"Enemy waves closing in. Do your best and may the Force be with you."
- Unidentified Rebel squadron leader
Star Wars: Starfighter Assault is a pinball table based on the intense starfighter battles during the Galactic Civil War era of Star Wars history as one of a multitude of Star Wars Zen Pinball tables available for Zen Pinball 2, Pinball FX 2 and Pinball FX 3. This table is one of the three tables in the Balance of the Force pack and provides an opportunity to command and manage a fleet of Rebel or Imperial ships in the Galactic Civil War, fighting to either liberate or conquer the galaxy.
Table overview[]
The upper half of the table[]
The walls of the table in general can collapse to allow scale models of capital ships to dock directly along each side of the table during some modes. This table lacks a back wall or a physical backglass whatsoever.
At the back left corner of the table is a short ramp called the operations ramp leading into a sinkhole, with a toy model of an enemy turret near the apex of this ramp. This ramp's entrance will also rise when the ball is shot up the left lane to reach a small, central dead space area at the back of the table. On the left wall of this central area, there is a sinkhole used for starting missions that is sealed with a drop target that must be knocked down with the ball to unlock it. Down this left wall is a left mini-flipper, with a hidden magnet near it that draws the ball to the flipper and lines it up for a right cross-shot into a small, inner miniloop on the opposite side of this central area, which is also wrapped around with a larger miniloop that spells REPAIR with part of its back wall being a tension spring gate which is the one-way exit of the right lane. An enemy turret is installed in the middle of the small miniloop, as well as a right mini-flipper with a hidden magnet near it that draws the ball to it to line up a left cross-shot into the sinkhole on the other side of the central area.
Hovering above the back right corner of the table is a drone with four appendages ending in lamps to form the back of an X-wing fighter. To the back of the central area is a sinkhole that can also be blocked off by a makeshift ramp formed by a chain of drones, which changes its destination every time it is shot. Depending on its position, the drone ramp can take the ball down the side ramps that are further down the table via two incomplete habitrails, one on each side, or drop the ball directly beside the left mini-flipper. A right-curving ramp spelling BARRAGE is installed to the left side of the central area with a habitrail that links up with the incomplete right habitrail and drops the ball down the right ramp.
There are two side ramps, a left one that spells EVADE and a right one that spells SUPPLY. Each ramp has a hologram gate system that blocks either a) the ramp itself or b) a hole that's on the right side of the left ramp and the left side of the right ramp. Usually, the hologram gates will allow full access through the ramps unless a particular side mode starts up, and when those ramps are blocked off, the holes in the ramp walls will form a hologram bridge, creating a makeshift orbit during that side mode. A red hologram of a planet believed to contain Rebel hideouts appears in the space between the barrage ramp and the left lane. Between the bottom end of the larger mini-loop and the entry to the right ramp is a target bank containing 3 targets. Both ramps lead to an inlane, while the right ramp passes through a bumper area containing 3 bumpers from the ally capital ship. An enemy turret appears besides the left ramp. The ramps arc over the side lanes that form a split large orbit, and are each gated with a flag, with the left flag having an Imperial crest on it and the right flag having a Rebel crest on it. Part of the outer wall of the left lane is a tension spring gate that serves as the exit of the left Imperial plunger (see below). The left lane spells PROMOTE and the right lane spells UPGRADE.
The lower half of the table[]
An enemy turret is placed to the right of the left ramp, while a sinkhole for squad missions is placed to the left of the right ramp. There are four return lanes, two per side, that spell FAILSAFE, with two letters per return lane. If the ball falls into the drone sinkhole, it can pop out of a one-way dropdown exit in front of the former and fall into the left inlane, or pop out of the squad sinkhole itself to drop into the right inlane. There are two rebounds resembling the steering yokes of the starfighters controlled by their pilots, with the left one for a TIE fighter and the right one for a X-wing fighter. There are also two flippers, plus two diverting kickbacks, one in each lane. Above the outhole is a digital counter indicating how many commendations are available and a balance gauge indicating which faction holds the advantage in battle, followed by a series of lamps indicating the current score multiplier to its right. The left apron is lined with red glowing panels from the innards of a TIE fighter cockpit, while the right apron features a blue hologram of the Death Star as if the Rebels were to be observing it for weaknesses.
The plungers[]
This is a dual plunger table, but only one of them will be used per session depending on the player's choice of side in the Galactic Civil War. The left plunger, used for those who support the Empire, appears to be part of a TIE fighter hangar bay and it launches the ball straight up a habitrail and into a tunnel, then passes through a tension spring gate in the left wall of the left lane to bring the ball into play. A red gauge coming from part of the TIE fighter's dashboard displays how much power is being put into the plunger. The right plunger, dedicated to those who serve the Rebellion, appears to represent the torpedo launching chamber of an X-wing fighter, with a target readout placed beyond the plunger and directly above the shaft that helps gauge the amount of power being applied to the plunger. This plunger goes right under the right ramp and bumper area and pushes the ball through a tension spring gate lining the outer wall of the right lane to bring the ball into play. Between each plunger and outlane is a pop-out upgrade console, with the left one for the Empire and the right one for the Rebels. To perform a skill shot, regardless of plunger, the player must apply the correct level of power that will bring the ball to the left mini-flipper for a chance to make a cross-shot into the smaller mini-orbit. A successful skill shot will open up an opportunity to execute a super skill shot as the ball traverses the orbit and stops at the right mini-flipper via a magnet, lining up a cross-shot into the mission sinkhole.
Objective and missions[]
The goal of this table is to achieve space superiority in the Galactic Civil War by taking command of the fleet of one of its two warring factions chosen at the start of a session, and leading it into battle across five missions. To begin a mission, the player must shoot the mission sinkhole at the back end of the table twice, with the first hit knocking down the target blocking it and the second hit locking the ball inside. The player can then choose a mission to begin. Four of the five missions are divided into 2 phases; completion of the first phase sets a checkpoint and immediately begins the second one.
The following five missions must be completed to access the wizard mode:
- Fighter Confrontation: The player's allied starfighters encounter enemy starfighters at a nearby asteroid field and must chase them down and destroy them, eventually leading to a larger dogfight.
- The first phase of the battle takes place outside of the table as a mini-game where the player controls a squadron of 3 fighters with the flippers to defeat 25 enemy starfighters using the launch button to fire. The player must watch out for fast-moving asteroids that can destroy the allied starfighters; losing a starfighter will decrease the amount of firepower available to shoot down the enemy starfighters, and there are only a limited amount of enemy starfighters available to shoot within 30 seconds.
- The second phase of the battle is a dogfight that must be won by using the turrets of the chosen faction's capital ship. Within 20 seconds, the player must hit the bumpers 10 times to destroy an enemy fighter; if the timer runs out, one of five allied fighters will be destroyed, but 5 seconds of time can be added by shooting randomly flashing lanes. The mission will end once all five fighters on one side are eliminated, and all 5 enemy fighters must be downed to win the mission.
- Fighter Assault: After surviving the dogfight, the allied squadron begins to push a counterattack, turn the tide of the battle and chase fleeing enemy fighters.
- The first phase of the mission requires the player to stage a counterattack against an enemy capital ship by shooting six major lanes without shooting any unlit lanes or repeating a shot more than once; these lanes are the ramps and orbits accessible from the lower flippers, and the upper loop. Shooting an unlit lane will result in the loss of one of five allied fighters leading the attack. The mission fails if all five fighters are lost, but will succeed if all six lanes are successfully shot.
- The second phase of the mission involves attacking the enemy capital ship as it attempts to escape. The player must race against time to shoot all three sinkholes (the drone sinkhole, the mission sinkhole and the squad sinkhole) as well two makeshift ones that appear in the entrances of the side ramps, to damage the capital ship's engine.
- Flight Deck: Onboard the capital ship, personnel must rush to prepare and deploy fighters in the hangar bay that are being manned and ready for action, repairing them if necessary. Small replicas of the allied fighters in the hangar bay will appear at the entrances of the side lanes and side ramps and the barrage ramp. The player must launch 10 fighters, and one is launched every time the player shoots a rapidly flashing lane with a starfighter in front of it. However, as the player progresses through the mission, there will be a few damaged starfighters landing on certain lanes that need to be repaired, and such lanes will be marked with slowly flashing lights. Once they are repaired with one shot through such a lane, the player can shoot that same lane again to release that fighter, counting as progress towards the mission.
- Able Helmsman: The enemy fleet is assaulting the allied capital ship and chasing it into an asteroid field, and all hands on deck are needed to minimize damage to it and protect allies.
- The first phase of the mission involves charging up the capital ship's deflector shields and turrets to weather the asteroids inbound towards the vessel. The allied capital ship must survive six waves of asteroids, which can either by blasted by the turrets or blocked away by deflector shields, but every time either is used, it must be recharged again. The player charges up the deflector shield by shooting the left spinner 25 times, or charges up the turrets by shooting the right spinner 25 times. Either must be fully charged before the inevitable asteroid wave hits the ship when the 30 second timer expires, and if neither are ready, the capital ship will take damage (3 failures will end the mission in failure). The capital ship will begin with one full charge of deflector shields, guaranteeing that the ship will fend off the first wave of asteroids. Once all six waves have been survived, the player can finish the mission by shooting the drone sinkhole.
- The second phase of the mission involves helping the capital ship repel the attacking starfighters with turbolasers. This is a mini-game where the player aims a turbolaser turret with the flippers and taps the launch button to fire at enemy fighters. The player must destroy as many approaching fighters as they arrive in waves and each fighter that gets past the turret will inflict damage on the capital ship. The goal is to protect the capital ship until the timer reaches zero.
- Capital Assault: The allied capital ship must battle against an enemy capital ship directly.
- The first phase of the battle involves deploying fighters at opportune moments to deliver crippling strikes to the enemy capital ship. The player must shoot both side ramps and activate the hyperspace bridge loop, then shoot it within a short timeframe to launch a successful, coordinated attack. After 5 successful assaults, the enemy capital ship will be defeated, but every 20 seconds, the allied capital ship's shield will weaken from an enemy attack. Once the shield is lost after 5 enemy attacks, the fleet must retreat and the mission will end in failure.
- The second phase of the battle involves finishing off the capital ship. The capital ship has a hull strength of 20, and every fighter that passes by will deal 1 damage. All lanes will start solidly lit, but begin to flash from left to right; if the player goes 20 seconds without shooting the flashing lane, the fighter at that shot will be destroyed. The player must shoot the flashing lanes quickly to maintain their fleet and defeat the ship within 70 seconds.
Completing all five missions will allow access to the wizard mode, Death Star Assault, which is a two-part mission that is started the same way as the other five missions, and involves a final battle seen in Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi to destroy the second Death Star above Endor with the Rebels, or defend it from a Rebel attack with the Imperials, depending on which side the player chose at the start of the session.
- The first part of the final battle is about the skirmish that ensues when the Rebels first arrive at the second Death Star and are lured into a trap after just realizing that initial efforts to disable its shields have failed and the Empire has now trapped them in an initially unwinnable battle in which they are outgunned and outnumbered. Players who sided with the rebellion must help the fleet hold off the Empire, while players who sided with the Empire must move in to destroy the Rebels. Either way, the goal of this phase is to shoot one of the randomly lit lanes to find an opening in the Death Star, then shoot the drone sinkhole to start the second phase.
- The second part of the final battle begins just as the Rebels make a second, successful attempt to disable the Death Star's shields on the ground at Endor. Rebel players escort the Millenium Falcon in an X-wing fighter as it starts an attack run into the Death Star's main reactor, while Imperial players take control of elite TIE pilots who chase it down and pick off its allies to break off its attack on the reactor. This part is played as a first-person on-rails shooter minigame where the player sits at the cockpit of an allied fighter and controls its guns with the flippers to fire at enemy fighters. The player must defeat enough enemies to achieve the aforementioned goal, depending on the faction, and eventually win the final battle.
Once both parts are completed, the battle will end in victory, which means destruction of the second Death Star as it happened at the end of Return of the Jedi canonically for the Rebels or the successful foiling of the rebel assault on the Death Star for the Imperials. This will trigger a 4-ball victory multiball as the victorious faction finishes off the remnants of the defeated faction's forces at the second Death Star (or what was left of it). Lit jackpot lanes can be shot for huge scores starting at 1 million points, with even bigger Super Jackpots worth double the jackpot value available at any of the three sinkholes. All switches will score 1 commendation, meaning that by the end of the victory phase, you'll have enough to pay for whatever upgrades you might need.
Side modes[]
The following side modes can be activated:
- Repair: Damaged fighters that survive typically lethal enemy fire, or suffer eventual wear and tear must be repaired to continue effectively serving in combat. If the player shoots the large mini-loop 6 times to spell REPAIR, then shoots the upper ramp, the player will be challenged to shoot combos for 60 seconds to score points and turn the tide of battle by increasing the fleet's strength. The amount of fleet strength gained from this side mode can be increased by purchasing repair system upgrades.
- Evade: Starfighter pilots must master the art of evasion; an unsuccessful fight could mean the difference between life and death. If the player spells EVADE on the left ramp, the player can shoot the upper ramp to start a 60-second hurry-up mode where the player must shoot lit ramps and orbits to dodge enemy fire, while avoiding unlit lanes which will lower the strength of the fleet.
- Supply: Fuel and other resources needed to maintain starfighters are essential to turning the tide of war. If the player spells SUPPLY on the right ramp and then shoots the upper ramp, the player can start a hurry-up mode where the player can gather supplies by hitting bumpers to increase a score pool starting at 0 by 50,000 per bumper hit within 60 seconds, which can be collected and reset with a shot to the drone sinkhole.
- Squad Missions: If the player hits each of the three targets at the target bank between the larger mini-orbit and the right ramp, the player can then shoot the right sinkhole to start a Squad Mission, depicting a smaller conflict in the galactic war. There are six possible Squad Missions, one for each of the six possible pilot ranks that can be achieved through earning and starting Promotion Multiball (see below). All non-video mode Squad Missions have 60 second timers.
- Rank I: Lone Fighter: A lone starfighter must fly through an asteroid field and fend off enemy fighters while protecting a larger ship. This is a first-person on-rails shooter mini-game where the player aims the guns of a starfighter with the flippers and taps the launch button to fire at enemy fighters, with missed enemy fighters damaging the shield of the ship by 1. Making it through three successful waves of fighters during this mode will light an extra ball once the mode ends.
- Rank II: Downed Fighter: An enemy fighter has been isolated, and an allied fighter must close in on it and finish it off, which the player helps accomplish by shooting 5 lit lanes.
- Rank III: Bombing Run: The allied starfighters are staging a bombing run to destroy enemy turrets and the player must coordinate their strikes and press the attack by making at least 5 combo shots.
- Rank IV: Squadron Getaway: Allied starfighters are being chased by enemy starfighters and must take a risk in going through an asteroid field in hopes of losing them. The player takes the helm of one allied starfighter and steers it with the flippers in a first-person perspective to avoid the asteroids, which will damage the ship's shield by 1.
- Rank V: Wing Flight: An allied squadron is under attack and must escape, which is aided by the player shooting 10 lit lanes (either orbit or the drone ramp).
- Rank VI: Air Barrage: The allied capital ship unleashes its turbolasers to defeat a squadron of enemy fighters. In a first-person mini-game, the player controls a turbolaser of the allied capital ship with the flippers and presses the launch button to shoot down enemy starfighters.
- Enemy Reinforcements: Sometimes, the allied fleet may have to deal with the sudden arrival of enemy reinforcements that threaten to turn the battle in an unfavorable direction. If the player isn't attempting to start main missions, a 10 second timer will randomly start to begin one of these two side modes.
- Bombardment: The player will need to shoot the ball into holes on the table within 30 seconds to repair the damage inflicted by enemy starfighters.
- Assault: A pack of starfighters will quickly arrive. Make five lit shots in 10 seconds each to defeat them all.
Multiball[]
The following multiball modes can be activated:
- Barrage Multiball: If the player spells BARRAGE on the barrage ramp with 7 shots and shoots the upper ramp, a 2-ball multiball will begin where the player can shoot the drone ramp / sinkhole for jackpots starting at 1 million points. A third ball can be added by spelling BARRAGE and shooting the upper ramp again while both balls are in play.
- Promotion Multiball: After enough experience is gained from completing missions or certain side modes, the player can start a 2-ball multiball by spelling PROMOTE on the left orbit with 7 shots and then shooting the upper ramp. The Hyperspace Jackpot will be made easier to get in this 2-ball multiball, as shooting both ramps once will light it for 10 seconds. This process repeats until the multiball ends, and a new Squad Mission will be made available once the player drains down to a single ball.
- Fleet Multiball: If the player shoots the drone sinkhole 5 times (plus 1 shot for each Fleet Multiball started), a ball will be locked for a 2-ball multiball, beginning after a second ball is locked in the same manner. All lit lanes will increase the strength of the fleet during this multiball.
Perks[]
The following perks can be gained to aid the player:
- Ball Saver: When a pilot is in trouble, he or she can deploy an escape pod to bail out moments before his or her starfighter crashes or is shot down. At the start of each ball and multiball mode, a ball saver is granted lasting no more than 30 seconds. After it expires, it can be activated again as either a random award or by shooting the upper orbit 5 times in a row.
- Failsafe Kickbacks: Starfighters contain fail-safe systems that can prevent disastrous malfunctions. Spelling FAILSAFE on the return lanes will provide an opportunity to activate a diverting kickback, done by shooting either side lane. The left lane activates the left kickback and vice versa, and once a kickback is turned on, its corresponding side lane will do nothing once FAILSAFE is fully spelled, meaning that the other kickback will not activate until the other side lane is shot. Kickbacks stay on until they are used, and will simply divert the ball into the nearby inlane.
- Bonus Multiplier: Shooting the drone sinkhole/ramp four times, once per position, will increase the bonus multiplier by +2x to a maximum of 10x; it can also be increased from a random award. Increasing the bonus multiplier when it is already maxed will hold the bonus multipliers over to the next ball, and subsequent increases while "HOLD" is already lit will score 1 million points.
- Squad Random Award: There are two ways to earn random awards, which include fleet reinforcements, commendations, activating the ball save, and bonus multipliers: quickly shoot the operation ramp when the words "Award Lit" appear in front of it at random times, or shoot the unlit squad sinkhole near the right orbit 6 times.
- Fleet Strength: To win space battles more effectively, a fleet must have more resources, firepower and manpower available than the enemy fleet. Winning modes and completing repair actions during the Repair side mode will cause the fleet strength gauge at the bottom of the table to rise in favor of the allied faction, while losing missions or making certain mistakes in missions or the Evade side mode will strengthen the enemy fleet, causing the fleet strength gauge to increase to their side. How quickly the player can score big depends on how strong the allied fleet is.
- Commendations and Upgrades: The best pilots of the fleet must be well rewarded for their contributions towards winning the war. Defeating enemy fighters and beating missions will award commendations that can be spent to purchase upgrades for the fleet (see below).
- Pilot Rank: As pilots gain more experience in combat, they can improve their piloting and battle skills, leading to a new rank. Earning commendations will also grant experience that fills a bar near the left flipper. Once it is full, the player must activate Promotion Multiball to advance to the next rank, which will unlock more squad missions to play at the squad sinkhole (see above).
- Extra Balls: Extra balls can be earned by shooting the operation ramp a total of 8 times, earning one from random awards or completing the first squad mission. All extra balls are claimed from shooting the operation ramp.
Fleet Upgrades[]
Commendations earned by the player can be spent on upgrades. To purchase an upgrade, the player must access the upgrade console by spelling UPGRADE with 7 shots up the right orbit, then lock the ball in the sinkhole at the commendation ramp. A control panel will rise beside an outlane displaying the current part to upgrade, how many times it was upgraded and how much commendations are needed to buy the next upgrade level. The player has limited time to buy an upgrade from the current bank of commendations before the ball is released back into play. Upgrades are selected with the flippers and purchased with the launch button, but the player must choose carefully, as only one upgrade can be purchased at a time. (If there are not enough commendations to buy any available upgrades, then any attempt to activate the upgrade console will fail on the final step of shooting the operation ramp, which will instead award a small score bonus.)
The initial price for each upgrade is 10 commendations; the second level of an upgrade is 30, then 50 for the third, 80 for the fifth, and 100 for the sixth and all subsequent upgrades up to the tenth level, the maximum for any upgrade.
The following upgrades can be purchased for the capital ship:
- Turret Armor: Increases the amount of damage the capital ship turrets can withstand during the second phase of the Able Helmsman mission and the final squad mission, Air Barrage.
- Repair System: Increases the amount of fleet strength per combo during the Repair side mission. Cumulative with the starfighter repair system.
- Shield Generator: Increases the amount of time available before the capital ship takes damage from asteroids or the enemy fleet in the Able Helmsman and Capital Assault missions.
- Weapon System: Increases the probability that a turret bumper will shoot down an opponent fighter, making it more likely to earn commendations.
The following upgrades can be purchased for the allied starfighters:
- Shield Generator: Increases the amount of damage starfighters can withstand during first-person on-rail shooter sequences (the first and fourth Squad Missions, as well as the second phase of the wizard mode).
- Weapon System: Increases the rate of fire for starfighters during first-person on-rail shooter sequences.
- Propulsion System: Makes it easier to move from side to side during the first phase of the Fighter Confrontation mission.
- Repair System: Increases the amount of fleet strength per combo during the Repair side mode. Cumulative with the capital ship repair system.
Tips[]
- Make efforts to earn extra balls so that you can lead your fleet all the way to the wizard mode. You can get eventually get a few by shooting the commendation ramp and the squad sinkhole, which provide the sole source of extra balls that can be earned to extend a session. They can also provide more valuable random awards, including quick activations of kickbacks or even the ball saver, so it always helps to hunt the random rewards.
- Master upper flipper shots to reliably start missions; the right orbit sets up the upper flippers the easiest, but the bottom-left drone sinkhole position will also set up these shots and progress towards the Fleet Multiball lock. You can also hit the mission sinkhole by using the right flipper to shoot the Squad target bank and hoping for a lucky rebound into the shot.
- If a mission doesn't have a time limit, use this to your advantage to carefully plan your shots, as making certain mistakes can cause you to fail missions as well as weaken your fleet. Missions with time limits, on the other hand, can be more manageable if you can become more familiar with the flipper timing needed to shoot particular lanes through practice.
- Able Helmsman can be a pain in this regard. If both the shields and turrets are maxed, don't shoot for anything; just hold the ball on a flipper and go back to shooting spinners when the timer expires. The orbits in this mission can be difficult to recover from otherwise.
External links[]
- Official table trailer
- Table walkthrough by ShoryukenToTheChin (PDF)
- Official table soundtrack on Bandcamp (tracks 13 - 19 of Star Wars Pinball: Balance of the Force Soundtrack)