Drillin’ Fools
by 2nd Place Andy
A fun way to play 2-player competitive pinball and improve your accuracy.
In “Drillin’ Fools,” you will study all of the main shots in a game, and practice shooting each one repeatedly. Pick a “par,” and that will be the number of times to make each shot. You won’t be paying attention to the scoreboard, just counting your shots. It is good to have basic mastery of dead flips and post passing before playing this way.
Put a bunch of money in the machine and start up a 4-player game. Then simply switch players every time a ball drains. Since the score is inconsequential, keep switching even if you are awarded an extra ball. The first player to finish wins! Each player keeps track of their own progress towards the goals (your opponent can help you remember how many shots you’ve completed). If neither player has completed all the objectives, start another 4-player game and resume your progress!
Let’s look at Attack From Mars as an example. The main shots (clockwise) are Left Loop, Left Ramp, Lock, Saucer, Scoop, Right Ramp, and Right Orbit. Let’s say you are playing with a par of 5. Your first objective is to shoot the Left Loop five times. No other shots count towards your goal until you’ve got all five. After that, start focusing on the Left Ramp and try to hit it five times before moving onto the Lock shot. And so on, until you finish with five Right Orbits. Can you do it all in one ball? Your progress carries over from turn to turn until you finish. Depending on the difficulty of the game in question, you may want to adjust the par or the order of shots.
Want to play cooperatively? Both players follow the same set of objectives together instead of making progress separately. Don’t have a buddy to play with? This style also makes for a great game of solitaire.
Happy Drillin’!
Originally published in Skill Shot 46
