Zaccaria Pinball Champ

Notes and Disclaimers

This rule compilation and tips sheet is, to the extent possible (in light of the subject matter being the property of Zaccaria), freeware. It can be modified, updated, or revised, provided only that credit to the original author(s) remains intact. It can be published or otherwise distributed, provided only that such distribution is effectively free.

Pinball Champ the pinball machine is the property of Zaccaria, and a trademark of the licensor. The author disclaims all interest in any trademarks or other intellectual property referenced herein.

Playfield Layout

Main Playfield

Described from the flippers, and going around the playfield clockwise.

Flippers

There are two. Normal configuration, normal placement.

Left Inlane

A ball feed from the Time Tunnel to the Left Flipper. This is behind the Left Slingshot and is on a pretty steep angle, so as to feed the ball directly and quickly to the Left Flipper. Scores 3000 points.

Left Outlane

A gap that the ball can fall through, usually by entering in to the area behind the Left Slingshot from above. Balls exiting the Time Tunnel will jump over this drain to reach the Left Inlane. Scores 100,000 points.

Left Slingshot

In about the usual place that many games have a slingshot, but not the usual triangular shape. Scores 10 points.

Time Tunnel

A channel that runs down the left edge of the playfield. The entrance is in the upper left corner of the playfield, just above the left set of Standup Targets. The exit is behind the Left Slingshot, feeding the Left Inlane. In the Time Tunnel a series of 5 rollover buttons track the ball's progress down the lane. (What're the rules here...?) Each button scores 20,000 points.

Left Drop Target Bank

A bank of four drop targets. Scores 30,000 points per target. Completing the bank advances the Time for the upper playfield.

C-H-A-M-P Lamps

Lamp inserts tracking progress toward the Red Special.

Red Special Target

A standup target. When lit, it scores the Red Special (operator adjustable) for Nothing, Extra Ball, Replay, Super Bonus, or 1,000,000 points. Scores 10,000 points when not lit.

Left Standup Targets

A bank of two standup targes. Scores 30,000 points each. Advances the 1-2-3-4-5 sequence toward lighting the Tunnel Multiplier.

Pop Bumpers

Left and right pop bumpers. Scores XXX points when lit, 5,000 points when not lit.

Orange Special Lamps

Lamp inserts tracking progress toward the Orange Special.

Orange Special Target

A standup target. When lit, it scores the Orange Special (operator adjustable) for Nothing, Extra Ball, Replay, Super Bonus, or 300,000 points. Scores 100,000 points when not lit.

Playfield ball entrance.

The plunger habitrail dumps the ball out here to enter the playfield.

Right Standup Targets

A bank of three standup targes. Scores 30,000 points each. Advances the 1-2-3-4-5 sequence toward lighting the Tunnel Multiplier.

Ramp to Upper Playfield

A ramp (scoop) that the player can hit to put the ball on the Upper Playfield.

Spinner and Spinner Lane

A spinner. When hit, is worth a progressive score of 10, 100,000, 150,000, 200,000 and 500,000 points per spin, depending on how long it spins for. The lane exits the ball back in to the pop bumper area of the playfield.

Right Drop Target Bank (Left)

A single drop target, to the left of the Spinner.

Right Drop Target Bank (Right)

Two drop targets, to the right of the Spinner. These, and the one on the left of the spinner, are a single bank of targets. Scores 30,000 points per target. Completing the bank advances the Time for the upper playfield.

Right Kickback Lane

The outermost lane on the right is a short kickback lane. Scores 10,000 points when not lit, 30,000, or 50,000 points when lit and kicks the ball back in to play. Also spots one number toward the 1-2-3-4-5 sequence.

Right Outlane

A normal right outlane, except that it is the centre lane of three. Scores 50,000 points.

Right Inlane

A normal right inlane, the innermost lane of three. Scores 30,000 points.

Right Slingshot

A normal slingshot, normally placed. Scores 10 points.

Upper Playfield

Flippers

Two. The only exit from the upper playfield is between the flippers. The ball is then guided to a small, spring loaded ramp to return it to the main playfield.

C-H-A-M-P Drop Target Bank

Spell CHAMP by completing drop target banks before time runs out. Each target is worth 100,000 points, and each bank completed advances the C-H-A-M-P sequence toward the Red Special.

Ball Entrance

From the Ramp (Scoop) on the lower playfield. The ball is fed first to the right flipper.

Rules

There are several scoring rules possible at all times. The player's main goals are to advance the sequences for C-H-A-M-P toward Red Special, the scoring value of the Orange Special, and the 1-2-3-4-5 sequence. Advancing to the Red Special requires adding "Time" to allow the player to get to and spend time on the Upper Playfield knocking down the CHAMP targets.

Along the way, shots to the Spinner can be lucrative, and the Time Tunnel along the left side of the playfield is worth quite a few points and advances the Bonus Multiplier as well.

Red Special

The main Special in the game is the Red Special. Depending on how the operator / owner has configured the game, this can be worth up to 1,000,000 points, and can be relatively easy or very hard to complete and collect.

First, the player must build up Time by completing the Left and Right Drop Target Banks. The current Time value can be seen on the lamp inserts leading to the scoop that takes the ball to the Upper Playfield. The player starts with 5 seconds, and can build up to 30 seconds.

Once on the upper playfield, the player's goal is to complete as many C-H-A-M-P Drop Target banks as possible before the Time runs out and without draining the ball back to the lower playfield. Each time C-H-A-M-P is completed, the game will advance toward Red Special. Depending on the configuration, from 1 to 6 sets of C-H-A-M-P targets will be required to light Red Special.

Once lit, the Red Special must be collected by hitting the stand up target. This is not an easy shot, with the target located at the end of a short lane, with rubber on both sides.

Orange Special

A secondary Special, but a valuable one. Advance the Orange Special from its base value of 100,000 points to 300,000 points to Special by (doing what...?). Collect the Special by hitting the lit standup target.

Game Time Bonus

This is a timed play option. During the player's last ball, a timer will be incremented up from 10 seconds by every other switch closure. After the last ball drains, the ball will be returned to the player and the timer begins counting down. When it reaches zero, the game is over, the flippers are shut off, and the ball is allowed to drain. During the last (regular) ball, any Extra Balls the player earns will stop the clock from incrementing until all Extra Balls have been used up and the player is again on the last ball. During the timed play, collecting an Extra Ball stops the countdown clock until all Extra Balls have been used, then timed play resumes where it left off. During timed play, no End-of-Ball bonus is collected, and the drop targets are not reset when the ball drains. When the timer expires, the End-of-Ball Bonus is counted up normally.

End-of-Ball Bonus

The bonus scored at the end of the ball is shown on the playfield by the 1...20 and 20 lamps, for up to 40 bonus at 1000 points each, multiplied by the bonus multiplier (10X, 20X, or 50X).

Tilt

Tilting the game during normal gameplay results in a loss of the current ball with no End-of-Ball bonus.

Scoring Differences - 8-digit vs. 7-digit Games

A few, probably 200, Pinball Champs were produced with 7-digit displays, changes in the scoring for some items to reduce the overall game scores, and minor changes in playfield artwork to account for the modified scoring. Mechanics and rules are essentially the same.

Tips, Tricks, Strategies

"Go for the high level board!"

Build Time as early and quickly as possible by completing some drop target banks, then go for the upper playfield. The drop targets up there are worth lots of points by themselves, and advance toward the major payoff in the game (Red Special). Depending on the difficulty settings of the game, it may take more than one trip to the upper playfield to light the Red Special.

Depending on how the game is set up, the Orange Special could award an Extra Ball, which is always worth going for, but it could be difficult to light and collect this one.