Best multiplayer game with lock stealing?

#sorcerer , Centaur , Grand Lizard , Big Guns

#7 5 years ago

GMK

grantopia

Pinside member

Fairview Park, OH

8y 99,600 3,560 8

Probably owner bias here, but Space Shuttle gets the most fun competition going when we have people over. Two physical locks you can see, and a drain hazard shot to drop the ramp target, and then a tight ramp shot to release them. Plus you can start multiball with one or two balls locked, so there is always the risk/reward decision of do you just try and take the one ball locked and start MB with two, or push your luck and try to lock both balls then try and get to MB for better scoring potential. Rules are super simple and ball times aren't too long so people seem to gravitate to it.

#8 5 years ago

CKA

ryan1234

Pinside member

11y 82,550 1,004

Big House

#9 5 years ago

BTC

twenty84

chromecandy.com

10y 134K 1,697

Fathom

#10 5 years ago

DK

Pinball Naples

12y 155K 4,859 129 1

Space shuttle

#11 5 years ago

ZAC

zacaj

RPC

Rochester, NY

11y 158K 10,379 84 122 1

Quoted from YeOldPinPlayer:
Sorcerer , Centaur , Grand Lizard , Big Guns

Centaur and Big Guns don't have lock stealing?

Quoted from desertT1:
Whirlwind.
One nice thing is that it remembers everyone's progress for locks, so it's not full lock stealing. If player 1 locks 2 balls and then player 2 lights 2 locks, locks those two bals, and then starts the MB, player one gets to relock those first 2 balls, but that's 2 extra shots to make. Plus, it's just a great game in general.

I don't think that's considered lock stealing the same way TNA's is

#12 5 years ago

JAY

Phat_Jay

Pinside+ Frequent

7y 111K 2,309

#13 5 years ago

SMK

TheLaw

Pinside+ Addict

Ann Arbor, MI

12y 162K 48,010 19 30 1

Another vote for space shuttle since it's so easy to steal.

I did set someone up with a juicy 2 locker in Elvira this weekend though

#14 5 years ago

Monk

Pinside member

7y 93,800 1,906 21

TSPP

#15 5 years ago

BTC

twenty84

chromecandy.com

10y 134K 1,697

Heavy Metal Meltdown is blast for multiplayer games and also has lock stealing.

#16 5 years ago

KJS

Mudflaps

Pinside+ Frequent

Springfield, VA

11y 181K 8,668 6 1

You can steal the lower playfield locked ball in BH. The top ball will drain with your ball, though.

#17 5 years ago

KAT

merccat

Pinside member

7y 101K 2,613 10

Quoted from DK:
Space shuttle

+1 for Space Shuttle.

#18 5 years ago

RPG

tilted81

Pinside+ Addict

11y 104K 2,389 45

Taxi

#19 5 years ago

MRM

mrm_4

Pinside+ Frequent

6y 126K 6,201 11

Space Shuttle all day!

#20 5 years ago

Spagano314

Pinside member

St. Louis, MO

9y 61,300 304 7 16

Doctor Who
Pinbot

#21 5 years ago

DOC

TractorDoc

DPS

Ashland, OH

7y 245K 2,923 33 106

Rollergames -- the balls shooting around the "skate track" are a great tease.

#22 5 years ago

JBO

joelbob

Pinside member

Noblesville, IN

7y 67,800 721 4

Great recommendations so far!

#23 5 years ago

BLT

wolffcub

WhiteWolf

5y 77,800 1,425

older game but the Williams Scorpion has lock stealing.

#24 5 years ago

BRY

Brypten

Pinside member

East Hampton, CT

11y 44,800 240 7

Firepower! Love me some Firepower

#25 5 years ago

LOL

stumptown

Pinside member

10y 47,050 289

Quoted from YeOldPinPlayer:
Sorcerer , Centaur , Grand Lizard , Big Guns

These, and Firepower/Firepower II.

#26 5 years ago

RON

Rondogg

Pinside member

11y 109K 3,341

TNA. Feels so good when you do it. Feels so bad when it gets done to you.

#27 5 years ago

PUF

Puffdanny

Pinside member

7y 101K 2,854 19

Bally Atlantis

#28 5 years ago

JPM

jmountjoy111

Pinside member

Williamsburg, KY

10y 109K 3,431 84

Quoted from TractorDoc:
Rollergames -- the balls shooting around the "skate track" are a great tease.

I love stealing someone else’s multiball on my rollergames.

#29 5 years ago

DOG

RatShack

Pinside member

7y 57,650 782

Swords of Fury!

LIONMAN!

#30 5 years ago

MCB

EricHadley

Inactive member

8y 110K 4,839

TNA

#31 5 years ago

TOM

tomdotcom

Pinside member

Kamloops, BC

15y 112K 6,198 2

lock (resized).jpg

#32 5 years ago

ERW

chuckwurt

There are so many games listed here that are not lock stealing games. Haha

#33 5 years ago

WNP

Powdevil

Pinside member

9y 55,550 256 1

Fathom is my favorite too.

Quoted from twenty84:
Fathom

#34 5 years ago

CCW

cletus

Pinside member

9y 91,050 640 14

Black Knight 2000
Worse than lock stealing is King’s RANSOM stealing.

#35 5 years ago

KAT

merccat

Pinside member

7y 101K 2,613 10

Quoted from chuckwurt:
There are so many games listed here that are not lock stealing games. Haha

I consider it a steal when the player who steals doesn’t have to achieve any locks themselves and the player stolen from has to re-lock the balls after they were stolen. If the game tracks the original players lock status or forces the sebsequent player to achieve the lock themselves... not a steal.

Post last edited 5 years ago: “Grammer”

#36 5 years ago

BRI

gweempose

Pinside Moderator

13y 154K 20,204 37

Quoted from Mudflaps:
You can steal the lower playfield locked ball in BH. The top ball will drain with your ball, though.

Yep, which is why I always try to lock the ball on the upper playfield first if I am playing against someone.

#37 5 years ago

???

soren

Dots and Loops

Copenhagen

13y 80,050 1,377

I use the terms soft lock stealing and hard lock stealing.

Soft lock stealing is when you do not benefit opponents achievements. You need to do all the work yourself. And you do not set them back more than the re-locking necessary.

Hard lock stealing, you are really stealing. However, some games are fun and fine for even serious competitive play despite this. Usually when the multiball is only a 2 ball deal. And where making the lock is easier. But starting multiball is harder.

Taxi is the best one I can think of.

#38 5 years ago

TOM

Tomass

Pinside member

Wasilla, AK

6y 98,350 3,830 17

Diner! At least mine does. Not the newest code on mine so not sure if this was changed.

#39 5 years ago

JPJ

Frippertron

Pinside member

Sparta, NJ

7y 60,800 2,301

Robowar is a great, rarely seen game with a lock steal similar to Sorcerer. Both awesome pins. Like most of you, the first game that pops into my head when I think of lock stealing is the mighty Space Shuttle.

#40 5 years ago

AXE

YeOldPinPlayer

Inactive member

Quoted from chuckwurt:
There are so many games listed here that are not lock stealing games.

What are they?

#41 5 years ago

KNG

Grangeomatic

Pinside member

Milwaukee, WI

9y 39,300 451 14

Party animal

#42 5 years ago

ERW

chuckwurt

Quoted from YeOldPinPlayer:
What are they?

Like someone said, if the game doesnt require you to relight your locks, I do not consider that lock stealing. F2K and firepower are the top dogs in that respect.

Edit: Big Guns and Centaur too. I will need explanations on those two. Don't think I have ever stolen a MB from an opponent on those games. Maybe that is the disconnect. Are there lock stealing games and multiball stealing games?

Take Fire! I consider that lock stealing. I lock two balls, drain. You play and pick up right where I left off and get to multiball in two shots.

In firepower, yes, if you get to multiball after I lock some balls, fine, but you have to qualify and earn your locks like normal. Then when I get back up, I just need to relock my balls. I do not need to hit any targets or anything. In Fire, I have to do it ALL over again.

#43 5 years ago

AXE

YeOldPinPlayer

Inactive member

Quoted from chuckwurt:
Edit: Big Guns and Centaur too. I will need explanations on those two.

I played Big Guns Tuesday and player two stole a locked ball from me. I had to lock again after player three put up 3.5 million on ball one.

Haven't played Centaur in a while. I think I misremembered and it doesn't offer lock stealing.

#44 5 years ago

ERW

chuckwurt

Quoted from YeOldPinPlayer:
I played Big Guns Tuesday and player two stole a locked ball from me. I had to lock again after player three put up 3.5 million on ball one.

You had to lock balls again, but so did player two. That’s my point. The balls were cleared when they started their MB, but their path to MB was no shorter than yours.

I don’t consider that lock stealing.

#45 5 years ago

SMK

TheLaw

Pinside+ Addict

Ann Arbor, MI

12y 162K 48,010 19 30 1

Grinded down to semantics; as usual.

#46 5 years ago

AXE

YeOldPinPlayer

Inactive member

Quoted from chuckwurt:
You had to lock balls again, but so did player two. That’s my point. The balls were cleared when they started their MB, but their path to MB was no shorter than yours.

Are you thinking Big Guns empties the locks at the end of every ball? That's not how the one we play works.

#47 5 years ago

ERW

chuckwurt