VP8 SS Original Table Uranium-235 (Original) VP8 v1.0

Uranium235 is a time-based pinball game based on a 3-core nuclear reactor. The "time-base" is provided by the reactor's clockrate. The longer the game is played, the faster the clockrate becomes, the sooner the Reactor's core critical levels are reached (which, as any nuclear scientist will tell you, the result is not a pretty sight). Do the words "Doomsday Machine" come to mind?

OBJECT OF THE GAME:
Attempt to get the highest possible score before becoming vaporized in a nuclear explosion.
Highscores are registered and will be retained and displayed for future games.
There is no tilt mechanism.

SUMMARY:
At the start of the game, all 3 cores are in their "Safe" range as the reactor's clock is enabled for 90 time-units.

With each tick of the clock, Core 1 experiences a rise in level. After 30 time-units have elapsed, the 1st core reaches it's "Critical" level and Core 2 is placed into active mode and the reactor clockrate is increased.

Core 2 continues an increase in level until an additional 30 time-units have elapsed when it reaches "Critical" and Core 3 is placed into active mode. After another 30 time-units have elapsed, Core 3 reaches it's "Critical" level.

At the time when all 3 cores reach their "Critical" states, a 30 second time sequence begins that leads to thermonuclear meltdown bringing the game (and you and all surrounding life) to an end.

You still have the opportunity to reset any one or all of the reactor cores to avert the meltdown but this task becomes more difficult due to the quaking of the malfunctioning reactor.

Leaving the Reactor Control Room at any time by exiting thru the ball drain will return you to the Plunger and you will be notified that the reactor has been locked down and you should return to the Control Room.

WAYS TO AVOID THERMONUCLEAR MELTDOWN (this is a good thing to do)

- Reset the individual cores by (1st hit) unlocking and then (2nd hit) opening the core's door and entering the core which performs a manual reset for that particular core and attempts to reset the reactor clockrate. The active cores can also be opened by hitting the green pushbutton at the Sector One and Sector Two touchpads. An automatic door timer is activated to close any opened door. Radiation leaks are a no-no.

- Providing a password (3 consecutive hits) to one of the two touchpads, each located in Sector One and Sector Two (on the lower edge of the mid-upper left and right walls) will cause the touchpads to swing out of the way to expose a "System Reset" pushbutton. Each time the System Reset is activated, it will cause all three cores to be reset and the reactor clock will be reset to a slightly increased timerate due to the stresses of resetting.

- Another way to avoid thermonuclear meltdown: do not play Uranium-235. Save yourself the stress. The reactor cannot experience meltdown if it is not initialized! Your neighbors will love you!

Short-term temporary relief can be experienced by finding the Maintenance Reset button located between Sector One and Sector Two. This will cause the reactor clock to be set back by 10 time-units. The clockrate remains unchanged. This will NOT work if you are experiencing the final 30-second time sequence prior to meltdown.

Points are awarded at the completion of certain of the aforementioned activities and for bouncing around the general offices just above Sectors 1 & 2 (blue bumpers) which have been abandoned, leaving you alone to "care" for the reactor. The reactor feels your love.

The game plays rather easily at first . . . DO NOT GET LULLED! As certain conditions increase the reactor's clockrate, tasks become gradually more difficult. Keep the reactor operating for as long as you can to accumulate more points. Sadly, the dramatic "meltdown" is inevitable, at which time your score will be checked for a possible new High-score, and many television viewers will hear the words coming from their TV's: "We interrupt our programming to bring you this breaking news bulletin!"

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