Triple Action is the replay version. Star Action is the add-a-ball version. This guide focuses on Triple Action, with minor differences between the two games discussed at the end of the page.
Keep the ball at the top of the playfield by full plunging and shooting the orbits, hitting as many top rollover buttons and lit top lanes as possible, until bonus is maxed at 3x 10,000, then go for drop targets all day. Avoid the spinning disk in the center of the table entirely.
There are three rollover buttons at the top of the playfield that each score 100 points and advance the bonus. It's possible to hit the buttons as many as 4 or 5 times off the plunge if the ball bounces around the top funnel area just right. Below these buttons are two top lanes that both score 500 points. The lit lane also advances the spinner by 5 position. Always try to nudge into the lit lane until triple bonus is lit.
A and B are at the top of the table, just above the bumpers. C and D are at the bottom of the table on the sides. Each individual target scores 100 points and advances the bonus. Every completion of the four targets starting with the second scores a special. Special can be worth a replay, an extra ball, or 10,000 points, so even in tournament/novelty play there is good value here.
Always score 100.
No points for these, but they're very important shots to find anyway since the ball wants to be at the top of the playfield as much as possible, especially early in each ball. Due to the geometry of how the right orbit intersects with the plunge lane gate, it's slightly easier to get a ball back to the top funnel up the left orbit than up the right one.
A large flat surface in the middle of the playfield with two posts sticking out. Hitting a post causes the disk to spin freely, in either direction. Whenever the posts horizontally align as the disk is spinning, a spinner hit is registered. Spinner hits score 10 points each. A total of 10 spinner hits on one ball lights double bonus, and 10 more spinner hits after that lights triple bonus. Once triple bonus is lit, additional spinner hits score 100 points each instead of 10.
The spinning disk generally only serves to give the ball added horizontal momentum, encouraging more entries to sling town and more drains down the rather wide out lanes. Only shoot the spinner if it's lit for 100 a spin and the drop targets are somehow set to not give any value when special is awarded. Otherwise, rely on lit top lanes for spinner hits- lit top lanes advance the spinner 5 times, so four lit top lanes is guaranteed to max the bonus multiplier at triple.
Triple Action does not have in lanes. The flippers back up to the slingshots directly. Out lanes score 1,000 points.
Bonus starts at 1,000, is advanced by drop targets and top rollover buttons, and maxes at 10,000. Bonus multiplier is advanced by every 10 half rotations of the spinner; lit top lanes spot 5 spinner advances. Max bonus is 3x 10,000 = 30,000 points. This is the bulk of scoring in most good games on Triple Action.
The specials in the game can be set up in four ways:
On Star Action, the bumpers still score 100 points and the rubbers of the top funnel and slingshots still score 10, but all other scoring (bonus advances, base bonus, spinner hits, drop target score award) is multiplied by 10. There are still only 5 reels of scoring, though. There are 10 lights in the backglass that light when appropriate to signal scores above 100,000 points, and the max score displayable is 1,999,990 instead of 199,990 on Triple Action. Main strategy is still the same, though: build the bonus up to max at 3x 100,000, then focus on drop targets to repeatedly score extra balls or 100,000 point awards.
Being an add-a-ball game, a replay is not a possible award, so the target scores listed on the scorecard can only award extra balls or nothing, and playfield specials can only award extra balls or 100,000 points.