Epic Quest: BOINNNNGG!?!?

[caper_26]

Hi guys. Does anyone know what the deal is with the sink-hole/upkicker below the bumpers? Sometimes after you hit the sinkhole with a direct hit, it turn around and fires the ball into the bumpers, and other times the curved re-director above the hole raises up, then the table shakes and it shoots the ball into the air toward left flipper with a big BOINNNNG sound. Is it all random?
Also, with Loot, do you just always take the one with the higher 'points' value, and/or text color. Text Color priority being purple, then blue, then yellow? I notice that if you have a bunch of Loot waiting, a lot of them are the same, back to back...
Sometimes I notice I can beat monsters with 1-3 shots, and others take 7 or so. I got my level up to 82 or 83 now, and in the process of taking a run at the #1 spot on PS3. 2.3B on ball 2/8... 1.4B to go.

I also noticed it takes 4 orbits for an "event" ? Are those events random as well? (healing potion, monster, kickbacks).

[ER777]

I'm not sure if the kicker is random or just cycles through the different results. It seems like it might just cycle through the different results in order but I haven't paid enough attention to say for sure.

The other things you mentioned both relate to the elemental properties associated with the items and monsters. Some items will say FIRE, ICE, or LIGHTNING next to the numeric rating (there is also a FORCE scroll but I've never seen that element on a monster or item). For your weapon those elements will help you do extra damage against monsters with a weakness for that element. Its also helpful to have an elemental weapon when fighting the final dragon since it has physical resistance. The armor's element will make you resistant to attacks from the monsters that attack with that element. So you are right about the numeric rating and the text color related to rarity, but I would also put a lot of weight on the elements too. I never get rid of a weapon with an element for one without an element even if there is a big difference in the numeric ratings. This is all related to the RPG theme of the table and its one of the main reasons this table is right up near the top of my favorite Zen tables.

I think if you dodge a couple times during the fight the dot matrix will tell you which element the monster is weak or resistant against, not that it really matters unless you want to use the mill to cast a spell to win. I think the dot matrix also shows what elements both you and the monster attack with on the countdown screen.

Last note: I think the number of orbit shots required for an event increments up by one shot each time.

[caper_26]

well, one thing I noted was the way the SMASH target works. Sometimes you need to hit it 3 times, and other times only 2. I think that if you hit it 2 times, and then it 'times out' and resets to the first position, you only need to hit it 2 times, instead of the normal 3, to get the Skill Shot Award.

that stuff about the RPG and elements... I am still lost, lol. I am not too too worried about it at this point, since I have surpassed the all-time record, with 4 balls to go

I will be done with EQ for a while when this game is done. At level 100, you can still beat some of the monsters with one strike!! which makes for a good strategy keeping ball save on, and quicker multi-balls with jackpots of >10M.

A weird thing is if you beat the dragon with multiball, it divides the points among the balls remaining on the table for some reason, still totalling 50M. I am not sure there is much left to do on the table at this point besides spamming monsters and multi-ball. Bats & Skeletons yeild little points and the extra balls are all acquired, and XP is max. I dont know why you still get XP points for beating monsters, Smash, hitting mission holes when they are completed, etc, if the meter doesn't go up anymore. I still notice that I 'get' XP for regular stuff when it no longer matters.