No Fear: Dangerous Sports

Williams, 1995 — shot-by-shot rules and strategy guide.

Open No Fear: Dangerous Sports in the Pinball Genie app →

Steve Ritchie fast, wide-open shooter's game. WPC-DCS, DMD. Single production run — no Pro/Premium/LE editions, so every shot and rule is trim: all. Defining traits: no pop bumpers, three flippers (two lower + one upper-right "Jumps" flipper), and a magnetically-accelerated Jump Ramp/Jump Loop that is the single biggest scoring shot in the game.

Despite claims sometimes seen elsewhere, "Danger Zone," "Meltdown," and "Super Kickback" do not exist on No Fear. "Payback Time" is real but is a 25-second timed mode, not a wizard. The actual wizard mode is Meet Your Maker (4-ball).

The Challenge ladder (the mode spine)

Five Minor Challenges (Dirt, Asphalt, Water, Snow, Air) → two Major Challenges (No Limits, then Fear Fest) → Meet Your Maker wizard. Start a challenge by shooting the Skull scoop when "Start Challenge" is lit, or via the plunge skill-shot cycle. Each challenge STARTED banks +10M end-of-ball bonus. Good players deliberately time out the low-value minors to climb to the majors and the wizard.

Multiballs

• Regular (3-ball): Drop the Skydive drop target to light Lock at Skydive and Skull; lock 3 balls (12M each). Jackpots run Skull 50M → Skydive 100M → Jump Super Jackpot 200M, repeating.
• Over the Edge (2-ball): Qualified from the Steering Wheel 1st-Place award (#3) or a Tube award. Jump/Hairpin ramps 25M +10M/shot, max 75M. Best stacked with Payback Time.
• No Limits (Major, 3-ball): All major shots 20M base, +1M/shot up to 70M.
• Fear Fest (Major, 3-ball): Skull/Skydive jackpot 50–80M start, +20M/major shot.
• Meet Your Maker (wizard, 4-ball): Everything lit. Skull 50M; each Jump Loop = 200M Super Jackpot that STAYS LIT — cradle balls on the left flipper and hammer the loop from the upper-right flipper for repeated 200M supers.

Combos / money sequences

Super Cross = alternate Jump Ramp ↔ Hairpin Ramp for 15M each; a Hairpin→Jump order lets the magnets grab and re-feed the ball. Three alternating shots on each ramp lights Payback Time (all majors 25M for 25s). Consecutive Jump Ramps build 5M→25M (flat 25M in multiball) and each Jump permanently adds +5M to end-of-ball bonus (carries the whole game). Jump This! triggered at the left outlane while the Kickback is lit becomes a 2-ball multiball for 30M-per-jump farming.

Scoring builds (no true multipliers)

No Fear has no playfield X, no bonus multiplier, and no per-shot multiplier. Scoring escalates through value BUILDS instead: Raceway (Screamer/left orbit) 5M→20M→Light Extra Ball→25M; the Steering Wheel 3rd/2nd/1st-Place ladder up to 100M; Fear Fest +20M/shot; Summit and Jump builds.

End-of-ball bonus

5M per Jump made · 10M per Challenge started · 1M per 100 meters Climbed. No bonus multiplier.

Skill shot

Plunge cycles five options (Start Challenge / Super Cross Level / Advance Raceway / Ball Lock / Flipper Skill Shot). The premier shot: Flipper Skill Shot → shoot the Jump Ramp for 50M.

Safety

Left outlane has the Kickback (lit via the two Cliff standups, ~2.5M save) — keep it lit. Right outlane has no save.

How No Fear: Dangerous Sports plays

No Fear is a fast extreme-sports Williams game with no playfield multiplier, so extra balls and the magnet-slung Jump Ramp are your real force multiplier. Climb the five Minor Challenges and two Major Challenges to reach the Meet Your Maker wizard and its lit 200M Jump Loop.

The loop

1. At the launch, cycle to the plunge award you want -- a flipper tap runs the choices past faster -- then fire, since Flipper Skill Shot feeds the ball to the Jump Ramp for a live 50M.
2. Loop the Jump Ramp so the magnet slings the ball up into the elevated Jump Loop, catch the return on the upper-right flipper, and repeat to climb the consecutive value while banking permanent end-of-ball bonus.
3. Loop the Screamer orbit to build the Raceway ladder and light an extra ball at the Skull.
4. Drop the Skydive target to light locks, lock three balls, and run the Skull, Skydive, and Jump Ramp jackpot sequence.
5. Start each Challenge at the Skull and clear the ladder toward Meet Your Maker.

Reading the lights

• Plunge Award Cycle (status) — lit: The launch shows one of five picks -- Start Challenge, a Super Cross level, an Advance Raceway step, a Ball Lock, or the Flipper Skill Shot -- and only the one on display is what your plunge gives you. · then: Land Flipper Skill Shot to send the ball straight at the Jump Ramp for a live 50M, or take Ball Lock to auto-lock a ball for 12M toward multiball, and note the award resets and rotates fresh on every ball. · control: Either flipper button: the awards rotate on their own, but a tap of a flipper button runs them past faster so you can launch on the one you want instead of whatever happens to be showing (before you fire the launch button)
• Jump Ramp & Jump Loop (shot arrows) — lit: The Jump Ramp is the marquee shot, and a magnetic accelerator slings every made ramp up into the elevated Jump Loop that arcs over the Skull. · then: Catch the return on the upper-right flipper and re-loop to ratchet the consecutive value from 5M toward its 25M cap, banking a permanent 5M end-of-ball bonus on every jump. In Meet Your Maker every trip through the Jump Loop pays a 200M Super Jackpot that never goes dark, so trapping a ball and hammering the loop is the classic way to run up the score.
• Super Cross Ramps (shot arrows) — lit: Alternating the Jump Ramp and the Hairpin Ramp scores a 15M combo on each shot while the rhythm holds. · then: Lead with the Hairpin so the magnets can catch the ball and feed it back to you, and complete three alternating shots on each ramp to light Payback Time. Start Payback, with every major shot lit for 25M, just ahead of Over the Edge so the two high-scoring modes overlap.
• Raceway Extra Ball Ladder (ladder) — lit: Consecutive Screamer orbit loops climb the Raceway award 5M, 10M, 15M, 20M, and the count has to stay unbroken to keep climbing. · then: Five loops in a row light the extra ball, collected at the Skull scoop, and with no playfield multiplier on this machine extra balls are the real multiplier. Later extra balls demand more consecutive loops per level, so protect the streak.
• Summit Award Ladder (ladder) — lit: Repeating the right orbit climbs the Summit list -- 5M, then a bonus round lit, then a boosted spinner, then a flat 10M for every shot after -- and the whole ladder starts over from scratch on each new ball. · then: Loop Summit to reach the boosted-spinner award, then tear into the Screamer spinner while it is boosted for a fat payout on every spin. Cradle the return between attempts, since a missed orbit comes back fast.
• Ball Locks & Multiball (status) — lit: Dropping the Skydive target lights Lock at both the Skydive and the Skull, and on the first multiball the lock stays lit between locks. · then: Lock three balls for 12M each to start the three-ball multiball, then run the jackpot sequence -- Skull for 50M, Skydive for 100M, Jump Ramp for the 200M Super -- and repeat. Every multiball after the first makes you knock the drop target down again for each lock, and by the third lock only the Skydive still accepts one.
• Steering Wheel (Track) (ladder) — lit: Either Track orbit around the Skull advances the Steering Wheel -- 3rd Place pays 15M, 2nd pays 25M, and 1st opens a rotating award list. · then: Keep looping, since either side counts as one Track shot, to reach 1st Place and its rotating awards, and win your third Race to start the Over the Edge two-ball multiball.
• Kickback & Cliff (status) — lit: Hitting the Cliff standups relights the Kickback in the left outlane -- the game's only outlane with a save sitting behind it, worth about 2.5M -- while the right outlane has nothing at all. · then: Keep the Kickback armed as the cheapest drain insurance the machine sells, and trigger Jump This at a lit outlane while the Kickback is lit to spawn a second ball for 30M-per-jump farming.
• Challenge Ladder (mode) — lit: The Skull starts whatever Challenge is next in line, stepping through the five Minor Challenges and then the No Limits and Fear Fest Major Challenges. · then: Clear or safely time out each Challenge to move up the ladder, and after No Limits spell NO FEAR across the lit major shots to arm Fear Fest, then spell it a second time to arm the Meet Your Maker wizard back at the Skull. The riskier Challenges are worth timing out for their flat award rather than forcing.

Lane change: not verified for this machine yet.

Start scoring

• Ball one — For a safe start, cycle to Start Challenge and grind the Screamer Raceway toward an extra ball, and take a Cliff standup early to arm the Kickback, since only the left outlane has a save waiting behind it. A confident player can instead take Flipper Skill Shot for a 50M Jump and begin the consecutive-jump build. — Progression Opener (recommended default), Raceway Extra Ball Ladder, Flipper Skill Shot — 50M Jump
• Building — Loop the Raceway for extra balls and build consecutive Jump Ramp value, then run Super Cross to light Payback Time. Start locking at the Skydive and Skull for the three-ball multiball and its 50M, 100M, and 200M jackpot sequence. — Raceway Extra Ball Ladder, Super Cross, Regular 3-Ball Multiball
• The big one — Climb the five Minor Challenges and the No Limits and Fear Fest Majors to reach Meet Your Maker, the four-ball wizard. Trap a ball on the left flipper and hammer the Jump Loop off the upper-right flipper for 200M Super Jackpots that stay lit -- the classic grand-champion farm. — Meet Your Maker — Qualification Path, Meet Your Maker — 200M Jump Farm, Consecutive Jump Ramp Build

Does No Fear: Dangerous Sports have an action button?

No action button — this is a 1995 Williams. The cabinet front carries a start button, an extra-ball buy-in, and a launch button on the right that fires your plunge and then goes quiet for the rest of the ball. The plunge awards cycle on their own; a flipper button just speeds the cycle along.

Goals in No Fear: Dangerous Sports

Every goal below is tracked step-by-step, with shot paths drawn on the playfield map, inside the app.

• Flipper Skill Shot — 50M Jump skillshot · Hard

  The highest-value skill shot: select Flipper Skill Shot at the plunge, then nail the Jump Ramp on the fly for 50M.

  Reward: 50M

• Ball Lock Skill Shot skillshot · Easy

  Select Ball Lock on the plunge cycle; the auto-plunge lowers the Skydive drop target and locks a ball for 12M.

  Reward: 12M + a locked ball toward multiball

• Super Cross combo · Medium

  Alternate the Jump Ramp and Hairpin Ramp for 15M each; three alternating shots on each ramp lights Payback Time.

  Reward: 15M per combo shot; lights Payback Time

• Consecutive Jump Ramp Build combo · Medium

  Repeatedly loop the Jump Ramp via the upper-right flipper — values climb 5M→25M and each jump permanently adds +5M to end-of-ball bonus.

  Reward: 5M/10M/15M/20M/25M per jump + permanent +5M bonus each

• Multiball Jackpot Sequence combo · Medium

  The standard multiball money order: Skull 50M → Skydive 100M → Jump Super Jackpot 200M, then repeat.

  Reward: 50M → 100M → 200M per cycle

• Payback Time + Over the Edge Stack combo · Hard

  Light Payback Time via Super Cross, then start it just before Over the Edge so both high-scoring modes run together.

  Reward: 25M-everything for 25s layered over escalating 75M-cap ramps

• Jump This! 2-Ball Farm combo · Hard

  Trigger Jump This! at the left outlane while the Kickback is lit — it becomes a 2-ball multiball for 30M-per-jump farming.

  Reward: 30M per Jump Ramp with a safety ball

• Regular 3-Ball Multiball multiball · Medium

  Drop the Skydive target to light Lock at Skydive and Skull, lock 3 balls, then run the jackpot sequence.

  Reward: 12M/lock; jackpots 50M/100M/200M

• Over the Edge (2-Ball) multiball · Medium

  Grind Track orbits — every third one wins the Race — until your third Race win, which awards Over the Edge (2-ball multiball). A random Tube award can also hand it to you.

  Reward: 2-ball MB; ramps 25M +10M/shot up to 75M

• No Limits (Major Challenge, 3-Ball) multiball · Hard

  The first Major Challenge multiball, reached after the five Minor Challenges; start it at the Skull and pound the major shots.

  Reward: 20M base per shot, +1M/shot up to 70M

• Fear Fest (Major Challenge, 3-Ball) multiball · Hard

  The Major Challenge after No Limits; shoot Skull to start, then build and collect the Fear Fest jackpot at Skull/Skydive.

  Reward: 80M jackpot to start, +20M per major shot

• Dirt Challenge mode · Easy

  A 30-second Minor Challenge: only ramps score. Shoot the ramps to build the Dirt Award from 5M to 20M.

  Reward: 5M +5M/shot, max 20M

• Water Challenge mode · Easy

  A timed Minor Challenge: shoot the Tube saucer to add time and raise all lit shot values.

  Reward: +10s and +5M to shot values per Tube hit; shots 10M→30M

• Snow Challenge mode · Medium

  Build the Down Hill (Hairpin) value with Jump Ramp and Summit shots, then shoot the Hairpin to end the mode for up to 100M.

  Reward: Hairpin 50M base, +10M/prep shot, max 100M

• Air Challenge mode · Medium

  Freeze the falling Skydive value, then collect all lit arrows across the playfield for a 75M bonus.

  Reward: Skydive value frozen 10–25M; complete all arrows = 75M

• Raceway Extra Ball Ladder multiplier · Medium

  No Fear has no playfield/bonus multiplier — Extra Balls are the real force multiplier. Loop the Raceway to light EB at the Skull.

  Reward: 5M→20M builds, then Light Extra Ball (25M/shot after)

• Steering Wheel Value Ladder multiplier · Medium

  With no true multiplier, the Track/Steering Wheel value ladder is the scoring escalator — 3rd→2nd→1st Place awards up to 100M.

  Reward: 3rd 15M, 2nd 25M, 1st rotating (up to 100M)

• Meet Your Maker — Qualification Path wizard · Hard

  The full ladder to the 4-ball wizard: five Minor Challenges, then No Limits, then spell NO FEAR on the lit major shots to light Fear Fest, then spell NO FEAR again to light Meet Your Maker at the Skull.

  Reward: Starts the 4-ball wizard with everything lit

• Meet Your Maker — 200M Jump Farm wizard · Hard

  In the wizard, the Jump Loop Super Jackpot stays lit for 200M. Trap balls on the left flipper and hammer the loop from the upper-right flipper.

  Reward: 200M per Jump Loop (uncapped, stays lit)

• Progression Opener (recommended default) strategy · Easy

  Start Challenge, bank the Extra Ball via Raceway, arm the Kickback, then begin locking for multiball — the guided beginner line.

• Points-Forward Opener (confident player) strategy · Medium

  Take the 50M Jump skill shot, build consecutive jumps, then set up the Extra Ball and Kickback.

• Tournament / GC Line strategy · Hard

  Bank Extra Balls, time out the low-value minors, push through the two lesser majors, and grind Meet Your Maker for 200M supers.

• Summit Award Ladder strategy · Medium

  Repeat the right orbit to climb the Summit award list: 5M, then the video mode light, then the boosted spinner, then 10M for every shot after that. The list resets at the start of each ball, so the climb has to be redone every time.

  Reward: Summit builds; lights Video Mode and Super Spinner, then pays 10M per further shot on the ball

• Video Mode secret · Medium

  Every mention of Video Mode on this machine is really a dirt-bike race hiding behind the words. The bike accelerates on its own down the course, the flippers are your only steering, and the jumps scattered along the track are where the points are — clip the edge of the track instead and it costs you.

  Reward: 10,000,000 to 25,000,000 for every jump you steer into, plus 25,000,000 for finishing the track. Crashing into the track edge takes 10,000,000 off your video mode total.