Working on Bally Show Time Bingo

[cait001]

I like that a feature you can enable is hitting the ballyhole (16) for your first extra ball.

Will be curious to know the rules the upper right "PRess buttons before/after", like are those activated ONLY by the rollovers (which is a feature that needs to be lit) or can you just keep using credits and eventually be awarded those features that would normally have been activated by the rollovers being qualified?

[Pindude152]

Features of Bally Show Time:

Magic Squares and Magic Line feature

Magic Square and line Feature

This is THE main feature of show time. 20 out of 25 numbers can be moved if the feature is lit. It’s a progressive feature. Meaning that you get the A, B, C, D and E feature bit by bit. Notice the 4 teaser arrows before the “A”. Once you’re passed the 4 teaser arrows, you get the A and B magic squares, then with enough luck and nickels you can work your way up to “E” magic line.

To move the numbers, you press corresponding A, B, C, D and E buttons on the foot rail.

A, B and C buttons

D and E buttons

Press buttons Before 4th ball / Before 5th Ball / After 5th ball, Red and Yellow rollovers:

Press buttons

This feature goes with the moving numbers feature. It determines how late in the game you have the ability to move the numbers around.

It’s another progressive feature. Notice the column of arrows on the left of the “press buttons” panels.

Before 4th ball:
You can move the numbers until 4th ball enters play

Yellow Rollover:
Lites the yellow star on the bottom left of the backless and the rollover on the playfield
If you roll over the left rollover you get the “Before 5th Ball” award feature

Yellow roll over (damaged)

Yellow Star

Red Rollover:
Lites the red star on the bottom right of the backless and the rollover on the play field
If you roll over it you get the “After 5th Ball” award feature

Red Rollover

Red Star

Before 5th Ball:
You can move the numbers until 5th ball enters play.

After 5th ball:
You can move the numbers until a 6th ball (first extra ball if awarded) enters play.

Will be curious to know the rules the upper right "PRess buttons before/after", like are those activated ONLY by the rollovers (which is a feature that needs to be lit) or can you just keep using credits and eventually be awarded those features that would normally have been activated by the rollovers being qualified?

Good question… If you pump in enough coins, with a bit of luck, you can get the Press Buttons after 4th ball or After 5th ball. The feature isn’t exclusively accessible via the rollovers. It can be awarded outright.

When you first get the moving numbers feature, you get by default the press buttons before 4th ball panel, unless you already won "upgrades" to the "Press buttons" feature.

The “Press buttons now panel” flashes to remind you to move your numbers before the feature is disabled.


Corner scoring: Awarded on a random basis. When the feature is lit hitting (lighting) all 4 corners of the card scores like a 5 in line with the green odds. So whatever odd step the green is at, it will pay like a 5 in line.

Corner Scoring and Ballyhole

Ballyhole: Awarded on a random basis. When this feature is lit, landing a ball in the #16 hole will award you the first extra ball automatically.

Ballyhole seen through badly scratched playfield glass

Cool.

Have to admit, these bingos seem complicated to play. But I haven't had the opportunity to try one!

If not too much trouble, please post gameplay videos.

Bingos aren’t complicated to play, you just have to know the terminology. Looking at the features on backglass, you can decode what you have to do.

A video? No chance. There’s already a bunch of bingo videos on the youtube anyway.

Bingos at Pincon 2018? A big maybe leaning towards No. Really depends on how the event is set up. I’m not babysitting bingos all weekend long like last time. Bringing 4 bingos and a pin via minivans was a huge PITA, fortunately I had some help.

[Pindude152]

Features continued:

Extra balls:

After Shooting all 5 balls you can bet for extra balls (up to 3 extra balls). After pressing the yellow button, each coin dropped starts a spin cycle for the chance of progressively lighting "First" then "extra" then "ball" after which you get an extra ball. A spin cycle can advance by NO steps, one step or multiple steps. You can repeat this process until you are awarded all 3 extra balls.

To recapitulate gameplay:

Coin the game until you win a satisfactory number of extra features and good odds.
Shoot your 5 balls
Play for extra balls in the hope or winning.
Win credits for 3, 4 or 5 in line.

However, this is a gambling machine and the devious purpose of a gambling machine is to give the player the impression that the chances of winning are way better than what they actually are. The same applies to bingo machines by way of proportioning.

Proportioning?

Simply put, the machine gets more tight or more loose depending on odds, features, and number of credits won, it's not perfectly random.

The probability of features being awarded depends on what the odds are at. The better the odds are, the tighter the machine is for features.
The probability of odds improving depends on what features are won. The better the features are, the tighter the machine is for odds.
The probability of extra balls being awarded depends on where the odds are at and features awarded. The higher the odds and / or features are, the less extra ball will be awarded.
The odds, features and extra balls depend the number of credits previously won. The more you win the tighter the machine gets. The more credits you play without winning, the looser the machine gets.

On top of that Show Time has operator adjustment jacks to make the game generally tighter or looser for extra balls and corners feature.

The exceptionally astute reader will notice that I purloined a lot of text from my Surf Club writeup. Apologies. Gotta save time and there's not that many ways to write about bingo features.

The best feature combination you can land is the A, B, C, D and E feature with the "Press buttons after 5th ball" feature.
Then it's a credit galore. You can move the same numbers around to get winning combinations on different colored lines. The same numbers can score winning combinations in multiple colors. See below.

Notice lit numbers 9, 23 and 24. No winning combinations. But I have the A, B and C magic square feature lit.

So I move number 9 around using the "A" button, and bingo! I collect a 3 in line in the Red

Then I move 9 around to the yellow line...

Then I move numbers 23 and 24 to the yellow line and Bingo again! I get a 3 in line in the yellow

In the end, numbers 9, 23 and 25 won me 48 credits!

Not too shabby

[Pindude152]

Here's another example for the magic of Magic Squares

Oh Cool! A 3 in line in the red

Oh wait. I can move numbers 2 and 7 in the C square. 4 in line in the red.

Then I move the numbers around and the same 4 numbers gave me a 4 in line in the yellow.

Those 4 numbers gave me 74 credits on the meter.

I took the pictures before shooting the 5th ball. I don't remember where it landed, but it was a crap number. Thus not pictured.

[cait001]

ahhhh that's super cool you can dynamically collect like that. Makes it a bit of a logic puzzle as well.

[cait001]

I would still love a bingo machine at home, but I admit that they are a bit beyond my skillset right now. I might buy a nice working one and enjoy it, but they are hard to find!

If I had the room I would just try and offer money to JF to lease me a different one each year.

[mzag]

Thanks for a great tutorial on this machine. I just acquired one and it is working with the exception of the magic square feature. The motor fan on the unit has a broken propeller (any suggestions on a replacement?), and the gears appear to be sticky when the switch is activated. The motor can only move it about a quarter inch before stalling. Any suggestions would be great.

Mike

[mzag]

I found the problem. One of the gears on the e line was misaligned. Works like a charm now.

[Fokse73]

Looks great!