So I was flipping through the manual for my sweet 'new' Shadow the other day and discovered something that will forever change the way I play pinball. You'll probably all laugh at me and say 'duh' but it isn't obvious unless someone tells you. Apparently, once your second ball starts, you can reset the game (back to ball 1, with your score to 0) if you hold down the start button for a few seconds! I don't know how many times I have wasted my first ball, then opened the coin door, entered and exited the menu, just so I can restart the game quickly on my White Water. So, I tried the trick on The Shadow, and it worked. I then tried it on my White Water, and it worked there too!

What other secrets are you guys keeping from me?

Quoted from jonny_eh

What other secrets are you guys keeping from me?

How not to waste your first ball.

Most of the time, making a high score will depend on only ONE ball... dont restart your game when ball 1 drains, keep playing and you'll be surprised how often ball 2 or even ball 3 makes up for that quick lost

I have know that trick wow for years.
But I also know from experience i can drain ball one or ball 2 but do amazing on ball 3.
I have even beaten high scores in arcades allot on the last ball.
Well at the time ball 1 was a fealer the second ball is ah ok works like this.
Ball 3 was just like ok i know where to shoot how machine is placed.

Quoted from Azatotht

Most of the time, making a high score will depend on only ONE ball... dont restart your game when ball 1 drains, keep playing and you'll be surprised how often ball 2 or even ball 3 makes up for that quick lost

This is very true. I used to think when they went from a 5 ball game to 3 ball it was just them hitting up the player for more money. Then I considered how the game rules had changed so that there became many more opportunities for multiball and extra ball in the games. So what now you consider to be a 3 ball game in fact may be an 8 or 10 ball game if your able to get multiball and extra ball awards. One ball may be the one that unlocks all these other balls from the rules. Basically never give up since ball 1 may be only one ball from a 10 ball game.

I know this works on my home machines that are set on free play, I always thought it was just starting a new game. Does it work when it is set up for coins? I wonder if this would work on an arcade machine.

Quoted from jonny_eh

Apparently, once your second ball starts, you can reset the game (back to ball 1, with your score to 0) if you hold down the start button for a few seconds!

I HATE this feature and turn it off on all of my games. Nothing worse than having a GREAT game and your son comes by and presses the start button. That happened a few times to me before I realized it could be turned off.

Like Azho said, a bad first ball doesn't mean a bad game.

Duane

It would just be so frustrating to me to waste my first 2 balls, then do great on my 3rd, but not great enough to get the wizard mode. I just feel that I would've been able to make it if that 'great' ball was my first, and not my last.

If this works in coin-op mode, it would probably use a credit, which would be dumb for the player.

Now jonny, you should be careful here! Next thing you know you will want to be using the extra-ball-buy-in. And then it is only a short fall to installing rubber bands on the outlanes!  

Quoted from tom_454

Now jonny, you should be careful here! Next thing you know you will want to be using the extra-ball-buy-in. And then it is only a short fall to installing rubber bands on the outlanes!  

Whoa, that's harsh dude, even with the emoticon.

Come on people, any more pinball tips that a newbie might not know? Like what the dot after free play means? (It means there's an error).

Quoted from Mrhide

http://www.ipdb.org/playing/skills.html

Thanks, but there's nothing in there about the 'free play.' or the holding start button trick. Never mind, this is obviously a dumb topic.