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- description
- A free ball gate is a [[gameplay-feature:ball-return-gates]] variant that, when the game opens it, sends the ball down a lane that delivers it back to the shooter alley rather than to the drain — so the player shoots the same ball again and the machine counts no ball played.[1]
It is an award, and the game keeps it shut until the award is earned. On *[[title:wild-wheels]]* (1966, [[manufacturer:bally]]) three number wheels in the playfield turn as the ball strikes the bumpers in front of them, and the right combination is one of the things that opens the gate.[2] On *[[title:millionaire-2]]* (1977, [[manufacturer:sega]]) the gate opens at one moment in the game and no other: a bonus sequence kicks the ball across the playfield into the long right-hand lane, where the gate is waiting to carry it back to the shooter.[3][4]
2. Internet Pinball Database (IPDB) — Internet Pinball Database (IPDB) #2786 Different combinations of wheel numbers light different features on the playfield for increased value or Special, or open the free ball gate.
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- gameplay_feature_parent
- Parent
- Ball Return Gates
- name
- Free Ball Gates
- slug
- free-ball-gates
- status
- active