by ELF
This is an attempt to count the minimum number of flips it takes to reach 1 billion points using Doctor #2 (Patrick Troughton) / Sonic Boom approach. It requires only three different shots on the playfield and the least amount of live “scary” shots, keeping your ball relatively safe
compared to other, riskier approaches. Assuming you make every shot, your game should go like this:
Choose Doctor #2 which adds Hang On time and doubles that score. Plunging will feed the ball to your right flipper. Shoot the far 
left shot (H) past the upper flipper to receive your HANG-ON award and set up the O / PLAYFIELD MULTIPLIER ramp shot from the upper flipper. Shoot the upper ramp ten times to start the Sonic Boom and activate the ball diverter to feed the ball to the lower left flipper. Now spell “WHO” by hitting the right ramp (W), the HANG-ON shot (H), and the upper ramp (O) for 40 million per letter and a return to the upper flipper to start it all over again. Before you do, you’ve already earned 144,875,000 points! Not only that, but you’re a mere nine easy O ramps away from the next Sonic Boom. This is where your ramp-hungry zombie stamina comes into play because you will have to do this series of shots five more times.
After the 2nd COLLISION you will have 304,875,000
After the 3rd – 478,875,000
After the 4th – 654,875,000
After the 5th – 832,875,000
After the 6th – 1,010,875,000
Math!!!
This approach requires 74 flips. Sound like a lot? Don’t worry! Once you get the hang of the upper ramp, it almost becomes a comfortable or 
safe experience, and there are only 13 live “scary” shots total to worry about before reaching our goal: six “W” shots and seven “H” shots. These can only be mastered through lots of practice. (fun practice hint! – spell WHO without starting shuttle mode and the ball will return to the lower left flipper every time, setting you up to do it again. You have to spell WHO pretty much consecutively, or at least within a few seconds per letter in order to get big money and no whammies. This is also true during 
your 40 million per letter Sonic Boom, so don’t miss!)
This is only one of four strategies I know of, and to be honest, actually pulling this off without missing a single shot is extremely difficult to execute. There are so many cool things to do on this amazing table, so don’t be afraid to explore other options. For an incredibly in-depth look at choosing other Doctors (or why to choose #2) and different methods of gaining ridiculous points at a higher risk of draining, refer to Bowin Kerins’s online guide. http://www.ipdb.org/rulesheets/738/drwho.htm
Originally published in Skill Shot 43