Pinball High Score Pace Calculator: Projected Score and Points Needed per Ball

How it works

pace = current score ÷ balls played · projected = score + pace × balls remaining (or pace × Σ(1 + g)^k with growth g) · needed per ball = (target − score) ÷ balls remaining · balls remaining = balls in the game + extra balls − balls played

Pinball scoring is famously back-loaded: multiballs, modes, bonus multipliers and end-of-ball bonuses mean your best ball is often your last. Even so, a per-ball pace gives a useful projection early in a game. Dividing your score by the balls you have finished gives your average pace; adding that pace for each ball left projects where a steady game lands. If your scoring usually climbs, set a growth rate under More options and each remaining ball is projected higher than the one before. The number that matters most when you are chasing a machine’s high-score table or replay value is how much each remaining ball must add. Comparing it with your pace tells you whether to play safe (needed pace at or below yours) or gamble on jackpots and big modes (needed pace far above yours). Extra balls you have earned but not yet played count as balls remaining. The ball-by-ball plan and chart show your projected running total against the path you need. It is simple arithmetic on your own numbers, so it works for any machine, modern or electromechanical, and for league or tournament targets too.

Worked example

After ball 1 with 12,000,000 points in a 3-ball game: pace is 12,000,000 ÷ 1 = 12,000,000 per ball, so two more balls at that pace project 12,000,000 + 12,000,000 × 2 = 36,000,000. To beat a 50,000,000 high score you need (50,000,000 − 12,000,000) ÷ 2 = 19,000,000 on each of the last two balls, 1.58 times your pace so far, which leaves you 14,000,000 short if nothing changes.

Sources: Wikipedia: Pinball (balls, extra balls, bonus, multiball, high-score tables)

Frequently asked questions