Wow! Amazing how little Hobbit play-strategy stuff you can find. I am trying to get to "There and back again" - and do the mode qualifiers as possible. I haven't been able to do this yet. But I am getting closer. Best I have done is 28 modes...
The key that I can find is to get Radagast / Man / and Elf modes out of the way as quickly as possible.
Qualifying those are lateral / cross-playfield shots are dangerous to drain out the outlanes or a weird floater SDTM.
What I have been doing is the following:
-There are four modes that have triple qualifiers. I work to get those out of the way. Then I move into Radagast modes. Because they are easy/not dangerous to qualify.
--Rescue Gandalf E/G/R
--Thief in the Night E/M/B
--Moon Runes E/D/G
--Queer Lodgings D/B/G --> This one I really don't worry about because it has no R/E/M qualifiers.
Then I move into:
--Fall of Erebor D/M
--Orc Attack E/M
--Fire & Water E/M
--Evil Revealed R/G
At this point you would have the following:
-7 modes complete
....of those....
--2 Radaghast Modes done (3 to go)
--4 Man Modes done (1 to go)
--5 Elf Modes done (4 to go)
.....................(remember they don't all add up because there are double and triple qualifiers, here)
You only then have 3 Elf modes to complete:
--Interrogation E
--Demise of Bolg E
--Dual in Lake Town E
3 Radaghast modes to complete:
--The Bait R (During "The Bait" I don't really play the mode. I shoot the captive ball from the left flipper. )
--Radagast the Brown R
--Dol Guldur R
1 Man Mode to complete:
--Flashback M
Of course - as you are doing this - you need to use your mode-multiballs / Beast Frenzy's / Smaug multiballs to your advantage.
For example - There are some modes that are just GREAT for multiballs - and others that aren't so much.
Dul Guldur - is a great mutiball mode, for example. For me - Moon Runes is TOUGH with a lot of balls. Because they are always getting in the way.
If you own the game - I am sure you know this.
That is my key - Is to constantly be moving the captive ball hits forward. You light extra ball at 25 and at 50. But NOT at 75.
I do this ANY time I have a ball saver / etc... I always try to sneak in a captive ball shot or two.
So - if you can actually do this... and still be alive with a ball or two in the bank you can then start knocking out the "Easier-to-qualify" modes.
This - to me - feels possible.
But any machine that has 31 modes to qualify and then start / lasting approx 30 seconds each (some more and some less).
Knowing that pinball is a "failure game" and you-do-in-fact lose every ball at some point - You need a LOT of extra balls to get through it.
Captive ball hits at 25 and 50.
"All modes Qualified" extra
Mystery - if you're lucky
I have my machine set up for an extra ball based on your score, as well. The knock ball...