Don't flip both flippers at the same time.

LoL

Great idea for a thread Nokoro!

I look forward to hearing others' insights as I've had one high game of 258M, but don't remember much about getting there other than accomplishing Kobayashi Maru (which is rare for me) and then proceeding a bit into the second level modes. The rest of my "high scores" drop to the 120M - 100M range.

COMBOS COMBOS COMBOS !!!!!!!

Whoops - yeah, I'm used to thinking in terms of EM scores.

My best scores are around 430m but anytime I get over 200m it is a good game. My strategy is just trying to max scoring in every mode. I try to coordinate double scoring with kobi m but that doesn't always happen. Gat is the key to scoring big on lv1 modes. Combos are extremely important because it doubles the score. Klingon multiball can be worth a ton of points when making shots back to back. Getting extra balls is also key. Getting EB from warp is tough but not too hard in vengeance battle.

Being humble is good, but your knowledge & skills of this game are already *way* beyond average/intermediate.

Can you explain this?

What is GAT?

All I really know about this game is: shoot combos, finish modes (seems like doing the add-on sub-mode from the Away Team shot is lucrative), get three in a row, how black hole/add-a-ball works, and I try to avoid progressing much through Vengeance modes because the ones after multi-ball are just too dangerous.

Some thoughts and basic strategies for you:

Can you hit the Alpha ramp from both flippers consistently?

Can you backhand the Alpha ramp? From a cradle you should be able to hit this shot consistently, on the move its a little more difficult.

Can you backhand the spinner?

Can you backhand the away team shot? This shot is tough for me, so I don't use it too often, but maybe you can.

Are you using dead flipper passes to slow down the game?

Are you spelling TREK and Beam Me Up? I do this like crazy, and by the end of my games my spinner is generally worth some real good points.

When the ball is in the pops, do you know which lane the ball generally goes to? On my pin the ball definitely goes through the Up lane the most, followed by Beam, Me is last. It's good to know so you can adjust ahead of time.

What is your shooting the Vengeance plan? I try and not ever shoot from the left flipper when the drop is up.

Some Multi Ball related things:

Are you making sure you start a mode before getting a mb?

Some modes I like for mb:

PD1. The way PD1 works is, every shot is lit. Once you hit them, the shot is not lit anymore until there are only 2 remaining shots left, at which point everything lights up again. This lends itself to mb very well, as you can generally just try and keep the balls alive and you'll more often than not have a lit mode shot to shoot for. Additionally, the galactic mode is great for mb. During it, Beam/Me/Up are lit as well as the spinner and the outlane. Get the balls into the pops is the name of the game.

KB1. If you can alternate hitting the ramps, you can do well in this mode in general, but it plays nice with mb as well.

DtD1. Spinner/Alpha Ramp/Left out hole shots are lit almost all of the time during this mode, concertrate your shots there and you'll do well. Also, same shots are lit during the Galactic mode, so it's a good idea to try and start it.

Nero1. The mode itself is fine for mb, but the Galactic mode is great for mb, which is shoot those Red Matter targets. If i start the Nero Galactic mode by accident without a mb, I generally won't even try and hit the Red Matter targets, and instead just get back to trying to hit the Warp Ramp, and pick up a few Red Matter hits along the way.

I generally avoid SJ1 for mb's. Reason being because of it's Galactic Mode. The Galactic mode is hit the ship once and it's done.

Some Black Hole things:

You usually get add time during level 1 modes.
You usually get either 200k or +X muliplier when a mode isn't running.
Your more likely to get 'Light EB' during a level 2/3 mode.
You always get add-a-ball first when your in a mb.

So, to better your stack of running a regular mode with a mb, it's smart to try and hit the Black Hole to get 'Add Time' before starting the mb.

GAT - Galactic Away Team

I love playing vengeance modes. In vengeance scoring, you get an extra ball for finishing which is huge for me. Sudden death in vengeance battle is one of the coolest things in the game. I try to get it on a combo and that makes it pretty challenging. If you have a big score like over 200m the pay off with a combo is huge. The magnet does fling the ball pretty fast but I think that is a cool feature.

Sorry, I rant about this often...and probably fall victim to it myself. If you're creating a strategy thread on Pinside, you're better than 95% of players already. I've been playing on location a lot lately with regulars, people who are playing as often as several times a week, and most of them don't understand much beyond that there are modes, and to shoot the locks for multiball. Everyone looks average if your only basis for comparison is the top players in the world.

Ah, thanks - I didn't realize that Super Ramps/Spinner/Pops was a doubler. I knew it did *something*. Is it the rest of the game? I thought it was just the current ball.

Backhanding the spinner is pretty easy, and much safer. You should try it. I've almost stopped shooting for it from the right because it's so dangerous when you miss.

I play in tournaments/leagues where you don't get extra balls...which changes the math dramatically.

Aurich laid out the basic rules nicely on the custom cards he made. Worth a look if you haven't seen them, and they look fantastic in the game as well. The doublers and galactic modes are covered on the 2nd card.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/stern-star-trek-new-original-translite-decals#post-1888578

Just looked back at the last 3 times my league (15 players) has played Star Trek over the last two seasons. 85m was the highest score. No one else broke 65m. Sure, the grand champ score is ~215m, but that's one game out of hundreds.

In another local league, high score was 78m out of 36 players. 5 people in the league are Top 200 ranked players, and roughly 5 others are in the Top 500.

TLDR; 50m-75m is a killer score in tournament/league play. Go out into the world and play some competitive pinball once in a while.

New code. Forgiving tilt. Factory outlanes. No extra balls.

It feels like I'm going to have to start a "no seriously, you're actually pretty good at pinball" crusade just so everyone knows not to be afraid of tournaments and leagues.

Wow,some of you players are far and away from my game,but,i can hit both alpha and delta ramps with both flippers,lock balls in either place,shoot the vengeance with both flippers without drain,but i can't consistantly hit warp ramp!And,thanks to you all,after owning this pin for 16 months,i didn't realize you could control the beam me up lanes,and i own a Diner where you do it all the time with the e a t feature,duhhhh.....

UH thats Beta ramp hit the wrong key

One thing I did in the past and what a lot of inexperienced players do is hit the punch button whenever lit or at the end of ball for whatever reason. If you save up all your shots for vengeance multiball, you can destroy the vengeance very quickly and start doing victory laps with ball save still on. I fire off a few shots to get close to activating the vengeance mode and don't hit it again until I am ready for the mode. Once a vengeance mode is available, you will not be able to automatically start a mode on a ball launch. I didn't understand that for quite a while.

I've seen video of tourney players using that method successfully, but it's not a move I try to pull off all that often. I think if I were primarily playing a pro, I would make it more of a priority to figure out due to the inconsistent return from the Start Mission eject.

A scenario in which I do try it though, is during mb if I end up with 2 balls cradled on the right flipper. Instead of trying a cradle separation, I'll try to shoot the ball into the Away Team.

Hawkmoon to JawJaw,thank you for your input,i'm just understanding that your idea is sound!If i don't use the auto launch, i have more time to set up for beam me up shots,but i didn't know you could save up vengeance shots! kool!

Fair enough...you're not as good as I thought.

But seriously, your average is 28m, which would win a tournament game more often that you might think. Well, except for those extra balls. It sounds like your knowledge of the rules and strategies is probably ahead of your playing skills. It would be pretty awesome to upload videos of ourselves playing and have other people give tips.

I wouldn't recommend using a backhand of Away Team during single ball play. Once you've found the shot, using the left flipper is more reliable. Don't forget to "slam the door" using the upper flipper as soon as the ball gets within range of the Away Team -- this will increase your % of successful Away Team shots.

Depending on your pin's set up and flipper strength, you can often do a reliable backhand from a two-ball cradle on the right flipper.

I always "Slam the Door"

Guessing you are back in the country now Collin?
Hope your trip was nice.

Here's a few fun 'Points' Strategies as well as some good 'stacking' strategies:

PD1 (Galactic Lanes): Good mode to build warps.

STE I > Galactic Warps + Double Scoring = awesome...if you're 'in the zone' and hitting the warps consistently.

Nero 3 + SJ 3 = Galactic Lanes (PD1). Tons of points.

Nero 3 + PD 3 = Galactic Spinner (DTD1) - tons of points. Don't forget to hit the vuk for the 'final shot' - big payout.

Nero 1 (Galactic Matter) = a good stack with any of the multiballs.

KB2 or DTD 3 or Galactic Matter (Nero1) - stack with Vengeance Scoring.

STE 3 + KB 3 = a good Super ramps stack.

DTD 3 + Galactic Warps (STE1) = a good points stack if you can hit warps.

DTD 3 + Nero 3 + Galactic Warps = even more points if youre in the zone on the warp ramp.

Other Strategies:
I don't typically always try to start every galactic mode all the time. Sometimes i'll just use a level 1 mission to work on building the warp ramp for a double scoring 'cash in' stack. But Galactic Lanes and Galactic Warps are good modes to 'build' those warp ramps.

I try to save the harder (or longer) missions for multiball; Nero 2, SJ2 or 3, STE 2 or 3, KB 3. DTD 3.

another strat: Fill the grid until you have one mission left to start Kobayashi - if you are on ball 1 or 2; go deeper and collect more medals and wait to start Kobayashi. If you're on ball 3, then just go for the last mission and start Kobayashi.

I'm so confused, but I did just score 100 million

ugh I really don't like the new 'quote' post when using my iPad. Annoying. Anyway...

Yea the idea of KB2 or DTD3 is the vengeance is typically lit for shots towards the mode. And galactic matter is exactly for that reason, the ball can get wild during vengeance scoring so you can get some free points if you galactic matter active.

I think you guys are all bonkers. Nobody but the top 15 IFPA would even bother trying to get to the level 3's. You're going to bury 90% of players if you simply play the first level of modes, do half the GATs, and get to Kobiyashi. We have three guys showing up to league night that have been in the top 100 at one point (IFPA can't seem to decide if I belong there or not. I've been moved in and out of the top 100 at least four times since TPF...lmao..I really need a big tourney win to solidify my position for a few months... ) and it's pretty much a lock any time that one of the three of us gets to Kobi, it's going to be the highest scoring game of the night.

We play on a pro, and frankly, I find shooting the left hole far more safe than shooting under the flipper, but I own a Metallica.... I'm used to that far left side shot.

*Edit* Uh, this is in terms of trying to get a high score or tourney win only.

172 is awesome. That's a tourney winner right there.

Yeah, I know the vast majority of people don't like shooting the left side hole to start modes....for whatever reason for me, it's what works. I can't shoot under the flipper to save my life for a mode start, but for GAT modes? NO PROBLEM....explain that one.

During Vengeance MB, just shoot spinner and warps. Not worth many points. Klingon multi ball can be huge points. Make sure to combo the super jackpot for 40M!

Agreed. You can get 10m for getting the last shot on a combo but you can more than that for playing any mode. I don't know why scoring is so low in that multiball but huge in Klingon multiball. Once I got over 40m just by getting a lot of shots on combos - no super jackpot or multipliers. It's very hard for me to get to the super jackpot. I think I only did it once.

How do you combo the super jackpot for 40 mil?

You probably can't since you'd rather stay with old code.

Seriously though, it's just one shot chained into another in most cases. Like if the jackpot was at the vengeance, you'd shoot say left ramp then the VG. Or right ramp then the VG. If the jackpot is at the warp ramp, you'd shoot the left orbit then the warp ramp.

Thanks for the response man!

Talking about the combo 2x in general. I don't know if that specific shot is roving or not, because frankly, I don't pay that much attention to it, even if I have gotten there. I take the points where I can get them, which is usually me doing two 3-in-a-rows at once, then going to Kobiyashi and Warp 9.9.

Once they nerfed the Prime Directive 3 exploit, combos became a lot less important to me.

I think there are more points to be had with warps and working way up to double scoring. Once near Warp 9.1 or 9.9, I usually wait until Klingon mb, new mode, or Kobiyashi Maru. With ball save on, I'll shoot Vengeance but its a pretty dangerous shot and tend to drain out fast from that multi ball. Like you said in the grand scheme of things, not worth a ton. However, double scoring stacked into something mentioned above is huge points. Just my thought.