THE WHO'S TOMMY: PINBALL WIZARD
(Data East 1994)
Quick strategy
There are two main strategies on Tommy.
Option 1 is Union Jack: shoot either orbit to light the left or right scoop for a Union Jack mode, then start it. There are 13 modes in all; even if a mode is running, you can still light and start a new mode, unless the already-running mode is or can be a multiball.
Option 2 is Multiball: hit the Mirror with the upper flipper until Tommy is spelled, then shoot the hole behind the lowered mirror, then follow directions on the DMD to work through the jackpot sequence (requires being able to hit both the left and side ramps, and the Tommy mirror shot).
Shots and table features
Skill shot
The skill shot is a precise-power plunge to the Skill Shot hole in the back right of the game. At first, the skill shot is worth 10,000,000 points. Making the skill shot increases the award for the next ball by 5,000,000, up to a maximum of 50,000,000. The skill shot is also increased when the ball leads in this hole during normal play (such as from a weak orbit shot), but the value is only given if the hole is made immediately off the plunge.
If you overshoot, there are two possible pseudo-skill shots available: the side ramp shot from the upper flipper scores 10,000,000 points immediately off the plunge, or if Multiball is lit at the Tommy hole, starting Multiball off the plunge scores a One way combo worth 5,000,000 points.
Union Jack
Listed on the Union Jack are 13 different modes to play. The mode currently queued up will be flashing; bumper hits or hits to the Silver Ball target in the back center of the game rotate which mode is flashing. Lit modes have been played already, and cannot be played again until the Union Jack is completed. To start a mode, shoot the left or right scoops when Union Jack is lit. To light Union Jack, shoot either orbit. Union Jack can still be lit, and a mode can still be started, while another mode is running, unless that running mode is/can be a multiball.
The Union Jack modes are:
Christmas: a 20-second frenzy mode where every switch in the game scores 300,000 points. Hitting any of the 6 standup targets in the lower left or lower right of the game increases the per-switch value by 100,000. Orbit shots are redirected into the pop bumpers during Christmas. Hitting the lit lower standup target (the light is constantly moving) scores 5,000,000.
Cousin Kevin: the three white targets- two on either side of the left ramp, and one between the Mirror and the side ramp from an upper flipper shot- will flash. Hit any of these targets for 5,000,000 points. The first time you hit a particular white target, a ball will be added to play, making this a possible 4-ball multiball. There is a 20-second timer for this mode: it ends whenever the time has expired andonly one ball is in play.
Holiday Camp: the right captive ball scores an increasing value that starts at 1,000,000 points and counts up to 20,000,000. Hit the captive ball at any time to score the displayed value. The count-up value can be scored as many times as possible for the value maxes out and the mode ends.
Light Extra Ball: I'll give you three guesses on what this does. Extra ball is collected at the Genius lane, which is between the left ramp and the Silver Ball target at the top of the table, just left of center.
Silver Ball: the white targets score 5,000,000 points. The captive ball target scores 10,000,000 points, and then increases the value of both itself and the white targets by 5,000,000. Whale on any of these for the entire 20-second timer. This is the highest scoring of the non-multiball Union Jack modes.
Captain Walker: video mode. Use the left flipper to fly the plane up toward the top of the screen, and the right flipper to fly it down. When a building or a plane moves into the crosshairs in front of your plane, it will get shot down for points. If you just fly the plane to the bottom and leave it there, you can get 13,000,000 points- more than most people get when they actually try- while taking a quick break.
Smash the Mirror: a 2-ball multiball. Hit the Mirror from the upper flipper for increasing awards of 5,000,000, then 10,000,000, then 15,000,000, then 20,000,000, then 25,000,000. After five awards, shoot the hole behind the mirror to score 50,000,000 and reset the sequence. Mirror shots during this mode do still count for Tommy letters towards regular multiball, but that multiball will not be lit until single ball play resumes, ending Smash the Mirror.
Fiddle About: a 20-second mode. The 6 standup targets at the bottom of the playfield are all lit for 5,000,000 points. Hit any target to score that target's value and increase it by 1,000,000 up to a maximum of 10,000,000. Each of the 6 targets has their own value to build and collect.
Acid Queen: shoot the 3 holes in the game (left scoop, right scoop, and Genius lane). A hurry-up starts at 25,000,000 points and counts down to 10,000,000. Shooting a lit hole unlights that hole, scores the current hurry-up value, and adds 10,000,000 to the hurry-up, where it will resume for the next shot. The mode ends when all 3 holes have been made, or if the hurry-up expires about 5 seconds after bottoming out at 10,000,000.
There's a Doctor: pop bumpers and slingshots score 1,000,000 per hit. Collect 20 hits within 20 seconds for a 25,000,000 point bonus.
Tommy Scoring: a 3-ball multiball. Every switch in the game scores 500,000 points. However, a blinder opens up, blocking your view of the flippers. Keep all balls in play as long as possible.
Sally Simpson: a 20-second mode. The ramp value starts at 5,000,000 points. Making a left ramp scores the current ramp value, then adds 2,000,000 to it. Making a side ramp scores the current ramp value, then doubles it. Make as many ramps as possible.
The multiball modes are Cousin Kevin, Smash the Mirror, and Tommy Scoring. These all end when single ball play resumes; while they are running, the orbit shots do not light Union Jack, and no new modes can be started.
The target in the center of the game that is situated near the right scoop and faces directly left is the More Time target. During a mode with a conventional timer (Christmas, Cousin Kevin, Silver Ball, Fiddle About, There's a Doctor, and Sally Simpson), this target can be used one time to reset the mode timer back to the full 20 seconds.
Playing all 12 standard Union Jack modes qualifies Pinball Wizard, the game's wizard mode. It is started the same way as all other modes. Pinball Wizard is a 6-ball multiball. The blinder blocking view of the flippers is on for this entire multiball. Every switch in the game scores 1,000,000 points. Make 25 switch hits to score the W in Wizard and 20,000,000 points. Subsequent letters in Wizard require 25 more hits than the previous, but score 10,000,000 more points than the previous. Collecting a letter also adds a ball to the playfield if there are less than 6 balls in play. Spelling Wizard simply resets the sequence. The mode continues until all but one ball is lost, with the Union Jack wiped clean to be worked through again.
Tommy Multiball
Hit the Mirror from the upper flipper to score a letter in Tommy. (If no multiball has been played yet, simply plunging the ball spots 2 letters.) Spell Tommy to light multiball at the hole behind the Mirror or the left scoop. Tommy Multiball starts with 4 balls if it is started at the hole behind the Mirror, or 3 balls if it is started at the left scoop. The multiball sequence is as follows:
3 jackpots. The left ramp is lit for a jackpot, and the side ramp is lit for a double jackpot. Jackpot starts at 15,000,000 if multiball was started at the left scoop, or 20,000,000 if multiball was started behind the Mirror. Any switch in the game increases the jackpot by 200,000 points (and increases the double jackpot by 400,000, accordingly). Shoot both ramps once to collect the first two jackpots, then hit either ramp a second time to collect a third jackpot and start Spell Tommy. Each of the three jackpots also adds a new ball to the playfield.
Spell Tommy. Shoot the hole behind the Mirror to re-spell Tommy. Each letter scores a 20,000,000 jackpot that does not increase. In later versions of the code, each switch hit registered during this phase adds 1,000,000 points to the base Super Jackpot for if you do spell Tommy successfully.
Super Jackpot. The left ramp is lit for a Super Jackpot which starts at 250,000,000 points. The side ramp is lit for a Double Super Jackpot at 2x the value. All switch hits registered before making a ramp add 1,000,000 to the base Super Jackpot total. Only one Super Jackpot can be collected, so choose wisely and try to go for the side ramp whenever possible.
Return to start, challenge again. After collecting any Super Jackpot, the entire jackpot sequence restarts, but this time the blinders come out so you can't see the flippers, and collecting regular jackpots does not add more balls to the playfield anymore. Good luck!
If multiball ends and no jackpots have been collected by that player in the game so far, then at the end of multiball, the hole behind the Mirror or the left scoop can be shot within 15 seconds to earn a 2-ball multiball restart.
Jackpots still add-a-ball, so there isn't a large penalty for needing to do this.
After the first multiball is played, the plunge will no longer spot Tommy letters, and multiball can no longer be started or restarted at the left scoop- behind the mirror only.
White targets and the Silver Ball
These targets have their own scoring feature outside of the Silver Ball Union Jack mode. Hit a white target to make it flash. Hit a flashing white target to light it. Light all 3 white targets to light the Silver Ball target for 20,000,000 points. Hit the Silver Ball target when it is not lit to spot a hit to one of the white targets. A shot that deflects off the Silver Ball target and into the Mirror hole to start Multiball earns the Sigma Bonus worth 10,000,000 points.
Captain Walker's mode
This is a mode qualified by making enough left ramp shots outside of modes, and is separate from the Captain Walker Union Jack video mode. The first Captain Walker requires 5 left ramp hits, and successive Captain Walkers each require 1 more ramp hit than the previous one did. Captain Walker is a 20-second mode. The left ramp drops a bomb that scores 5,000,000 points. The side ramp drops a 10,000,000 point big bomb. The spinner value is set to 100,000 points, but increases by 100,000 every 10 spins up to a maximum of 1,000,000. The More time target does reset the timer.
Genius lane
The Genius lane is between the left ramp and the Silver Ball target. Each shot to the Genius lane scores one letter. Spell OK for 5,000,000, then WOW for 10,000,000, then GOOD for 15,000,000, then SUPER for 20,000,000, then GENIUS for 25,000,000. GENIUS can be spelled multiple times to recollect the 25,000,000. Spelling GOOD also scores an extra ball, and spelling GENIUS the first time lights the out lanes for a special. Letters toward these words can only be picked up when a mode is not running.
Mystery award
Mystery is qualified at the Genius lane by making enough right ramp shots. The first mystery is lit at 2 right ramps, and each subsequent mystery requires one more right ramp than the previous one did.
Possible mystery awards include:
Super Pops: bumpers score 1,000,000 per hit for the rest of the ball
Million Spinners: spinners score 1,000,000 per spin for the rest of the ball
Max Skill Shot: the skill shot value is 50,000,000 for the rest of the game
Silver Ball Lit: lights the Silver Ball for 20,000,000 just as if you completed the white targets
Max Bonus X: instant 7x bonus multiplier
Double Scoring: 20 seconds of 2x playfield scoring, but you can't start a Union Jack mode or multiball during this time, so hope that you get it while a mode was already running, or otherwise go for the Silver Ball, I guess
Instant Extra Ball and Light Special: only appear on ball 3 of a short-ball-time game, and have their probabilities operator-adjustable as well
Right captive ball
Whenever the captive ball is hit while a captive-ball-centric mode is not running, the bonus multiplier is advanced up to the maximum of 7x.
Orbits, spinners and lower standup targets
The spinners in the two orbits start at 25,000 points per spin. Completing one of the two banks of standup targets in the lower playfield increases the spinner value by 25,000 points. Completing a lower standup bank also scores 5,000,000 the first time and increases by 5,000,000 on subsequent times up to a maximum of 20,000,000. The completion bonus resets between balls, but the spinner value does not. The spinner value maxes out at 1,000,000 per spin.
Unlit left scoop shots will spot lower left targets, and captive ball shots will spot lower right targets.
Going through an in lane and then immediately hitting the opposite spinner scores 2x spin value, up to a maximum of 2,000,000 per spin.
Making either orbit shot lights the Union Jack mode start at either scoop unless a multiball Union Jack mode is running. Consecutive shots to the same orbit (within about 10 seconds of the last one) score 1,000,000, then 2,000,000, then 3,000,000, then 4,000,000, then Super Loops, where all orbit shots are worth 5,000,000 points for the rest of the game.
Bottom of the table
Tommy has a conventional in/out lane setup. There is no kickback, center post, magna save, etc. The out lanes can be lit for a special after completing GENIUS or from a Mystery award. The in lanes temporarily double the per-spin value of the opposite spinner if shot right away.
During Tommy Scoring and Pinball Wizard modes, as well as during Tommy Multiball after collecting a super jackpot, a blinder will pop out of the apron of the table to block the player's view of the flippers temporarily as an added challenge. The blinder automatically retracts when those features end (they're all multiballs, so it goes away as soon as the game knows there's only one ball in play).
Bonus and bonus multiplier
End of ball bonus is scored as 100,000 points per left ramp hit in the game so far, plus 200,000 points per right ramp hit over the course of the game, plus 600,000 points per Union Jack mode started. All of this is multiplied by the bonus multiplier, which is advanced at the right captive ball ro can be maxed out by the mystery award. Bonus tends to be relatively minimal unless the multiplier is very high. Bonus multiplier can never be carried from ball to ball, and there is no mid-ball bonus collect.
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