VP8 Data East SS Recreation Maverick (Data East, 1994) VP8 v0.4 Beta 2020-01-28

Maverick - The Movie
RULES

1. Playfield Description

Drop Targets
The main feature on Maverick are the four banks of drop targets, plus the two stand-up targets on either side of the ramp. Each of these score cards, which are used for playing poker. See Section 2 for details on the different drop target banks and for scoring.

Lauren Bell
A model of the Lauren Bell riverboat is on the play- field. It is used to store locked balls, and to collect awards during the Lauren Bell mode. Balls are diverted into the Lauren Bell from the left and right orbits.

Left and Right Orbits
The orbits can either loop around to the other orbit, feed the Lauren Bell, or feed the rollovers. Several orbit shots (as shown in the Status Display) will light the right ramp for a mystery award. Each orbit is also a dollar shot for some of the modes.

Vertical Up-Kicker (VUK)
Just to the right of Lauren Bell, this shot is used to raise or fold a hand (see Section 2), play blackjack to relight the kickback, collect extra balls when lit, and is a dollar shot for some of the modes.

Ramp (Stagecoach)
The ramp is used to light lock, collect mystery awards, collect jackpots during multiball, and it is a dollar shot for some of the modes.

Rollovers/Advance Bonus Multiplier
At the top center of the play- field are four rollovers, representing the four card suits. Shoot all for to advance the end-of-ball bonus multiplier (to 2x, 4x, 6x, 8x, to 10x). Note that a mystery award can set the multiplier to 20x.

Pop Bumpers
Start at 250K per hit, and resets each ball. Increased by 250K after every 10 hits up to a maximum of 1M. The super- pops skill shot can set the pop bumper value to 2M per hit for the rest of the ball, and the mega-pops mystery award set it to 3M for the rest of the ball.

Plunger Skill Shot
The plunger can shoot the ball to one of five places. The first three holes score the award indicated on the dis- play if that hole is lit. The award for the first hole is always light lock, for the second hole it is always start mode, and the third hole is usually super-pops, but can be extra ball or lite special on ball 2 or 3 if the player has a low score. Each of these three awards can only be scored once each, until all 3 have been awarded. Shooting the ball in an un-lit hole scores 5M. The fourth hole feeds the upper right flipper for a shot at the captive ball. Hit the captive ball to start drop poker, where every drop target is worth 2M for 20 seconds. The fifth is to shoot the ball all the way around the habitrail to the left inlane. This scores whatever is lit on the ramp.

Captive ball
The captive ball is under the Lauren Bell and behind the upper-left drop targets. When not lit, it scores 10M. It can be lit for Super Jackpot during multiball, and is lit during Bank Heist mode.

2. Playing Poker
In normal 1-ball play, the object of the game is to beat the playfield's hand by completing all drop targets in the flashing drop target bank. The possible hands that may be flashing are the following:


Royal Flush
The lower left bank with 5 drop targets.

Straight
The upper-left bank under Lauren Bell, and also has 5 drop targets.

Four of a kind
The right bank with 4 drop targets.

Three of a kind
The center bank with 3 drop targets.

Two of a kind
The two stand-up targets on either side of the ramp.

Full House
In some cases, both the three-of-a-kind and two-of-a- kind banks are flashing, which forms the full house.
The game deals the cards by resetting all the drop targets, and lighting one of the above hands. You must hit all the drop targets in the lit bank to win a poker chip. However, if you hit any drop target not in the lit bank, it counts as a discard. If your total number of discards hits 0, you lose the hand. Your current number of discards is shown on the display. At the beginning of the game you start with 11 or 12, but as the game progresses the number of discards is decreased (thus making it more difficult to win a hand, as you are at higher risk of losing a hand.)

There are many factors to computing your score for winning a poker hand. Your base value for each poker hand is 5M times your current winning streak, which is the number of poker chips you have won in a row without losing a hand. Your winning streak is also increased by one when you win a hand. This value can be increased in several ways, as follows.

Raise/Fold: If you shoot the VUK before completing the drop target bank, you are given a choice to raise or fold. If you raise, then the value of that hand is doubled. If you subsequently win the hand by hitting the flashing drop target bank before discards hits 0, then you score 10M times your current winning streak, and your win- ning streak is incremented by 2. If you fold, the game re-deals, resets the drop targets, and selects a different hand for you to com- plete. Note that if you fold, your winning streak count is not affected, and therefore it is advantageous to fold than to lose a hand.

Perfect: If you complete the flashing drop target bank without dis- carding (that is, without hitting any other drop target), you score a perfect hand, and the score for that hand is tripled. Therefore, if you did not raise, you score 15M times your current winning streak, and increase winning streak by one, and if you did raise, you score 30M times your current winning streak, and increase your winning streak by two.

Close Call: If you complete the flashing drop target bank with only one discard remaining, you get a close call, and the score for that hand is doubled. Therefore, if you did not raise, you score 10M times your current winning streak, and increase winning streak by one, and if you did raise, you score 20M times your current win- ning streak, and increase your winning streak by two.

Note that hitting a drop target on a non-flashing bank is not considered a discard if it is "not your fault". That is, if hit as a ricochet off a suc- cessful hit (which the game detects as hitting within 2 seconds of a hit of a drop target on a flashing bank) or if the ball is hit immediately after a pop-bumper hit, it is not counted as a discard.

Each drop target can only be a discard once, since the target stays down until a new hand is dealt. However, the stand-up targets on either side of the ramp can continually count as discards. Shooting either of these targets when the other one is lit and the pair is flashing will score the other.

You can spot cards in your drop target bank by hitting the VUK within 2 seconds of the ball going down either inlane. The dollar chip on the VUK will flash for these 2 seconds. That card that is spotted is always the lowest target not yet hit (based on the physical locations on the playfield).

Completing five poker chips awards the flashing 25M poker chip and starts the corresponding mode, as described in the next section.

The Start Mode skill shot will award as many poker chips as neces- sary to complete all five poker chips, and increase the winning streak by that number of poker chips.


3. Modes
Earning five poker chips awards the flashing 25M poker chip and starts the corresponding mode, which is one of the following:

Coop's Cash: All four dollar shots are lit, and the timer is set to 30 seconds. Within this time, shoot each one for 10M a piece, which lights a roving shot for 50M. Collect the 50M and the mode re- starts, the timer is reset to 30 seconds, and this time each shot is 20M, and completing those lights a 100M roving shot. Collecting the roving shot again re-starts the mode and resets the timer, but the values of the shots do not increase anymore.


Lauren Bell
Shoot the riverboat through either orbit to score 10M+10M to 100M and a mystery value. The mode lasts 30 sec- onds. The mystery value can be one of the following:

Infinite Discard
20x Bonus
Mega Pops
Laser Kickback
Light Extra Ball
Extra Ball
50M
Lite Special
Special
10M to 100M random point award
In tournament settings, the mystery value is always scored in the above order, with extra balls worth 50M and specials worth 100M.


Bank Heist
Shoot the captive ball for 100M, 200M+Lite Extra Ball, and 300M. Mode ends after 30 seconds or if the captive ball is hit three times.

Angel's Revenge
A frenzy mode with every switch worth 250K, and increases by 250K after every 10 hits. In addition to scoring these points, a bounty value is also maintained of equal value. Shoot the VUK to score this bounty value. The mode ends after 30 seconds.

Stagecoach
The right ramp is lit for a progressive jackpot, which is initially 10M and increases by 1M for each drop target hit, and by 10M for each successful ramp shot. Mode ends after 30 seconds.
After completing each of the above modes, win five more poker chips to start the Poker Championship.


4. Poker Championship
A 4-ball multiball mode, with a ball saver enabled for 30-seconds. You must manually plunge the balls, or the game will not serve up new balls.

Each drop target bank begins flashing. Knock down all drop targets in a bank to make it solid. Make all four drop target banks solid to light the VUK. Shoot the VUK to collect the Championship Pot.

Each drop target adds 1M times number of balls in play to this pot, and completing a bank adds 10M times number of balls in play to the pot. The captive ball adds 100M to the pot.

After collecting the pot, all drop target banks go back to flashing, and you can repeat to collect another championship pot. The pot continues to increase even after collecting it; it does not reset after winning it, and therefore can grow to be quite large.


5. Blackjack
The VUK is lit for Blackjack whenever the kickback is not lit. Shoot the VUK to play blackjack. Use the right flipper to hit, and the left flipper to stand. The machine then deals itself a hand. If you are the winner, you score 1M for each point of your hand (so if you have 19, you score 19M), and you relight the kickback. The dealer always hits on 16 and lower, and stands on 17 and higher.

During a mode or in multiball, you do not play blackjack. Instead, the machine randomly lights the kickback, on average for every second shot to the VUK.

In tournament mode, playing blackjack is not random. You will win the 1st, 3rd, 5th, etc. if you always hit on 16 and lower and stand on 17 and higher. Similarly, when in a mode or multiball, it will always relight the kickback every second shot.


6. Multiball
Lite multiball by shooting the right ramp to light the lock. The number of ramp shots required is variable based on game settings. After each ramp shot, the display tells you how many more are needed to light the lock. The lock can also be lit by a skill shot.

Once a lock is lit, shoot the right orbit to lock the ball. After locking ball 1, you get a plunger skill shot. Shoot the first hole to increase jackpot by 10M, or the second or third hole to increase by 5M. The jackpot does not increase if you hit the 4th hole or send the ball around on the ramp.

After locking the second ball, you have a plunger skill shot, where the second hole immediately gives you a 4-ball multiball, and the first and third holes double the jackpot value, but don't yet give you multiball. If you don't get the 4-ball multiball, you must lock a third ball. If you do get 4-ball multiball, then you have another skill shot, to increase the base jackpot value by 2x or 3x.

Once multiball starts, shoot the ramp to collect the jackpot. Every switch increases the jackpot value by 200K. Scoring three jackpots lites the captive ball for a super jackpots, which is initially 250M, and increased by 200K with every switch closure. If you collect the super jackpot, the ramp is again lit for 3 more jackpots.

If all but 1 ball drains ending multiball, you have 12 seconds to restart it by shooting the right orbit. This time you are given a plunger skill shot for a 3-ball multiball. If you don't get that, you get a 2-ball multi- ball. If you do get it, you have a chance to 2x or 3x the jackpot value as before.

The Coop's Cash and Bank Heist modes continue to run during multi- ball. You cannot start multiball while in one of the other modes.

Note in multiplayer games: Maverick does not do a very good job in adjusting the lock/skill shots for multiplayer games. If you lock ball 1 and there are already two balls in the lock from a previous player, you do not get the plunger skill shot to add 10M to the jackpot value. If you lock ball 2 with two balls already in the lock, then you do not get a chance at a 4-ball multiball, and you must lite and lock a third ball.


7. Tournament Settings
Lauren Bell and mystery always gives awards in the same order.

Blackjack programmed to win every second time.

No extra balls, no specials. Score 50M instead of an extra ball, and 100M instead of a special.


8. Scoring Level
Grand Champion scores on Maverick typically range between 3B and 6B. In tournament mode, it is expected that the top A division player may score about 2B, and the average game be on the order of 500M- 1B. In the B and lower divisions, top scores will probably be about 700M.


9. Strategy Summary
The Lauren Bell mode is by far the most lucrative mode. Just keep shooting the orbits for 30 seconds, and you will wind up with 600+M plus extra balls and specials (or even more points in tournament mode).

The captive ball mode is worth a lot, but the captive ball is almost impossible to hit, so you may be better off ignoring this mode.

Winning poker hands can be worth a lot of points, especially once you have a significant winning streak. Try to score perfect, because this triples your score value. As an example, suppose winning streak is 10, you raise, and you complete the bank perfect. That is worth 300M!

Shoot start mode on ball one, as this immediately wins you 5 poker chips and gives you an initial winning streak of 5.

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