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Star Wars: Fall of the Empire Code Update 0.87 Gameplay

Stern Pinball·video·24m 13s·analyzed·Nov 20, 2025
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claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.028

TL;DR

Star Wars 0.87 update adds Sarlacc Escape wizard mode, extra ball incentives, and multiball refinements.

Summary

Stern Pinball showcases Star Wars: Fall of the Empire code update 0.87, featuring the new Sarlacc Escape wizard mode and various gameplay tweaks. Raymond Davidson, Andrew Wilkening, and John Blakely demonstrate mechanics including improved extra ball incentives, Death Star multiball adjustments, Jabba mode integration, and bug fixes. The update balances risk/reward across modes and introduces quality-of-life improvements like paused ball saves in multiball.

Key Claims

  • Code 0.87 introduces Sarlacc Escape as a new wizard mode requiring completion of three Jabba modes

    high confidence · Raymond states: 'the new Sarlacc Escape Wizard mode' and demonstrates the progression system

  • Beating Force missions or Rebel missions now grants extra balls as incentive

    high confidence · Andrew confirms: 'if you complete two force missions, you'll get an extra ball' and discusses incentivizing mode completion

  • Death Star multiball can now be played multiple times with jackpots available before 'getting stuck'

    high confidence · Raymond notes: 'there's, I think, Death Star multiple now. You can play multiple times and get jackpots again'

  • Ball save is now paused during Sarlacc mode to prevent drain frustration

    high confidence · Andrew explains: 'I did make it pause when it in the Sarlacc because I know that was really frustrating' referencing Jack Danger's experience

  • If a mission is lit and a Jabba mode is available, starting a Jabba mode takes priority

    high confidence · Andrew states: 'if you have a mission lit and a Jabba mode, it'll start the Jabba mode'

  • Jedi ball save now becomes available more frequently and doesn't escalate difficulty as quickly

    high confidence · Andrew notes: 'the Jedi ball save doesn't get as hard as quickly so you'll get more more Jedi action'

  • Add-a-ball feature was 'accidentally too hard' in the previous update and has been adjusted back to correct difficulty

    high confidence · Andrew explains: 'the add was accidentally too hard last update although people didn't seem to notice'

  • Ion cannon at 3X multiplier can move left and right on the playfield via pop bumper interaction

    high confidence · Andrew explains: 'with 3X, you can use the pop-up to move it left and right on the playfield'

Notable Quotes

  • “if you have a mission lit and a Jabba mode, it'll start the Jabba mode? Yeah. That's nice. So that'll help people get through those a lot quicker.”

    Raymond Davidson / Andrew Wilkening @ ~2:30 — Highlights quality-of-life improvement prioritizing player progression

  • “There's an incentive to try to beat it because it will give you an extra ball... you're always kind of incentivized to do well in things”

    Andrew Wilkening @ ~6:00 — Core design philosophy of 0.87: rewarding skilled mode play with tangible benefits

  • “It's kind of a bug and a feature, because it was kind of a bug, because you couldn't reliably tell when someone saved in multiball... if you're in multiball, you can just save as much as you want until you use all four of your Jedi letters”

    Andrew Wilkening @ ~24:00 — Developers embracing mechanical quirks as fun gameplay rather than restricting them; multiball save mechanic becomes central strategy

  • “I made it pause when it in the Sarlacc because I know that was really frustrating and hilarious when Jack Danger did that same plunge”

    Andrew Wilkening @ ~28:45 — Direct acknowledgment of community feedback (Jack Danger's experience) driving code changes; ball save pause prevents drain frustration

  • “the previous patch got a little bit of a boost... It's kind of a fun mode because it gives you options”

    Andrew Wilkening @ ~37:30 — Iterative tuning across patches; Luke's Gift mode designed with strategic flexibility

  • “if you combo the right ramp from the center ramp on the premium, you'll see the TIE fighter will actually flash, and that means you're getting two TIE fighters”

    Andrew Wilkening @ ~42:00 — Advanced combo mechanic exclusive to Premium model; technical depth for skilled players

  • “the Jedi ball save doesn't get as hard as quickly so you'll get more more Jedi action”

    Andrew Wilkening @ ~42:30 — Softening difficulty curve to provide more ball-saving opportunities for mid-level players

Entities

Raymond DavidsonpersonAndrew WilkeningpersonJohn BlakelypersonStar Wars: Fall of the EmpiregameSarlacc EscapeproductJack DangerpersonDeath StarproductJedi Saveproduct

Signals

  • ?

    event_signal: Stern Pinball demonstrating code updates with developer commentary in video format, directly engaging community and explaining design rationale

    high · Format of entire video: developer walk-through with explicit mechanic explanations and design decisions

  • ~

    sentiment_shift: Internal playtest feedback on Sarlacc Escape wizard mode completion was positive; developers confident in community reception

    high · Andrew states: 'I don't know if anybody will get there' regarding Sarlacc completion, but expresses enthusiasm about the experience without caveats about quality

  • ?

    competitive_signal: Advanced premium-exclusive combo mechanic (TIE fighter double via center-right ramp sequence) enables skill differentiation at high level

    medium · Andrew explains: 'if you combo the right ramp from the center ramp on the premium, you'll see the TIE fighter will actually flash... you're getting two TIE fighters'

  • ?

    design_philosophy: Priority given to player progression accessibility while maintaining strategic depth through mode selection and risk/reward balancing

    high · Andrew's framing of extra ball rewards: 'incentivized to do well in things' and quality-of-life improvement (mission/Jabba mode priority) shows accessibility focus

  • ?

    design_philosophy: Developers embracing mechanical 'quirks' as intentional features (multiball ball-save preservation) rather than restricting them

    high · Andrew: 'It's kind of a bug and a feature... if you're in multiball, you can just save as much as you want until you use all four of your Jedi letters. There you go. Plus, it's a really fun moment'

Transcript

youtube_groq_whisper · $0.073

0:00
We need your help to defeat the Empire. We're saved! Hey everyone, Raymond here along with Andrew and John Blakely. and we're here to play some Star Wars 0.87, the new release with the new Sarlacc Escape Wizard mode. We'll see if anybody can get to that. And a bunch of tweaks and improvements,
1:08
some extra balls and scoring adjustments, you know, the usual things. We're just going to jump right in and see what we can do.
1:19
Who wants to be player two? You want to? John Blake, all right. All right, so I'm going to try to go for the Jabba modes here, because after you play the three regular ones, you can get to the new one,
1:35
the wizard mode, Starlight Escape. All right, so let's just start one off here. And I think on this code you also made it so if you have a mission lit and a Jabba mode, it'll start the Jabba mode? Yeah. That's nice. So that'll help people get through those a lot quicker.
1:57
Assuming you can hit the shot. Oh, and not a chewing mode. Okay. So then how do you get chewing modes? Don't have it lit. Okay, so hit the force targets before you hit the crumb target. Gotcha. Whoa! How about if I don't hit any of the targets? It's first come, first serve, as far as that goes.

  • “Sarlacc escape on your own. It's really fun, though. It plays the iconic bard scene, Sarlacc scene, Luke jumping around, Lando hanging, all the good stuff.”

    Andrew Wilkening @ ~52:00 — Tease of wizard mode's thematic content and video sequences without spoiling progression path

    • John Borg
    person
    Stern Pinballcompany
    Luke's Giftproduct
    Ion Cannonproduct
    Jabba's Palaceproduct
    Rancorproduct
  • ?

    product_strategy: Code 0.87 systematically addresses player pain points: ball save drain frustration, difficulty scaling, extra ball incentives, multiball ball-safe mechanics

    high · Ball save pause for Sarlacc (Jack Danger reference), Jedi save difficulty rebalance, extra ball rewards for mode completion, multiball ball-save preservation

  • ?

    product_concern: Add-a-ball feature was unintentionally overtuned in previous update, indicating rapid iteration and potential oversight in testing

    medium · Andrew: 'the add was accidentally too hard last update although people didn't seem to notice' – suggests difficulty tuning without widespread community complaint

    • 2:19
    Okay, well that was a warm-up ball. If you hold down the start button, you can start us over again. That's fine. I put enough extra balls in that we'll be able to... Yeah, if you beat different modes. Yeah, so now if you're ever playing a Java mode or a Falcon mode, there's an incentive to try to beat it because it will give you an extra ball. I forget, is it beating two force or rebel missions? Yeah, yep. So if you complete two force missions, you'll get an extra ball. So that way you're always kind of incentivized to do well in things. So like, there you go.
    2:58
    Alright, so now you have your job event. You can also just play the rest of the game. There's, I think, Death Star multiple now. You can play multiple times and get jackpots again before you're kind of stuck. That's another nice little fix.
    3:19
    Let's see if I can go where no man's gone before. Oh, no. Wow. Right up here. Straight into it. Now, does that... Maybe in a future update, maybe that will light your job in those. Yeah, I think we've been talking about giving the skill shots more identity and tying those together.
    3:39
    All right, let's get that drop target going. Wow, did you just hit it, like, three times? Yeah, the pop sent it back up into it. And now I can use my action button. I'm going to go for Jabba's Palace and lock that in. Which is a fun mode. I'll be bashing that drop target a bunch more. Now, you can actually beat this mode, even though it lasts forever. There's like a win condition. That's right. But I'm not going to do that. You did not last forever.
    4:03
    All right. Well, you're crushing us. Yeah. Huge gap here. All right. Let's actually... All right. Well, that's fine. We'll just play the mode. See how greedy I can get. I have a lot of ball safe, apparently.
    4:28
    There it is. You tell us, C. Now you've got that hurry up, up the middle, and it's double. Ooh, and so if I hit it, and it's paused right now, so actually, this would be a perfect time to plunge correctly and just take a nice shot up there for max value. There we go. That was a good shot. And you did make some tweaks to the mode scoring, if I remember correctly, for these rebel missions.
    4:55
    Oh! Almost! If I would have reacted a little differently, I might have been able to get that one. Alright, Jabba, here I come.
    5:11
    I don't know how you did that, but you managed to not spin the cup at all. But luckily Andrew, the great programmer that he is, programmed a fallback. So whatever.
    5:23
    Yeah. Okay. So we got... I got a lot of points, though, for that mode I played. Oh, yeah. That one double chopper. Yeah.
    5:38
    Ooh. We're crushing it. It's all right. We can always play another game. So now that I got the Starlight Pit skill shot, now you can see that the drop was up again. Maybe you can't from above.
    5:54
    Right, so now if you want to get another job mode, you're going to have to hit that drop target. That right But you can do that at any time You don have to do it right now You can play a multi again Right I can play a multiball I can play a mode Right But if you want to bring the Jabba mode into your multiball then you have to do that Right. Let's get tricky with the Rancor here. We got Rancor. Alright, so Rancor is a combo mode, right? Kind of? Yeah, it's, you know, it's kind of like Megalon where you got a timer once you start shooting these.
    6:21
    And you'll have a multiplier that you want to keep up. Oops. A lot of side-side action on those pops today. Oh no Take that backhand Now if you beat this You'll get that sweet extra ball Which we need right now apparently Right no kidding Let's see if we can find an orbit No that's not how you dead bounce You're getting all fancy Alright well Ball three I think I still have my Java mode lit There we go There it is. All right.
    6:59
    Sure. Then I'll try to start Battle of Hoth, I guess. Or Death Star. Whatever one. And look, I think the ball save was actually paused a little bit there.
    7:10
    I remember I tried to fix that because... Yeah, see, I still... Woo! I'm Borgin out. There it is. That's the exact sequence Borg always brags about. Yeah, the avocado, right? The one that makes the hair stand up on the back of his neck. The orbit ramp Death Star. He loves that. Alright, so... Gotta have him. There's that fancy skill shot. Alright, let's just lightspeed escape. I'm gonna actually try to build it a little bit here. See if I regret that. It's a shame you can't stack your Death Star with this. That would be a little much. Alright, let's cash out. Now let's see. So two more drop targets to beat this mode. There's the drop target to count for ya. So now your other shots give you double value and build that drop target value. Wait, why double? What do you mean? Compared to the normal value for the drop of Colossal.
    8:06
    Gives you an incentive to play it risky. Oh, so after you light the drop target, if you keep going, I'm guessing that... Yeah, I've already used that. All right. It's not a bad time.
    8:19
    So my super is a little bit higher because I took those extra couple shots at the beginning. Yep. I haven't beat Jabba's Palace yet though I want to prioritize that because I really want that extra ball I'm worried what's new oh what a save during the multi-ball now actually that's new in this update so notice how even though I saved it successfully. It didn't reset my Jedi letters. Add some time. Drop target. Nice. That's kind of a bug and a feature, because it was kind of a bug, because you couldn't reliably tell when someone saved in multiball with everything going on.
    9:08
    Hyperspace loops. Oh. So now, I just decided, you know what, if you're in multiball, you can just save as much as you want until you use all four of your Jedi letters. There you go. Plus, it's a really fun moment saving balls in multiball. Oh look, your hyperspace loop cash out is extra juicy. Oh, no, the extra ball moved. Oh, yeah, yeah.
    9:30
    Whoa. No. Five. Oh, now it's over there. Four. Three. Hey. Oh, it moved. The slings moved it again. Oh, no. This is like back when Rush was a game. All right, we got it. It's still a game right now. No, I just remember people writing in the same way. What is going on? Where's all this? I love Borg putting two extra ball lights on a game. That is awesome. Keep going, you guys. All right, so now that the mode's done, now actually... Oh, okay. Actually, I kind of just... I don't mind this running out of time, because then I can... Yeah, it's not a bad time to run out of time.
    10:06
    Oh, Stormtrooper, hurry up. We'll get some bonos. There it is. Oh, and you hit the droid's target, so you extend it. Yeah, I've got a couple more seconds. Oh, that's right. I made it extra... Actually, this works, because I want to lock a ball. I'm not going to make it.
    10:24
    I feel a great disturbance in the force. All right, so now... Oh, right in that gap where you got to start a force mission. Yeah, I'm not sure how I did that. All right, so I want to do... Start a multiball. Then I can come out of it with a Java mode lit. Oh, which one? Which one?
    10:40
    Walter Oyster. Neither. Stand up, stand up. Idiot. But hey, it's good you got that extra ball. Alright, we're good, we're good. Everything's fine.
    10:58
    Oh, I still haven't beat a Force Mention yet. Again. Oh, now this is risky. Do I try to get my multi-ball? Do I try to get my mode before my multi-ball? I think yes. I got Jedi Save, we're fine.
    11:13
    Woo! Okay, now I don't have Jedi save, so now I'm a little more worried. Alright, I'll just start a multiball, I guess. We have another skill shot here. Uh-oh.
    11:30
    What? Okay, alright, please. Oh, but it's totally naked. I don't have any mode or anything. Well, but you do have doubles for Luke and Han, since you played the Rebel missions. Oh, yeah. Yeah, no combos either, so you're going to be doing this the long way. Yeah, it's okay. I guess we're just playing for points here. Well, I can light a Force Mission. Once you do your add-a-ball, I think you'll get your drop target back. Oh okay We do that We see if we can work your way through that Oh yeah that was fixed The add was accidentally too hard last update Although people didn seem to notice But now it's back to how hard it should be.
    12:15
    So there we go. Oh, I guess no dogparking progress for you. No? Alright. Well, I did lie next to a ball from somewhere. Not sure where. You must run to fall. Maybe ramps? Probably ramps. Probably ramps, yeah. Those TIE fighter over-
    12:39
    Well, I need those, so... I think they'll add a ball to get that extra, extra extra ball. Alright, so I'm gonna try to play this off as smart as, as optimized as possible. So I want to save the double shots. I see Luke is pulsing and Han is pulsing. So I want to save those for later, because every jackpot I hit...
    12:59
    Oh, it didn't show me one. That was interesting. Oh, that's not what I wanted to do. So you want to hit, like, that one, that one. Okay, now I want to hit, like, Luke. Or Han. Yeah, Han. There we go. This is double-double. Yep.
    13:21
    Or double-double-dream. Flip it. That was a lot of points. Now we'll have a good super here. Double super.
    13:33
    Woo! Nice, tight 48 million. Alright, so now I kind of have to play a force mission. Right. So I guess I'll Death Star. I don't know.
    13:47
    Yep, I have my end up. Best off, ulti ball. Wow, look at all the colors. So many pretty colors. Oh, yeah.
    13:59
    Double jackpot! Those Luke jackpots are going to be worth quite a bit if you find them. Which ones? Luke. Oh, yeah. He's doubled for Rebel missions and doubled for Ion Cannon. Okay. Probably 20 million at this point, almost. Wow. More if I hit more shots before him. Oh, yeah. Oh no! Everything died!
    14:26
    Oh, that's so sad! And I needed ten more spins. Ten more, yeah. Okay, well, let's actually beat this mission, so that way we get another extra ball.
    14:39
    Now that drop target, that counted towards Thingamajig, right? I'm sorry. Yep, and now it looks like you're all set for your next job out of that. Oh, you also... I don't know if anybody will get there, but theoretically, if you get all the ion cannons, this code now has 3X.
    15:00
    Because with 3X, you can use the pop-up to move it left and right on the playfield. Yeah. That's... It's just one, and it moves around when you hit the pop bumpers. Yeah. So it's kind of a unique... All right, let's start this mode.
    15:22
    Hopefully. Take two. There we go. All right, Luke's Gift. This one got a little bit of a boost. The previous... Yeah, the previous patch. Previous patch. It's kind of a fun mode.
    15:35
    Because it gives you options, right? Right. It's like the... Jabba's Palace, everything's lit. Rancor, one thing is lit. And then Luke is kind of like in between. Yeah, you go through a couple phases and then you get kind of a black diamond, if you play Kiss, where you can kind of move the shot around. Oh, with, like, the bumpers? Yeah, and this we use the Starlight Pit because, of course, that's what Jabba is about.
    15:59
    Oh, what a wonga! Wrong flipper. Alright, well, we got... I beat one mode, so I know my next mode that I beat, I'll get an extra ball. I'm just gonna milk these things. And of course, if there's too many extra balls for you, you can always just adjust it downward. I won't draw anybody.
    16:20
    I like my extra balls, but... Laugh it up, fuzzball. So I really... I guess I just... No easy options? Yeah, not a whole lot. I guess I can try to light some Jedi save.
    16:40
    Also, it'll give me some combos. Also miss and go crazy. Okay, we got a Jedi save. So now I can hit this, a little safer.
    16:54
    Ooh, Vader mode. Maybe this will help me out. Plydexer ball. Eh. What is thy bidding? What is thy bidding, my master?
    17:06
    Oop, alright. Classic. It's alright though, because we can just... We don't have to hit the pop bumpers, we can just bail out. Just hit a couple of shots. You'll double the value. The pop bumpers.
    17:27
    Look at that, I beat the entire mode without hitting a pop bumper. How tragic. I know. It could have been worth so many more points. Yeah, but it'll still be, what, like 40 or 50? Somewhere in there? Uh oh. Oh, I hit it too early! Oh no! I think that's it. No Sarlacc for me, alright. Alright, let's see if I can get in there. I hit the button way too early. I was panicked because I knew the pressure was on. You should be able to get all around below 200 hours. I think that was pretty scary. I can't wait.
    18:03
    I'm gonna get through this. Look your ball save still on though I did make it pause when it in the Sarlacc because I know that was really frustrating and hilarious when Jack Danger did that same plunge and his ball save ran out, and then it just went sling out lane.
    18:21
    Let's do your out lane. Let's do it. I think it's bailout with up the middle light speed.
    18:44
    Alright, two more. One more. Oh, he's getting greedy. I was thinking about it. I was thinking about boosting it a bit. But no, I think after that I'm going to go right back up the center. Oh, you got to hit it though. Yep. Yep, yep, uh oh.
    19:02
    Remember you got, you got, uh, two letters in Jedi. Ooh, doesn't want to use them. Johnny Two-Nudge.
    19:14
    Oh good, you reset your mode timer. Because you really want to, you really want to try to beat a mode.
    19:28
    Not the separation I wanted. I don't know if it's not wise to have said Wookie. Classic space chess. It's because a droid don't pull people's arms out of their sockets when they lose. Wookie's your own dude. Some good clips. Oh, wait, you got another one! Oh! Oh, man. You had one chance. One opportunity. Don't miss your chance. Alright, you're gonna have to get all the way... You already have two drop modes done? Yeah. Okay, so you're our only hope. Oh, no. To get to Sarlacc. No pressure, guys.
    20:20
    Oh, goodness. Why is that flashing so much? Oh, because he's doubled during. Now, this is actually a pure scratch. If you combo the right ramp from the center ramp on the premium, you'll see the TIE fighter will actually flash, and that means you're getting two TIE fighters, so you can actually get your extra ball quicker if you go center ramp, right ramp. I was thinking about that.
    20:47
    Let's see if we can find our... Oh, I think on this update I also the Jedi ball save doesn't get as hard as quickly so you'll get more more Jedi action I didn't play this yet oh here we go oh and I've got hyperspace loops with the ion cannon up the middle which is good thing we have a ball say actually the iron can up the middle you almost don't even ever need to shoot the right ramp. They'll catch out. Yeah. I mean, you can catch out, like, when there's zero seconds left. Right, right. Oh, and I've got super jackpots here. Oh! Oh! Anyway. How are you guys doing? Oh my god! That was fun. That was amazing. Let's see if I can at least get My hat-a-ball. Ready.
    21:45
    That's not going to do it. That's definitely not going to do it. Uh-oh. Oh, nice. Taking advantage of that. A little up and under. Yeah.
    21:56
    Yeah. And you still have another Jedi. What? Whoa. We'll take those. No magnate needed. There's the cat. Oh, and you collected your... Oh, my God.
    22:07
    Wow. I might have played a longer ball, but I think yours is more impressive with what's happening. I'm having fun with that. Oh, look at that off the apron! So people who say you can't save it from the right, they just don't. You've got to practice it. You've got to let it bounce a little bit. I guess so. Borgi taught me that one. Let it come down from the right, bounce off the apron, and then hit the ball. I mean, that worked almost too well. It shot it like halfway up the first one. Yeah, I'll take these. All right, so you still don't have an extra ball somehow. Yeah, let's go check out this instant info here. Let's see... Those are all your ways that you can get an extra ball. One more tie, Falcon, Jabba, two more missions... Huh. What do you think? Mystery award? Think I can just get really lucky on the mystery? And it'll start Darth Vader, which then you just need five... Oh gosh. I was not anticipating that. Alright, I'll do anything. Do the multiball here. Oh, you don't have any Jedi letters.
    23:12
    No, I'm not in a great state here. Oh, but I am close to a Jedi letter. Let's see if we can't... Backhand in the right orbit.
    23:29
    Oh! Wow, you must have just gotten that! Oh, that was sick! Let's just... for good measure. You are running out of... I'm running out of everything.
    23:42
    Well, I guess we're going to leave it a secret for the get to Sarlacc escape on your own. It's really fun, though. It plays the iconic bard scene, Sarlacc scene,
    23:53
    Luke jumping around, Lando hanging, all the good stuff. But yeah, go play Star Wars, get your game updated, and thanks for watching. Anything else?
    24:06
    See you next time.