Well, if you get sick of it, i know gonefishin would probably be interested.

Congrats on what i believe is a monster first game? I've only played a well worn TSPP in a dark bar with the GI out, so i couldn't do jack-squat for a score.

Sorry, but getting to AI isn't extremely difficult. I'm not a great player and I kind of suck at TSPP, and I've gotten there. 200M is a good score though. As you said, there's tons to do. Give it a little time and study the rulesheet.

It depends on what the adjustments are set to as well. Theres adjustments for how and when the garage opens,how you light tv mode and how or when locks are lit that can be a real pain if you want it to be. I have gotten to AI level 3 but never finished it.

Aw, man. I should have checked here before I left to pickup the SoF translite from you. I would have begged you for a quick game, Robert. I haven't yet got the multi-ball on SoF, but my brother has.

I agree with those that mentioned it's all in the settings. Hell, if you've got the game set to 5 ball it would be VERY easy to reach AI.

Tournament mode makes it easier for Invasion since the software will award light TV Mode as the Mystery Award (given away when the garage is entered if the award was lit by hitting the red target on the mini playfield) unless the clock is running low (in which case it will award more time) or light TV has been lit 3 or 4 times in succession through the mystery award. Invasion itself can be quite difficult to complete but I think it depends a lot on the difficulty of the game itself. How many balls brick out of the garage into the pops? Do balls pop back out of I&S often or do they settle in nicely? I completed it two times in a row once and haven't done it since. I need to tune up my machine though too.

Did you get to the Mode where the Flipper Button's are Crossed ? Rob , You Must be an Exceptional Pin Player to do All that on ball 1.. Just Rem- When you Tire of it , there are Other's interested. And the Pin is a Beauty too.. The Top Score on TSPP was 500K , have you beat that yet ?

The yellow board at the back indicates which modes have been started, completed, are running, and what is up next. To reach Alien Invasion, all you have to do is start each mode. Completing each mode is another objective.

I would reset to factory and turn on competition mode. Very easy and easy is to easy but maybe ok for your son. You can get to AI from the mini playfield alone and you dont have to relight otto etc.

DeVIL-- If you Type any smaller , I'm Gonna have to get my Read-n Glasses...

I find that some of my best games are my first for whatever reason. When I first picked up Flash I scored 576k, while that's probably nothing for a lot of you - I haven't been able to beat that score yet. It's kind of annoying, because when I scored it I didn't realize the significance of the score, so I wasn't exactly excited. I had sort of the same feeling as Robert, "well that was easy".

As far as TSPP - I've only gotten the chance to play on a poorly maintained machine with weak flippers. On that game the couch shot was practically impossible. The game has so much to do, a lot of times I was at a loss on where to start - but starting modes on that particular game was a real challenge since the upper flippers weren't working properly..

No, AI isn't particularly difficult to start, all you have to do is start all of the TV modes. Finishing it isn't so easy. I'd argue that the second most difficult mode to start apart from SDEWM is Pretzel Multiball. For the record, I've achieved neither!

Heheh, sorry. The way I quote somehow screws up the text that I write.

Alien Invasion!!! Congrats, the best I've done was 5 TV modes with a score of 25 million.

I've got a ToM I'm looking to trade for a TSPP

No, and there is the reason you are getting AI so easily. Normally you need to hit the Crusty spinner and loop to enable a TV mode to start again. After hitting the spinner/loop, you then need to open and enter the garage or hit the treehouse ramp to get back to the upper playfield, and get the ball under the TV to start another mode. And of course you have to do this while you are also trying to complete the currently running mode(s).

You need to reset the game back to factory settings and give it some play that way.

That's TV Difficulty set to "extra easy". The prior owner may have at some point installed extra easy or easy on the game making lots of things easier than they "should" be (of course, that's why there are adjustments). If I were you I'd just to an install factory (don't have to do a factory reset if you don't want) and see what you think from there.

And yes, the 2nd time through an "extra easy" setting it advances to "easy" which is "lit at ball start, but have to shoot spinner lane to relight". "Easy" is actually the default setting for tv modes.

Extra easy is sooooooo easy lol. Install factory and if thats to hard, was for me, add competition mode. I also add 3 second ball save cause the default is off which is a SOB. I cant shoot that right orbit to save my life, I always hit Bart or I&S instead.

Man up and get those TV setting changed, no wonder it was so easy to get to AI Haha

I've got mine set to defaults but 6 sec ball saver. Best score is 155mil. No wonder why you thought it was way too easy. Even couch multi ball is hard to get a 2nd time, as you have to hit the 2 standUps to lite the lock for each ball.

Am I missing something about pretzel multi ball? How can you earn Cletus kids on purpose? It seems like the only way to get them is to fail at shooting through the garage to the VUK.

Yeah, if you shoot the left orbit from the right flipper up through the jet bumpers it awards a Cletus kid. I think you need 27 for Pretzel Multiball..

My rbion was set on easy by the previous owner, same thing, had Atlantis lit on first ball. Turned it off before it started, as I didn't want to spoil it for when I really got there.

On default, with having to relight the modes, AI still isn't too hard to get to, but it's only one of many mini wizard modes. I've only completed it 3 times though, key is to really focus on the mini PF early in each phase.

TSPP gameplay is like chess compared to checkers for other machines.

its a great game that really grew on me, congrats and enjoy.

Isn't it I&S, Otto, Garage, TV, and couch? I can't remember either, even after watching Bowen's vid a dozen times - I always will get up to one more TV mode for AI, and then drain uncontrollably - doesn't matter if it's ball 1 or if I have an extra ball, pretty much game over for me when I get close to starting AI, haha.

TSPP is such a great pin and my first!!!!

Getting that fifth and final ball locked to complete AI is exponentially harder than locking the fourth ball. I've only completed it once. It is incredibly nerve racking, like stopping the powerplant from exploding. AI not too difficult to get to, nearly impossible to defeat.

The first handful of times I played TSPP I thought it was rather easy as well. Boy was I wrong.

This was my first pin too. I got it in November, have it set to 5 ball with ball saver, and still have yet to break 100M. I cant count the number of times I've gotten everything set up for AI on my 5th ball, and then drained it....Doh! That's what is so great though...I don't want to own pins that I get bored with because they are too easy. I have been playing pinball for over 30 years and think this is the best game ever made. I want to start getting some PF mods now....there are plenty out there for it. Anyone know if they are still making the light up Moe's sign?

I cant break 100M either! I just finished a game, 3 ball+fact setting+comp mode+3 second ball save and ended at 80M. That was probably the best game I've played on any pinball machine and only a lowly 80M. I got to AI, mystery spot, nuke disaster, multiball with I&S before ball 2 thanks to a few extra balls lol.

Don't feel bad Winball_Pizard, my best game is 70.5 million. It was a pretty long game too, but if you don't hit the right shots at the right times, the points don't come very easily.

To get a good score on TSPP you have to get double scoring lit on multiple shots and complete TV modes for victory laps. If you can get those things lined up, keep the clock running and start a multiball or two, you can score a million or more for shots all over the playfield—it adds up real quick. Playing for Invasion isn't really the best way to get a big score, Invasion itself is only worth like 20M if you complete it IIRC.

I think I need to re re re-read the rules again lol

The first repeat pin I've owned. Great game.

All last balls in any of the AI stages can be locked anywhere I believe, including the 5th. My highest is 220M, and still that had I believe only 3 of the mini wizard modes completed. I'm still no where near reaching the end.

It's a tough thing to do, as you can't just cradle a second ball and hold it, as you need both flippers to make this combination shot. The game's depth just goes on and on. I just had a 114m game, but couldn't lock the 5th ball on AI.

Have you done the reversed flipper Mystery Spot yet? Cross your hands, makes it a lot easier.

Which is what I do, but that is the beauty, can't just coast with one flipper like you can on most games in multiball.

You have to really think out and accurately shoot ever shot as well. If you fling around the ball and don't take your time, I find game times are about as long as others. When you really concentrate, and plan every shot, that is when I get the 100M-200M+ games.

The machine is a powerhouse.