_________________________________ How to play Catacomb.
This is a rough draft. There are redundancies where I may talk about the same thing two, or three, or more times. It is subject to revision.
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I don't know everything about Catacomb and I hope what you read does not make it sound like I think I know it all; I don't. If you know this game and see some items I did not get quite right, post it on the thread and I will revise my writeup. Hopefully, with spell check there will be no spelling errors. However, there could be some grammatical errors. Let me know and I will correct them.
If you have knowledge of the items I write about and have suggestions on how I could write them in a more clear and concise manner, please speck up.
If I leave you confused and scratching your head, by all means tell me so.
My objective is to have a well-written set of instructions so that anybody who steps in to play Catacomb for the first time can have sort of a road map to help out and have fun playing this pin. I won't guarantee that these instructions will make you a better player on Catacomb, but at least you'll KNOW WHY your are getting your ass kicked by this pinball machine 
Thank you.
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A few posts earlier I wrote up some information detailing how the 16 lights inside the "toast" section of Catacomb play field was laid out in the form of a Magic Square. If the term magic square has you scratching your head, roll up to post #217 where you will find me talking about the Magic Square.
1) I am going to talk about how Catacomb is two games in one.
2) I am going to talk about the two different ways to light up the 16 lights in the Magic Square.
3) I am going to talk about how Catacomb Multi-ball works in conjunction with the Magic Square.
4) I am going to talk about how Catacomb awards Extra Balls.
5) I am going to talk about my own invented term I call "Inside Square" just so I can write with clarity.
6) Most of what I will be writing about are in the apron card instructions and owner's manual instructions.
A lot of people have been turned off to Catacomb because of the back box portion of this game along with lighting up the 16 lights in the middle of the play field. Perception is everything and if someone has a bad experience with Catacomb they may write up a review of how "lacking" Catacomb is and warn you off of a pin that you really should try for yourself instead of being fed negative waves. I am hoping to change peoples’ perceptions about Catacomb because it has become a pin that I am having a bang up time playing. I almost did not buy my Catacomb because of some of the negative reviews; That would had been a terrible mistake.
In an earlier post I mentioned my observation that the lighting maze in the center of the play field was laid out in the form of a Magic Square. While The Magic Square is what the entire basis of Catacomb is based on, you, the player, do not need to be concerned about Magic Square as it not a necessary item to understand in order to play Catacomb. However, I will be talking about Magic Square many times as I write. Know that it is a magic Square---and then don't worry about it; It will not affect your game.
I am writing this for someone who is familiar with the Catacomb play field layout. Or for someone who can access a Catacomb to learn the play field layout. This is not going to be for the casual reader.
For purpose of brevity, Catacomb will be referred to simply as Cat
For reference, the Magic Square has been referred to as the “toast” on Pinside and Stern’s blueprint calls it the Bonus. I like Magic Square and will stay with that. So, Toast, Bonus, and Magic Square are all referencing the 16 lights in the middle of the play field.
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Cat is two games in one. The first game is the play field game where you are hammering the drop targets. The second game is the back box game.
Let's talk about the play field game, first.
The Play field game:_________________ BANGING THE DROP TARGETS
1) I will be talking about Cat’s four drop target assemblies. The Stern blueprint refers to the four drop target assemblies as Drop Target Bank “A”, D. T. Bank “B”, D.T. Bank “C”, D.T. Bank “D”.
I will refer to them as Bank A or Target Bank A, etc.
****NOTE: These four Bank Target assemblies are the main feature of Cat. Everything in Cat is about the drop target banks. ***
2) I will be talking about Cat’s three spot switches that spot #1, #6, and #2 lights inside the Magic Square, or Toast, or Bonus. Some of you refer to the Bonus Section as “Toast”. The Blueprint calls it Bonus. I like Magic Square for another reason I will be talking about shortly. Call it one of these three terms and I think we can stay on point.
3) I will be talking about Extra Balls.
4) I will be talking about multi-balls and something that I will be referring to as “inside squares” shortly.
5) I will be talking about the back box function that some refer to as Bagatelle. The blueprint refers to the bagatelle as Back Box Play Field. I’ll continue to use Bagatelle or I guess I could use BBPF
6) Cat is really two games in one. There is the play field game with the ball bouncing all over the play field and there is the back box/Bagatelle game. I will be using these two terms. For instance, when I get to rolling here shortly, I will be talking about the play field game. When the ball drains, I will be talking about the bagatelle game.
7) If we were in the same room together, I could point to this or point to that and you would understand what I am talking about in mere seconds. But with the written word, it gets more complicated. I hope you will understand.
I am getting all of my information from the Cat games I have been playing, but more importantly, I am getting most of what I will be talking about by reading the instructions on the apron card and the instructions in the owner’s manual. Everybody is used to the apron instruction card but it does not tell the whole story. There is a small bit of information inside the owner’s manual that clears some things up.
I don’t have Cat completely understood, yet. But I’m working on it. I’m not doing anything here that anybody else could not do. And if what I write helps someone else see something that needs to be added in an effort to fully understand Cat, than I hope what I am writing will cause discussion. This pinball machine, Catacomb, is a fantastic pinball.
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I’m almost ready to get started but let’s play a different kind of game, first.
How many of you play Black Jack? Black Jack, the game of 21. All of you? Great ! It makes my answer easier to come by.
My question to you Black Jack players is this: What is the objective when you are playing Black Jack at the casino where the money is real? If you answered, as many do, that the objective is to get 21, then you would be wrong. The objective.....drum roll..... of casino Black Jack is to beat the dealer. That is all. You do not need 21 points to beat the dealer. The objective of Black Jack is to…..what? Beat the Dealer. You can beat the dealer with an Ace and a Deuce in your hand. 21 is the number that you do not want to exceed on your next draw of a card.
So, with Catacomb, what is the objective of Cat game play? If you say the objective is to light all 16 lights inside the Magic Square, you would be partially correct; But it also sort of depends where the game is located. My position is that if I am feeding quarters into Cat on location, then my objective is to win a game with my quarter. I want to roll enough points to win a free play. And it is not necessary to light all 16 lights in the Magic Square to win a free play. Lighting all 16 lights will make it easier to get the points you need, but you can get your points in other ways.
However, in a home free play setting, I would say getting all 16 Magic Square lights is the primary objective.
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I told you earlier there are two games in Cat. There is a play field game and there is a back box/bagatelle game.
Let’s get started with a play field game.
Bank A will be representative of all four target banks (see picture below). When you press the credit button to start a game you will see lights #1, #6, #14 and #9 at Bank A light up in a clockwise rotation. Banks B, C, and D will also light up in similar rotation. I will refer to these four lights as the rotating lights as we move along.
There are two skill-shot rollovers at the top of play field. The left most rollover, when lit, will spot the #6 light in the Magic Square. It will also stop the four lights from rotating and will freeze the rotation on the red light at each target bank. Similarly, the middle rollover will spot light #1 and freeze the rotating light on amber. The reason for the freeze is to give you a better chance to light some lights in the Magic Square. Keep reading.
NOTE : Below each of these rollovers, it is printed on the play field as to what they do. Just look up to the top of the play field if you forget which rollover lights which color.
There are two ways to light up the 16 lights inside the Magic Square. Think about this for a little bit.
One way is to attack the drop target banks. When you knock down the three drop targets, whichever light was lit when the third target went down will in turn light up the corresponding light in the Magic Square. So, as the four lights around Bank A are rotationally lighting up, if the Green #14 was lit, you will get a corresponding #14 light lit up inside the Magic Square. The other way to light those 16 lights is by playing the Back Box Bagatelle portion of the game.
As you shoot the ball around the table at Banks B, C and D, and you knock down the drop targets you will keep getting different lights to light up inside the Magic Square. After ball 1, I have had as many as 6 or 7 lights lit in the Magic Square; I have also had zero lights lit.
The cruel way to say this is that the better player you are and the more drop targets you hit, the more Magic Square lights you will earn on the play field game and you will spend less time trying to fight the Back Box Bagatelle for the lights you need.
The PERFECT PLAYER OF CAT will never drain the ball and will earn all of the Magic Square lights with flippers and nudging skills and will never have to fight the Back Box Bagatelle for lights.
So, when someone complains that they do not like the Back Box game, I will automatically assume that they are a poor player because the good player will not be visiting the Back Box game very much. Sorry, but that is the way it is. If you have access to a Cat on free play, take advantage and play that pin until your game improves.
Target Banks
All four Target Banks do the same thing, each bank with it own four numbers to work with. When you push the credit button all four numbers in all four Target Banks will start rotationally lighting up in clockwise direction. As long as you have a ball in play these numbers will be rotating unless you spotted the #1 or #6 light in the rollover lanes. I will be talking more about the rotating lights when I start talking about the back box portion of the game.
Screen Shot 2017-07-07 at 12.48.23 PM (resized).png
Let’s talk about Extra Balls and Target Banks
While the main function of the Target Banks is to add points and light up lights in the Magic Square, the second function of Banks A, B, C, and D is to earn extra balls. The way that happens is simple. Drop the three drop targets on Bank A, followed in order with Bank B, Bank C and Bank D. When you hit the last target on Bank D, the Extra Ball switches will light up in the two return lanes. The Extra Ball light alternates back and forth and if you can get the ball to roll over the switch, you will win an extra ball. Cat lets you accumulate Extra Balls. You can go around the A-B-C-D drops in order a second time and win a 2nd Extra Ball.
Cat lets you accumulate Extra Balls, so if you can keep the ball on the play field and knock all four Target Banks down in A-B-C-D order a second time, you will get a chance to win a second Extra Ball. Plus you will roll up a lot of points and probably get some lights to light up inside the Magic Square, as well.
Alrighty. You have been playing a killer ball, you also managed to lock two balls (speech tells you a prisoner has been captured) and you managed to get a multi-ball session going. Multi-ball sessions in Cat can be rather vicious: They almost always come on with a complete surprise, are usually over in a matter of seconds, are very fun and satisfying if you can keep the balls on the play field for any amount of time, and you are rarely in control; Cat is always in control.
Now that we are talking multi-ball I need to talk about what I call the Inside Squares; Inside Squares is my own term; you will not find it in the blueprint.
There are five squares in the Magic Square. The first square is the Magic Square that encompasses all 16 lights.
_____________________________________________.Bonus
_________________________________________ .Magic Square
Screen Shot 2017-07-07 at 12.52.38 PM (resized).png
Next are four Inside Squares: RED, ORANGE, BLUE, and GREEN. Keep reading down below.
Screen Shot 2017-07-07 at 12.38.26 PM (resized).png
Here is what the apron card says about Multi-Ball or Captive-Ball. The square being referred to is my Inside Square. For the following illustration, we will be talking about the “Red Inside Square”. Again, “Inside Square” is my own invented term.
Screen Shot 2017-07-07 at 10.44.19 AM (resized).png
Here are the Multi-Ball instructions from the owner’s manual. These instructions are just a bit more detailed. Remember this, because the apron card is written differently as I will talk about in a little bit.
Screen Shot 2017-07-07 at 10.43.38 AM (resized).png
Pay attention here. You are playing the same killer ball; You are still playing Ball 1. You have not drained.
Killer Ball #1 (KB-1) with three different situations
(KB-1) Situation #1
(KB-1) Situation #1: You have two balls locked. You have red light #1, #6, and #10 lit. Red light #11 is located in Bank B and is dark. Your Killer Ball #1 knocks down all three drop targets in Bank B and light #11 in the Magic Square lights up; you have just completed the Red Inside Square. And your Multi-Ball games starts.
(KB-1) Situation #2
(KB-1) Situation #2: You have no balls locked. None. Zero. Nada. Your Red Inside Square is set up exactly the same as Situation #1. Since you have no balls locked, your red inside square is wasted. I’ll explain: Assume you just completed the red inside square and the absolute next thing to happen is that you manage to lock a ball (you are still playing KB-1). Since the ball was locked AFTER the Inside Square was completed, you get no multi-ball action. Which leads me to (KB-1) Situation #3.
(KB-1) Situation #3
(KB-1) Situation #3: All is the same as Situation #2 above, however, you also have lights #15, #14, and #3 lit up in the Green Inside Square. And now you manage to light up green light #2 by knocking down the drop targets in Bank D and this completes the Green Inside Square. But you just locked a ball and this makes the Green Inside Square a live square and you have another multi-ball going.
I’ll try to write, in story form, the perfect ball--perfect multi-ball scenario. You will need to think about this and use your imagination.
You are playing (KB-1). You have two balls, Ball #1 and Ball #2, locked. You light the Red Inside Square and multi-ball starts. As you are playing a 3-ball multi-ball, you lock Ball #1 a second time and then you lock Ball #2 a second time and you continue playing. Then you manage to light four lights in the the Green Inside Square. This starts multi-ball session #2 two and you are still playing (KB-1)!
Try to visualize: a) You are playing (KB-1) and you have 3 of 4 red lights lit in the Red Inside Square. b) You lock Ball #1. b) You continue playing and lock ball #2. c) With two balls locked, you knock down a set of drop targets in one of the Target Banks and light the forth red light. d) This starts a multi-ball session. e) During multi-ball, you lock two balls again. f) And then you light up another inside square GREEN and start your second multi-ball session. And then you repeat this action for Inside Square ORANGE and Inside Square BLUE. Congratulations: You have just completed four multi-ball sessions with one killer ball (KB-1). And now you are set up to do this action a second time!
So, you, who are the perfect player, playing the perfect (KB-1) will experience four 3-ball multi-ball sessions with one killer ball. By default, since you lit up all four Inside Squares this means that you have also lit up all 16 lights in the Magic Square. And after you have completed the Magic Square, the 16 lights will go dark, the 136,000 point Bonus below the Magic Square lights up and you can do all of the above again. Think about it. You, the perfect player, could enjoy eight 3-ball multi-ball sessions with one killer ball !
Just remember, if you light up an Inside Square before you have any balls locked, that is a now a dead square and you will not get a multi-ball from that inside square.
As the instructions say., if you are playing the back box bagatelle, you can complete an inside square and multi-ball will start after you shoot the next ball. Also, per the instructions, lighting up the Inside Squares also lights up the bonus multiplier up to 5X.
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___________________________________________Inside Square Bonus Points
_________________________________________From the owner’s manual instructions
Screen Shot 2017-07-07 at 12.20.43 PM (resized).png
___________________________________________From the apron card instructions
Screen Shot 2017-07-07 at 12.21.08 PM (resized).png
The bonus points instructions in the owner manual differ from what is on the apron card. I do not have the answer, yet, but I am thinking that the apron card is not written correctly.
The apron card says the bonus is derived from the “LIT NUMBER OF SQUARES…” I am reading that as four lit Inside Squares. Four lit Inside Squares times 1000 would only be bonus points of 4000. That does not sound right.
The owner's manual says “bonus points come from the (Magic ?) square, where each NUMBER is worth 1000 points. 16,000 points total from the manual sounds more correct than 4000 points from the apron card.
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That is pretty much the end of Part 1 of this write up on how to play the play field game on Catacomb. I apologize for it coming out so long winded and I will try to condense and improve it if anybody is interested.
I have not yet written Part 2 about playing the back box part of the game. If nobody likes Part 1 there is little to gain by trying to write about the Back Box Bagatelle part of Catacomb. Writing about how to play the Back Box will be just as complicated and involved as writing about the play field game. And if Part 1 makes no sense to anyone, Part 2 would not be any better.
I apologize for leading you on a bit earlier about Part 2.
You all let me know if this write up was worth the effort and if you want me to work on Part 2.
Thank you.
Wichita, KS
Grows on you, don't it 
