Okay, no readme yet for v1.5, but here's what I've found so far with my glass off testing. These are the changes noted from v1.3 to the current code v1.5

----------DEADPOOL---------
-Deadpool is in. He starts first at 10 combos, and then you can re-hire him at every 10 combos after.

-You can "hire" Deadpool while in non-villain mode play, he will activate immediately on the next villain mode you choose. If you hire him while in a villain mode, he will start immediately, so it's best to keep track of how close you are to hiring him and put off hiring him Until you're not in a villain mode to make sure you get full value out of him.

- While hired, the playfield flashers will pulse to signify he's available

-he seems to be switch based. Every switch on the playfield, from what I can tell, goes towards some total, and when you hit that total, he does extra damage to the villain, even if you're not hitting the villain shots. Usually you will see a DMD animation that says "Deadpool has helped you!", or something like that, and Deadpool will say some smart ass remark. This seems to make Clops' spinner MELT through villain modes because each spinner switch hits adds up quick.

-he is active until you either beat a villain or drain the ball. So if you time out of a villain mode, but don't beat the villain, he will still be available for your next villain fight, assuming that you don't drain the ball. After you beat the villain or lose your ball, Deadpool is gone and you must "re-hire" him.

Pretty good addition, IMO. With Deadpool now you can absolutely DEMOLISH the villain multiball modes. Really helps a lot on Shadow King

Here is how Deadpool affects the different villain modes:
-Sabertooth: Does bonus damage even when hitting unlit shots, except SJP; you still gotta hit Wolvie for that.
-Shadow King: Does bonus Damage/progression even when hitting unlit shots, except for the SJP; you still gotta hit Xavier for that.
-HFC and BH multiballs: Bonus damage while hitting lit or unlit shots
-Juggernaut: adds JP score increases to every shot when activated, not just the orbits.
-Sentinels: each lit shot, Except for Wolvie, Damage BOTH Sentinels at once, not just one at a time!
-Omega Red: does bonus damage/progression even when hitting unlit shots, except for SJP; you still gotta hit Wolvie for that.

-------GENERAL STUFFS-------
- hitting the Magneto shot during MagsMB now has text saying that he has recharged all hero shots.

- attract sounds

- instant info now displays total combos, unique combo count and how much combos until Deadpool.

- MagsMB has it's scoring scaled more now. Rather than 1mil a shot at full value (all heroes collected) he awards 1.6 mil a shot at full value. The SJP and the victory laps have been increased as well

- Wolvie WXMB is still the same it seems, but now he has scaling scoring dependent upon how many times you've beaten his mode.

- end of game light show has changed. I don't remember there being a flasher show with GI out at the end of v1.3

- Gambit pops animation has had it's priority VS other animations reduced, seemingly.

- Gambit hurry up is now worth BIG points! Hurry up now starts at 15mil rather than 3mil as it was in 1.3. This, I think, is awesome. Gambit hurry up is a super satisfying shot to hit, and should be given a great reward for getting it quick!

- Previously complete hero modes now have scaling scoring. Re-completing hero modes are worth more point each subsequent completion.

- "Wizard multiball" mode is still in the game and qualified still by playing DP and DR and beating Mags. Nothing has changed here no animations and the "Lonnie Special" special for rules, except for the music being different. This mode seems awkward now considering how points rich DP and DR are and how low comparatively the scoring is for Wizard Multiball. But I'm fine with this, because the chances of reaching this in legit play is pretty slim.

- Black Bird scoop awards have been changed around. "Lock is Lit" and "Award Lock" are now a lot less likely. Ironically, I now get a lot of the dreaded MET "500,000" awards now. I find that funny . It seems as if Super Spinner is gone completely as an award; I'm fine with that, super spinner was worthless in XM anyways.

- there seems to be a new Mystery award when you have a certain amount of incomplete Hero modes. The Mystery award will automatically start an unfinished, but previously attempted, Hero mode for you. Or it will advance Wolvie mode if attempted but not finished previously. This is awesome for late in the game when you have a bitch of a mode to start, like Xavier or Rogue. Very nice touch.

-Sabertooth Villain mode is now easier to complete (less shots needed to beat) and is worth slightly more points.

-conversely, Shadow King has been scaled back in the points department to be more on par to the scoring from the other non-multiball villain modes.

-Juggernaut villain mode now takes less shots to complete.

-damage per Hero shot during MagsMB now scales dynamically depending on how many Heroes you have started/completed, rather than scaling just for the particular shot of a hero you've started/collected as it was in 1.30. This means the more heroes you have started/collected at the beginning of MagsMB, the easier he will be; which is how it should be. An excellent adjustment. Also, it seems as if hitting the Mags shot itself, although still giving 50k points, does more damage than it used to do. JP scores during MagsMB also increase per completion(s) of MagsMB.

---------DARK PHOENIX--------

Dark Phoenix is awesome now, but there's a big drawback, IMO. Read on for details....

The DP rules are most similar to Power Down in JM. The idea being that DP is going to destroy the city, and the X-Men have to stave her off for a certain amount of time until her rage ends.

-DP is a 3 ball mode, but you play it one ball at a time. This will make sense, read on....

-the "city" is split into 3 "sections", and each section has a timer attached to it. The timers all count down independently and start at 118 secs each.

- each switch on the playfield is "attached" to a certain section of the city, and each switch will add a certain amount of time each hit to the section of the city it's attached to.

- each time you drain a ball, one section of the city gets destroyed and the next ball is ejected. Thus this is why it's a three ball mode. After you drain the third ball, you fail and the mode ends.

- the Hero shots in DP are worth an OBSCENE amount of points. We're talking 6-9mil a shot.

- okay, ready for the "bad" news? The "point" of the mode is to keep at least one section alive for a certain amount of time. In Power Down on JM, the timer is 45 secs to go nuts. In DP, the overall mode timer that you have to keep the sections "alive" through is TEN FREAKING MINUTES!!!! Yup, move over LOTR, there's a new longest mode,lol.

- if you keep at least one section of the city alive through the ten minutes (assuming your attention span is that long) the SJP shot(s) will light. Hit it and collect a SJP proportional to how many sections of the city you still have in-tact. When I collected it with one section left, my SJP was 50mil.

- combos do not get counted while in DP, so no Deadpool for you!

DP is BAR-NONE the biggest scoring opportunity now. Just from my testing (including me just sitting and waiting not hitting any switches while waiting the time out) I finished DP with a MODE total of over 400 million points. Cray-zee.

Xavier silhouette is there, but only briefly :/. At least it was for me during Sentinels

EDIT-- upon further testing, it seems like the Xavier mode display hasn't changed priorities at all. Sorry for the misinformation. I could have sworn that I saw a couple seconds of a silhouette during Sentinels, but getting Xavier during other villains still didn't how the silhouette screen :/ sorry guys

Updated " general stuffs" section.

Some of Deadpool's callouts are actually pretty damn good.

"OMEGA RED WETS THE BED!! .....it's pretty embarrassing, actually."

Good stuff.

This update doesn't have everything "we" wanted, but of you liked v1.3, v1.5 made the game nothing but better!!
DEFINETLY a step forward and makes the game better overall.asidefrom DP's lopsidedness, scoring seems to be more well rounded for what you achieve during play. Very pleased.

Correct, no adjustment for DP mode time. It is what it is. At least you can score a metric f@$k-ton of points during the 10mins. It turns DP into a feat of human endurance and concentration. Hell, if anyone can make it through DP all 10 mins and still have all 3 sections in tact; you win life and have accomplished all that man can do, lol.

NOTE: edits have been made to the DEADPOOL section---

He starts at 10 combos, not 15.

He does NOT go away if you don't beat a villain while he is hired. I.E. - If he's helping you during a villain mode and that mode times out before you can beat it, he will still be available to you until you either beat a villain or drain your ball.

By request here is the suggestions/request thread from the past for v1.3. I will notate whether or not these got addressed in v1.5 in ALL CAPS. Pease keep in mind that this is info is accrued from my testing today, and may turn out to be different, plus some of these I cannot test because I have an LE and no pro, so pro features are non-testable for me. Well, here it goes.

Requests:
Allow Xavier as a qualifying left shot during Weapon X mode. -------- NOPE.

Add combo wizard mode (Both) -------- KIND OF IMPLEMENTED (DEADPOOL)

Add combo count to instant info (Both) - -------- IMPLEMENTED

Stop timers for other modes when Nightcrawler is out or have a hit count towards that shot. (LE) -------- NOT THAT I CAN TELL

Allow option of disabling collected heroes (Both) -------- NOPE. WHY WAS THIS SUGGESTED?!?!

Factor current combo count into total bonus each ball (Both) -------- NOPE

Combo bonus if completed heroes are part of combo (both) -------- NOPE

Combo jackpot (collected at scoop) after certain number of jackpots (adjustable) (Both) -------- NOPE

Deadpool mode should be a fast scoring mode after a certain number of combos are reached (Both) ------- NOT FAST SCORING, BUT HE IS REACHED VIA COMBO. I LIKE HIS CURRENT IMPLEMENTATION BETTER THAN HIM JUST BEING A FAST SCORING MODE.

DMD callout and animation for Iceman combo mode initiation (LE) -------- NOPE

Battle for Humanity wizard mode after completing Magneto SJP, Danger Room, and Dark Phoenix. (Both) -------- NOPE

Get rid of the "Complete Targets to Qualify Multiball" text screen. Show it only once, if at all, when you hit the targets the first time. (Both) --------- NOPE

Add a Hellfire screen that shows how many targets have been hit (i.e. same type of screen as BH, but with flames). (Both) -------- NOPE

Add short type of "super pops" after collecting Gambit hurry-up. (Both) -------- NOPE, BUT GAMBIT HURRY UP IS WORTH WAY MORE POINTS NOW, SO GAMBIT IS LEGIT ON HIS OWN, WITHOUT ANY ADDITIONAL REWARD

Use the Iceman ramp flasher when the Iceman ramp is about to move. (LE) -------- NOPE.

Keep lock lights lit during villain selection (helps in decision making) (Both) ------- NOPE.

Add attract sounds to the flipper buttons (Both) -------- IMPLEMENTED

Sound effect when a combo is made (Both) ------- NOPE.

Change mutants in Xavier mode from the ones on the playfield to other mutants like Shadowcat (Kitty Pryde), Polaris, Cannonball, Wolfsbane, etc. (Both) -------- NOPE

Super spinner is Lit has two different screens appear that state basically the same thing when super spinner started from scoop. Are both needed? (Both) -------- I HAVE YET TO EVEN SEE SUPER SPINNER ANYMORE. IT MAY HAVE BEEN TAKEN OUT ALTOGETHER, WHICH IS FINE BY ME, SUPER SPINNER WAS USELESS PRETTY MUCH.

Disable combos during multiball. No way to accurately track them. (Both) ------ NOPE. ACTUALLY A GOOD THING THIS WASNT DISABLED, MULTIBALLS ARE A GREAT TIME NOW TO ATTAIN COMBOS TOWARDS HIRING DEADPOOL.

Gambit pop bumper animation overrides other animations on the DMD that are more important. (Both) -------- IMPLEMENTED, FROM WHAT I CAN TELL.

Bugs:
Combo extra ball does not light after reaching setting as listed in adjustments ------- ADDRESSED. EXTRA BALL IS NOW GIVEN AFTER 10 UNIQUE COMBOS, AND CAN BE ADJUSTED IN THE MENU.

Nightcrawler appears repeatedly when three or six heroes are complete and one is completed again. (Both) --------- NC NOW ONLY APPEARS AFTER 3 AND 6 HERO COMPLETIONS. HAVENT PAYED ATTENTION TO SEE IF HE STILL APPEARS AFTER THE FORST BEATEN VILLAIN AFTER 3 HEROES HAVE BEEN COLLECTED.

Professor X screen showing mutant silhouette should display when a Villian is running. (Both) ------- ADDRESSED! IF YOU START PROF. X MODE DURING A VILLAIN NOW, THE MYSTERY MUTANT SHOT WILL AUTOMATICALLY FLASH, NO NEED TO SEE THE SILHOUETTE. THIS BASICALLY SPOTS YOU THE FIRST XAVIER SHOT WHICH REVEALS WHERE THE MUTANT SHOT IS. I ASSUME THIS WAS DONE DUE TO DOT ANIMATION CLUTTERING UP AND TRADING OFF DURING THE TWO MODES AT THE SAME TIME.

Lower the priority of Gambit pop bumper hits to only show when nothing else is active. (both) ------- IMPLEMENTED

Don't light orbit shots (including right orbit Lock) when the shots don't count (ie. after ball launch). (Both) -------- HAVENT TAKEN THE TIME TO TEST, YET.

Orbits shots (Beast & Phoenix, and Lock) should become active as soon as another switch is hit in single ball mode. (Both) -------- HAVENT TESTED, YET

Xavier shot is lit during Nightcrawler but doesn't advance Nightcrawler. (Pro) ------- ADDRESSED FROM WHAT I HAVE HEARD. XAVIER IS NOW A VALID SHOT DURING NC ON PROS

Iceman ramp red arrow flashes during his mode. Unneeded as Iceman insert is already flashing. (Pro) -------- ADDRESSED! THE RED ARROW IS NO LONGER LIT DURING ICEMAN MODE.

In Xavier mode, the shot for Iceman is the Storm ramp and not the Iceman ramp (no mutant is found at the Iceman ramp). (Both) -------- NOPE

In the light show of available targets at the start of Xavier mode, the bottom Brotherhood target does not flash even though it is a spot that a mutant may be hiding ------- NOPE. THE LOWEST BH TARGET STILL DOES NOT LIGHT.

Storm shot is counted when Xavier mode starts. This is with hero stacking turned on or off. (Pro/LE) ------- ADDRESSED, NO LONGER COUNTS.

Even though most of this is a "NOPE", I really don't think this means that this update is shit in the least. Most of our requests were flights of fantasy and asking more than they could possibly fit into one update for a title that's no longer in production. Most of the "bugs" that were reported above really were just nit-picky. All the gameplay affecting bugs were addressed, aside from Xavier mode's animation priority.

But this update is a success, in my eyes. Anyone that looks at the above and is pissed or turns their nose up to Stern for not implementing everything we wanted is an A-hole and has entitlement issues. Deadpool is awesome and adds extra strategy and really puts the focus on completing combos, DP mode is now more attainable, thanks to Deadpool, and has really neat rules, despite its 10 minute timer. Scoring is rounded up when you re-complete modes etc. just a good update all around. Better than getting nothing or taking two steps back. Be happy XM owners, be happy. And excellent game has become more bodacious, despite its flaws. Still a solid game. And who knows, I'm sure Borg would say "never say never" as far as XM never getting another code update. Should we expect or think we're owed more updates for XM? I don't think so anymore, but just like TRON; if a year or so from now they have the extra time to come back to it and smoothing things out, all the better.

Congrats everyone and enjoy your new game!

NOTE- updated "General Stuffs" with new mystery scoop award info

Yeah, even with the text and placeholder rules. Wizard Multiball is a mode that probably 3 or 4 world class players will ever see, so given the time they had for this update, it would probably have been very low on the priority list. For them to revamp and make time to complete this is silly. Of course I'd love to have another wizard with fleshed out rules and animations, but it's a mode that hardly any of us will ever see legitimately anyways, so I'm fine with leaving it as is....and I'm sure Stern and Borg are happy with that also. And they should be happy; it's a good game

And, as I said, there's ALWAYS a chance that a year or so from now they'll revisit it for shits and giggles, like they did with TRON. But I'm done with thinking "we" are "owed" another update, I'm content with what there is now, the gameplay now feels much more connected.

If anything, my biggest critique of the things not included in this update is the fact that there are still no victory laps for WX, HFC and BH multiballs. But like I said, they only had so much time, I'm sure, so they had to prioritize.

Exactly. Well put Aurich.

And thanks, doing all this testing and stuff is my bag, I love this stuff! Especially when it's such a deep and personality filled game!

Sad thing is: now that code is out for XM and on its way soon for MET, my Stern embargo is lifting and I'm gonna get a ST premium pretty soon........so my new rule sheet project begins.....back to the drawing board

Thanks Keith, I'll have to retest, obviously. I had it right the fist time I guess,lol. But I had a game where, you're right, I must have stacked him because I failed Shadow King and then started Mags and still had Deadpool going.

They can still be restarted. However, the points scale upwards each time you complete the same hero mode again, so you'll keep getting more and more points for starting them, so at least restarting completed hero modes isn't a complete waste of time, they are actually quite lucrative now to restart.

Okay, I tested and retested this, and my revised assumption still stands:

If you do not defeat a villain while Deadpool is hired, he is STILL ACTIVE for the next time you start a villain, assuming you don't drain your ball.

I tested and confirmed this in multiple ways. For instance:

-I hired Deadpool, and the current combo count was 10.
-started Sabertooth
-made shots and got Sabertooth down until he was on the final shot
-timed out mode without beating him
-apron and playfield flashers were still pulsing, signifying Deadpool still being active
-instant info showed me with 11 total combos
-completed lane to re light villain at scoop
-shot scoop and started Omega Red
-Deadpool still active during the entirety of Omega Red.

Correct. Noted in my Deadpool section. He's also useable w/MagsMB

Yes, unique combo extra ball award is new.

Yeah, sorry about that. It's confusing to explain properly in detail, but the overall "point" to Deadpool is that you hire him for bonus damage during villains to make them easier to defeat. Deadpool can add damage even for hitting shots during villain modes that AREN'T lit. I assume it's a certain number of total switch hits that auto triggers the bonus damage from Deadpool, because hitting Clop's spinner seems to always activate the bonus damage while Deadpool is active.

The mystery scoop award for WXMB, from what I have tested so far, seems to only activate when you've already played WXMB once before and failed to finish it. I actually like that award after thinking about it, because you need to beat that mode anyways to get to DR, and if you failed the first time, it saves you some dangerous Wolvie hits. The whole concept of the mystery awards auto starting attempted but failed Hero modes is great for helping the player reach DR a tad bit easier. Takes some of the grinding away and cuts you some slack.

Made corrections to the bugs section addressed on the previous page. These were changed:

:::::::::::XAVIER DURING VILLAIN MODES:::::::::::
Got to the bottom of the no Xavier DMD animations during villain mode. I tested this further tonight because it seemed silly that this wasn't addressed to me because it makes Xavier almost impossible during villains. Thankfully, they DID address the issue, just not in the way we were expecting.

If you start Xavier now during a villain, the mystery mutant shot is automatically revealed and lit on the playfield, so you can see which shot to go for without having to see the silhouette or hit the first Xavier shot to reveal the mutant. I assume they went this route because of awkward choreography between having to switch between the Xavier animations and the villain animations. I'm fine with this, it's like a little bonus for stacking Xavier into a villain mode, rather than by himself.

:::::::::::::ICEMAN MODE RED ARROW:::::::::::::
This, turns out. Is addressed. Don't know why I didn't think it was; I'm an idiot. Anyways, the red arrow is no longer lit during Iceman's mode; it is now just the iceman shot insert.

:::::::::::::LOWEST BH TARGET NOT LIGHTING DURING XAVIER SEARCH MODE INTRO:::::::::::::
I had this down as not knowing, so I went back and payed attention. It still does not light during the Xavier mode beginning "search" sequence.

I will test this out right now to confirm.....

Okay fellas, tested and confirmed that the "Wizard Multiball" priority is still "bugged". Started DR, then beat Mags and then beat all villains and it skips DP and goes right to Wizard Multiball.

Correct. The inverse is true: if you get to DP, then beat Mags and then collect all heroes, is skips DR and goes to Wizard Multiball.

If I had to wildly postulate what might be causing this kind of bug, it's that the Wizard Multiball qualifiers are "worded" wrong in the code. In example:

I THINK (not sure here, just educatedly guessing) that the way Wizard multiball is currently qualified is worded as:
(In any order)
-collect all heroes
-beat all villain modes
-collect Mags SJP

How it SHOULD be (again, a guess, people) "worded" for qualifying is:
(In any order)
-at least START DR
-at least START DP
-collect Mags SJP

This seems like a minor word phrasing technicality, but that would cause the game to get confused on what is currently qualified. Since both starting DP or DR aren't specifically a qualifier for Wizard Multiball, it doesn't wait to it to be played to start. So that's why I assume as it currently is, unless you collect the Mags SJP LAST, you will miss out on whatever the last Wizard mode is you're supposed to start.

Deadpool seems to be a switch based mode, from all the testing I've done. So it's not quite as easy as "shoot a shot and do extra damage". My theory is that there's a certain number of total "hits" needed for Deadpool to smdo extra damage. Usually when this approach is taken to modes, "normal" switches are "worth" a certain amount, and pops and spinner switches are "worth" a different amount.

So, hypothetically let's say that Deadpool is set to do damage for every 50 "hits" on the play field. Normal switches are worth 3 "hits" and spinner/pop switches are worth 1 "hit" each.

So a Clops--->Storm----->iceman combo, with Deadpool active would worth:
-let's say the spinner spins 10 times, so 10 hits
-Clop's lane switch, 3 hits
-Storm entrance, 3 hits
-Storm mid , 3 hits
-left return lane switch, 3 hits
-iceman entrance, 3 hits
-iceman mid, 3 hits.

So that combo total would count as 28 hits towards Deadpool's damage trigger total, whatever that is. But that's why Clop's shot seems so effective when he's active, because if you rip a good spinner on there, you gain massive ground to whatever got total triggers the bonus damage.

I very well could be completely wrong, and all totals and numbers are fabrications for the sake of explaining my hypothesis in how he works.

And for what it's worth; I don't think the Wizard Multiball priority thing is enough to turn this game into a mess, people. This update has a bunch of other excellent things to round out scoring and Deadpool makes the game very fun and puts an all new emphasis on the combos, it's a blast to play, guys!! Don't let one bug ruin our day, there's plenty of good stuff to enjoy!

If you're reaching DP, DR and beating Mags too "easily" for your liking, just adjust the difficulties and keep the game challenging! That's what the adjustments are for! I personally love playing around with the settings and times on XM since it's so customizable, makes it feel like a new game every time! Really love this game and embrace it, despite its few "flaws"

But then again, just my opinion. Haters gonna hate; and what gets under your craw is gonna get under your craw...no changing that I guess

It's not a bug, if it were everyone would be experiencing it. When this happened in the past, the issue was mechanical; the shaft where the ramp connects to has prabavly slipped slightly, causing it to be off timing. Go into the audits and do a coil test for the iceman ramp. Move it from side to side until it stops short of where it is heading, and then manually move the ramp to its proper resting position where it was heading to. This has always fixed it for me in the past. Happened twice, last time was about 8 months ago.

If in the menus the switch acts fine, just start a game with the glass off and activate iceman mode and wait for the ramp to stick again and manually move it to where it's supposed to be and this should fix it

Nah, thanks for the compliment though

I'm just trying to help out as best I can to make sure that everyone has fun playing and knows what's going on because the game is intimidating, to say the least.

If I were really smart, I would have just played the new update, rather than spending hours with the glass off testing,lol!

Yeah, it's a great idea for a mode and very interesting, but it's way over-long and scores way too much comparative to everything else in the game. Even the SJP for DP tragically pales in comparison to hundreds of millions you score during the mode.

The mode should have been a 3-4 minute mode with each sector on a 20 sec timer, with the maximum JP shot payout being 1.5-2mil, not 9mil.....that's just crazy.

Yeah....sorry about the screeching heads up,lol. I was too busy paying attention to mapping what was going on

I'll find time to test this on mine to confirm and report back.

Okay, I tested on my machine, and was NOT able to duplicate your findings, so I would t call it an official "bug" yet. Unless I missed a step here.

I have an LE,miso if you have a pro, then maybe it might be a hiccup in the pro software *shrugs*

This is what I did, based on what you wrote:

::::::::::::::::NOTE: I DID THIS METHOD BOTH WITH HERO STACKING ON AND OFF, AND GOT THE SAME RESULTS::::::::::::::::

-I qualified DR at the scoop.
-started WXMB
-played WXMB for a bit, then drained back down to one ball to stop WXMB
-DR was still lit at scoop directly after WXMB, contrary to what happened on your machine.

So I dunno what could have caused that on your machine, possibly you had another hero running, as you said? Was Wolvie previously completed before you restarted him? Or what he still un-completed, but DR was still qualified due to Hero stacking on?

Weird, I started testing again, due to something I was seeing during earlier testing of Judremy's issue.....

I don't know how I messed it up, or if there's certain criteria that needs to be achieved, but it does NOT appear that Deadpool helps during MagsMB after all. I have taken that statement out of my DEADPOOL section for the time being as a result. I could have sworn of a couple of occasions during my initial testing that I saw Deadpool's animation during MagsMB, but I must have been mistaken, sorry. :/. Embarrassing.

HOWEVER, I think I have found a reason why Mags seems easier now; it's really difficult for me to 100% test with certainty but it seems as if the more heroes you have started/completed at the beginning of MagsMB, the more damage you do per shot, depending on whether that hero corresponding to that shot is started/collected or not.

This is different from the previous code; previously if heroes were started/collected their shot did more damage than non-started heroes. But that damage done was static: 6 dots I believe for every started/collected hero shot. But now the shots seem to scale upwards in some way dependent on how many heroes are started/collected together. It may not sound like a difference, but it is because if you've collected, say, 5 or more heroes before starting Mags, the started/collected hero shots are going to do way more damage now, while the non-started hero shots will just be okay. It's weird and it's very difficult for me to keep track exactly as to the damage output for everything, and the dots of damage seem to inconsistent. But one thing that is noticeable is e amount of damage given on a single shot goes up dynamically based on how many heroes you have started/collected.

Whew. Well that was long winded,lol.

Adjusted GENERAL STUFFS section to reflect the confirmed reports by Sk8ball about Sabertooth and Shadow King mode score scaling.

I've tried to turn down the volume for music all the way and turn up the voice volume all the way, but I honestly can't hear a difference at all.

I have stock speakers, anyone here that have FF or an external sub get better callouts volume from them?

:::::::::UPDATES::::::::

Updated the GENERAL STUFFS section to reflect the following:

-Confirmed that Juggs, like Shadow King and Sabertooth, has had the number of shots needed to beat reduced. Another change in Juggs mode now is that the Clops spinner increases JP value, which was different than before.

-Added my confirmed findings of my MagsMB damage theory. Damage per shot is increased depending upon how many xmen you have at the beginning of the round. The JPs also scale upwards for every completion of his mode, just like the other multiballs seem to do now.

Also found out why I thought Deadpool helped during MagsMB, when in fact he doesn't: I had MagsMB stacked with a villain mode that I Deadpool was already helping in :/. D'oh!

Yes he did, it was this way in 1.30. Hitting mags reset all the hero shots. The only exception to this rule is if you happened to hit all the of the lit started/collected hero shots before hitting mags; then the only ones that would light are only the started/collected hero shots. That is also the same in 1.50. The only change to this procedure in 1.50 is that there is now text under the Mags animation saying that the JPs have been recharged.

The Mags shot reset was documented in my 1.24 rule sheet/thread actually, I think.

Yup, got the same confirmation as well. Although I have a feeling the solution will be to just remove Wizard Multiball altogether, which is fine by me. I doubt that new dots are in the cards, as that would involve approval and all that garbage by Marvel/Disney, and I'm sure Waison and Borg are out of time on XM, so I would rationally assume this next update would just be some bug fixes, but I honestly wouldn't hold my breath for any "new" features to be added.

DR and DP are both awesome and great finales to XM, having a skeleton of a Wizard mode with drastically undervalued points is just a roadblock. I'd much rather get back to replaying the modes for the now scaled up points and difficulty for hero starts.

Precisely. It's more so a feat in patience and overcoming boredom than anything else. With reDONKulous points. All we can hope is that we know that Stern employees read this board, and that if they see enough of us requesting the mode timers and scoring to be reduced, the more likely it will be that Waison will make the changes while he's fixing the bugs real quick.

:::::::::UPDATED::::::::

I've updated the DEADPOOL section with the following:

Here is how Deadpool affects the different villain modes:
-Sabertooth: Does bonus damage even when hitting unlit shots, except SJP; you still gotta hit Wolvie for that.
-Shadow King: Does bonus Damage/progression even when hitting unlit shots, except for the SJP; you still gotta hit Xavier for that.
-HFC and BH multiballs: Bonus damage while hitting lit or unlit shots
-Juggernaut: adds JP score increases to every shot when activated, not just the orbits.
-Sentinels: each lit shot, Except for Wolvie, Damage BOTH Sentinels at once, not just one at a time!
-Omega Red: does bonus damage/progression even when hitting unlit shots, except for SJP; you still gotta hit Wolvie for that.

Also updated the GENERAL STUFFS section by taking away the statement about Clops' spinner increasing JP value durning Juggs' mode, as it turns out to be a Deadpool bonus, not a normal mode feature.

I think Waison always was good, he was just REALLY ambitious with XM, it would have been a beast for anyone to code, let alone his first pinball programming! I'm very interested to see his work heading up titles in huge future.

Yeah, I can see that point, but the timers are still way too long, and it just seems kinda silly that you can score over twice what you can score the rest of huge game in DP alone. It's just more unbalanced than I'd like it to have been. Still a rush to get to it though, very exciting! I'm not saying they need to completely nerf the points, just adjust it slightly so you're not scoring 300million+ in that mode alone. DR is somewhere around the 100-150mil Mark when beaten, which seems about right.

Even if it stays the way it is, I'll be happy. I hope my criticism of DP mode isn't coming off as me not liking it or appreciating it, because I definitely like it and appreciate it. To me, if it gets adjusted, cool! If not: cool!

I've never had that happen so far Jason, I tested it given your explanation and wasn't able to recreate your results. Seems like a fluke to me. Anyone else have this happen?

After the first time you beat MagsMB, or just the first time you initiate it? Just asking so I can test it when I get a chance.

I can confirm this as a bug. It's still in there in 1.51 as well.

I'm sad that the Deadpool "bug" in multiplayer is gone. I really enjoyed that little quirk and it was perfectly in line with Deadpool's character. Oh well.

DP feels much more balanced and challenging now. The scoop rewards and Storm and rogue timer decreases make it much more manageable and attainable.

FWIW, I think there will be further bug fixes down the road, for the following reasons:

1) On 1.51 when testing today; when I got the Mags SJP, got to DR then got to DP after DP all the inserts were still lit. I drained the ball and all inserts were still lit. So it seems as if there was an oversight by Waison in that he took out Wizard Multiball, but forgot to change the "qualifier" for resetting the hero and villain inserts. So (I think) how it still is; the hero and villain lights are set to reset and unlight after getting to Wizard Multiball, but without a Wizard Multiball anymore, there's nothing to "tell" the inserts to reset. I should qualify this by saying that when I tested I did NOT check to see if getting a Mags SJP again AFTER getting to both DR and DP would reset the inserts, but I can confirm that having him beat before getting to DR to DP does not trigger the inserts changing.

2) There is still a bug from 1.5 that hasn't been dealt with where if after you've played Mags once already, whether you beat him or not, and get the "award lock" blackbird award; it does not work and award the lock.

I will also go on record as saying, again, even though I never brought it up on these boards because I suspected it may have not been intentional: the Deadpool multiplayer "bug" was actually a pretty good "accidental" idea. Basically during a multiplayer game if one player "hired" Deadpool, but drained before they were able to start a villain to use him, the next player could "steal" Deadpool and use him, even if they didn't meet the combo requirements. I thought this was actually really neat and fit Deadpool's "mercenary" ways. He doesn't care who hired him, he'll fight for whoever uses him first ^_^. I thought it was really nice nuance to the mode/character.

I would like to see it come back, but with an adjustable "Deadpool Mercenary Mode" on/off in the menus. It was a fun little quirk.

I already sent things in, so it's up to Waison/Stern what gets addressed or not. But I suppose a separate thread couldn't hurt. As long as we stay on point with it and keep it to pointing out bugs, not new features, suggestions or preferences. At this point I assume Waison is done for the immediate future with XM code, so we might get a little fix code here and there, but I think the new features ship has sailed for the time being.

Oooooo! Good point! I'll have to test it out. Usually specials will go up for an extra ball/credit if you've had a particularly low scoring game as a concession.

What light shows does it not light for? In attract mode mine lights up. Give me modes/instances where it won't light so I can test an confirm for LEs

Set high from the menus, or by getting combined added time from beating Sentinels?

I would concur currently with this. With how fast we got 1.51, it seems very obvious to me that John and Waison really do care about rounding out XM and leaving everyone as happy as possible, and that means cleaning out as many game-hindering bugs as is possible as quickly as possible so they can "move on". So I would personally stick with 1.50 for now, 1.51 has some minor bug fixes, and took out Wizard Multiball, which in turn made a bug where the hero and villain inserts don't reset. So sticking with 1.5 for now is fine, until the inevitable 1.52 ,or whatever the next update will be, releases.

1.5 is also a good one to keep around because of the "up for grabs" Deadpool in multiplayer.....I think it's really a neat gameplay feature. Hopefully Waison, or someone reads this and decides to put that behavior back in, but make it adjustable so It can be disabled for tournament play.

No clue, honestly. I tried to reproduce those results and always went straight to Wizard Multiball in 1.50.

And besides; what does it matter? I'd rather have DP than have Wizard a Multiball overtake it, lol . And a moot point to report as a bug since in 1.51 going forward Wizard Multiball is gone.

I definitely understand your point, I guess I'm just optimistic about another update. And I'm in agreeance that, as it currently stands, 1.50 is the better option.

I still was unable to replicate the behavior on my XM when I tested. I reverted backt o 1.5 just to test your scenario and couldn't figure out how to get it so that Wizard Multiball didn't overtake DP. Not to say that there isn't a way, it obviously happened for you, I just can't seem to find the variable quirk in there at caused it at the moment. I'll keep testing.

I'll articulate as best I can, but I still don't know exactly *why* it happens.

While in DP I lost the first section (left) due to timeout, then as soon as the 2nd section (right) timed out the Center section (and mode) ended a few seconds later, even though I had ample time left on the center section. Keith has also noticed the same behavior with almost identical results, but I still can't figure out exactly why the section(s) time out prematurely. I've submitted the issue to Stern, so now it's up to "them" to fix it, whenever that will be.

Dug is correct. You were never able to collect the same Hero again during Rogue. At least that's what I can say for an LE. I dunno if the pro had a bug in the previous software or not.