Not to be confused with The Simpsons Pinball Party (Stern Pinball, 2003).
Always be shooting the left ramp or playing multiball. The center bowling pin drop targets light locks; shoot a lock to start two-ball multiball; relock both balls within a few seconds of each other to start 3-ball multiball. In 3-ball multiball, clear the bowling pin targets to light the left ramp for jackpot, but the longer you keep the multiball going the more the jackpot will be worth. The left ramp gives letters in Millions, and spelling it gives a timed unlimited millions round; making a second ramp shot immediately after the first ramp shot of a ball/after multiball gives a mystery award.
There is no skill shot. A plunge should always take you to the top lanes. Roll through an unlit lane to light it. Lit lanes can be rotated with lane change from either flipper, but both flippers rotate the lanes in the same direction. Completing the lanes increases the bonus multiplier up to a maximum of 6x. A completion of the top lanes can also be set to spot a letter in Millions toward Simpson Millions round. Top lanes can only be accessed during normal gameplay with pop bumper luck or a very precise right orbit shot that goes between the upper right saucer and the right drop targets.
At the beginning of the ball or immediately after starting multiball, the left ramp is lit for Mystery. On the next shot to the left ramp, you will be prompted to hurry up and shoot the left ramp again (about 10 seconds). If you succeed, you will receive one of the 7 awards listed on the backglass: 500,000 points, Catch Up (take the lead in a multiplayer game), 100,000 + Bonus Hold, Extra Ball, 5X Bonus, or Double Your Score. I have never seen this land on Extra Ball, Catch Up, or Double Score, personally. The game makes it seem like the given mystery award is timing based on when you make the ramp, but I don't think this is the case.
Any shot to the left ramp scores a letter in Millions. Spelling Millions starts the Simpsons Millions round. For the next 14 seconds, the left ramp is worth an unlimited 1,000,000 points. The timer briefly pauses when you make the left ramp while the callouts are happening. There is absolutely no grace period on million point ramp shots. Every time a 1,000,000 point ramp shot is collected during this mode, the next Simpsons Millions round will start with 2 fewer seconds on the clock, down to a minimum of 5 seconds.
Making consecutive ramps at any time scores a Loop. The game keeps track of who has scored the most Loops in a single game. Breaking the Loop high score is worth 500,000 points and allows you to enter your initials when the game is over.
Each bowling pin target down in the center of the table scores 25,000 points. Completing the bank scores a Strike. In single ball play, making a Strike lights locks. For the first multiball, two of the three saucers are lit for a lock; after that, only one lock is lit at a time. Completing the Strike targets again before locking a ball will light another saucer for lock. Putting a ball in any saucer lit for lock starts 2-ball multiball.
In 2-ball multiball, a second ball is sent to the plunger. The goal now is to start 3-ball multiball by locking the two balls currently available. All three saucers are constantly lit, and any of them can be used to relock balls. After one ball is locked, you must relock the second ball within 20 seconds, or the first ball will kick out again. Successfully relocking both balls will start 3-ball multiball. Each time 3-ball multiball is started, the relock timer for the next 2-ball multiball will be 5 seconds shorter, down to a minimum of 10 seconds.
3-ball multiball is what you're really here for. A third ball is fed to the plunge lane and the two locked balls will kick out when it enters the playfield. Completing the Strike drop targets will light the left ramp for jackpot. The jackpot value starts at 1,000,000 points, but climbs on its own, increasing by about 100,000 points every two seconds, up to a maximum of 4,000,000 points. If 5 seconds pass with no switches hit anywhere in the game, the jackpot value will start to go down, so you can't cheese the jackpot by just trapping up 2 or 3 balls. Only one jackpot can be collected during multiball; after the jackpot is collected, the only multiball-specific scoring feature is that further completions of the Strike target bank award a Nice Strike bonus worth 100,000 points.
Each target down scores 25,000 points. The first completion of these targets scores 50,000 points and lights Hold Bonus at the near left saucer. After collecting the Hold Bonus, completing the right targets again scores 75,000 points and lights the upper right saucer for extra ball. If you complete the targets again without collecting the extra ball, the out lanes will also be lit alternately for extra ball. Once an extra ball has been collected, completing the right drop targets yet again scores 100,000 points and lights the upper left saucer for special. All completions of the right drops at this point score 100,000 points. All progress on the right drop targets resets between balls.
Hitting a target scores 25,000 points, whether lit or not. Hitting a lit target will unlight it. Put out all 3 targets to relight the kickback in the left out lane if it has been used.
Shooting any of the game's 3 saucers immediately after a ball rolls through either in lane will score the Nuclear Power value, equal to 50,000 points plus an additional 760 (?) points for each pop bumper hit since the start of the ball or the last time Nuclear Power was scored, whichever is more recent.
The Simpsons has a conventional in/out lane setup. Out lane drains score Big Score, which is randomly worth 25,000, 50,000, 75,000, or 100,000 points. The two out lanes can be lit for Extra Ball; see Right drop targets above. Flippers or slingshots alternate which out lane is lit for extra ball, if any. In lanes score 20,000 points and temporarily make the Nuclear Power value available at all three saucers.
There is a kickback in the left out lane that is on at the start of each ball, unlights once used, and is relit by completing the lower left standup targets. There is also a center post between the flippers by default.
The game doesn't explicitly describe what contributes to bonus, but it seems like most switches other than pop bumpers do so. Max base bonus is 200,000 points. Bonus multiplier is achieved by completing the top lanes (increasing it one at a time up to the max of 6x) or from a left ramp mystery award (instantly puts you at 5x unless you were already at 6x). Max bonus is 6x 200,000 = 1,200,000 points. Base bonus can be held to the next ball by completing the right drop targets once, then making the left saucer. There is no holdover for bonus multiplier and there is no mid-ball bonus collect. Reaching 6x bonus for the first time in a game lights the upper right saucer for extra ball.
I am not aware of a point value that can be assigned to extra balls or specials for competition/novelty play. If there is one, I would expect it to be 500,000 or 1,000,000 points.
The toggle for the alternately lit out lane extra ball can be the flippers, the slingshots, or both.
The Millions letters can be reset between balls, or carry over between players and games as a stealable award. By default, Millions letters are kept track of separately by player but carry over between balls.
The timer for the first Simpsons Millions round can be 10, 12, 14, 16, or 18 seconds. Default is 14. No matter what this is set to, subsequent Simpsons Millions will have 2 fewer seconds on the timer for each 1,000,000 collected from the ramp during this round.
Simpsons Millions can be set to only allow one 1,000,000 shot, rather than an unlimited number within the time limit.
The top lanes can be set not to spot a letter in Millions when completed. The top lanes can also be reset from ball to ball.
On easy settings, you are not required to collect the award lit by the right drop targets before you can complete the right drops again and light the next award.
For the first multiball, the Strike targets can light 1, 2 (default), or all 3 locks. Subsequent multiballs each light one fewer lock, down to a minimum of 1.
For the first 2-ball multiball, the time limit on relocking ball 2 after relocking ball 1 can be set to 10, 15, 20, 25, or 30 seconds. No matter what this is set to, the timer will decrease by 5 seconds down to a minimum of 10 each subsequent time 2-ball multiball is reached.
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