Jungle Lord — new tricks
Home ROM by A.M. Thurnherr
[implemented with Jess Askey’s PinBuilder software/documentation]

Jungle Lord new tricks (JLnt) is a set of Home ROMs for the 1980 Williams Jungle Lord pinball machine. In addition to all original game rules, with minor sound and scoring tweaks, the following new tricks have been implemented (*operator adjustable feature):

Skill Shots:

Quickly locking a new ball in the lower or upper saucer awards 100k or Instant Multiball*, except during Stampede Mode.

Extra Ball:

Complete 1-2-3-4-5-sequence three times* to light Extra Ball in lower lock; progress is indicated by bonus lamps during completion and at each ball start.

MB Bonus Frenzy:

Each bonus advance during multiball sounds trumpet and instantly scores 20k*.

Combo Shots:

Quick 2-/3-way combos ([left inlane,] turnaround, lower lock) ring bell and score 100/250k, respectively, except during multiball.

Magna Whirl:

Whirl L-O-R-D letters with Magna-Save buttons to improve odds with the mini ball.

These new tricks are intended to add fun and to encourage lower playfield play and risk taking. Scoring potential of the new Combo Shots and MB Bonus Frenzy are similar to those of Double Trouble and maxed out bonus in the original game.

The attached zip file contains the new ROM images as well as a manual, both of which are also available for download from

- links removed -

Enjoy!

- Andreas

_{Post edited by robin : Sorry, I have received a takedown notice from the copyright holder. Apparently custom software roms like this are a violation of copyright and that means you can't link to them from Pinside.com.}

Since I released the software I have been contacted by a few pinheads with some questions and concerns. Here are some common issues:

1. The Home ROM does not pass the diagnostic test.

This is because my ROMs do not contain a correct checksum. I don't have any current plans for fixing this problem.

2. The Home ROM does not work.

I have received two reports that the Home ROM does not work in a particular machine. One of the two games has an after-market MPU. I do not understand this problem and, therefore, I don't have a solution, unfortunately. I would try to verify the ROM image to make sure that there is no problem with the chips (now there's where a correct checksum would be useful...). Another thing to try is to remove the batteries and unplug the game overnight to make sure that the NVRAM gets emptied.

3. The mini-playfield (bagatelle) lights do not work as before.

I use some of the mini-playfield lights as game flags for some of the new features. For example, one of the lights is lit when the skill-/combo-shot timer is running. The easiest way to deal with this issue is to remove all the bagatelle bulbs and install a LED strip instead (https://cointaker.com/products/bonus-strip), connected to the single bulb that flashes like in the original game. You can connect additional lights to the other sockets to indicate that the skill and combo shots are active, for example.

4. The timer for the skill- and combo shots is too short.

Very true. With the released version, these two shots are too difficult. I have therefore made an updated version (L1), which uses a longer timer and also has a "party mode". (When enabled, every game starts with the locks lit.) For the moment, I have not made the L1 version publicly available, but I am happy to get it to you if you PM me. Please note that I do not always have a lot of time for pinball, so patience is appreciated.

5. The home ROM is for the wrong System 7 game.

Every so often I am toying with the idea of having a go at another System 7 game. Pharao has been mentioned a couple of times in one of the fora, and so has Cosmic Gunfight. If you are *really* interested in this option, the best thing you can do is to make sure that I get to buy a copy of the game cheaply and then sit tight and hope for the best

IMPORTANT HOME ROM TIP: It is very important that the playfield entry switch works reliably. If the switch does not work, you don't get the skill shot, and I think without the skill shot the combo shots don't work either, but I am not sure. The switch scores 10 points, so it is easy to check.