I was thinking...Don't let the ball go down the middle or sides.

Assuming you are correct about the five flashing targets adding a ball, why does the VIP pass start the entire multiball all over? If hitting the VIP pass button is equivalent to shooting one of the remaining lit shots on the playfield, shouldn't it simply add a single ball?

It's probably how the game's programming causes the add-a-ball feature to overlap with the ball saver. On some games when you are down to one ball and you trigger the add-a-ball it puts all of the balls back into play that were previously drained because the ball saver turns on. Some games only put one ball back into play and the ball saver feature doesn't turn on so only that one ball is added.

So if you have a four ball multi-ball and you drain down to two, the add-a-ball will add two more balls. If you only drained once, so three balls are in play, and you add another ball in then you're only adding one. Down to one ball and then you can add all of the balls back in. And you get the ball saver back as well. It's really closer to a mode restart than an add-a-ball because you can put more balls back into play simultaneously.

A similar thing happens on Monster Bash during Mosh Pit multi-ball. You start that multi-ball mode with two balls. You hit the center lane and it adds another ball with some ball saver time. You hit the center lane again with three balls in play and it adds the fourth ball. You drain one ball with three in play, so you're back down to two, and then hit the center lane, the game will add the drained ball into play plus another ball for a total of four (and more ball saver time).

Using the VIP pass doesn't start the multiball over. It only adds 1 ball. If you use it before the ball reaches the through it will seem like it adds 2 cause it will add the ball that drained plus another since the game doesn't know the other ball drained till it reaches the switch in the drain.

Completing the five lights, with or without a VIP pass, will launch 1 new ball into play and turn on about a 5-second ball saver. Sometimes, a ball will drain at the same time or during the ball saver, and then it looks like 2 balls were launched.

Completing the five lights only gives a new ball once per multiball, but it can be done during any multiball, and your progress on the lights going into that multiball counts; that means you may only need 1 or 2 lights when the multiball begins.

Interesting. So if you purposely go into multiball with 4 of the 5 lights already completed, a single VIP pass can always be used to save your multiball?

Sometimes 5 shots arent required for the add a ball. Ive started Jam before and only needed a couple shots & sometimes only the right orbit for the add a ball.

how do you use a VIP pass and how do you know if you have one?

The button used to fire the cannon will be lit if you have a VIP pass. I believe the status report also lists the # of VIP passes you have, if any. When you use the VIP pass it spots the most lucrative white arrow/note. So for example during multiball you can use it to add a ball. Or you can use it to extend the 2x or 3x playfield multiplier during Hells Bells.

does it matter what version of the software the game has? i play one on location.

Someone have a link to the thread that explains the album/tour jackpot methods in detail? TIA

Having a VIP pass is best used if you are in multiball and see that with 2 balls on play field one of the balls is getting ready to drain. It will sometimes have a ball saver pop up to get back the ball that drained to still have a multiball to keep on playing that mode.

Song Jackpot thread.

VIP pass was added in version 1.6.