Complete A-B-C to advance bonus multiplier. When the bonus is between 10,000 and 19,000 inclusive, rip the lit spinner while you can. Hit 1-2-3-4 targets to instantly max out the snake pit value at 50,000; collecting both D and E on the in lanes spots a number, so if you can alley pass, do that a lot.
Always full plunge into the top lanes. Going through an unlit lane lights it. Lit lanes CANNOT be moved with lane change. A and C give 1 bonus advance, B gives 3 bonus advances. Completing A-B-C increases the bonus multiplier; max bonus mutiplier is 3X. Progress on A-B-C is carried over between balls, but the bonus multiplier itself is not.
Scores 100 points per spin when not lit. Reaching 10,000 bonus lights the spinner for 1,000 points/spin; reaching 20,000 then turns the spinner off again. Once the bonus reaches 20,000, the spinner cannot be on again for the rest of the ball, so take advantage of it being lit and shoot it very hard. This also sends the ball to the top lanes, where bonus multipliers can be earned.
Score 100 points each when unlit, or 1,000 each when lit. Each completion of the GAR targets lights one bumper (in the order of left, then back right, then bottom). All bumpers are turned off between balls.
Targets score 1,000 points each. Completing the bank advances the value of the snake pit by one level. After completing GOR, a light reading GOR in front of the targets will turn on until GAR is completed, to show progress toward advancing the value of the lower left saucer (explained later).
Targets score 1,000 points each. Completing the bank lights the next bumper (left first, then back right, then bottom). If all three bumpers are lit, each target in this bank is worth 5,000 instead of 1,000; completing the target bank once with the "5,000 when lit" light on will also light one of the out lanes for a special.
Like the GOR targets, completing this bank will light GAR in front of the bumpers until GOR is completed to show progress toward advancing the lower left saucer.
Four standups: the 1 is in the lower left of the playfield, while 2-3-4 form a vertical line on the right. Shooting a target scores 1,000 points and 1 bonus advance, and lights that number. Shooting a lit number again before completing the set of 1-2-3-4 will start that number flashing, making that target worth 2,000 per hit instead.
Completing 1-2-3-4 will instantly max out the value of the Snake Pit at 50,000 and light one of the stars in the playfield.
On the third completion of 1-2-3-4, a red arrow will strobe between the targets: hitting a target with this arrow lit scores a special. If 1-2-3-4 is completed more times on the same ball as the third completion, the special will immediately be lit again; however, once the ball drains, the playfield stars will unlight and it will take 3 more completions of 1-2-3-4 to try that special again.
The in lanes, labelled D and E, score 3,000 points plus 1 bonus advance each. Lighting both D and E spots a number in 1-2-3-4.
Alley passing to pick off these letters repeatedly is very powerful; it scores decent points, builds the bonus, and makes efficient progress toward lighting the highest scoring single shot in the game. The optimal competitive strategy for this game, boring as it may be, is to alley pass all day until the snake pit is lit, then shoot the snake pit, then repeat, stoppingly only if the spinner is lit or to earn bonus multipliers.
In the far back left of the game. Scores 1,000 points when not lit at all. Each completion of the GOR targets advances the value once in the following order: 5,000 - 10,000 - 20,000 - 30,000 - 50,000. Completing 1-2-3-4 instantly maxes the value out at 50,000. If the value is collected at 20,000 points or more, the snake pit will unlight and needs to be built again; if the value is 10,000 or less, it can be collected repeatedly.
Starts out at a repeatable 5,000 points. Each completion of both GOR and GAR advances the value: first to 10,000, then 15,000, then extra ball. Collecting the extra ball returns the value to 5,000.
Gorgar has a conventional in lane/out lane setup. The out lanes score 5,000 points, and can be alternately lit for special after four completions of GAR on the same ball. The in lanes score 3,000 points, 1 bonus advance, and light D or E if unlit. Collecting both D and E spots a number in 1-2-3-4. See the dedicated section on the 1-2-3-4 numbers above for more on strategy surrounding the in lanes.
The A and C top lanes, D and E in lanes, 1-2-3-4 standup targets, and the left saucer give 1 bonus advance. The B top lane gives 3 bonus advances. Each advance is worth 1,000 points in base bonus. Spinner is lit for 1,000 points per spin only when the bonus is between 10,000 and 19,000, inclusive.
Bonus multiplier is advanced by completing the lights on the A-B-C lanes. Max bonus is 3x 29,000 = 87,000 points.
Neither bonus count nor bonus multiplier is carried from ball to ball, but progress toward completing the A-B-C lanes is.
Special can be set to award a free game, an extra ball, or "points". I was unable to determine the exact number of points special can be set to, and the manual as posted on IPDB does not specify; knowing other Williams games of this era, it is likely either 10,000 or 50,000. If you know what this exact value is, message me (solar_espeon everywhere).
Extra ball cannot be set to be worth points, it is either on or off.
By default, the left saucer value, status of A-B-C and D-E lights, and number of playfield stars (1-2-3-4 completions) is carried from ball to ball, but settings exist to reset any or all of these between balls.
The GAR targets can be set to light the back right and bottom bumpers together on the second completion, or to light those two bumpers and the 5,000 when lit light together. These options make it so that 3 or 2 completions of GAR are needed to light the outlane special, respectively, instead of the usual 4.
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