Rome

"We must take this area, men, for the glory of Rome!"

- Centurion

Rome
Date available	October 27, 2010
Category	Zen Originals
Based on	The Roman Empire
Designed by	Tamas Stephen
Plunger mechanism	Straight into orbit
Skill shot type	Plunger strength, flipper assisted
Number of return lanes	4
Number of flippers	3
Outlane protection	2 low-power spring-loaded kickbacks
Number of main missions	6
Wizard mode type	Victory multiball
Number of side modes	3
Number of multiball modes	3

Rome is a pinball table that was first released on Pinball FX 2, and is also available for Zen Pinball 2 and Pinball FX 3 as one of the four Zen original tables that are part of the Core Collection. It is themed after the ancient Roman Empire, its culture and its conquest of Europe.

Table overview

The upper half of the table

At the back left corner of the table is a rotating target wheel, with eight targets, two of a different color (red, yellow, blue or green). This is accessed with the left plunger, and balls that strike the target wheel drop down the left side of the table's large orbit, which wraps around most lanes. The apex of the orbit allows balls to drop into a bumper area while passing through one of three bumper rollovers each representing a word in the Latin phrase, "veni, vidi, vici", (translating to "I came, I saw, I conquered"), famously attributed to the emperor Julius Caesar. Balls that pass through the bumper area will drop back into the main playfield.

The facade of an Roman imperial government building forms the back wall of the table, featuring two statues of the Roman deities Iustitia and Jupiter. Iustitia, the goddess of justice, stands to the right of the building's entrance, while Jupiter stands to its left, at the back right corner of the table. Its entrance is positioned directly behind the bumper rollovers. The statues of the two deities are designed to interact with the ball through certain shots.

Because Iustitia is believed to be impartial in her dealings of justice and will do whatever she can to keep the balance, she is depicted blindfolded while holding a sword in her right hand and a scale in her left hand, which is irregularly depicted to fit the table's functionality. One platform is shaped into a small section that bridges a missing gap that appears in the right, diverting path of the table's left aqueduct ramp. When its diverter gate diverts the ball right, the platform will lower to allow the ball to cross the gap and go down a short habitrail leading to the table's upper flipper. The other scale platform is a normal, cupped platform that catches a ball that travels up a particular VUK habitrail at the left of the abovementioned bumper area, accessed via a sinkhole in front of it covered by a platform with a figure of a Roman centurion. The scales will then drop the ball into the bumper area, dropping it through the left bumper area rollover marked "Veni". The statue of Jupiter is positioned such that his right hand is accessible via an alternate, branching path from the table's right ramp. If the ball drops into his hand, he will lower the ball down the right orbit.

To the right of the left orbit is a short, narrow lane leading into the left sinkhole, representing Romulus, the first ruler of Rome. The sinkhole is marked with inserts spelling his name. Beside this lane is the table's left ramp, which normally curves left and takes the ball down an exit habitrail leading to the left inlane, but a diverter gate can cause the ball to turn right instead and go down a short, winding habitrail leading to the upper flipper. The back sinkhole, covered by a platform with a centurion figure, is to the right of this ramp.

At the center of the table is a front-facing sinkhole installed in front of a bust of the deity Janus. Both the bust and the sinkhole can rotate 90 degrees to its right to make the sinkhole face left as a shot from the upper flipper. The gap between this sinkhole and the back sinkhole is the bumper area exit. However, it also doubles as the entrance of a mini-orbit representing Caesar. A successful shot to this entrance from the upper flipper will take the ball around the orbit, either dropping the ball into the bumper area on a weak shot, or feeding the upper flipper for another shot. An insert of Caesar pointing his right arm at the entrance is placed right next to the upper flipper, which is embedded into the left side of the left orbit's entrance.

To the right of the center sinkhole is the table's right ramp, which normally makes a right turn, wrapping around a model of a catapult, before taking the ball down an exit habitrail leading to the right inlane. Along the way, there are two diverter gates that can send the ball elsewhere: one diverter gate present at the apex of the ramp's turn diverts the ball left to the hand of Jupiter, and another midway through the exit habitrail leads to a habitrail that crosses the table and eventually drops the ball into the left plunger. To the right of this ramp, and to the left of the right orbit, is a lane blocked off by a captive ball that can be pushed to knock down three linear drop targets and a standup target.

In front of the upper flipper is a target bank spelling the first half of the word EMPIRE. This target bank is in front of a VUK that pops the ball into a functioning catapult that automatically throws it at a ship on the other side of the table, which is only accessible via the left plunger. The other target bank, spelling the second half of the word EMPIRE, is placed to the right of the right orbit.

The lower half of the table

In front of the left empire target bank is another VUK catapult structure like the one described above, which is also accessed via the left plunger. A toy model of an enemy ship is installed along the right table wall, above the plunger shaft, as the catapult target.

There are 4 return lanes with inserts spelling ARMA, two slingshots and two lower flippers. The left slingshot has a mechanism that unfolds a wooden bridge that allows balls traveling down a diverting habitrail branching off of the right inlane habitrail (the typical exit of the right aqueduct ramp) to cross the left return lanes and drop into the left plunger.

Each outlane is guarded by a standard kickback. A large torch installed on each apron is used to indicate which kickbacks are activated. A golden carving of an eagle, a symbol of the Roman Empire, covers the outhole.

The plungers

This table has two plungers. The primary right plunger is a spring-loaded mechanism, powered by another catapult-like structure, which launches the ball into play up a straight shaft representing an aqueduct, which then drops the ball into the right orbit. The goal of the skill shot is to guess the correct amount of plunger force that will take the ball up the right orbit, over the bumper area drop and down the left orbit for a chance to perform a skill shot with the upper flipper into the center sinkhole. The skill shot scores a flat 1 million points.

The left plunger, which is accessed through the right aqueduct's second diverter in its exit habitrail during certain modes, can automatically or manually launch the ball up a straight shaft, but certain mechanisms determine where the ball goes depending on the mode. Without these diverter mechanisms in place, the plunger can launch the ball up a straight habitrail along the left table wall that mostly merges with the left aqueduct's exit habitrail before hitting the rotating targets at the back left corner of the table. Otherwise, these diverter mechanisms will divert the ball into one of two VUKs leading to the catapults to load as ammunition for catapults used to attack the enemy ship above the primary plunger shaft.

Objective and missions

The goal of this table is to lead the Roman Empire to a golden age by conquering all of Europe by playing six missions. To start a mission, the player must shoot the two ramps while they are lit in turquoise seven times to spell the word CONQUER, then shoot the center sinkhole. The player can then choose a mission with the flippers and confirm their choice with the launch button. Missions must be completed successfully without losing the ball to progress to the wizard mode, and completed missions can be repeated again to progress towards the wizard mode, even if they have been completed already.

Any combination of six of these missions must be completed successfully to unlock the wizard mode:

• Northern Garrison: There are barbarians in northern Europe that pose a threat to the empire and must be dealt with. The player must help the Roman troops defeat three waves of barbarians, with each wave lasting 30 seconds, and being defeated every time five major lanes are shot once: the two orbits, the two ramps, and the mini-orbit. Hitting the targets or holes during this mode will decrease the value scored for winning the mode by 100,000 points.
• Eastern Garrison: The Roman empire must advance east, but an army of enemy forces stand in the way. The player must defeat five waves of enemies, with each wave defeated when the player shoots three of the five major lanes once, with no more than 15 seconds allowed per shot: the two orbits, the two ramps, and the mini-orbit. Failure to shoot a valid target lane within 15 seconds results in failure of the mission.
• Western Garrison: The Romans must use a battering ram to destroy enemy strongholds in Western Europe to continue the empire's expansion. This is a 2-ball multiball mission in which the player must destroy two gates of a double-walled enemy fortress with the battering ram. To build up enough power for the ram to perform a gate-smashing swing, the player must score 3 million points by shooting any lanes or targets, and once 3 million is reached, the player must hit the left sinkhole to swing the ram and destroy the gate; this process must be repeated two times to finish the mission. If either ball is lost, the mission fails.
• Southern Garrison: There is report of unrest in the south, demanding swift and firm justice be brought to the area. The player must hit any of the three sinkholes (the left sinkhole, the back sinkhole or the center sinkhole) a total of five times to tip Iustitia's scale of justice, then make either upper flipper shot, all within one minute per shot.
• Central Garrison: Imperial forces assault enemy posts from afar with ranged weaponry for the empire's next victory. To destroy each enemy post, the player must shoot one of the five major lanes twice: the two orbits, the two ramps, and the mini-orbit. Once a lane is used up, any further shots through it will not count for the remainder of the mission. The player has 30 seconds to make a valid shot, or the mission will fail.
• Coastal Garrison: To tighten the empire's grip on Europe, its naval force must demonstrate its superiority in combat in the Mediterranean Sea. The player must destroy an enemy galley with five fireballs fired from catapults. To shoot a fireball, the player must hit any of the three sinkholes (the left sinkhole, the back sinkhole or the center sinkhole) or the captive ball target to prepare a catapult, then shoot the right ramp as its exit habitrail diverts the ball to the left plunger, which automatically feeds the ball to one of the two catapults on the left side of the table to shoot it at the ship above the right plunger. The player has one minute to make each catapult shot, and after the first shot is made, the player cannot use the same target used to prepare the previous catapult shot to prepare the next one.

Once any combination of the six missions are completed, the wizard mode will be ready to start on the next shot to the right ramp. This is a 3-ball victory multiball where all ramps score 3 million, all sinkholes score 2.5 million, all orbits score 2 million, and all targets score 1 million until the player drains down to a single ball. This mode can only be played once before the progress towards completing six of the missions resets.

Side modes

The following side modes can be activated:

• Janus Hurry-Up: The Roman deity Janus, which there is no Greek equivalent for, is a chief god worshipped by many Romans. If the player shoots the center sinkhole while it is not lit to start missions or claim extra balls, a hurry-up will start where the player must shoot the left aqueduct ramp, the right aqueduct ramp and then the left orbit to claim a hurry-up value that starts at 1 million and decreases to zero.
• Siege Tower: The Romans employ siege towers in their combat and conquest tactics. There are two features that can be chosen with the flippers if the player shoots the standup target behind the linear drop targets with the captive ball, then shoots the right ramp:
  • Mock Warfare: In this mode, the player can choose when to shoot an enemy ship with the siege tower's catapult for a random award. An award roulette (including random point values up to 1 million, ball save, and lighting an extra ball) will begin to spin on the scoring display, and the player has five seconds (15 if they finished one of the Justice shot sequences) to tap the launch button to operate the left plunger, propelling the ball into one of the catapults and collecting the currently displayed award. This process must be completed three times to finish this side mode and light the locks for Neptune Multiball, described below.
  • Justice: This side mode involves the use of the left plunger to hit rotating targets on the back left corner of the table. The scoring display will show four doors each marked with the first four numbers of the Roman numbering system (I, II, III and IV). The player must press the launch button to shoot the ball towards the rotating targets, and the color of the target it hits will determine which shots need to be made in 10 seconds to claim a score reward of 1 million points (with a 5 million score bonus if points are earned from all four unique targets once). Completing at least 1 shot during Justice will grant a time bonus for Mock Warfare, and completing three will double the point awards scored from that mode:
    • If the target is green or red (representing doors I or IV, respectively on the scoring display), the player must make shoot the center sinkhole from the upper flipper.
    • If the target is blue (representing door II on the scoring display), the player must shoot the left ramp and then the center sinkhole.
    • If the target is yellow (representing door III on the scoring display), the player must shoot the mini-orbit twice.

Multiball

The following two multiball modes can be activated when no modes are running:

• Neptune Multiball: The Romans worshipped Neptune, god of the sea, to garner his support of their naval forces. Once the Mock Warfare side mode is completed, the Siege Tower will be disabled, as the locks for Neptune Multiball will take priority. Locking 3 balls by shooting the captive ball, followed by the right ramp, will start this 3-ball multiball where a jackpot can be claimed by hitting the left sinkhole, with opportunities to increase the jackpot value by shooting any flashing lanes. The mode will continue until the player drains down to a single ball.
• Romulus Multiball: Romulus is remembered as the first ruler of Rome. This is a quick 2-ball multiball that begins when the player spells ROMULUS with 7 shots to the left sinkhole. A 10 million point hurry-up value will be seen on the display; the player can increase this value by 100,000 by shooting flashing shots, or collect this value by shooting the captive ball four times, then shooting the center sinkhole from the upper flipper to score the value and end the multiball, which also ends if the player drains either ball. (If the hurry-up value shrinks to 0, the multiball ends, and the flippers will be briefly disabled to allow both balls to drain before a new ball is shot into play.)

Perks

The following perks can be activated during play:

• Ball Saver: At the start of each ball and multiball, a 30-second ball saver will activate. Once it expires, it can be reactivated by spelling SCUTUM with 24 bumper hits, 4 hits per letter.
• Kickbacks: If the player spells ARMA on the return rollovers, a kickback will activate at the left outlane; spelling it again before it is used will activate the kickback at the right outlane. Kickbacks will stay on until they are used.
• Bonus Multiplier: If the player lights up all 3 bumper rollovers, the bonus multiplier will increase by +2x up to 10x. The bonus multiplier is only good for the current ball.
• Empire Bonus: Every time EMPIRE is spelled on the side target banks, the "empire" end-of-ball bonus will increase; the reward starts at 250,000 and doubles after each level, to a maximum of 4 million. This bonus is only good for the current ball.
• Blessed: If the player shoots the mini-orbit two times in a row, the player can shoot the right ramp so that it diverts left to the hand of the statue of Jupiter, which will hold the ball briefly before dropping it down the right orbit. This will double all points scored outside of missions for 10 seconds.
• Combos: Combos can be scored by making consecutive shots to unique orbits or ramps, with no more than 5 seconds allotted between shots. Each combo scores a value starting at 100,000, increasing by 50,000 points per shot; the mini-orbit counts as two combo shots, and making a 5-way combo will light an extra ball.
• The Scale of Justice: The scale of justice in Iustitia's hand is normally in a neutral, balanced position. If the player shoots the back sinkhole, it will divert the ball to a VUK that drops the ball into one side of the scale of justice and into the bumper area, upsetting its balance. This will cause the other side of the scale to lift a platform that will connect the alternate, diverting path of the left aqueduct, allowing its diverter gate to safely divert the ball down that path. (Shooting the back sinkhole will instead pop the ball out of the left sinkhole.) If the player shoots the left aqueduct ramp in that state, the ball will travel to the upper flipper, for a chance to shoot the center sinkhole from the upper flipper for 200,000 points. After one attempt, the scale of justice returns to neutral.
• Extra Ball: Extra balls can be lit at the center sinkhole as a random award from the Mock Warfare side mode, or by executing a 5-way combo for the first time.

Tips

• Remember that only a combination of six completed missions are required to reach the wizard mode, not all six. The easiest missions to complete are Coastal Garrison and Southern Garrison; both have fairly long timers, and only fail if the time runs out.
• Extend ball survivability by leveraging the easy activation and persistence of kickbacks, as well as being familiar with how to get the ball to the bumpers to get enough hits for the ball saver, either with incomplete shots up the orbits, or upsetting the scale of justice so that the ball drops into the bumper area directly.
• The right ramp can be surprisingly difficult to recover from if a weak shot to it is made, often sending the ball between the flippers. Nudge the table if this happens, or perform a dead bounce if the ball looks like it will approach either flipper.

Changes from original release

• In the Pinball FX2 release, the jackpot value for Romulus Multiball started at 100 million, and making lit shots would increase it by 1 million. The jackpot value for the multiball was greatly reduced in the Pinball FX3 release to further balance the game's scoring.
• The time bonus and 2x score bonuses from Justice originally disappeared from ball to ball in Pinball FX2; this was changed in Pinball FX3 to carry over until Mock Warfare has been completed, although the inserts for both bonuses will still remain unlit if a ball drains.

External links

• Official table trailer (0:41 - 0:56 of the Zen Pinball Core Collection trailer)
• Table walkthrough by ShoryukenToTheChin (PDF)
• Official table soundtrack on Bandcamp (tracks 5 - 11 of the Pinball FX 2 Core Pack Soundtrack)