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<feed xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom">
  <title>Hack the Planet Pinball: what's new</title>
  <link href="https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/#news" rel="alternate"/>
  <link href="https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/news.xml" rel="self"/>
  <id>https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/news.xml</id>
  <updated>2026-10-14T21:22:00Z</updated>
  <author><name>magikh0e</name></author>
  <entry>
    <title>Week one by the numbers</title>
    <link href="https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/#news-2026-10-14-numbers" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/#news-2026-10-14-numbers</id>
    <updated>2026-10-14T21:22:00Z</updated>
    <content type="html">&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;273 games of Hack the Planet Pinball so far: 10.4 hours of play and 349 million points.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;A typical game lasts under two minutes and scores about 330,000; the top 10% score over 4.4 million.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Four games in ten reach HACK THE PLANET. Combos and the end-of-ball bonus make more than half of all points.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;The busiest hour is 02:00 UTC, and Sunday, Oct 11 was the busiest day so far, with 92 games.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;It&amp;#x27;s all anonymous, and a new page adds it all up. It refreshes whenever the site updates.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/numbers.html&quot;&gt;Pinball by the numbers&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>New: the street race</title>
    <link href="https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/#news-2026-10-13-street" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/#news-2026-10-13-street</id>
    <updated>2026-10-14T09:05:00Z</updated>
    <content type="html">&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;New next to the duel on the title screen: the STREET RACE. A minute on a half-pipe against Kate: shoot the ramps up either side to ride the rails over the top, and chain laps inside six seconds of each other for up to 5×.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Finish with more laps than Kate to win. Each win takes you up a level and makes her quicker, and a drain only costs you the chain.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;It keeps its own record and doesn&amp;#x27;t count toward your score or the world boards. Chain it to 3× for the SPANDEX achievement and a new ball.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>Sound polish</title>
    <link href="https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/#news-2026-10-13-sound" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/#news-2026-10-13-sound</id>
    <updated>2026-10-14T08:14:00Z</updated>
    <content type="html">&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;The payphone rings like a real payphone now, two bells and all, and loud enough to hear over the music.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Multiball has a proper fanfare that hits with the flash, and high scores and world records get a bigger one.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;TILT and a failed virus run hold their sound instead of cutting off, and the virus warning is a meaner klaxon.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Some of the quieter sounds have been turned up, and the music in the secret levels now plays as loud as the main table&amp;#x27;s.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>STATS in sections, a shorter PROGRESS</title>
    <link href="https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/#news-2026-10-13-progress" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/#news-2026-10-13-progress</id>
    <updated>2026-10-14T07:10:00Z</updated>
    <content type="html">&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;STATS reads in sections like the WORLD tab: YOU (your rank, your best this era, your world best), LIFETIME, HOW YOU PLAY, SECRETS and KEEP &amp;amp; MOVE.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;PROGRESS lists the achievements still to go first, closest first, and the ones you&amp;#x27;ve earned as chips: tap one for its date, how you earned it and how rare it is.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Ball and table looks are swatches now: tap one to use it, or a locked one to see how to get it.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;An achievement you&amp;#x27;ve earned no longer says &amp;quot;nobody yet&amp;quot; before your next game report counts you.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>A clearer WORLD tab</title>
    <link href="https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/#news-2026-10-13-worldtab" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/#news-2026-10-13-worldtab</id>
    <updated>2026-10-14T06:56:00Z</updated>
    <content type="html">&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;The WORLD tab is grouped now: one line of worldwide numbers, then THIS ERA (the top 10, who&amp;#x27;s next, the era notice), TODAY (the top 3 and yesterday&amp;#x27;s winner), RECORDS (the old eras&amp;#x27; champions and the record history) and the secrets, folded away.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Your handle is lit wherever it shows there, once it&amp;#x27;s locked to your browser: on the top 10, in today&amp;#x27;s top 3 and among the champions.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>A tidier STATS</title>
    <link href="https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/#news-2026-10-13-tidy" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/#news-2026-10-13-tidy</id>
    <updated>2026-10-14T06:10:00Z</updated>
    <content type="html">&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;STATS is about you now: your rank and world best first, then your numbers, with bars for where your points come from and where your balls go (past the left or the right flipper now, not just &amp;quot;the middle&amp;quot;).&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;The worldwide blocks (record history, secrets found worldwide, the secret hunters, the level best runs) moved to the WORLD tab.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Practice and the gallery fold away under SECRET LEVELS, and your handle&amp;#x27;s lock, key link, QR code and recovery code under YOUR HANDLE; each remembers being open.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;THIS DEVICE is now called HIGH SCORES, and long labels no longer run off the edge on a phone.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>CLEAN EXIT, PACE SETTER, and rare unlocks</title>
    <link href="https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/#news-2026-10-13-clean" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/#news-2026-10-13-clean</id>
    <updated>2026-10-14T05:50:00Z</updated>
    <content type="html">&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Two new achievements: CLEAN EXIT (finish a game without losing a ball down either outlane) and PACE SETTER (with Record pace on, finish a game of 2 minutes or more ahead of the world record&amp;#x27;s pace).&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Earn an achievement fewer than 1 in 10 players have, and the unlock says so.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;A score good enough for the world board that isn&amp;#x27;t going there now says why at game over: relaxed games stay on your device, and a game that couldn&amp;#x27;t reach the record server when it started can&amp;#x27;t be sent.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;A game report the server turns away for a moment (too many at once) now waits and goes again, instead of getting lost.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>How rare is it? And your era best</title>
    <link href="https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/#news-2026-10-13-rarity" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/#news-2026-10-13-rarity</id>
    <updated>2026-10-14T05:39:00Z</updated>
    <content type="html">&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;PROGRESS shows how many players have each achievement, once enough have reported. Each browser counts each achievement once, anonymously, with its next game report.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;The title screen shows your best this era, and last era&amp;#x27;s, so the fresh board in era 5 starts with a target of your own.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>MATCH, your best game, drain tips</title>
    <link href="https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/#news-2026-10-13-match" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/#news-2026-10-13-match</id>
    <updated>2026-10-14T04:54:00Z</updated>
    <content type="html">&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;At game over the last two digits of your score spin against the machine&amp;#x27;s draw, like an arcade table&amp;#x27;s match. Match them for an achievement and a new ball look.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;STATS keeps a replay of your best game on this device: Watch it.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;The game-over screen gives a tip when your balls keep going the same way, and STATS shows where your balls go.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;The how-to on this page now covers the newer settings, skipping the end-of-ball screen and moving your progress.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>Record pace, where your points come from, reduce motion</title>
    <link href="https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/#news-2026-10-13-pace" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/#news-2026-10-13-pace</id>
    <updated>2026-10-14T04:31:00Z</updated>
    <content type="html">&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Settings, Record pace (off until you switch it on): while you play, a line under NEXT says how far ahead of or behind the world record you are at the same point in its game.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;The game-over screen says where that game&amp;#x27;s points came from (jackpots, bumpers, combos and so on), and STATS keeps the split for every game you&amp;#x27;ve played here.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Settings, Reduce motion: no shake, flashes or strobes, and no instant replay. It starts at your system&amp;#x27;s reduced-motion setting.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Move your progress has a QR code: scan it with your phone&amp;#x27;s camera to bring your progress over. It leaves out the recent-games chart and day-by-day history; the copied link carries everything.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>It says when you&#x27;re offline</title>
    <link href="https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/#news-2026-10-13-offline" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/#news-2026-10-13-offline</id>
    <updated>2026-10-14T04:13:00Z</updated>
    <content type="html">&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;With no connection, the title screen and the WORLD tab say so: how old the world numbers are, and how many of your finished games are waiting to send. They go out by themselves when you&amp;#x27;re back online, and the numbers refresh.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>Phones: the right edge flips</title>
    <link href="https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/#news-2026-10-13-edge" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/#news-2026-10-13-edge</id>
    <updated>2026-10-14T04:05:00Z</updated>
    <content type="html">&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;On a touch screen, the strip over the shooter lane on the right is the plunger only while a ball waits there (or in the TV station, where it broadcasts). With the lane empty, a tap near the right edge now flips the right flipper instead of doing nothing.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>Move your progress, one-button flips, low effects</title>
    <link href="https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/#news-2026-10-13-move" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/#news-2026-10-13-move</id>
    <updated>2026-10-14T03:55:00Z</updated>
    <content type="html">&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;STATS, Move your progress: send everything (achievements, secrets, bests, stats, your handle and its key) to another browser as a link, or paste it into the home-screen app on an iPhone, which keeps its own storage apart from Safari. It merges with what&amp;#x27;s there, after you say yes.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Settings, One-button flips: any flipper key, tap or button raises both flippers, for one-handed play. Scores still count.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Settings, Low effects: no glow and a lower resolution, for phones and computers that drop frames. It switches itself on if a game keeps stuttering; switch it off and it stays off.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;The screen stays on during a game and while the world record&amp;#x27;s replay plays.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>Skip the end-of-ball screen</title>
    <link href="https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/#news-2026-10-13-skip" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/#news-2026-10-13-skip</id>
    <updated>2026-10-14T02:28:00Z</updated>
    <content type="html">&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;LAUNCH (the plunger key, the plunger lane on a touch screen, or a controller&amp;#x27;s launch button) now skips the end-of-ball screen: your bonus is paid at once and the next ball comes up. The last ball&amp;#x27;s tally still plays out before game over.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Only a press you make once the screen is up counts, for the skip and for a flip&amp;#x27;s fast-forward (now gentler). A flipper or plunger still held from the drain, or a key&amp;#x27;s auto-repeat, no longer rushes the screen past before you can read it.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>Watch the world record, and install the game</title>
    <link href="https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/#news-2026-10-13-ghost" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/#news-2026-10-13-ghost</id>
    <updated>2026-10-14T02:09:00Z</updated>
    <content type="html">&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;The title screen can replay the world record: the actual game, ball for ball, as its holder played it. There&amp;#x27;s a button for it, and the idle demo shows it every other time. Records set from now on bring their replay with them.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;The game can go on your home screen or desktop like an app, opening full screen and playing offline (Settings shows an Install button where your browser offers it; on an iPhone, Share, then Add to Home Screen). A game played offline sends its report when you&amp;#x27;re back online.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;The title screen says how many games have been played today, and STATS shows each secret level&amp;#x27;s best run this era next to yours.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Screen readers now hear the first-game tap card and the record replay too.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>Friendlier on phones</title>
    <link href="https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/#news-2026-10-13-phones" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/#news-2026-10-13-phones</id>
    <updated>2026-10-14T00:16:00Z</updated>
    <content type="html">&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;On a phone, your first game shows the tap zones over the table (left half, right half, and the plunger lane on the right edge) until you launch the first ball.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Opened from Facebook, Instagram or Messenger? The game plays fine in their built-in browser, and now says what doesn&amp;#x27;t work there (saving pictures) and that your scores stay in that app&amp;#x27;s browser, with how to open it in your real one.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>Secret hunters, kisses, and a countdown</title>
    <link href="https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/#news-2026-10-13-hunters" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/#news-2026-10-13-hunters</id>
    <updated>2026-10-13T21:00:00Z</updated>
    <content type="html">&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Found a secret? The game-over screen now lets you put your handle on that secret&amp;#x27;s hunters list, and STATS shows every list: how many have found each secret and who got there first. It&amp;#x27;s opt-in, and your handle has to be yours (locked to this browser), as on the world board. STATS also has a button to add the secrets you found before today.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;A game that finds a secret can also share a card that says so, without saying which one or how.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;In multiball, two balls meeting is now a kiss, worth a small bonus.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;In the last two days before a scoring era starts, the title screen counts down to it.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;The game now tells the record server when it hits an error, anonymously (the message and where in the code, nothing about you), so a crash gets fixed before anyone has to describe it. The FAQ lists it with everything else a game sends.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>The secrets stay secret</title>
    <link href="https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/#news-2026-10-13-minified" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/#news-2026-10-13-minified</id>
    <updated>2026-10-13T20:40:00Z</updated>
    <content type="html">&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;The game&amp;#x27;s code on this site is now minified, so opening it doesn&amp;#x27;t give the secret levels away.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>Ball hits you can hear, Steady flippers, and lighter on phones</title>
    <link href="https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/#news-2026-10-13-steady" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/#news-2026-10-13-steady</id>
    <updated>2026-10-13T19:58:00Z</updated>
    <content type="html">&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;When two balls hit each other they now clack, louder the harder they hit, and a small spark shows where they met, so you can see it happen in multiball.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Settings has a new Steady flippers option: nothing in the game will ever swap or scramble your flipper keys, for switch access and one-handed play. Relaxed games are always steady.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;The game uses a lot less memory on phones: each secret level&amp;#x27;s artwork is only kept while you&amp;#x27;re in it.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Game reports now carry two more anonymous counts, the inlane passes and spinner shots on your best run of a ball. The FAQ lists everything a game sends.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;And if you ever find every secret, look in STATS.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>Balls bounce off each other properly</title>
    <link href="https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/#news-2026-10-13-ball-bounce" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/#news-2026-10-13-ball-bounce</id>
    <updated>2026-10-13T19:27:00Z</updated>
    <content type="html">&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Fixed: in multiball, a ball that hit another ball resting on a flipper (or rolling along a wall) used to stop almost dead against it, so it looked like they hadn&amp;#x27;t bounced. A ball that&amp;#x27;s held against the table now stays put and the other one bounces off it, the way steel balls do on a real table. Thanks to PATHETIQ for spotting it.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>Who&#x27;s next up, an end-of-era recap, tips, and Halloween missions</title>
    <link href="https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/#news-2026-10-13-nextup" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/#news-2026-10-13-nextup</id>
    <updated>2026-10-13T06:53:00Z</updated>
    <content type="html">&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;The WORLD tab now shows who&amp;#x27;s next up: the handle just above yours on the world board, and how far ahead it is. A game that doesn&amp;#x27;t reach the board says so on the game-over screen too.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;When an era ends, your first visit after it brings a one-time recap: where you finished (or your best on this device) and the era&amp;#x27;s champion, with a button to share it.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Between games, the title and game-over screens show one &amp;quot;did you know?&amp;quot; about the table and its extras, a different one each game, starting with the ones you haven&amp;#x27;t tried.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;New players get a few tips in their first three games, at the moment they help: catching the ball on a flipper, steering the lit lanes, nudging. Each stops once you&amp;#x27;ve done it.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;The score card now shows the scoring era and how your game compares with the era&amp;#x27;s other games.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Halloween missions: from October 16 to 31, about half the daily missions are Halloween ones, and October 31 always is.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;The anonymous game report now includes what you scored in any secret level that keeps its own score, so the next balance check can see what they&amp;#x27;re worth.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Rolling through a top lane that&amp;#x27;s already lit now gives a soft click and a LIT tag. A lit lane stays lit until all four spell HACK: flip to move the lit lanes and steer a dark one under the ball.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;If the game is updated while you have the page open, the title and game-over screens now say so, with a button to reload. Your scores and progress stay.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;A new default ball: JOLLY ROGER, the film&amp;#x27;s winking smiley with the eye patch. It rolls, and winks when you launch it. If you&amp;#x27;d already picked a ball you keep it, and CHROME is still there under PROGRESS (or Settings &amp;gt; Looks).&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Champion stars: a ★ by a handle on the world boards means it finished a scoring era in the top 3 (or held the record, in the eras before the top 10).&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Three new achievements, 28 in all: PASS IT ON (climb past another handle on the world board), PODIUM (make today&amp;#x27;s top 3) and ERA CHAMPION (finish an era in the top 3).&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Fixed: in multiball, two balls could both land in the TRASH saucer at once, and both got a mystery award. It holds one ball now, and the next bounces off it.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Fixed, mostly: with both flippers on the Shift keys, a flipper could stick on Windows, which doesn&amp;#x27;t report letting go of one Shift while the other is held. The game now catches up when you let go of the other, and another press of the stuck one flips it again. For flippers that never stick, use Shift on one side only (Left Shift and / work well); Settings &amp;gt; Keys explains.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;The game has a version number now, under the table (like v2026.10.13.1a2b3c4d: the day it was built and a fingerprint of its code). It links here, and the update notice names the new one.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;A new secret to find. It isn&amp;#x27;t worth a single point, but whoever pulls it off gets a new table look to show for it, and an achievement.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Fixed: the era champions in the WORLD tab no longer flash every time the list updates.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>Era champions, an era&#x27;s last day, and how your game ranks</title>
    <link href="https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/#news-2026-10-13-champions" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/#news-2026-10-13-champions</id>
    <updated>2026-10-13T06:30:00Z</updated>
    <content type="html">&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;When a scoring era ends, its top 3 stay up in the WORLD tab as that era&amp;#x27;s champions, the title screen names the champion for the new era&amp;#x27;s first few days, and the record history marks each era&amp;#x27;s last record as its champion.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;In an era&amp;#x27;s last 24 hours the title screen says so, with a countdown. Era 4&amp;#x27;s last day ends at 00:00 UTC on Wednesday, October 21 (2:00 PM Tuesday in Hawaii; the WORLD tab shows it in your own time).&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;A game counts for the era it started in. Start one before the switch and it still counts for the old era&amp;#x27;s final top 10 and record, however long it runs, though not for the new day&amp;#x27;s boards, which belong to the new era. The game tells you in the last 10 minutes and again when the switch comes.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;The game-over screen now says how your game compares, like &amp;quot;Better than 82% of the 1,234 era 4 games logged.&amp;quot; It comes from the same anonymous game reports as before, and shows once an era has 20 games logged.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;PROGRESS has a new chart: your best score each day you play on this device, with a best-so-far line that starts again with each scoring era. It starts from the recent games this browser already kept.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>Scoring era 5 starts October 21</title>
    <link href="https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/#news-2026-10-12-era5-oct21" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/#news-2026-10-12-era5-oct21</id>
    <updated>2026-10-13T05:00:00Z</updated>
    <content type="html">&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Scoring era 5 starts at 00:00 UTC on Wednesday, October 21, the same moment as that day&amp;#x27;s daily reset. The WORLD tab shows it in your own time, with a countdown.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;When it starts, the world record, the world top 10 and the daily boards (today&amp;#x27;s best and today&amp;#x27;s top 3) start fresh for era 5. Era 4&amp;#x27;s records stay in the history, marked as an older era.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;What you keep: your scores on this device&amp;#x27;s high score table, your stats, achievements and looks, and your handle lock.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;The main change being weighed: letting the secret levels that keep their own score count toward your main score. The details follow next week&amp;#x27;s balance check.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;So if you want your name on era 4&amp;#x27;s board, you have until then.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>Today&#x27;s top 3, and yesterday&#x27;s winner</title>
    <link href="https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/#news-2026-10-12-daily" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/#news-2026-10-12-daily</id>
    <updated>2026-10-13T04:50:00Z</updated>
    <content type="html">&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;The daily board now has a top 3: the title screen and the WORLD tab show today&amp;#x27;s three best (each handle once), and a score that makes the top 3 is sent so you can claim your place. #2 and #3 get their own fanfare.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Yesterday&amp;#x27;s winner stays up after the reset, on the title screen and in the WORLD tab.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Off the world top 10? STATS and the WORLD tab now show your own place on the board, like #17 worldwide.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Last call: in the last 10 minutes before the daily reset a game warns that today&amp;#x27;s best is closing, and a game that runs past midnight UTC says it counts for the new day.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Phones held sideways get their own layout: the table takes the screen&amp;#x27;s height with the score, lanes and lists beside it, and full screen does the same.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;The first time your handle locks, the game-over screen offers its recovery code, until you&amp;#x27;ve looked at it once.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;The duel button now says what it is: DUEL MODE, a 3-minute race against Acid Burn&amp;#x27;s score, with your level.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>Keep your handle</title>
    <link href="https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/#news-2026-10-12-handles" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/#news-2026-10-12-handles</id>
    <updated>2026-10-13T03:40:00Z</updated>
    <content type="html">&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;STATS can show a recovery code for your handle. Write it down: if your browser data is ever cleared, Restore a handle in STATS takes your handle and the code and brings it back, checked with the record server on the spot.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>Higher bars, from a week of real play</title>
    <link href="https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/#news-2026-10-12-thresholds" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/#news-2026-10-12-thresholds</id>
    <updated>2026-10-13T03:08:00Z</updated>
    <content type="html">&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;The extra ball for score now comes at 600,000 instead of 250,000. Over half of all games were reaching 250,000, so it had stopped feeling earned. Cracking the ICE a third time still gives one too.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Daily mission score targets are now 150,000, 400,000 or 1,000,000 in a game, and 120,000 or 350,000 on one ball.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;The movie crew on your high score table has been rescaled: CRASH OVERRIDE now holds 3,000,000. Your own scores stay put.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;None of this changes what anything scores, so the world record and its era are unchanged.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>Scoring era 4, a worldwide top 10, and something on the roof</title>
    <link href="https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/#news-2026-10-11-era-4" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/#news-2026-10-11-era-4</id>
    <updated>2026-10-11T20:27:45Z</updated>
    <content type="html">&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Combo awards are no longer multiplied: 2,500 for a 2-way up to 20,000 for a 5-way chain, at any multiplier. In era 3 combos made 57% of all points, because a chain at 5× paid 100,000 a shot, every shot. Jackpots and other awards keep the normal multiplier.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;A worldwide top 10: the new WORLD tab shows the best 10 scores of this scoring era here on magikh0e.pl, one per handle. Beat the 10th and you&amp;#x27;re asked for your handle. Your own table is still there as THIS DEVICE.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Something new is waiting on the roof. Kate wasn&amp;#x27;t lying this time. It&amp;#x27;s a secret; the FAQ has the only hint.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;A new scoring era starts a fresh world record. Era 3&amp;#x27;s records stay in the record history, marked OLD SCORING.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;There&amp;#x27;s a way into the Gibson now, if you know the password. What you score in there is kept separately and doesn&amp;#x27;t affect the world record.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;STATS counts the secrets you&amp;#x27;ve found, and how many players worldwide have found each one. There are 21 achievements now.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Fairer secret levels: a ball arriving there gets a moment to settle and a better start, and draining right away gets you one more try.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;The game now pauses when another window takes focus, not only when you switch tabs, and lets go of any flipper you were holding. Before, switching away mid-flip could leave a flipper stuck up.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;The secret levels have their own music.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;While the game sits idle, the high score screen now shows the world&amp;#x27;s top 5 and this device&amp;#x27;s top 5 together, before the full world top 10. The demo&amp;#x27;s banner also shows this device&amp;#x27;s best score.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Game controllers work now: the shoulder buttons or triggers (or the d-pad) flip, hold A to launch, Y nudges, Start pauses, and on the title screen A plays and X starts a duel. Big hits rumble the controller, and unplugging it mid-game pauses.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;On Android phones there&amp;#x27;s a new Vibration option, off by default: short buzzes for flips, bumpers, drains and the big moments. iPhones don&amp;#x27;t let web pages vibrate, so the option doesn&amp;#x27;t show there.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Looks to unlock: new balls for achievements (Gold, Da Vinci, Cyberdelia, an eight ball and Gibson glass) and new table colours for ranks (Ellingson, Da Vinci, Cyberdelia and Gibson). Pick them under LOOKS in the PROGRESS tab. They only change how the table looks, not how it plays.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Left alone for 5 minutes, the table now goes to sleep to save battery: it stops animating and the music stops until you touch anything.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;The high score climb uses bigger lettering: the table switches to large block letters while your name smashes its way up.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;The record server is stricter about scripted and spammed submissions: a limit on requests per connection, and a tighter check on how fast a score could really have been made. Normal play isn&amp;#x27;t affected.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;A roomier page: on a wide screen the table is bigger (sized to your window) with the scores beside it, and on a phone the scores sit right under the table instead of inside the title card. The score tabs fit on one line.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;STATS now shows YOUR WORLD BEST (your place on the world top 10), and the record history is labeled WORLD RECORD HISTORY: a score only joins it by breaking the world record, so beating your own old entry there doesn&amp;#x27;t add a line.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;New: the payphone. On every second HACK, slamming the lit Gibson rings it; answer at the TRASH saucer and roll through the amber lane three times for a free call (20,000 plus 2,000 a digit, times your multiplier). A new achievement, PHONE PHREAK, makes 22.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Your handle is yours now: on the world board a handle belongs to the browser that first sends a score with it, and anyone else using it is asked to pick another. STATS has a link to use your handle on another device.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Once you&amp;#x27;ve found a secret level, STATS lets you practice it. Practice runs don&amp;#x27;t count for anything.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Tidier controls: Voice, Relaxed, Color assist, Vibration and the volume sliders are under Settings, and the line under the table shows the controls for what you&amp;#x27;re using: keys, touch or a controller.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;STATS now shows whether your handle is locked to this browser, and the game tells you the moment it locks.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Moving your handle to a phone is easier: STATS can show a QR code to scan, and a HANDLE TAKEN message now explains how to bring your handle over from your other device.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;The EIGHT BALL look now plays pool: a cue strikes it up the shooter lane, it rolls as it goes, and it tells your fortune.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Settings has a Looks button that takes you straight to the balls and table colours you&amp;#x27;ve unlocked (in the PROGRESS tab).&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Every unlocked ball now has its own launch: GOLD throws sparkles with a ka-ching, DA VINCI glitches with a VIRUS DETECTED warning, CYBERDELIA leaves a neon streak, and GIBSON GLASS rains green code.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Halloween runs from October 15 to November 1: an orange and purple HALLOWEEN table with jack-o&amp;#x27;-lantern bumpers, a few spooky lines, and THE PLAGUE&amp;#x27;S PUMPKIN, an achievement that only counts during the event. Earn it and the table is yours to keep.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;On phones the header is more compact, so the whole table fits on the screen without scrolling.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;There&amp;#x27;s a new secret to find, five in all. Acid Burn knows where it is.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;After a practice run, the level&amp;#x27;s closing text no longer hangs behind the PRACTICE OVER screen.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;After a duel, the game-over screen has a pink Rematch button at your new duel level.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;The ball looks&amp;#x27; launch effects now play only on your own plunges, not in the attract demo.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Space no longer scrolls the page while the bonus counts up between balls, and moving a volume slider mid-game no longer takes the arrow keys away from the flippers.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;The newest secret has something new to play.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Coming back down from a secret level is fairer: a short ball save covers your return, and what follows you down takes longer to arrive.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;What follows you down also hits harder now. There&amp;#x27;s a way to clear it.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;More fixes for the secret levels: better starts, a second chance if you drain right away, and some help early on keeping the ball out of the middle.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;A bigger table on wide screens: the score and the HACK letters moved up beside it and the title got smaller, so the table fills the window&amp;#x27;s height (up to 960 px wide). Short laptop screens now fit the whole table, flippers and all.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Settings has Auto-pause. Switch it off and the game keeps running when you click into another window (switching tabs still pauses).&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Settings &amp;gt; Keys lets you change the flipper, plunger and nudge keys (Left and Right Shift work), and switch off the F key for full screen.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;A new achievement, ALL ACCESS, for finding every secret. That makes 25.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;On the secret levels you now hear a warning before that early help runs out.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;STATS shows your visits and best haul for each secret level you&amp;#x27;ve found (visits count from today).&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;PROGRESS shows your best try at each achievement you&amp;#x27;re still working on, like 74/100 spins, with a bar.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Press I (or Settings &amp;gt; Photo) to save a clean picture of the table as it is right now, even mid-game or paused.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;The title screen and the WORLD tab now show when the day rolls over (midnight UTC, in your own time) with a countdown: that&amp;#x27;s when today&amp;#x27;s best and the daily mission reset. Leave the page open across it and you get a note and the new day&amp;#x27;s mission.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Moving your handle to another device is clearer: open the link in the browser you play in (the key belongs to a browser), and the game checks it with the record server right away and tells you whether it worked. If HANDLE TAKEN is waiting, your handle fills in so SAVE sends that score under it.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>Duel Acid Burn, challenge a friend, and who you&#x27;re chasing</title>
    <link href="https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/#news-2026-10-11-duel" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/#news-2026-10-11-duel</id>
    <updated>2026-10-11T11:30:36Z</updated>
    <content type="html">&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;New on the title screen: Duel Acid Burn. Her score climbs beside yours for three minutes of play; beat her to win, and each win makes the next duel harder. There&amp;#x27;s an achievement for your first win.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Challenge a friend: after a game, share a link that dares them to beat your score. It puts your challenge on their title screen and shows your score above the table while they play.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;The line above the table shows who you&amp;#x27;re chasing on the high score table and by how much, and flashes when you pass someone. The pause card shows it too.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Between demos, the attract screen shows the high score table in the film&amp;#x27;s block letters, then the world record and today&amp;#x27;s best.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>Instant replay and a ball-save countdown</title>
    <link href="https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/#news-2026-10-11-replay" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/#news-2026-10-11-replay</id>
    <updated>2026-10-11T10:40:44Z</updated>
    <content type="html">&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Lose a ball and the end-of-ball screen replays its last few seconds in slow motion, so you can see how it got past you. A flip skips it.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;While ball save is on, both outlanes glow and a bar under SHOOT AGAIN shrinks as it runs out.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;A new high score climbs the table like the Cyberdelia scoreboard in the film: your name stands on end, hops up smashing every name it passes, and slams into place.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;The NEW note on the title screen now says how many other updates you haven&amp;#x27;t seen.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;A new hint in the FAQ&amp;#x27;s answer about secrets. Kate knows something.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>Scoring era 3: HACK THE PLANET rebalanced</title>
    <link href="https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/#news-2026-10-11-era-3" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/#news-2026-10-11-era-3</id>
    <updated>2026-10-11T10:30:00Z</updated>
    <content type="html">&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;HACK THE PLANET now multiplies switches by 3× (still stacking with the playfield multiplier, up to 10×). Combos, jackpots, the virus and other awards keep the normal multiplier. In era 2 a chained combo paid 200,000 a shot during the mode, and one HACK THE PLANET was worth 20 to 40 normal games.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Each HACK THE PLANET after the first needs one more multiball and one more virus kill than the last. The MULTIBALL and VIRUS inserts count them.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;The Gibson pays 1,000 a hit during the mode, down from 2,500.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Extra ball at 250,000 (was 500,000), so it&amp;#x27;s in reach without the wizard mode.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Daily score missions are now 100,000, 150,000 and 250,000 (were 250,000, 400,000 and 600,000).&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;A new scoring era starts a fresh world record. Era 2&amp;#x27;s records stay in the record history, marked OLD SCORING. The pre-filled high score table now tops out at 1,500,000.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;This page now keeps a list of what&amp;#x27;s new, also as a feed.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;This list is easier to read: one date per day, with bigger, brighter titles for each update.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;The anonymous game report now also says where a game&amp;#x27;s points came from (combos, jackpots, bumpers and so on), so the next rebalance can aim at the right thing.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Fixed: the voice said &amp;quot;weiner&amp;quot; instead of &amp;quot;weenie&amp;quot;.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>Rules card, Color assist, help &amp; FAQ</title>
    <link href="https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/#news-2026-10-10-rules-color" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/#news-2026-10-10-rules-color</id>
    <updated>2026-10-11T07:49:00Z</updated>
    <content type="html">&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Pausing shows the rules card: every shot, what it lights, and what to go for next.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Color assist: a lamp palette that stays distinct with color blindness, and outlines on lit lamps.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;A help &amp;amp; FAQ section on this page.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>Film lines, volume sliders, the PROGRESS tab</title>
    <link href="https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/#news-2026-10-10-quips" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/#news-2026-10-10-quips</id>
    <updated>2026-10-11T06:33:00Z</updated>
    <content type="html">&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Lines from the film (and the odd insult) pop up on the table, and the voice reads them.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Separate music and effects volume sliders.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;PROGRESS tab: a chart of your last 30 games and every achievement with how to earn it.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;A secret or two.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>Dumpster Dive, voice callouts, Relaxed mode</title>
    <link href="https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/#news-2026-10-10-scoop" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/#news-2026-10-10-scoop</id>
    <updated>2026-10-11T06:10:00Z</updated>
    <content type="html">&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Dumpster Dive: a saucer right of the Gibson that digs out a mystery award.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;HACK THE PLANET gets its own music.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Optional voice callouts (V).&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Relaxed mode: a long ball save on every ball and no tilt.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Big moments are announced to screen readers.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;The score card lists the achievements unlocked that game.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>Achievements</title>
    <link href="https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/#news-2026-10-10-achievements" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/#news-2026-10-10-achievements</id>
    <updated>2026-10-11T04:37:00Z</updated>
    <content type="html">&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Achievements to unlock, each worth rep toward your hacker rank.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;The score card marks a world record or today&amp;#x27;s best, and the attract mode shows both.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>World record, today&#x27;s best, scoring era 2</title>
    <link href="https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/#news-2026-10-10-world" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/#news-2026-10-10-world</id>
    <updated>2026-10-10T23:37:00Z</updated>
    <content type="html">&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;A worldwide game counter, world record and today&amp;#x27;s best, with record history.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Scoring era 2: multipliers stack up to 10×, the hot spinner pays 300, extra ball at 500,000.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Fixed: the ball slowed down at the base of a flipper.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>Daily mission and hacker ranks</title>
    <link href="https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/#news-2026-10-10-daily" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/#news-2026-10-10-daily</id>
    <updated>2026-10-10T21:00:00Z</updated>
    <content type="html">&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;A daily mission, the same for everyone.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Hacker ranks from LAMER up to CRASH OVERRIDE.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;MULTIBALL and VIRUS inserts track the way to HACK THE PLANET.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>Skill shot, combos, tilt and HACK THE PLANET</title>
    <link href="https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/#news-2026-10-10-modes" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/#news-2026-10-10-modes</id>
    <updated>2026-10-10T20:28:00Z</updated>
    <content type="html">&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Skill shot, extra balls, nudge and tilt, combos, the HACK THE PLANET wizard mode, and lifetime stats.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>Hack the Planet Pinball opens</title>
    <link href="https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/#news-2026-10-10-launch" rel="alternate"/>
    <id>https://magikh0e.pl/pinball/#news-2026-10-10-launch</id>
    <updated>2026-10-10T20:03:00Z</updated>
    <content type="html">&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Spell HACK in the top lanes to light the Gibson, then slam it for multiball. Synth music and sound effects, all made in your browser.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;</content>
  </entry>
</feed>
