Starship Troopers

Why it feels different

Bug standups are color-coded by species, the Warrior Bug physically moves to reveal a sinkhole, the Brain Bug pops out of the playfield, and two magnets actively capture balls from the loops.

The safest mental model

Use multiballs for points and protection, but keep killing bugs in the background. Delay Planet Multiball until several planets can be nuked together; its jackpot values scale enormously with the number of planets.

Brain Bug rules

• The target rises after all required bugs on the current planet are dead.
• The first Brain Bug requires 1 hit, the second 2 hits, then progressively more.
• Each successful hit scores 1M.
• The sequence is timed; the Brain Bug can escape if you do not finish it.
• Whether captured or escaped, the game proceeds to the Advance Planet / Planet Multiball choice.

After the Brain Bug

• Recon scoop: lights for Advance Planet.
• Arm Nukes: lights for Planet Multiball.
• A hurry-up begins around 5M and counts toward 1M.
• Making either choice collects the current hurry-up and removes the other option.

Nuke shots

• Left loop
• Left ramp
• Recon scoop
• Right ramp
• Right loop
• Arm Nukes hole

Super Nuke cycle

• Make the first five Nuke shots to light Super Nuke at the Warrior.
• Recon is a Double Nuke.
• Arm Nukes spots a Nuke and awards its Jackpot.
• After Super Nuke is collected, the Nuke shots relight for another cycle.

Qualification

• Hit the moving Warrior repeatedly.
• First Multiball requires 4 hits.
• Second Multiball requires 6 hits; later attempts become progressively harder.
• The Warrior moves backward as progress is made.
• When ready, the sinkhole behind the Warrior starts the 4-ball Multiball.

During Multiball

• Both ramps are Jackpot shots.
• Jackpot starts at 3M and can be raised to 4M.
• Hit previously unlit bug standups to raise the Jackpot value.
• Five Jackpots light the Warrior for a 15M Super Jackpot.
• Super Jackpot remains lit for roughly 16 seconds, then the cycle resets.

Qualification

• The inlanes temporarily light the opposite loop.
• Make three lit loops to spell ONE and lock the first ball.
• Repeat with three more lit loops to spell TWO.
• The third lit loop in each set is magnet-caught and dropped into the Orbit lock.
• The requirement stays six loop shots on later attempts.

During Orbit Multiball

• Starts as a 2-ball Multiball.
• Both loops remain lit for 5M Jackpots.
• The first two Jackpot loops each add a ball.
• That allows up to four balls in play.
• The loop shots remain the primary scoring route throughout the mode.

Skill-shot choices

• A normal plunge can be aimed at several controlled outcomes.
• The game supports a plunge that can feed Orbit Multiball progress.
• Holding the left flipper button changes magnet behavior during some plunge paths.
• Machine-specific setup matters greatly because the right outlane doubles as the shooter lane.

Bonus X

• Spell B-U-G in the upper rollover lanes to advance Bonus X.
• End-of-ball bonus is based on bugs killed during the ball.
• Brain Bugs contribute extra bonus value.
• Recon can award Bonus Hold.

Mini-flipper control

• Mini-flipper bug hits count double.
• It can slow right-side feeds before catching on the main right flipper.
• It is especially useful for the difficult Arm Nukes shot.
• Ignoring it makes both scoring and control substantially harder.

Warrior shortcut

• The moving Warrior can physically cover its sinkhole.
• When critical shots such as Super Jackpot are lit, hitting the Warrior target itself can count as the hidden sinkhole.
• That prevents the mechanical position from completely blocking a needed collect.

The dependable opener

• Regular Multiball is reliable value. Four initial Warrior hits is a manageable qualification.
• Orbit Multiball is extremely strong. Six lit loop shots always qualifies it.
• Build Recon while doing normal work. Ramps used for scoring also raise Recon level.

Delay Planet Multiball

• One-planet Planet MB is comparatively weak.
• Advance through several planets before cashing Arm Nukes if control allows.
• At five planets, each Nuke is 12M and Super Nuke is 120M.
• The risk is that you must survive more bug hunting before receiving the payoff.

Recon discipline

• Aim for level 5. It can award full Multiball or Orbit Multiball.
• Do not automatically take level 6 just because it is higher.
• A 25M fixed award may be much weaker than a fresh multiball opportunity.

Setup-specific checks

• Test the Orbit magnet catches and lock behavior.
• Watch the Warrior movement and sinkhole eject.
• Check whether the Arm Nukes mini-flipper technique works reliably.
• Know how aggressive the Recon scoop eject is before planning catches.

What turns on

• Unlimited balls for roughly 30 seconds.
• All Bug standups are active.
• You must kill 9 bugs of each species.
• All five Nuke shots must also be completed.

Scoring

• Nuke shots are worth 5M each.
• Recon / Double Nuke is worth 10M.
• Completing every bug requirement and all Nuke shots awards 50M.
• The original rulesheet notes some behavior may differ between beta and release software.