Patch (12/23/18) is now live on steam so if you haven't yet, restart your games and pixel lobby servers to receive it. Verify your files to get the update instantly.
This one's been a long time coming.
Tons of new content that we've been excited to deliver is finally here. Most importantly: Matchmaking! You can now queue for online matches from the main menu!
... or Training Mode. Or the Pixel Lobby. In fact, you can run matchmaking from nearly every mode in the game! There is no central server involved; all of the matchmaking calculations run directly through Steam. Lots of blood, sweat, and most importantly, time, went into making this feature as solid and bug-free as possible.
All of that extra time spent working on matchmaking means that we were able to sneak some gameplay changes in there, too! While we still have more changes coming soon, it wasn't the focus in this update, so they aren't as substantial as previous updates. What they DO include are:
- Fully voiced and animated fight intros and winposes
- New predator attacks and AI behaviors
- Updated attack animations, some with brand new facial expressions
While it did take quite some time to get this update out, the good news is that puts us right at the end of December, conveniently in time for the holidays. To celebrate the season, the Pixel Lobby has received some winter cheer. Be sure to hop in and check out what surprises are waiting...
(NOTE: This patch does not contain Salt Mines 2.0 yet. That content is still upcoming.)
The next patch is already being planned and worked towards, and will contain even more updates and substantial changes. See you guys in 2019!
New Feature: Matchmaking
You can now use matchmaking to find opponents, anywhere on the planet, from almost anywhere within the game!
To begin matchmaking, select it from either the Main Menu under Multiplayer, the pause menu during Training Mode, or the Pixel Lobby context menu (accessed by holding your D button).
here here orrr here!
Just hit one of these to join the queue and the system will begin looking for players. A banner will display at the top of the screen if you're in the matchmaking queue, and the matchmaking system will search for opponents.
heads up, this matchmaking's about to explode!
Once a match has been found, to accept a match, use your Utility 1 button, and to decline a match, press your Utility 2 button. Right now, the only option available is Casual.
Even though this is only Casual Matchmaking, there is a hidden skill rating in the background to ensure fair, balanced matches with opponents of equal skill. Over time, it will learn your skill based on wins and losses against other players. A Ranked Matchmaking queue, with visual ranking points and tiers, will be added in a later update. Until then (and ofcourse after then), we have a....
Leveling system
After every battle you play online from the pixel lobby or through matchmaking, you will now gain exp. You will gain bonuses based on match performance and difficulty, which will help you level up even faster! For now, the levels are linear and rewards are absent. In the future we will be adding milestones and various rewards which may include palettes, hats, artwork and some other fun and/or silly things. Much like our players, the system itself will level up as we move forward!
aaaah, filling up bars can be so satisfying. A match well fought, too!
Gameplay: General
- Fixed several missing hurtboxes during air throw recovery of certain characters
- Both fighters are now able to play their intro animations in sequence
- The opponent will now respond if the speaking character's intro is considered to be of 'short' or 'medium' length
- Character specific intros are now a thing (81 new lines of dialogue!)
- Randomization of intros in general should now properly, consistently work in online play when hitting rematch
- All characters now have proper victory animations
- Cross Canter advantage on grounded hit has been reduced a bit
- Cross Canter now always does 350 damage, whether or not it's a counterhit
- Red health now tanks chip damage before regular health
- Pushblock continues to function as it always has (chips health and converts it to red health), but at 300 health and lower it now totally negates lifebar damage
- Fixed an issue where preblock could become throwable
- Attacks that force standing on hit now also force standing on block (This does not affect how you block, only where your hurtboxes exist)
- Throw teching in the air no longer fails to reset combo ingredients (Such as groundbounces, staggers, etc.)
- Supers now ignore the OTG 'popup' state on first hit as a general rule, rather than certain exceptions
Arizona
- Magic Headbuck is now always a counterhit when thrown, as intended
- Now has character specific intros
- Now has proper win animations
- Now finally has expressions on a ton of animations
- Rope animations are no longer cardboard
- Ropes have reduced recovery time
- The first few frames of 6B now have grounded hitboxes
- 6B startup increased slightly
- 6B slides forward a tiny bit before leaving the ground
- 6A has a new animation
- 6A now whiffs distant crouching opponents
Velvet
- Fixed a case where the startup of Ice Cyclone could potentially allow Velvet to block an attack
- Now has proper win animations
- Now has character specific intros
- Shatter A and B have updated animations/expressions
- Shatter C has a new animation
Oleander
- Fixed oversight that allowed Fred to be usable during pushblock
- Now has character specific intros
- Now has a proper win animation
- Fixed yet another case where the hitbox could seperate from the graphic with Magic Trap
- Magic Teleport no longer steals meter from pets and projectiles
- Fel Sparks deal less damage
- Fel Sparks now all deal the same amount of JD, grounded or not
- Magic Sparks deal less damage overall
- Magic Sparks deal additional JD
- All Sparks deal additional JDG
- Super meter requirements increased
- Super meter gain through reading now ramps up over time, with a capped maximum speed
- j.2C now ground bounces grounded opponents
- j.2C no longer has such a significantly larger hitbox at the beginning of the attack
- Can no longer meter steal when the opponent is KO'd
Paprika
- Teleport C should more consistently aim for the front of the opponent
- Gifts cause less blockstun to airborne opponents
- Smother should no longer be capable of eating ground techs
- It should no longer be possible to be grabbed out of Teleport from offscreen
- Air throw no longer causes hard knockdown
- Smother camera no longer freezes/focuses on opponent when it hits
- Smother leaves paprika slightly further away from the opponent
- Smother on hit recovery increased
- Now has character specific intros
- Now has proper win animations
Pom
- Closed up a few remaining cases that could potentially allow pom to control certain puppies while in pushblock
- Big Papa is no longer vulnerable during the summon animation
- The last hit of Stampede now launches more horizontal than vertical
- The last hit of Stampede has less hitstop
- Fixed even more cases that allowed Big Papa to show up on screen twice
- All remaining exceptions and workarounds to STILL be able to call up multiple big papas...have finally been destroyed.
- Now has character specific intros
- Now has proper win animations
- Fixed a ton of inconsistencies that allowed some grounded puppies to get stuck in the air for extended periods of time
- j.C now spins through the active frames more slowly
- Normals should no longer interfere with puppy commands if pressed on the same frame
- Big Momma and Papa no longer come to the foreground to cover players, now only Momma will do so when readying her counter
- Big Papa should no longer have a chance of getting stuck in a loop if pom gets counterhit
Tianhuo
- Ran Shao Feng now properly only reduces Tianhuo's damage output, rather than also reducing incoming damage (!!!!!!)
- Fixed miscalculations causing incorrect damage reduction near the beginning of Ran Shao Feng combos
- Men Shao Ti no longer locks up grounded opponents if the second hit is the first one to strike them
- Flips now have a grounded startup animation
- j.A collision box now matches j.:B:'s
- 7D startup time now matches the other versions, but retains its strike invulnerability
- 7D now travels a slightly shorter distance horizontally
- Blocked Volcanic Bash no longer continues the attack
- Ran Shao Feng now allows Tianhuo to control her horizontal position during Volcanic Crash
- Volcanic Crash leaves Tianhuo closer to the opponent
- Now has character specific intros
- Now has a proper win animation
- 2B no longer forces standing
- Hitstun/Knockdown animations have been updated with many more inbetween frames
Predators: Wolf
- AI has been updated
- Now has a dedicated air attack
- Single hit, causes stagger to grounded
- Can now jump cancel grounded basic attacks
- Now has a super
- Max supermeter is 1 bar
Feline
- AI has been updated
- Jump Arc is now tighter
- Now has a dedicated air attack
- Multi-hit, causes tumble
- Can now jump cancel non-grab basic attacks on hit
- Now has a super
- Max supermeter is 1 bar
Snake
- AI has been updated
- Now has a dedicated air attack
- Single hit, causes groundbounce
- Can now jump cancel Tail Sweep on hit
- Now has a super
- Multi-hit, Causes higher damage than normal in the form of red health
- Poisons afterwards, continuing to expand the red health until the effect ends or until snake is hit
- Max supermeter is 1 bar
Bear
- AI has been updated
- Hurtboxes given a pass to prevent rapid size changes during neutral/movement
- Now has a dedicated air attack
- Single hit, Causes stagger on grounded, Groundbounce on airborne
- Can now jump cancel non-grab basic attacks on hit
- Now has a super
- Max supermeter is 1 bar
Known Issues
- If Velvet gets hit by another Velvet's level 2, some specials may act particularly weird/disappear.
- It is still possible for Tianhuo to occasionally lose momentum during some airdash cancels