Avatar Rulesheet v1.0 by Dan Bradford

Wanky intro blurb -

Right, here’s my Avatar rulesheet, as there doesn’t seem to be one available except for Bowen’s tutorial video here

and the detailed Pinball news writeup here, neither of which are easy to pick up and scan in 5 minutes whilst on the

throne. I also recently made a rulesheet for Batman Dark Knight here so I hopefully learned a few dos and don’ts

from that. This rulesheet is based on 1.10 ROMs, and is for the

standard “pro” version (god I hate this farking version nonsense)

and not the fancy “le” version with a shaker, a powerball, and a

fancy marching Ampsuit in it.

I won’t go into massive detail about points unless it’s a huge

amount. It’s a hard game as the outlanes are quite drainy (wide and

no inner rubber), the game is mean with extra balls, magnets

increase random movement, and the exit from the pops is pretty

much SDTM. When it first came out, it did so to deafening

underwhelming reactions of ‘meh’ and ‘ftumpch’ - it came from

the period in Stern’s history when they were cutting costs and losing fans,– it went CSI, NBA,

24, Iron Man, Big Buck Hunter, Avatar …. you get the picture.

It’s based on the film which is a sci-fi quasi-cartoon which I loved but which many didn’t.

There are rumours of sequels being made, all movies to be filmed at once for release over a

loooong period - Avatar 2 in late 2018, Avatar 3 in 2020, maybe also 4 and 5 after that. When

Gary Stern was asked about possible updates or sequels to the pin, he allegedly said “we’ll

see” so if that’s not a scoop, I don’t know what is. Hopefully they’ll kill Sigourney Weaver

again in each one by a different method, like an up to date Kenny. God she was irritating.

Anyway, love it or hate it, critics all agreed that Avatar was visually stunning and very blue.

The pinball is too, and it also has some fantastic sound, as James Horner’s music is directly used in the pin, alongside

custom voice work by Stephen Lang as the awesome baddie Colonel Quaritch. He was the best thing in the film for

me, so I’m happy that he’s gonna be in all the sequels as

well, even though he got killed. Good old sci-fi plots

Overview

Six modes each have an insert light. They are lit by

starting them, then they flash when you complete them.

You need to get them all lit to

start the wizard mode, Final

Battle. Just as in Iron Man, any

solidly lit inserts go out at the

start of each new ball, while

flashing ones carry over from

ball to ball. Completing all six in one ball is quite a task, so having some carry to the next

ball is a big help. Don’t worry about the second ladder with names on it, Jake, Neytiri,

Malcolm, Trevor etc, as those are just part of the progress to the purple Na’vi light on the

far left. No, I don’t why they bothered with that either.

Avatar Rulesheet v1.0 by Dan Bradford

There's a misconception that you have to do everything on one ball, but that is actually false. Yes, you can lock in

your inserts by completing the modes, but your progress is saved if you drain or if the mode ends. To track this, each

mode has a small number at the top corner on the DMD. This is your progress on that mode and those numbers will

continue where they left off if you have to play a mode

multiple times, whether you’re on the same ball or not.

Shot Multipliers

These are the single most important feature you

need to know about. Just like on Spiderman,

Batman Dark Knight, and Rolling Stones, you can add a

doubler to each of the major shots, which stays until that

ball drains. They’re awarded easily, not like on SM where

you first have to win a mode, on Avatar you get them

simply by the top rollover lanes (RDA) – get them all then

the X shots all throb, and the next one hit gets doubled, marked by the green X with a gun on the playfield. Those

rollover lanes also score points and increase bonus X when completed, but these are small potatoes in comparison.

So double a shot and the green X lights solid. This continues until all 7 shots

have been doubled. And it’s not like the Spider on Scared Stiff, where you

can waste shots by hitting a previously-hit award. The next completion of

RDA starts one of the X inserts flashing for triple scoring. The triple scoring

multiplier is a roving flashing shot, moving from left to right across the X

inserts and back again, only giving triple scores to the shot which is currently

flashing. Completing RDA after that doesn't give you any additional flashing

inserts or playfield multipliers to collect, just the regular bonus multipliers up

to 25x. RDA is unrelated to the rate of change in the curve y=r3/3

Eywa captive ball (Mystery Awards)

Eywa is the captive ball which gives out mystery awards. Eywa is lit after a certain number of

switch hits – initially an easy 100 but increasing during the game. Hit the captive ball and the

mystery award is given instantly (cross your fingers and hope for add-a-ball) but it’s not the

guaranteed add-a-ball like the Fish in Sopranos, or Alfred in Batman Dark Knight. It is also

possible to stack up uncollected Eywa awards so you can have several available from

successive hits. Mystery awards also include time extensions, bonus multiplier increases,

(crap) points awards or (crap) pop bumper scoring boosts, plus very

rarely an extra ball or Special. During a multiball (MB) such as Na'vi MB,

the first Eywa award is quite likely to add time to a countdown rather

than adding another ball, especially if you have stacked a few modes in

there. And it only adds time to one of the modes, not all of them.

Eywa is the only way to get extra balls in Avatar, and they tend to be rarely given away too, so

don't expect to see a lot of them awarded. If you do get awarded an ‘EB is lit’, collect the

damn thing (on the ramp) as you are unlikely to get another one unless you set your game up

to give an EB for the replay score (as I do). Same for Specials, they come from Eywa but rarely.

Avatar Rulesheet v1.0 by Dan Bradford

OK, let’s talk about those modes - Na'vi, Banshee, Link, Amp, Valkyrie and Seeds. What are those all about then?

Na’vi (Na’vi Scoring, then Na’vi MB)

At the start of each game, the four blue NAVI inserts are flashing. Although

they’re not NAVY blue, are they, but more of a turquoise or regatta blue. I

expect that TURQ’UOISE was too many targets but hey ho, it sounds topical.

The default settings for the N-A-V-I targets is 'easy', which means any target

you hit will light that letter, unless already lit in which case you get the one on

the left or right. You can make it harder if you like a challenge. Light all four

letters to enable Na'vi Scoring, then shoot the target bank (which is now

flashing) one more time to actually begin the mode.

The objective in Na'vi Scoring is to collect awards by shooting the six flashing red arrows on the playfield. These are

all the major shots with the exception of the unobtainium target. There is a countdown value which starts at 750K

and counts down to a 400K minimum (this can be extended). Shooting any flashing arrow scores the points, makes

the red light go out, and lights the associated yellow character name (Jake etc) which are written by the arrows and

on the vertical ladder between the flippers. Shot doublers or triplers apply, and these can be added in at any time.

If you don't collect all six, the next time you play Na'vi Scoring, only the shots you need to complete the ladder will

have flashing red arrows. Na'vi Scoring is the easiest way to complete all the characters, but you can also get them

using 'The Bond', not a rubber & leather fetish

club for clones in arseless chaps, next door to

The Hoist, but a hurry-up feature you collect by

getting all three of the inlanes (2 on the left, 1 on

the right). Shift those inlane lights with the

flipper buttons as always. Light all three, and one

of the inserts for an uncollected character will

flash for a few seconds. The flashing shot is sensitive to which flipper the ball is rolling onto, so if you complete on

the left, the software gives you a target to aim for on the right. This is nice of it.

Once you have collected all six characters, Na'vi Scoring goes away and the next feature from those

ro’yal blue targets becomes Na'vi MB instead. Collect the N-A-V-I letters as for Na'vi Scoring, then one

more shot starts Na'vi MB, enough to light the Na'vi insert. This is a two-ball mode initially, although

you can add another ball from Eywa. Those six red arrow character shots are now flashing for jackpots.

Shoot them in any order (with no timer) and they extinguish. You need to collect all six at 150K a pop.

Next you have to shoot those stee’l blue targets four times to spell out NAVI and collect 300K double

jackpots (count these for yourself, as the game doesn’t tell you), and when you have got all four, the

red arrow pointing at the unobtainium standup target will start flashing. Hit that target to end the

mode by scoring the Na'vi MB super jackpot, which flashes the Na'vi insert, scores 2-3M points, and

puts you back at the start of Na'vi MB with all six timed arrowed shots flashing for regular but bigger

250K jackpots (and a countdown timer). Na'vi MB continues until you are down to just one ball, but

remember you can delay that by adding a third ball to the two you get at the start of MB, with Eywa.

This could be the toughest lamp to flash – worth knowing then that you don’t need it for Final Battle.

Avatar Rulesheet v1.0 by Dan Bradford

Ride a Banshee

Ride a Banshee mode is started by shooting the ramp to spell B-A-N-S-H-E-E. With default settings, the first three

letters are given to you and you only need to shoot the ramp four more times to complete the letters. Sheesh.

Starting ride a Banshee is enough to light the Banshee insert on the feature ladder, pretty easy really. This is a timed

countdown mode - you have 25 seconds to hit the ramp 5 more times (200K, 300K, 400K....) to complete it and start

the Banshee insert flashing (not needed for FB if you play it on that same ball, but needed if

you want the insert lit for the following ball). Time extension from Eywa may be useful here.

Banshee can be stacked with most other modes, although if it is running with Na'vi Scoring

and you get the time extended mystery award, it only adds time to one of the modes, not

both. It’s the only mode you can pretty much start at any time except when a MB is going. As

a result it’s best to always start it last when you have options. See strategy section later. That one didn’t take long.

The next mode across can be found in the blue-lit lock lane under Jake's sunbed:

Link

The Link ball lock uses raised posts to create a captive ball. To start Link MB, you first have to

lock a ball. You get a clip of Jake undressing and entering his sunbed on the display, as the ball

is held and another is auto-launched into play. Then you have to hit that trapped ball to free it

and start MB. The first time you shoot for Link MB in a game, you only need one shot into the

lane to lock the ball and two shots to the trapped ball to release it. For subsequent MBs, you

need additional shots for both. Starting MB is all you need to light the Link insert.

Now you need to collect 15 jackpots for 250K each at 5 targets: N-A-V-I targets (any of them),

the Link lane, the Eywa captive ball, Seeds targets (either one) and the unobtainium target

(which scores 500K for some reason). No timer so no rush for these 15 shots.

N-A-V-I and Seeds are lit alternately, so collecting a jackpot at one, turns it off and lights the other for the next

jackpot. Link and Eywa also alternate in the same way. The Link lane shot is also an add-a-ball here the first time you

shoot it: it captures the ball and holds it for 10 seconds while launching another ball into play. If you hit the trapped

ball, it is released (the countdown is aborted), or you can leave it there and continue scoring more jackpots with the

other balls. A handy parking spot. During Link MB, Eywa's earned mystery awards are available, and you can advance

and start (and finish) Ampsuit MB, but Na'vi and Seeds can’t be started - so pick the right order so it’s all stackable.

Once the 15th jackpot is collected, Link is where the 3M super jackpot can be collected (make sure you have a

multiplier on the Link shot to make it 6M, or you’re throwing points away). When the ball enters the Link lane, the

pins rise again to trap it, and a countdown timer starts during which you need to hit it with one of the remaining

balls, for a 6M Double Super Jackpot (again, x2 is 12M ). Pressure mounts, as if you don't hit it before the timer

ends, the held ball is released and you have to try again from the start with the 15 jackpots. You do need that DSJ to

get the Link insert flashing but again this doesn’t matter if you get FB on that same ball. With Link MB DSJ collected,

we start 350K ‘victory laps’, [but when I was testing rules with glass off (ROM 1.10) the victory laps started after I

timed out the 10 seconds without scoring DSJ – so I had to drop out of Link MB, having no way to keep it alive. Bug?]

My rules card mentions 3 different MBs - maybe >>>those>>>

creepy guys know something about them, but I certainly don’t, as

they never made it into the game, sadly. Just the one Link MB.

Avatar Rulesheet v1.0 by Dan Bradford

Ampsuit (or Amp Suit) MB

The Ampsuit playfield feature has a front motorised 3-bank of standup targets (like on

SM and AFM) and a magnet in front to throw the ball around every time the 3-bank is

hit. At the start of the game, one of the A-M-P letter inserts is flashing and it moves

left and right continuously. If the first shot to the 3-bank hits the flashing letter's

target, the bank lowers immediately, like the visor on Jackbot or Pinbot. Otherwise,

the other two letters have to be hit as well in order to lower it and get 200K. Default

settings mean you can hit either the required letter or the one next to it to light it (you need to look at the inserts)

but again, you can make that harder if you are a total nutjob.

Whether you lower it with a single shot or several, once the target bank is down, Ampsuit

Battle begins. This is the intro to Ampsuit MB, and to complete it you have to shoot the

Ampsuit targets multiple times. With normal settings, the first time you play Ampsuit

Battle you need to hit the targets five times at 300K a go. For the first four hits, either of

the side targets or the centre will do, but for the fifth and final shot, you must hit the

bullseye target (2M before 2x). The ball rolls down from the target, is grabbed and held

by the magnet, then the 3-bank is raised and two more balls are auto-launched into play.

As with Link MB, starting Ampsuit MB is enough to light the amp insert on the playfield.

There are jackpot shots on six of the major shots - left & right orbits, the ramp, Link lane,

unobtainium target and the Eywa captive ball. All six shots score 150K and turn off once collected. If your shot to the

Link lane produces a ball lock, the game doesn’t hold onto it, or add a ball, so hard cheese. Collecting the sixth

jackpot moves you on to the second stage of Ampsuit MB, where three double jackpot shots are lit on different red

arrow shots: the N-A-V-I targets, the Seeds targets and the Amp 3-bank. Shooting any of these (any N-A-V-I target

and either Seeds target) scores you a 300K double jackpot and turns off that shot. As with all these single and double

jackpots, lit shot multipliers can double or triple their values so don’t forget to load them up. No timers here.

When the third double jackpot has been collected, the Ampsuit 3-bank lowers and the insert in front of the bullseye

target flashes to indicate this is your next required shot to defeat Colonel Quaritch in his cool exoskeleton Ampsuit

and score a super jackpot. Just as in Na'vi MB, the super jackpot is the sum of all the single and double jackpots you

scored, so any shot multipliers you have running will increase scores and potentially double or triple the super

jackpot itself as well. Base is 1.8M so you should get 2-3M easy, as you’re bound to have some multipliers on at this

stage, even by accident. After collecting one super jackpot, a second one is also available at the same bullseye target

(which is now underneath the fallen Ampsuit), and collecting the *second* super jackpot (another 2-3M) starts the

Amp insert flashing and lights Amp on the summary grid (see pic, like

on TSPP or WH2O) – only required for FB if not played that same ball.

This takes us back to the start of Ampsuit MB with the six shots lit for

jackpots (now worth 350K) and the Ampsuit itself reset to its upright

position. Double and super jackpots are increased too, making the maximum potential SJ value at this stage (with all

shots multiplied) ridiculously comedy-huge, like tens of millions. Even retards will score 5-10M from finishing this MB.

As with the other MB modes, if you shoot Eywa when she is lit, she also gives a mystery award (hopefully more time

or add-a-ball, but often something shit). When you are down to just one ball in play, Ampsuit MB ends. Awwwww.

Avatar Rulesheet v1.0 by Dan Bradford

We still have two more feature inserts to talk about – Valkyrie and Seeds.

Valkyrie (aka Bomber Battle)

A Valkyrie is a transport vehicle which ferries people and cargo between the spaceship and Pandora's surface. I don’t

think it drops bombs. The feature associated with it is referred to as both Valkyrie and Bomber Battle. No, there

doesn’t appear to be any explanation why. No, I don’t think they’ll fix it. No, it’s not important. You’re welcome.

Making a shot to either orbit counts down towards the start of Bomber Battle: the first time, just 4 orbit shots are

required to start it, increasing by two each time you play the mode (shots have to be made outside MB play to

qualify, naturally). You don’t need to make a full orbit, just trigger the rollover switches at the top of the orbit lanes,

but give it a good welly anyway as there are spinners on both orbits, and while spinner points are paltry, these give

you switch hits, valuable for qualifying Eywa (the left orbit flies round and so may also spin the right spinner, and

right orbit shots land in the pops for more switch hits again – so both good). Sounds and the displays are different

for the two lanes. After 4 (or 6 the 2nd time etc) orbit shots have been made, Battle begins and you get 500K.

Look, here are some pictures of those spinners that I’ve blatantly ripped off

from Martin’s Pinball News site without even giving him any credit whatsoever.

On the left, that’s a Scorpion gunship

(exploding on the reverse) whereas on the

right, that is apparently called a Direhorse

which has funny antennae with feathery tips that can form ‘The Bond’ with the

Funny Blue Monkey People’s (sorry, Na’vi) silly impractical ponytails. I dunno if

they can hear or not, I looked but couldn’t see any Dire-ear. Sorry, couldn’t resist.

Starting Bomber Battle is simple enough to light the Valkyrie insert, but it’s a timed mode (like Banshee) with an

initial 25 seconds to complete it - extendable by Eywa – and you need to hit 15 shots at 5 targets (just like Link) so

you'll probably need to play it several times in a game to finish all 15 and progress towards Final battle. The 5 lit

shots are both orbits, the N-A-V-I target bank, the Seeds targets and the ramp – the playfield lighting should help you

work it out. Scores start at 200K and go up 50K a time (the 15th one scores 900K) and shot multipliers apply as ever.

The number of shots remaining carries over from ball to ball and is marked on the

DMD. When you get the 15th one, you win Bomber Battle and Valkyrie insert flashes.

Starting Bomber Battle prevents you from starting Seeds or Na’vi, so as before, you

want to plan the *order* of mode starts for a nice fat stack. Stacking Bomber Battle into any MB is extremely

valuable for huge scores, especially if you bring the other MB in halfway through.

Finally, the simplest mode of the lot….

Seeds

‘Seeds Fast Scoring’ mode is started by shooting the two standup

targets above the right outlane (they may as well be one, as they’re

wired together). Look at them, they’re so sweet and fluffy.

The first time you start Seeds Fast Scoring it takes 4 hits on the

targets to qualify and start it. Starting Seeds Fast Scoring is enough to

light seeds insert on the feature grid. This is a 'frenzy mode’ where

Avatar Rulesheet v1.0 by Dan Bradford

all switches score, and the value goes up by shooting the Seeds targets.

Each time you start this mode, it takes more hits to start it, and the

points start higher than before. It’s yet another 25 second timed mode,

(Eywa can extend that time) where 100 switch hits are needed to

complete the mode and flash the insert, so spinners, pop bumpers and MBs are all good ideas. You may need to

start Seeds more than once –the number of switch hits left holds over to the next time you start it.

Just like Na’vi, Seeds is locked out once you start a MB, so it’s best to start these first in any stack before starting MB.

Starting Seeds or Na’vi locks out the other mode (start Na’vi, you can't start Seeds, and vice-versa) but the solution is

to first complete the Na’vi bank and get it flashing, and only then start Seeds, now you can start Na’vi Scoring too.

Phew, we made it to the Wizard mode, Final Battle

When all the feature lights are lit or flashing, we qualify the

wizard mode, Final Battle. To explain (it took me some time

to get my head around this), completing modes and making

the inserts flash is *not* essential for reaching the wizard

mode, but it *is*the only way to make a lit insert carry to

the next ball. So you could get to FB by getting them all lit on

one ball, or get a few flashing and then ignore

those modes on subsequent balls, up to you. And it

makes no difference if you complete them or not,

except for points, you get the same feature. Unlike

Iron Man which awards Do-or-Die or (if completed)

Jericho; and Monster Bash awards Monster-Bash

or (if all completed) the superior Monsters of Rock.

On Avatar, once those inserts are all lit, they all

start to throb, and you start FB by hitting the red

arrow pointing at the unobtainium target. This kills

the flippers, the ball drains, and all four of the

game's balls are auto-launched into play, with a

ball-saver on. Game on!

You first have to collect a certain number of switch

hits to light the jackpot. That number starts at 75

switches for the first jackpot and increases by 25

for each subsequent one. There is no timer. At the start the playfield is dark as all lamps are turned off, but as you

start collecting the switches, they light up, from the bottom (shoot again) up to the top (R-D-A lanes). Then with the

last hit, it all goes dark again with just a flashing unobtainium central target and unobtainium lights in the outlanes.

So you should go for the central red flashing unobtainium FB jackpot for 5M (or 2X or 3X) now, right?

Well, you could, but there are much bigger points available if instead you first drain a ball down the lit outlane! This

scores 10M (no doublers on the outlanes sadly) and boosts the central unobtainium target’s value to 15M. WTF!

There’s still one lit outlane, so..... guess what? Yes, you can try to drain another ball (flippers move the lit outlane)

which gives you an instant 15M and boosts the unobtainium target's value to 30M. WTFFF!

Avatar Rulesheet v1.0 by Dan Bradford

Now is the time to hit that target as it also very kindly relaunches all balls and starts a new ball saver each time – so

if you accidentally centre-drained or got an unlit outlane while trying for glory, cashing in is a good way to restart it.

This 30M is the biggest payoff in the game, but shot multipliers still work, so that 30 can be made into 60 or even

90M. You won't see the 2X on an unlit playfield, but the 3X (if you have it) will constantly be bouncing back and forth

even when you haven't lit up the playfield yet by hitting switches. Ninety million points, wowser. I can dream.

Having completed the first round of final battle, you return to collecting switch hits to build towards the next

unobtainium score awards. The number of hits needed has gone up to 100, but the points scored are all the same –

25K a switch, and payouts starting at 5M. Eywa is available (assuming you qualified her) to add-a ball if you drain one.

Initially, you could drain the balls while the long ball saver is on, and let the pop bumpers do all the work. But the

more central target payouts you score during final battle, the higher the switch hit count needed gets and the

shorter the ball save time. Theoretically you could continue playing FB forever.

Strategy

Definitely try to get the shot doublers, especially on the most valuable shots where the super jackpots are to be

scored – so Link, Amp, and Unobtainium. After these three, the rest are pretty much even-Stevens unless you’re

about to start a mode (so if Banshee is primed, double the ramp). I expect if you’re good at pinball that it’s worth the

effort to try to get a trebler going, but that’s fantasy territory for me with my feeble fingers.

Stacking is the way to big scores – when you stack

things together, one shot can score multiple

points awards. But some modes once started lock

out others, so be aware of the optimum order for

what’s on offer. If you have two or three possible

things to cash in, definitely start the multiball last.

Banshee and Bomber Battle both lock out Seeds

and Na’vi. So if you are trying to stack for huge

scores, this is the optimal recipe:

1 get Na’vi ready; 2 start Seeds; 3 start Na’vi;

4 start Bomber or Banshee; 5 start Banshee or

Bomber; 6 get an Eywa time extension; 7 start

either Link or Amp MB; 8 start the other MB.

Stacks benefit especially well from the doublers, as it’s better for your score to double a 1M shot than a 100K one.

Remember the benefits of the captive ball Eywa – in the above examples, you’d want to maximise timers just before

starting MB, and hopefully Eywa will be relit sometime during the MB since so many switches are getting hit, so you

may get to add a ball and then relight Eywa again. Now go enjoy yourself playing Avatar, it’s a fun game

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If you liked this or have suggestions for improvements, you can reach

me on Pinside or more often on Pinballinfo.com (the UK forum)

My username is cooldan on both sites.