
Amazing (Version 0.99 Beta, June 2002)
A Visual Pinball table
by Proginoskes (proginoskes@email.msn.com)
ne Christopher Carl Heckman 

Made with and for Visual Pinball by Randy Davis
http://www.visualpinball.com

Sound files obtained from the following websites ("copyright" is a dirty
word) and edited:
	http://members.fortunecity.com/wavjunky/
	http://www.montypython.net/
	http://www.nonstick.com/sounds/
High score saving taken from highscore routines in Boris's VP scripts 
(technically, the routines in the Monty Python VP script).

Comments, suggestions can be sent the the e-mail address above. Currently,
my website is at http://math.asu.edu/~checkman/. 

Created with Visual Pinball version 0.6.2806, which was made possible through
the collective genius of Randy Davis, Chris Leathley, Mark Parris, and Jerry 
Rice.


UPCOMING FEATURES (for version 1.00):

	* Back graphics
	* Background music
	* "The Making Of"

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FILES: This .zip file contains five files:

	* Amazing.txt	This file
	* Amazing.vpt	The table itself
	* Amazing.bmp	A screenshot

INSTALLATION: Put the .vpt file in your Tables directory. Look at the .jpg
file, if you want to.

BASIC RULES: The main objective of this pinball table is to work your way 
through a maze (shown in the middle of the table), and end up at a goal 
square. When you get to the destination (the big red square at the top of 
the maze), a shot will activate multiball. After multiball is over, a new 
maze is generated, and the process starts all over.

This table is not based on any other pinball table. Features of this table 
include:

-- A real ball save, and another ball save for the first part of multiball.

-- Chances for extra balls.

-- Two skill levels.

-- Lost Ball Search. If the ball gets trapped (occasionally it does, behind the
"Hit Me" Target), release the flippers. After ten seconds, the Ball Search will
be activated.

If you want to play the game without reading the rules, go ahead. Otherwise ...

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	FEATURES OF THE TABLE/DETAILED RULES:

CONTROLS: Press the 'S' key to start a game at the intended skill level. Press 
'K' to start it at an easier skill level. (Note that the table needs a second 
to get started, so you will not be able to play the table until this second 
passes.) The easier skill level has the options "REMEMBER GOOD DIRECTIONS" and 
"HOLD JACKPOTX" enabled, and scoring is one-tenth of that of the standard skill 
level unless indicated otherwise. (The point values given are for the standard
version.)
   At the end of the easier skill level, there is an "Easy Level Bonus": one 
(1)  point is awarded if the score is a multiple of ten. Hence it is not 
possible to confuse scores obtained from each level.
   The 'M' key is used to turn the sounds on or off. 


"REMEMBER GOOD DIRECTIONS" LIGHT: This light indicates whether the direction 
selected can be changed from one that decreases the distance to the goal to one 
that increases.

"JACKPOT X HELD" LIGHT: This light indicated whether the jackpot multiple will
be held after multiball ends.

CHEESEs DISPLAY: Shows the number of "Cheeses" the player has collected. (See
"C-H-E-E-S-E LIGHTS", below.) Starts at 1.


PLUNGER: This plunger is manual at the start of every ball. It is automatic if
the ball is drained while the ball save is active, and during multiball.

M-A-Z-E LIGHTS: The M-A-Z-E lights (at the top center of the table) are lit 
when the ball passes over the sensors. The left flipper moves the lights one
step to the left. When all four lights are lit, a "good" direction (one that
will take you closer to the goal -- the red square) is indicated, and the
jackpot value (originally 10,000) is advanced by 100.

C-H-E-E-S-E LIGHTS: These six (yellow, triangular) lights are scattered around 
the table (above the outlanes, next to the ramps, and next to the "Hit Me" 
target). Lighting all six turns off all the lights, and the number of CHEESEs
the player has is increased by one. Certain awards are given, depending on how
many CHEESEs the player has:

      # CHEESEs   Award (Standard)     Award (Easy Version)

              3   "REMEMBER GOOD       Extra Ball lit
                    DIRECTIONS" lit*
              6   Extra Ball lit       Ball Save activated
              9   Ball Save activated  Extra Ball lit
             12   Extra Ball lit       Ball Save activated
             15   Hold Jackpot X*      Extra Ball lit
             18   Extra Ball lit       Ball Save activated
             21   Ball Save activated  Extra Ball lit
             24   Extra Ball lit       Ball Save activated
             27   Ball Save activated  Extra Ball lit
             30   Extra Ball lit       Ball Save activated

This sequence repeats itself past 30 CHEESEs, except that if the awards 
indicated by a * have already been awarded, 10,000 points are awarded instead.
("Remember Good Directions" is deactivated after every 5 multiballs, "Hold 
Jackpot X" after every 10 multiballs. Ball Save lasts for 20 seconds in the
standard version, 30 for the easy version.)

RAMPS and LOOPS: These are the shots used to change the direction of the next
move in the maze. (The current direction is indicated by the big blue arrows
at the bottom of the table.) Unlit shots award nothing; lit shots award 50 
points. The loops feed into the M-A-Z-E LIGHTS area. The ramps feed into the 
inlanes. Note that the ball must actually make it past the curve in the ramps 
in order to collect points and change the direction.

BUMPER: Only one. Awards 100 points * the number of balls on the table.

"HIT ME" TARGET: This is the weird-looking structure in the middle of the table.
When one of the big blue arrows at the bottom of the table is lit, hitting the
"Hit Me" target (so called because those words appear on it), the lit red
square in the maze is moved in the direction indicated. 100 points are awarded 
for moving. (Again, if no direction has been "chosen", no points are awarded.)
   If the red square is moved to the goal square, it will begin to flash, and 
the "Hit Me" target will drop, revealing a kicker behind it. Shooting this 
kicker starts multiball (described in detail later).

MAZE: This is the collection of lights in the middle of the table. White lights 
indicate the boundary of the maze, green lights indicate internal walls (which 
block movement in that direction, naturally), and a red light indicates your 
current position in the maze. The red and green lights are shut off during 
multiball, and this set of lights also plays a part in multiballs and jackpots.

X-BALL LIT LIGHTS: These are the circular red lights in the in- and outlanes. 
The right flipper moves the lights one space to the right. When a ball passes
over a lit red light, an extra ball is awarded. Extra balls are stackable. 
Inlanes award 50 points, and outlanes award 1000 points. (If the Ball Save is 
active when a ball passes over a red light in the outlane but is inactive by 
the time the ball has drained, the ball will still be saved.)

BALL SAVE/EXTRA BALLS LIGHT: This is the diamond-shaped yellow light between 
the flippers. It flashes while a Ball Save is active, is lit if the Ball Save 
has been deactivated, and is off otherwise.


	MULTIBALL/JACKPOT

Once the kicker behind the "Hit Me" Target has been hit, multiball begins. Two
more balls are added, and the ball in the kicker is ejected. A Ball Save is
activated (for 30 seconds during the standard version, 45 during the easy 
version). Both ramps and both loops need to be hit. After all four shots have
been made, the "Hit Me" Target drops again, and a shot to the kicker awards the 
jackpot value times the Jackpot Multiplier, and also advances the number of
CHEESEs by the multiplier. The first jackpot is worth at least 10,000 points and
one CHEESE, the second 20,000 points and two CHEESEs, etc. Completing 
C-H-E-E-S-E and M-A-Z-E still advance the number of CHEESEs and the value of 
the jackpot, respectively, but completing M-A-Z-E will not award one of the four 
directions.
   After two of the three balls have drained (after the Ball Save has been
deactivated), multiball ends, and a new maze appears. New mazes may be more 
difficult, in that the shortest path to the goal may get longer.


	EASTER EGG

The Easter Eggs have to do with the numbers 23 and 64 (the original number of 
squares in the maze).

---- Christopher Carl Heckman, June 2002.