[color=lime][u]Update to Machinery[/u][/color] Hi; it's just Cripto again. I forgot one detail: while Ludvik and I worked together to improve the Bowl-O-Rama Center package, which by the way, can adapt to any number of lanes (I have 4 in my basement, and any super-rich folks in Wildcat City who bought the package usually can fit just 2 lanes in their space), I added one mode to the lineup under the candlepin category. I made sure the power switch to my powers was "OFF" (and Dark Wolf, prior to the sunshine working to destroy Bendraqi's pouter germs, felt he had some responsibility because he forgot to switch them off that day), and then checked out a set of library books on machinery and computer programming. That way, I could manually do it, since I'm teaching myself to live for the most part as if I never had those powers in the first place. "Batman has it so easy," I once thought. "He has no powers but doesn't need them; he's got the cool gadgets." (The citizens of Wildcat City were and still are fans of the campy 1960s television portrayl of Batman, starring Adam West in the title role, and featuring Burt Ward as Robin the Boy Wonder.) This is another special multi-player mode with specific payouts, but candlepin, just like the others, can be set to pay single-pin scoring, so that your payday is between $1 and $5. It's loosely based on another TV portrayl, but I've modified the rules a bit to fit the machine's pay abilities. I later had some professionals in programming and experts on the subject (including a former classmate from high school now working as a computer programmer) check the programming for me, and they helped me fix the errors I made. "Not bad for an amateur," he said. "At least you are learning to adapt a variety, and that's something the whole organization can use." ---------------------- [color=pink][u]Modern Candlepin Challenge[/u][/color] [u]Individual Show Mode[/u] [u]Players:[/u] 3 [u]Bowl Method:[/u] The method is the same as the "Classic Candlepin Bowling" method; players bowl 2 frames at a time and then sit down. All odd-numbered frames are bowled on the left lane, and all even-numbered frames are bowled on the right lane. [i][u]IMPORTANT![/u][/i] This mode applies [i]ONLY[/i] to candlepins. This method is borrowed from an early 2000s program seen in Massachusetts (and possibly other parts of New England, I don't know) known as the "$30,000 Candlepin Challenge," broadcast on AT&T Broadband 3. The amount of $30,000 refers to the grand total prize money awarded, with $15,000 going to the winner, $10,000 to the second-place finisher, and $5,000 to the third-place finisher, in the finals. The mode here refers to everday shows leading up to the final. Three players compete in this mode. On the show, two new bowlers would compete for the right to attempt to dethrone the returning champion. I don't know how the money system worked on the show, but here's how my machine pays off. The two bowlers bowl just one string (individual game) of candlepins. The winner bowls a total of two strings against the champ, with total pinfall determining the winner. The machine pays $25 to each player for a spare, and $50 for a strike. The machine pays $250 for a combination of marks (spares or strikes) in addition to these amounts when someone gets three in a row, and $750 for three strikes in a row, or a turkey. The winner of the string also gets $250 for winning, while the loser gets $125. In the two strings against the champ (or person playing that role), the dollar values are doubled. The overall champ after two strings (and total pinfall determines a winner) gets a bonus of $2,500. On the show, the champ would return to defend his or her title as well. [u]Championship Mode[/u] [u]Players:[/u] 3 The 3 players participating guaranteed themselves $30,000 to share: $5,000 for a third-place finish, $10,000 for a second-place finish, and $15,000 for being the champ. These values are the different amounts; I programmed the machine to still pay some extra money for spares, strikes, and a streak of marks in a row. ------------------ [color=skyblue][u]Other Extra Notes[/u][/color] While printing out a regular check is still an available option, two new options on paying out cash, or using direct deposit, are now available for the machine; thanks, Ludvig, for helping me with that one. If you use direct deposit, you need to notify all the companies who installed each of the pinsetters and other equipment, due to the fact there are four modes: tenpins, five-pin, candlepins, and duckpins. Contact information is avaible in my instruction guidebook, co-written by these same people. Also, Jaws Bowling, Inc., founded in Wildcat City, is the independent manufacturer who agreed to distribute and build these by hand, and as a result, there's a new factory in town hiring workers at the moment, full-time, part-time, and temp jobs can spring up there. The factory helps with shipping and receiving for the buzzer rack and all components with it, as well as the scoring monitors and displays. In some cases, they'll even do the decals and decorations for the panels above the pindecks, and also for the sweeps. -------------------- While all this bowling business with me was going on, King Leo, in his role as Captain Kriegland, was getting ready to race the new supervillain on the scene, Red Thunder. Red Thunder obeyed the Laws of War, and so he was actually going to be challenging. He also wanted Bendraqi and the Feeder Foxes out of the picture, so what else was new? He also fell for the twisted propaganda intended to hurt me, describing me as a "pitiful god" instead of a "brave superhero," which later led to the G-52s being described as "treating ourselves like a cult" instead of behaving as a proper superhero organization. But some argue Bendraqi's to blame for that because of his pouter germs. I suppose you can be the judge of that. Later, we'll tell you the results of the big race, so stay tuned. In the meantime, want to have some fun? Get all your friends together, and then you know what to do: go bowling! You won't regret it. THE END