Attack from Mars

Objective

Destroy the saucers and earn six blue achievements to unlock Rule the Universe, the final multiball. On your first game, open the saucer shield, then work toward three locks at the Lock ramp.

• Conquer Mars after destroying five country saucers.
• Collect a Super Jackpot in regular Multiball.
• Activate Super Jets by hitting the bumpers enough times.
• Start Martian Multiball by defeating all four Martians during Martian Attack.
• Start Total Annihilation by completing the four outer shot groups.
• Make a five-way combo: five linked shots before their flashing arrows expire.

Shots

Find each entrance on this render of your installed table. Select the playfield to enlarge it. Shot approaches below are practice suggestions; cabinet feeds have not been playtested.

Left orbit

Outer left lane marked CAPTURE. Try a right-flipper forehand; a weak shot can return down the same side.

Left ramp

Big-O-Beam ramp entrance left of center. Aim from the right flipper; distinguish the raised ramp from the outer lane.

Lock ramp

Narrow middle ramp just left of the saucer, above the green LOCK inserts. Use a controlled forehand; a short climb rolls back.

Saucer shield

Three-target bank directly beneath the large saucer. Behind it are damage targets and the final hole. Shoot from control and prepare for a straight rebound.

MAR and T targets

MAR is the lower-left bank; T is beside the shield on its left. Pick the individual bank from a controlled ball rather than firing at the plastic Martian.

Top lanes and bumpers

The two lanes feed the bumper area behind the saucer. Move the flashing lane with the flippers during a normal launch.

Right ramp

Tractor Beam ramp entrance to the right of the scoop. Try a left-flipper forehand; short shots roll back toward you.

Right orbit

Outer right lane marked ATOMIC BLASTER. Aim outside the Right ramp from the left flipper.

Stroke of Luck scoop

Black opening just right of the shield, above the EXTRA BALL and STROKE OF LUCK inserts. A controlled left-flipper shot is a useful starting attempt.

I and AN targets

I is beside the shield on its right; AN is the lower-right bank. Use the opposite flipper and expect hard standup rebounds.

Launch

Normal skill shot: launch without holding the left flipper. Use the flippers to move the flashing light beneath the ball at the two top lanes. Success earns points and adds five steps to the end-of-ball bonus multiplier. ^Bally

Super skill shot: hold the left flipper while launching. The ball comes around toward the flippers. Make either outer ramp or orbit to complete that shot group, or hit the raised Saucer shield to lower it. Success pays 50 million. The Lock ramp and Stroke of Luck scoop do not qualify. ^Bally

Choose the shield to begin fighting immediately; choose an outer shot to shorten the Total Annihilation route. A group completed this way does not start its usual hurry-up. If you miss, resume ordinary play and adjust your timing next launch.

First game

1. Open the shield. Use the super skill shot, or finish all three shield targets in ordinary play.
2. Prepare regular Multiball. Shoot the Lock ramp to light locks, then return there for each lit lock. The third starts three balls. ^Bally
3. Take the five jackpots. Shoot each flashing arrow once, then the moving Super Jackpot arrow.
4. Check the six blue lights. Choose one missing achievement. Outer ramps and orbits also build Total Annihilation.

If shield rebounds keep draining, change priorities: practice the ramps and Lock ramp first. An unfinished saucer is still waiting next ball.

Saucers

1. Hit all three raised shield targets. The bank drops and exposes the inner targets. ^Bally
2. Hit inside the opening until the saucer's displayed damage meter is exhausted. Later saucers need more damage.
3. When the drop target stays down, shoot through to the rear hole to destroy the saucer.

The five countries use the same sequence; their order is not a different mission. Progress survives a drain. After five victories, lower the shield again and shoot the rear hole ten times to conquer Mars for 2.5 billion.

Open the shield before regular Multiball or Total Annihilation. Those modes let you finish the exposed saucer, but not lower the next raised shield. Strobe Multiball temporarily uses the shield for a different scoring task. ^PinPal

Multiball

Regular Multiball

• Start: under standard three-ball settings, one Lock ramp shot lights the first set of locks. Three further lit Lock ramp shots start three-ball play. Later rounds require more relighting.
• Jackpots: clear all five flashing arrow shots: both orbits, both outer ramps, and the Lock ramp.
• Super: hit the arrow that moves between those shots. This earns the Super Jackpot achievement and relights the five jackpots.
• End: one ball remains. If the Super Jackpot was ready, its brief last chance is a collection window, not a multiball restart.

Total Annihilation

Make each outer ramp and orbit three times. Completing a group starts a falling-value award at the raised Saucer shield or exposed center targets. Completing all four groups starts four-ball Total Annihilation. ^Bally

• During Total Annihilation, repeat the outer ramps and orbits for jackpots.
• Those jackpots grow the waiting Annihilation Jackpot at the Lock ramp. Collect there before losing the other balls; collection resets that waiting total.
• At one remaining ball, the mode ends and the outer groups reset for another round. There is no separate restart shot to plan around.

Martian Attack

Spell MARTIAN on the seven standup targets, then shoot the lit Stroke of Luck scoop. You have 30 seconds to hit all four target groups: MAR, T, I and AN. Any target within a multi-letter group counts. Defeat all four to start two-ball Martian Multiball and earn its blue achievement. ^Bally

While the scoop is already lit, spelling MARTIAN again raises the Martian value and earns a Martian Bomb. During the timed attack, press Launch to spend a bomb on one remaining Martian. Save bombs for the final targets and press before the timer expires or the draining ball reaches the trough. Bombs carry between attacks.

During Martian Multiball, hit the Martian targets for points until one ball remains. If the timed attack expires before all four are defeated, you have not earned the achievement; check the targets and scoop for the next opportunity.

Side features

Five-way combo

Link five arrow shots while their combo lights flash. They need not be five different shots. Ramps are the clearest practice route. Orbits must pass all the way around; Super Jets diverts them into the bumpers. Combos work in single-ball play and Martian Multiball alone, not the other multiballs.

Super Jets

Normally, the first 100 bumper hits activate enhanced bumper scoring for the rest of that ball. The blue achievement remains after a drain. Later activations need more hits. Send the ball through the orbits toward the top lanes when you need bumper progress. ^Bally

Stroke of Luck

Stroke of Luck starts lit. Shoot directly into the front of the scoop for a mystery award; a ball falling in from the bumpers does not ordinarily collect it.

Complete the four lower lane lights to relight it; flippers move those lights. You cannot choose the award, and settings can change the award pool. It is unavailable during any multiball, including Martian Multiball.

Stacking

Start the timed Martian Attack before the third regular lock, then finish the four Martians during regular Multiball. This combines their scoring but does not add another ball. You cannot start a fresh Martian Attack once that main multiball is running.

The timed attack can also precede Strobe Multiball. Total Annihilation can start during the timed attack or Martian Multiball and brings play to four balls. Regular Multiball, Total Annihilation and Strobe Multiball exclude each other. Lower the Saucer shield before committing to the start shot.

Extra balls

Normally, the second destroyed saucer, ten completed lower-lane sets, ten Strobe shield hits, or a mystery award can light an extra ball. Collect the lit award at the Stroke of Luck scoop. These thresholds and limits depend on settings. The video-mode pod awards its ball directly.

A ball-save relaunch replaces the ball you just lost; it is not an extra normal turn. A replay awards credit, not another ball in this game.

Rule the Universe

With all six blue achievements lit, finish the current multiball and shoot the Stroke of Luck scoop.

Repeat outer jackpots, grow and collect the Lock ramp award, and take the moving Super Jackpot when it reaches a comfortable shot. Central drop-target hits pay 100 million. Earn five billion during the finale to win another five billion. If you return to one ball first, the attempt has failed.

On victory, the machine deliberately stops the flippers and drains the balls, then gives a new launch. This is part of the celebration, not a malfunction.

Victory laps

For the rest of that ball, the five arrow shots pay victory awards. Hit the central drop target to relight collected arrows and raise their value before collecting again. Conquer Mars remains credited for a later finale; check the other blue lights for what needs rebuilding.

Stay alive

From a settled ball, try left-side ramp and orbit shots with the right flipper; reverse that for the right side. Practice the central Lock ramp from each controlled position and keep the approach that you can repeat. Shield and standup misses can rebound directly toward the drain: do not keep firing from an uncontrolled bounce.

For the moving Super Jackpot, wait for an arrow you can actually reach. During multiball, watch the lowest ball first rather than following an attractive target near the top.

Scoring

First reliable score: open the shield, start regular Multiball, clear jackpots and collect the Super. For sustained scoring, build Total Annihilation and alternate its outer jackpots with Lock ramp collections.

Finale attempt: use the blue lights as a checklist. Practice the five-way combo before Super Jets closes the orbit gates. Do not mistake repeated Total Annihilation scores for progress on missing Martian or Mars achievements.

Your table

This guide follows your installed g5k 1.3.11 recreation of Bally's 1995 Attack from Mars, using afm_113b. Operator adjustments and shot feeds have not been checked in cabinet play. Numerical thresholds may differ when the display says otherwise.

Rules and strategy: Bally instructions, Dominy, McCann, Macauley, Magnasco, and Kineticist.