lights in the lane leading to the target, try to time it for 5X. Hit either “release” target and all locked balls are released to start multiball; we’ll get to that shortly. The easier-to-shoot release target is at the far upper right; the other is behind the inline drop targets behind the left captive ball and requires knocking down all the inline targets first. Once per ball, you can release a single ball for a two-ball multiball by getting all four return and outlanes, which have lit-lane change using the flipper buttons. These are independent, though: the left flipper alternates just the two left inlane and outlane lights, the right flipper the right lights. If you’re good at shatzing, this is a way to start multiball without taking a lot of risky shots. You can earn more balls during multiball by completing ORBS and release them as above. If you have three bottom lanes completed and the ball drains out the fourth lane with a ball locked, it actually starts multiball. Hey, that’s even better than a ball save or kickback! There’s a “pity” release for multiball on ball three on a timer at the upper right target (the ball release feature alternates being on and off). If you start to get 1-2-3-4 out of order, the green target at the left will reset those drop targets. The top green standup target right of the top lanes will also spot the next 1-4 target. Bonus can be big here. Earn bonus with each target and top lane; the right 1-2-3-4 targets spot additional bonuses when hit in order. Base goes up to 79K. Bonus multiplier is raised by completing the top three lanes up to 5X for 395K total; both flipper buttons move the top lane lights, in opposite directions. Base bonus is held at values of 20K, 40K and 60K, any excess is not. Bonus multiplier resets. Captive ball shots that knock down the targets behind it are worth 10K, 20K, 30K, 40K, 50K, with progressively higher bonus advances, too. Shot value is preserved from ball to ball. You earn double point value if you go over the two left arc star rollovers first rather than hitting the captive ball directly. Factory set-up on the game has rubbers on posts below each outlane which you can use to nudge a ball back into play through gates behind each flipper. In recent competition, the rubbers on the posts below the outlanes are usually removed, preventing such saves. This makes nudging to avoid the outlanes mandatory. Centaur II has an identical playfield and gameplay to the original. The differences between the two games are artistic, not functional. Centaur II has a smaller backglass which no longer contains the score displays. It has added a red-light display box between the backglass and the playfield cabinet; the scores now show in this new box. The backglass art is changed, in part due to the smaller size, but is stylistically the same. The other game done in this style that you will often see is the Eight Ball Deluxe Limited Edition, released a year after the original. It also has the extra display box between the backglass and the playfield cabinet.