From the left flipper, shoot the A-L-I-E-N targets. Completing them lights multiball. From the right flipper, shoot the spinner, especially if the ball just went through the right in lane, since that increases the spinner value from 1,000 to 10,000 per spin for a brief time. The spinner also changes the playfield multiplier during multiball; try not to start multiball unless 5X playfield is lit. In multiball, hit flashing spinners for 50,000 per spin.
Go through a top lane to light a letter in Star. Lit letters in S-T-A-R cannot be moved with lane change, despite the fact that this game came out in 1984. Finishing S-T-A-R on its own does not do anything, but coupling it with an A-L-I-E-N completion lights a special on the out lanes and makes it possible to collect the awards associated with the top lanes.
From left to right, the top lanes can award Collect Bonus, Advance Bonus X, Hold Bonus, and Extra Ball. These awards can only be received if both the corresponding S-T-A-R letter and the coloured light below the S-T-A-R letter are both already lit. Complete A-L-I-E-N to light the coloured lights. Multiple completions of A-L-I-E-N on the same ball can light multiple coloured lights at once.
The spinner is worth 1,000 points per spin by default, which is decent value on its own compared to the rest of the game, but can be much better than even that.
Going through the right in lane will cause the blue light in front of the spinner to flash for a few seconds, during which time the spinner will be lit for 10,000/spin. The light flashes for a short enough time that the added value can only really be cashed if the spinner is hit on the fly immediately after the in lane is hit. It is possible to shatz the right in lane from the left flipper, light the spinner, then immediately shoot the spinner and collect.
Each spin also changes the lit multiplier for multiball between 2X, 3X, and 5X. If multiball capture is lit, shoot the spinner until it lands on 5X so that the multiball reaches max value.
The spinner value is affected by the multiball playfield X. A flashing spinner during a 5X multiball is worth a mind boggling 50,000 points per spin. This should be the only thing intentionally shot for during multiball.
The left in lane lights the path to the bonus multiplier for a few seconds. Shooting the right lane above the A-L-I-E-N targets when lit hard enough that the ball goes above the pops and hits the standup target at the end awards one bonus multiplier. This doesn't seem to be able to be fooled easily; the bonus X is not awarded if the ball htis the standup at the end of this path off a bumper, even when lit, so (I assume) the shot only counts if the ball hits the small hanging gate in the bend in this lane on the right followed by the standup at the end with nothing in between.
Max bonus in this game is 5X 29,000. Bonus and bonus X do not carry over from ball to ball unless Hold Bonus is lit at the top lanes. It's not super easy to fill the bonus either. Don't make collecting multipliers a priority.
The flashing letters are ones that have NOT been collected yet, while the solidly lit ones have been collected. Spell Alien to light the lock, light one top lane to be eligible for awards, and light special on the out lanes if Star has already been completed on that ball. Shooting for these should always be top priority for a ball on the left flipper. Try to get a feel for how deceptively late the shot to the N target is.
If the ball is shot here when Capture is not flashing, it will just get spit out immediately. If Capture is flashing, a new ball will be served into the plunger lane, and the ball in the capture will be released as soon as the second ball hits a switch, starting multiball with whatever multiplier was lit when a ball was locked.
The feed out of this lane is not always friendly. Sometimes, the ball will be fed to the top of the left slingshot where it promptly ricochets into the left out lane. Have a side nudge ready in whichever direction encourages the ball to find the in lane or clear the slingshot altogether.
Most things reset between balls on Alien Star.
A-L-I-E-N progress is kept and Capture for multiball will stay lit after a drain, but all Star letters, all lit coloured top lanes, and bonus multipliers will reset between balls. Also, the lit multiball playfield multiplier is reset to 2X when each ball starts, so if you drain with multiball lit, remember to shoot the spinner and get 5X ready again before aiming for the lock.