Not to be confused with Free Fall, the somewhat rare add-a-ball version of Sky Jump (both Gottlieb, 1974).
The earlier in the game it is, the more priority should be placed on completions of the center drop targets. Targets score base bonus, bumpers and slings change the selected row, and making three-in-a-rows will increase the carryover portion of base bonus as well as the value of the left standup target. Any completion of the center targets also increases bonus multiplier, which carries over as well. Locks 1 and 2 cna be made at any time, but Sky Divers must be spelled around the playfield for lock 3 to count and multiball to begin. Starting multiball is worth a lot of points but mileage may vary on it as a strategy since locking a ball basically requires pop bumper luck. If flippers are strong enough to rip the left spinner well, shoot it when lit for 5,000 a spin.
The letters in Sky Divers are collected around the playfield. S-K-Y are the three right standup targets: K scores 5,000, S and Y score 3,000. D-I-V-E are the four top lanes: D and E score 3,000 points, I and V score 5,000. D and E can also be collected from the left and right standup targets at the very top of the table. R is on both near in lanes and scores 5,000 points, while the seconds S is on both far in lanes and scores 3,000 points. Going through either in lane once collects the R or S.
Shooting into the lock mechanism, which is in the center of the playfield but can only be entered from above, scores 15,000 points and spots one Sky Divers letter. The ball will then be kicked to a wireform lane on the right where it scores another 20,000 points. Balls 1 and 2 can be locked for free. If you lock a third ball before completing the Sky Divers letters, you still get the 20,000 lock points, but one ball will be ejected into the shooter lane. If you lock a third ball after spelling Sky Divers, 3-ball multiball begins. At the start of multiball, each of the three balls gets ejected into a kicker lane, where it scores 5,000 points for each lit Sky Divers letter- this is guaranteed to be 45,000 points per ball release, or 135,000 points total. During multiball, all regular game rules apply; there are no specific scoring features or playfield multipliers. Balls can immediately be relocked for the next multiball.
Balls in the lock mechanism will stay there from ball to ball and game to game, only being kicked out when a multiball starts or when the game initially powers on. Whether or not balls in the mechanism count as carryover locks is an operator controlled setting. If carryover is on, lock stealing is available between players and even between games. If it is off, everyone must qualify their own multiball from scratch as shown by the Sky Diver 1 and 2 lights near the lock kicker, regardless of how many balls are in the lock wireform.
A ball during single ball play can fall into the Sky Divers kicker lane, which is usually only used for multiball start. This gives 5,000 points for each currently lit Sky Divers letter.
Playing multiball once or twice can light the out lanes alternately for a special.
All three bumpers score 1,000 points and rotate which row is lit for the center drop targets. The left and right bumpers also alternate whether the left spinner and upper right standup target are lit. Spinner scores 5,000 a spin when lit, or 500 per spin when not lit; upper right standup target also scores 500, or 5,000 when lit. The spinner is worth shooting for when lit if the right flipper is strong.
Each target down scores 1,000 points and lights the insert in the grid corresponding to the column of whichever target was hit, in the lit row. Bumpers and slingshots rotate which row is lit. Each lit insert in the grid is worth 2,000 points in base bonus. Up to 2 grids can be completed per ball. Completing 1 grid lights the out lanes for a special. The grid bonus resets from ball to ball.
Making any 3-in-a-row in the grid advances the Lines Completed counter. Each line completed is worth 5,000 points in bonus at the end of the ball (which does NOT get multiplied) and increases the value of the left lane dead-end target by 5,000 points. Since only 2 grids can be completed per ball, you cannot earn more than 16 lines in a single ball, but lines completed do carry from ball to ball, so the counter does go up to at least 20 (possibly 29 or 39?).
Any completion of the center drop targets also increases the bonus multiplier, which applies only to the 2,000 points per grid light.
Each target down scores 500 points. Any completion of these targets increases the bonus multiplier by 1x. Hitting the targets down in order of 1-2-3-4-5 scores 50,000 points and lights the dead-end target behind this bank for a special. Hitting targets 1-2-4-5 in any order but leaving the 3 so it is distinctly the last one standing will light the #3 target for 10,000 points and an extra ball. Otherwise, completing this bank just scores the 10,000 points.
The target at the end of this lane scores 10,000 points plus 5,000 for each line completed over the course of the game. If this target can be hit reliably, it should be pretty much the only thing shot for once its value reaches at least 30,000 - 50,000 points. This target can also be lit for a special after completing the left drop targets in sequence.
Sky Divers has a conventional in/out lane setup, but with 2 in lanes on each side instead of 1. Out lanes score 15,000 points, increase the bonus multiplier, and can be lit for special by playing enough multiballs or completing the center drop target grid. Far in lanes score the second S in Sky Divers and 3,000 points. Near in lanes score the R in Sky Divers and 5,000 points. Slingshots score 10 points and rotate which row is lit for the center drop target grid.
Bonus consists of 5,000 points per line completed over the course of the game (which does NOT get multiplied), plus 2,000 points times bonus multiplier per lit grid light on that ball only. Bonus multiplier is increased by the out lanes and any drop target bank completion. Max bonus multiplier is 14x. Max base grid bonus is 36,000 points. Grid bonus is never carried from ball to ball; lines completed bonus is always carried from ball to ball; bonus multiplier carryover is a setting, which is off by default. There is no mid-ball bonus collect of any kind.
In competition/novelty play, specials score 100,000 points. Special can be limited to one per ball or one per game. If you light the out lane special in both of the two possible ways- completed grids (1 or 2) and playing multiball (once or twice)- both out lanes will be lit, instead of one out lane alternating.
Bonus multiplier can be set to carry over between balls.
By default, Sky Diver Carryover is off, meaning locked balls cannot be stolen by another player or another game. This can be turned on.
On its liberal setting, the center drop target grid can be set up so that every 4th time a bumper or slingshot is hit, two different rows will be lit at random, rather than only cycling through one row at a time. Hitting a drop target when two rows are selected will light the corresponding column's grid cell in both lit rows.
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