It's obviously broken beyond repair. You don't want it taking up valuable space. If you want I could take it off your hands?

Played Phil's Tuesday and Thursday.
The protectors don't sit anything like flush with the playfield so are causing lots of rejects of both the phone and the SIM card scoop.
As usual the balls which come with a NIB are shocking, replaced with new super shiny carbon balls.

I like the fact that high scores and other settings can be backed-up before a code update so you don't lose any of them.

Facial recognition is superb, maybe even too much. Having got a high score we tried to do a group shot with 4 of us crouched in front of the machine, it only picked out and zoomed in on my face . By then it was already used to seeing my ugly mug, so probably just assumed it was me playing (which it was)

2.4mil highest achieved so far.

Only major gripe is when you go down to 1 ball from multiball, it takes a couple of seconds for it to recognise this, in which time it can start the flipper flutter, causing you to lose the last remaining ball anyway

Hitting it once after fully charged gives 120% displayed on phone screen (but only for a short time after the actual hit), then 140%, 160%, etc. maxes out at 200%.
Not sure what the points increase in mode is, but would assume it is at those percentages.

Had a mega game last night.

Got ALL 8 SIM cards and then completed Showdown.
Was only a single mode of Armageddon.

Finished a bit over 7mil.

Simply a fantastic game.

It's not my machine, so I have no input to what the settings are. I play them as they stand.

However, I do know that SIM card memory is ON. The ONLY other change to the settings is extra ball turned OFF for reaching 250,000 (and all subsequent pts values) an extra ball has to be earned by lighting it elsewhere (combos, BOB, etc.). Reaching the score threshold awards "light Special", which then only gives you an extra credit as you drain - not a great deal of use on a game set to Free Play.

The game is set to 3 balls, has JJ hole protectors on, and all of the slingshots, pop bumpers are finely tuned. The outlanes are also set wide.

That particular game, by the time I had completed 4 modes on my first ball, and collected the SIM cards for them, I concentrated on lighting Big Bang, before starting a mode. I also lit a SIM card from one of the mini-multiballs (QED, I think). Was so pi$$ed off when I drained only needing to start one more mode to get to Armageddon. That will be my next focus.

PS
(Why is it that if a player gets a good score - the instant reaction from others is that it's set easy, or on 5 balls, or glass off?
Could it not just be that the player who posted the score is in fact a) a very good player & b) had a great game? Or is it really too hard to believe that there are players out there who are better than you?)
Rant over.

No, the 'rant', which I thought was quite mild and constrained, wasn't aimed at you at all.

But there were quite a few comments beneath yours which either implicitly, or explicitly, stated that the game must be on easy to get that score as I can't get that.

I see comments like this quite often on pinside, and it just winds me up!

That must have been a hell of a game Kev

If YOU want to set the letters to starting with 6 lit, outlanes closed, 10 balls, etc. to make the game more enjoyable for YOU that's fine go ahead and do it.

(Just don't post highscores claiming to be the next Keith Elwin )

Are you sure this isn't correct operation?

Once you have lit the lock (left ramp & right ramp), the mechanic's arm (diverter) comes down and stops the ball making the full ramp and instead puts the ball on the upper playfield.

It means if you're going for combos you need to do it before lighting the lock

I've got to Showdown, on factory settings (except extra ball for score turned off).

Main focus was lighting Big Bang and then starting mode and finishing with a Big Bang to light SIM. Then focusing on BOB MBs, not only do they give the chance of lighting another SIM, but with more than one ball, there's more chance of it collecting the SIM.

I didn't even get to Armageddon, had 1 more mode to start.

Finished with about 7mil (before Chaos MB was introduced).

While it is true that the DI letters go out after completing Showdown, you still have the credit for them. I completed Showdown, then the next mode I started had shots at 9 x value due to the collected SIMs.

Is there any benefit when getting to Armageddon in completing the modes, or do you just need to start them?

Having SIM card not carry over makes the chances of reaching Showdown significantly harder. Having them carry over still doesn't mean that it's making it too easy to get to Showdown - you still have to light the SIM card, and then collect them - one at a time (shame there isn't an option to earn multiple SIM cards then collect them all with a single shot).
Look in your audits and see how many SIM card collect shots you've made on average per game (whether it's lit or not), I will bet it's not more than 8.

I've got to Showdown twice - FFS I've got to LMS on TWD, Encore on AcDc, Vailnor on LotR more often. So those people saying it makes it too easy are surely talking nonsense.

Finally got to checkout the audits on my mates machine.
Not exactly a gimme, even If SIM card was always lit.

20190214_200134 (resized).jpg

Try and ensure Big Bang is lit as often as possible, as soon as you start a mode hit the Big Bang target.
As the targets to light Big Bang are near the SIM card scoop often get a bounce into there as well.

Keep kickback lit by hitting B-O-B targets, which also lights award at left orbit, the mini multiballs can be worth some good points, as well as another opportunity to light SIM cards.

Try to only ever start a multiball with a mode running, then concentrate on the mode, not the jackpots.

But you would complete the mode, light a SIM card and move closer to Chaos Multiball.

If the target is to break 1 Million, I think we can assume that this player isn't blowing the game up, maxing scores and completing modes 'manually', or there wouldn't be the request for advice.

Getting SIM cards lit - and then collected - is the key to big scores. It's unlikely that Big Bang is going to be lit at the start of every mode anyway, so mode shots will naturally occur. Finishing a mode and moving on to the next is the optimum route to maxing scores if your ball times are expected to be short.

Strategy is totally different if you want to MAX out your scores and are confident of keeping the ball alive and hitting your shots;
such as boosting the mode scores up to 200% by hitting the QED before starting a mode;
Actively going for Kilowatts, Spiders, Drones, and Transit to get to Quantum Theatre Multiball;
Stacking multiballs, etc.