Stargate

---

Keefer's Guide to Stargate
Version 1.1 - 14-Jun-95

This is a rulesheet for the Gottlieb (Premier) game Stargate, based on the movie of the same name. All trademarks and what not are hereby acknowledged belonging to Premier and whatever movie company produced Stargate.

This rule is copyright 1995 by Keith P. Johnson. It may be freely distributed with or without changes, provided no profit is made from said distribution and acknowledgments are given to the author (me) and all those who are listed as having contributed to the effort. I retain any and all rights to this guide.

#include <stdabbrev.h>

Comments, corrections, and additions are welcome. You will, of course, be credited for information you provide.

Playfield

Flippers
Normal Gottlieb Catch-All(tm) flippers.

Slingshots
Pretty normal as well.

Left inlane
Opens up the "Trade Quartz" shot if it is not already open. Notice that the habitrail does NOT go over the inlane switch. The best way to trigger the inlane is to shoot the pop bumpers and hope it goes down the left.

Left outlane
Leads to the...

Sarcophagus
This is a kickback, but not your ordinary kickback! It is actually a gate that opens up to reveal a underneath-the-scorecard space that can hold the ball and kick it out whenever it wants. The kickback opens up when the ball comes out of the pop bumpers via the Extra Ball rollover and when on the habitrail leading to the outlane. The game may also be set to open the Sarcophagus after hitting the right slingshot and close when hitting the left. This is a Segment.

Extra Ball rollover
The leftmost way out of the pop bumper area; it the opening of the Sarcophagus and awards an extra ball when lit.

3-bank
A bank of 3 drop targets, located on the way out of the Sarcophagus above the left slingshot. Each has a light pointing to it, going from left to right: 5M, 10M, 20M. This scoring is discussed in detail in the drop targets section.

Pop bumpers
There are two (2) of them in a pretty enclosed area. Get to them by shooting the right entrance (towards the left Guardian); the ball will exit back through that area or down the extra ball rollover. There is also a small kicker-target on the right.

Left Guardian
It guards the entrance to the left lane and has a white round standup target on the bottom of it. Going through the right inlane will open the Guardian as will shooting the standup. If you shoot the standup, though, you get the added bonus of lighting the Transporter. Note the Guardian is open at the start of a ball for a flipper skill shot if you blow the Sarcophagus skill shot.

Left lane
Leads into the pop bumpers/Left Guardian and into Transporter if the Guardian is raised. The start of the shot is flanked by a 3-bank of drop targets to the left and a 2-bank of drop targets to the right. It is also a White Pyramid (see that section) shot. (Hitting the standup will also count for the White Pyramid.)

2-bank
A bank of 2 drop targets located about halfway up the playfield facing more towards the right than the bottom. The bottom one is marked with a 40M light and the top one with an 80M light. See the drop target section for details.

Left ramp
This is a way steep ramp, and while it has quite a large entrance, its sweet spot is deceptively narrow. Aim for the middle of the ramp and not the sides in order to have a better chance of making it up. It feeds to the left inlane, though not over the inlane rollover. It starts the Combo sequence (see that section for details) and is a White Pyramid shot.

Transporter
This is a VUK hidden from normal view. It is the end of the left lane, but Pyramid shots also lead to this VUK. When Transporter is lit, it gives the currently active Transporter award (switched by the left Glider target). There is a timer (like 15-20 seconds) when the Guardian raises to add 10M(5M) to the Horus Value. When the Transporter is lit, it counts as a Segment. Balls kicked out of the Transporter are supposed to follow the left ramp path down to the left flipper, but sometimes it goes astray and goes down the entrance of the left ramp screaming towards the right slingshot. The Transporter is also the 3rd combo shot. If the Transporter is lit and you start a mode, the Transporter will NOT be lit after the mode is over. However, you can collect it during some modes. It also won't be lit if you drain.

Pyramid
The big gold thingy in the middle. The shot to it is very narrow, barely big enough for the ball to get through. It is possible to hit this shot from ANY flipper, though it is most difficult from the lower left flipper (and most dangerous). If you flail at it with the upper flipper, it will go in more often than you might think. You start modes with this shot. It is also a White Pyramid shot and the 5th (final) shot of the combo.

Glidercraft
This is the major toy of the game. During Glidercraft mode and during the 1st stage of Eye of Ra, the bottom portion of the Pyramid (the smooth gold part) will flip up and a Glidercraft will come out and simply start moving left and right. It doesn't do anything, it's just there for decoration. It's kind of cool, though.

Glidercraft targets
These are 2 kicker-targets (i.e. you hit them and they push back at the ball) on either side of the entrance to the Pyramid. The left one faces towards the upper flipper and the right one has a pin in the middle of it. Hitting the right target normally doesn't seem to do much of anything (except during Glidercraft mode), but hitting the pin straight on gives you some Bullseye award. During normal play, the left target changes the current Transporter award.

Right Guardian
Same as the left Guardian except he guards the Trade Quartz shot. Starts off a ball down, but shooting its standup target or going down the left inlane raises it. Shooting the standup gives no advantage over the left inlane. The Guardian stays up until you shoot Trade Quartz, lose the ball, leave a Multiball, or get the 3x scoring award from the Transporter. It is a White Pyramid shot.

Trade Quartz
There is a VUK just behind the right Guardian. During normal play, shooting the VUK adds 1 Quartz to your total and enables you to trade in your Quartz (see that section). Trade Quartz is a Stargate Segment, the 4th combo shot, and probably also counts for the White Pyramid of the right Guardian. Balls kicked out of Trade Quartz follow the right ramp's return path.

Right ramp
Another pretty steep ramp with a sharp U-turn at its top. During normal play, the ramp spots a STARGATE letter. The game begins with like STAR already lit so you only need 4 shots to get the first award. Spelling STARGATE gives you some award (see that section) and counts as a Stargate Segment. The right ramp is also a White Pyramid shot and the 2nd shot of the combo sequence. Ball returns to the bottom right flipper after intersecting with the Sarcophagus habitrail.

Right lane
This lane goes to the back of the machine into yet another VUK. Often it is blocked by an oversized drop target. This is the shot you need to make to get the Hurry-Up award. It feeds to the Sarcophagus via the skill shot habitrail. The Hurry-Up award is lit by the pop bumpers and counts as a Stargate Segment. The right lane is also a White Pyramid shot.

Upper right flipper
Same as the bottom ones, except it's up here. You can shoot the left ramp, either Glidercraft target (left is easier), the Pyramid, the 2-bank, and the left outlane(!). It's pretty hard to feed this flipper directly from the bottom flippers other than by luck (unless the right lane drop target is up, in which case the ball will easily fall down to the upper right flipper). Sometimes Sarcophagus kickouts get up this far.

Skill shot ramp
Leads from the plunger up a small ramp. The ball can either go too far and exit the top hole (which feeds the upper right flipper), just make it over the small step onto the Sarcophagus/skill shot habitrail and dribble down the right ramp return path, or have enough velocity to get past the right ramp return intersection and proceed on to the Sarcophagus. The skill shot is to get it to the Sarcophagus, where you'll be awarded 10M and the current Sarcophagus award. If it does go down to the lower right flipper, you can shoot the left lane instead for 10M and raise Horus bonus (but that's it).

Ra kicker target
This is located just above and to the right of the right slingshot, hittable by the left flipper. Hitting it during normal play lights it for Ra's Bracelet or something. Basically, it scores 5M, 10M, 20M, 20M... It stays lit for around 5 seconds from the last hit. Shooting this just after the left ramp when it is lit for Double scores double amazingly enough (10M, 20M, but no higher) and is lit for points right away (for about 5 seconds). This is also a White Pyramid shot.

Plunger
A combo (manual/auto) plunger. Licensed from Sega I believe. ;)

Right outlane
A pity Special can be lit here. You have to claim it fairly quickly on your last ball if you're having an exceedingly bad game.

Right inlane
Opens the left Guardian and lights the left lane (to the Transporter) for advancing the Horus bonus.

Gameplay

Skill Shot
Start off the ball by trying to plunge the ball into the Sarcophagus. You need to launch just hard enough to get the ball to travel past the right ramp return intersection and travel on to the Sarcophagus. You also need to not plunge it too hard lest it go out the upper hole and to the upper flipper (in which case you'll get NOTHING). If the ball goes down the right ramp return, then catch the ball on the flipper and shoot the left lane (you'll also be awarded 10M and raise Horus bonus for this, but nothing else). If the ball does go into the Sarcophagus, you'll be awarded 10M and a Sarcophagus shot.

Sarcophagus
You can earn a Sarcophagus award in one of two ways: The first has already been discussed, i.e. making a skill shot. The second involves the right drop target. Shoot the right drop target when it is up to light the lane for a brief amount of time (around 15-20 seconds I think). If you shoot it during this time, then you are awarded the Sarcophagus. If you don't shoot it in time, the drop target STAYS DOWN and shooting the right lane gives you basically nothing (unless it was lit for something else). The drop target won't raise again until you shoot the right lane no matter how pointless that may seem.

The Sarcophagus typically alternates between Multiball and award 3 Quartz, in that order. However, it seems that it can be set to also start a mode sometimes, though the conditions where this is awarded aren't entirely known. It may just be every 3rd shot.

The Sarcophagus is one of the Stargate Segments.

Drop Targets
There are 6 drop targets in the game: The 3-bank on the lower left portion, the 2-bank near the middle of the playfield, and the lone drop target that blocks the right lane.

The right drop target is controllable (retractable) by the game for when autolaunched balls and when certain awards are lit on the right lane. It doesn't really have anything else to do other than block the shot (well, shooting it lights "double" on the 2 bank I think as well).

When all 5 of the regular drop targets are up, the leftmost target on the 3- bank will be flashing (for 5M). Shooting this target before shooting any of the other 5 scores 5M and lights the next one for 10M. Likewise, shooting the 10M target before any of the remaining 3 scores 10M and lights the 3rd for 20M. And so on, for 40M on the lower of the 2-bank targets and 80M for the topmost 2-bank target.

After the 5M shot, the values will time out after some time. The higher the value, the faster the shot will expire. It's quite long for the 10M, pretty long for the 20M, but for 40M it's about 4 or 5 seconds, and then 1 or 2 seconds for the 80M shot. The best way to get the 80M is probably to sweep the 2-bank. Completing the sequence, then, is worth 155M. Hitting any of the 5 targets out-of-order aborts the drop target millions sequence until all 5 of them are standing again. This is (obviously) lit at the start of the ball, then.

If only the middle target on the 3-bank remains standing, it will be lit for 1 Quartz. (The 2-bank targets do not affect this award.)

Sweeping either bank (that is, hitting all targets in a bank at once) scores Ra's Power. It starts at 5M for each ball and goes up each time. I'm not really sure yet how it goes up, though... Either it's 5, 10, 15, 20, etc. or 5, 10, 20, 30 or 5, 10, 20, 40. Shooting the right drop target seems to light the 2-bank for "Double" which probably awards double the next Ra's Power value. Maybe it even doubles the drop target millions values?... Generally, the only way you'll be able to sweep the 3 bank is by a lucky kickback (due to the fact they're facing right at your flipper).

Hurry-Up
Hurry-Up is activated normally by getting 10 pop bumper hits. It is also activated by getting 10 combos. When lit, shoot the right lane within 10-15 seconds to collect the Hurry-Up award. The awards are:

  1. 10M
  2. 30M
  3. extra ball
  4. 50M
  5. + ??

The value is held for the whole game (i.e. you don't need to make all 3 Hurry-Ups on one ball to get the extra ball), though that's probably adjustable.

Collecting the Hurry-Up award is one of the Stargate Segments.

Combos
The left ramp is almost always lit to start the combo sequence. There are 5 shots in the combo sequence and they are always the same and in the same order. They are:

  • (5M) left ramp (yes, starting it counts as a combo)
  • (10M and/or Segment) right ramp
  • (20M) left lane
  • (30M) Trade Quartz shot
  • (?M and advance SJ) Pyramid

After getting a total of 10 combos, Hurry-Up is activated (see that section). The next award is after a total of 30 combos, and that is flash extra ball. After that, not sure.

The combo shots don't time out (or if they do, it takes a long long time). However, the first switch that you touch that is wrong ends the sequence. This excludes the right inlane, but not anything else, including a pop bumper on the way up the left lane, or the left lane misfiring (ball doesn't get out of the VUK). You can even start the combo sequence in a multiball (depends if anything can be lit on the left ramp or not), but the "hit any wrong switch" rule still applies, so it's not very likely you'll get very far.

He who gets the most combos in a game gets to put their initials on the high score board. However, this is quite flaky, as I've often gotten above the high # of combos and not been awarded anything.

Making the 2nd combo shot (the right ramp) awards the Combo Stargate Segment.

White Pyramids
There are several shots scattered around the playfield that have white pyramid lights in front of them. They are:

  • Left guardian
  • Left ramp
  • Pyramid
  • Right guardian
  • Right ramp
  • Right lane
  • RA kicker target

They do not seem to be lit in any particular order, but only one is lit at a time. Making one turns its light solid and lights another one. Completing all 7 gives you some award: So far all I know of is 5 Quartz and 30M for the first 2. I think it may just alternate between those 2 awards. Shooting one that is flashing or already lit may tell you what the next award is.

Completing the Pyramids awards the Pyramid Stargate Segment.

STARGATE
Shooting the right ramp just about any time will spot a letter in STARGATE. There is no indication as to your progress except when you see the animation when you shoot the ramp. (It may be in the status report though, which as of this game, really starts to give you interesting information instead of just the replay and highest score that other Gottlieb games gave.) The game starts out with a bunch of letters already spotted, 4 of them I think. Each completion of STARGATE gives you an award, always in this order:

  1. 3 Quartz
  2. Advance SJ
  3. 5 Quartz
  4. + not sure

Completing STARGATE the first time awards the Spell Stargate Segment.

Transporter
The transporter is lit simply by hitting the left guardian when it is in the lowered position. It also seems to be lit after making the 3rd combo shot (left lane), but I'm not positive about that.

The first 4 awards are always the same POSSIBLE 4 awards, but the order that you get them in is switched by hitting the left Glidercraft target. You can see the next award in the status report and after you hit the left Glidercraft. The first 4 awards are (in this order):

  • 5 Quartz
  • Extra Ball
  • Advance SJ
  • 3x Scoring for 30 Seconds

The first 3 are fairly obvious; the last award (3x scoring) probably is as well, but I'll point out that it multiplies every possible point scored, including super jackpots! AND, on top of that, there is a bug (I assume it is a bug, I can't imagine the rules actually being designed this way) that during regular Multiball, Stargate Multiball, and Eye of Ra Multiball the timer STOPS, giving you 3x scoring for the entire multiball! Sheesh! Sandstorm may stop it as well, but I haven't found out yet for sure.

The 5th Transporter award is Sandstorm. See that section for details.

After 5 awards, the pool is reset. The next Sandstorm is 11 Transporters away, and the pool grows accordingly (i.e. 11 possible awards). Some of the awards in the 2nd pool include:

  • 3 Quartz
  • 5 Quartz
  • 10M
  • 20M
  • 30M
  • Multiball
  • 3x Scoring for 30 Seconds
  • Hurry-Up

I'm not positive about any others. Advance SJ may be one of them; I'm pretty sure Extra Ball is not.

After making an award, the game will usually tell you the next one (until it gets switched by the Glidercraft) as well as how many Transporters until the next Sandstorm.

Making the Transporter the first time awards the Transporter Stargate Segment.

Super Jackpot
The Super Jackpot starts the game at 100M (50M for reduced scoring) and can be increased in a variety of ways:

  • Transporter award
  • Quartz award (double advance)
  • Spell STARGATE
  • Completing combo sequence

The amount it goes up is the same as the starting value, except, obviously, for the double advance (goes up 200M or 100M).

The value is held for the whole game. It just keeps getting bigger and bigger.

You can get the Super Jackpot in regular Multiball, Stargate Multiball, Eye of Ra Multiball, and as a Quartz award. See those various sections for details.

Quartz
Quartz are gained throughout the game and are used to trade in for various awards via the Trade Quartz shot. The Trade Quartz shot is located behind the right guardian and is opened by going down the left inlane or shooting the guardian's standup target.

You can gain Quartz by:

  • Every other Sarcophagus shot
  • 3-bank middle target (see drop target section)
  • Transporter awards
  • White pyramid awards
  • Spelling STARGATE awards
  • Quartz mode

Also, shooting Trade Quartz gives you one more Quartz.

When you shoot Trade Quartz, you are given a choice that you can either accept or decline by hitting the right or left flipper, respectively. The intervals are not exactly known, but I will get as close as I can and the list will get more exact over time. Entries with an exclamation (!) are known for certain.

Quartz Offered
1!-3! 10M (5M reduced scoring)
4!-6! 50M (25M reduced scoring)
7!-9! Flash (light) extra ball - 100M after choosing this once.
10!-15! Double advance SJ
16!-19! Sandstorm
20!-25 Complete all Segments (or Super Jackpot if you've already had Stargate Multiball)
26+ Super Jackpot

I'm not sure if there's anything after Super Jackpot; I tend to doubt it. I have seen up to 48 Quartz, and it was Super Jackpot that was offered.

When you trade in your Quartz for an award, you trade them all and must work your way back up from 0 again. So, at this point, my suggestion is as soon as you hit Super Jackpot, you might as well take it because you won't gain anything for holding on to those Quartz (well, your bonus will be a little higher, but that's not worth very much). Aborting this animation assumes an answer of yes to trading.

Shooting Trade Quartz the first time lights its Stargate Segment.

Multiball

Regular Multiball is started by every odd-numbered shot (including skill shots) to the Sarcophagus. It starts out as a 2-ball multiball, but getting just one Jackpot launches a third ball into play.

There are 2 "levels" of Multiball. You always start regular Multiball at Level 1, which has 3 Jackpots lit (2 on harder settings, e.g. 5-ball). The Jackpots are lit in this order:

  • Left ramp
  • Left lane
  • Ra kicker target
  • Right lane
  • Right ramp
  • Trade Quartz

Jackpots are worth 10M. Making either Jackpot lights the next one down the list. After 5 are made, there will only be one lit. Completing all 6 lights the Pyramid for the Super Jackpot. If you get the SJ, you go to Level 2. Now only 1 Jackpot is lit at a time (regardless of the difficulty), and in a different order. I'm not sure exactly what the order is, but it starts like:

  • Ra kicker target
  • Left lane
  • ... (I've gotten further, I just can't remember what the order was)

You still need to make 6 Jackpots (still worth 10M). However, getting all 6 lights the Pyramid for a double Super Jackpot. Making this starts Level 2 again.

Sandstorm

This is a 3-ball multiball where every major shot (guardians, ramps, Pyramid, right lane, Ra kicker) is lit for 10M (or 5M in reduced scoring). This differs from other Gottlieb games that have awards of this nature in that it's not just every switch that scores, but only "shots," and as such isn't worth nearly the points as other similar awards are (e.g. Slammin' Jammin' on Shaq Attaq).

It seems that some shots will unlight (specifically, the right ramp and the Pyramid) during Sandstorm, perhaps to prevent a exploit of some kind. It's a little difficult to exploit Sandstorm, though, because both of the Guardians are down. Why they exploit-proofed this mode and not others is beyond me.

There may be a ball saver, but if there is, it's very short. The mode ends when there are less than 2 balls left, and you aren't awarded the points until the end of the ball (so don't tilt!).

Stargate Multiball (wizard award)

The circle on the playfield closest to you has 7 different features on it ("Segments"). The 7 Segments are:

  • Sarcophagus
  • Trade Quartz
  • Transporter
  • Spell STARGATE
  • Hurry-Up
  • Combo
  • Pyramid

You know you are awarded a Segment when you see a Wheel-of-Fortune-like animation (Wheel-of-Segments?). Each Segment is described in its own section above. When you complete all 7, you start Stargate Multiball. (If you're in another Multiball or a mode, though, Stargate Multiball won't start until it is over.)

[Movie spoiler alert]

For some reason, the opening animation has nothing to do with the Stargate. The scene from the movie that the animation is taken from is actually Ra's ship being blown up at the end of the movie. Oooooookaaaaay...

[End movie spoiler alert]

Stargate Multiball is a 3-ball multiball, and all 7 major shots are lit for Jackpots (of 20M) at once. They are:

  • Left lane
  • Left ramp
  • Pyramid
  • Trade Quartz
  • Right ramp
  • Right lane
  • Ra kicker target

Simply make all 7, and you get the Super Jackpot (the 7th shot awards the Jackpot THEN the Super Jackpot... weird). Then all 7 shots relight again, and you repeat the process. Just keep plugging away until you have less than 2 balls left in play.

You do have a short ballsaver, though the game doesn't indicate that anyhow. The thing is this: You can only get Stargate Multiball once per game. If you blow it early, then that's it. No more chances.

At the end of the game, you get a Segment Bonus of 10M per Segment. (It gives it to you before you are asked if you want to continue which is a slight departure from their earlier games.) If you tilt Ball 3 (or Ball 5 or whatever your last ball is), then you do NOT get the bonus!

Modes

There are 6 modes in Stargate, several of which are multiball modes. Multiball modes run until less than 2 balls remain; the rest of the modes are just timed.

For any multiball mode, you start with 2 balls. Hitting any of the pertinent targets launches a third ball into play (once). There is no ball saver.

If you're not in a mode or Multiball, then shooting the Pyramid will start the currently flashing mode (usually - seems there are problems after going through the modes once entirely). The mode lit at the start of the game is random, and the lit mode is changed by the slingshots.

In no particular order:

Save Sari
The right drop target lowers and you must shoot the right lane for a countdown value. It starts at 30M and rapidly goes down to 10M. Shooting the right lane awards the value, and resets the value to 50M. To collect the next value, though, you have to BOTH shoot the drop target then the right lane. Keep in mind the ball is coming out of the Sarcophagus at this point, so you don't even have control of the ball! If by some minor miracle you make the second value, it just goes back to 50M and you hit both the drop target and the right lane again. Yay.

The mode ends when the value gets to 10M. The best thing you can do during this mode is ignore it (hold the ball and wait), maybe shoot the right ramp for a STARGATE letter.

Quartz (Multiball mode)
Both ramps are lit (strobing). Hitting either one adds 1 Quartz to your total. That's pretty much it!

Hit either ramp to launch the third ball. The mode ends when less than 2 balls are left.

Battle
Both guardians are raised and the shots they protect are lit to collect the Horus bonus. The Horus bonus starts at 10M at the beginning of the game and can be raised 10M by shooting the Transporter shortly after raising the left guardian (by either the right inlane or shooting the guardian's stand-up target). Each successful shot during Battle also raises the Horus bonus by 10M.

This mode can be worth a ton of points, as the shots feed to each other. Combined with the Catch-All flippers, all you need to do is make a shot, hold the flipper up to catch the returning ball, and make an easy shot at the next target. This can go on for a lot more than the initial allotment of 20 seconds, as each shot adds 3 seconds to the timer (never higher than 25 seconds, though).

In reduced scoring mode, the Horus bonus is worth 1/2 the regular scoring value. Battle ends as soon as the timer hits 0 (no grace period).

Rebellion (Multiball mode)
During this mode, the pop bumpers score 5M each. Just keep sending balls up there and watch the score soar!

To get the third ball, you need to hit the left guardian's standup. Rebellion ends when less than 2 balls remain.

Ra's Temple (Multiball mode)
In this mode, the Ra kicker target will start flashing. You need to hit it twice, and each time you do, you get another ball (yes, you can have 4 balls during this mode). Then the Pyramid will be lit for unlimited 50M shots.

This mode can be quite lucrative if you have the Pyramid shot down. It ends when less than 2 balls remain in play.

Glidercraft (Multiball mode)
The ultimate flail around mode! :) The Glidercraft targets are lit for 5M and eventually go up to 10M. In regular scoring, they can also go up to 20M. Just keep wailing away on them (most of these modes ARE pretty easy, huh?).

The first Glidercraft hit launches the third ball. The mode ends when less than 2 balls are left in play.

Eye of Ra (wizard award)
After you have played all 6 modes, the eye in the middle of the mode "circle" will start flashing. Shoot the Pyramid to start Eye of Ra multiball.

This is a 3 stage 4-ball multiball. There is a very short ball saver at the start of the mode. There are certain tasks you must do to finish each stage. Completing a stage awards the Super Jackpot. After the first 2 stages, any drained balls are replenished (no ball saver). The 3 stages are:

  1. Hit 5 (6 for hard rules) Glidercraft. The game tells you how many you have left for the SJ.

  2. Shoot the left lane and the Trade Quartz shot. Sounds easy, but the catch here is that the guardians raise and lower at their own volition. They'll be up for about 3-4 seconds then down for 3-4 seconds. Best thing to do here is hold a ball on each flipper then when the guardians raise, shoot one of them (don't try for both at once), let them come back down and back up, then shoot the other one. The first one shot is worth 20M.

  3. Shoot the Pyramid 3 (4 for hard rules) times. Not sure how much each shot is worth, but the game tells you how many shots you have left.

If you make it through all 3 stages and still have more than one ball in play, then you enter normal Multiball at Level 2 (no new balls are launched, though).

Eye of Ra will end any time you wind up with less than 2 balls in play.

After Eye of Ra is over, all the mode lights go off and you start over. At this point, the slingshots toggle whether the Pyramid is lit for a mode or not! Nothing like a little randomness for a very major part of gameplay...

Strategies and Tricks

Stargate has a switch-test mode available to the normal player! To activate it, hold down the start button (with no credits, obviously) and tap the right flipper button. The game will cycle through all of what it believes are bad switches (if there are any at all).

There are about 27 screens of tips basically explaining to you in a pinch what lights or awards what. They are even mostly right. ;) Hold down the left flipper to bring up the first screen then page through them with the right flipper button.

Always go for the Sarcophagus skill shot. Multiball can be worth quite a bit if your SJ is high (not so much if you don't make it, though). Possible exceptions to this rule are: the Sarcophagus kickout really blows on your machine or you really need to make the combo shot (like it's the last thing needed for Stargate Multiball).

When a ball is going to be autoplunged, consider launching it yourself. You can often put more force on the ball than can the autoplunger, and most multiballs require a shot at the left ramp fairly early on, so give yourself a guaranteed shot at it (autoplunger will often not get it all the way to the upper hole).

Remember: This is a Gottlieb game! Catches are easy, and on most machines, you can just hold the flipper up when the ball is coming down from a ramp return and usually the ball will not have enough uumph to clear the flipper, and you catch it.

You should spend quite a bit of time at the start of your game just increasing the Super Jackpot. You can do it by 12 right ramps, the Transporter, and most importantly, the Trade Quartz double-advance. It is paramount that you have a high SJ for Eye of Ra and Stargate Multiball, or they'll mostly be wasted. A good value would be 500M (250M reduced scoring).

If you want to use the 3x scoring bug (or exploit), then avoid that Transporter award like the plague until you are absolutely ready to start Stargate or Eye of Ra or both. If you do accidently get 3x at the wrong time, then you can try to make the best of it by starting a decent mode (Battle can score ridiculously high with 3x, as well as Glidercraft and Rebellion). Another possibility is to shoot the Transporter like mad until 3x comes around again.

There's also a couple mode exploits you should know about:

  • Well, Battle is a exploit unto itself. Don't miss, and you'll end up in the 100M (50M reduced) range easy. It really helps to bump up the value a bit during regular play as well.
  • During Quartz, the best thing to do with 2 balls is get one on each flipper. Shoot the right ramp with the ball on the left flipper. If you're successful, then shoot the left lane with the ball on the right flipper. The ball from the ramp will then return to your right flipper (just hold the flipper up and you'll catch it), and the left lane ball will go into the Transporter and be returned to your left flipper. Repeat forever.
  • Similar exploit during Ra's Temple: After hitting the kicker a couple of times, try to get one ball on the left flipper and the rest on the right. The best thing to do would be just to loop the Pyramid by shooting it over and over with the left flipper (as the ball returns to the left flipper). Of course, it's a lot easier from the right, so employ a strategy similar to Quartz: With 2 balls, one on each flipper, shoot the Pyramid with the right flipper. Shoot the right ramp with the left flipper, catch both balls, repeat.
  • During Rebellion, the pop bumper area is a pretty easy shot from the left flipper. So hold a ball (or 2) on the right flipper, shoot the pop bumpers with the left flipper, and hopefully the ball will come back to the left flipper either via the extra ball rollover or off the right slingshot or ball(s) held on the right flipper.

Saving Sari serves 100% no useful purpose. Ignore it completely.

For Multiball, learn how the jackpots light up. That way you can already be shooting the next shot while the previous one is registering.

During any multiball, never be afraid to put a ball out of the way for a short time, especially if you need to shoot the right lane. If you have a ball on each flipper, shoot the left lane with the right flipper, then you can have a clear shot at the right lane for whatever's lit there. Another good place to get the ball out of the way is the Pyramid.

Don't forget, also, that the right flipper button is a 2-stage flipper. If you are very careful, you can lower the upper right flipper while keeping the lower one up. This is very handy when you have a jackpot shot lit on the right lane (which the upper left flipper blocks) and a ball (or more) on each flipper.

You should probably generally ignore the Ra kicker target. It's not worth it. Also, ignore the drop target millions unless you have the 20M target lit. Then, try to shoot it and sweep the 40M and 80M targets for another 120M.

The White Pyramid shots generally aren't worth going out of your way for unless you need to finish them for Stargate Multiball.

NEVER choose Sandstorm from Trade Quartz. Just a few more Quartz and you can have Stargate Multiball or Super Jackpot, either of which is 99% guaranteed to be worth more than Sandstorm. It may not be a bad idea to go for Sandstorm from the Transporter, but don't sacrifice your 3x scoring for it.

Thanks

Thanks to the following people for providing information...

  • Dave Stewart
  • Steve Jonke
  • Bowen Kerins
  • Michael Field
  • John Gantert
  • The rest of the FSPA

Editor's Notes

  • HTML added by David Gersic dgersic_@_niu.edu
  • E-mail addresses have been expunged to prevent web-bot spamming, and Web links have been updated where possible.

---
back to Rule Sheets