Update #100 – Magic Castle Deluxe & Beyond

Hey Pinball Fans!

Happy Thursday! We’re back with a fresh update to keep your flippers warm and your scores climbing!

Over the past few months our team has been split into three groups (table design, new Zaccaria features / bug fixing and a secret project). Now, that secret project and the main Zaccaria development have been merged, so you won’t see any extra surprises in this update, but rest assured our table-making crew is still working at full tilt!

The latest addition to our Deluxe series is Magic Castle Deluxe table, which invites you to a legendary pinball quest set in a mystical, alternate-medieval kingdom. Uncover hidden dungeons beneath the castle, and face off against mythical beasts and dragons. Master the enchanted ramps, trigger modes, and harness multiballs as you ascend through the castle’s secrets. Are you ready to wield the flippers of fate and become the ultimate Pinball Wizard?

For those who love a great soundtrack, the awesome music tracks from this new table are available separately if you own the Zaccaria Pinball - Original Soundtrack DLC.

And now, here comes the surprise. This is our 100th Steam update. Originally, we’d planned to mark this milestone with a brand-new beginning, as we hinted back in January. Earlier this year, we made a bold decision and completely rewrote the bulk of the Zaccaria codebase to lay down a modern, scalable, rock-solid foundation. This under-the-hood overhaul means we will be able to develop more efficiently going forward.

This will also mark the 5th major iteration of Zaccaria Pinball in its twelve-year lifespan. Sadly, we are not quite ready to publish this new iteration yet, but we see the light at the end of the tunnel.

The initial version launched on iOS on March 27, 2013, with just three tables: Time Machine, Locomotion, and Devil Riders.

We want to thank everyone who has been with us since the beginning.

Our Steam release went live on June 16, 2016, with 38 tables. This milestone would not have been possible without you, since we first had to get through Steam Greenlight (we submitted on Jan 21, 2016). After six months on Greenlight, we launched in Early Access, which gave us the opportunity to refine the game and add even more content for pinball fans.

Hard to believe, but the first version of Zaccaria Pinball didn’t include any achievements. On Jul 15, 2016 It was our 3rd update that introduced achievements for just three tables: Time Machine, Locomotion, and Devil Riders. Today, we have around 5,000 Steam achievements. Just four months later, on October 17, 2016, VR support was introduced. Then, one month after that, on November 18, 2016, we released our 30th update, which marked the beginning of new table content additions. We implemented real-time ray-traced shadows on December 16, 2016, with our 33rd update as an 'early Christmas present.' The feature even worked in the VR version. This was almost two years ahead of the RTX era and well before ray tracing became a defining feature in modern gaming.

Each update includes numerous bug fixes. The list goes on and on. If you'd like more details, please check the News section.

Now, after the 100th update, Zaccaria Pinball boasts 160 tables. That means 122 brand-new creations added over nearly nine years of development. Breaking it down, we’ve released at least one fresh table every month on average, even though we had a few years development gap.

This new iteration retains our entirely custom-developed game and physics engine, along with the familiar Zaccaria gameplay, making it feel like you’ve stepped into “Zaccaria Pinball 2”. Importantly, the new in-game coins can only be earned through play and cannot be purchased with real money. Plus, every achievement you have earned, every high score you have posted, and every DLC you have bought stays safe and sound!

Without saying any more, we're leaking a picture of the new look that speaks for itself.

This is a development preview of a possible future look.

After we release this 5th iteration, Zaccaria Pinball will step out of Early Access and become a full, finished game.

This milestone means we’ve crafted a version of Zaccaria Pinball that reaches the same level of completeness as the classic games of the ’90s. Back then there were no patches and what shipped was truly the final product. It was not only a golden era for video games but also for pinball itself. A time when machines stood proudly in arcades and perfection was built right into the glass and steel. We respect that legacy and we’re proud to deliver a game we can finally call “done”. That is the very reason we have spent so long in Early Access. “Done” doesn’t mean the end of content. It marks the beginning of a new phase, built on solid ground, much like the expansion packs of the past.

We’ll be leaving behind an important milestone, but that does not mean we’re done developing.

We’re continuously working to eliminate bugs and improve your gameplay experience. Check out our dedicated Bug Reports discussion for detailed info on the fixes.

Thank you for your continued support and feedback. See you in the next update!

Happy flipping,
The Magic Pixel Team

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