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X-Men playfield impressions, layout design, and Stern quality discussion on This Flippin' Podcast
X-Men is Jack Danger's second full release following Foo Fighters
high confidence · Tommy Skinner states this as an established fact about Jack Danger's design portfolio
Kevin was the mechanical engineer on X-Men and is a former member of Tommy's pinball league
high confidence · Tommy identifies Kevin as the mechanical engineer and notes he competed at the X-Men launch party
X-Men artwork is by Zombie Yeti
high confidence · Tommy explicitly mentions Zombie Yeti as the artist; later states Zombie Yeti is now director of Ulster
Taylor has had X-Men on location for about a month at the time of recording
high confidence · Taylor states 'Mine's been on location for about a full month, I believe, a little over a month now'
Tommy played X-Men at Center of the Universe Brewery in Ashland, Virginia at a Premium model
high confidence · Tommy describes playing at Dan's location with a Premium that had the Sentinel head feature
X-Men features a Sentinel multiball and a Cerebro multiball as confirmed modes
medium confidence · Tommy and Taylor discuss these two multiballs as things they observed or started during play, though neither is entirely certain about all mode progression
The wire forms on X-Men move faster than typical, with drops in the wire that speed up ball delivery
medium confidence · Tommy notes wire forms move extra fast and speculates they have drops that speed delivery to flippers
Stern regularly releases code updates for new games, reducing player incentive to learn early rulesets
high confidence · Tommy explicitly states 'Stern now releases these code updates so regularly for games that I've lost my incentive to learn'
Tommy inherited a Whitewater from a deceased league member and tournament player friend
“He got a premium, didn't he? C rating up to a premium I can't I thought I thought I talked to him about that at some point I think it's I think I played a premium did the C sentinel head rise out of the play field yes that's a premium”
Tommy Skinner @ early — Confirms the Sentinel feature as a Premium-tier exclusive mechanical element
“I have absolutely played it by this point in time. Mine's been on location for about a full month, I believe, a little over a month now.”
Taylor Reese @ opening — Establishes timeline of X-Men availability and indicates the game has been playable for early adopters for several weeks
“The rules, I think, is the biggest separation on these newer games that are coming out. And I cannot lie to you, I don't know shit about the rules on this game yet.”
Tommy Skinner @ mid — Reflects on the challenge of learning evolving rulesets and suggests code development is ongoing
“To Stern's credit, because there was a point where if you remember, there was the where's my... Where's the code movement? Yeah. Stern now releases these code updates so regularly for games that I've lost my incentive to learn”
Tommy Skinner @ mid — References a past industry complaint about Stern and credits their response with frequent updates, but notes a trade-off for players
“I would love to see a documentary. Like I know there's a really cool polygon article about Big Bang Bar. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, but like I want the documentary because like people don't realize that Gene was doing all sorts of stuff.”
Taylor Reese @ mid — Expresses interest in archiving and documenting early pinball community history, particularly around Gene and early reproduction parts
“As for how I play, well, as you can see, I take the time to actually learn the rules and stuff, but as far as the layout goes, it's super unique and cool. I think the geometry of the layout is really cool. Like really cool.”
Tommy Skinner @ mid — Strong endorsement of X-Men's layout design from an experienced operator and enthusiast
product_launch: X-Men has been in circulation with early adopters for approximately 1+ month; operators and players are providing hands-on feedback on layout, rules, and reliability
high · Tommy has the game on location for 'a full month, I believe, a little over a month now' and Taylor played it at a location
design_innovation: X-Men's wire form layout and shot geometry are notable departures from standard Stern conventions, with faster-moving wire forms and non-traditional flipper shot positions
high · Tommy notes 'The ball, the travel paths for the ball on X-Men are some of the most unique' and describes wire forms with 'drops in the wire or something that speeds it up to your flipper'
code_update: X-Men is in active code development with updates expected; early players have not fully learned the rulesets due to incomplete or evolving code at launch
high · Tommy states 'I cannot lie to you, I don't know shit about the rules on this game yet' and references expectations that code will continue to be polished
market_signal: X-Men is showing strong player engagement at location; Tommy reports players requesting to play more and providing positive feedback
high · Tommy states 'I am currently seeing that with Xmen. So to me, that is a win' regarding player desire to play
design_philosophy: Stern appears to employ design teams with distinct identifiable styles while maintaining overall brand consistency; this approach is yielding games with unique characteristics
medium · Tommy observes 'they have design teams. And I think those teams very much have identifiers that make their game unique from the other designers while still maintaining this overall product image of Stern'
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high confidence · Tommy describes inheriting the game from a friend's family who donated it to his location in memory
Players at Tommy's location are enjoying X-Men and want to play more of it
high confidence · Tommy states 'I am currently seeing that with Xmen. So to me, that is a win' as an operator observing customer behavior
“It's just cool to see new people designing games. So his whole little evolution within the hobby has been really cool to see too.”
Tommy Skinner @ late — Reflects on Jack Danger's trajectory from fan/streamer to professional designer as part of industry vitality
“They have design, from this point it seems like to me, they have design teams. And I think those teams very much have identifiers that make their game unique from the other designers while still maintaining this overall product image of Stern.”
Tommy Skinner @ late — Observation about Stern's internal design structure and how it balances consistency with individual designer identity
“The ball, the travel paths for the ball on X-Men are some of the most unique I'm a fan of the game.”
Tommy Skinner @ mid — Specific praise for X-Men's playfield geometry and ball paths as a design standout
“Stepping up and like actually standing in front of the pinball machine, like I didn't feel that at all. And I know that and I mean this is kind of silly but I know I mentioned that to some people just that I know.”
Taylor Reese @ mid — Contrasts online impressions of busy artwork with in-person playability, suggesting photos may not represent actual gameplay experience
sentiment_shift: X-Men's busy playfield artwork appears less visually cluttered in person than in online photos; initial concerns about visual complexity were mitigated by hands-on play
medium · Taylor notes online photos made artwork seem 'too much' but 'Stepping up and like actually standing in front of the pinball machine, like I didn't feel that at all'
product_strategy: X-Men offers Pro/Premium/LE tiers with mechanical differences (Sentinel head on Premium); Premium features are cool but add complexity and slow gameplay, which operators must weigh against maintenance burden
high · Taylor played LE with premium features and notes 'It slowed the game down a lot' and from operator perspective worries about maintenance
manufacturing_signal: Stern's customer service is responsive to quality issues; early domestic X-Men units may have had tolerances issues (referenced in KB context), but support appears adequate
medium · Tommy praises Stern's responsiveness: 'they seem to take good care of the customer. I know I've had positive experiences'
personnel_signal: Jack Danger's evolution from fan/streamer to professional Stern designer represents growing pipeline of new talent entering the industry
high · Tommy reflects 'It's just cool to see new people designing games. So his whole little evolution within the hobby has been really cool to see too'
community_signal: Community members recognize gaps in archival documentation of pinball history; there is interest in documenting early reproduction parts makers and industry figures
medium · Taylor expresses desire for documentary: 'I would love to see a documentary... people don't realize that Gene was doing all sorts of stuff'
gameplay_signal: X-Men's shot geometry is non-intuitive; shots are positioned differently than expected on the flipper, requiring players to adapt their muscle memory from other games
high · Both hosts note shots are 'not at the traditional spot on the flipper you expect them to be' and Tommy describes initial difficulty finding shots
venue_signal: X-Men Pro and Premium models are appearing in multiple arcades and venues across the US (Ashland VA, Detroit area, Richmond VA); suggests solid initial distribution
high · References to X-Men at Center of the Universe Brewery, Marvelous Marvin's, and Richmond Pinball Collective indicate geographic spread