3rd Wizard mode yet to be reveled remember that.

As I had hoped. Yay.

I like the option to do so strategically...on STTNG and LOTR I will occasionally time out a mode (Battle Simulation, anyone?) if I'm having a good game, but the boredom of doing that repeatedly (and the low game scores that accompany it) generally keeps me from abusing it.

Come to think of it, both of those games have significant rewards attached to actively playing a mode (items and gifts from the elves, respectively) so that plays a role in the strategy. Unclear if XM will have such rewards.

Mode progression memory a la TF is for me the best of both worlds.

That sounds like a good thing.

I was also just thinking. The fact that the mode insert is flashing if it has been attempted but solid if it is beat gives me hope that there is probably some reason (besides points) that a mode should be beat and not just attempted.

I'm hoping after the weekend and more people getting the game, more of these types of rules questions will be answered. I still haven't heard how to qualify a villian mode.

I've never had a mode based game that had that feature, but when I heard about it on TF, I thought it sounded like a cool thing to have. I think progression memory or being able to work toward other goals while in a mode are a must for my method of play.

PS: Just a related question. I know what stacking multi-balls are, but is the ability to work on or toward another mode / goal in a game while in a mode considered "stacking"? I feel like that is a rules term I just don't fully understand.

More X-Men LE Wolverine Videos Thread Needs More Videos

I agree. And as has been pointed out, it would be nice to know how to start the villian modes. Anybody who has this game already (we're looking at you Nick...), please tell us.

Villans are qualified threw the lanes. If you watch one of the videos it say one more lane completion to qualify villan.

anyone else not like the word "qualify".. seems not very comic booky and more Olympic Sports. "Activated" would be a good start but probably other synonyms would work.

Re: stacking. I think any time you can have two modes/types working at once (whether multiball and a mode, or two multis, or two modes) that's stacking. But I don't know if that's the official definition.

If the villains are qualified via the lanes, is it the same as qualifying blackbird? It seemed like the blackbird was only to light the random awards. I'm confused on this one.

GTFO did you really just say that lol. What has this hobby turned into.

Its at 11:52 in nicks 2nd hd video.

Wow, that seems like a lot for those lanes to do when you figure the LE owners are losing out on any right side lanes from the right ramp (that pro owners get).

I thought the return lanes just lit the scoop for random awards for each completed set. So a certain amount of lane completions are needed to "activate" a villian mode. I wonder if you get enough Brotherhood and Hellfire target hits if it automatically activates the scoop or if you need the target hits and also the roll over lanes for them?

Those right lane rollovers from the right ramp still seem like something that should be done in software on the LEs. Making the lanes harder to complete for random awards are one thing, but also making it harder to activate the villian modes is another.

11:28 in the gameplay video. Plenty enough time to hit that right ramp before or while it is moving. I figured they had that covered, but I can see some balls flying off the end of that ramp as it is moving from one side to another. I figured the ramp would start moving a very short time after the last switch was made that starts Iceman mode (a half second or less). It would only need enough time for the ball to go from activating the switch to the bottom drop off.

I wonder if it even starts to move on it's own or if it waiting on a switch hit after the ramp switch before it moves? No big deal though....I guess you could always hit it mid travel when it's on it's way back anyway.

Well, lets look at how other games light their mode start shot:

LOTR - Collecting 3 Elf rings
FGY - Spinning the Lois spinner X amount of times
Spidey - Collecting all the lit white arrows
BDK - Hitting all the Batman targets

So, compared to those games, lighting the lanes isn't totally out there as a requirement.

How about some games with simpler requirements:

TSPP - Shooting the right orbit relights the TV (Probably the simplest mode lite)
Addams - Shooting the ramp relights the scoop
^(both of these games allow mode stacking, too)
STTNG - The mode is always lit...no stacking, but once you finish a mode you can shoot the mode scoop and start the next

So, I dunno...should this be a simpler mode lite game or a harder one? Are lighting lanes too hard? I suppose it would get a bit annoying if it gets to the point where you have to light the lanes 10 times to light the mode start...would it be better if say - a shot to Xavier lit the mode start? Or a few shots to Wolverine? I definitely want to jam on the game a bunch before I start thinking about rule change requests....hehe....hopefully next week or so!

I wasn't even considering how hard it would be to light the villian mode...as I don't know how many lane sets are needed to be completed. What I was saying is that, no matter how you cut it, lane completions are going to be harder to do on the LE than the pro. That wouldn't have to be the case if it awarded the switch hit in software as opposed to the ball having to physically roll over that lane.

I agree in theory that we're getting jacked on a lane switch ...but Borg told me that double inlane gets tons of play so it shouldn't be a huge issue...plus we've got the Iceman ramp which will take the ball to the left for a switch. Let's hope that lane build-ups are cumulative and/or active during Hero modes, multiballs, etc.

I'm thinking they do count, during hero modes anyway. In the video he is in the Iceman mode and completes a rollover set and it shows the "1 more set to light villian" so the completed one must have counted.

You're such a tease, Nick.

Your subscribers need MOAR Nightcrawler, mein freund!

*BAMF*

Great vids, Nick!

When you're playing a multiball, the iceman ramp was swung out to divert to the left flipper the entire time, and from the camera perspective, seemed to block a considerable portion of the view of the upper playfield.

Is this the case from the higher viewing angle of the player?

(sorry,double post)

THAT sounds COOL! ....and unique!

love the light show....

I just noticed a nice, small touch in the gameplay video. About the 1 min mark he starts the Beast mode. When the pop bumbers are hit during this mode the beakers and test tubs on the DMD shake and the pops make a different sound (which I'm guessing is supposed to be glass rattling). I'm guessing they figured since you were trying to hit that left orbit to complete the mode you were bound to make a lot of pop bumper hit by mistake and they did a nice job of incorporating that in the DMD and sound.

The icing on this small piece of cake would be to make sure the shaker goes off (even if very softly) when the beakers are shaking and making that sound.

wow, this sounds like a neat idea. I am not trying to watch too much of you videos since I want to see it on my own with the real pin hopefully in a week. But everything I see or read about it seems like a very high effort pin.

How would you rate the pin so far? It does seem like it have a lot to do and will have a long time for someone to complete it. Now myself, I'm a bad player so I am still trying to solve a simple game like PotC but I like something more complex seems would have more lastability.

Nice vids Nick.
Got mine Friday and can't wait to spend more time with it (I've got it set up at the office so I'm eager to get into work on Monday LOL!).
My first attempt at a mod will be to see if I can engineer a more clear iceman ramp. Yeah, I've got too much time on my hands apparently

I'm so glad to hear that the modes are well thought out and not just a bunch of repetitive shots to achieve something.

Great vids!
Thanks.

Adriano

Thanks for sharing the videos. Looks like a fun pin!

Pinball at the office!?!? Well done... well done. I'm jealous.