I thought I would start my Funhouse pages with a look at the main parts of the gameplay.

I don't plan to cover every rule and every score amount on this page but I do want to show some of the main aspects of Funhouse gameplay. I am trying to show you that there is a lot more to this game than just Rudy's head.

If you want the full rulesheet then click here. If you want to read other owners comments on this game then click here.

The Skill shot on this game is to plunge the ball and have it stop directly up behind Rudy's head where the ball can roll back into a kicker lane called Rudy's Hideout. A skill shot score of 250k is awarded which increases by 250k for each future successful skill shot in the game. Rudy's Hideout can come into play in general gameplay as well and is worth 75k in those instances.

It is quite hard to get a good photo of it  but see below and understand that the ball comes from the shooter lane in the RED lane and it has to be plunged JUST enough to allow it to get up here and fall back into Rudy's Hideout. The entry where the ball 'falls' in is located just on the other side of the 'tickets' plastic hood, and you can see the kicker as indicated by the arrow.

From the hideout, the ball is kicked out fast and around to the left mid playfield flipper.

That is one of 3 places the ball can be 'plunged to' in Funhouse depending on the strength of your plunge shot. A weaker shot can roll back down to the bumpers while a completely piss-weak plunge can have the ball roll out into the right return lanes.

Smack bang in the centre of the playfield is this large clock.

The aim is to get this clock from its starting point to Midnight, most of the playfield shots that you make in general play will advance the clocks time, things like the S-T-E-P targets add minutes, while the centre ramp shots adds 15 minutes

Most Funhouse pinball's are set at an 8 O'clock start time, mine is set to 5 O'clock to make it a little harder to get to Midnight.

 You can choose whatever shots you want to advance the clock but once it gets to 11.30 the playfield shots stop adding time and there is only one shot in the game that will take the clock to midnight - that shot is known as The Hidden Hallway and is located next to Rudy's right ear between it and the Wind Tunnel hole next to the Mystery Mirror.

This shot is pretty much only accessible from the left lower flipper, VERY occasionally you can get it from the right flipper but due to the red Superdog targets JUST kicking out at the top , it means that it is pointless even trying for it from the right side. I am sure this was designed on purpose to make the game a little tougher or at least you have to think to use the ramp to get the ball from the right back to your left flipper for this shot.

Quite often a shot miscued from the left flipper will also hit the top of the red Superdog targets where they kick out on that angle and the ball will deflect into the Wind Tunnel hole instead.

I think shots like this are part of what makes this game so good.

The arrow below indicates the shot from the flippers point of view

Your first successful shot into the Hidden Hallway is met with Rudy yelling at you to "stop playing with the clock" and that locks the 1st ball AND advances the clock to 11.45pm.

Another shot in locks the 2nd ball, Rudy says 'Oh-no' and he goes to sleep, the lamp next to his head fades out, his mouth opens and he starts to actually snore.

To achieve Multiball you have to get a shot from the left mid playfield flipper into his mouth...if you do his eyes pop open , he gulps and spits the ball out......and the Trapdoor opens

So ONE ball is back at your flippers and then the other 2 are popped out on the upper left of the playfield and roll back to the left mid playfield flipper so you can take your shots at the trapdoor located near Rudy's left ear and ONLY accessible from the left upper flipper.

A shot in there earns 2 Million points and the Trapdoor closes....you then have to get a shot around the main ramp to re-open the Trapdoor and get another chance at more shots in there for more millions.

Here is a look at the shot from the left mid playfield flipper, in multiball the trapdoor opens in the lower of the 2 x green lanes, the trapdoor bonus insert lit in this next photo.

In Funhouse if you drain 2 of the 3 balls and haven't had a successful Trapdoor shot, then you get 12 seconds to get your remaining ball back into the Hidden Hallway and you will get a 2 ball multiball with the Trapdoor re-opening for the big point shots.

It is a very good and quite difficult multiball mode.

By the way, the trapdoor can also be used / activated in general gameplay by completing loop shots around the trap door loop from the left mid playfield flipper, the trapdoor opens to score big points.

This is the long ramp up the left side of the playfield and is the ramp that the 2nd plunger shoots into. There are also 4 x targets around the playfield that spell S-T-E-P, you can find out on other sites about why there is no 5th S target.

Here is a look at the top section of the STEPS Ramp

You should see that it has 'scoops' moulded into it , they are the steps and note that the ramp also extends past the top step up and around the Superdog sign and there is an opto switch up there.

Also notice that each 'step' has a hand sign pointing to it,

The only way to get the ball into the STEPS plunger lane is by shooting it up the main ramp entry when the Crazy Steps are open, the Crazy Steps are opened by recieving it as an award from the Mirror Shot or by the ball dropping into the manhole on the lower right section of the playfield, once it is opened the ball will travel along the upper crosswire and into the STEPS plunger lane ( when it is not open the main ramp shot can still be made but the ball will travel along the lower crosswire and be placed back in the left flipper return lane.

This is the entry to the main ramp.

And here is a look at the left plunger lane - this game was the first pinball machine to incorporate this feature.

What about those S-T-E-P targets you say ?

 When you start the game - ONLY the Light Frenzy hand is lit at the top of the STEPS ramp, so if you get the ball to the plunger then that will be the only step that you can plunge the ball into that will offer any 'real' reward.

This is where the S-T-E-P targets work in with the ramp.

By completing the S-T-E-P targets you light a 2nd choice on the top of the STEPS ramp, and obviously a 3rd completion gives you all 3 steps lit, that way you can decide whether to try and plunge for Extra Ball to be lit, or Frenzy to be lit or to score 500,000 points.

The Superdog option at the top is always available and if you just whack the ball back into play with that option you get 20 seconds to hit the Superdog targets.

This is a Mirror located towards the top centre of the playfield and has a sinkhole to shoot into that is located right next to the Hidden Hallway shot where you lock balls.

There are 6 awards on the Mirror and they can only be scored when the Mirror Insert is lit on the playfield in front of it. You must hit Rudy's unopened jaw to light the Mirror insert.

The collectable awards are

Light Extra Ball - lights EB in the Hidden Hallway

Light Million - Lights Rudy's jaw for million point hits

Jet Bumper at Maximum - Each bumper hit adds 10mins to the clock

Superdog - 20 seconds of Superdog target time

Steps Open - Opens the left plunger via a shot to the main ramp

Quick Multiball - A 2 ball multiball mode

IF you manage to collect all 6 mirror awards then the next shot into the mirror hole starts a SUPER Frenzy and this is a way to score MASSIVE points in this game as EVERYTHING the ball hits adds 100k to your score.

This is a bank of 3 stand-up targets located pretty much dead centre of the playfield BUT facing the left midfield flipper, so they are near impossible to hit - nothing special here , normally you get 20 seconds to hit these as many times as you can - you get some good quotes , you get 200k ++ per hit AND depending on if you have hit Rudy's jaw enough times in general play then you can get a Sausage Bonus !

There are some inserts along the very bottom of the playfield near the flipper drain, they start the game unlit and each Gangway shot on the playfield increase the lights and scores the insert amount until the final Gangway shot lights Extra Ball in the Hidden Hallway shot.

What is a Gangway shot?

Another part of this well thought out game design, the left Gangway shot is made from the right flipper and travels up and around the left orbit and comes out at the Jet Bumpers, to me this feels like the perfect pinball shot. If you look below at the far left steel rail you will see the left orbit shot.

The right Gangway shot has to be made from the left flipper and you must shoot the right orbit shot...BUT.... the entry to this shot is between the red and blue posts and they are close to the flippers and it is one of the more difficult shots to hit cleanly in this game.

This overhead shot of the entire playfield will hopefully help you to understand better some of the shots I have been explaining.

I am yet to find a good way of photographing LED lit games so that they look in photo's how they look in real life. This game looks AWESOME in real life however in the photos the LED glow looks like big blue blobs - I can assure you it isn't like this in real life.

My other Funhouse pages will have details of some modifications I made to strengthen some plastics as well as the ramp replacements.

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