El Dorado City of Gold

Like its parent, El Dorado, EDCoG has the same playfield layout, but with added solid state scoring features. There are now both a bonus multiplier and a hold bonus feature to work for. Completing the top ten targets holds bonus the first time, lights extra ball on one of the lower targets the second time if active. Completing the lower five target bank increases the bonus multiplier to 2X, then 3X.

Bonus is now advanced by the lanes, not the targets. The flashing lane gives two advances. The game is bonus-heavy, since the base bonus goes up to 190K and the multiplier to 3X for 570K total potential. Strategy is just smack targets all day, but as usual, try to get all of one bank rather than 80% of each. Use lots of dead bounces or catches to get the ball on the needed flipper for precise cradled shots.

Key Feeds: watch the three feeds on this machine carefully\! When the ball comes down the left lane into the left bumper [feed 1], does it tend to come to the left, meaning either a drain out the left or a feed the left return lane, or come out the right, to either the left flipper or down the center? You’ll need to be nudging either way but check its natural tendencies first.

When the ball comes down the right side, it can be moving slow if it fell through the left of the two lanes [feed 2] and hits the right wall or rattles unevenly down the right lane, or it can be moving faster if it falls cleanly down the right lane [feed 3]. Again, where does each tend to go? If the clean fall comes out fast enough to reach the left flipper, don’t nudge. If the slow fall comes out and thinks about slipping to the right towards the inlane/outlane divider, nudge.

Format note: in Best Game play, I would lean towards focusing on the top 10 targets to Hold Bonus first and deal with the lower 5 for 2X and 3X bonus later. To get a top score, you’ll need to have a high bonus on all 3 balls, with a multiplier applied to it for a couple of them. In Match Play, I prefer going for the lower 5 drop bank for 2X and 3X bonus for the quicker points.