Love it. Great option! I sure hope Stern is reading this. Anyone chat to anyone at Stern about this minor code tweak?

Stay tuned!!!

Well that would make it too easy. I've been to DoD hurry up at least 5 times now.

Thats why it would be great as a menu setting. In other words it would be OPTIONAL.

Yes, I would love it to be the multiball instead of the hurry up; would be awesome. Give us that option Stern.

Completely agree, well said

Bowen mentioned on C2C that this was probably due to not wanting both magnets going at the same time, which I guess makes sense. It seems like that would be really easy to deal with in code though - if monger is up, just don't use the whiplash magnet. No biggie. :shrug:

You sir are a winner. Yes was the pesky ever hard to get Drones insert not flashing.

Yeah, seems like any semi-creative person could find an easy work around just as you suggested if it truly was a hardware limitation. I'd find it hard to believe that having two magnets pulsing at the same time would be that big a strain on the system though, considering everything else that happens routinely in a pinball machine (both flippers being mashed at the same time while a sling engages and maybe a pop bumper during multiball all while a gear motor is raising Iron Monger - - would two more magnets make a difference... maybe...)

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After clocking a ton of time into my game over the last week, I think two War Machine qualifications (16 drones) would be sufficiently challenging. It's not like anything asides from Iron Monger is easy anyway--Whiplash is one tough multiball to complete, as is War Machine (hitting those first four drone targets is the hardest for me, before lighting the ramp/orbit jackpots). The Iron Man targets aren't a joke either--it's tough getting to level three of those, which locks in your insert. Point is, 32 drones is overkill for a game that's already challenging enough as-is.

I can live without a better skillshot, but it would be nice to have some more options.

I haven't read through this whole thread, so my bad if this was already mentioned: BETTER "instant info" when holding a flipper. It's annoying to not know something important like how many more shots needed for Whiplash multiball.

The latest code already has this info for both Whiplash and War Machine.

I could live with that. Still seems hard as heck though...they should drop Iron Man to qualify to level 2...

It should all be customizable. We can lower or raise difficulty for some but not all?

I just don't understand the rationale for the drone requirement. It's excessive. Aesthetically, why 4 instead of 3 to at least match the Iron Man target set requirement.

What is further puzzling about the choice of 4 sets is that no further progress can made toward drones until each WM MB is played and no additional drone progress can made during WM or while playing any other multiball. WM can't be brought in as a multiball while playing any other multiball since the drones are paused (just like no IM target progress in multiball). Given 90-95% of the games will never have an extra ball, 4 WM multiballs in 3 balls is some serious work. The natural side to side action of the game makes the IM requirement more feasible. Tough, but doable.

I seriously doubt that at release anyone had physically tested the DoDMB rules sufficiently via actual gameplay to determine if the drone requirements even made sense. Someone decided "4 drone sets sounds good" as if 8 drone hits and WM MB happen every other moment. A little gameplay demonstrates 32 is a lot of drones.

At this point, 5 years later of widespread comments about chasing the DoDMB unicorn, there is enough feedback to conclude the DoDMB requirnents are too severe given the other rule limitations. A very basic change in the rules (example-change the counter from 4 to 3 or 2) would be a huge step.

I love this game, but am always wanting just a little refinement in the rules

I'm determined to keep this thread alive till Stern at least says it's pointless to ask them to make this tiny refinement for their playing base. It is so clear it is needed.

Heck, I've bought Iron Man twice! I've bought the right to complain a bit.

I think just changing Drones from 4 sets to 3 would satisfy. It would still be near impossible, but not literally impossible for all but maybe 10 people on earth to achieve.

I've had all inserts flashing except Drones about 5 times. It's disheartening to be crushing the game and know you'll never be able to truly beat it.

Super skill shot would help speed the game up as it does get tiring waiting for the ball to finish in the pops for the game to start. Zero actual skill hitting the skill shot.

I'm normally one to say stop bitching and get better, but DODMB is almost not possible unless you're playing 5 ball or have outlanes on the easiest setting.

I don't know that Lyman even owns an Iron Man, someone want to drop their game off with him for a little bit?

I'm in the twice club as well!

Yeah, I'd lend him mine if I thought it would get this minor update to the rules in. Unfortunately I live a long way from him.

And I have come around to this way of thinking. Adding the number of drone sets required as a setting would be ideal. I will still never see it, but I could then hold the hope of seeing it. That is what makes a game great in my eyes. I know Valinor is miles away from me, but I've almost been able to do everything that would be required (still an issue with ROTK for me). On IM I love the games where I get the DoD Hurryup. I love when I get Whiplash flashing, but that never happens when I get Monger flashing. I want to be able to accomplish everything, but I'd have to play out of my mind to get them all in one game.

Didn't think I would--even with "easy" outlanes--but I got to Do or Die MB tonight while streaming. Now I'm going to have to open the outlanes all the way and see what's possible.

I still think the setting should be lower on the Drones, but it was a rush getting to it as-is.

You are a great player

Most impressive!

Anyone know if Iron Man will get the code update?

Excellent! Congrats on discovering the Loch Ness Monster, that's something I didn't think we'd ever see. Awesome!!!

Thanks! I know there have been accounts of people doing it, but am glad I was able to get it on video so others know for sure it's possible, even if it's only with the posts all the way in (still a drain monster at that, but I digress).

Funny enough, I actually completed Drones two or three times during that stream session. Whiplash was always the hang up.. One thing I'm not a huge fan of with the rules is how on default settings, the second Whiplash takes 10 hits to start.. Ugh. I know it can be adjusted, but I prefer to play on default software settings.

So how exactly do you finish Whiplash? I've done it before, but never quite figured it out. Heck, the only mode I know HOW to finish is War Machine, so any help you can give would be appreciated.

I totally understand how to get to DoD and Jericho, can do those with regularity, but knowing exactly how to finish modes remains something of a mystery even after owning it for a year and playing it constantly...

All right, I'll detail the five main modes and how to finish them to clear things up for anyone else wondering. When I first played the game, some of them were confusing (or at least different from what I was used to in similar rulesets, like Avatar or The Rolling Stones).

Whiplash - Step 1. Collect 5 jackpots (all main shots including Whiplash are lit permanently for jackpots); Step 2. All jackpot shots then disappear and Whiplash must be hit twice; Step 3. All shots re-light and 10 jackpots need to be collected; Step 4. Whiplash lights for the Super Jackpot (hit Whiplash once to collect; Whiplash mode insert moves from being solid to flashing). 18 shots total, not counting what it takes to start Whiplash.

War Machine - 1. Hit all four Drone targets once each; 2. Orbits, ramps and center spinner light for jackpots. Each must be hit once; 3. Super Jackpot lights on War Machine (Hit War Machine once to collect; insert begins flashing).

Iron Monger - 1. Hit Iron Monger a bunch of times, then collect the Super Jackpot on the center spinner (Iron Monger insert begins flashing).

Iron Man - 1. Complete three sets of Iron Man standup targets. Modes must play out/time out before you can start working on the next bank of IRON MAN letters; 2. First set is Fast Scoring; Second set is 2X playfield; Third set is Iron Man Scoring (Iron Man insert begins flashing when third set/Iron Man Scoring is qualified).

Drones - 1. Hit 32 Drone standup targets; 2. Every 8 Drone targets, War Machine multiball needs to be played to relight the next set of Drone targets. 3. Basically, qualify War Machine multiball four times (Drones insert begins flashing; fourth multiball doesn't need to be played, just lit/ready).

What does it mean when you are playing a mode and when it ends the light for that mode is blinking instead of just solid? Last night I was playing Whiplash and when the mode was over, the light was blinking. It seems like it was even blinking on the next ball, like it carried over.

It means you did the above.... hit all 18 shots. Whiplash is now qualified for DoD MB.

How many total balls did you play?

It means you finished the mode and if you drain, the insert will stay lit. Finish all five inserts, and Do or Die Multiball lights on the center spinner.

I don't remember off the top of my head, but I think it was four. I'd have to refer back to the video. After I got to DoD MB and came out of it, I had another EB or two that I ended up playing out afterwards.

So, I just set up my new Iron Man VE Refinery Edition last night. It is my second NIB Iron Man . . . I still haven't seen do or die multiball. I would like a code update that allows me to maybe possibly in one day see the mode.

Absolutely!

No - a truly improved game deserves improved code!

No one ever legitimately reached DoDMB, correct?

Not a single person, ever.

You are joking right? (post 222)

Look at his settings and outlanes.

Didn't look at his settings (said it was a 4 ball game) and I would hazard that many if not most IM's in the home have their outlanes on the narrow setting by now.

What is the narrow setting? Mine is from the Stern factory as is.

"Legitmate" is a grey area when you are talking about an extremely difficult wizard mode to get to. How many have gotten to Valinor or the TSPP wizard modes without extra balls or other tweaks? I doubt many.

In my case, I will be moving my posts all the way out and will see how close I can get to it. Generally I think it's good practice to leave a machine "easy" (not that IM is ever easy) when you are new to a game, especially when the wizard mode is notoriously difficult to achieve. My philosophy is to continually make it harder until you can't quite achieve it.

True; but at least it is generally possible to hit Valinor; it is an attainable if not far reaching goal for many. DoDMB is not reasonably attainable...but your video is certainly impressive.

The table in this video needs to jack up its pitch...game is way more fun and challenging when it's FAST!

Hm.. People say that, but I'm not sure. I haven't gotten to Valinor yet. Then again, I haven't owned a LOTR either. One of these days..

It could probably be pitched up just a bit, but more than anything it needs another good cleaning and a coat of wax. I've been playing the living **** out of it, so it gets dirty quickly.

*Edit - something else I forgot to mention is I had been playing the game for about two hours straight before I got to DoD MB, so the flippers were considerably weak by that point.

Well, I'm curious, when you say "easy" outlanes, does that mean in the last outlane hole (closed)?

And let's be fair here, we are not saying you are not a good player, but it's hard to compare to most of us that don't set our games on easy.. who knows what I could have gotten with the outlines closed over the past 5 years of ownership on IM. But, I did set my outlines to "easy" many years ago for my wife, just before I sold my IM machine #1, and the game was so easy it was boring to me. This was only for about a week and I felt it ruined the fun of the game. I didn't feel that the achievements I got on it while the outlines were set to easy were legitimate at that time.

And I have a different philosophy on setting up a game, set it up harder to see what I can't achieve, and if it just seems to drain way too much, move the posts in one slot until the drains are more reasonable and work on my skill. Then, when I achieve the wizard modes, I feel like I've earned them and they are special. I don't want to get them on easy and feel like I didn't earn them the way I should have. I want the wizard modes to be something special and a reward for patiently mastering the game. Just the way I feel about it, not knocking the way you do it.

BTW, I missed machine #1 the moment it left my house, and I bought a second NIB (first run) months later and still have that machine. Don't think it will ever leave my collection.. and I know I mean never on this one.

Yes, upper posts all the way down (fourth slot).

On a side note, I don't know if it's been mentioned earlier in the thread, but does anyone know what the default setting is? I want to change the posts this weekend if possible but don't want to move them to the top slot if I don't have to.

Yeah, that makes sense. When I got Avatar, the prior owner had the lanes on the easiest settings. I had to move them out almost immediately because I was having really long games and got to the wizard mode (Final Battle) on the first night I had it. Iron Man though.. I don't know. It was tough right when I got it, even with the easy settings, thanks to the slings sitting higher than the lower outlane posts. But I suppose it also depends on what sort of achievements we are talking about here.

That's one way to do it. Depending on the machine and how quickly I adapt to it, I'll do it the same way. However, for games that are notoriously difficult, I'm more a fan of going the "Easier, then Harder" strategy, although "easy" for me is usually just adding a couple of extra balls to the mix, then dropping those down by one or two until I have to force myself to do it on three-ball play/tournament style (no EBs). I'd just rather not be wondering for five years if it's even possible to attain a wizard mode.

I never close my outlanes either. I prefer to play a game on factory post and software settings. The previous owner of this machine had the lanes closed off, and knowing IM is supposed to be brutal, I decided to leave them in while getting used to the game. I've had it for a little over three weeks now so I'm going to move them back up to whatever the default setting is, how I like my games set. I'm going to leave EBs on and see if I can come close to DoD MB again.

I'm wondering how long I'll be holding on to this one. No machine this past year has really held my attention for more than a couple of months, but nearing the one month mark with IM, I am still playing the hell out of it. Lots of good challenge involved, and it's a game that always requires skill. That appeals to me and I'm still really digging the machine.

Default is third hole down (so not the VERY bottom hole, but one up from it).

Really? I thought default was wide open?

my VE came 1 up from the bottom.