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The Uncanny X-Men Pinball Code Update 0.91 Stream!

Stern Pinball·video·22m 53s·analyzed·Jun 26, 2025
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Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.025

TL;DR

X-Men 0.91 overhauls Future/Bishop/multiball rules; emphasizes combos and perks

Summary

Stern Pinball released code update 0.91 for Uncanny X-Men, the first major rules overhaul led by programmer MXV (Mike Vinacore). The update restructures the Future mode into a time-limited Sentinel-killing mechanic with perk rewards, redesigns Bishop to auto-target high-value shots, adds quality-of-life improvements (skill shot simplification, Danger Room ball saver), disables multiball stacking, and removes Midtown shot combo-spam. Jack Danger and lead tester Nick Wena demonstrated the new rules in a live gameplay stream.

Key Claims

  • The Future mode has been completely reworked from its original design to a time-limited Sentinel-killing mechanic with perk rewards

    high confidence · MXV: 'Gone is the future that you knew. And the new future starts when you complete a mode.'

  • Bishop now automatically targets the most valuable shot on the playfield instead of requiring button-hold aiming

    high confidence · MXV: 'Bishop got a total rework. No longer do you hold the button down and have this roving shot...It will spot you like the most lucrative shot'

  • Multiball stacking has been disabled; multiballs will be reworked individually in future updates

    high confidence · MXV: 'Multiballs no longer stack because they're each going to get reworked and become their own special moments'

  • Sentinel multiball is now easier to start on first play (six bashes) and becomes harder on subsequent attempts

    high confidence · MXV: 'The first time you play it, it's easier to start. It's only six bashes to the Sentinel toy'

  • The Midtown shot can no longer be combo-spammed; it no longer counts as a repeated shot in combo chains

    high confidence · MXV: 'That Midtown shot can no longer combo like the shot you make in a combo. You're not building up your combo counter by making the same shot twice in a row'

  • A future update will include a mini wizard mode unlocked after a certain Sentinel kill count

    high confidence · MXV: 'Sentinel kills will also award other things...where at a certain setup count you'll unlock a special powered-up wizard mode'

  • Danger Room now includes a ball saver when first entered to give players adjustment time

    high confidence · MXV: 'We did some quality of life enhancements with the Danger Room where there's a ball saver when you first enter it'

  • The Sentinel breaking the ramp mechanic was moved from single-ball play to multiball-only to reduce frustration

    high confidence · MXV: 'The Sentinel won't break the ramp like it used to. Now it breaks the ramp during the multiball...it's the multiball...made for a way less frustrating experience'

Notable Quotes

  • “Gone is the future that you knew. And the new future starts when you complete a mode.”

    MXV @ Early in update explanation — Signals major redesign of a core game mode rather than incremental fix

  • “This is just the beginning of a much bigger work that's coming.”

    MXV @ End of rules explanation — Indicates 0.91 is first step of ongoing overhaul; more updates planned

  • “Jack's design was very much all about the combo. So they're going to take a more prominent role in various game rules and features.”

    MXV @ During gameplay commentary — Clarifies design philosophy and intended direction for future updates

  • “We're excited for you to download this and go start jamming on it...expect more updates soon.”

    Jack Danger @ Stream closing — Confirms more code updates are in the pipeline

  • “I kept breaking the glass on my game and then Jack's like, 'Well, you're going to have to fix that in design. We can't keep giving you new sheets of glass.'”

    Nick Wena @ Mid-stream commentary — Humorous anecdote highlighting how design issues were identified and addressed

Entities

Jack DangerpersonMXV (Mike Vinacore)personNick WenapersonUncanny X-MengameStern PinballcompanyFuture modeproductBishop shotproductSentinel multiballproductDanger Roomproduct

Signals

  • ?

    community_signal: Stern conducting transparent rules demonstration stream with designer/programmer/tester participation; encouraging home player feedback and continued play

    high · Official Stern-hosted stream with Jack Danger, MXV, Nick Wena; gameplay demonstration; closing call: 'expect more updates soon'

  • ?

    design_philosophy: Update removes widely-reported pain point: Midtown shot combo-spam grind; prevents infinite point accumulation through repetitive single-shot combos

    high · MXV: 'That Midtown shot can no longer combo...You're not building up your combo counter by making the same shot twice in a row'

  • ?

    design_philosophy: Jack Danger's design emphasizes combo mechanics; MXV codifying this by making combos take 'more prominent role in various game rules'

    high · MXV: 'Jack's design was very much all about the combo. So they're going to take a more prominent role.' Future combo tallying planned to unlock features.

  • ?

    design_innovation: Bishop mechanic redesigned to eliminate aiming friction: auto-targets highest-value shot instead of requiring player aim similar to Deadpool boom button

    high · MXV: 'Think of the boom button in Deadpool. It will spot you like the most lucrative shot that's on the playfield at the moment that you hit it'

  • ?

    product_concern: Sentinel ramp-breaking mechanic was causing repeated glass breakage in single-ball play; moved to multiball-only to reduce frustration

    high · MXV: 'The Sentinel won't break the ramp like it used to...made for a way less frustrating experience.' Nick: 'I kept breaking the glass on my game.'

Transcript

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0:02
Hey friends, Jack Danger here, lead game designer of the Uncanny X-Men. And we are excited to show you with this release the first step in a overhaul of the rules of this game. And who better to explain everything than the gentleman behind the new rules, Mike Vineor. Mike. Hey everybody, MXV here. As Jack just mentioned, this is the first step of a major reworking of all the rules to the Uncanny X-Men. For this one, we started with the future. Gone is the future that you knew. And the new future starts when you complete a mode. The Midtown shot will be lit blue. When you shoot it, holds the ball, takes you into the future, and you've got to kill a certain number of Sentinels before the time runs out and escape the future. So, when you kill the required amount, six sentinels in this case, shoot the blue shot to get out before time runs out, you've now saved an X-Man, and you've earned a power or a perk to take with you for the rest of the game. Um, there's a whole bunch of different perks. So, you've got eight different modes, eight different perks. Plus, there's still perks around uh in a similar fashion to how they used to work. Um, Bishop got a total rework. No longer do you hold the button down and have this roving shot. It think of the boom button in Deadpool. It will spot you like the most lucrative shot that's on the playfield at the moment that you hit it. Um, it's still qualified the same way as before. We did some quality of life enhancements with the danger room where there's a ball saver when you first enter it. gives gives the players time to adjust to that little area and makes it a little bit safer. Um, moving forward in the future, that's going to really greatly affect the mode values and what you do in modes later. Um, beyond that, the Sentinel multiball is easier to start. Multiballs no longer stack because they're each going to get reworked and become their own special moments. Um, moving forward, we're going to be touching things like reworking the the rules to all the eight modes to give them more unique personalities. Um, we've done a whole bunch of polish and some bug fixes on top of that. You no longer have to hold a button down to make a skill shot. They're all just lit when you plunge the ball. And a whole bunch of other quality life enhancements. And this is just the beginning of a much bigger uh much bigger work that's coming. Um, so with that, let's play a game. Hey guys, my name is Nick Wina, lead game tester here at Stern Pinball, and today I'm going to do a gameplay demonstration of the new Uncanny X-Men update. So, uh, MXV is here to help me out. So, let's get going. A dark future ruled by machines. Mutants face extinction. Only one path remains back. Change the past. Save the future. All right, as you can see, that was a new intro. And you also now no longer need to hold down a button to make your skill shots. Yep.
Deadpool
game
  • ?

    product_strategy: Multiple future code updates planned including: all eight mode reworks, multiball individual reworks, mini wizard mode, combo system integration, display/screams additions

    high · MXV repeated mentions: 'in a future update, we're going to be reworking,' 'Moving forward,' 'And plenty more to come in later updates'

  • ?

    product_concern: Skill shot mechanic simplified: no longer requires button hold; all modes now start at right flipper only; auto-feed standardization

    high · MXV: 'You no longer have to hold a button down to make a skill shot. They're all just lit when you plunge the ball.'

  • ~

    sentiment_shift: 0.91 update represents significant community confidence rebuilding after troubled launch; redesigns are addressing core gameplay concerns not incremental fixes

    high · Comprehensive Future/Bishop/multiball rework versus minor tweaks; explicit roadmap for future updates; emphasis on this being 'first step of major reworking'

    • 3:08
    Now, also when a mode is when mode starts ready, only the two those two blue shots that feed the right flipper will be the ones to start modes at. All modes will always start at the right flipper.
    3:24
    Sabertooth, I'll tear you apart bit by bit if I have to.
    3:41
    Your overgrown fingernails ain't no match for my claws. In a future update, we're going to be reworking all of these eight modes to give them all more unique personalities and make them much more varied in how they play and score.
    4:05
    I'm just going to finish it. All right. So, now Nick has been taken to the new future and you can see there's a whole bunch of Sentinels lit and they are white. That's their base value color. If you bash the big Sentinel toy, those colors change and their values go up. Um, when you make a Sentinel shot, you kill them and you've got 40 seconds to make as uh as many Sentinel kills as you can. Plus, you need to escape before the time runs out. If he succeeds in doing that, he will then uh save an X-Man and then get a new power aka a perk that will he will keep for the rest of the game. Putting a lot of pressure on me, Mike. Some of the perks, um there'll be add a ball on the button, so it's going to move off of its old rules. Um there will be a multiball extend for two of the multiballs. There will be there. Nice work, sniper. So, you got um you got a you got you got a perk there. Um some of the other perks will be um the bishop shot will speed will award two shots instead of one. Um gambit will be worth 3x, you know, things like that. Um each one is his own unique perk or power.
    5:29
    that Sentinel multiball. We made it the first time you play it. It's easier to start. It's only six bashes to the Sentinel toy. Doesn't matter where. Um then it gets uh harder with any subsequent ones you are trying to play. You best when you see the We will be uh reworking the rules to them for all the monkey balls in a future leak as well. Currently, they are mostly the same as they were. They need to hire better goons. That was almost too easy. Mission successful team.
    6:08
    All right, Gambit, I'm coming for you. Save them, Mick. We're count the whole X9 team is counting on you. Well, I need to get my sentinel values up, though. That's true. And then when you make uh when a new one lights, it lights at the base value again, and you have to So, you'd have to like boosting it again if you want to maximize your scoring here.
    6:38
    This will get us out of here sooner. If you have true sniping ability like Nick here, sometimes you could clip that sentinel as you make the midtown shot and then you know you boost it on your way up.
    6:52
    Need to make that midtown shot. Get out. Get out. I was going to try I was going to try to take one for the road or but I kept missing. You don't want to miss the perk though. So that's the risk and reward you got to weigh against.
    7:12
    Yeah. And in the f in the future the future meaning uh updates that we will do in the future uh sentinel kills will also award other things. You'll build towards like a mini wizard mode for example where you know at a certain setup count you'll you'll unlock a you know special wizard mode is powered up compromised.
    7:44
    [Music] You should have learned from my example. Hit the sentinel. Counter measures enabled. Target mutants located. Initiating crowd detainment procedures. Halt mutant. Sentinel multiball.
    8:12
    This betrayal shall not go unpunished. I could not have asked for something better aimed. All
    8:28
    right. You've got Bishop lit. Yeah. So now Bishop he Bishop automatically will will target the most valuable shot on the playfield at the time. You no longer have to hold the button down and aim him. Returning to base. I saw my mo going. Not anymore. Dreams of mutant kind remain. I would not let them fall to the likes of you.
    8:59
    That extra ball ain't going to get itself. We found a I tried the the snipe that you were talking about hitting the side of the head. Oh, there we go. I got it there.
    9:16
    Though it take longer to charge, I got another helping hand for you. Thought you had just got gambit before you got that fentanel, so you really maximize the points out of that one. Lucky
    9:35
    you hit. I'm going to keep going. Keep trying. Accurate strike. 10 9 8 7 I am now running out of time.
    10:21
    Observe one of my most predigious contributions. there. I had a little something extra for you.
    10:47
    I'm the best there is at what I do, but what I do isn't very nice. Go up. Splendid work indeed.
    11:01
    Surrender mutants or face immediate termination. team, we've got a mission. All right. What should I pick, Mike? I'll go with that one right there. This one? Fiery assault. Yeah. Okay.
    11:23
    And nature's giving us a fiery assault with the heat wave. We're currently seems an appropriate mode to play you from further harming civilians.
    11:42
    We must get to Cerebro. Aren't you getting tired of me saving your butts? [Music] Oh, yeah. There you go.
    12:01
    Ah. Clumsy. Nice ball though. Thank you. Have we not sacrificed enough? Unit.
    12:24
    [Music] Oh no. Protocol enabled. Nope. That is a that is a if you miss there's there's no chance. Let's get moving. That's that midtown shot can no like combos like the shot you make in a combo no longer is repeated on any shot that you just make. So you the gone is the ability to spam that midtown shot forever um and just you know grind out a bunch of points that way. You're not building up your combo counter by making the same shot twice in a row. It's gonna just light. It just is natur it lights your natural combos off based off the shot you just made.
    13:15
    Uh looking forward to some more stuff we have planned. combos uh will be will be tallied through the whole game and they will unlock something, you know, some feature later, you know, to be, you know, that we're still working on designing. Um, and we'll put some, you know, a lot of emphasis on them. This is a very combo friendly game. You know, Jack's design was very all about the combo. So, they're going to take a more prominent role in various game rules and features.
    14:01
    All right. Back in the future. Back into the future. Storm's one of my favorite X-Men, so got to save Storm. I'll I'll try my best. This will get us out of here sooner.
    14:27
    I'll give you what charge I got left. Oh, it's fine. I I have a little time. I can I can get some more sentinels. Don't worry, I I won't I won't forget about her.
    15:05
    10 9 8 7 6 D I remembered her eventually. That's why he's the sniper. 11, man. Nice score out of that, too.
    15:19
    The future can, as you can see, the future can become very lucrative, especially if you start getting the gambit shot multiplier uh active right before you make a, you know, one of the red Sinel shots, for example. Armor integrity at 30%. Mutant, you are instructed to return to internment camp Sierra Bro. Mutant detected. Sentinel multih hall.
    16:08
    Don't worry. I got a little ace up my sleeve. Oh yeah. So, one thing that many of you might find uh that's good news. The Sentinel won't break won't break the ramp like it used to. Now it breaks the ramp during the multiball, but I found especially on my machine at home that every time it broke it in single ball play especially, it would seem to just go down the middle. So now, you know, we tried to implement it more into the multiball because you are battling the Sentinel at that point. So it will currently only break during the multiball
    16:52
    which made for a way a way less frustrating experience. [Music] I kept breaking the glass on my game and then Jack's like, "Well, you're going to have to fix that in design. We can't keep giving you new sheets of glass." Oh. Oh. Oh, that one snuck up on you. Wow.
    17:24
    System by failed. That that will change like that super carrying over for the rest of the game. Like that's going to change when we re when we re rework that multiball. Your placement is impeccable.
    17:55
    My strength is yours, comrade. Go up town. This mode is a guarantee that I'm going to brick that ramp because every time it's where I blow it. It's like the pressure is on and it makes the shot smaller
    18:21
    We've got to protect the others team. We've got a mission. That action button ain't going to hit itself.
    18:59
    Splendid work indeed. Save the city. Yeah. Gambit is ready. Go to midtown. I'll show you how to behave proper. Yeah. Yeah. the way we handle like a lot of the display effects has changed in this game. Um, so you can actually see more useful information.
    19:34
    And we did add a bunch of new screams to those effects, too. And plenty more to come in later updates.
    19:49
    Firing. That's how it's done. [Music] These robots ain't got the foggiest notion of who they're dealing with.
    20:12
    That's how it's done. No, I would do that a lot on Deadpool, too. Like if I especially it's ball three, I'll just use up all the booms, burn them all up before get get any shots I can get before it's game over. Although I think he's got at least one ball left. Man, you're killing us. We should have turned off the extra ball.
    20:41
    We always say realize that in the middle of recording a stream versus like thinking about it when we're setting up the stream.
    20:54
    Let's get moving. X-Men juggernaut. His helmet protects him from my psychic abilities.
    21:15
    Don't worry, I got an ace up my sleeve. Spam the button. That's how it's done. All right, Nick. This is it. It all comes down to your last ball. What are you going to do? You have 43 sentinels. 43. That's amazing. That's like got to be a new in-house record cuz he went faring, dude.
    21:34
    I just get my six and get out cuz I'm afraid of messing up and not getting, right?
    21:44
    I I I want my perk, but you know, I want some extra sentinels. That's all. Perks are fine and all, but you have the confidence that I lack. Saving the future. I'm I'm I'm I'm helping the greater good of the future by defeating more. We We thank you for it. We have to stop the juggernaut from destroying the mansion. Even if he is unstoppable, we have to keep fighting. Oh, nice little dog. Internet, I want to let you know he only drained because we're we're over here poking him. He's doing too good. Stop. You're doing great. Sentinels destroyed. Shut down in progress. A stupendous demonstration.
    22:32
    Grand champion. Doesn't matter if you're not long. Internet, remember that. Hi Heck yeah. Well, folks, thank you for watching. Uh we're excited for you to download this and go start jamming on it. Uh if you have one at home, congratulations. Go find it on location, throw some uh dollars inside of it, and expect more updates soon. All right, friends. Bye.