Table of the Week Club...Week 50: CACTUS CANYON

Well howdy, partner! Time to saddle up to this week's table, Cactus Canyon. This was the table that took Bally pinball into the proverbial sunset, but even in its incomplete state, is still a blast to play. All sorts of strategies toward playing this one, so spill the beans already!

Haven't played this guy for awhile, so I can't remember any strategy per se. But, I do know that I enjoy it quite a bit. Should be fun for a deep dive this week.

Edit: Oh look, my 50th post!

This was one of the tables I first found dull and then grew very fond of.
About the incompleteness - is somewhere documented what features are missing and what they had planned for it?
Feels pretty complete for me...
Yes, a few more modes here and there maybe.

It's been a while, so I've totally forgotten about this one. Whoever decided the HoF points was on crack. What score do I need to get 1000 HoF points. I know there is a thread about it somewhere. Well maybe someone could send the link. But in all seriousness, I've been having fun playing it over again. Besides all the rage-quits. As far as strategy, I just try for bonus x. So hitting the mine a lot helps. Showdown is really good, also requires skill. And if I ever see bonus x show up in the skill shot thingy, I do a downward nudge a few options before it lands. And hitting the rollovers is easier with the loops in my opinion, well faster but more risky

Stuzz said:

Haven't played this guy for awhile, so I can't remember any strategy per se. But, I do know that I enjoy it quite a bit. Should be fun for a deep dive this week.

Edit: Oh look, my 50th post!

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[MENTION=5728]Stuzz[/MENTION] Good on ya mate! (I have learned my Australian by watching Finding Nemo)

Haven't looked up the strategy thread, but I seem to remember it's all in getting the bonus and bonus X up. I think it has an shoot-out or skillshot reward that ups the bonus 3M(?) and with 250x bonus -if you come that far- you're already near my top score. It's also crucial to up your rank to 5 Stars as this also affects bonus I believe. Do the downward nudge for stars at the skillshot, rather than bonus X. I really like the theme on the table, I like the layout and fun DMD animations. The popup targets and whole shoot-out thing are fun, as is stopping the train to save Polly for EB. I really don't like the left orbit return, that can sneak up on you and produce a SDTM. Also watch out for incomplete middle ramps. What killed this table for me initally was how the HOF points were set as Extork already said. I believe they were off by a factor of 10 the wrong way, Farsight openly admitted that. So although the whole HOF thing is essentially quite an abstract thing in itself, it did give me a feeling that I didn't do diddly-doo by getting to High Noon. And with the regular Martians then probably already exploiting a scaling bonus, and scoring multible billions, the leaderboards were seemingly also telling me I was in the minor leagues on this one. So I gave up on this table quite quickly and will be happy to get re-acquainted!

About missing things in the software: there are mods out there for real life machines that unlock and/or add stuff. There is a well known one that is called Cactus Canyon Continued: https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/cactus-canyon-p-roc-project
. When I searched a bit further I also ended up here: http://bandera6.wix.com/pinballmoding#!cactus-canyon-extended-edition/c6tp Although I initially thought it was another separate project, reading that particular page leads me to believe it's actually the same but picked up by someone who had a fallout with the first guy who started this. Doesn't sound pretty anyway.

But let's dust off the ol' Stetson and rob me some banks!

Slam23 said:

Haven't looked up the strategy thread, but I seem to remember it's all in getting the bonus and bonus X up. I think it has an shoot-out or skillshot reward that ups the bonus 3M(?) and with 250x bonus -if you come that far- you're already near my top score.

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Bonus X maxes at 99X. The big Bounty is 1M bonus, which is a huge deal in tourney play. Tarek wrote something about restarting a game unless the 1st skill shot was the 1M bonus, or something like that, see the relevant tourney thread for more.

I don't think anyone has ever figured out exactly which targets add to bonus and how much they add. (Or if it matters.)

Your rank determines how much droppies are worth IIRC. Fairly important in the Showdown / regular MB stack I think.

Rank determines the value of the Quick Draw hurry-up value (at Marshall it starts at 2M) and the value of Bad Guys during High Noon (at Marshall this is 1.5M). Also getting to Marshall lights the Special in the right outlane, given the relative scarcity of EBs in this game, that's gold. Just don't go collecting it in single-ball play, of course And like most Specials, it goes away once you drain.

Cactus Canyon Continued is fantastic. Once you've played it, you really see all the things that are missing from regular CC. For instance, there are a lot more 'Polly' moments, where you need to shoot certain combinations to complete the mode. Instead of just being told you averted the bank robbery, on the DMD it shows 3 teller windows that represent the 3 ramps and you have to hit those to take out the bad guys robbing the bank. Things like that. There's also the awesome Cowboys vs. Aliens mode, which essentially turns the game into Attack From Mars temporarily and plays this music that is total techno and never fails to get people's heads to turn that are in the direct vicinity. All sorts of new DMD animations, added audio, new rules...it really is spectacular and makes playing CC quite bland after.

Yeah, I heard of cc continued, but is this what the original designers had in mind or more a fan project with no limit?
Original concept is what interests me.

On other notice I think the shoot the bad guys / high noon thing is one of the coolest skill demanding features in pinball history. First I get all excited with sweaty hands and so on, and after a while you are just like Billy the kid, BAM, bad guy gone...cool.

mpad said:

Yeah, I heard of cc continued, but is this what the original designers had in mind or more a fan project with no limit?
Original concept is what interests me.

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Yep, this is what I was wondering. How much was taken from the original designers' ideas.

On other notice I think the shoot the bad guys / high noon thing is one of the coolest skill demanding features in pinball history. First I get all excited with sweaty hands and so on, and after a while you are just like Billy the kid, BAM, bad guy gone...cool.

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That's one great thing about CC that goes unnoticed: there's zero reliance on the toys for the game to function correctly. Drop targets aren't new tech, but popping them up the way they are? That's borderline genius.

Sure the whole Bonus X scoring is unbalanced, and after the second High Noon is far easier to do... but shooting bad guys is FUN

CC Continued is by and large what was originally intended. They got extensive notes from the designer and went from there. For instance, there's a 'drunk' mode, where the flipper inputs are reversed for right is controlling left, left controlling right. No idea if tech at the time could handle that or not. There are also a few DMD screens that are a little more violent than what probably would have been allowed. That being said, all the changes feel perfectly at home in the game. All the voice work matches up perfectly, lighting and insert cues make sense.

This isn't a re-imagining like BoP 2.0, but adding in all the bits that Bally either took out for cost or development time. In a lot of ways it's what Stern does now, where new code is released for updating tables. CCC has actually had a few updates itself, as there was a year separation from when I played it and things had changed quite a bit in that time (order of modes unlocking, certain animations, rule changes)

I always wondered what the beer glass target was intended for, since it really doesn't do anything much in CC except play a couple of quotes and pop up.

Also I believe there were supposed to be actual saloon doors in front of Bart?

I like building up my multipliers by back handing the left flipper. Guess that's the correct term, not too well versed on a lot of the pinball lingo.
Enjoy this table a lot though I haven't played it in awhile, time to dust those boots off.

Like all the audio drops by Dana Snyder aka Master Shake of the late great ATHF and also The Alchemist on Venture brothers, among other voices he does.

Johni3w6 said:

Like all the audio drops by Dana Snyder aka Master Shake of the late great ATHF and also The Alchemist on Venture brothers, among other voices he does.

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Oh man, I'd love for Zen to do a Venture Bros table. Or a Hunger Force table, because Meatwad multiball.

Johni3w6 said:

I like building up my multipliers by back handing the left flipper.

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This is what multiball is for. My best games are 90% starting MB and then shooting the L & R lanes and lock to get to the Bonus X rollovers, and also build bonus.

shutyertrap said:

Oh man, I'd love for Zen to do a Venture Bros table. Or a Hunger Force table, because Meatwad multiball.

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That would be great. Have you seen any of the new season of VB yet?

Zen should also do a Rick and Morty table.

invitro said:

This is what multiball is for. My best games are 90% starting MB and then shooting the L & R lanes and lock to get to the Bonus X rollovers, and also build bonus.

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It takes discipline to ignore that last flashing jackpot though.

Last night, I managed to (deliberately!) get Showdown and Gold Mine multiball stacked. I was ready for a party! All three balls drained within seconds of each other.

invitro said:

This is what multiball is for. My best games are 90% starting MB and then shooting the L & R lanes and lock to get to the Bonus X rollovers, and also build bonus.

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Yes, forgot to mention that, great for multiball.

Thanks SYT for all the info about CCC, have to check this out on VP. Think I saw a very up to date version somewhere...

Johni3w6 said:

Like all the audio drops by Dana Snyder aka Master Shake of the late great ATHF and also The Alchemist on Venture brothers, among other voices he does.

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OMG!!! Now I know why I dig those voice outs so much.
And yes, a venture bros table would be epic.

Johni3w6 said:

That would be great. Have you seen any of the new season of VB yet?

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I caught the season premier, have the 2nd episode on my DVR. Love the show. Was totally stoked when Jackson Public visited a set I was working on, totally fawned all over him while everyone else wondered who the hell he was beyond a friend of one of the actors.