Brief guide on where to start with PinOut and how the game works. There will eventually be a playlist of guides in video form, I will edit here when that starts.

Some keywords: 3 lines = the 3 lines before most flippers which slow the ball. Race to Overtime = any%. (Time) dots = the dots on the pinball table that add time to the in-game timer. Ramp = a object which the ball can travel through to progress in the game.

Race to Overtime consists of 8 areas, timing ends on the last cannon in Analog Apotheosis. The main mechanic of the game are the sets of ‘3 lines’ before most flippers. These will slow the ball once reached which make timing flippers easier.

The in-game timer starts at 60 seconds but increases with time dots and minigames, and slows with some powerups. When starting out the in-game timer might be an issue, but taking some slower ramps with time dots or playing minigames can help. The fastest routes have some in-game time to spare in a full any% run.

For extra in-game time without costing much real time in the speedrun, taking a slower route to grab time dots on the pinball table generally doesn’t take much longer than the usual route, mostly just a longer ramp. Minigames are slow but can give a lot of bonus time, the fastest being Lazer Racer which can give 50-80 seconds with good RNG. Powerups are okay but Slow Motion slows the ball significantly and Time Freeze makes timings slightly harder as the ‘3 lines’ have less of an effect on the ball.

The only powerup which is faster overall to grab is Push, which is only in Telegraphic Distortion (area 5). This allows you to aim where the ball goes rather than using flippers. You can get Push in other areas if you pick Random and get lucky, but it’s mainly useful in this area.

========================= Score% requires you to reach the furthest distance possible which will increase your score. After Analog Apotheosis is Overtime where there are no dots, minigames or powerups, which means getting almost everything is worth it to increase your timer. Some dots are not worth getting because the time it takes to get the dots takes longer than the time bonus obtained from them.

There is a minigame (Commuter World) which is hidden out of sight on the right side around 3,730 score in Something Beneath. You can get a good time bonus from this so it is worth playing.

In some areas it is worth falling back to the previous area to grab the other set of bonus dots. These are: Zero Dark Hundred (minimal gain), Something Beneath, Granular Rainstorm (minimal gain especially if lots of dots were grabbed in the ending bumper section), Hypersphere, Telegraphic Distortion.

The other main difference is doing Telegraphic Distortion II without Push, so it’s worth practicing because it can be costly for time.