The Rock Star (1978) and Blue Note (1979) pinball machines, both produced by Gottlieb, are nearly identical but differ slightly in gameplay focus and scoring. Designed by John Osborne with artwork by Gordon Morison, Rock Star is an add-a-ball machine, primarily marketed for export to Italy, while Blue Note is a replay version designed for domestic markets.
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Blue Note
Quickie Version:
Standup targets all day.
Go-to Flipper:
Right
Risk Index:
High
Skillshot(s):
Hit the top lane lit in green for 10,000. The Skill Shot is deactivated as soon as you hit a switch, when the value of each top lane reverts to 1,000. Which lane is lit appears random.
Full Rules:
Completing the top A-B-C lanes is only relevant if extra balls are enabled, since that’s how you light the saucer on the right for an extra ball. If EBs are off, ignore the top lanes other than making the Skill Shot. The standup note scale “do-re-mi-fa-sol-la-ti-do” targets on the left wall of the game are where it’s at. They score 500 the first time hit, i.e. when lit, but then score 5000 per hit after that, i.e. when unlit. This is a unique reversal to most games - - something unlit scoring more than when it’s lit. You may have to remind yourself of that as you play, avoiding the instinct to preferentially hit lit things. This is where the bulk of your non-Skill Shot points will come on this game. Ideally, try to hit all but one of the targets once to un-light them, and don’t finish the targets! If you finish the standups, one will light for a Special; if you happen to hit that one, the targets then reset and revert to their initial 500 point values. This is BAD. Your ideal point-optimization situation is to have completed all but one note and just keep hitting the UNlit ones for 5000, avoiding the lit one. There are two spinners: the central [left-most] one can be worth 10, 100 or 1000 points per spin; the right-hand spinner changes the value of the central spinner. While at 1000 points per spin this is good value, I’ve found that shooting the spinner is not the best strategy. Balls through the spinner go directly into the center of the three bumpers, and it’s not uncommon for those to spit the ball back down through the spinner and into the center drain. Unless your spinner is super-juicy, the cost-benefit just isn’t there. Most Blue Notes give maybe 5-7 spins per shot; compare that to the 5000 you get for hitting each standup target already completed. The offset flippers and lack of a left outlane make ball control strategy on Blue Note, unlike most other games. You’ll want to hold the left flipper up at times as a kind of shield and a means to deflect the ball to the right flipper, which is the one you want to be taking your shots with. Ball transfers from left to right from a cradle are alley-pass-or-nothing: there’s no post for a post pass, and these Gottlieb flippers don’t react well for tap passing. Alley passing can be tricky, though, due to both the flipper offset and angle. If you weren’t able to use the left flipper to deflect the ball to the right one and up end with the ball cradled on the left, backhanding the ball into the left side of the left-hand bumpers is actually a good plan. Key Feeds: kick out from the saucer [should go to the left flipper, but beware center drains] and balls coming down through either spinner.
via Bob's Guide
Rock Star
Quickie Version:
Standup targets all day.
Go-to Flipper:
Right
Risk Index:
High
Full Rules:
This is the add-a-ball version of Blue Note. The scoring is different enough to merit its own listing. BUT I have seen Rock Star games that use the Blue Note scoring rather than what’s here, so you’ll need to check the one you’re playing to be certain! The standup note scale “do-re-mi-fa-sol-la-ti-do” targets on the left wall of the game are where it’s at. They score 5000 the first time hit, i.e. when lit, but then score 500 per hit after that, i.e. when unlit. This is exactly the reverse of the scoring on Blue Note! It changes your strategy a bit. Now, instead of trying to get all notes except one and milking the unlit targets at that point, you want to complete the standups as often as possible to re-light them for 5000. When you complete the standups, one will light for a “WOW”, i.e. an extra ball. Which one is lit moves as you hit the bumpers. Hit the lit standup to reset the targets to their initial 5000 point values. There are two spinners: the central [left-most] one can be worth 10, 100 or 1000 points per spin; the right-hand spinner changes the value of the central spinner. While at 1000 points per spin this is good value, I’ve found that shooting the spinner is not the best strategy. Balls through the spinner go directly into the center of the three bumpers, and it’s not uncommon for those to spit the ball back down through the spinner and into the center drain. Unless your spinner is super-juicy, the cost-benefit just isn’t there. Most Rock Stars give maybe 5-7 spins per shot; compare that to the 5000 you get for hitting each lit standup target. The offset flippers and lack of a left outlane make ball control strategy on Blue Note, unlike most other games. You’ll want to hold the left flipper up at times as a kind of shield and a means to deflect the ball to the right flipper, which is the one you want to be taking your shots with. Ball transfers from left to right from a cradle are alley-pass-or-nothing: there’s no post for a post pass, and these Gottlieb flippers don’t react well for tap passing. Alley passing can be tricky, though, due to both the flipper offset and angle. If you weren’t able to use the left flipper to deflect the ball to the right one and up end with the ball cradled on the left, backhanding the ball into the left side of the left-hand bumpers is actually a good plan. If extra balls are on, you can accumulate up to 5 of them! The note-balloons on the left side of the backglass will light up “WOW” whenever you earn an add-a-ball; as indicated by the number of these lights, you can bank up to 5 of them. Extra balls, if on, are unlimited other than this maximum of 5 banked at any given time. Key Feeds: kick out from the saucer [should go to the left flipper, but beware center drains] and balls coming down through either spinner.
via Bob's Guide
