Rules for Bally's Corvette (4 ball game) by: Cameron Silver

Version L-3 [10/October/1994]

Send all corrections/additions to me.

Multiball, Lane Change, and Video Mode are trade marks of WMS inc. Corvette is probably registered by someone too.

You may do anything you want with this rule sheet, but just don't forget about the Kindness to Rulesheets Assisiation!

Extra Special Thanks to

New to this version

Contents

Design Team:

Comments

It's a weird one! The lockdown bar and exposed metal is all black and feels very much like a Data East machine. I hope Corvette is the only game like this. It's not that I'm having a go at DE, it's just that I like the fact that the two companies produce machines that are different in as many ways possible.

The sound is disappointing. The main play music is far too repetitive. Just one short guitar riff over-and-over again. There are however, lots of beefy roaring engine noises that I quite like. The game over music is terrific!

The female character is a pain.

The display is great. Lots of really nice animation. For example, the Bonus X, Replay, Extra Ball, Quadra Jets and Car Awarded from Route 66.

The test features are great for the Engine and Race .. well done here. This game also features lamp Row and Column tests .. well done once again [I hope this test will become a new standard].

The outlanes didn't give me a lot of problems, but the centre drain seemed to be a real trendy destination for balls..

The game takes getting used to. Stick with it as it's a very good game once you get familiar with it. It has some fresh new ideas, and the gimmicks are cool.

Congrats go to the designer of the Engine (I assume that is Tomas M. Kopera). This could have been a complicated nightmare, but it's so simple even a Lyle could fix it!

Playfield Layout

The game has a MANUAL PLUNGER!!! Yey!

I'll start from the bottom left, and go around in a clockwise direction.

Left Flipper
Standard length.

Left Inlane
Can be lit for extra ball.

Left Outlane
Has a kickback. Balls kicked out from here are fed neatly to the upper flipper.

Three Bank
Three red standup targets. Completing them lights Turbo Boost at the spinner.

Upper Flipper
Very standard type of flipper. Push the button and away it goes! Used to shoot the side loop, and side ramp.

Left Orbit
Starts at the upper flipper. The orbit goes around the back of the machine and out the right orbit. Again, very standard. The kickback feeds balls to this point, as does the lock, engine, side loop and right orbit. There is a very sneaky one-way gate at the entrance of this orbit (similar to the one leading out of the bumpers on Bride Of Pinbot) so it is a really wide shot to hit, but balls always get fed nicely to the flipper. Shot this orbit to light lock. There is a high score position (World Speed Record) for the person who shoots the most consecutive Left Orbits. An orbit IS credited if the ball dribbles into the LT1 roll- over lanes. This can also be lit for Qualify (See the section in the rule sheet).

Million Target
At the left of the left ramp entrance is a small stand-up that awards millions when it's hit.

Left Ramp
Also the Engine. This feeds the engine (which I'll get to shortly). This is the start multiball and lock shots as well as a few other things.

Engine
One of the big toys in the game. It is a large plastic engine that shakes from side to side. The inside is lined with rubber, so the ball bounces around a lot. The ball normally enters the engine at the front (from the ramp) and passes right through, out the back and drops into the orbit. The front of the engine has a one way gate so the ball won't come flying back down the ramp. The back of the engine has a controlled gate. Normally the gate is up and the ball passes right through, however when the gate is closed, the ball stays in the engine which starts to shake. Eventually the ball shakes its way to the front, there it falls down, and into the lock. (The lock is the same as the one on Twilight Zone: A saucer with room for two balls behind it.)

Pit In
A sinkhole that starts the Race (more later), spots a Blue Light (More Later) or collects a hurry up. Balls put here are popped (with incredible force) to a wire-form ramp which leads to the left inlane.

Spinner
This is situated over a small lane leading to the bumpers. The spinner can be lit for Turbo Boost which is like Super/Ultra Spinner. I could not work out how much per spin it was though. Turbo Boost is lit by completing the Three Bank of targets.

Bumpers
Usual three in the all too familiar triangle shape. Can be lit for Quadra Jets which is a million per bump much like Star Trek.

LT1
Three rollover lanes above the bumpers that increase the bonus multiplier when completed. Bonus X is 2x, 4x, 6x, 8x with lite EB. Then 10, 15, 20 etc million after.

Side Loop
A small orbit much like the trapdoor shot on Funhouse. This is the Horse Power Jackpot during multiball. Weak shots end up at the LT1 roll overs, while the rest go to the upper flipper. There is a high score position (Cornering Champ) for the person who shoots the most consecutive Side Loops. A side loop IS credited if the ball dribbles into the LT1 roll-over lanes. This can also serve as a Super Skill Shot shot.

Side Ramp
A ramp much like the skill shot one on Demolition Man. This ramp curves around and feeds the ball back to the right inlane. This is the Torque Jackpot during multiball. It can also serve as a Super Skill shot.

Raucous target
Shooting the right orbit->raucous target combo, will award a letter in RAUCOUS. Each letter is worth 5 Million.

Right Ramp
Called the Route 66 ramp. It awards Route 66 awards every second shot. It normally sends balls to the left inlane, but when a Route 66 is awarded, the ball is diverted to a kicker down the back of the playfield.

Right Orbit
Fairly standard type of orbit. Weak shots feed into the LT1 rollovers, while the rest go to the upper flipper. There is a high score position (World Speed Champ) for the person who shoots the most consecutive Right Orbits. An orbit shot IS credited if the ball dribbles into the LT1 roll-over lanes.

Kick Back Target
A single large red standup that is used to re-light the kickback. It's a piss easy shot and can be used as soon as the kickback goes off. Note that it doesn't actually light until the kickback times out, but it can still be used immediatly. On early ROMs (PA-1), the kick back target seems to always flash.

Race Track
This extends from just above the plunger, right down the right side to the back of the playfield. Two cars (one red, one blue) race each other in the course of the game. This seems to be really well implemented, the machine knows where both cars are at all times, and the race is played on the display too for when the hardware fails.

Right Flipper
Standard length.

Right Inlane
Can be lit for extra ball.

Right Outlane
Usual type. Can be lit for extra ball.

Rules

Skill Shot

Like the Flintstones. The plunged ball bounces around the LT1 rollovers, and you must steer the flashing light to the lane that the ball will go through. First time is 5 Mil, then 10 Mil then 15 etc.. There does not appear to be an upper limit on the skill shot value. The skill shot is available for all plunged balls except ball saver ones. There is also a Super Skill Shot, explained below. See the Bugs/Easter Eggs section for the skill shot bugs.

Super Skill Shot

If you hit LLRLL before plunging, the control gate near the LT1 roll-over lanes will open, allowing the plunged ball to go to the upper flipper for a shot at the side ramp, or loop. Hit RRLRR to close the gate again. The initial values for the loop and ramp are 10 and 15 million, which increases by 5 million for each successfull shot. The super skill shot is available for all plunged balls except ball saver ones. See the Bugs/Easter Eggs section for the skill shot bugs.

Modes

Not modes as such, more like awards. Shoot the right ramp once and it will tell you what the next award will be. Shoot it again and the ball will be diverted to a kicker at the back of the playfield. The mode will start, and the ball will be kicked to the left inlane. The diverter on our machine was broken (that stupid spring-link). So I fixed it, but the new one broke too! This would normally be OK, but there was NO COMPENSATION for it! The ball would not be diverted, and it wouldn't start the mode. The modes are:

Catch Me
A slutty .. err ... nice lady .. pulls up in a car and says "Catch me if you can!" You have 20 seconds to make each shot (the really cool thing is that as the time counts down, each second speeds by on a road sign!) The shots are Right orbit, then side ramp, then left ramp, then Pit In. I have no idea how the scoring works, but the total for making all shots is 230 Million. One shot is worth 32 Million, and three shots is worth 144 Million. I don't know about two! The quotes are along the lines of "Your some kind of driver". I'm surprised she doesn't then lick her lips. Sometimes this mode is run in French! (With translations). If you complete this, you'll start a 2 ball multiball with every target worth 500k.

Car Awarded
Awards a car (more later). The animation is amazing!

Pit In
A hurry up. Counts down from 60 Million (to 25). The quotes are cool, "He's sliding around a wee bit. He'll have to change a tire". Shoot Pit In to collect value. Once collected a two ball multiball starts and the Pit re-awards the same value until 1 or more balls drain.

Quadra Jets
One million a pop much like Star Trek. (And a law-suit from Apple).

Bonus X
Awards a bonus X.

Points
25 million.

Special
Awards a special.

Extra Ball
Lights extra ball at the in/out lanes.

Race Today
This is lit with an inlay at the base of the ramp, every 8, 24, 40 etc, Spark Plugs. It's a brilliant video mode that's really a drag race. The left flipper controls the accelerator, and the right shifts up a gear. The display shows revs and the two slot cars race. It's very easy to win, and it's all over pretty quick, but it's great fun. If you win, you start a 2 ball multiball with every ramp worth 15 million. After completing the Future Car, it is really hard to win the Drag Race. So be warned!

Multiball

Left orbit lights lock in the engine. For the first multiball it'll light all three locks, for other multiballs it will only light one lock (and in even LATER multiballs, the lock times out.). Shoot the engine to lock balls.

Each locked ball will award a car for the first multiball only. This is not true of prototype ROMs.

When the third ball is shot into the engine, you start Rev Mode. This was stupid. Hit the flippers to keep the revs up, and keep the engine shaking. The longer it takes for the ball to fall in the lock, the more points you get; the most is 50 million. As soon as the ball falls into lock, multiball begins. All three balls will be kicked out to the upper flipper.

Both of these methods have been discovered!

Increase the jackpot by shooting the Side Ramp->Unlit Engine. This adds 20 Million, and usually happens during one of the 2-ball multiballs when the engine is not lit for anything.

OR:

Increase the jackpots by shooting the engin when lock is not lit. Every third or fourth shot will increase the jackpot.

The initial value of the Horse Power (Side Loop) is 50 Million, plus what it was raised before hand. The Torque (side ramp) jackpot seems to start at 30 million.

There is also a Super Jackpot for the Side Loop->Side Ramp combo. This can be shot while one or both of the regular jackpots are lit. This is worth double the Torque (Side Ramp) jackpot.

The Horse Power jackpot seems to max at 100 Million, which means you can get 80 Million for Torque, and 200 Million for Super.

As soon as you have the 2 regular jackpots, they both relite for 20 Million more.

Jackpot animation is really nice.

If two balls drain and no jackpots have been scored, you have 10 seconds to shoot the engine to restart it. Restarted multiballs are two ball only. You can get a jackpot in the grace period, and still restart multiball. Is this a bug?

Collecting Cars

Cars is the object of this game. There are 9 cars to collect, then the wizard bonus. The cars are displayed in the centre of the playfield in a small honeycomb layout. Lit cars have been awarded, blank cars haven't, and the flashing one will be awarded next. (Note: No cars will flash unless the Pit is lit to challenge). Cars can be collected by:

The cars are:

When all cars are completed, you start a puzzle mode. This was quite good. All shots are lit, and each one adds a piece to the Jigsaw Puzzle on the screen. There are 9 pieces. When the puzzle is complete, it shows a 1997 Corvette! Four ball multiball will start with the left ramp (Engine Jackpot) being worth 25M * balls-in-play, for a range of 50-100M.

The cars reset after puzzle mode. (On older ROMs, they remain lit, and you can no longer get any. However, the drag race keeps getting harder.)

Challenge

This is lit at the pit by shooting all of the flashing Speed Parts. They are the blue inlays that flash when need to be hit.

The pit (when not lit for Challenge) will spot a Blue light, and light Challenge if necessary.

The actual challenge is really cool. The machine is the red car, and the player has the blue car. The red car will start moving forward slowly (the more times you race, the faster the red car gets..), as does the blue car. To advance the blue car, shot anything [the flashing arrow shots will advance the most]. The whole thing is played out on the display too, which is good for when (err .. I mean if!) the hardware breaks. If you win you get heaps of points (not sure how it's worked out) and a great animation. If you loose you only get a few points, and the condescending message "Better luck next time".

If you shoot the Pit during the Challenge, the display shows a pit crew working on your car, complete with appropriate sounds. If you keep hitting the flipper buttons, your car will catch up to the red car. If you're in front of the red car, nothing will happen.

It also seems that whenever you flip, the blue car will be advanced a bit, this means that if you flip like a madman, you only need a few shots to win. After the first few Challenges, you need to hit so many shots that flipping a win is almost impossible anyway.

Turbo Boost

Light this by completing the Three bank on the left of the playfield. The spinner will be lit for 500k per spin. The sound is very much like Super Spinner in Star Trek. There is a Turbo Boost part of the end of ball Bonus, but it is NOT the total of this mode. It must have something to do with the targets.

Qualify

Going through the right inlane lights the left orbit for Qualify. It is worth 15 million initially, then 5 million more each time. An upper limit is not knowen at this point.

Bonus Multipliers

Complete the LT1 lanes above the bumpers to increase the Bonus X. It goes from 2x, 4x, 6x, 8x and light extra ball. After 8x, completing LT1 awards 10 Million, then 15 Million, then 20 Million and so on.

Spark Plug awards

All shots (except the Pit) have an arrow. Shooting lit shots count up Spark Plugs. Every 8 Spark Plugs alternates between: Points, and Light Race Today. There is an extra ball in there that reflexes around 9ish.

The spark plugs in the animation, are actually AC/Delco plugs. I'm sure this info is usefull for somebody.

Track Combos

There are plenty of Track Combos in the game, awarded for makeing certain shots. Each ball has a new total for all combos, ie: when a combo is awarded, you get (all combo values)+(value of this combo). See the values below:

Two shot Tracks:

Three shot Tracks:

Bonus Count

End of ball bonus is added up fast ... very fast. It is made up of:

This all adds up to:
(4M/track + Raucous + Turbo Boost + Big Points) * BonusX + 10M*cars.

High Scores

As well as the usual Grand Champ and four best scores, we also have:

Credits are awarded for all of these, but only a max of 2 credits for High scores will be awarded. So if you get GC, you will not get any more credits. I like this arrangement.

Bugs/Easter Eggs

So far we we know of the following:

Match Animation

The match animation is fantastic. It is far too good to describe here!

How the Engine Works

I had a quick look at the manual today. Here is a very rough ascii drawing of how the solenoids fit in.... [It is NOT a drawing of the engine, just a guide as to how the solenoids tilt it.]

Note: 


             --------------------X--------------------
              |                                     |
              | Shaft                               | Shaft
              |                                     |
           -------                               -------
           |     |                               |     |
           |     |                               |     |
           |     | Solenoid A                    |     | Solenoid C
           |     |                               |     |
        ----------                               ----------

Solenoids A and B are controlled by two separate transisters, but the two transisters seem to receive the same signales. The same applies for solenoids C and D. To tilt the Engine left, solenoids A and B are energized fully, and to tilt the engine right, solenoids C and D are energized fully. The 128 different positions are achieved 'dimming' the solenoids, so that (for example) solenoids A amd B will have 1/4 or the voltage, and at the same time, solenoids C and D have 3/4 of the voltage. This would result in a half tilt right.

The board that controls all of this is connected via a ribbon cable to some junk in the backbox. There are no (that I could tell) regular solenoid driver transistor connected to this board.

The machine can only "tell" the Engine where in the 128 range to go, but if the engine jams, the machine won't know. There are optos to indicate when the engine is fully left, or right. The whole thing is calabrated after a slam tilt, or powercycle. It takes about 10 seconds, and really shows the power and flexibility of the system.

Now remember, all this was derived by a 20 second peek at the manual (I was hungry!), so please forgive the errors.

You may be thinking "Wow, why such a complex design to tilt a plastic engine". Well it's actually really simple. No Motor or Gears which is the biggest cause of problems with things like the Path Of Adventure (Indiana Jones) and the Guns in Star Trek. Also, most techs are familiar with solenoids (and the ones uesed here are very common) so they should have no difficulty when it comes to fixing it.

Editor's Notes