Quoted from Nokoro:Here's my latest skill in need of improvement: I watch videos where really good players seem to readily be able to save a ball heading to the outlane. For me, it is often deer in headlights mode where I freeze up and just hope that it bounces off a post. At other times, when I think about nudging, I'm often flummoxed about how exactly to nudge. Should I nudge up in the hopes that the post catches the ball and bounces it out? That does work sometimes, but not always. Does it depend upon the game? Any tips would be greatly appreciated.
Successful nudging is more about timing than which direction, or how much you move the machine. Ideally you want to nudge just as the ball hits a post or whatever else you want it to bounce off. You want the ball to bounce stronger as there is more of a chance it will bounce out of danger than if it just dribbled around the lanes. Since you are using a machine that weighs hundreds of pounds to hit a little steel ball, it doesn't take a big move to get a reaction from the ball. A sharp smack straight down on the lock down bar at the right time is often all you need.
Best way to deal with the outlines is to keep the ball away from them in the first place. Don't let the ball just take a lazy bounce off the top of the sling into danger. Give the machine a sharp nudge as soon as the ball makes contact with the sling or anything in the lane area. Ideally it pops out to the middle of the playfield and stays away from the lanes. Hoping for an inlane leads to collect bonus about half the time.
