Firecracker is a bit of a luck box game with many features being outright random or lit very rarely on 10-point switch hits. If the bonus is low, shoot for the gate from the left flipper or to the left of the left pop bumper from the right flipper to get back to the top of the table and build the bonus. If the bonus is high, shoot the left saucer for a Firecracker value worth several thousand points and a possible bonus collect, or shoot the upper right saucer for a direct bonus collect. The bonus is not a traditional end of ball bonus and is entirely lost if you drain.
The top saucer and lower left saucer score a Firecracker value. The Firecracker is a random award indicated by the circle of starbust icons in the center of the playfield. Most Firecracker awards give points (1,000, 2,000, 3,000, or 5,000) plus one bonus advance, but three of the ten outcomes collect the current bonus value and reset it back to 1,000 points.
Bonus is advanced by the top rollover button, the top lanes, the upper right standup target, the left and right targets in the center standup bank, and 7 of the 10 possible Firecracker awards. Bonus is collected at the upper right saucer or by the remaining three Firecracker awards. Bonus starts at 1,000 points and maxes out at 10,000. Collecting the bonus in any way resets it back to 1,000 points. The bonus acts more like a jackpot and is not given for free at the end of the ball; the bonus must be collected to earn the points, or they are lost.
The slingshots and most rubber walls around the game score 10 points. These are labelled as such on a playfield with original artwork. The activation of 10-point switches anywhere in the game toggles the availability of certain scoring features.
Bumpers score 10 points when not lit or 100 when lit. Either the two outer red bumpers or the center blue bumper will be lit; always one of the two colours, but never both. Every single 10-point switch toggles which colour bumper is lit.
The two upper left standup targets are each lit separately about 1/10 of the time. When the further-left target of the two is lit red, hitting it scores an extra ball. When the further-right target of the two is lit blue, hitting it will light the gate for 3,000 points. It's nearly impossible to hit the target lit blue, so I am honestly not sure whether the 3,000 point gate is one-time-use or stays on for the rest of the ball- I assume it is one use only, then unlights.
There is an automatic kickback in the left out lane that is only available about 1/10 of the time.
In the middle-right is a gate that redirects the ball back to the shooter lane for a replunge. The gate is always available, regardless of whether or not it is lit for 3,000 points as described in the previous section. This is the best thing to shoot for from the left flipper unless the bonus is high enough to justify attempting to shoot the upper right saucer for a bonus collect.
The left and right targets of this 3-bank of standups scores 1,000 points and a bonus advance. The center target scores 100 points and raises the post between the flippers.
There are no in lanes. The flippers back up directly to the slingshots. Slingshots score 10 points. Out lanes score 1,000 points. The left out lane only has a kickback available intermittently based on 10-point switch hits.
There is a large post between the flippers that completely blocks off a center drain. It is raised by the center standup target or the Up Post button that lies in the center of the bonus ladder. It is lowered by the Down Post buttons near the tops of the slingshots or by draining the ball.
The Bonus feature is not a traditional end-of-ball bonus. No free points are scored when the ball drains, other than the 1,000 points for the rollover switches in the out lanes if applicable. The lit bonus value is lost if the ball drains before the bonus is collected via the upper right saucer or a Firecracker feature. The Bonus value starts at 1,000 at the beginning of each ball and cannot be multiplied.
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