
           "Rollergames" Rules Sheet: Version 2.0 (January 8, 1994)
           ========================================================

                                By Michael Dunn
                                ===============

                     a540mrd@pic.ucla.edu on the Internet
              "Major Kira" on the ISCA BBS - whip.isca.uiowa.edu
                          "DGIF Mike" on QuantumLink
                    "DDS" on the high score boards at UCLA

                           Changes From Version 1.x
                           ========================

     I added 2 Roller Motion awards, a Sudden Death award, and made the sheet
more organized and in general easier to read.  I realized after looking over
the sheet that the reorganization was sorely needed!

                                  Background
                                  ==========

     "Rollergames" started out as a weekly TV show featuring a six-team roller
derby league.  It was as staged as pro wrestling, but when you put aside all
the antics, the games themselves were fun to watch.
     Williams has taken this rather obscure show and built a pinball with the
show as its theme.  There are numerous references to things from the show (like
The Wall and Roller Motion), as well as some rather loud quotes from one of the
announcers (his favorite quote is "Devastating" spoken at about 90 decibels).
The pin has several goals, but since none of the yields astronomical awards,
you'll need to shoot for several of them repeatedly to rack up the points.
     Rollergames has a 2-line alphanumeric display.  The highest displayable
score is 99,999,990.  Unfortunately, if you break 100 million, you don't
automatically get on the high score list; in fact you don't get a single thing!
The game totally forgets all the hard work you did to get those 100 million
points.
     "Multiball" is a trademark of Williams, and "Rollergames" is somebody's
trademark, I'm sure.
     In this sheet, I'll use the abbreviation "K" for a thousand points, and
"M" for a million points.  When I refer to something in the game that has a
specific name, I'll capitalize the name so you know that you can find info
about it here.
     I'm doing this sheet from memory, so forgive any inaccuracies.  This IS
version 2.0, so most of the info should be correct.  There are still a couple
of things that I'm not sure about; those will be flagged with a question mark
to indicate that they are guesses.  If you have any info I've left out, please
mail it to me at any of the above addresses, preferably the Internet address.
Thank you for your support.

                                General Layout
                                ==============

Starting at the lower left and moving roughly clockwise, here's what you'll
find in Rollergames:

Left outlane:  There is a kickback here, and a red special light.  Now, before
   you get mad and think, "There's a mile-wide left outlane, right?" this
   kickback lane is not a black hole; the kicker shoots straight back
   (reminiscent of F-14 Tomcat), up a little ramp, onto another kicker that is
   not otherwise in play, and finally around the orbit to the upper left
   flipper.

Left inlane:  Lights the right Jetway and scores a few points.  The divider
   between the inlane and outlane is just a piece of metal, so nudging the ball
   away from the outlane is not easy to do.

Left standup targets (SKATE):  These 5 targets face directly right and form the
   left side of the playfield (the Kickback actually sends the ball behind
   these targets).  Each target has a light in front of it, indicating whether
   it has (steady light) or has not (flashing light) been hit.  Completing the
   targets lights a letter in WILLIAMS and lights the Magnet.  It is possible
   to hit these targets with the left flipper, and there is a magical point on
   the bank (different for every machine, of course) where you can shoot the
   ball with the right flipper and have the ball land in the Pit.

Left Jetway:  This is the left side of the orbit.  There is a spinner and an
   orange Jetway light at the entrance.  This shot is also the first half of
   the Combo Shot.

The Pit:  This is a saucer just to the right of the left Jetway.  The saucer is
   completely enclosed.  You shoot the ball through a one-way gate into the
   enclosure, so you can shoot the ball as hard as you like and it'll stay in
   there.  The ball exits by a vertical upkick onto a habitrail, which deposits
   the ball at the upper right flipper.  There are three things the Pit can
   award:  Roller Motion, Magnet, and Scoring Cycle.  Each award has its own
   arrow light to indicate when it is available.  The Pit can be hit from
   either lower flipper.

The Wall:  This is a VERY steep ramp, reachable only from the upper right
   flipper.  The ball can exit from the ramp in three ways:  a diverter can
   send it down a habitrail that feeds the left Inlane; another diverter can
   send it down a winding habitrail to either the Lock or the right Inlane
   (another diverter controls when balls enter the Lock mechanism); finally,
   the ball can go all the way across the ramp, fall off the end, and land
   above the upper right flipper.  There are three arrow lights on the
   playfield that indicate awards you can collect at the Wall:  Jackpot (red),
   Lock (green), and Million (orange).

Center Standups (123):  These targets face right, and are not easily reachable
   from the flippers except by a lucky bounce off something else.  Usually the
   ball hits these targets when it's being knocked around by the bumpers.
   Completing the targets lights Roller Motion.

Center Lane:  The first time I saw this lane, I thought it would be impossible
   to hit, and it almost is.  You need to shoot the ball literally straight
   back, through a narrow space between the Drop Targets and the ramp entrance,
   and then between the Center Standups and the bumpers.  This lane feeds to
   the left Orbit, above the spinner.  So, why would you ever shoot for this
   lane?  Well, it's where you collect extra balls, that's why!  Sometimes, if
   you're lucky, the ball will roll down the J lane and be kicked around this
   lane by the bumpers.  Extra balls can be stacked here, and they remain lit
   until collected.

Drop Targets (WAR):  These three targets are placed below the bumpers.  They
   are arranged horizontally but angled a bit to face the lower left flipper.
   Each target is labeled "MULTI-BALL" and has a green light in front of it to
   indicate if it's been collected (steady light), not collected and not timed
   (light off), or not collected and on the timer (timeout-flash pattern).
   These targets award Locks during one-ball play, and points during Multiball.
    The targets can be hit from any flipper.  You can even sweep all three with
   the upper right flipper (but there is no bonus for doing so).  If you really
   want to show off, you can sweep the targets AND hit the ramp, all with one
   shot!

Bumpers:  Three of 'em.  Two just below the Rollover Lanes and another below
   those two.  The ball can exit down the middle of the board (past the left
   side of the Drop Targets) or to the upper right flipper.

Rollover Lanes (JET):  These three lanes are above the bumpers.  Completing
   them advances the bonus multiplier, up to a max of 7x.  Completing the lanes
   after the multiplier is at its max awards 100K(?).  These lanes are not
   saved between balls.  You can rotate the lit lanes to the right by pressing
   either flipper button.  It is pretty hard to hit these lanes purposely,
   since there are no gates in the orbit (which passes above the lanes) to stop
   the ball from zooming on by.

Upper right flipper:  This standard-length flipper lies along the right side of
   the right Jetway.  Use it to hit the Wall.

The Magnet:  This is located at the tip of the upper right flipper.  Activate
   it by hitting the Pit when the Magnet light there is lit.  The Magnet is
   relit by the Left Standups.

Lock mechanism:  This is just a kicker at the end of one of the habitrails
   leading away from the ramp.  There is room to hold 3 balls.  Sometimes,
   during one-ball play, the locked balls will be kicked out, around the
   habitrails, and back into the Lock.  This is supposed to look like skaters
   going around a track.

Right Jetway:  This lane has a spinner and a Jetway light at its entrance.

Right Standups (ABC):  These three targets are placed low on the right side,
   and are angled to face the lower left flipper.  Completing these targets
   relights the Kickback.

Right Outlane:  Just like the left, but sans Kickback.

Right Inlane:  This lane lights the left Jetway.  The divider between the
   inlane and outlane is a piece of metal--not much rubber on this side,
   either.

Rollergames Team Lights:  These 6 lights are located in the open area in the
   middle of the board.  They indicate your progress on the Jetway.

Slingshots:  2 of 'em.

Lower Flippers:  2 of 'em.

Plunger:  A manual plunger.  Plunging at full strength will send the ball up
   the Wall.

Now on to the rules....

                                  The Jetway
                                  ==========

     The two Jetways are independent of each other, and both can be lit at the
same time.  A Jetway is lit by rolling through an inlane.  The left Inlane
lights the right Jetway, and vice versa.  You can also light an unlit Jetway by
shooting the ball around the entire orbit.
     To collect a lit Jetway, you only have to hit the spinner.  So if both
Jetways are lit, shooting the entire orbit will collect both Jetways.
     Collecting a Jetway spots a Rollergames Team.  Lighting all 6 teams lights
an Extra Ball at the Center Lane.  At the start of the game, you get 2 teams
lit for free, but after collecting all the teams once, you don't get any more
freebies.  The teams you light are not saved between balls, and you can light
only one extra ball from the teams per ball.  After all 6 teams are lit, the
Jetways are worth 250K for the remainder of the ball.

                                  The Magnet
                                  ==========

     The Magnet gives you a little bit of assistance in shooting the Wall.
When the Magnet light at the Pit is lit, shooting the Pit activates the Magnet,
which is at the tip of the upper right flipper.  Here's the sequence of events:
The screen shows "Don't flip" and the announcer says "Don't flip" as the ball
rolls along the habitrail.  The screen then counts down "Three--Two--One,"
estimating the time until the ball will come to rest on the magnet.  After the
countdown, the screen says (and the announcer yells) "Flip," by which time the
ball should be at rest on the magnet (although I have seen games where the
magnet was too weak to catch the ball).  If the ball stops early, go ahead and
flip; the game won't mind if you don't wait.
     If you flip too early, the magnet will turn off immediately, so don't do
it!  It will also turn off if you wait too long after being ordered to "Flip!"
If something goes wrong with the magnet or the Pit kicker, you're outta luck.
The game will continue on as if everything were OK, and you'll lose the chance
at the easy ramp shot.
     The Magnet turns off after one shot, and is relit at the start of each
ball, at the start of Multiball, when Instant Lock is awarded by Roller Motion,
and when the Left Standups are completed.

                                 Roller Motion
                                 =============

     This is a semi-random award.  Shoot the Pit to collect Roller Motion when
it is lit.  Here's the possible awards:

Penalty Pit:  No points.  Bummer.
Jetter Bonus:  100K to 200K points.
Bonus Held:  Holds the end-of-ball bonus.  Maybe the multipliers too(??).
Instant Lock:  A VERY generous award.  One lock AND the Magnet are lit.
WILLIAMS Letter:  Spots the next letter in WILLIAMS.
Spot Team:  Lights the next Rollergames Team.
Bonus X:  Advances the bonus multiplier.
Extra Ball:  Devastating.
Lite Special:  Lights the outlanes.

     I don't remember if an award is purposely not given when the associated
sequence is complete, e.g. awarding Bonus X when the multiplier is already at
7x.  I assume the game is smart enough not to do this, or at least award some
points instead.
     Roller Motion is lit at the start of the game, and is relit by the Center
Standups.  It is not lit automatically at the start of each ball.

                          The WILLIAMS Scoring Cycle
                          ==========================

     The WILLIAMS sequence carries over between balls, players, and games.
Progress towards completing it is shown in the status report and whenever a
letter is awarded.  Completing the sequence starts the Scoring Cycle, which is
a hurry-up round.  Its value starts at 4M and counts down to 1M.  Shoot the Pit
to collect the points.
     There is a short pause before the countdown starts, so it's possible,
though very hard, to get the full 4M.  There's also a pause after the timer
reaches 1M.
     If you collect the Scoring Cycle, the WILLIAMS sequence resets completely.
 But if you do not collect it, the sequence goes back 4 letters (this is
adjustable, 4 is the default).
     The best way I know to get the full 4M is to find the magic point on the
left Standup bank where you can shoot the ball and have it bounce into the Pit,
then hope that that target or targets are the last ones needed to start the
Scoring Cycle.

                                 Sudden Death
                                 ============

     This round starts randomly during one-ball play, once or maybe twice in a
game.  You'll know that it has started when you hear the announcer yell (can't
he say anything in a normal voice?) "It's Sudden Death!  Go for the Wall!"  A
15-second timer starts, and hitting the Wall before time runs out awards 1M and
resets the timer.  If you complete both SKATE and WAR, the round ends and you
get 2M.  I have also seen the round end early if the ramp is hit too many times
(about 5 or 6 times in quick succession).


                                The Combo Shot
                                ==============

     Shooting the left Jetway (lit or unlit) and then the ramp awards 100K the
first time, 200K the second time, and so on up to a max of 500K.  The combo is
awarded in addition to anything else that might be lit at the ramp, so you can
get a Power Play and a combo at the same time, although only the combo display
will be shown.

                                   Multiball
                                   =========

     Locking three balls starts multiball.  The balls are kicked out of the
lock mechanism and come screaming down the right inlane all at once (a VERY
annoying design IMHO).  There is only one thing to do:  hit the Wall to collect
the jackpot, which is worth between 1.5M and 4M.  The Magnet is automatically
lit at the start of multiball, so you have a little help in collecting the
first jackpot.
     The jackpot is lit as long as 2 or 3 balls are in play, but it resets to
1.5M each time it's collected, so only the first jackpot is worth a significant
amount of points.  Hitting stuff during multiball adds to the jackpot.  Once
you lose 2 balls, normal play resumes.  There is no restart shot.
     During multiball, the Scoring Cycle, Magnet, and Jetways operate as usual,
but you cannot collect Roller Motion until normal play resumes.  There are also
other bonuses available during multiball:  completing SKATE awards 100K the
first time, 150K the second time, 200K the third time, and so on up to a max of
500K.  Completing WAR awards a bonus with the same scoring scheme.  After
multiball ends, the SKATE standups reset, for no real reason.
     When you collect the first Jackpot, the ball you hit up the ramp will be
diverted into the Lock while the jackpot-collected display runs and the
announcer yells "Kick Butt!"  Subsequent jackpots only get the quote
"Devastating!  Outrageous!  Unbelievable!" and the ball will not always go into
the Lock.  Any ball that goes into the Lock will be held there only for a few
seconds.

                                  Other Stuff
                                  ===========

Some notes on the Wall diverters:  If Lock is lit, the ball will be diverted
   into the Lock unless it was moving slowly and didn't reach the diverter.  If
   the ball falls down the left exit, or even back down the ramp entrance, no
   lock is awarded but Lock remains lit.  If both Million and Lock are lit, the
   ball may be diverted into the lock, but not always.  If it is, and if that
   wasn't the third lock, when you shoot the next ball up the ramp, you'll get
   another million award.  But a Lock is never awarded on a plunger shot.

More Wall stuff:  The switch that registers a successful shot up the Wall is on
   the upslope of the entrance, before the level area at the top where the
   diverters are.  So, a weakly hit ball can go up the entrance, hit the
   switch, stall before going all the way up the entrance, and fall back down
   over the switch, thus earning two awards.  This is an especially nice
   feature. ;>

Power Plays:  Hitting the Wall when nothing is lit (except a possible Combo
   Shot) awards a Power Play.  3 Power Plays lights Extra Ball, and 8 Power
   Plays lights the outlane Specials.  (These values are probably adjustable.)
   Power Plays carry over for the entire game.

Outlane Specials:  Whenever you get a light Special award, both outlanes are
   lit and remain lit until one is hit, at which point both outlanes turn off.

Cows:  Nope, no cows, but the TV show did have alligators once.



                                Closing Credits
                                ===============

Thanx to those folks on rec.games.pinball who helped me with my memory gaps,
and to Karl Brostroem (for whom I originally wrote this rules sheet :).  Man,
this thing REALLY looks good now, compared to the older ones!  Have fun!

