As with most Data East games from around 1989-91, shooting nothing but the right ramp all day is a reasonable strategy, because doing so 8 times starts a timed Unlimited Millions round. If you shoot the ramp 8 times as an 8-way combo, you get a single 10,000,000 shot instead. To work toward multiball, collect RPMs from fast ramp shots, completions of the center drop targets to spell Carrera, mystery awards from the Pit Stop scoop in the lower left, or completions of the Lap top lanes.
Following a plunge, the ball will come to the left flipper. The skill shot is a reflex shot up the right ramp. The skill shot fails if the ramp is not made within 3 seconds or if another switch other than the ramp or left in lane is registered. Successful skill shots score 250,000 points times the current ball number, and may add 1,000 RPM.
At the start of the game, you have 1,000 RPM. RPM can be increased 1,000 at a time in the following ways:
Each time RPM is advanced, the end of ball bonus multiplier is increased by 1, up to its maximum of 8x. At 6,000 RPM, the Checkpoint right orbit is lit for 2-ball multiball. At 7,000 RPM, the Pit Stop saucer will also start 2-ball multiball. At 8,000 RPM, Redline Instant 3-Ball instantly begins.
If 2-ball multiball is started, priority 1 is to shoot either the Checkpoint right orbit or the Pit Stop saucer before draining a ball to upgrade the 2-ball multiball into 3-ball. Once 3-ball multiball begins, the Jackpot is available until single ball play resumes. The jackpot value starts at 2,000,000 points. Completing the Carrera drop targets during multiball adds 1,000,000 to the jackpot. Attempting to advance the jackpot past 4,000,000 will reset it to 2,000,000. Shooting the right orbit Checkpoint when all three balls are in play will mean the jackpot will score double the next time it is qualified. To earn the jackpot, shoot the checkered flag drop target in front of the right ramp, then shoot the right ramp itself within about 5 seconds. As far as I am aware, only one jackpot is available per multiball. Once per multiball, if you reach 3-ball play but lose one ball, you can add a ball to the playfield by shooting the Checkpoint orbit. If the jackpot is not made, the right orbit will be lit for Rerace for 10 seconds, which restarts 2-ball multiball and must be re-upgraded into 3-ball multiball.
The more times RPM has been collected from the left ramp, the higher the speed required to score RPM will be. I've seen it require as much as 210 mph, which is just about impossible unless you hit a moving ball (not from a trap) up the ramp perfectly with a very strong flipper.
After multiball has been played, RPM will reset at the start of each ball, so subsequent multiballs require advancing from 1,000 RPM up to at least 6,000 without draining.
Each shot to the right ramp scores a Flag, as well as points equal to the ball speed calculated by the game (100 points times the speed in mph; typically between 8,000 and 20,000). Collecting all 8 flags with 8 ramp shots will start one of two modes. If the 8 ramp shots all occurred on the same ball and without a shot to the spinner lane or right orbit in between, the mode started will be Ramp 10 Million, where you have 10 seconds to shoot the ramp once for 10,000,000 points. If the 8 ramp shots were achieved in any other way, regular Ramp Millions starts, where the ramp is worth a repeatable, unlimited 1,000,000 points for a set amount of time. The time limit is 14 seconds, minus 2 seconds for each 1,000,000 point ramp shot scored over the course of the game, down to a minimum of 5 seconds. (Game settings may cause Ramp Millions to be a single 1,000,000 shot, instead of unlimited during the time limit.)
The spinner scores 510 points per spin when not lit, and 5,000 per spin when lit. The spinner is lit for a few seconds after going through the right in lane. Any shot to the spinner, no matter how many times the spinner itself spins afterward, scores one Spin & Win feature. The Spin & Win feature can be either Advance RPM, Light Extra Ball, Mystery Points (between 25,000 and 100,000?), Start Hot Nitro, or Start Ramp Millions.
Hot Nitro is a timed round that lasts about 15 seconds. When Hot Nitro is running, a yellow light will flash in the lower right corner of the game. During this time, the Nitro lower right standup target scores 200,000 points and adds 20 mph to the next right ramp shot.
The three top lanes spell Lap. Roll through an unlit lane to light it. Lit lanes can be rotated via lane change with either flipper, but both flippers rotate the lit lanes in the same direction. A full spinner shot that dodges the top lanes and ends up in the upper right kicker will spot one of the top lanes for free. Completing the top lanes awards 1,000 RPM and a letter in the word Fast, displayed on the back panel of the game. Spelling Fast lights the right orbit Checkpoint shot to start FAST scoring.
FAST scoring is a 10-second frenzy mode. The initial award is 50,000 points; every switch hit during the time limit scores 55,000 points. FAST scoring's points are not given right away; rather, they are added to your end of ball bonus (not affected by earned bonus multiplier). FAST scoring can start during multiball, and in fact it is very advantageous to do so. The best things to do during FAST scoring are shoot the spinner or get the ball stuck in the bumpers for a while by shooting between the spinner lane and the center drop targets.
Each drop target down scores 25,000 points. Completing both banks to spell Carrera scores 50,000 points, 1,000 RPM, and toggles the jackpot value displayed on the back of the game. Randomly, after hitting down a drop target, Blue Light Special will begin, where completing the current set of Carrera drop targets within 10 seconds scores 500,000 points plus one of the awards shown on the table selected at random: 1,000,000 points, Instant Redline 3-Ball, Extra ball, Take Highest Score, or Double Your Score. Take Highest Score is only possible in a multiplayer game and is a jackpot equal to the current 1st-place player's score; it does not reduce their score to 0. Blue Light Special seems to start most often when there are around 3 drop targets left, but it does not start for every completion of the Carrera targets.
Any shot to this saucer scores a Pit Stop and 15,000 points. During single ball play when the current RPM guage is less than 7,000, Pit Stop scores a mystery award. Don't take your eye off the game, though, because the ball will get spit back out toward the flippers or slingshots before the actual mystery award that you got is revealed. The most common Pit Stop mystery awards are Advance FAST, Bonus Hold, Advance RPM, and Mystery Score; supposedly, Light Extra Ball and Light Special are also possible.
During single ball play when the RPM gauge is at 7,000, the Pit Stop starts 2-ball multiball. During 2-ball multiball, the Pit Stop upgrades the multiball to 3-ball.
The Nitro Value starts at 20,000 points. Pop bumpers score 510 points, and add 510 points to the Nitro Value. The yellow standup target near the bumpers scores a Flat Tire, worth 25,000 points and increasing the bumper value to 1,030 points for the rest of the ball. To collect and reset the Nitro Value, shoot the lower right standup target immediately after rolling through the left in lane.
Achieving the replay score lights the right ramp for 1,000,000 points for 10 seconds.
Checkpoint has a conventional in/out lane setup. In lanes score 20,000 points. The left in lane temporarily lights the lower right target for the Nitro Value, and the right in lane temporarily lights the spinner for 5,000 points per spin. Out lanes score Big Value, usually 100,000 points, and add 2,000 points to base bonus. There is no center peg/post or left out lane kickback.
The playfield lists that top lanes and out lanes each add 2,000 points (or "miles") to the base bonus. I assume that in lanes, drop targets, and possibly ramp shots contribute to bonus as well. The highest base bonus I have seen was around 140,000, but the true maximum is probably 200,000 in line with other Data East games from around this time. Bonus multiplier is increased by 1 every time RPMs are advanced. Note that the current RPM level in thousands is not always equal to the bonus multiplier; if you start a ball at 4,000 RPM, advancing to 5,000 RPM will only increase your bonus multiplier to 2x rather than directly to 5x. Max bonus multiplier is 8x. Base bonus can be held to the next ball by receiving the Bonus Held mystery award from the Pit Stop. Multipliers can never be carried over, and there is no mid-ball bonus collect. Points from FAST scoring are awarded at the end of the bonus count, after the miles-times-multiplier have been calculated.
Flags on the right ramp can be reset between balls instead of carrying over.
The first time limit for Ramp Millions before any 1,000,000 shots are collected can be 10, 12, 14, 16, or 18 seconds.
Ramp Millions can be unlimited or only one shot. Ramp 10 Millions is always only one shot.
The timer on the multiball restart can be 6, 8, 10, 12, or 14 seconds.
The timer on FAST mode can be 8, 10, 15, 20, or 25 seconds.
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