You already know Xmen is a shooters/players game. The pro kicks ass and if I didn't have so much into my machine personalizing it I would trade it for a pimped out pro in a heartbeat.

I was pretty set on selling this machine after the new year... the code fixes are doing it for me though and I'm starting to think about keeping it around. I can't think of any game that will be as hard to get through as this will be when all is said and done. While not as epic, as far as difficulty and needing to have a great game I'd say getting through all the modes and wizards are going to be on par with Valinor... No, I don't think it will ever be coded as well as LOTR, but with the tight shots and sheer volume of things you have to do it's a pretty rewarding feeling just hitting the shots.

I don't like the ramp. My friend has a pro and properly lit up its pretty good. The spinner is really neat on the LE but that impact is only at start of multiball. Also the night crawlers. On early revisions of the software they weren't an impact. Games went by and they never showed up. But now they are well integrated and pretty fun. Then there's the light show. I dunno. If you can get an LE for cheap I'd go that route still.

I disabled my ramp. Like the game more this way.

I agree about the ramp. Did you ever unhook your extra switch now that you can complete the mode without hitting that left lane?

Also does anyone know if disabling the ramp in his mode setting actually disables the ramp in combos and everything else as well? There was already a disable motor setting, not sure what the extra setting really does.

If you disable the iceramp in the Iceman mode setting it will stay left until the mode is over.
It will still move in modes like Sabertooth.

Does the Iceman ramp move now before you even hit it the first time? I thought it used to stay put until you hit it once, then moved back and forth. A second hit would complete the mode, but was worth more points if it was hit while on the left.

When Iceman mode starts it eventually moves left.It should stay there until you hit it once and you should be able to hit it again right after the 1st make before it starts moving back.
There is a new setting to disable the iceramp during that mode.It will stay left until the mode is over.

The code is where it should have been 6 months ago. For Stern to say only 1 more update after this one worries me.

How about fixing minor issues and adding a fast scoring mode in place of the first weapon x multiball and alternate fast scoring with weapon x. This would be a minor update and then work towards the final code.

New code took a C game and made it a C+ or B- still in honeymoon phase right now. A few more little tweaks and maybe a deadpool fast scoring mode and we have a solid B and then final code may push it to something special.

lol hank this pin is so much better than C+ or B-

I honestly liked it on 1.22 and 1.24 so it can only get better for me. It's the best looking Stern to come out in a long time, much better IMHO than AC/DC or Metallica.

Not in my book it isn't. Though rating are opinions and ultimately I think X-men could be a top 20 game though code needs to get much better.

Had the Storm switch issue today. It seemed to be when I had Hero stacking turned on and started Professor X mode. It came down the ramp from the VUK and the Storm switch triggered and the DMD stated "One more for Storm". This hasn't happened since I went back to Hero stacking off. I think there is a bug in the code there.

A- and loving it

Final mode should be battle for man kind.

Good mutant vs bad mutants when you make a shot you defeat a bad mutant and when you miss a hero falls.

Start with a hero vs X villain. miss the shot and then the next hero is up. Make it the hero stays and the next villain is up. Once all hero's are gone the mode is over. Once all villains are defeated you win and man kind is safe

That would be pretty cool; set up kind of like WCS World Cup final wizard mode.

I updated the code late last night and was only able to get a few games in. Couple questions. So are there two types of combos, unique combos and regular combos? Looks like the unique combos are only two shots, what happens when you string it longer than those 2 characters? When is the game vocal about a combo and when is it silent?

It would sure be nice if they showed you what your combo total was at the end of the game.

No problem, if you were closer I would surely invite you over to play the heck out of it so you could see for yourself. I always liked the gameplay of the Pro better then the LE and I've played both extensively. No offense to anyone just my opinion. Pro playfield has all the cut outs for lamps the LE does I added many lights (all LEDs) and I like how it looks better then the LE color scheme. Doesn't have the show that the LE does but standard GI lights look much better IMO. Combo wizard mode or combo mb would be awesome indeed!

This ongoing thread started by Rcade will likely help you understand it better:

http://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/x-men-13-le-rcades-initial-rules-findings-and-other-stuffs

I have chained unique combos. Went from one to the other and it announced both. Something like (just for example) Ice-Man to Cyclops to Professor X. One for the first & second X-Men and then one for second & third X-Men.

I really like my Pro, but I have to say that the infinite combo thing added to the Iceman ramp in the new code is pretty cool.

--Luke

Not vocal enough in my opinion. If you aren't looking at the DMD you wouldn't even know the combos were there except for a rare unique combo call out here and there. Nothing at the end of ball or end of game to let you know how many combos, or your biggest combo. There is a setting for an extra ball after 25 combos (adjustable), but I don't think it works.

What the game needs in a pitch scaling sound effect that scales higher as you increase your combo chain. At least after you get it up past a 3 hit combo. Without watching the DMD it's imposable to see what you have done. I'm sure I've had 5 or 6 way combos, but I have seen or heard no evidence of it.

Rcade has a break down of the unique combos (except for one that is not found yet). The vast majority of them are 2 hit combos that need to be the first 2 hits of a combo. There are a few exception of 3 hit combos that I imagine will only be done during multiball 90% of the time.

I have never noticed 2 unique combos being in the same combo as judremy suggested, nor have I seen a unique combo be recognized when it is in the middle of a combo string. Except for the, terrible in my opinion, Phoenix combos that need to be started with a Storm or Xavier shot (WHY?!?). I don't care what anyone says...anything coming off of Phoenix does not feel like a combo after letting it flop around in the pops and trickle to the flipper...maybe in time to actually shoot for something.

UPDATE: I see unique combos can come in mid combo.

As I see it now...a nice try (I guess), but not overly rewarding since you only get the unique callouts sometimes when you actually do them. No other audio or end of ball summery or cue as to combos and added insert clutter. I think it could be fixed to be really nice, but seeing some of the other things they seem to sidestep...I don't have much hope of that.

My 2 cents.

Prior to this patch I really liked the game with the 1.27 rom (LE).

I read about the combo system and thought it sounded dumb.
I tried it on my X-Men Le and was annoyed as hell at the way inserts were used for combos.
I played it more, and totally came around 180 degrees.

The game plays awesome now. It has a weird ruleset for sure, but it is really really fun and has you constantly going for different shots, with all sorts of progression.

-ben

It's pretty underwhelming. After getting a 5-way combo the ramp moves over. It will stay over there as long as that combo continues. If you hit the Iceman ramp....it stays lit for a combo. No special sound effects or DMD animation or text.

I believe you can also still hit other shots to add to the combo (or it at least keeps the ramp over there) even if they aren't lit (Ex: instead of hitting the ramp again hit Cyclops to Xavier and then back to the Iceman loop), but as soon as the combo ends...the ramp goes back.

Once again, a scaling sound effect for each added loop would have added a lot here.

It would be even cooler to have a DMD animation and/or call out give us our combo total at least every 10 hit combos. During play you are flying blind as to how many you have. Has anyone gotten an extra ball for 25 combos? Wonder if it is a bug or just not totally implemented yet.

The spinner tweaks the ball trajectory the entire game, but without the drain risk of the magnet.

Does sm show your total combos at the end of the game? Or just on instant info?

As of right now, it only shows your combo totals at the end of the game IF you achieved combo champ. I assume this will be addressed in the next code release

I think they should implement your current number of total combos into you end of ball bonuses. You get like a minimum 50k bonus at end of ball per combo you have made thus far total. But it should also be in the instant info.

Also, going through the adjustments, there's an adjustment for a combo jackpot initiated after X number of combos. Apparently not implemented yet, but that seems pretty neat!

I've tried taking 1080 video of 1.3 gameplay with my GoPro, but frustratingly enough, I'm frankly just not good enough a player to make a compelling video to show off what 1.3 can offer as far as combos. I get some here and there, but my poor play gets in the way and is embarrassing. Got some 35-50mil-ish games videoed though, including a game where I stacked Sentinels, clops and MagsMB all at once, which I was proud of! But alas, I don't think I really justify XM very well with my play. Maddening because I KNOW exactly what needs to be done when, I know the code basics inside and out, I just lack the physical skill. But mentally I'm all there :/

.....so if there's any great players in NorCal that would like to give an LE a run that I can film for the benefit of those without XM but are interested in what's up with the new code and new dots, just come on over .

...either that or I'm just thinking of copping out and doing a glass off tutorial of the 1.3 overview in sections.

I was asking about Spider-Man (sm); if it showed combos at the end of the game. Been awhile since I owned it. I know sm has total combos in instant info. But I do believe xmen should have all sorts of combo information in the instant menu.

Awesome if they implement this!

Have you tried bringing your outlanes in for the video? When ever I video myself playing, I always play worse; so I understand

I am not being sarcastic, if anybody has clout, or maybe we can shoot off some emails, Stern should get Rcade and Dugfreez to be testers on their code. Both guys go deep and uncover stuff the average player may overlook.

There aren't too many updates left to get this right.

I started a post to track bugs and requests for X-Men. Please help me fill it out.

http://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/x-men-bugrequest-list

SM has crap for instant info (what ball you are on, free play, and bonus) that's it. No combo info and worse...it doesn't tell you how many balls you have locked.

It does show the number of "spiders" aka combos at the end of the ball, but not highest combo. It also doesn't give a combo total at the end of the game.

It does track both the highest number of combos and the biggest combo in the high score table.

After paying attention to the combos in Spiderman (which I have never done) I can see why I like it so much better. 1 it gives an audio cue when you hit a combo. 2 there are enough inserts in the game that it isn't a cluttered mess like X-Men when displaying the combo shots. In multiball they completely drop the combos and use the arrows to track jackpots instead. Seems like a good way to go since a game can't correctly track combos with more than 1 ball in play anyway.

Combos & Spiders are not the same....Not sure if this is what you were implying.

+1. Spiders are "victory laps" after a villain mode is over...combos are completely separate.

I sold XMLE awhile back due to 4 reasons in order; code, NC mechs, iceman ramp, wolverine placement (fixed with a remount). So now, I'm doing my part in supporting sterns code efforts. and after debating over going for a tron, FGY, IM, or xmen pro I've come to a decision and pulled the trigger! Even changing my avatar to honor sterns commitment to not give up, can you guess what it is? I miss the gameplay and think the code has finally coming around. Kudos to stern, keep up the good work. I will be an xmen pro owner hopefully next week! And I have many many plans to pimp it out. Can't wait

Now back to code talk....
...and I have nothing to contribute on that except to say if sm doesn't track combos very well, what makes you think xmen should or will?

Glad to have you back Eskaybee! I look forward to your feedback/contributions to the code discussion. I'm sure I'll be playing devil's advocate at some point, but it's all for the greater good, I swear!

Not knowing there is a difference between spiders and combos proves how much I care about combos in a game (I don't....if done right).

So I guess Spider-man doesn't show combo totals after a ball or at the end of a game. It seems silly to say "if sm doesn't track combos very well, what makes you think xmen should or will?". Spider-man doesn't let you know how many balls you have locked at any given time either (a mistake), but that doesn't mean every game should get away with that. Believe me I don't anticipate X-Men is going to do anything code wise, but that doesn't mean that they shouldn't.

What Spider-Man DOES do better than X-Men, combo wise, is it gives an audio cue when you hit one AND Spider-Man has enough inserts on it, that displaying where the combo shots are doesn't clutter up the game.

Spider-Man shuts off (or at the very least stops displaying) combo information during multiball. Having combos on during multiball is stupid because the game can't track it and it clutters up the cluttered mess of the inserts even more. It's crazy that during multiball the orange arrow inserts on X-Men are tracking multiball mode shots, villain mode shots (if a villain mode is running) and combo shots (that can't even be properly tracked with more than 1 ball in play anyway).

As I have said...I don't care about combos. I do like the unique combo audio cues. It's too bad they don't have some sort of audio cue after most combos (as Spider-Man does) , but they are few and far between and not worth the mess that has become of the inserts in my opinion.

So prefer 1.24 then? Or we're you talking about Spider-Man's inserts. I think the inserts are handled pretty well for the combos in xmen. And while I am not good to get tones of them i can get enough especially unique ones that it is definitely a plus for this game.

Is it true that the "original XMEN" unique combo isn't possible in this version? Seems rcade has found all but this one, maybe its not coded yet? I couldn't find it last night either.

I have a Mac, so I'm unable to use the code viewer program, but maybe Dug or some of you other PC users could do a quick sweep through the recent code in the code viewer to see if there are any clues.

I have a Mac, so I'm unable to use the code viewer program, but maybe Dug or some of you other PC users could do a quick sweep through the recent code in the code viewer to see if there are any clues.

No clues as far as I can see. Has anyone found X-MEN LEADERS?

Combo_Names.jpg

As for ORIGINAL X-MEN...I'm guessing it starts with a Phoenix shot since all the other combos in the software seem to be grouped by starting shots. I would also guess it involves: Phoenix, Iceman, Cyclops, Beast AND Xavier (because without Xavier it seems impossible to link the other 4 together).

I know Rcade said he tried all he could think of...I tried (starting with a Storm shot to make sure Phoenix's shots are lit )

Phoenix, Iceman, Beast, Xavier, Cyclops

Phoenix, Iceman, Xavier, Cyclops, Beast

Phoenix, Cyclops, Xavier, Iceman, Beast

Phoenix, Cyclops, Beast, Xavier, Iceman, Iceman, Iceman, Iceman, ect... (This one would have been a way sweet one because by that point in the combo the Iceman ramp is moved over and you could start looping it)

BUT...no luck on any of those.

I think SM did a good job of tracking combos. It displays how many total combos you have so you know when you are close to achieving a reward (super loops, Combo MB). It may be brief but it shows on the DMD your total combo count after each combo shot completed. Combo MB is a cool mode especially if you can stack it with one if the other MB modes.

I'm not sure what other way would be best to display your total combo count.

What I'd really like is for them to bring back john rhys-davies to call out combos just like the jackpots in lotr. I don't care if it doesn't fit the theme or overrides something else going on in the game. best callouts ever with the escalating volume!

COMBO 1! COMBO 2!

Or Tim Curry! "Wow! Three way combo!"

Can someone send me the code or post a link for the LE v1.3? I cannot get it from Stern's site, it is showing 1.24 when I download.

http://sternpinball.com/USB_XMEN.html

PM me with you email addy.