From: crockwel@chaph.usc.edu (Hm, what was my name again?)
Subject: Re: Black Knight
Date: 2 Dec 90 19:18:17 GMT

In article <0bKETZ600Uh700rJs3@andrew.cmu.edu> ls2r+@andrew.cmu.edu (Lui Sieh) writes:

   I guess you mean Black Knight 2000?  I seem to be in a distinct minority.
   The first time I saw the game I knew it would be a dud.  This is your
   classic one shot game.  The only way to get points is not to play on the
   bottom letter but to get it on the upper level.  So, that means that the
   shot one needs to master would be that shot that puts in back up.  Yeah
   fun.

HA!

There are at least five important shots in BK:  the bridge, the loop,
the u-turn, the skyway, and the lock hole.

The bridge (when down) makes locks, advances/collects ransom, and
scores jackpot.  The loop accumulates bonus and lites extra ball and
bonus hold, not to mention racks up points.  The u-turn enables the
lock hole, racks up bonus, and scores lots of points (250K max).  The
skyway, in addition to putting the ball back into the upper
playfields, as you mention, also awards hurry-ups (1.5M max), the
skyway bonus (1M) and extra ball.  The lock hole starts double
knight's challenge, which is an unlimited million for the skilled
player (i've collected 4 millions during one challenge before).  It
also keeps one ball out of the way for a bit during jackpot multi.

How can you call this machine a one-shot machine?  Your "one shot"
accounts for a very small amount of scoring (no points at all, unless
you enable it by spelling out BLACK, starting a hurryup, or lighting
extra ball by making consecutive loops).  You don't get any points for
just hitting the skyway.

Also the lightning wheel is a good way to get the ball back upstairs
even when spin isn't lit.
--
		  Help stamp out vi in our lifetime!

    Firefoot (Warrant) (a.k.a. Scott Goehring)     
    I can be reached at crockwel@chaph.usc.edu, for the moment


From: lfs@mbunix.mitre.org (Sheats)
Subject: In defense of Black Knight 2000
Date: 4 Dec 90 16:25:26 GMT

>From: bgribble@jarthur.Claremont.EDU (Bill Gribble)
>Subject: Re: Black Knight
>Date: 3 Dec 90 23:20:09 GMT

>I beg to differ.  Black Knight 2000 *is* a one-shot game, or if it's not it's
>  close enough that it doesn't matter.  I *have* spent some time playing it
>  (my high is ~40M on a five-ball game, not stellar but pretty good).

>Not to mention the complete lack of balance - the left flipper is basically
>  a doorstop.  There's nothing worthwhile to do with it (ok, spin, but
>  how often is that worth squat, and 2ball multiball, but that's active
>  usually just a few times a game.)

I disagree with your assumption that the left flipper is a doorstop.  I've
used the left flipper many times to snatch a RANSOM letter from the jaws of
defeat.  With the drawbridge DOWN (duh, really?), complete the WIN (the advance
RANSOM bolt will start to flash).  If the ball drops through (you were unable
to get the top flipper on it), let the ball bounce off the right flipper and
on over to the left flipper.  Then shoot the ball up the Lightning Wheel.  The
ball should kick out onto your top flipper (usually giving you the perfect
angle for a shot at the lock).  If all went quickly, the RANSOM bolt will still
be flashing and the shot for advance RANSOM is an easy one.

The result: 1-3 RANSOMs a game (if the machine I'm playing is in good shape).
My best ever score (using BOTH flippers): 110M in 1h45m (quit the game on ball
ball 3 of 5).  Give this game a chance - and look beyond the obvious.

- My Champion -

  - LFS


From: ejua64@castle.ed.ac.uk (D Howat)
Subject: Re: Black Knight
Date: 4 Dec 90 14:17:44 GMT

In article <CROCKWEL.90Dec2164808@chaph.usc.edu> crockwel@chaph.usc.edu writes:
>In article <wbKMjyK00Uh_Q1rLUg@andrew.cmu.edu> ls2r+@andrew.cmu.edu (Lui Sieh) writes:
>
>   >There are at least five important shots in BK:  the bridge, the loop,
>   >the u-turn, the skyway, and the lock hole.
>   > 
>   >The bridge (when down) makes locks, advances/collects ransom, and
>   >scores jackpot.  The loop accumulates bonus and lites extra ball and
>   >bonus hold, not to mention racks up points.  The u-turn enables the
>   >[other instructions deleted]
>
>   Sure and where are they?  On the top playfield.  The fact that there is
>   comparatively very little on the bottom playfield (yes, the Uturn etc)
>   makes BK2000 a one shot game.  I haven't seen a single person play the
>   top play field exclusively.
>
>Yes, you can't keep it in the upper playfield all the time.  However,
>there *are* shots worth making on the lower playfield besides the
>skyway (in fact, i frequently go after the multiball shot).


One way of getting huge scores on BK2000 is to "cheat" the multi ball.
**(I suppose this counts as a **SPOILER** so dont read on if you dont
want to know how to cheat)**
When the first ball is locked and the second ball released onto the
plunger, hitting the machine (not too hard) makes the machine 'think'
that the second ball is in play and releases the locked ball. Thus all
you have to do is repeat over and over again the one shot up the left
ramp until war is lit and you get a million - and you just keep on
going. This is incredibly easy with only one ball to look after and I
dont think it was just an idiosyncracy of our machine.

While I am here I might as well give my all time favorites. At the
moment it would have to be DINER but that is only cos it is the best
maintained machine in our Union and the newest. I think Swords of Fury
has got to be the best I have ever played. The problem in this country
is though that only student unions seem to have machines. All pubs have
Fruit Machines cos they make a _lot_ more money (we dont have
restrictions on gambling like America) or perhaps the odd Video game.
Even privately owned arcades do not seem to see the possible profits in
having Pinball machines - a shame really. Perhaps it is cheaper to run a
video game than it is to run a pinball machine. Throughout Edinburgh I
know of only 10 machines (In varying states of repair) and they are all
in student unions - which is a problem as I have graduated and cant get
into the unions at night cos I dont have a Matric Card :-(

douglas

ps My vote for most annoying soundtrack - DINER - Babs "Really! I havent
got all day!" - aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh


From: dhosek@mimir.claremont.edu (Don Hosek)
Subject: Black Knight (was Re: Playing tips (was Re: Cyclone))
Date: 28 Nov 90 21:51:38 GMT

In article <1032@intelisc.isc.intel.com>, davidl@isc.intel.com (David Levine) writes:
> In article <4708@cvl.umd.edu> arensb@cvl.UUCP (Andrew Arensburger) writes:
>>One example that
>>springs to mind is 'Black Knight 2000' (my personal favorite), whose info-
>>sheet says, "Making W-A-R starts Knight's Challenge."
>>	Great. I can spell W-A-R easily enough, whereupon that wonderful
>>etherial arthurian chorus starts up, and the bimbos in the background
>>start chanting "You can do it! You can do it!" Of course I can do 'it,'
>>but what is 'it?'
 
> I think the "Double Knights' Challenge" is just having two balls in play at
> once.  I'm sure that "It" in the song is just "Beat[ing] the Black Knight;" 
> the song is simply encouragement, not specific instructions.

> What I want to know is: what is "Hurry Up" mode?  This is something you 
> can get on the Lightning Wheel; it seems to last about 30 seconds.  I
> assume it's something like "double points for all targets" while it's 
> active, but it's hard to be sure.  (Naturally, whenever I get in "Hurry Up"
> mode the ball winds up bouncing slowly around the lower playfield, not
> coming near the flippers...)

Hurry-up is linked to spelling WAR; you need to make the ramp
shot on the left side and you'll get a bonus. If you notice,
during hurry-up, there's a score that decreases on the backplane
which is the amount of the bonus. My strategy is to catch the
pinball as it comes down from the top with the right flipper than
take the ramp shot. The bonus rotates through a cycle of 200K,
500K, 750K, 1M. I typically get from 60-100% of that depending on
how much spin the ball has when it comes down.

The same shot is worth an extra ball if you make several loops in
combo; this is actually a bit of a bribe shot. You get very
little time to make the shot and you need to be quite good to get
it. I usually keep up a run of loops and only try for the extra
ball if the ball drops on its own. Making additional loops keeps
the extra ball light on while you're doing it and the loops are
quite valuable.

Double Knight's challenge is activated by making a turn-around
then trapping the ball in the lower right (where it says "No
way", most of the time). You then get a second ball and if you
spell WAR before one of the balls drain, you get a million
points. The secret here is to keep the second ball on top and
send the first up via the lightening wheel path (alternatively,
the trap for starting Double Knight's challenge will hold the
ball for about five seconds).

-dh

