Shoot the top center lane on the plunge to light the spinner and advance the strike value, then shoot the lit spinner all day, trying for further center top lanes for additional strike scores. If you really want an extra ball, complete the Spare standup targets on the right side one time, but otherwise, ignore the rest of the game's features.
All lanes score 500 points and a bonus advance. The B lane also always lights the left spinner, and scores and advances the strike value when the white light above the lane is lit. The automatic strike light can either be on all the time, or alternate with 10-point switch hits.
The A-B-C lanes that are lit are the ones that have not yet been collected. The first three completions of A-B-C light 2x bonus and the center bumper, then 3x bonus, then 5x bonus. The fourth completion scores 5,000 points, and any completion starting with the 5th lights the special. By default, the completion awards must be earned all on the same ball, with bonus multiplier resetting between balls, but progress on the current set of A-B-C carrying over.
If the spinner is not lit yet, or if the automatic strike is lit, the B lane trumps going for the bonus multiplier.
The upper right saucer scores and advances the strike value, adds 3 bonus advance, and then kicks the ball downward toward the flippers. If the strike value is high, this can be a worthwhile shot from the left flipper, but if the spinner is lit and spins well, it's still advisable to pass the ball to the right flipper for a spinner shot instead.
Scores only 10 points per spin when not lit, but 1,000 per spin when lit. It is lit for the rest of the ball by going through the top center lane. Once lit, there's not much reason to go anywhere else in the game for points.
Side bumpers always score 100 points. The center bumper scores 100 points when not lit or 1,000 when lit, and is lit by completing A-B-C at least once on the current ball.
There are 10 in the middle of the table, arranged like bowling pins. Going over a lit star rollover scores 1,000 points and unlights it. Unlit star rollovers score 100 points. Unlighting all 10 rollovers scores and advances the Strike value. There's too much danger in shooting these, so ignore them unless you happen to only have one remaining thanks to collateral ball movement during gameplay.
The lit top center lane, the upper right saucer, or a completion of the 10 star rollovers scores and advances the Strike value. If no strike value is lit, it is considered to be 1,000 points. From there, the sequence goes 5,000 - 10,000 - 15,000 - 20,000 - 30,000 - Special. Once the special is collected, the value returns to 30,000 and stays there. The strike value is preserved from ball to ball.
Each target scores 500 points and a bonus advance. Hit a lit target to unlight it. Unlighting all 5 targets to spell Spare will light an extra ball alternately on the in lanes the first time, light an alternating special on the out lanes the second time, and score a special directly on the 3rd time. This must be done all in a single ball, as all Spare progress and all rewards lit from Spare go away at the end of the ball.
If extra balls are on, it can be worth completing Spare once to light the in lanes for one; otherwise, ignore these targets entirely.
Scores 500 points and that's it.
Strikes and Spares has a conventional in/out lane setup. Out lanes score 1,000 points and are lit alternately for a special after the 2nd completion of Spare. In lanes score 500 points and a bonus advance, and are lit alternately for an extra ball after the 1st completion of Spare.
Bonus is advanced once by the top lanes, Spare targets, and in lanes, or 3 times by the upper right saucer. Bonus multiplier is advanced in the sequence 2x - 3x - 5x by completions of the top A-B-C lanes. Max base bonus is 5x 29,000 = 145,000 points. There is no way to collect the bonus mid-ball. Base bonus is never carried over between balls. Bonus multipliers can be set to carry over between balls, but by default they do not.
In competition/novelty play, specials score 50,000 points, and extra balls score 20,000 points (note that this differs from most early solid state Ballys, which give 25,000). If specials are set to award extra balls, specials and extra balls will award the aforementioned score values if Shoot Again was already lit, since this game caps players to one extra ball per ball in play.
The strike value can be set to 5,000 at the beginning of the game, instead of being worth 1,000 with none of the lights lit.
The center top lane can be lit for automatic strike all the time, instead of alternating with 10-point switch hits.
The third completion of A-B-C can be set to award both 5x bonus and the 5,000 points, meaning only 4 completions are required to start earning specials instead of 5.
The 1&3 pins, 2&5 pins, and 8&9 pins can be tied together such that rolling over either star button in the pair awards credit for both toward a strike. This is just a liberal/conservative setting; either all three tied pairs exist, or none of them do.
The in lane extra ball and out lane special can be set to light on both sides rather than alternating between them.
Bonus multiplier (and by extension, progress toward A-B-C special) can be set to carry over from ball to ball, rather than losing all bonus multipliers when the ball drains and the bonus is collected.
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