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Pinball Rule Sheets

A repository of rulesheets for pinball machines

Star Wars: Fall of the Empire

Official Rulesheet for 0.96 code

Game Information & Overview:

Star Wars: Fall of the Empire marks John Borg’s return to the Star Wars license after over 30 years, bringing his pinball career full circle as the 1992 Data East machine was his first ever pinball design. Based on the Original Trilogy, the table covers aspects of the trilogy that were given less attention in prior releases with the theme.

Layout:

Skill Shots:

Plunge the ball and hit any flashing shot to score a Skill Shot. If the shot is made within only 3 switch hits, a Super Skill Shot worth 2x the value will be scored. At 6 switch hits, the skill shot turns off. The skill shot award starts at 1M and increases by 1M per skill shot. Skill shot opportunities are given at the start of every ball, after locking balls for death star multiball (with physical locks enabled), and if the player has successfully saved the ball by sending it to the plunger using the JEDI ball save (Prem / LE only)

Each skill shot also gives a unique perk different for each shot made:

Main Modes:

Luke Skywalker, a farmboy from the planet Tatooine, has recently learned of the construction of the Death Star - a massive structure with the capability to destroy planets - from the closest person he has to a father, Obi-Wan Kenobi. On a mission to destroy the Death Star, Luke meets a ragtag team of rebels with similar motives. Luke and his crew have a long road ahead of them if they want to prove the strength of the Rebel Alliance and thwart the destructive plans of the Empire.

Star Wars: Fall of the Empire features four sets of main modes. Only one mode from each set can run at a time, but excluding the Vader modes, they can all be brought into multiball modes as described below if a mode is started before the multiball.

Rebel Missions (FORCE Targets):

Shoot the flashing FORCE targets to light all eight character shots for Rebel missions. The game starts on the easiest settings for lighting FORCE but as more and more missions are played, the difficulty will appropriately increase. The difficulty starts at 1, increasing by +1 each time a rebel mission is played / completed, and reduces by -1 every time another game task is completed (either scoring a super jackpot during any multiball mode or completing a Falcon, Jabba, or Vader mode). The maximum FORCE target difficulty is 8.

The Rebel Missions play very similarly but have different shot maps: hit four blue shots to progress through the mission, with the final shot at the Luke VUK completing the mode. Hitting white shots increases the scoring from each mission shot but don’t count toward completion, allowing the player to maximize scoring from each mission. Completing a mission will allow the next shot to the character’s lane to start a Bonus Mission that has different rules from the missions that preceded it.

Playing and completing Rebel missions or completing Bonus Missions provides a Force Boost, multiplying the associated character’s jackpot shots during most multiballs for the remainder of the game. The associated Rebel character’s “portrait” insert will be pulsing, solid, or flashing during the multiball to indicate a 2x, 3x, or 4x jackpot multiplier. The status of each character is also shown in the semi-circle arc of capsule-shaped inserts with identical logic to the Portraits: pulsing, solid, or flashing for a played Rebel Mission, a completed Rebel Mission, or a completed Bonus Mission, respectively.

Each character has four missions: a level 1 green mission with the easiest array of shots but lowest starting value (3M), a level 2 yellow mission with a medium-difficulty set of shots and medium value (4M), a level 3 orange mission that lights the fewest shots for the highest value (5M), and a 4th Bonus mission can only be unlocked by completing one of the character’s missions, then shooting their shot again while no other modes are running. The shot color of the Bonus Mission is different for each character. Multiballs and mini-wizard modes take priority over Bonus missions if both are lit at the same shot.

The lit mission colors change with Stormtrooper target hits. If another mission is started at a character who already has a completed mission, the mode shot values will be multiplied by 2x.

Rebel Mission Blue Shot Logic: Generally, they fall into the following categories:

The characters also provide different scoring buffs to certain shots, giving each character’s set of missions some unique attributes. Fast-flashing blue shots are worth 2x the displayed value for regular-flashing blue shots. The attributes and the names for each mode, from easiest to hardest, are listed below:

Complete two, then six missions to light extra ball.

Play one mission for four different characters to light the left scoop for Not a Jedi Yet mini-wizard mode. Every Rebel Bonus mission completed will reduce the number of unique character mission types required to access Not a Jedi Yet by 1.

Falcon Features & Lightspeed Escape:

Shoot the center ramp when the engines under the Millennium Falcon are lit to start Falcon Features. For the first mode, Lightspeed Escape, the center ramp will always give progress towards starting the mode (adjustable in Features), but afterwards, the player must shoot the right ramp to qualify the center ramp for progress (Pro only), or hit the target under the center ramp to raise it and enable progress (Prem / LE only). Hitting the right ramp followed by the center ramp as a combo will award +2 Falcon advances if the engines are lit.

There are five Falcon Features that can be started and are always played in the following order:

Jabba Events:

Salacious Crumb is represented by the drop target blocking the Sarlacc Pit. Shoot the drop target twice (+1) to get him out of the way and open up access to the Sarlacc Pit ramp. As the ball spins around, each spin will move the display selection between one of three modes; the selected mode starts when the ball exits the pit, and can be locked in if the player presses the action button while the ball is spinning around in the pit.

The three Jabba Events are:

Completing the first Jabba Event of a game will light extra ball.

Playing all three Jabba Events will qualify Sarlacc Escape as the fourth event.

Vader Modes & Dark Side Scoring:

The return lanes alternate between lighting Dark Side Mystery at the left eject or qualifying the left scoop to start a Darth Vader mode. Darth Vader modes can be qualified at any time during single-ball play but can only be started at the left scoop while no other modes are running.

After shooting the lit left scoop, a variety of shots will light to start a Vader mode (each mode can only be played once per game). Hitting a lit shot will start an untimed mode where the goal is to hit enough shots to complete the scene. The shot you hit to start the mode will blink faster and increase the multiplier for shot values by +1x, but it only relights once another shot has been made. Therefore, the player can either hit easy shots to complete the Vader mode quickly, or try for higher scoring by prioritizing the “starting” shot when it is lit. The player must hit the Vader scoop at the end of any Vader mode to complete it. The base value per shot increases by 500k with every completed Vader mode.

The modes and how they start are listed below:

Once any mode has been completed, Dark Side Scoring will activate for the rest of the ball. This is a roving shot feature where one purple shot is lit at a time to collect 5% of the points scored in all successfully completed Vader modes, which moves to a random shot each time it is collected. Awards are also lit once enough dark side scoring shots have been made, and the awards reset once dark side multiball is played:

Multiballs:

Multiballs can be started alongside most main modes (excluding Bonus Missions and Vader Modes), if the multiball is started simultaneously or while the mode is running. The only multiballs that can be stacked together are Lightspeed Multiball with Battle of Hoth Multiball; they otherwise must be played on their own. Multiballs also prevent players from starting most other game features, though they can progress towards qualifying them so that they can start once the multiball ends.

Force Boost (jackpot multipliers): During all multiballs, if Rebel Missions were played or completed throughout the game, their respective jackpots will score more via a Force Boost. A pulsing character Portrait shot (for a played mission) will score a 2x jackpot, a solidly-lit Portrait shot (for a completed mission) will score a 3x jackpot, and a flashing Portrait shot (for a completed Bonus Mission) will score a 4x jackpot. Generally, these Jackpot Multipliers are not applicable to Super Jackpots nor Hoth MB’s AT-AT jackpots.

Rebel Assistance (faster jackpot progress): Level up your characters each ball through Rebel Combos to help progress through multiballs easier. A pulsing character Name insert (for one combo made) collects 2 jackpots in one shot, and a solidly lit character Name insert (for two combos made) collects 3 jackpots. Note: Rebel Assistance does not apply to non-multiball mode shots, even if stacked with a multiball.

Add-A-Ball: During any multiball, collect 10 spins (adjustable) in the Sarlacc Pit to light the action button for a one-time use add-a-ball. If the multiball stack above is performed, the player will still only be able to obtain one add-a-ball during the stack. 10 more spins are required for subsequent add-a-balls in the same game up to a max of 40 spins, but if the player doesn’t use the add-a-ball, it will remain at the previous spin requirement.

Battle of Hoth Multiball:

Light virtual locks at the Luke VUK by shooting the droids target in front of the AT-AT. Each droids target shot lights one lock and they can be stacked, but subsequent multiballs require more target hits and for the lock to be scored before the next lock can be lit. Once the third ball is locked, Battle of Hoth multiball will begin.

The main goal of Battle of Hoth is to spell AT-AT to light the super jackpot. This is done by first scoring a jackpot (lit at any shot and worth 500k + 250k per jackpot), and then shooting the droids target to score a letter jackpot worth the total of all jackpots prior (excluding ion cannon multipliers) and a letter in AT-AT. Once a letter jackpot is scored, the jackpot value resets and more jackpots are needed to relight it, up to four for the final letter jackpot.

Once AT-AT is spelled, all jackpots will turn off and shooting the Luke shot will award a super jackpot worth 5M + the total of all the letter jackpots that were scored. Scoring the super jackpot resets the jackpot progress but also increases the base jackpot value by 500k.

Once the player exits Battle of Hoth multiball, they will have one last chance to shoot the Luke VUK to take down the AT-AT and score a super jackpot determined the same way as the normal one. This last chance super jackpot is lit for 10 seconds and is disabled on competition install.

Death Star & Death Star II Multiballs:

Shoot the Death Star ramp to open up the lock at the toy, then shoot the ramp again to lock a ball there. Once three balls are locked, Death Star Multiball will begin by releasing the locked balls towards the flippers.

Other Scoring:

Ion Cannons (Shot Multipliers)

Shots to the left and right pop bumpers in single-ball play charge up the ion cannons and eventually light the pulsing Rebel Alliance icons at all major shots. The next time one of these pulsing shots is made, it will be worth 2x for the rest of the ball in play.

Rebel Combos & Super Modes:

While in single-ball play, shoot any shot to light natural combo opportunities from that shot, then make a flashing yellow “Name” insert shot to complete the combo. The first combo completed at a character starts its Name insert pulsing, and the second combo completed at a character solidly lights its Name insert & starts a super mode. Points are awarded for Rebel Combos based on the number of unique combos made this game. During the Battle of Hoth and Death Star multiballs, prior Rebel Combos provide Rebel Assistance via jackpot progress being doubled or tripled on shots with pulsing or solidly lit character Name inserts, respectively. Rebel Combos are reset at the beginning of each ball.

Super Modes are untimed features – each started by completing a shot’s 2nd Rebel Combo – that stack with everything else in the game and award points for continuing to hit shots around the playfield, similar to the Ultra modes on Bally’s World Cup Soccer. The points are determined by how many super modes have been completed; each shot made during a Super Mode scores the “super mode value” divided by the number of shots required to complete the super mode. This value starts at 10M and increases by 2.5M with every super mode completed over the course of the game. Each completed super mode also awards its full value in that ball’s end-of-ball bonus.

Each character’s Super Mode, and the number of shots required to complete it, are:

Dark Side Mystery:

Complete the return lanes, which cycle via the flippers, to light the left scoop for Dark Side Mystery. The lanes alternate between lighting mystery and lighting the left scoop to start a Vader Mode, so long as the player isn’t currently in a multiball mode.

Mystery can give any of the following:

Every completion of the return lanes also adds +250k to the Stormtrooper hurry-up base value, which resets once the ball drains. The hurry-up value increases even while multiball modes are active.

TIE Fighter Ramps / Hyperspace Loops:

Shoot the right ramp to collect TIE Fighters: 1 per ramp shot, 2 if made as a combo from the center ramp on Prem / LE models. Awards are given at thresholds of TIE Fighters:

Stormtrooper Hurry-Up & Bonus X:

Shoot the far right standup target to collect Stormtroopers. After collecting 2 Stormtroopers (+1 per hurry-up), a hurry-up will start at that same target, starting at 10M (+250k per completion of the return lanes and decreasing to 1M. The player cannot start this hurry-up during any multiball mode but can collect Stormtroopers and qualify the hurry-up once multiball ends.

Completing a Stormtrooper hurry-up awards +1x to end-of-ball bonus and multiplies the next Stormtrooper hurry-up award by +1x.

JEDI Ball Save:

Rip the spinners to add letters to JEDI and light both outlanes for ball save. The spinners only count down towards filling up JEDI during single-ball play.

Every time the player fully spells JEDI, the difficulty of relighting it increases. 20 more spins are needed per letter.

Extra Balls:

Extra balls can be lit by…

There are two extra ball shots - the Luke VUK and the right ramp. The slingshots alternate which shot is lit for extra ball. If 2 extra balls are lit, both shots will be lit to collect the first EB.

25M is awarded for extra balls if no more can be earned. This score compensation award can be multiplied by ion cannon shot multipliers.

End-of-Ball Bonus:

Bonus is determined by the following:

All multiplied by the bonus multiplier which increases by +1x with every stormtrooper hurry-up completed. The bonus multiplier caps at 15x.

Wizard Modes:

Not a Jedi Yet (Mini-Wizard Mode):

Light the left scoop blue to start this single-ball mini-wizard mode by playing (completion is not required) Rebel Missions across four unique characters. Completing Bonus Missions for any character reduces the number of unique character missions required to light this mode by 1. When the mini-wizard mode is lit by playing a Rebel Mission from your 4th unique character, no further missions can be lit. However, if NAJY was lit with the aid a Bonus Mission completion, then the option remains to continue qualifying and playing more Rebel Missions until you’ve played one from your 4th unique character.

In the depths of Cloud City, Luke has been captured by Darth Vader. Wanting to finally take revenge on him for what he did to Obi-Wan, their lightsabers clash during an epic battle, but Luke isn’t prepared for what Vader plans to tell him.

This mini-wizard mode’s scoring is based on a percentage of total scores gained from the prior Rebel Missions (up to 13 can be played, including Bonus Missions, as each character has 4 different modes). Shots start out lit white for 1x value, but hitting the same shot again will turn it blue for 2x, then red for 3x. Hitting any 3 shots will light the left scoop, Luke VUK, and Sarlacc pit blue to advance to the next stage, which will reactivate a 15-second ball save and score a value based on the current white/blue/red status of the lit shots. Beware, as after hitting a red shot, that shot can no longer be made again (outside of the blue “progress checkpoint” shots on the left scoop, Luke VUK, and Sarlacc pit) for the rest of the mode!

After clearing out 6 waves of shots (a total of 24 shots, including 6 blue checkpoint shots), the left scoop is lit to score a final hurry-up based on the total value of the shots that were still available to collect. Collecting this final hurry-up completes the mode, and afterwards, Rebel Missions will be available to qualify and play.

Sarlacc Escape (Mini-Wizard Mode):

Start this multiball mini-wizard mode by playing all three Jabba Events. This mode is the fourth Jabba Event and starts as those modes did, with repeated shots to the Salacious Crumb drop target followed by a shot to the Sarlacc Pit ramp.

Collect switch hits to light the jackpot at the Sarlacc Pit ramp; when the jackpot is lit, shoot the flashing arrow shots to increase the jackpot multiplier. The jackpot is scored once for every spin in the ramp but on competition mode, will cap out at 50 spins. Scoring the jackpot adds a ball and returns to the switch frenzy phase.

After scoring four jackpots, shoot the left scoop to score a hurry-up super jackpot worth the jackpot total and complete the mini-wizard mode.

Never Tell Me The Odds (Mini-Wizard Mode):

Start this multiball mini-wizard mode by playing the first three Falcon Features. This mode is the fourth Falcon Feature and starts as those modes did; right ramp shots will eventually light the engines under the Falcon, meaning every center ramp shot will award a Falcon advance & advancing enough times will start the mode. Never Tell Me The Odds can only start when no other modes are running.

Han has to pilot Leia and C-3P0 through an asteroid field on their way to Cloud City. Starting as a 3-ball multiball with all scoring multiplied by balls in play, all shots start out lit white to increase the jackpot value and value per white shot. Hitting the first white shot will light the same shot that was just made for jackpot, but subsequent white shots made will turn red representing the asteroids the crew has to avoid. Hitting a red shot will reset the white shot value and jackpot value, alongside unlighting the jackpot if it is currently lit. The lit shots (white shots, jackpots, and asteroids) rotate one to the right with every FORCE target hit. Balls are added to the multiball for each of the first three jackpots scored; once the fourth jackpot is scored the balls will drain and the second phase of the mode will start.

After the cutscene plays, all balls that were active during the first part of the mode will return to play alongside one additional ball. The player must now light all shots red by hitting them once, but hitting them again while red will turn them back to white forcing them to be hit again. As soon as 6 of the 8 major shots are lit red, the two shots that haven’t been made yet will light to score a jackpot based on the white shot award built in phase 1. Scoring either jackpot will light the center ramp for a last-ditch attempt to escape; on the Pro the shot is available on 5-second intervals, while on Prem / LE the center ramp raises and lowers and a shot must be made to the full ramp to complete the mode.

If the player drains down to 1 ball at any time during the mode, they will have 10 seconds left to try and add a ball (during phase 1) or complete the mode (in phase 2). Adding a ball will keep the multiball and the mode going. As soon as time runs out or the player makes the final center ramp shot, the mode ends.

Dark Side Multiball (Mini-Wizard Mode):

Light the left scoop purple to start this mini-wizard mode by collecting 10 shots during Dark Side Scoring. To start dark side scoring, complete any Vader mode, then the randomly lit purple shots will advance towards lighting this mini-wizard mode.

During the cutscene that starts this multiball, press the action button if you want to cancel out the multiball and play another Vader mode instead, increasing the value of the multiball before starting it.

Dark Side Multiball is a 3-ball multiball where all shots are lit to score the current Dark Side Scoring value (5% of the built-up value from Vader modes). Hitting all eight major shots or hitting the left scoop relights all shots.

Once the multiball ends and single-ball play resumes, the left scoop is lit to score a final hurry-up starting at the total value of Dark Side multiball and decreasing to 10% of the total value. Shoot the left scoop to collect the hurry-up award and complete the mode.

Jedi Master (Wizard Mode):