Rock Star

This is the add-a-ball version of Blue Note. The scoring is different enough to merit its own listing. BUT I have seen Rock Star games that use the Blue Note scoring rather than what’s here, so you’ll need to check the one you’re playing to be certain\!

The stand-up note scale “do-re-mi-fa-sol-la-ti-do” targets on the left wall of the game are where it’s at. They score 5000 the first time hit, i.e. when lit, but then score 500 per hit after that, i.e. when unlit. This is exactly the reverse of the scoring on Blue Note\! It changes your strategy a bit. Now, instead of trying to get all notes except one and milking the unlit targets at that point, you want to complete the stand-ups as often as possible to re-light them for 5000. When you complete the stand-ups, one will light for a “WOW”, i.e. an extra ball. Which one is lit moves as you hit the bumpers. Hit the lit stand-up to reset the targets to their initial 5000 point values.

There are two spinners: the central [left-most] one can be worth 10, 100 or 1000 points per spin; the right-hand spinner changes the value of the central spinner. While at 1000 points per spin this is good value, I’ve found that shooting the spinner is not the best strategy. Balls through the spinner go directly into the center of the three bumpers, and it’s not uncommon for those to spit the ball back down through the spinner and into the center drain. Unless your spinner is super-juicy, the cost-benefit just isn’t there. Most Rock Stars give maybe 5-7 spins per shot; compare that to the 5000 you get for hitting each lit stand-up target.

The offset flippers and lack of a left outlane make ball control strategy on Blue Note, unlike most other games. You’ll want to hold the left flipper up at times as a kind of shield and a means to deflect the ball to the right flipper, which is the one you want to be taking your shots with. Ball transfers from left to right from a cradle are alley-pass-or-nothing: there’s no post for a post pass, and these Gottlieb flippers don’t react well for tap passing. Alley passing can be tricky, though, due to both the flipper offset and angle. If you weren’t able to use the left flipper to deflect the ball to the right one and end up with the ball cradled on the left, backhanding the ball into the left side of the left-hand bumpers is actually a good plan.

If extra balls are on, you can accumulate up to 5 of them\! The note-balloons on the left side of the backglass will light up “WOW” whenever you earn an add-a-ball; as indicated by the number of these lights, you can bank up to 5 of them. Extra balls, if on, are unlimited other than this maximum of 5 banked at any given time.

Key Feeds: kick out from the saucer [should go to the left flipper, but beware center drains] and balls coming down through either spinner.