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STAR WARS 20TH ANNIVERSARY FEEDBACK

"I feel like I just unboxed a new pin!"

"Overall, this thing is awesome, and you have already earned the equivalent of the nobel prize in pinball in my book. Feels like a brand new game now!"

"I can't stop playing. As-is right now, this game is a BLAST. It has STRATEGY NOW!"

"I must say HOLY COW! It's a game with a real challenge now! 6 games in a row and I couldn't break 100 mil! Nicely done and I tested the ball save and it works beautifully. I *like* having to shoot the force and sarlacc pit and I like the steps it takes to light them. It seems much more a players game now because of that alone!"

"Man it gets some crazy different flow now... feels awesome. Like a different table with needing these new shots. And triball is SO IMPORTANT now."

"I love all your rules changes. They are spot on, IMO. All of your changes make it a more enjoyable game.  A lot of thought behind them all. Thanks again for doing all this. The ball save alone is worth swapping out the roms, but you've made the game 'tournament material'."

"Played about 20 games tonight and wow! The big question now is 'what to go for?' instead of just hitting that ramp. It really has seemed to have opened up the game to a whole new level....working to get that Death Star has now become a real challenge as opposed to a given on the third ball. Funnily enough my two boys of 8 and 11 prefer it now as it's such more of a challenge and makes you think more about each shot. The extra speech is an added bonus and the scoring is more balanced. Have to say, loving that Extra Ball super force award, nice touch!"

"Played about 50 games with the new ROM installed and WOW!!! Love the ball save of course but the scores you can rack up with the tri-ball jackpots is amazing. It really makes mastering that shot into the death star the most important. I had a couple of great tri-ball games and scored the super jackpot three or four times and ended up with over 350 million both times. So much more fun than shooting the ramp over and over! The best part is all the undiscovered additions to the game that I haven't found yet. Hope everyone else is having as much fun with their 20th Anniversary DESW!"

"I think there should have been more praise heaped upon Chad by now, must be the new ROM owners are too busy playing! I know I've put more games on it in the few days since I got it than I did the entire year before! It is simply freaking awesome."

 "My chip arrived this afternoon, and I have been playing all day. Great work Chad, it is like having a brand new pin in the house! Money well spent."

"Thank you! Thank You! Thank You! The new Rules are awesome! I just held a small tourney with very competitive players... and they all loved the new Rom. In fact, dudes who had choice of machine in the playoff rounds chose Star Wars more than any other machine in the tourney! Proof that it was a good balanced machine for tournament play! You have taken an unbalanced but fun game... and turned it into a true winner!"

"Purchased the Star Wars Rom and just want to thank you again. It is fantastic! Destroying the Deathstar is so rewarding now, truly amazing."

"Great work. I was speechless after my 1st game. The new rules and the rearranged score layout are done perfectly."

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Data East STAR WARS v.1.04 20th Anniversary Guide
(released December 24, 2012)
 
Update: May 2016 - Click here for a list of all changes in v.1.06
 
In December 2012, for the 20th anniversary of the release of the Data East STAR WARS, Stern Pinball officially released an updated ROM ruleset programmed by Chad Hendrickson of pinballcode.com to address various issues with the game such as score-balancing as well as adding a timed ball save and unused sound effects to give a nice polish to the game. This document details those changes, and provides an updated rule sheet to the game based on thokennedy's story posting on pinside.com
 
The following changes to the ROM are detailed here in a change list. Please note that high scores are harder to obtain with these updates because you cannot just focus on ramp cycling anymore to get a high score. However, the overall game should feel more balanced and enjoyable as you now have to make strategic shot decisions and every shot on the table has a purpose and you are balancing Force progression with working towards Tri-Ball.
 
STAR WARS 20th Anniversary / USA CPU 1.04 changes:
  • Added Freeze (ball save) on a 10 second timer.
  • Ramp no longer collects Force Award.
  • Climbing ramp bonus reduced.
  • Relite Force Award via ramp normalized to every 5 shots.
  • Lite Extra Ball ramp count logic changed.
  • S in STAR WARS no longer spotted at beginning of ball
  • Pop Bumper Sarlacc Value increased.
  • Jabba Scoop will award Sarlacc Value plus Jabba Award when lit.
  • Relite Relaunch logic now based on current ball time.
  • Hitting Drop Targets bank once will relite Left Orbit when required.
  • Chance to attain Extra Ball via Force Award increased.
  • Required number of Pop Bumpers to collect AT-AT Walker mode reduced.
  • Dark Side shot requirement increased.
  • Shoot The Death Star remains active if was active during ball drain.
  • Initial Tri-Ball Jackpot value increased.
  • End Of Ball Bonus awards and maximum increased.
  • Default high scores lowered.
  • Combo and Super Combo awards increased.
  • Sound calls added to Combo and Super Combo.
  • Skill Shot audio stereo panning synchonized with display.
  • Voice calls added to "This is no cave" shot.
  • Sound and video added to Super Laser Kick Force Award.
  • Left/Right Orbit Audits fixed.
  • Force Award Audit fixed.
 
Rule Sheet for STAR WARS version 1.04
 
Introduction:

This is a detailed Rules Guide to STAR WARS 20th Anniversary Edition, a game from 1992 by Data East and updated in 2012 by Chad Hendrickson at pinballcode.com. You will first be taken through the various shots and targets on the playfield, along with scoring and the modes/bonuses associated with each. Each mode or bonus will be explained in detail on how to obtain, the scoring, additional thoughts and other general noteworthy items. Default and adjustable settings will be discussed to the best of my knowledge in order to provide insight on how to adjust certain aspects of the game. Finally, the last section will discuss other miscellaneous features STAR WARS offers.
 
DISCLAIMER: All content is based on a STAR WARS 20th Anniversary Edition machine that has a 1.04 USA CPU ROM. The scoring does assume factory settings.
 
The following abbreviations may be used throughout this guide: M for million, K for thousand, and EOB for end of ball.
 
I hope that all STAR WARS enthusiasts will enjoy and thoroughly use this guide.
 
 
Shots & Targets:

1) X-Wing Targets:  These are the five spot targets around various parts of the playfield. Hitting each target for the first time awards 100K points, and 3,330 points for subsequent hits. Once all five are lit, 2M points are awarded and X-Mode is lit.
 
2) Drop Targets:  These are the three drop targets by the entrance to the center ramp. These are worth 50,010 points individually, and 300K when all three are dropped. Once drop targets have been cleared three times, Hyper Space will be lit (completing Hyper Space also lights Yoda) and Bonus Multiplier will increase by 2X. All subsequent clearing of drop targets prior to collecting Hyper Space will increase Bonus Multiplier by 2X. Clearing all three drop targets in a very short amount of time will award an additional 1M points. Drop targets are also part of the process for Lighting the Re-Launch.
 
3) Pop Bumpers:  Most of the time, one hit to the pop bumpers adds 52,180 to the Sarlacc value. The Sarlacc value starts at 500K each ball, and can always be collected via the Sarlacc pit scoop. Pop bumpers are also integral targets for AT-AT Walkers and Million Pops modes.
 
4) Inner Orbit:  This is the shot to the immediate right of the Death Star. C-3PO’s Eye, Light the Force, Extra Ball, X-Mode and Yoda are collected here. This shot also begins the Combo.
 
5) Force Scoop:  This is the left scoop. When unlit, this shot counts towards a Dark Side shot. When lit, it will grant one of four Force awards, and reveal a section of the hidden Force award. This shot is the only way to Collect the Force Awards. The possibilities for the awards in the smaller boxes are: 
  • Lite Yoda
  • Cantina
  • AT-AT Walkers
  • Million Pops
  • Super Laser Kick
  • X-Wing Multi Millions
  • Lite Hyper Space
  • 5M – 10M points
  • STAR WARS
  • Lite Speeder mode
  • Max Multipliers
  • Hold Bonus
  • Lite Tauntaun
  • Wild Card (Sarlacc value)
  • Lite Extra-Ball
  • Tri-Ball ready
Once all four Force awards have been awarded, the Force light will blink to indicate the hidden Force Award: 
  • 25M 
  • Super R2-D2 Runaway 
  • Super Death Star 
  • Jedi Return 
  • Empire 
  • Extra Ball
  • Special (rare)
This shot is also part of Jedi Return, and Super Combo.
 
6) Death Star:  Hitting the yellow Death Star target will spot a moon that counts towards Tri-Ball. During Tri-Ball, this shot increases the jackpot and awards super jackpot. This shot is also used in Super Death Star mode.
 
7) Left Orbit:  Awards a letter in STAR WARS, part of the process to Lighting the Re-Launch, awards Victory Lap, one of the shots in Jedi Return, part of the Combo, and awards current value in R2-D2 Runaway and Super R2-D2. Also, right in-lane to left orbit will award two letters in STAR WARS.
 
8) Center Ramp:  The game will keep track of the number of times the center ramp is made either by ball or by game – with STAR WARS 20th Anniversary Edition, I strongly recommend leaving this at the default setting of "by game". The center ramp awards Millions, a letter in STAR WARS, is the jackpot shot in Tri-Ball, awards Hyper Space, integral part of Empire, part of the Combo, and lights Extra Ball on the 18th ramp shot. In addition, every 5th shot will light the Force if not lit already. The 20th Anniversary Edition has removed the ability for the center ramp to Collect Force Award.
 
9) Right Orbit:  Awards a letter in STAR WARS, awards Victory Lap, one of the shots in Jedi Return, and awards current value in R2-D2 Runaway and Super R2-D2. This is also the best shot to get the ball into the pop bumpers.
 
10) Slingshots:  Besides slinging the ball into the out-lanes, these award 3,330 points with each hit.
 
11) Left Out-lane:  Contains a Kickback feature (Re-Launch) and collects the Tauntaun value.
 
12) Left In-lane:  Lights Jabba’s bounty for a limited amount of time.
 
13) Right In-lane:  Activates 2X for STAR WARS letters via the left orbit for a limited amount of time.
 
14) Right Out-lane:  Collects the Tauntaun value.
 
15) Sarlacc Pit:  This is the right scoop. Shooting the Sarlacc pit always awards the Sarlacc value. The left in-lane will temporarily light Jabba’s Bounty here, and the 14 bounty awards are: 
  • Lite Speeder Mode
  • Lite Force
  • Lite Re-Launch
  • Lite Tauntaun
  • Advance 1 Death Star moon
  • Advance 1 X-Wing
  • Advance 1 Hyper Space light
  • Advance 1 C-3PO Eye
  • Increase EOB Bonus Mult. 2X
  • Bonus Hold
  • 1M points
  • 2M points
  • 3M points
  • 4M points
 
Modes & Other Bonuses:

Skill Shot

How to obtain:  Each ball launch starts with a small video mode where the object is to shoot the TIE Fighter scrolling across the display.
 
Scoring:  Direct hits award 2M for the first ball, 3M for the second ball, and 4M for the third ball, whereas for misses it awards 200K, 300K or 400K, respectively.
 
Other:  When launching an extra ball you have to rely on using the Force to shoot the TIE Fighter (listen to the sound, usually shooting when hearing the” swoosh” will be a hit).
 
Freeze

How to obtain:  Drain ball within 10 seconds of launch.  Ball will be automatically launched back into play.
 
Other:  Only allowed once per ball.
 
X-Wing Multi Million
 
How to obtain:  Force award.
 
Scoring:  You have 20 seconds to hit as many X-Wing targets as you can. The first hit awards 1M, second 2M, third 3M, etc.
 
Other:  This mode can add up to some good points. However, the ball tends to get out of control when going for the targets. The easiest is the middle set to hit. Also, each time you hit a flipper you hear the sounds of the X-Wing cannon, and an X-Wing blowing up a tie fighter with each hit on the display.
 
Cantina

How to obtain:  Force award, Yoda.
 
Scoring:  You have 16 seconds to hit as many targets as possible. Starting value of 5M, and a hit to anything adds 250K. The total is granted after the EOB Bonus and the multiplier has no effect.
 
Other:  A good pop bumper romp will add up quick. Shoot the right orbit for best way to get the ball into the pop bumpers.
 
Million Pops 

How to obtain:  Force award.
 
Scoring:  For the remainder of that ball, the pop bumpers will be lit for 100K a hit. Hitting all four poppers is an additional 1M. These points are awarded immediately and are not counted towards the Sarlacc value.
 
Millions 
 
How to obtain:  Repeated center ramp shots.
 
Scoring:
3 ramps   = 1 million
7 ramps   = 1 million
14 ramps = 1 million
21 ramps = 2 million
31 ramps = 3 million
43 ramps = 4 million
57 ramps = 5 million
73 ramps = 7 million
91 ramps = 9 million
99 ramps = 9 million
 
Other:  Prior to the version 1.04 code, this was the most unbalanced shot in the game. As you can see above, balance has been bought back into the game of STAR WARS.
 
AT-AT Walkers 
 
How to obtain:  Force award, Yoda.
 
Scoring:  You have 20 seconds to hit the pop bumpers 15 times for 30M.
 
Other:  Display shows an AT-AT Walker approached the Hoth base, and shots being fired with hits to the bumpers. Try to shoot the right orbit right away. In my opinion, this is one of the more challenging modes.
 
R2-D2 Runaway 
 
How to obtain:  Gain two C-3PO eyes, either through the inner orbit or Jabba’s bounty.
 
Scoring:  R2-D2 will be lit for a countdown shot that starts at 15M and goes to zero. The playfield indicates that a right orbit shot will award the current value, but either outside orbit shot will do the same.
 
Super R2-D2 Runaway 
 
How to obtain:  Force award (hidden).
 
Scoring:  This is a countdown shot to R2-D2 that starts at 50M and decreases by 10M. Again, the playfield indicates that a right orbit shot will award the current value, but either outside orbit shot will do the same.
 
Super Death Star 
 
How to obtain:  Yoda, or Force award (hidden).
 
Scoring:  This is a countdown shot to the Death Star that starts at 50M and decreases by 5M.
 
STAR WARS
 
How to obtain:  All shots to the outside orbits or middle ramp will award one letter (including if the ball makes it to R2-D2 on the initial ball launch). Right in-lane to left orbit awards two letters. Full STAR WARS spelling is also awarded via Force award or Yoda.
 
Scoring:  Spelling STAR WARS awards 10M points.
 
Hyper Space

How to obtain:  Clear drop targets three times (aided by Jabba’s bounty through the advance Hyper Space award), or by the Force.
 
Scoring:  Middle ramp will be lit for Hyper Space (5M points) and an EOB Bonus multiplier of 2X is awarded. Each time the drop targets are cleared before collecting the 5M, the EOB Bonus multiplier will go up 2X (up to 8X). 1M points are awarded if already at 8X. Once collected, Yoda will be lit. Also, collecting Hyper Space every third time in one game awards 10M instead of 5M, but does not lit Yoda.
 
Victory Lap
 
How to obtain:  Reaching the replay value if replay award is set to credit and free game limit has not been reached.
 
Scoring:  You have 15 seconds to shoot either outside orbit shot to collect 25M.
 
Other:  See Alternative Settings.
 
Empire

How to obtain:  Force award (hidden).
 
Scoring:  Three ramp shots in 20 seconds awards 30M.
 
Extra Ball 

How to obtain:  Light Extra Ball via 18 ramp shots (if not collected elsewhere prior) and collected via inner orbit shot. An extra ball may also be lit from the Force, collected from hidden Force award, or awarded directly from Yoda (Special) or as a replay award – the latter depending on game award settings.
 
Dark Side

How to obtain:  Shoot the Force scoop when it is unlit.
 
Scoring:  Five Dark Side shots award 25M.
 
Other:  Cool lighting effects here and some classic Darth Vader lines. This is often overlooked. If the machine you are on is easy to catch the ball after the scoop ejects it, repeatable shots here are possible.
 
Tri-Ball
 
How to obtain:  The first way is to spot eight moons by hitting the Death Star, which will open the Death Star for the remainder of the game. A shot then to the open Death Star will start Tri-Ball. The second way is to spot at least five moons and then lower the lever and push the launch button to open the Death Star (listen for “Death Star approaching”). This will automatically award 5M points. However, you now only have a limited time to follow up with a Death Star shot, or the moons all get reset to one. The time to do this depends on the number of lit moons – they will un-light one by one until zero are lit. The final way is to select ‘Tri-Ball’ from Yoda, or get ‘Tri-Ball ready’ from the Force. This will open the Death Star as if you had spotted eight moons.
 
Scoring:  One shot to the Death Star will light the 25M jackpot on the ramp. Any shot to the Death Star thereafter will increase the jackpot by 1M. After the jackpot is collected with a ramp shot, the Death Star is opened for a limited time (See Game Play Settings) for a super jackpot (2X jackpot). Whether or not the super jackpot was collected, the process begins again. However, the number of Death Star hits to light the jackpot increases by one and the jackpot increases 1M every time the cycle begins again. Depending on the game rules, a re-race may be presented if 2 balls drain (See Game Play Settings). If re-race is offered, a successful shot to the open Death Star will restart Tri-Ball.
 
Other:  The music changes to different Star Wars theme music when obtaining the jackpot or super jackpot with an exciting opening and super jackpot animation.
 
Lighting the Re-Launch

How to obtain:  If the current ball time is higher than 90 seconds, you have to drop the drop target bank one time followed by a left orbit shot.  If the current ball time is 90 seconds or lower, a left orbit shot is all that is needed. Fortunately, the Re-Launch is lit at the beginning of every ball.
 
Storm Trooper Shootout

How to obtain:  Random (but never on ball one).
 
Scoring:  There will be seven storm troopers on the display. The first six are worth 500,000 each.  The seventh and final one is worth 3M for a total for 6M. Quickly press the shooter button seven times (or hold it down) to shoot the seven storm troopers. You cannot stop shooting once you start or the mode will end and you will only collect the points for the storm troopers you shot.
 
Other:  You don’t always have to go for this – it’s not worth draining over 6M. I like this mode as it adds that extra bit of strategy. Look for the red light above the shifter to let you know when you can start shooting – the first time this mode comes up you have to wait longer before you can start.
 
Jedi Return
 
How to obtain:  Force award (hidden).
 
Scoring:  You have 15 seconds to hit any lit red arrow (either orbit or Force scoop) for 10M each.
 
Special

How to obtain:  Yoda, Force award (hidden), or replay award.
 
Scoring:  When the replay point amount is reached and the replay award is Special, then Special is lit and collected via either orbit shot where a credit is awarded.  If the free game limit is reached and the extra ball limit is not, an extra ball is awarded immediately. Yoda and the Force will award Special immediately whether it is a credit or extra ball.
 
Yoda
 
How to obtain:  Force award, or collecting Hyper Space.
 
Scoring:  You get to pick one of two offered awards. The possibilities are spelling STAR WARS, Cantina, AT-AT Walkers, 20M, Tri-Ball, Super Death Star, or Special.
 
Other:  Collecting Hyper Space every third time awards 10M points instead of 5M, and does not light Yoda. When Yoda is lit, the gain C-3PO light will not be lit.
 
Speeder Mode

How to obtain:  Speeder Mode is lit by hitting all five X-Wing targets, the Force, or by Jabba’s bounty and collected via shooting the inner orbit.
 
Scoring:  Automatic 10M.
 
Other:  X-Mode is lit on the playfield, but it is actually Speeder Mode on the display. On top of that, Speeder Mode is a tease with no real interaction (use the fire button to make a shooting noise – hold down fire button to end the animation early). There is speculation as to why this once ‘video mode’ was cut from production – possibly a rights issue with ‘video mode’. Calling it Speeder Bonus would have been a better fit.
 
End Of Ball Bonus

How to obtain:  Drain without tilting.
 
Scoring:  The EOB Bonus starts at 25K. A hit to any target / switch adds 37,500 (with the exception of the sling shots). This accumulated value times the multiplier is awarded.
 
Other:  The increased EOB Bonus in version 1.04 now makes the Max Multiplier and Hold Bonus a much more desired reward.
 
Max Multiplier

How to obtain:  Force award.
 
Scoring:  Automatically increases the EOB Bonus multiplier to 8X.
 
Hold Bonus

How to obtain:  Force award, Jabba’s bounty.
 
Scoring:  Carries EOB Bonus to the next ball.
 
Tauntaun

How to obtain:  Force award, Jabba’s bounty.
 
Scoring:  Once lit, either out-lane will award a random amount of 5M, 5.25M, 5.5M, 5.75M, 6M, 6.25M, 6.5M, 6.75M, 7M or 7.25M. The higher the ball number you are on, the greater the award amount possibilities will be.
 
Other:  To get the most out of this, combine with a Super Laser Kick.
 
Super Laser Kick

How to obtain:  Force award.
 
Scoring:  The left outlane Re-Launch remains lit and active for the remainder of the ball.
 
Other:  This is always a welcoming award, especially if Tauntaun is lit.
 
Combo

How to obtain:  Inner orbit, to ramp, to left orbit
 
Scoring:  15M.
 
Other:  A sound quote from Leia will be played and will briefly show Luke and Leia on the display. Hitting any switches (excluding the slingshots) between the three shots will cancel the Combo.
 
Super Combo
 
How to obtain:  Start with Combo, and end with a shot to the Force scoop.
 
Scoring:  An additional 10M (for a total of 25M).
 
Other:  This time, you’ll see Darth Vader and Luke on the screen along with a sound quote from Darth Vader. These combos are not documented or hinted at in any way on the playfield.
 
 
Alternative Settings:
 
Victory Lap Settings:  Victory Lap is only available if the replay award is credit and you did not reach the free game limit. If credit is the replay award, and you have already reached the limit for free games, then an extra ball is awarded. One option is to set the replay award to credit, free game limit to 1, and the second replay to only be 25M higher than the first replay. Using these settings, the first replay is a chance to score 25M points, which will in turn award an extra ball from the second replay.  If the Victory Lap is missed, the second replay will not give the chance for a Victory lap and simply award an extra ball (it is simply harder to get without making the Victory Lap). Experiment with what works for you.
 
 
Other Features: 
 
  • Getting the ball into the sink hole where it normally feeds the ball to the habitrail after the inner orbit shot will trigger Han Solo saying ‘this is no cave’ or 'never tell me the odds' or C-3PO saying 'R2-D2, where are you?' and the ball will shoot up into the habitrail to the left flipper. This awards 150K points. It is a pretty clever reference and very fitting for the playfield art above.
  • No Video Mode?! Many criticize this game for not having a video mode. However, between the opening skill shots, the Storm Trooper Shoot Out, and the notable interactive displays for modes such as X- Wing Multi Millions, Return of the Jedi, Yoda and AT-ATs, I find there is plenty of 1992 dot matrix bliss.
  • Skipping the intro – hold down either flipper button.
  • Instruction card indicates a Hyper Bonus Countdown, this is a reference to the ability to skip the End Of Ball bonus buy holding a flipper button.
  • There is a buy-in feature that will let the player start a new game with the points reset, while resuming all of the progress from the previous game. This is nice for beginners to see all the Force awards and other modes this game offers.
 
 
Closing Comments: 
 
The updated 2012 ruleset has completely revitalized this game. The modes are fun with great animation and sounds. Achieving Tri-Ball and scoring the Double Jackpot is definitely a treat of Star Wars sight and sound goodness. The classic art package is spectacular and it seems like you can consistently find new things on the playfield. The Star Wars voice calls and sound effects are a delight. All in all it’s a wonderful pinball experience. I hope you have enjoyed this guide and can now get more out of the game from it. Please email chad@pinballcode.com with any comments or corrections.
 
May The Force Be With You!
 
Update: May 2016 - Click here for a list of all changes in v.1.06