I'm in too!

And I'll start a topic: do you have a favorite jewel mission? Mine is Ali Baba - there's something really satisfying about hitting the left targets and having it ricochet up to hit the right targets. There's always a sense of accomplishment when I spell SESAME.

Just curious if anyone has ever thought to make plastic or rubber covers for the skill shot baskets. I always worry about metal-on-metal contact damaging the balls and the TOTAN skill shot can be really brutal.

My mod wishlist:

1. Color DMD
2. Mirror blades
3. Sword handle shooter (made for LOTR, but makes more sense on a TOTAN)
4. Bazaar light (red, I think)

How would one mount that cobra on a TOTAN skill shot?

Thought I'd share the progress on my TOTAN cabinet re-design. I love that the playfield graphics are based on the Art Nuveau paintings of Alphonse Mucha, but I wish the cabinet art followed through on that style. So I've decided to create new designs - so far, I've got a good handle on the backbox decals and I'm mostly done with a new translite. Please keep in mind that these are still works in progress:

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There are about eight places on my machine where the ball gets stuck (I was actually getting ready to post about this and still might). A light ramp shot will get stuck right on the outer curve and I find it infuriating. Sorry, besides playing with the pitch, I don't have a solution - I'm just glad I'm not alone in my frustration.

I thought I'd post another in-progress update of my Mucha-inspired cabinet redesign. I decided that the translite I was working on would look better as the side cabinet art. Next, I'm thinking of drawing three baskets on the right with a lamp on top of one and the smoke coming out would spell the title of the game. The foliage is just a place holder but it may find a permanent place.

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I just got my custom shooter rod and installed it last night! It was designed by Pinsider pinball_customs for a Stern LOTR, but I asked him to paint it purple for my TOTAN. I think it's a perfect fit for this game!

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Thanks! Made it myself. It's the first part of a complete cabinet re-design that I hope to do on my own machine and then sell to a manufacturer.

Here's what I do when I get to the Genie Battle:

1. Focus your shots on the red Shooting Star targets above the left slingshot. They're the closest golden symbol to the flippers and often the easiest to hit. Work on backhanding that shot from the left flipper and rolling it up off the right flipper. If you miss, you might send the ball through the left orbit, scoring another golden symbol. If you hit it just right, it will ricochet off the targets (or another ball) and hit the right targets, between the Harem and the Genie for a double-hit.

2. Keep as many balls on the playfield as you can, even if that means cradling, flailing or sending a ball somewhere that doesn't advance the bottle. More balls in motion = more chance at productive hits. And it also means less time dealing with the plunger.

3. Re-plunging balls is what makes Genie Battle really challenging and the best advice I can give is to just choose your moments. Wait to plunge only when all the balls are in the back of the playfield or safely away from the flippers and outlanes. Let the saucer, Harem, Bazaar and shooting star ball savers be your friends, holding a ball for a moment and letting you get another one back in the game.

*swoon*

Cointaker's LED kit has beautiful color without over-saturating the playfield. They have warm whites for the slingshots and their frosted purple and pink bulbs give off a bright, subtle color. The more vivid colors are left for the inserts and around the edges and back of the table.

Frosted orange LED's behind the flying horse and flying carpet plastics. Makes it look like a sunset on the horizon.

I've designed some, I have the 3D printable files and I've shown them around to mod-makers but no one is interested in making them. I think the problem is materials - silicone is too expensive to print and other materials are too brittle for high- impact areas.

For now, tubing is still the best bet.

Yes - check under the playfield. There should be a coil with a retracting post that comes up at certain points in the game to deflect the ball into the pops, rather than making a full orbit.

Sinbad & the Rocs is tough without that post - the ball can just whiz by without hitting any pops.

I was able to position the wire leading from the Genie targets down under the playfield, so they block the ball from catching on the "treasure" plastic. It's one of the three or four places that should have a post installed to prevent stuck balls.

Here's mine.

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I learned quickly that the fastest way to start an argument on Pinside is to say something positive about TOTAN. It's my all-time favorite game, but there are some serious haters out there.

LEDs really make her sparkle and there are alternate translites. Also, a speaker upgrade and interactive saber topper are available. I also love my sword-handle shooter rod. Personally, I think the skeleton and treasure chest mods are overpriced.

I use a de-greasing water-based cleaner during my twice-a-year cleanings. It also helps to change balls regularly and make sure to clean the subway - the ball can pick up a lot of grime down there.

Same goes for the lamp post rubbers, which also tend to get dirty fast.

Well... $#%*

Anyone else have this problem? Anyone else try this solution?

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This is my second skillshot assembly and I'm not eager to buy a third. My game came with the ridges below two targets broken off. If The rivets give way, I'll switch to screws and locknuts.

The bottle is a key fob and the dagger covers the ramp diverter coil to the right of the Genie (it points toward the player).

Yep - my mistake. The round one goes on the game.

Nice! This is a game that looks good with a lot of color - mine has purple GI along the back edges, red in the Harem, orange in the back panel and blue towards the front. I like soft white in all my slingshots. My playfield lights match the inserts, except for the BAZAAR row - starting with the orange "make a wish" insert, it goes yellow, green, blue, purple, pink, red.

I like the idea of Comet's fire bulbs in the three wish lights and bay be in the carpet insert in front of the ramp. Red flashers look good by the scoop and the captive ball.

The sides are obstructed by ramps on the left and the skillshot on the right, but I don't regret installing mirror blades on mine. Especially with colored LEDs - it makes the whole game brighter and it's easier to keep track of the ball in the pops area. Consider a ColorDMD as well. Yours looks like a beaut!

Just checked mine and it doesn't have the hole. Where can I find the serial number? I suspect mine was made later in the production run.

Mine are original white bats with purple Superbands.

Mine's a little off-center too but I always thought it was a little melted. The previous owner left it in the sun.

Yep. My original is bent in the same direction at about the same degree.

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The bazaar protector and genie magnet rings are musts (even though the genie ring causes crazy air balls and the scoop protector tends to get bent out of shape). I've had problems with the orb hole and tiger magnet protectors staying in place and got rid of them when I was finally sick of fishing them off the playfield and sticking them back in place. I never bothered with the ramp patches - messing up those expensive ramps is too risky and mine showed no sign that they were needed.

Last night I checked my playfield pitch - the manual recommends 6.5 degrees and mine was at 6.4. As an experiment, I adjusted it to 6.7 and am loving it! No more balls flying off the ramp and getting stuck in the corner! No balls getting stuck on the magnet Cliffy! Faster play in general!

The only persistent problem I was hoping to solve was that when a weak ramp shot spirals back, the ball drops into the pops, rather than onto the right "snake" ramp.

I just got one! It's pretty cool. Easy to install, comes with a clear plastic stand and instructions. I switched mine out to color LED's. I recommend getting velcro spots to keep it in place. It does everything the seven jewel lights between the flippers do - sword progress as well as other light shows. It stands about 6" from the top of the backbox (I have clearance issues where mine is placed, so that was an issue for me)

I only have two minor complaints: the jewel colors on the sword don't match the corresponding colors on the playfield (which also don't match my ColorDMD). For example, "Cyclops" is blue on the playfield, green on the sword (and kind of a turquoise on the ColorDMD).

Also, I realize that it's a specialty item, there's a specific niche demand and they're probably hand-assembled, but I was expecting something a little more substantial for the price. It looks beautiful installed when viewed from the flippers, but holding it up close, it's a lightweight plastic sword. It's meant to be looked at from a distance.

If you like color and being dazzled by a good light show, the sword topper adds a lot of interest and movement to the periphery of your view while playing. I'd certainly recommend it over those etched lucite toppers.

Oh! Yes, I thought you meant the sword topper.

I love my mirror blades for the extra light they reflect back onto the playfiled, but be aware that the effect is different from other games - the high ramp on the left and the skill shot the right of TOTAN tend to block that "doubling"effect you get on most other games.

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

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I recommend mirror blades, ColorDMD and the interactive sword topper. All are easy to install and look great.

Check the switch metric for odd connections - I once replaced my ramp standup target and accidentally wired it backwards, which caused the left ball save to fire at weird times. Have you replaced any parts or re-wired anything recently?

The TOTAN ball saves run on an opto switch, so it might be wax or dust on the playfield setting it off. Make sure the clear inserts and the lenses under the shooting star plastics are unobstructed.

I never understood this. Why not just put a blue flasher bulb in the Genie and get the same effect for $1.25?

I put a red bulb in my Genie and I like the effect even better.

Have you ever been to a pool at night, when it's completely dark out but the lights inside the pool are on and the water is still? It's an eerie, mysterious glow beneath the glassy surface. That's the same feeling looking down onto a TOTAN playfield. Pinstadiums are great in some games (might get them for my Baywatch) but I wouldn't want them in my TOTAN.

Mine is set up with double rings by the pop bumpers, against the ball lock rail.

Sometimes my ball moves too fast and the magnet doesn't catch it. In that case, the game is expecting the subway switch to close and, when it doesn't, it posts an error. It usually goes away after the next successful catch.

That's really cool!

And it settles a long-standing debate: the TOTAN lamp was designed to be symmetrical.
A lot of our original lamps have a slight kink in the base causing them to lean slightly to one side. Must have been a production issue.

That happens to me sometimes. I got it to go down the subway correctly 95% of the time by unscrewing the subway support screws right after the entrance a little bit. Not the one at the very end, but the two Further down the playfield. Just enough the pitch the ramp downwards a bit more.

Guys, I’ve owned my TOTAN for six years and yesterday I discovered something I’ve never seen before.

For the first time ever I made three Tiger Loops in a row and it gave me a special fanfare and point bonus. I also think there was a graphic on the DMD, but it happened really fast.

Has anyone come across this?

That's a danger of a gentle ramp shot. It's one of the 8 places where balls regularly get stuck on my machine.

It does not.

Mine’s at 6.7 degrees - slightly higher than the manual recommends.

My last words will be “Don’t take less than $6500.”

Scheherazade is the only timed mode. If you can hit all five Golden Symbol shots and collect the jewel in 40(?) seconds, you can earn a 1M point bonus. If the timer runs out before all five shots are completed, the ramp will light and you can collect the jewel for whatever value you accumulated.

Correct. After you hit the first shot, you can cash out and collect the jewel (hence the ramp lighting). The best strategy, if you’re going for the 1M bonus, is to hit the ramp last. This will count as the “star” shot and collect the jewel at the same time. Or you can hit the ramp first, then the other four shots and then the ramp again to collect, but that’s one more shot to make in 40 seconds.

During the mode, you can hit the same shots over and over, to increase the jewel value, even though that doesn’t help you towards the bonus. That’s why the golden symbol lights don’t stop flashing until the timer runs out.

You’ll notice that when you hit one of the shots, the Genie names a symbol associated with that shot. From left to right it’s Sun, Moon, Star, Daggar and Lightning Bolt. You can see each of those symbols in the artwork on each golden symbol insert. You’ll also see those same symbols on the blue bonus inserts in the same order, from bottom to top. During the mode, when you hit a shot, its corresponding symbol on the bonus ladder will start flashing, which is how you keep track of the shots you need.

When you do complete the mode within the time limit, you’ll hear a short trumpet fanfare and the DMD will show “1 Million Bonus!” (Or something similar, it’s been a while for me). It’s very quick and sometimes doesn’t show at all if a higher-priority graphic comes up.

.

I have mirror blades and I rather like them! The high ramps and the skill shot mostly cover them, but they do brighten the playfield a bit.

Over in the Baywatch Club, someone was having trouble with the right side kickout hole not launching the ball correctly and discovered that the ball was sitting weird when it fell in. The plunger was hitting the ball off center and causing problems when it shot out.

Maybe something like that is happening on TOTAN? They were able to create a thin shim for Baywatch and stuck it to the inside wall of the hole to narrow the space and ensure that the ball was getting hit correctly.

Looks like you're missing the ball guide for the right of the ramp, but that attaches to the two posts with yellow sleeves. There used to be a few Pinsiders who sold those, but I don't see any on the Marketplace now. Someone drilled those two holes in your ramp - those shouldn't be there.

Also, that plastic piece behind the Genie that covers the gap between the two ramp segments isn't in the original design. Someone did some serious modding on your game.

The left option will always be Collect Jewel - there's no way around it. The rule at my house is to take the right-flipper option, unless you have the ruby.

Once I've collected the jewels and battled the Genie, my goal for the rest of the game is to max out the bonus and get the multiplier up to 12X.

You don't go for the cow?

As soon as you get to the bazaar, hit both flippers to skip past the animation. If you do that four times, the reward is a new cow (and 1M points).

I just figured it out after playing a lot - it is a bit confusing at first, since the game doesn’t make it obvious. I can’t recall what the on-screen graphic is, but the game should give you a little ascending fanfare when you get the Scheherazade bonus.

Here’s a previous post, outlining details about Scheherazade mode.
The bonus fanfare is the same one you get when you hit the Tiger Loops award.

I’ve had my TOTAN for ten years and have played thousands of games and just got my third-ever “Move Your Carpet!” callout.

I had started Flying Carpet when I shot a left orbit, followed by a ramp shot (diverted to the left) when it played. I’m not sure if that specific sequence of shots triggers it or if it’s really just random, but I’m eager to test it out.

Also of note: the swooping flying carpet graphic showed on the display, but it wasn’t colorized by the ColorDMD.

Just wait until you see Harem Sneak In 3!

It’s rare in real life for the ball to fall onto the right ramp like that. It happens, but only when the ball is moving at a specific velocity.