Please
note that this is a generic description of the catch-up feature.
After speaking with Jon, the algorithms involved are possibly more in
depth than this. The catch-up feature
was initially used on Lights... Camera... Action!
and, shortly thereafter on Vegas. It was also used on some later
titles,
possibly six titles total.
Catch-up was a feature that rewarded a
set amount of points to the player, if he / she
had the highest score during the end of a ball round. Or, it
would
award the player who had the lesser amount of points by increasing
their
total score to equal another player's next highest score. Here is
an example of
how the catch-up feature works after all players have played their
balls during a ball round.
Player
1
|
Player
2
|
Player
3
|
Player
4
|
| 2,000,000 |
1,000,000 |
5,000,000 |
1,000 |
Player 4 just drained ball 2. (Note:
Only one player's score would be affected by the catch-up feature).
If any of the particular players
were
awarded the catch-up during this particular ball, their score would be
altered in the following manner. Player 1's score would be
incremented to
equal
player 3's score, since player 3 had the next highest score.
Player
2's score would be incremented to equal player 1's score,
since player 1 had the next highest score.
Player 3's score would be awarded with 1,000,000 points, since they had
the highest score. Player 4's score
would be incremented to equal player 2's score,
since player 2 had the next highest score.
The
new scores at the start of ball 3 would now be, (the "*" denotes which
player is awarded catch-up during a ball round):
Player
1
|
Player
2
|
Player
3
|
Player
4
|
5,000,000*
|
1,000,000
|
5,000,000
|
1,000
|
| 2,000,000 |
2,000,000* |
5,000,000 |
1,000 |
| 2,000,000 |
1,000,000 |
6,000,000* |
1,000 |
| 2,000,000 |
1,000,000 |
5,000,000 |
1,000,000* |
A player who was victim of the catch-up feature always has a ball
remaining in play, so that a player who receives the catch-up feature
is not guaranteed a victory. Back
to the Jon Norris interview.
Double or
Nothing
Double or nothing was a feature where the player had the opportunity to
double their score, or lose all of their points. Equally, if the player
did lose all of his / her points, they were granted the opportunity to
make a certain shot to redeem their points back on Tee’d Off.
This feature was used on several games such as Vegas and Tee'd
Off. Back
to the Jon Norris interview.
Other
Notable Features
Other notable features that Jon Norris
incorporated into his games, and
what game they first appeared in are as follows: Countdown Bonus
(Victory), Double Your Entire Score (Diamond
Lady), Select-A-Feature (LCA), Super Jackpot (Vegas), Players Choice
(Deadly Weapon), Wizard Mode (Deadly Weapon), Everything Doubled (Surf
N’ Safari), Trade Feature (Freddy), Kill the Bumpers (Gladiators),
Player Access Tournament Mode (Mario Andretti), High Ball to Date
(Mario Andretti), and Automatic Ball Time Percentaging (Mario
Andretti). Back
to the interviews
page.