I was thinking if you could add an option in co-op mode *not get extra balls* (not sure if it does). But it just seems redundant to me if you are playing a 6,9 or 12 ball game to have extra balls. Plus if they are given for destroying the third reactor you could have an extra ball if a player makes just one shot if it was all teed up for that player.

Note I am not sure if the extra balls rules are the same during co-op but to me it would make more sense just to eliminate all extra balls (or have option to disable extra balls when in co-op).

I love co-op mode but to me just seems like it would make more sense if one player just steps right in as soon as the prior player drains and not have the reward of extra balls since you already have a big advantage in number of balls played.

Awesome thanks will play tonight

For vs mode I think you press and hold when you are adding additional players. Not sure exactly but there is an onscreen prompt that spells it out. You have to press and hold the start button when you start a new game.

Im pretty sure there are no EBs awarded during Co-Op mode.

This is correct.

TNA 408 (born Nov 8, arrived Nov 29) can't keep the ball flat for a full game (slo-mo video attached). At power level 4 the slings launch the ball into the glass, sides, apron, plastics...everywhere but the playfield. I've tried white rubbers with moderate success, the next step being black when I'm able to find some. As shown in the attached pic, the kicker arm also pulls the rubber down instead of pushing out, creating a springboard. I'm hopeful that washers under the star posts will help align these in a less hazardous way.

While I'm finally on my way to fixing this issue, I have advice for any other "first and only" pinball purchasers out there:

Don't dump your budget into just buying and shipping a new machine. Expect to go out of pocket to get it running.

As well, if any recent owners are having playfield chipping issues I recommend contacting Spooky or your supplier directly.

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Great!!

You rock~

Co-op is the bomb. My 11 daughter has 4 friends over tonight and I have 5 pins and TNA is the only one getting played. Also my wife played about 5 co-op games with me tonight and she admitted she likes TNA. I did not know Scott was good at creating family bonding. Amazing! Happy New Year everyone!

Damn I want a AFMRLE Now.

does anyone have the instructions to install the side light rail kit?

I got the kit and powerball for Christmas. No instructions.

Go to the ordering site, he's got pictures.
https://www.hookedonpinball.com/store/p115/Total-Nuclear-Annihilation-TNA-Side-Rail-Illumination-Kit-Pinball-Mod.html

Yeah, it is super annoying!

Basically
- Pull the glue out of the button holes. I used a tiny flathead screwdriver.
- Unscrew all of the wood screws on the side rails. Don’t freak out, it is easy.
- Gently lift out the side rail, and clean all he crap off of it from the laser cutting.
- Put the light in, mind the screw holes, one ends up going through the non-powered plastic of the light. Make sure it looks good before you peel the adhesive.
- Push the wires all the way back into the back box crevice between the cabinet and head.
- Optional: I ran mine through the existing wire tubing to keep it as clean as possible.
- Plug it into the aux power port pictured on the Hooked On Pinball site.

This is great as I could have used this. Be careful when lifting head the first time not to pull on the wires, I learned the hard way, 2nd set was a charm. I did however give up on the ghost back lighting as after 2 sets could not get them to work 100%. Would love to see how you guys with this mod were able to get the wires off the light cards to bend and not get jacked up.

I just went though and made some additional switch adjustments to my TNA...huge improvement. I would also say it makes a big difference in the difficulty of the game. Setting the switches in the reactor area very tight, makes increasing the reactor value and overheating the reactors quite a bit easier. I also set the RAD targets tight and have probably doubled the number of Mystery awards since making the adjustment. I had a hard time going to bed last night, because I kept wanting to play one more game. Reactor 6 must be destroyed!

I had done some tightening of switches in the Core earlier in the week but noticed they were starting to machine-gun a little. Watch out for that. I had to open mine back up a bit. I also adjusted my RAD targets to be a little closer and they've been much better - easier but not too easy. My 1-2-3 targets have been pretty good from the factory, as have the lower playfield slings.

I've had a couple failures recently of the lower drop target going down. I hit it well enough to knock the ball back and drop the middle target, but both balls pile up on the lower one, which hasn't gone down. I'll have to take a look at that mechanism and see how it works.

Just cleaned and waxed her this morning - she's playing fast now!

I had the same experience. Took a bit of playing to get them perfect.

This is totally normal behavior. If you have 2 balls locked and you barely hit the release target and it knocks the ball back and drops the middle target, it will let the first locked ball fall in with the 2nd. Nothing is wrong there as you can release both the same exact way. I was going to make a random award for this, but its unfair since it cannot be done on purpose.
--Scott

Are both slings pointed down like that? Compare it to the slingshots in the core to see how they're pointing, but that doesn't seem correct to me. At that angle I'd imagine they're throwing the ball down into the playfield which is then bouncing up. Hopefully Spooky can help you with sorting that one out.

Anyone having issues with slings, before you start making physical changes, try the new beta code. Scott changed the way it's handling the pwm on those coils and given the range a LOT more flexibility.

I just threw balls at the slings as hard as I could from across the playfield and couldn't get an airball (factory default setting of 14)... I personally think they feel weak at that setting, but to each his own. I'd rather have the game kicking my ass like I'm accustomed!

You can quote me on this... "Pinball, is really ****ing hard. Really.".

I have the beta on my machine and though I only had time for 3-4 games this morning after loading it, it did seem a lot smoother. I don't think I had any air balls at all and, at least in my case, the slings seemed equally as snappy as before.

I can understand not doing random rewards, but I would love to see some more animations or crazy call-outs when stuff like this happens that you can detect in the code. Think of the Dan Forden "Toasty!" in the bottom right hand corner of Mortal Kombat II. That stuff is pure joy when the randomness happens.

All five slingshots push the rubber down as shown in the photo. Not as dramatic in the core slings, but still enough to throw the ball out. The slomo video shows the upward launch path, but some are definitely bouncing hard down first.

Will test the updated beta code and report back, hopeful for some positive results.

Check the voltage of the 48V power supply while your at it.

Beta code helped, but didn't solve my sling issue. I can see how the code improvements will be beneficial, seems less sharp but equally powerful. Punchier.

Adding washers to raise the height and switching to black rubber (white up top) allowed for my first complete game since it arrived.

If you've got a nasty case of airballs (and I mean NASTY), this should keep them grounded.

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That all seems a bit excessive. Did you try and update to the latest beta version and adjust the sling power to prevent the airballs without the washers?
--Scott

I tried the software update before adjusting the hardware. Balls still bounced around…the sling kicker arms on my machine push down unusually hard on the rubber rings, creating a springboard effect and sending them airborne even at low speed.

Adding the washers aligns the kicker to push the rubber outward. I agree, it is very excessive.

Photo and video posted here:

Isn't the TNA designed and built using standard parts for the slings?

Here's a few more angles, let me know if it looks high compared to anyone else's. There's one on location I'll be checking out on Saturday as well.

I'm honestly just glad it's not trying to kill itself anymore.

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I am wondering if you have the wrong length coil stop in your slings?

Your issue is unique to your game and seems like something with the physical hardware. Slings are all prebuilt and spooky just installs them on a game.

Get us some pics of your slings from below. pull off a coil and lets get a look at a stop, etc...

I hope these pics are useful, sorry I can't measure the coil stop.

I'm done pulling this thing apart for now…it's been here 35 days and this is the closest it's been to operational. Time for a thorough test.

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Everything looks good too me. Not sure what to tell you other than turn down sling power in settings and play the snot out of it. Game will slow down a little after 100 plays

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my only other advice would be to adjust your sling leaf switches.

Maybe either going to a tighter gap or larger gap will help you get through the break in period quicker.

From what I see, all appears normal and nothing different about your game. Air balls are pretty common on any brand new game with a clearcoat playfield.
The game will be quick and fast action which will cause air balls.

Over time things will settle in.

The physical adjustments (washers/rubbers) appear to have minimized the issue, it'll get a hearty flip this weekend

Thanks for your advice and assistance.

Cheers! Such a blast of a game!

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TNA Code Update!!!

It is finally here in all of its glory. Version 1.3.0 with many new features and bug fixes. Please see the change log below. The code can be downloaded from the link below as well. As always, let me know if you encounter any issues with the software and I can address them. Enjoy!

CHANGE LOG:
###########################################################################
v1.3.0 - 01/03/2019 - Scott Danesi

## Bugs Fixed ##
- Fixed default coil pulse time in coil test
- Fixed video lag in Burn Test
- Tweaked orbit sound effects
- Fixed issue where the shaker would not always start on critical
- Fixed sensitivity on drop error messages, they will appear less frequently
- Fixed ball save callout, now happens on SDTM shots out of the scoop
- Spelling error fixed in service mode
- Adjusted attract lightshow timings to make the transitions more smooth
- Fix put in place for ball tracking issue, once again...
- Fixed hangup on bringing reactor 3 critical!
- Fixed false positive credit dots. Now waits until 10 failures to throw the dot
- Made another attempt at fixing the extra ball getting thrown in play on certain machines during ball save
- Fixed issue with some 10 letter initials getting cut off

## Features Added / Modifications ##
- Added Beacon Test in service menu
- Added sound effects for high score entry
- Added dedicated high score reset utility in the server mode preserving other audits
- Top score entry for Co-Op games added
- Left gate now opens during attract mode when clearing balls out of the shooter lane
- Updated indication lightshows for when locked balls are waiting and multiball ready
- Massive restructuring of flipper handling logic, now runs stronger and cooler
- Credit Dot and Error Report added to the service menu
- Clear Coin Audits added
- Adjusted High Score initials down slightly for easier viewing
- Added Balls Saved audit
- Ability to disallow tilts when ball is in the shooter lane
- RAD target destroy selection logic updates based on Reactor Difficulty Setting
- Easy Reactor Setting - RAD targets not selected for Reactors 1-3
- Medium Reactor Setting (Default) - RAD targets not selected for Reactors 1-2
- Hard Reactor Setting - RAD targets not selected for Reactor 1
- Brutal Reactor Setting - RAD targets can be selected for all reactors
- Completely restructured how the slings are handled to reduce airballs

###########################################################################
Software Download and Instructions: www.tnapinball.com

Thanks Scott!!!

Where am I going to find 489 3.5 floppy disks?

Thanks Scott! #bestkind

Seems good to me. First time on reactor 4, I also nailed the pesky "D" target first try. Not sure how you made that shot easier with the new code, but I enjoy it.

Thank you Scott!

I think a cool mystery award to add (if it's not already there) would be to reset the locks (when applicable).

it's in there, doesn't come up often, but it's in there.

I can second this. It's there and is one of the better rewards IMHO. I may need to re-level my game because resetting that last drop target can be a drain monster.

Yep, already in there. Called "Light Locks".

A couple ideas for Mystery awards, though they may be too unbalancing, might be setting the reactor critical if it is started, and relighting the hands-off rollover so you could maybe hand-plunge it during a multiball.

What would be really cool would be a Settings option to add strings to the Joke Awards. Then you could localize the machine a bit, like "Remove all DAG High Scores" or oddball things like that. That would be fun

I think Scott designed it that way, I have the same thing. I usually try a well timed nudge to avoid the issue.

I’ve never encountered that one.

I want the warp to reactor 9 to be real. Probably the only way I'll see the end of the game.

Oooh, fancy new website URL!

Though I must say that it seems like this game specific support stuff should be hosted on Spooky's website (www.spooky.com). But it appears to be a static webpage from approx. 1997

I guess they lack an appropriate technical resource to keep their site current.

Zidware and Dutch Pinball have nice websites.

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