It's been over 24 hours since we launched Checkmate Showdown and we already have some news for you!
Official Checkmate Showdown Tournament
The 1st official Checkmate Showdown Tournament will be held in early January 2024 - for ranked players only.
How it works
The top 128 players will receive an invitation to our first official tournament with a prizepool of 1000$. You read that right - ONE. THOUSAND. DOLLARS. With a prizepool this big, this makes us one of the biggest indie fighting game tournaments ever.
We have a two week buffer or "pre-season" for ranked meaning you have two weeks to lab and try stuff out to get a sense of the gameplay. Then, as of Dec 1st, leaderboards will be reset and the race to qualify for top 128 commences.
We'll have a proper loser's bracket meaning we'll have 1st, 2nd and 3rd place prizes.
We're curious to know: How would you like to see the prizepool divided?
For more details, join our Discord of 3k+ members!
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In creator news, we clapped Forsen today at the game and NorthernLion did a pretty good job at clapping someone else.
Speaking of, if you are a content creator or you know a content creator that would like to try our game, you can redirect them to our Keymailer request page!
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Changelog
Thank you for your patience on this. Here is the list of all improvements and changes that occurred throughout the demo up until the game release:
Animations
With the feedback provided by our community, we have reworked almost all animations in the game so they are way smoother than before.
Gameplay and mechanics
Throw cancel
Throws can now be cancelled by using a special move or a special dash/jump cancel. However, the tradeoff is that the damage is reduced and the following moves will start at a much higher scaled down
Short jump
To ensure that the short jump is accessible to everyone, as it is a crucial mechanic for combos and movements, there are two ways to perform it. You can either hold down the jump button while pressing it, OR you can quickly tap the jump button or upward on the joystick.
Command grab armor on startup
Rook's command grabs and Queen 2S now have armor on their startup frames. This ensures that the move will be performed correctly even if you get hit it after it connects.
Frame data adjustment
Numerous adjustments have been made to the frame data throughout the game in order to achieve better balance. These adjustments have been applied to the movesets of all the characters. You will have the opportunity to check the frame data for each move in the move list of every character.
Game feel adjustment
We made efforts to minimize awkward interactions to enhance the smoothness of the game. Additionally, we focused on creating an enjoyable game experience overall. We aimed to provide satisfying moves and combos throughout the game to maximize player enjoyment.
Locomotion update
To ensure that each character feels unique, we have made some changes to their locomotion. Specifically, we have focused on the Queen and the Bishop to better align their movement with their respective archetypes of "Footsie" and "Rushdown".
Knight Rework
Knight is now more committed to the Zoner archetype
Special moves no longer cost anything but have a longer recovery time (except for 5S).
After hitting an opponent, you can use the special button again to consume a special bar and teleport to the point of impact of the projectile.
Knight's back dash and aerial back dash have been transformed into teleportation abilities.
The Knight’s move speed as been reduced to fit better with his archetype
Queen Rework
Queen has less recovery on her dashes and her overall mobility has been buffed
Online play
Netcode
We improved our netcode a lot based on beta and demo matches analyses. Feel free to tell us how that works for you now
Ranked matchmaking
Ranked matchmaking is now available. Each player has an Elo rating, and you will be matched against players with similar Elo ratings to ensure fair matches. Additionally, we have added a leaderboard that displays the best players based on their ranks and Elo ratings.
Game Modes
New game mode: Chess 960
A new non-competitive game mode has been added: Chess 960. In this mode, the main pieces are placed in a random order following the Chess 960 rules. Specifically, the King must be positioned between his rooks, and the Bishops have to be placed on black and white squares. Pieces placement are mirrored so there is no RNG disadvantage. You can play it online in a private match as well.
AI available
Now you can play against AI locally, which will assist new players in getting into the game. Please note that there is no difficulty scaling, as the AI is not perfect. Its purpose is to help players become familiar with the game mechanics.
Training room update
We have updated the training room with a few upgrades to facilitate labbing. These upgrades include enabling fast regeneration on combo breaker and tag assist. Furthermore, the fast regeneration applies to both characters.
General
Achievements
The game now has a total of 26 achievements. All the achievements can only be unlocked in an online match (casual or ranked). Some of them are hidden. Have fun discovering all of them.
Added French, Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese languages
We did the translation on our own so feel free to message us if any translation is bad or should be replaced.
Audio
Add 2 new soundtracks for the Arch map and polish the existing one.
Include missing sound effects, such as the Queen ultimate.
Polish Maps and VFX
Edit the lighting and add VFX to make the maps feel more alive and pleasing to see.
Polish UI
We have added icons for the moves, allowing you to easily remap each input. Additionally, we have made changes to the combo breaker icon to improve visibility when it is ready or charging up.