LIGHTNING SOFTWARE MOD
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┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│		OVERVIEW OF CHANGES			│
│							│
│ [01]	SETTABLE FREE PLAY				│
│							│
│ [02]	SPINNER COUNTER ON BALL IN PLAY DISPLAY		│
│							│
│ [03]	NO BALL RELOCK DURING MULTIBALL			│
│							│
│ [04]	NO ADVANCE PLAYFIELD X AFTER MULTIBALL		│
│							│
│ [05]	DROP SOLENOID SAVER				│
│							│
└───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

[00]		SETUP

	ZIP FILE CONTAINS THREE FILE FORMATS.  USE FILES
	ENDING IN .716 FOR MPU-200 BOARDS JUMPERED AS
	STOCK FOR 4x2716 EPROMS.  USE FILES ENDING IN
	.732 FOR MPU-200 BOARDS JUMPERED AS 2x2732
	EPROMS.  USE FILE ENDING IN .512 IN SOCKET U1
	ON WEEBLY REPLACEMENT MPU BOARD.  SORRY, THERE
	IS NO ALLTEK ROM AS ALLTEK SYSTEMS DOES NOT
	SUPPORT CUSTOM PROGRAMMING ON THEIR MPU BOARDS.

	THE VERSION # OF THE SOFTWARE WILL BE SHOWN IN
	THE MATCH DISPLAY AT BOOTUP [CURRENTLY 21].

[01]		SETTING FREE PLAY

	MAX CREDITS DIP SWITCHES 18/19 REPURPOSED
	FOR OTHER USAGE.

	SWITCH 19 (PREVIOUSLY PART OF MAX CREDITS)
	WILL CONTROL FREE PLAY.

	ON  =	FREE PLAY, CREDITS ACCUMULATE NORMALLY

	OFF =	COIN PLAY ONLY

	MAX CREDITS CONTROLLED BY DIP 18, ON=40 MAX
	CREDITS, OFF=09 MAX CREDITS.  THIS ONLY
	CONTRAINS REPLAYS/SPECIALS/MATCHES. (AS STOCK)

	NOTE THAT COIN UP MAX CREDITS ARE ALWAYS 99!
	THIS IS STOCK BEHAVIOR.

[02]		SPINNER COUNTER

	DURING PLAY ON HITTING THE SPINNER THE BALL IN
	PLAY DISPLAY WILL COUNT UP THE NUMBER OF SPINS,
	UP TO 99.  AFTER A SHORT PERIOD, THE DISPLAY
	WILL RETURN TO SHOWING THE BALL IN PLAY.


[03]		NO BALL RELOCK DURING MULTIBALL

	ONE OF THE BIGGER FRUSTRATIONS ABOUT THIS GAME IS
	GETTING MULTIBALL, AND THE BALLS RANDOMLY FALLING
	INTO THE LOCKS, ENDING YOUR MULTIBALL.  THIS GAME
	WILL NOW HOLD THE BALL FOR A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME
	AND THEN EJECT IT.  MULTIBALL WILL ONLY END WHEN
	TWO BALLS DRAIN AT THE OUTHOLE.

[04]		NO CONTINUING ADVANCE X AFTER MULTIBALL

	ORIGINAL BEHAVIOR IS TO ALLOW THE GAME ONCE
	MULTIBALL IS ACHIEVED TO ADVANCE PLAYFIELD X
	THROUGH THE CENTER LOOP REGARDLESS OF NUMBER OF
	BALLS IN PLAY.  THIS HAS BEEN CHANGED TO ONLY
	ALLOW ADVANCING THE PLAYFIELD X WHILE MULTIBALL
	IS ACTIVE.  PLAYFIELD X STAYS ACTIVE AFTER
	MULTIBALL IS OVER AS PER STOCK.

[05]		DROP SOLENOID SAVER

	AT BALL START, DROP BANKS ONLY RESET IF ANY
	TARGETS ARE DOWNED.  ANY BANKS WITH ALL TARGETS
	UP ARE NOT PULSED.

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		FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS,
	ARRANGED IN INCREASING AMUSEMENT ORDER

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[Q1]	CAN YOU SUPPLY ROM CHIPS FOR ME, I WILL PAY YOU.

[A1}	THE AUTHOR APPOLGIZES AS HE ONLY HAS ENOUGH CHIPS
	TO SUPPORT HIS DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS.  EPROMS CAN
	BE PROVIDED BY VARIOUS BURNING SERVICES IF YOU
	SEND THEM THE ROM FILES.  (MANY HAVE CUSTOM ROMS
	IN THEIR REPERTAIRE).
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[Q2]	I WANT TO SUPPORT YOUR EFFORTS.  HOW DO I DO SO?

[A2]	PROVIDING FEEDBACK ON THE ROMS IS THE BEST WAY TO
	SUPPORT THE EFFORTS.  MONETARY OR MATERIAL
	COMPENSATION IS NOT NEEDED.  I ESPECIALLY ENJOY
	SEEING THE SOFTWARE STREAMED IF I CAN PARTICIPATE
	IN THE CHAT AS THAT HAS HELPED ME IMMENSELY SEE
	THINGS THAT I HAVE MISSED WHEN PLAYING/TESTING THE
	GAME MYSELF.
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[Q3]	CAN YOU ADD ______ TO ______ ?

[A3]	POSSIBLY, BUT PROBABLY, NOT.  AT THIS POINT ALL
	OF THE CLASSIC STERN MPU-200 GAMES ARE IN THE
	PROCESS OF BEING DISASSEMBLED AND COMMENTED.

	SOME OF THE MPU-100 GAMES HAVE ALSO BEEN REVERSE
	ENGINEERED FOR THE SAME TREATMENT, ALBEIT TO A
	LESSER EXTENT THAN THE LATER GAMES.

	DUE TO OTHER MAKERS' SOFTWARE BEING UNDER ACTIVE
	COPYRIGHT ENFORCEMENT, SADLY I MUST DECLINE TO
	PURSUE CUSTOM MODIFICATION IN OTHER MARQUES.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

[Q4]	HOW DO I DO THESE MODIFICATIONS MYSELF?

[A4]	DOWNLOAD AND READ THE SOURCE CODE FOR EACH OF
	THE GAMES.  IT IS MOSTLY LAID OUT IN THE COMMENTS
	HOW THINGS WORK.  A PROGRAMMING BACKGROUND IN
	6800 ASSEMBLY LANGUAGE WOULD HELP (OR OTHER
	ASSEMBLY LANGUAGE).  IT SEEMS THAT A BACKGROUND
	IN OTHER PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES ACTS AS AN
	IMPEDIMENT RATHER THAN AIDING BASED ON FEEDBACK
	I HAVE RECEIVED FROM FAR BETTER PROGRAMMERS THAN
	I IN HIGHER LEVEL LANGUAGES SO YOUR EXPERIENCES
	WILL VARY.  I AM STILL LEARNING TRICKS ON HOW
	THESE OLD GAMES WERE PROGRAMMED, AND HAVE COME
	UP WITH SOME OF MY OWN.
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[Q5]	IT IS WELL-KNOWN THAT MODIFYING PINBALL SOFTWARE
	CAUSES MACHINES TO CATCH ON FIRE.  AREN'T YOU
	WORRIED THAT YOUR INSURANCE ISN'T UP TO THE TASK?

[Q5 RELATED]
	AMATEUR PROGRAMMERS HAVE NO BUSINESS FOOLING
	AROUND WITH PINBALL SOFTWARE.
	

[A5]	THIS IS A NICE MYTH THAT PROFESSIONAL PINBALL
	PROGRAMMERS LIKE TO PROMULGATE.  ENSURING THAT
	YOUR MACHINE IS PROPERLY FUSED WILL PREVENT SUCH
	CONFLAGRATION.  REGARDLESS OF THE CAUSE OF THE
	FLARE UP, THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED AS-IS AND
	ANY DAMAGE RESULTING FROM THE USAGE OF IT IS
	YOUR RESPONSIBILITY.

	ADDITIONALLY, EVERYONE IS AN AMATEUR AT SOME
	POINT AND AS LONG AS YOU CAN LEARN FROM YOUR
	MISTEPPES, HOW ELSE WOULD YOU EXPECT TO LEARN?

	FINALLY, NO ONE IS TWISTING YOUR ARM OR OTHER
	EXTREMITIES AND FORCING YOU TO USE THIS SOFTWARE.
	IF YOU FEEL AS ABOVE OR SOME OTHER REASON, DON'T
	USE IT!  iF IT CAME IN YOUR MACHINE WHEN YOU
	BOUGHT IT, CHANGE IT BACK TO STOCK.  YOU WILL
	SLEEP WAY BETTER AT NIGHT KNOWING THAT ROUGE BITS
	AREN'T HAVING THEIR WAY WITH YOUR CHIPS WHILE YOU
	ARE RESTING.
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[Q6]	I DON'T LIKE THE WAY _____ WAS DONE.  CHANGE IT TO
	DO _____.  I NEED THIS FOR A PARTY I AM HAVING
	TOMORROW.

[A6]	MANY OF THE CHANGES IMPLEMENTED ARE INDEED AT
	THE SUGGESTION OF AVID OR POTENTIAL ADOPTERS.
	ONCE IT APPEARS AS IF I AM TO BE ACTING AS YOUR
	PERSONAL EMPLOYEE, TO BE COMMANDED ABOUT
	CAPRICIOUSLY, I REGRETFULLY DECLINE TO ENGAGE IN
	CUSTOM MODIFICATIONS.  THE SOURCE CODE WILL EITHER
	ALREADY BE AVAILABLE OR WILL BE POSTED AT SOME
	POINT, SO YOU ARE OF COURSE FREE TO DO WHATEVER
	YOU LIKE AS DETAILED IN [A4].  YOU ARE ALSO JUST
	AS FREE AS I TO REVERSE ENGINEER THE BINARY CODE
	FOR YOUR DESIRED RESULTS, SHOULD THE SOURCE NOT
	YET BE POSTED OR THE DOCUMENTATION NOT TO YOUR
	LIKING.
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[Q7]	I USED YOUR SOFTWARE.  I LIKE THE CHANGES HOWEVER
	SOMETHING HAPPENED AND IT'S NOT WORKING CORRECTLY.
	I AM UNABLE TO TELL YOU WHAT'S WRONG AND WHAT LED
	TO IT BEING WRONG, BUT IT IS BROKEN AND SHOULD BE
	FIXED.  I CAN'T PROVIDE A VIDEO OF THE ISSUE NOR
	A DESCRIPTION OF WHAT'S WRONG, SO YOU SHOULD USE
	A MAGIC TIME-TRAVELING TELESCOPE TO WATCH ALL THE
	GAMES I'VE PLAYED TO DETERMINE WHAT IS WRONG.

[Q7 RELATED]
	MY MACHINE IS BROKEN.  FIX IT.

[Q7 RELATED]
	THE NEW SOFTWARE DOES ______ AND YOU DIDN'T DETAIL
	THE CHANGE IN THE README.

[A7]	*SIGH*.  YES, BUGS DO OCCUR.  SOMETIMES (OFTEN?)
	INTENTIONAL CHANGES CAN BE SEEN AS A BUG.
	REPORTING A BUG WITHOUT REPORTING WHAT LED TO
	IT OR EVEN WHAT THE BUG *IS* IS SINGULARLY
	UNHELPFUL.

	ADDITIONALLY, MAKE SURE THAT WHAT IS SEEN AS A BUG
	IS NOT THE ORIGINAL BEHAVIOR OF THE MACHINE.  THIS
	HAS FOOLED ME AS WELL WHEN WATCHING LIVE STREAMS
	OF THE SOFTWARE.  WHEN IN DOUBT, SWITCH THEM OUT.

	ALSO ENSURE THAT YOUR HARDWARE IS WORKING
	PROPERLY.  I NO LONGER PROVIDE EFFORTS INTO
	MODIFYING SOFTWARE TO COMPENSATE FOR OR TO PROVE
	THAT IT IS YOUR SWITCHES, MECHANISMS OR OTHER
	PINBALL MACHINERY MALADJUSTED, EVEN IF (OR
	ESPECIALLY SO) IT "DIDN'T DO IT WITH THE ORIGINAL
	SOFTWARE".  TOO BAD, SO SAD.  TO PARAPHRASE AN
	ENTRY FROM THE NEW PINBALL DICTIONARY AT
	FUNWITHBONUS.COM, WHEN ASKED ABOUT THE TILTS BEING
	TOO TIGHT, SCOTT'S ANSWER IS "IT DOESN'T TILT FOR
	ME".  IT'S NOT A STRETCH TO EXTRAPOLATE THIS TO
	FIT THE SITUATION HERE.

	STRETCCCCHED EXXXXTRAPOLATION:

	AM I SAYING THAT I ALWAYS WRITE 100% BUG FREE
	CODE?  NO, OF COURSE NOT.  NO ONE DOES, AND IF
	THEY CLAIM TO, THEY ARE WRONG.

	HOWEVER, IN CASES THAT I OWN OR HAVE ACCESS
	TO THE GAME, REST ASSURED THAT THE SOFTWARE *HAS*
	BEEN TESTED SUCCESSFULLY *BY ME* PERSONALLY.  SOME
	OF THE BUG REPORTS HAVE IN FACT LED ME TO FURTHER
	APPRECIATE THE TALENTS OF THE ORIGINAL CREATORS OF
	THE SOFTWARE IN THE WAYS THEY THOUGHT AND CODED
	THE MACHINES.  SO, TO MAKE A LONG EXTRAPOLATION
	LONGER, THE ANSWER IS "IT DOESN'T DO THAT FOR ME",
	BUT IF IT DOES, THANK YOU FOR POINTING IT OUT.
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QUESTIONS/COMMENTS?

CONTACT @SLOCHAR ON PINSIDE.COM

HAVE A NICE DAY	:)