Mike Vinacore is a veteran Stern Pinball employee and designer with over 31 years in the gaming industry (20 years in video games including work on Mortal Kombat, 10+ years in pinball). He is a key designer and programmer involved in modern Stern titles including Star Wars Pinball and Fall of the Empire, with specific expertise in Insider Connected achievements and Spike 3 technology. Beyond pinball, he has diverse professional experience as a concert photographer, former wrestling promoter, and runs the Punk Vault website; he is also active as a competitive pinball player and valued community contributor.
No aliases
Bishop roaming shot mechanic worked well on Dungeons & Dragons but didn't fit X-Men's playfield layout.
MXV started at Williams as one of the first two full-time game testers and founded the QA department.
Nick (Stern software tester) worked with MXV at Williams/Bally Midway through his father's employment.
Stern Pinball rules/code developer, appeared on Slapsafe podcast discussing test locations and game development history from Bally/Williams era
Rules implementation lead for James Bond; demonstrated the game during Dead Flip livestream; experienced left outlane issues on first play
Code/design contributor to Stranger Things pinball machine
Stern pinball code designer credited with improving James Bond software and working on X-Men and John Wick rules updates
Stern Pinball team member; expressed preference for Giordano's over deep dish style
Code designer at Stern; worked with Lonnie Ropp on James Bond; randomly selected for Fifth Element rules/code
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Multiball stacking in original X-Men watered down the specialness of multiballs for casual players.
The eight X-Men modes felt the same despite different character theming (Wolverine, Beast, etc.).
X-Men received a much bigger overhaul than John Wick in recent code drops.
I am not a programmer. If I wrote one line of code in any of our games it wouldn't compile.
MXV has done concert photography for the last 22 years, which informs his light show design work.
Beast Lab will be redesigned to qualify modes instead of arrow shots, freeing up arrow shots for main play.
Mike Vinacore hides a skill shot (MXV) in Stern pinball games; Stranger Things contains one.
Mike Vinacore from Stern Pinball defeated the stream host at 007 during Pinball Expo
Stern's current work environment is collaborative and supportive, contrasting with adversarial team dynamics in the industry's past
Spike 3 is in development at Stern but has not been released yet
Mike Vinacore did not formally work on John Wick pinball and it is one of only two games he has not touched at Stern
Spike 3 will enhance hardware capabilities but core game mechanics and rule design will remain fundamentally unchanged
Features like level-saving from Venom and AI systems from John Wick may be reused in future Stern games where appropriate
Lyman Sheets lobbied for years to bring Mike Vinacore to work at Stern
Risk-and-reward mechanics are fundamental to pinball engagement and excitement
Mike Vinacore is a huge industrial music fan and punk rock enthusiast with multiple Skinny Puppy shirts
Mike Vinacore had COVID that delayed his Phoenix trip by one week
Mike Vinacore, Brian Eddy, and Lonnie Ropp formed the complete design team for Stranger Things Pinball
Drawings are the biggest feature added in Stranger Things 1.0 code update
Multiball contribution to bonus was too high in pre-1.0 versions and has been reduced significantly
MXV skill shot is the hardest skill shot Mike Vinacore has ever designed
Mike Vinacore spent 10 years as a console video game designer before returning to pinball
Pinball industry is known for requiring long hours of work regularly, comparable to or less demanding than console video game development
Pro version of Stranger Things can achieve maximum 2 drawings in TK multiball; Premium/LE can achieve 3 drawings
Mike Vinacore demonstrates exceptional passion and dedication to his work on pinball games
Mike Vinacore from Stern said something in an interview that didn't resonate with the host.
Multiple wizard modes are planned as future software updates
Projector brightness cannot be changed but scale, rotation, and alignment can be individually adjusted
There are five Demogorgon modes in the game
Upside Down event happens randomly and features a hurry-up to shoot four drop targets
Rules were designed collaboratively by three people: Brian Eddy, Lonnie Ropp, and Mike Vinacore
Brian Eddy and Mike Vinacore worked together at Harry Williams Bally Midway in the 1990s but never on a game project until Stranger Things
Upside Down modes last less than 10 seconds and interrupt normal gameplay as high-risk/high-reward hurry-ups
Mike Vinacore won his match 2-0 against Tim Sexton in best-of-3 format
Mike Vinacore donated $100 to Project Pinball on behalf of Stern Pinball after winning his match
Multiple multipliers can be stacked simultaneously during Groot multiball
The second Groot multiball is a four-ball multiball versus three balls on first activation
Code programmer on Stranger Things for Stern Pinball
Designer/programmer; confirmed additional code coming for James Bond; appeared on podcast discussing future updates
Pinball industry figure who Lyman helped promote and who spoke at Lyman's funeral service
Representative from Stern Pinball; criticized by Kaneda for being rude at TPF Twippies ceremony
Rules designer on James Bond 007; previously worked with Lonnie Rob on Stranger Things
Stern Pinball representative, made statement about future James Bond code content
Appeared alongside George Gomez on the Deadflip Bond stream, discussing code development status.
Stern Pinball representative interviewed in a 'Doot doot podcast watch' series. Host suggests Vinacore's comments about pinball's market direction didn't resonate positively.
Stern Pinball rule designer, light show programmer, concert photographer; formerly QA lead at Williams/Bally Midway; contributed to X-Men and John Wick code development
Stern Pinball employee; defeated stream host at 007 during Pinball Expo
Code developer credited as working on Stranger Things alongside Brian Eddy
Code developer on Stranger Things; co-led code with Lonnie Ropp; praised by Chuck Work for passion and dedication to game quality
Coder/designer credited with X-Men update work; known to hosts as friend and recent lunch companion at Waffle House
Janitorial services at Stern Pinball HQ, plays Iron Maiden regularly, demonstrated gameplay on stream
Assists in multiple capacities on Stern games; handles game testing and assists in rule development for BKSOR
Game balance consultant who attends Stern streams; consulted on The Mandalorian development; participates in gameplay testing and rule discussion
Lighting designer on Rush (Premium)
Competitive pinball player; won undercard match 2-0 against Tim Sexton; touring Stern Pinball booth at ZapCon and other shows
MXV, Stern pinball programmer and designer present at stream providing gameplay commentary and technical explanation
Stern Pinball staff present at reveal; provides playtesting feedback and endorsement of no ball save design
Software engineer and assistant designer credited in closing credits for Iron Maiden
Guest mentioned to discuss Batman '66 rules and upcoming content; appears to be involved with game design/development.
Stern Pinball team member; collaborative rules designer with Brian Eddy and Lonnie Ropp; handles game explanation during reveal
Playtester and rules consultant for the game; assists with rules development and appears at industry events
Programmer at Stern Pinball (MXV); participated in stream Q&A via Zoom
Stern Pinball programmer/rules designer, explaining game mechanics and wizard modes during stream
Associate game developer at Stern. Handles rule design, software testing, field testing, and attends trade shows like Pinball Expo. Appeared on stream to play Metallica.
MXV, Stern Pinball designer/programmer, one-third of Stranger Things design team; oversees software testing, field test program, and represents Stern at shows; dropped 45 pounds during pandemic; primary developer discussing 1.0 code changes live
Contributed additional rule design to Stranger Things
Stern Pinball programmer; close to Lyman; spoke at Lyman's funeral about Lyman's role in helping him secure employment in pinball
Referenced in context of 'Save the City' mode on X-Men that hosts previously struggled to achieve
Programmer/code contributor on Stranger Things Pinball; works on code and animations for the game
Stern Pinball designer known for hiding skill shots (MXV) in games; referenced as creating a hidden skill shot in Stranger Things.
Stern Pinball photographer; punk record label owner; wrestling enthusiast; previous Electric Bat Cast guest from Expo; highly praised as podcast guest
Stern Pinball representative at Expo; birthday celebration planned; famous for one beer per year
Stern Pinball programmer and designer (MXV), known for lighting design, rule design, and skill shot creation. Worked on James Bond (lead rule designer), Stranger Things, Foo Fighters, Venom. Visited Electric Bat Arcade in Phoenix.
Stern Pinball designer/programmer; came from video games background; designed rules for James Bond, influenced by Lyman Sheets on risk-and-reward mechanics; plays advisory role on most projects; interviewed at Stern Factory
Programmer on Foo Fighters Pinball; one of two Vinacore brothers who worked on the game
Potential code designer for expression lighting system integration
Now heading X-Men code updates at Stern; replacing Weiss in design role; Kaneda positive about his creative direction and community-driven approach
X-Men pinball coder; criticized for poor code execution and failure to create magical moments
Experienced player demonstrating strategies during stream; appears to be Stern staff or associate
Playtester and rules consultant on Elvira's House of Horrors; assists with game balance and community engagement at Stern events
Possible source for statement about Stern's online platform rollout timeline (alternative to George Gomez)
Stern rules/code designer providing detailed LE/Premium rule differences and setup recommendations
Rules designer on James Bond 007; previously worked with Lonnie Ropp on Stranger Things
Rules designer for Bond pinball game
Stern Pinball programmer/designer (MXV); interviewed by Erica; discussed Spike 3 and Insider Connected during interview
Stern Pinball representative who attended RAZA preview more than once
Stern Pinball employee with 31 years gaming industry experience (20 video games including Mortal Kombat series, 10+ pinball). Concert photographer, former wrestling promoter, runs Punk Vault website. Has prototype Funhouse machine for sale.
Stern personnel (likely marketing/product role); hosts appeal to him directly regarding Pokémon LE card bundling strategy
Suggested as potential pinball summer camp instructor; former Midway/Bally game tester; expert on vintage machines
Pinball player; tied with host for first place at Bottom Lounge gimmick tournament
Designer of Insider Connected achievements; contributed to Fall of the Empire design; demonstrated achievements during play testing
Stern Pinball employee; identified as active in community forums and group discussions; praised for helpfulness
Designer involved with Star Wars Pinball; helped select major moments from Star Wars movies