Free Fall

Free Fall is the add-a-ball version of Sky Jump. The add-a-ball nature changes the strategy, making it a bad idea to get all 7 numbered lanes unless add-a-balls are active.

This game starts UTAD, then switches to drops all day. The game is all about the seven drop targets - - lighting them and hitting the lit ones. But unlike most machines, these targets have three factor-of-ten values, not two levels or an add-a-value. Base target value is 50. This goes up to 500 for any target for which you’ve scored the lane number corresponding to the target number. Finally, one target is always lit for 10 times more than whichever of these applies; it changes each time you hit the bumper that says in big letters “moves 10X target lite when lit.” [Can’t get much clearer than that\! I believe the “when lit” cycles on the tens digit.] The big points on this game is lighting exactly six targets, then hitting the lit one, changing which one is lit and hitting the next one. You also get good points [5000] each time you complete the target bank, which then resets. Oh, yes, the numbered lanes collected carry over from ball to ball for the entire game. You will likely score more points on your last two balls than on your first three.

Why exactly six targets? In the Free Fall add-a-ball rules, once you get all 7 numbers, any lit target now becomes a “wow” designed to score an extra ball; in this case, zero points, assuming extra balls are turned off. They should be off since you can run the ball count up to 10 in the add-a-ball version. As for which number to “not get,” I’d suggest the 5. You can get the 4 and 7 accidentally when the ball goes through the right-side double chute. You can get the 1, 2 or 3 accidentally when the ball goes through a return lane or outlane. And you want to shoot the ball up the 6 lane to the top at times. That leaves the 5 as your best omission.

The yellow stand-up targets and the lower side lanes are also keyed to individual numbered lanes. Lane 1 lights the target just below the right bumper; lane 2 lights the lower side lanes; lane 3 lights the lower right target below the \#1 target. Lane 4 lights the far top left stand-up; lane 5 lights the stand-up between that one and lane 4; lane 6 lights the stand-up just below lane 7; and lane 7 lights the stand-up between that one and the right side lane. All of this is one more reason to get as many numbers as possible, since that way any bumper action at the top will give you 500 for those stand-ups instead of 50.

Key feeds: when the ball comes down either side, where does it go? The right side is mostly one speed, i.e. all the way from the top down, since the ball rarely goes through the gap between stand-up targets into it. You can probably let it dead bounce off of the left flipper onto the right flipper. You may also be able to drop catch or raise the flipper and cradle up, depending on how far up the flipper it comes. As for the left side, there will be two different exit speeds - - down the 1 [fast] and post-2 or 3 lane [slow]. Learn where the ball goes from each; nudge if necessary to avoid center drains.

Okay, let’s assume you have the ball on a flipper. If it’s the right flipper and one of the targets is lit for 5000 [both the lane has been collected and the moving light is on it], or you just have one target left to finish the bank, shoot it\! Otherwise, shoot the ball up top to either try to collect another lane or move the lit target.

If the ball is on the left flipper, you can probably not hit any target left of the 5. If the 5, 6 or 7 is lit for 5K or is that last target, take it, otherwise try a transfer to the right flipper or can shoot the ball up top, through the 6 lane if you can do it. Numbered lanes are worth 1000, so this isn’t bad point-wise, either.

One move I’ve found useful on this game is the flying backhand: when the ball is coming down the right side lanes, you can often time a backhand with the left flipper to hit the 1, 2, 3 or 4 targets. It may or may not be riskier than trying to get control via a catch or dead bounce followed by a shot from a cradle; it depends on your skills and how the rebounds from each target go when shot from each flipper. If the dead bounce won’t work [doesn’t go far enough and drains down the middle], this is a more viable option.

Yes, that’s the other key to this game: watch where your rebounds go off of the targets. Any that drain too often means you need to shoot that target some other way, e.g. with the other flipper, or as the ball is moving down the return lane vs. from a cradle.

This is a great game for practicing your nudging and flipper accuracy skills.

# **Freedom [EM, SS - Bally, 1976]

Do you feel lucky? Freedom is all about getting the ball in the top saucer when “lite spinner” is lit, then shooting the spinners all day. Since you can’t control which center feature is lit, it’s a matter of luck to get the spinner item to fall your way on a shot when the ball settles into the top saucer. Fewer than half of the shots to the top do this due to the wide gaps next to the saucer. If the center wheel is currently on “lite spinners,” you can try to shoot the right side saucer for it, but that’s about the only time I’d ever deviate from UTAD.