Spirit of 76 is the 4-player replay version; it is by far the most common.
Pioneer is the 2-player replay version.
New York is also a 2-player version; IPDB lists it as an add-a-ball version, but it is trying very had to not actually be one (see Settings and miscellanea section at the bottom of this page). This guide was written with Spirit of 76 in mind, but the rules for all three games should be identical.
On the plunge, try to make the C lane, as there's no other place to get the C in A-B-C-D-E. Collecting letters lights the star rollovers for bonus advances. Individual drop targets also advance bonus. Completing both sets of drop targets lights the saucer for double bonus 1/3 of the time. Making the double bonus saucer once lights it; making the double bonus saucer a second time acts as a bonus collect with a 4x multiplier and resets the base bonus. Collecting A-B-C-D-E lights extra ball at the saucer 1/3 of the time, and completing both the letters and the drops lights special at the saucer 1/3 of the time.
Score 100 points and collect the corresponding letter when lit. The middle top lane is the only place to collect the C. The B and D may be tied together such that collecting one awards credit for both.
Score 100 points. When the letter nearest to each rollover is collected, that rollover lights for 500 points and a bonus advance.
Are always lit and score 100 points.
Just like the B-C-D top lanes, these side lanes score 100 points and the corresponding letter. The A and E letters may be tied together such that collecting one gives credit for both.
Each target down scores 500 points and a bonus advance. Try not to hit two targets at once or rebound from one bank to the other, because credit will not be given for the second target if it is hit while the points from the first are still counting due to slow EM motor scoring. The targets do not reset mid-ball for any reason, so once they have all been knocked down, the only way to advance bonus is lit star rollovers. This is why it is important to collect A-B-C-D-E letters, even if extra balls and specials are off/don't matter.
The saucer always scores 1,000 points.
If all eight of the 1776-1976 drop targets are knocked down, this saucer can be lit for Double Bonus. If the saucer is made when the pink Double Bonus When Lit insert is not lit, the saucer will light that insert, and the end of ball bonus will get a 2x multiplier. If the saucer is made when lit for Double Bonus while the pink insert is already lit, the saucer acts as a mid-ball bonus collect with a 4x multiplier! Collecting the bonus in this way does reset the bonus count back to 0, but it's well worth it. Try to advance the bonus with shots to the top of the table that are intended to hit star rollovers and then cash in 4x bonus collects as many times as possible.
When A-B-C-D-E is completed, the saucer can be lit for extra ball.
When both the drop targets and A-B-C-D-E are completed, this saucer can be lit for a special.
Only one award can be lit at the saucer at a time. 100-point switches rotate which of the three awards is lit if more than one has been qualified.
Spirit of 76 has an almost-conventional in/out lane setup, but with a second in lane on each side in place of a slingshot. Both out lanes always score 500 points and 1 bonus advance. The two left in lanes score 100 points and the A and B letters, while the two right in lanes score 100 points and the D and E letters. Remember that A+E can be tied together, and that B+D can be tied together as well.
Bonus is advanced by any lit star rollover as well as each individual drop target. Max base bonus is 15,000 points. 2x bonus is given for free on the final ball of the game. Entering the center saucer when it is lit white but 2x bonus is not lit, gives the 2x bonus as an award. Entering the center saucer when it is lit white and 2x bonus is already lit will serve as a mid-ball bonus collect with a 4x multiplier. Thus, the max end of ball bonus is 2x 15,000 = 30,000 points, but the max bonus collect from the saucer is 4x 15,000 = 60,000 points. Once the drop targets are down, they stay down for the rest of the ball, so only lit star rollovers can raise the bonus again after a 4x collect from the saucer.
As described above, the A+E letters can be tied together, or the B+D letters can be tied together. No setting makes it easier to collect the C, though; it is always required to be collected from the center top lane.
Given the value of the 4x collects, this is a remarkably high scoring game compared to other 5-digit EM machines. Mind-bogglingly, there is no 100,000 light on the backglass. Be sure to keep track of who rolls the score over and how many times, in this game.
About the "New York" version of the game: New York was a limited run re-release of Pioneer that Gottlieb produced in 1976 to celebrate the legalization of pinball in the state. Only 300 copies of New York were released, compared to 10,000+ of Spirit of 76 and 3,000+ of Pioneer. IPDB lists New York as an add-a-ball version, but the backglass, playfield art, and rules cards for the game all use terminology and mechanics that Gottlieb historically strayed from using in their add-a-ball games ("special" and "extra ball" instead of "wow", "ball in play" instead of "balls to play" on the backglass, "replay" as an award on the rules card, max one EB per ball in play, and a completely functional Match feature that still awards a free game). The half-moon credit window from the replay games is even still there, and the game does keep track of up to 9 credits, but star stickers cover up where the numbers would be. New York seems to be, at the very least, an extremely rushed add-a-ball conversion of Pioneer. I am operating under the assumption that either A) labelling New York as an add-a-ball game was a mistake, or B) this game is only add-a-ball because the settings require that the Special just be another way to earn an extra ball.
Spirit of 76 (Gottlieb) is not to be confused with Spirit of 76 (Mirco), a game with the same name also released in 1975 by Mirco Industries. Mirco's version, which was completely unrelated to Gottlieb's version, reuses the playfield of Flying Carpet (Gottlieb, 1972) and is considered to be one of the first two solid state games to reach full production and distribution, but very few were sold.
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