Guns N' Roses (Data East, 1994) VP8 v1.0
by Jamin
IPD No. 1100
Rules:
by Jamin
IPD No. 1100
Rules:
"Guns 'n Roses" Rules Sheet by Michael Dunn
Version 2.0 (August 21, 1994)
Changes From Version 1.0
Playfield Layout
Added trick to get credit for two Mini-Loop shots at once.
Plunger Awards
Added in effect of lighting 6th member, and how to launch the ball using the flippers.
The Ramps
Corrected the value of the ramps at Fun With Bonus.
Mystery Award
Added three awards.
Modes
Lots of changes here. Riot is now explained in full detail.
Multiball
Completed chart of jackpot values.
Other
Corrected how to relight the Kickback. Added info on the ball saver, the SNAKE sequence, and bumper scoring.
Strategies
Wrote some!
Thanx to Mark Phaedrus and Noel Steere for their help with this revision!
Introduction
These rules are based on version 2.00 CPU/2.00 Display.
Guns 'n Roses (GnR for short) is the Data East pin following "WWF Royal Rumble." It is a widebody machine, and has a tall plastic GnR logo on top of the backbox. The gameplay rules are pretty straightforward, following the trend of WWF, but there are more side awards to go for during the game than in WWF.
The distinctive feature of the game is the Rose Plunger, which is placed similarly to the left-side plunger in FunHouse. Its handle is made in the shape of a rose, which, along with the gun shaped autoplunger, ties in nicely with the GnR theme.
Playfield Layout
I'll start at the lower left corner and go clockwise.
Left Outlane
Has a kickback. When the kickback is on, the white light labeled "Patience" will be lit. This is the fairest kickback scoop I've ever seen! Since the kickback sends the ball up the middle of the board to the Bumpers, the outlane is only gently curved. There's rubber on the lane divider, and the outlane itself isn't huge, so nudging a ball out of the outlane is fairly easy to do.
Left Inlane
This lane lights the right ramp for a short time during normal play.
Left Drop Targets
These are placed above the Left Outlane. Their position is similar to the standups on TNG, but the drops are turned counterclockwise a bit to face the middle of the board, rather than the slingshot.
Upper Flipper
This flipper is in exactly the same spot as the upper flipper on Tommy, that is, at the entrance to the Left Orbit. It can hit the Captive Ball, Mini Loop, and the Center Scoop.
Left Orbit
This is only a half-orbit, since a ball shot up this lane will be deflected down to the Rollover Lanes by a one-way gate. There is a switch near the curved part of the Orbit, which you must hit to get credit for a shot to the Orbit.
Guitar
This is a saucer obscured from view by the big G Ramp. It's the mode start shot. If you duck down, you'll see that there is a very narrow metal lane that starts about halfway past the entrance to the G Ramp, which tries to guide the ball into the saucer. I've found that hard shots from the right flipper sometimes bounce out of the saucer. The ball is kicked into the Left Orbit and rolls to the Upper Flipper.
Captive Ball area
The ball rests to the left of the G Ramp entrance. It rolls up a short lane to a small round open area. Along the curved top wall of that area are the D-U-F-F standups. There is a slingshot in the left side of the area, and the left Bumper forms the right wall of the area. So, the ball can often stay up among the kickers for quite a while.
G Ramp
This ramp is made of light yellow plastic, molded in the shape of a "G". It's very steep, with a narrow entrance. It's the same width all the way around, so it doesn't have the problem of rejecting balls that WWF's left ramp had. The plastic loops above the Left Orbit, which unfortunately obscures the Guitar saucer and some of the mode lights. There are two globe lights above the entrance: the yellow light indicates the Ramp will feed the Rose Plunger, and the red light indicates the Ramp will award a mode jackpot. When the ball is not diverted to the Rose Plunger, it is fed to the Left Inlane.
Snake Pit
A green plastic bowl, placed above the curved part of the Left Orbit. Picture the Spinout skill shot in Taxi, move it to the other side of the board, and that's what the Pit looks like. The Rose Plunger sends the ball here. When the ball drops out, it lands in the orbit. The bottom of the bowl is fairly flat, so a full-strength plunge can send the ball spinning for quite a while.
Rollover Lanes (J-A-M)
These three lanes lead down to the Bumpers. The autoplunger/Right Hole habitrail drops the ball just above the lanes.
Bumpers
Three yellow bumpers. The left Bumper forms the right wall of the Captive Ball area. The ball exits the bumper area down the center-left of the board, and can roll anywhere between the left flipper and the left outlane.
Mini-Loop
This is a loop that is hit from the Upper Flipper. It runs past the right of the bumper area, then joins up with the Orbit and leads back to the Upper Flipper. There is a rollover switch about 1/4 of the way up the lane, which you must hit to get credit for a shot. Since there's only one switch in the loop, you can get credit for two shots if the ball is not hit completely around the loop but instead crosses the switch, stops, and rolls back over the switch again.
Center Scoop
This is a rather large scoop that can be hit from any flipper. The kickout sends the ball straight at the left flipper. A red globe light above the scoop lights when Mystery or a mode jackpot can be collected here.
R Ramp
This ramp is made of red plastic, in the shape of an R. It's easier to hit than the G ramp; in fact, backhanding it with the right flipper is not hard at all. The ball is always fed to the Right Inlane.
Right Hole
This is a saucer at the end of a long straight lane. It can be hit from either lower flipper. The ball is kicked up onto the autoplunger habitrail, which feeds the Rollover Lanes.
Right Orbit
Balls shot up the Right Orbit will travel all the way around to the left side, or fall to the Rollover Lanes if they were traveling slowly. Depending in the situation, you may have to shoot the entire orbit or just this side to collect an award.
Right Drop Targets
Similar to the targets on the left side.
Right Inlane
This lane lights the G Ramp for a short time during normal play.
Right Outlane
This lane has an adjustable post (with rubber) that can be moved sideways. Even if the post is all the way to the left, this outlane is pretty wide, so practice your nudging! Draining down this outlane during normal play awards an odd-change bonus called "Michelle."
Slingshots & flippers
Two of each, normal places.
Magnets
Whenever more than one ball is in play, the magnets will be active. There are three magnets, which can be activated independently (like the magnets in TAF).
Autoplunger
This is a silver gun. The trigger is used to launch balls and toggle the lock on the currently lit mode.
Rose Plunger
This manual plunger is on the left side of the cabinet. The ball is dropped here when the G Ramp is lit for Multiball start, Snake, or Super Snake. Plunging sends the ball spinning in the Snake Pit.
Globe status lights
There are four globe lights, one above each plunger, and two above the rules card. The gun plunger light is red, and is lit when the currently lit mode is locked. The Rose Plunger light is yellow, and flashes when the G Ramp will feed the ball to the plunger. There is a white light just above the rules card, which is lit when the current player has one or more extra balls. Finally, a red globe near the white one flashes when the Magnets are active.
Plunger Awards
There is no skill shot in GnR. Instead, you can choose from 4 awards at the start of each ball:
Add Member
Spots a band member. If you use this to spot the 6th band member, Multiball will start immediately, with 6 balls and the jackpots' base value at 50M.
Start Guitar Feature
Starts the currently lit mode.
Super Pops
Bumpers are worth 2M per hit for the rest of the ball.
Mystery Value
Gives a random award. See the section on Mystery for details.
These awards are always the same. Select the award you want with the flippers, and collect it by launching the ball. The lit award will also slowly cycle to the right if you don't press a flipper.
You can launch the ball by pulling the autoplunger trigger, or holding in the right flipper button and pressing the left flipper button. If you choose the second method, pressing the right flipper will change the award, but pressing the left won't.
The Ramps
During normal play, the G Ramp spots letters in "GUNS N" and the R Ramp spots letters in "ROSES". Your progress is shown by lights in the GnR logo in the center of the playfield.
Each shot to a ramp (whether or not you've completed the associated letters) is worth 5M. If the ramp was lit by the opposite Inlane, it's worth 10M. If you alternate the Ramps without missing, the value increases by 5M per hit until you miss. So you could shoot 4 ramps and get 10M, 15M, 20M, and then 25M. When a ramp's timer runs out, the value drops back to 10M.
When you light all 10 letters, a 50M hurry up stars. Shooting either ramp collects the current value of the hurry up and freezes the countdown for a few seconds. The round ends when the value reaches 30M.
Every shot to a ramp adds to your end of ball bonus: 200K for each G Ramp, and 100K for each R Ramp shot.
Mystery Award
The Center Scoop and autoplunger can award a Mystery Value, which is usually something good. Awards include: 25M, 50M, Super Kickback (unlimited kickback for the rest of the ball), 20x bonus, Super Pops (2M per hit for the rest of the ball), Mega Pops (3M per hit for the rest of the ball), extra ball, special, Multiball.
Light the Center Scoop by hitting the Mini-loop. It takes 2 loops to light the Scoop the first time, then 3 loops the second time, and so on. Choosing Mystery Value from the autoplunger will also increase the number of loops needed to light the Scoop. So, if you choose Mystery at the start of ball 1, you'll need 3 loops to light the Scoop the first time.
Each time you hit the Mini-loop, the display tells you how many more hits are needed to light the Scoop.
R-O-C-K
During normal play, completing the Left Drops spots "R" and "O", and the Right Drops spot "C" and "K" (that's one letter per completion). Spotting a letter is worth 10M. When you complete all four letters, a 100M hurry-up is lit at the Left Orbit. The value freezes while the ball is in the Bumpers, and times out at 20M.
If a mode ends while the ROCK countdown is still lit, you cannot start another mode until you collect ROCK or it times out.
Guitar Modes
GnR has 9 modes, plus the Wizard Bonus. At the start of the game, Matt Scoring will be lit. Each bumper hit moves the lit mode up one (skipping over completed modes, of course). During multiball, the lit mode does not change.
A really great and useful feature is the ability to "lock" to currently lit mode. When you lock the mode, it will not change when the Bumpers are hit. Pulling the autoplunger trigger toggles the lit mode between locked and unlocked. When the mode is locked, the red globe above the autoplunger lights.
At the start of each ball, and at the end of each mode, the currently lit mode is automatically unlocked. However, if you start a mode while it was locked, at the end of the mode, the globe light will remain lit even though the next mode is unlocked at first. (This has been fixed in later ROM revisions.) Pulling the trigger while a mode is running or during multiball has no effect.
In general, only one mode can run at one time. The exception is: if you hve a non-Multiball mode running and Coma is lit at the Right Hole, you can start Coma during the first mode. This not only makes both modes run simultaneously, it also effectively makes the first mode a Multiball mode, which can greatly increase scoring (especially in Matt Scoring).
You can also start Multiball at the Right Hole during a one-ball mode. Doing this does not affect the mode, but Multiball displays and animations take precedence over the mode's displays, so you'll have to rely on the playfield lights to know when the mode ends.
Another cool feature is the Double shot. When you start certain modes at the Guitar, shooting the Mini-loop increases the value of the mode (it isn't always a true doubling of the mode's value, though). The loop is only lit for a few seconds. Modes started from the autoplunger cannot be doubled.
During count-up and hurry-up modes, the count pauses when a bumper is hit, and remains paused for a few seconds after.
Extra Ball
Awards an extra ball, NQA. This can't be doubled.
Gilby Rolls
A video mode. The display shows a 3/4 overhead view of Gilby riding a motorcycle down a three-lane road. Steer the bike with the flipper buttons. Running down a pedestrian is worth 5M, and passing a car is 1M. Crashing into a car ends the mode. The mode also ends if you survive long enough. There is a string of about three pedestrians at the very end of the mode. (The sequence of cars and pedestrians is always the same.)
The Double shot is lit at the end of the mode. Hitting it doubles the point total.
After the mode ends, you will probably want to lock the next mode. The mode above Gilby is EB. If you've already collected that, the next mode is the high-scoring Axl 3 Ball. If you've collected THAT too, the next mode is Dizzy Ball, which is a bit tougher but still has high scoring potential.
Lite Coma
This doesn't immediately start a mode, it lights the Right Hole to start Coma.
Coma starts as a 2 ball multiball, with a jackpot of 10M. Each bumper hit adds 250K to the jackpot. Shoot the Right Hole to collect the jackpot. There's also a 20 second timer. Hitting the Right Hole before it runs out launches another ball into play.
Coma ends when the timer runs out and only one ball remains in play.
Double does not light for this mode.
Slash Solo
This is a count-up round. The value starts at 20M. Shoot either orbit (you only need to hit the switch in the Right Orbit) or the Mini-loop to collect the current value of the count-up. The mode ends when the count-up reaches 50M.
Shooting Double makes the count-up go from 40M to 100M. [Note: the values may differ on other ROM revisions.]
Matt Scoring
This mode's jackpot starts at 10M. Each switch scores 250K and adds 250K to the jackpot. Every few switch hits increases the switch value by 250K. Shooting the Left Orbit collects the jackpot and doubles the switch value. The mode lasts 20(?) seconds.
Hitting Double makes the switch value start at 500K.
Super Snake
A 50M hurry-up is lit at the G Ramp. Hitting the Ramp collects the hurry-up value and feeds the ball to the Rose Plunger. Each spin in the Snake Pit advances the display 1x-2x-3x. When the ball falls out of the Pit, you are awarded the hurry-up value multiplied by the lit multiplier.
The mode ends when the hurry-up counts down to 15M or you collect the points.
Hitting Double raises the hurry-up starting value to 100M.
Duff Rocks
You have 30 seconds to get 10 hits on the DUFF targets in the Captive Ball area. Doing so awards 100M.
Hitting Double raises the value to 200M.
Dizzy Ball
This is a 2 ball multiball. Each ramp hit scores 10M + 1M for each drop target hit. Hitting a ramp also increases the value of the next ramp by 1M. The ramp value has a maximum of 50M. The mode ends when one ball drains.
Hitting Double raises the initial ramp value to 20M.
Axl 3 Ball
This is a 3 ball multiball. The Center Scoop awards Mini-Jackpots, worth 10M plus 1M for each drop target hit, to a max of 30M. The mode ends when 2 balls drain.
Hitting Double raises the starting value of the jackpot to 20M.
Riot (Wizard Bonus)
This is a 6-ball multiball mode. The object is pretty simple: keep the balls in play as long as possible. :>
objective gives you and it's worth
40 switches "R" 40 million
60 switches "I" 60 million
80 switches "O" 80 million
120 switches "T" 100 million
Mini-Loop Riot Jackpot 1 billion!
In addition, hitting either ramp at any time scores 10M.
After collecting the Riot Jackpot, it starts over. You need more switches for each letter (I think the second "R" needs 140) and the letter value increases by 20M each time, with no maximum.
Each time you reach an objective, a ball is autoplunged (unless there are already 6 balls in play). The mode ends when only one ball remains in play. Matt Scoring will be lit after Riot ends.
Multiball
To light Multiball, hit the Right Hole to add band members to the stage. Each hit is worth 10M and adds one member. When you get 5 members on the stage, you have a choice. Shooting the Right Hole again will start a 6-ball Multiball with the jackpots starting at 50M. Shooting the G Ramp will send the ball to the Rose Plunger. Each spin in the Snake Pit advances the display 35M-65M-35M-65M-35M. The lit value when the ball falls out will be the base value of jackpots. 4 balls are then autoplunged.
Hitting a Ramp collects a jackpot and unlights the ramp. After you hit both ramps, the Right Hole is lit for a 100M jackpot. After you collect the 100M, another ball is launched and both ramps relight for jackpots. Hitting both ramps again lights the Right Hole for 100M. Once you collect the second 100M jackpot, another ball is launched and the Mini-loop is lit for the Super Jackpot, which starts at 250M and increases 1M for each bumper hit.
While the regular jackpots are lit, each switch adds 200K to the jackpot values.
If you drain all but one ball without hitting either Ramp, you can restart Multiball by hitting the G Ramp or the Right Hole. Jackpots are reset to their base value when Multiball is restarted.
For the first two Multiballs, the band members you collect are saved between balls. But starting with the third Multiball, you must collect all 6 on the same ball.
If, at the start of ball 3, you haven't started Multiball, it will be lit for you. However, the number of balls you will have and the base value of jackpots depends on how many band members you lit during balls 1 and 2.
At the start of ball 3, both Multiball start shots will be lit. The Right Hole will still add a band member before starting Multiball.
Here's a list of info regarding multiball when it's lit for you:
# members # balls Right Hole jackpot value G Ramp jackpot values
0 2 n/a 10M/40M
1 2 25M 15M/45M
2 2 30M 20M/50M
3 3 35M 25M/55M
4 4 40M 30M/60M
5 5 45M 35M/65M
6 6 50M n/a
Other Scoring and Miscellaneous Stuff
Kickback
The Kickback is lit at the start of each ball. Relight it by shooting the Mini-Loop or both banks of Drop Targets.
Ball Saver
The ball saver is active at the start of each ball, but there is no light to tell you that it's on. It is also active at the start of a multiball mode or Multiball itself. You will also be saved if you lose the last 2 balls of a multiball round at the same time: the round will end but one ball will be saved (this is a nice new twist to ball savers).
Multiball note
Multiball and multiball modes end as soon as the next to last ball lands in the outhole. There is never a grace period.
Axl Combo
During normal play, shooting the entire Right Orbit and then the Center Scoop awards the Axl Combo, which is worth 5M plus 1M for each shot to the unlit Scoop during that ball, to a max of 30M. On some machines, you can score this by holding up the upper flipper when the ball is shot quickly around the Orbit.
Michelle
This bonus seems to depend on how long you've kept the ball in play. I once got a Michelle bonus of 51M after a particularly successful Riot Ball!
SNAKE
During normal play, shooting the entire Right Orbit adds a letter in S-N-A-K-E (and spots one of the JAM lanes). Completing SNAKE lights the G Ramp to feed the Rose Plunger. Once you load the Plunger, four awards will be displayed. Launch the ball to collect one of the awards. Awards include: 25M, 50M, Bonus 20x, Add Band Member, Super Kickback, and maybe others.
Fun With Bonus
(1M + 200K for each G Ramp hit during that ball + 100K for each R Ramp hit during that ball + 1M for each Guitar mode played during the game) * bonus multiplier.
Bonus Multipliers
Completing JAM advances the bonus multiplier from 1x to 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10x. After reaching 10x, completing JAM awards 20M per completion. Collecting a JAM 20x award also makes JAM worth 20M per completion.
Bumper scoring
If you don't collect a Super/Mega Pops award, the bumpers start each ball at 100K per hit. Every ten bumper hits raises the value by 100K, to a max of 1M. Once the value reaches 1M (or when you collect a Super/Mega Pops award), the bumper value cannot be increased.
Match sequence
The animation shows a woman pulling her shirt off over her head. The picture then scrolls down, and she's covering herself with a big card (on which is displayed the match number). If you don't match, you get the very neat quote, "aww, dude!" If you do match, WAIT!!! You should know by now that you have to wait until the match animation finishes before the credit is actually awarded. This delay seems very long, compared to other recent DE pins.
There is an option in the menus called "Modesty Option." Switching this OFF changes the match animation. The girl still pulls her shirt off, but when the picture scrolls down, she's not covering herself, and one match digit appears on each breast.
EB Buy-in
You can buy one ball at the end of ball 3. You don't get any extra awards when you buy a ball. BUT--you must press the EB button sometime *during* the game in order to get the option of buying-in. Once, I finished with 4.2B but since I forgot to hit that button during the game, no buy in! D'oh! Moral: hit that EB button as soon as the first ball is served to the plunger.
Duff Jackpot
During normal play, completing the DUFF targets awards a jackpot, which is worth between 20M and 100M. When the captive ball hits a DUFF target, a special display is shown on the DMD. While this display is up, each hit to the bumper adds 1M to the jackpot. This jackpot carries over between players and games.
Strategies
Getting extra balls
The ability to lock the mode pretty much guarantees you one extra ball. If you do not choose Start Guitar Mode when you start a ball, check the mode lights and make note of how many bumper hits it will take to get the lit mode to EB. Listen to the bumpers, and lock the mode after the right number of hits.
If you lock EB but don't collect it before draining, just select Start Guitar at the beginning of the next ball to collect it.
If Gilby Rolls is the lit mode, catch the ball on the lower left flipper. From that flipper you have a clear shot at the center bumper. Shoot that bumper and lock the mode (which will change to EB) immediately.
Backhanding
GnR has three shots that are perfect for backhands: the Guitar Saucer, the R Ramp, and the Right Hole.
The Guitar Saucer is the hardest of the three to hit, but it's worth doing if your Saucer tends to reject quick shots from the right flipper. You need to flip very early, almost as if you were doing a slingshot post pass. The ball should hit the right side of the metal lane and be guided into the saucer.
The R Ramp can be worth tons of points if you can consistently backhand it, especially during Dizzy Ball and the Ramp hurry-up round. Since the R Ramp feeds back to the right flipper (for another backhand shot), you can collect many awards with little effort. :>
The Right Hole is nearly always a good target. If there's a mode running, or if EB is the lit mode, then those are better shots, but otherwise I hit the Right Hole whenever I can. Where backhanding comes into play is in how easy the shot seems (to me at least) from the right flipper. It seems much easier, and if you miss, the ball will be moving slower and will be easier to control.
Mode Choices
My usual strategy is to choose Start Guitar every time. Adding band members is easy to do during play, and if you're consistent on hitting the Mini-Loop, you'll have Mystery lit in no time.
After Matt Scoring finishes (that's always the first mode) of course go for the EB. If Gilby Rolls is the lit mode and you have the ball caught, go ahead and play Gilby, and as soon as the ball is kicked back into play, lock the EB mode.
After getting the EB, I don't really have a preferred choice of modes. If you have been hitting the Orbits well that game, you should go for Slash Solo. If the captive ball area seems bouncy, go for Duff Rocks. If you can hit the Ramps consistently, go for Dizzy Ball. (Do you see a pattern here?)
Basically, any mode can be worth a lot, but take the modes whose shots you're good at first. If you're just having an overall bad day, there's always the video mode, which is worth about 65M (or 130M doubled).
Riot Ball
About 3 weeks ago I made a change in the way I play Multiball rounds that have more than three balls, and I think it's helped me a lot. In my normal playing stance, the center of my palms rest on the corners of the lockdown bar, and my middle fingers rest on the flipper buttons. I have my left foot placed forward of my right one, and I'm bent over a bit at the waist. I found that I couldn't react quickly enough when several balls were near the flippers.
So, the change I made was to stand more upright, feet together, and take my hands off the lockdown bar. The only place I was in contact with the cabinet was the tips of my middle fingers, which rested on the flipper buttons.
This new stance made it easier to flail at balls when I needed to, and although my accuracy suffers (since I'm not comfortable playing upright), accuracy isn't that necessary in Riot Ball.
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