Pokemon: Close Combat/Patch Notes
Demo 09b
March 13, 2024
Version 9b Changes
General Changes:
•Standard landing lag 8 -> 6. This change didn't really accomplish what it was aiming to do, so we're pulling back the numbers a bit.
•Adjusted grabs so that hurtboxes were consistent between Forward and Back Throws, and additionally, generally were more consistent across the cast.
•Increased leniency on charge inputs.
•When Back Jumping, you now have 4 vulnerable frames where you can't block. This means most characters can block with Up+Back for 1 frame, with 4 frames of vulnerable jumpsquat following. Heavy Jumps have their block frames extended, to not grant any additional downsides for slow jumpsquats. Bewear for example instead get 4 blocking frames, then 4 vulnerable frames. This change also fixes an issue in 2DFM where you can briefly block in the air when leaving the ground. This reduces the amount of frames a player can block on the ground holding Up+Back from upwards of 10 frames down to 1-5.
•Corner Pushback is very slightly increased against opponents that were hit while grounded at certain ranges. This likely won't be felt at all- but is being noted since things did change under the hood.
•Standard Projectiles (Ex Ken 5B) no longer gain additional hitstun during Counterhit, but have +10 hitstun. This is a change to allow some Frame Data tweaks to Fireballs, without creating some oddball interactions when hitstun starts getting REALLY high on Counterhit.
Endurance System Changes:
•Endurance lost from Counterhit, 3 -> 2.
•Endurance cost to Parry, 3 - 2. This also means the refund is 2.
•Getting grabbed while on the ground will cause an Endurance Refresh, regardless of the state the throw sends you into, and often in addition to a knockdown, causing two Guard Refreshes. This means that throws effectively end block pressure, and taking the throw has very real merit when you're low on Guard Health. Will warn that there's a small chance some bugs could pop up where a character gets the refresh multiple times or not at all using this- so keep on the lookout, as they're easy fixes once spotted!
•Using a Hyper that consumes 2 or more meter will refresh Endurance.
//We were very excited for the initial Endurance changes, and the numbers were tweaked to make sure things were really felt. However... they were felt a little too much. In retrospect, it's obvious 3 Endurance was too large a number as a tacked-on cost considering how much frailer characters are now on block. Losing 6 on a counterhit Parry was basically game losing. So we're making these costs lower to hopefully make them feel more like a subtle cost than a game-losing one.
//In addition, we reworked the Endurance gain a bit so that Guard Damage progress gets more significantly reset on Throws, as Throws indicate progress being made in the game. Guard Breaks exist to help the game move quickly, and Throws indicate that you're already taking damage, meaning you shouldn't need to worry about getting Guard Broken after one.
//Finally, we added an offensive way to regain a little bit of Endurance with meter. It's slightly situational, but it does create situations where you can save yourself from a sudden Guard Break.
Balance Changes:
•Balance adjustments are usually focusing on decreasing Guard Damage, although often in exchange for general safety on block. This will reduce the ceiling that characters can reach when looking for Guard Crush strings, but mean there's less risk for doing so. This hopefully puts more focus on Guard Breaks as a means to force progress during block-heavy neutral interactions, while lowering the amount of situations players are willing to burn meter for Guard Damage.
General Bug Fixes:
•Throw teching no longer causes a counterhit.
•Wobbuffet now will properly Guard Break when its Endurance is set to 13.
•Draws in Togeball will no longer send you to the Game Over Screen.
•Guard Broken characters can't erroneously be grabbed.
•Fixed a bug where Wobbuffet received incorrect blockstun from moves with high blockstun.
Bewear
3A:
•Guard Damage 1+1 -> 0+1
2B - Panda Wheel:
•Damage increased, 1+1+3 -> 1+1+4
•+1 Ending Lag
•Horizontal hitbox size of first and second hit decreased.
//2B had issues of both feeling unrewarding due to not really setting up anything on hit anymore, but also sometimes being exploitable due to wonky hitboxes and the ability to hit it in a way where it's safe on block. This tries to make it feel a bit more rewarding while appropriately unsafe.
426B - Bedtime Buster:
•Hitbox size increased toward's Bewears body, to allow Bewear to grab aerial opponents that are close to him more consistently.
•Fixed a bug where this move didn't play the KO effects when KOing an opponent.
•Fixed a bug where your opponent could press attacking buttons during this move to cause a counterhit to happen.
Blaziken
4A:
•Second hit blockstun increased, Sg -> VSG
•Guard damage decreased, 0+2 -> 0+1.
j8A:
•Horizontal hitbox size increased.
•First hit centered more closely to the center of Blaziken's body.
5B - Flame Kick:
•Damage on Kick increased, 1 -> 2.
//Kicking the opponent leads to slightly less frame advantage than not, so I figured the damage should be increased to compensate.
Forward Throw:
•Fixed a bug where this move couldn't be counterhit.
Chesnaught
General:
•Fixed collision bugs on Throw Tech.
4A:
•Initial hitbox made horizontally wider.
•Initial hitbox made vertically thinner.
//These are both very small changes. Adjusted the initial hitbox to be slightly more reliable at comboing out of 5A, but slightly less good at the 4A -> 2B anti-air. Of course, the other two hitboxes of 4A are still excellent at anti-airing. This is a fairly similar change a few other characters receieved a few patches back to their multi-hitbox anti-airs.
6A:
•Fixed a bug where the On Hit and On Block lag for the move was different.
Falinks
//Some more frame data changes for infinite prevention. The last ones... I hope.
5A (No Retreat):
•+3 Ending lag
4A (No Retreat):
•+1 Ending lag
6A (Both Variants):
•+1 Startup
6A (No Retreat):
•Fixed a bug where the hitbox would be delayed.
•Fixed a bug where 6A could not be canceled into 4A in the corner.
6B:
•Final hit blockstun and guard crush increased, Md -> Sg.
•Final hit horizontal hitbox size slightly increased.
•Guard Damage decreased, 1+1+1+1 -> 0+0+0+2.
//Falinks was too easily able to accrue guard damage before going into 6B, allowing the massive 4 guard damage to enable breaks. Falinks 6B was made a little safer on block and more consistent at connecting all the hits to compensate though, meaning you'll have to use faster options to get punishes on block.
G. Zapdos
//G. Zapdos is overall in kind of an odd place, having struggles due to the general defensive weaknesses it has being compounded by v9's endurance system, but all the same it had access to maybe the best Guard Breaking tools available and easy access to essentially ToD combos. Some adjustments need to be made, and I feel inclined to walk you through most of these.
5AA:
•Guard damage decreased, 1+1 -> 0.
6A:
•Blockstun and Guard Damage decreased, Sg -> Md.
//5AA and 6A simply dealt too much guard damage for how easy they were to weave into pressure. 6A even dealt 2 AND was plus on block, something that we're very much working away from.
j2A:
•Blockstun and Guard Damage decreased, Md -> Wk.
//I think this Md Guard might've actually been an error when making this move, as our frame data documentation says its a Wk. Regardless, there's no reason this move really needs to be +18 on block even if it wasn't a mistake, so its being moved down.
5B - Fast Lane:
•4A late hit hitstun increased, VSG -> Heavy.
•4A late hit Blockstun and Guard Damage decreased, VSG -> Sg.
•6A now wallsplats cornered air opponents.
//For 4A: I'm pretty sure this blockstun was the intended way 5B4A was supposed to be changed to, but got set incorrectly somehow. This fixes it, so we'll see how 5B4A feels now that you can't abuse the meaty hits. Although while changing it- I noticed the late hit of 5B4A was minus on hit- leading me to try the change to Heavy here, giving GZap some new routes to experiment with.
//For 6A: This is probably one of the more dramatic changes from 9b, and is basically trying to solve the issues revolving around the move's ability to enable easy access to 30+ damage corner combos, without dramatically changing the juggle system or GZap's general kit. Due to 2B chages, you still have access to these corner loops, but a significant amount of damage has been drained from them.
2B - Sky Vault:
•Landing lag after attacks 18 -> 12.
//Buffed landing lag now that 5B6A no longer necessitates the increased landing lag to prevent certain loops.
Great Tusk
General:
•-5 Startup on C-Cancel Forward. This was the only C-Cancel anywhere near this slow.
Back Throw (Proto Boost):
•You can hold away from the opponent during the ending of the move to roll away from the opponent rather than towards them.
//This is a little bonus Oki option that didn't quite make it during v9 dev, so here it is.
Heracross
5B - Horn Flurry:
•Last hit Blockstun and Guard Damage decreased, VSG -> Sg.
//This move was always "The Guard Breaker" and generally noted for how much better it was on block than on hit. This type of design worked back when players were healing their full guard meter every knockdown, but at this point it's become game breaking. We're still going to let it be the single safe on block way you can chip away 4 Endurance on block without using a meter, but it won't deal any more than that, and it certainly won't be plus on block anymore.
[2]8B - Horn Turret:
•+2 Startup
•Fixed a bug where Heracross was sometimes fully intangible during startup when using this move.
[4]6B2B - Horn Sweep:
•Adjusted how the cancel is placed- Heracross can now cancel into this move when flight from Horn Charge begins, rather than just at an arbitrary point during the middle of move.
•Removed split hitbox, re-combining them into a single hitbox.
•Added body collision.
•Guard Damage decreased, 4 -> 1.
•Fixed a bug where this move could be counterhit during the end of the move.
//This move just has everything. Dealing 4 damage to Guard and being able to escape corners was simply too much of a "cherry on top" of an extremely strong move.
[4]646B - Mega Horn Flip:
•Guard Damage decreased, 4 -> 1.
//This is a casualty of the rest of Heracross's on block pressure simply being so good. 2 Meter for 4 Guard Damage is usually fair for most characters to have, but being able to tack on an extra 4 guard damage to the end of a string for 2 meter gives Heracross countless more Guard Break opportunities than it'd otherwise have, on a character that already has the best opportunities in the game even without it.
Mienshao
jA:
•Noting that while jA has a seperate unique landing lag coded, this lag also received the two-frame landing lag reduction like other jumping attacks.
2B - Soaring Spearow:
•Fixed issues regarding inconsistent hitbox size and damage with this move.
Poliwrath
5AA:
•Blockstun and Guard Damage decreased, Md -> Wk.
4A:
•Guard damage decreased, 2+2 -> 0+2.
5B - Bubble Gun:
•+9 Ending lag
//While the Projectile changes offset this on hit, Poli's 5B was simply too much better than the other standard projectiles in the game, and necessitated particularly heavy ending lag.
6B - PowerUp Punch:
•Blockstun increased, Sg -> VSG.
•Guard Crush decreased, 2 -> 1.
•-6 Active frames
•+10 Ending lag
•Fixed a bug that caused this move to be safer on block than intended.
jB - Belly Bubble:
•Added a secondary hurtbox below the existing one.
//This move was just a bit too hard to contest at times, so a small hurtbox should help here.
Forward Throw:
•Fixed the range of this throw being substantially longer than intended.
•+19 Ending Lag on hit.
//Poli's corner Oki was simply too opressive due to how plus this was. Now you don't have enough time to 4A, and even your faster options are at risk of being parried.
Air Throw:
•Now deals 4 damage and gains 0 meter when used in a combo. Remains at 2 damage and 1 meter outside of a combo.
//This should slow down Poli's meter gain, while also helping close games out more quickly when Poli is involved.
Primeape
6A:
•Second hit hitstun increased, Sg -> VSG.
•+7 Ending lag
•Fixed a bug where Primeape could face the wrong direction using this move. (This was fixed for 5A/4A in v9, but 6A was missed).
//Slightly reduced the general oppressiveness of 6A in corner, without effecting the on-hit advantage.
Scrafty
General:
•Fixed an issue that occured when Scrafty was counterhit by Blaziken.
•Vertical hutbox size increased on some animations.
•Color 3 Added.
5A:
•Extended horizontal hurtbox size reduced.
•Active frames 11-15 -> 11-17.
•Vertical hitbox size increased.
6A:
•Hurtbox and collisions tweaked. This should result in opponents being pushed backward less by Scrafty's collisions during 6A.
5B - Contraband:
•Lucky Punch now destroys projectiles while it's moving forward.
2B - Double Feint:
•Damage increased, 5 -> 6.
6B - Scraggy Swing:
•First hit launching knockback replaced with VSG hit.
//This should give the C-Cancel a bit more utility, while alleviating issues where the two hits of 6B wouldn't connect.
22B - Knock-It-Off!:
•Damage increased, 8 -> 9.
426B - Bad Rep Riot:
•Adjusted how the Super Freeze works. Now on frame 8, the screen freezes to do Scrafty's Super, and the opponent remains frozen until the hitbox lands. This means that the move functionally comes out on frame 8, and is no longer jumpable after the freeze. It also briefly freezes Scrafty, increasing the delay before the Super happens by 22 frames.
Toxicroak
2A:
•Changed to two hits
•Damage increased, 5 -> 4+3
•Second hit hitbox size increased.
•-6 Ending lag
•Hitstun decreased, Heavy -> VSG
•Blockstun decreased, Sg -> Wk.
•Guard Crush changed from 2 -> 1+1.
•Hurtbox size increased during second hit.
//2A was tweaked in v9 to allow more consistent links out of it and the occasional link into itself for big damage. This ended up having a lot of issues- one being triple links into itself in the corner looking stupid and dealing tons of damage, plus the general slowness of the move feeling like it was removing any potential to try and incorperate it into a juggle. I've re-adjusted the move to deal 7 damage- a ton for a normal in this game, but an average between pre-patches double 2A combos and a single 2A. On top of that, the hitstun has been adjusted to allow those links while not allowing combos into itself, while still having reduced endlag to allow Tox to try it in juggles again. While a bit of a weird change to the move, I'm hoping this gives Tox the best of all worlds for 2A.
5B - Poison Spit:
•+2 Ending lag
Demo 09
February, 9 2024 | Scrafty Debuts | Togeball Debuts
Version 9 Changes
NEW CHARACTER: SCRAFTY
1v1? No items? Scrafty doesn't give two Rattatas about your dumb rules. This rebellious reptile has smuggled a stash of banned battle items onto the field arming itself an arsenal of dirty tricks. Even worse, its gang of incorrigible Scraggies are lurking just out of sight waiting for every opportunity to ambush their opponent and give Boss Scrafty a sneaky advantage. While its booby traps may be infuriating, Scrafty's no punk in close combat either, with moves that deftly counter aggressive approaches. Choose Scrafty if you want to leave your opponent feeling like calling the cops.
The "New World" Changes
HEALTH AND DAMAGE: Over the game's history, the small base numbers caused an assortment of issues. With Guard Health usually in the single-digits and minimum damage being 1, guard breaks were basically guaranteed from a decent blockstring, so we adjusted it so Guard Damage could go down to zero.
Now we've hit a similar impass with Health. We've started to design in flashy multi-meter extended combos for certain characters, allowing them to approach 20+ hits. However, in a game where characters have only 30 health, one-touch-kills were starting to encroach due to this. It was hard to balance characters with longer combos compared to shorter ones when the maximum combo length was almost identical to health bar size.
While we have made some minor adjustments to trim excess combo length in a few places, there's another catch. We analyzed the value of meter in the current engine, and noticed the damage values landed in a place where we felt like Meter was more valuable than raw damage to an extent current health bars could not support. We needed to balance the risk/reward of sweeps and throws compared to raw damage finishers and neutral options.
Ultimately it was decided that adjusting damage and health would help alleviate both these issues. We'll be increasing the healthpools of the cast to better survive the longer combos, and to devalue the total reward of our meter gaining options in the game overall.
NEUTRAL:
Damage is being compensated in places to adjust for these new HP values. We're aiming to load this damage into spots that are most felt in neutral, so that players are rewarded for hitting pokes and overall having solid neutral play.
In addition to that, there will be greater focus in adjusting move ending lag with guard damage in mind. General, moves with higher guard damage will be slowed down, while moves with lower guard damage will remain quick. This generally means that low-committal pokes will remain safe at the cost on not being able to make much progress on a block, but stronger moves will be easier to whiff punish, or in some cases, easier to punish on block. Not quite everything is ready yet, so these changes will be progressively rolled out in both v9 and v10. v9 will focus on making smaller changes to a large number of moves, while v10 will bring in the changes that require more work to be done, like move overhauls.
For the last point in the "New World" we'll be attempting to finalize the Guard Health changes that have been iterated on over the course of previous patches, which leads us to:
ENDURANCE: Guard Health is being overhauled into a mechanic we're now calling Endurance. That END stat is going to be much more important starting now.
Endurance now bridges the game's mechanics, Parry, Burst, and Meter now all have ties to Endurance.
The main changes are as follows:
•Parries will now cost Endurance. This now adds a genuine, tangible cost to Parrying. Whiffing Parries means it's now more likely you will be Guard Broken later in the round. Successfully Parrying will refund the Endurance spent.
•Counterhits will now lose you Endurance, and Counterhits are now universal, rather than dependent on the move being used. This helps punish needessly aggressive mashing, and adds value to moves that previously didn't have a counterhit state.
•Burst refreshes Endurance, letting you trade meter for not just space, but extra breathing room before a Guard Break.
•C-Dash now has a significant amount of changes, including Forward Dash no longer gaining meter, and Back Dash both only costing 1 meter and refreshing Endurance.
Endurance Refreshing:
Endurance is refreshed from getting knocked down, Burst, and C-Dash back. How much it changes now depends on your END stat:
•1-2 Stars: 3 Endurance
•3-4 Stars: 4 Endurance
•5 Stars: 5 Endurance
This overall means Guard Breaks will be much more prevalent, as your Guard is no longer a given, but is now a resource you must carefully manage. Guard Breaks and Chesnaught's Guard Berry will still fully restore Guard Health.
The Detailed Breakdown of all the changes:
Endurance Usage / Endurance Refreshes:
•Counterhit is now universal, and not solely reliant on if the hitstun type actually has a possible counterhit state or not. Getting counterhit now causes you to lose 3 endurance. "Chained Counterhit Combos" don't result in additional endurance losses.
•Guard Burst now refreshes endurance.
Parry Changes:
•Parry now costs 3 endurance. You're currently allowed to pull "over" your normal endurance limit. This means you can Parry to "Under Zero" Endurance remaining, which means the refund will still not pull you back over Zero.
•16 additional frames added before Parry's Counter/C-Dash decision. (Timestop adjusted to compensate).
•C-Dash decision is now a single-frame check, but now also checks holds rather than just taps.
•Parry C-Dash forward no longer gives meter.
•It is now easier to parry standard projectiles.
•Getting hit during Parry Startup will result in a counterhit.
C-Cancel Changes:
•Need-two-cost-one is now used for both dashes.
C-Dash Changes:
•Refined input check to favor forward dashing when both forward and back inputs are seen during Parry and C-Cancel.
•C-Dash enemy timestop frames 20 -> 10. Timestop now also applies to backdash.
•C-Dash Forward pre-Dash standstill frames 1-8 (Character dependent) -> 1. Some C-Dashes also have reduced ending lag.
•C-Dash back now does an Endurance Refresh.
Guard:
•Guard Breaks now have a property where hitting an opponent with a Sweep immediately after Guard Breaking them will result in the user not gaining a meter.
•An Endurance Refresh occuring while you're over your Endurance Limit (due to Parry usage) is treated the same as being at Zero Endurance.
Additional Notes: • It's now possible to have Zero Endurance (Zero Guard Health) during a point in a match while not blocking. During this state, blocking moves that deal zero guard damage will NOT cause a Guard Break. You still need to take Guard Damage to get Guard Broken, even at Zero. This could potentially be changed in future versions, but will not be for now. • The net changes from Parry Dash Forward means that the Parry user should have an extra ~10-15 frames of advantage compared to before (depending on character) at the cost of not gaining meter while doing it.
General Changes
Corner Pushback:
•The "Mienshao's Throw" property now ignores previous corner pushback changes, but sends a smaller distance overall. This effects any character that uses it, such as Great Tusk or G. Zapdos.
•A adjustments to allow us to situationally increase corner pushback has implemented into some attacks. These will be noted in the character changelogs.
Infinite Prevention:
•Fixed an errant hurtbox issue that was causing infinite prevention to be completely bypassed.
//There were some other adjustments we were interested in potentially trying in v8's IPS was insufficient, but v8's version never got properly implemented. Which means IPS will not be adjusted any further this patch.
Training Mode:
•Wobbuffet's Grounded Fireball ending lag reduced to be more similar to actual cast members, to make it easier to practice fireball punishes.
•Likewise, Wobbuffet's Fireball movement speed is increased to match adjustments the cast has received.
•Number of frames Wobbuffet's Grounded Strong Attack is invincible 8 -> 1.
•Wobbuffet now has a 2E mode with 13 Endurance.
•Jab Startup 6 -> 7
•DP Falling speed increased
•If Wobbuffet already taken damage to his Guard, it will be reset upon using 2E, rather than transitioning to the next Endurance value. This will allow players to more quickly test Guard Breaks.
Misc Changes:
•Guard Burst is now input with A+B+C rather than just C. Input leniency increased to compensate.
•Removed Crossunder Protection. This has repeatedly been more of a liability than an asset, and almost never made a difference in games as it only effected air opponents, so it's been removed.
•Adjusted Forward + Back inputs, due to LilithPort parsing the inputs differently than offline. This results in a more "aggressive" system that will catch Forward + Back in more situations than it used to. This might cause the system to trigger in situations where sloppy inputs occur, rather than a genuine attempt to exploit. We'll be mindful of in the future, and adjust if necessary.
General Bugfixes:
•Fixed a bug Ches/Poli's super, causing knockback to vary wildly depending on the situation.
•Fixed bug that causes "Audio CD ROM" error at the end of The Path.
•Fixed an issue where corner throw tech knockback was extremely inconsistent.
•Fixed an issue where some characters could be damaged during an animation where they were throwing the opponent.
Balance Changes
Castwide Changes:
•Gravity on all jumps has been slighty increased. Falinks/Great Tusk receieved slightly more jumping momentum to compensate.
•"Standard landing lag" on jumping attacks moved from 6-10 frames to 8 frames. This does not adjust custom landing lag for moves that have it.
•+20 Ending Lag on all grab whiffs.
•Many projectiles had hitboxes adjusted, mostly only effects how they interact with "low profile" moves like Poliwrath 3A.
•Being hit with a sweep after being guard broken no longer results in a meter being gained.
•Guard breaking now results in an extra 10 frames of advantage for the attacker.
Additions:
•Added new ways to help us adjust corner pushback. These will be implemented into moves as needed.
•Added new hit type above VSG, Heavy. This has an additional 14 frames of hitstun compared to VSG.
Bewear
HP: 44 Throw/Parry Damage: 4 Endurance Restore: 5
//Bewear overall has been pretty oppressive, partially due to oversights, but mostly due to having absurd damage tied to an extremely strong core kit. Bewear has received a smattering of nerfs- but mostly has been changed by not receiving the same level of compensatory buffs that most other characters have for the "New World" changes. This should hopefully give players more opportunities to beat the Bear before running out of health.
3A:
•+2 Ending lag
4A:
•Damage increased, 3/2 -> 4.
•Hitstun increased, VSG -> Heavy.
•Hit duration increased by 1 frame.
•+10 Ending lag.
•Arm hurtbox size increased.
•Late hit hitbox size decreased.
5A:
•Fixed bug where this move didn't have a counterhit window.
5B - Great Big Hug:
•Can now be thrown during startup.
•Damage increased, 7 -> 9.
2B - Panda Wheel:
•Damage increased, 1+1+2 -> 1+1+3
•Guard Damage increased, 0+0+1 -> 1+1+2
•Last hit blockstun increased, Md -> Sg.
•+7 Ending lag
•No longer knocks down on last hit. Instead, sends the opponent into a standard air hit (even on the ground) starting from second hit. This hit has high corner pushback.
6B - Running Bear Hug:
•-4 Ending lag on whiff
•+4 Startup
•+17 Ending lag on hit
•Hitbox made thinner on Bewear's body to prevent reverse grabs.
•Hitbox moved upward.
•Hurtbox moved lower.
//These last two changes look odd, but it makes it slightly easier for low profile moves like sweeps to beat 6B.
jB - Flying Panda Wheel:
•No longer destroys projectiles.
426B - Bedtime Buster:
•Bewear is now launched a smaller distance backward midscreen, but a larger distance back when hitting a cornered opponent with the move.
624B - And a Great Big Hug:
•Damage increased, 9 -> 11.
2626B - Stuffed Punch:
•Sweetspot damage increased, 7+5 -> 8+8.
Forward Throw:
•HP thresholds for each additional throw damage tick adjusted from 24/31 to 15/30.
•Release point is now higher.
•-3 Ending lag on hit
•Now only deals "Half Throw Damage" rather than full per tick. (Net patch change 3 -> 2)
•Only gains meter once, on throw release.
Air Throw:
•Large hurtbox now activates as start of move, rather than first active frame.
•Now reduces your falling speed on use.
•Landing lag increased, 6 -> 16.
•No longer requires a forward input to execute.
•(Damage decreased, 6 -> 4, to match new "Throw Damage" value)
Parry:
•Increased Parry counter hitbox size.
Blaziken
HP: 39 Throw/Parry Damage: 3 Endurance Refresh: 3
//Most of Blaziken's changes are just polishing up the recent recode and integrating New World changes. Blaziken overall seems to be in a good spot, but jB is still not a super beloved move to play against, so we're taking another stab at it.
General:
•Fireball projectile speed increased.
•Fireball blockstun increased, Wk -> Md.
•Fireball damage increased, 2 -> 3.
•Fireball now gets slightly closer to the corner before disappearing.
•Normalized Jump arcs.
2A:
•-3 Ending lag
4A:
•Damage increased, 2+2 -> 2+3
•Second hit's hitstun increased, VSG -> Heavy.
•+8 Ending lag
•Blockstun adjusted from Md+Md to Wk+Sg
jA:
•Damage increased, 3/2 -> 4/3
j8A:
•Damage increased, 2+2 -> 3+3
5B - Flame Kick:
•-5 Ending Lag.
2B - Rising Sun Kick:
•Damage increased, 1+3 -> 1+4.
•-3 Ending lag
6B - Sky Uppercut:
•Damage normalized, 4/3 -> 4.
•Fixed an issue with the falling animation.
jB - Blaze Kick:
•Sweetspot damage increased, 3/2/1 -> 4/2.
•-7 Landing lag
•Inner leg hitbox extended upwards.
•First hitbox duration decreased, 13 -> 10.
•Second hitbox duration decreased, 10 -> 6.
•Second hitbox size reduced.
•Blockstun decreased on first hit, Md -> Wk.
•Increased initial fallspeed, but decreased gravity. Added a specific interaction with j8A, which allows it to use an alternate gravity to better enable combos.
•Fixed a bug where the first hitbox could double-hit.
•The hit state that jB causes has additional gravity (this is techincally a generic change, but this is currently the only real place this is used.)
//Blaze Kick has gone through so many iterations, due to general dislike about the move's functionality. This version is trying to aim to feel more consistent than previous versions. Overall you should get a combo if you hit, and should be slightly minus on block in all realisitc situations. This move requires more base height to use, but due to lower gravity, it's easier to hit with the later hitboxes (the latest hitbox was actally impossible to hit with for a few patches, due to how warped Ken's frame data has become). The hope is that this always feels like a rewarding move to hit, but feels very consistent and non-frustrating to play against.
24B - Triple Sun Kick:
•Damage increased, 2+2+3 -> 3+3+3
•Guard damage increased, 0+0+4 -> 1+1+4
426B - Rooster Roast:
•Horizontal projectile speed reduced.
•Final hit's hitbox shifted slightly left.
•Fixed a longstanding bug where one hit of super did not connect in many circumstances.
Chesnaught
HP: 43 Throw Damage: 3 Parry Damage: 5 Endurance Restore: 5
//Going to make a lot of changes that overall clean up Ches's combo routes. The goal is to fix clunky routes that require pre-charge, allowing an easier route for less damage, while still rewarding good execution like pre-charging and Charge Partitioning if you choose to use it.
General:
•Fixed a rare issue where Chesnaught would gain 20 frames of standing invincibility.
5A:
•Removed 2A cancel.
2A:
•-2 Ending lag
•Forward movement slightly increased.
•Adjusted the move to only link into itself once.
//This is the main adjustment to allow additional charging. You get one 2A2A link during your combo, giving you time to charge moves easily against a grounded opponent.
4A:
•Damage increased, 2 -> 3.
•The final hit can no longer hit grounded opponents.
6A:
•Damage increased, 3 -> 5
•Hitstun increased, VSG -> Heavy
•+8 Ending lag
•Fixed an issue that prevented this move from C-Canceling with a neutral input.
j8A:
•Damage increased, 2 -> 3
5B - Bullet Seed:
•Damage increased, 1 -> 3.
•+3 Startup on Chew
2B - Thorn Hammer:
•Damage increased, 5/4 -> 6.
6B - Concussion Rush:
•Damage increased, 1+2+2 -> 3+2+1
•Forward movement increased.
•First hit now uses the same (larger) horizontal hitbox size as the second hit.
•Front-body invincibility removed.
jB - Falling Fortress:
•Will cause an endurance refresh on parry.
24B - Guard Berry:
•Heal increased, 2 -> 3.
[2]8B - Thorn Upper:
•Damage increased, 5 -> 8.
[4]6B - Shield Smash:
•Damage increased, 1+1+1+4 -> 1+1+1+6
•Guard damage changed from 0+0+1+2 -> 1+1+1+1
•Last hit blockstun decreased, Sg to Md.
//Will mention that scaling kicks in enough here to reduce the damage of the last hit to 5, so raw Shield Smash is effectively an 8 damage move, not a 9 damage one.
426B - Spike Cannon:
•Damage increased, 11 -> 16
•Adjusted to have damage always occur from the projectile. Functional changes: +15 On Hit/Block, can only hit once.
•Initial hitbox size increased.
•Initial active frames 10 -> 5
Parry:
•Increase Parry counter hitbox size.
Falinks
HP: 39 Parry/Throw Damage: 2 Endurance Restore: 4
BThrow/Parry Note:
•Having Big Link still increases damage from 2 to 3.
//Falinks has been hugely oppressive, mostly due to a littany of bugs massively effecting his core gameplay. We've fixed the bugs and are giving Falinks minimal buffs going into New World, to make sure we don't have anything crazy going in v9.
General:
•Fixed a bug that caused parry counter's ending lag to get slightly extended on hit.
5A:
•+1 Startup
•-1 Active frames
•No longer destroys fireballs
//This was a little too free as a way to remove fireballs. 6A requires slightly more commitment, which is likely a more fair response. //This is also the first move on the changelist to have this, so I'll talk about it here: Jab startup has been floored at 7 frames. Falink's old Frame Data actually had a recording error as well, erroneously stating it as 5 Startup instead of 6.
2A (Linkless):
•Damage increased, 2 -> 3.
4A:
•+2 Startup
•Blockstun/Guard Crush increased, Wk -> Md.
4A (No Retreat):
•+1 Ending Lag
6A (No Retreat):
•Now cancels into 4A on hit.
•+8 Ending lag
•Fixed a bug where this move couldn't be counterhit.
//Fixes up infinites while leaving core NR combos intact.
5B - Chainspear:
•Damage increased, 4/3/2 -> 5/4/3.
•Anti-air version now has an extended hurtbox.
•The extended hurtbox now lasts until the end of the move's entire animation.
•Fixed a bug that allowed you to C-Cancel this move in certain conditions.
•Fixed bugs involving 4A either hitting multiple times at once, or not hitting at all.
•Reverted an unintentional change that was causing all versions to have +1 startup.
2B - Defensive Formation:
•Retreating links no longer hit grounded opponents.
//This aspect of Falinks lead to extremely oppressive zoning- but also some really cool combos. The air juggles will be left intact, but the zoning element of this will be removed.
6B - Frontline Push:
•Damage increased, 1+1+1+2 -> 1+1+1+3
24B - Clawspear:
•Damage increased 7/5/4/2 -> 8/6/5/3
•All versions now have an extended hurtbox.
•The extended hurtbox now lasts until the end of the move's entire animation.
623B - Hoplite Thrust:
•Added a large self-recoil when the initial hit is blocked.
•Fixed a bug where Falinks could choose to move downward twice in a row.
//Falinks DP was incredibly good due to solid damage, invincibility, mix-up potential, and extreme safety. This patch alleviates that last bit, creating a scenario that Falinks now has to take a substantial risk, as a block will now open up Falinks to a substantial punish.
G. Zapdos
HP: 37 Parry/Throw: 3 Endurance Restore: 3
//Zapdos has mostly received changes that trim excess combo length via Fast Lane 4A, but has gotten a few fairly decent damage buffs in return. We'll see if Zapdos needs any additions to its kit down the line to compensate for the extended damage output lost, as the explosive playstyle seemed to become a defining factor of how the character was played.
5A:
•+1 Startup
5AA:
•Fixed an issue that allowed you to "whiff cancel" this move into 5B.
3A:
•First hit will attempt to pull air opponents into the second hit.
•Second hit now knocks down air opponents.
•Second hit vertical hitbox size increased.
•Upper body hurtbox added.
•First hit vertical hitbox size decreased.
•Added a small amount of upper body player collision.
//We previously didn't have a setup for pulling in air opponents, now we do, so 3A has been adjusted to work in the off chance this interaction does occur.
4A:
•Damage increased, 2+1 -> 3+2
•Second hit hitstun increased, Md -> Sg.
•+1 Startup
6A:
•Hitstun increased, Sg -> VSG.
//Some extra hitstun was added to 4A and 6A to add some extra leniency for hitting your cancels, which can matter a bit when attempting to do this online, or on reaction.
jA:
•Damage increased, 2 -> 3.
5B - Fast Lane:
•5A Damage increased, 2 -> 3.
•4A Damage increased, 4/2 -> 6/4
•4A Blockstun and Guard Damage increased, Sg -> VSG
•4A Sourspot hitstun increased, Sg -> VSG.
•4A +8 Ending lag
•6A Damage increased, 1+1 -> 1+2.
•6A can now be properly C-Canceled on hit and block.
6B - Piston Kick:
•Damage increased, 2+2 -> 3+3
•+1 Ending lag
jB - Thunderous Kick:
•Damage increased, 5 -> 7.
2B - Sky Vault:
•Falling speed from peak decreased.
•+2 Landing lag on jA and j2A.
•j2A now has increased corner pushback on the second hit.
28B - Kilo Vault:
•Damage increased, 1 -> 2.
•Falling speed from peak decreased.
•Corner pushback slightly increased.
26B/24B - Lane Storm:
•Forward version initial hit damage increased, 2 -> 6.
•Backward version moves to the screen edges more quickly.
•Backward version -15 frames of delay between hitting the edge and starting the second part of the attacks.
•Backward version multihit damage 1 -> 2.
•Backward version now will stop closer to the opponent consistently.
•Backward version timestop increased by 25 frames.
•Backward version no longer gets hit by projectiles during the initial run.
•Forward version +5 Ending lag.
•Backward version +9 Ending lag
//We're increasing the deviation on the functionality of the 26B and 24B versions to make them more useful in their own situations. Backwards version is now a reliable Fireball punish and combo starter, while the Forward version holds its niche as an OTG super and combo ender.
Parry:
•Increased Parry counter hitbox size.
Great Tusk
HP: 43 Throw/Parry Damage: 3 Endurance Restore: 5
//Great Tusk has received a lot of the better compensation from New World. New World focused on increasing damage on moves that frequently only appear once per combo (usually due to being non-cancelable finishers) or only in neutral, both things Tusk has quite a few of. On top of that, Tusks's damage output only comes on odd numbers- meaning damage changes were often more significant than its peers. Tusk seemed to be considered on the weaker end due struggles with Projectiles (despite Tournament results!) so these changes should be considered welcome.
General:
•Neutral Jump and Forward Jump now have a smaller hurtbox behind Tusk. This allows Tusk to more easily jump over projectiles outside of Roll Stance.
Roll:
•Fixed a bug involving rolling backwards, then jumping into a wall.
•Fixed a bug that was preventing the air hits of jA/jB from connecting during a roll backwards.
•Fixed a series of bugs that allowed Great Tusk to throw tech during the ending lag of attacks performed from Roll.
•Fixed a bug where training mode commands could be used in the mirror.
•Fixed various bugs involving lingering counterhit states.
Roll 5A:
•Reduced movement speed after hitting the move.
•Stalagtite now tracks to target faster, falls faster, and deals additional hitstun on hit.
•Increased corner pushback for this move.
•Adjusted Rock behaviour to more easily hit opponents at ranges that the Rock would previously refuse to attempt to hit.
2A:
•Damage increased, 3 -> 5.
4A:
•Initial hitbox +1 hit duration.
•Initial hitbox knockback change reverted- Now launches again. Late hitboxes unchanged.
•Initial hitbox size decreased.
•C-Cancel removed. (This was only added to compensate for the loss of the launcher)
•Extended hurtbox from startup now lasts an additional 6 frames.
•Upper body hurtbox size during ending lag increased.
•Increased corner pushback for this move on air launcher hit.
•Fixed a bug where this move couldn't be canceled under certain circumstances.
•Fixed a bug that would rarely increase this move's lag on hit.
//We're attempting this again, now properly armed with technology to prevent automatic corner infinites from standing launchers. The goal is to make 4A more "feel good" with these changes than anything- the way the numbers have been tweaked, the change from standard hit to launcher shouldn't change a lot other than counterhit opportunities (and the knock down on raw hit, I suppose). The slight extra lag and slightly lower
6A:
•Damage increased, 3 -> 5.
jA:
•Damage increased, 3 -> 5.
•Fixed a bug where this move could send opponents in the wrong direction in the air.
5B - Whirling Fortess:
•Damage increased, 3 -> 5.
•Fixed one animation frame being Throw invulnerable during startup.
2B - Quaking Stomp:
•Damage increased, 3/5/7 -> 3/7/11.
•+10 Timestop on opponents when armoring a projectile.
•Projectile armor starting frame 9 -> 5.
•Adjusted armor timing to prevent moments where you spend longer armoring than you would be charging 2B levels.
//I anticipated the previous 2B buff to very much discourage projectile spam vs Tusk. It doesn't feel like that's the case. So we'll try upping the punishment.
6B - Stampede:
•-2 Startup. Movement compensated to adjust for frame data change.
•Final hit hitbox moved up to better match sprite.
//Enjoy your frame 7 button.
66B - Heavy Slam:
•Damage increased, 5 -> 7.
•Adjusted stomp VFX. Increased hitbox size to better align with new VFX.
•Increased hurtbox size to compensate for increased hitbox size.
•Fixed a bug where using this move while rolling backwards without meter would result in a forwards Heavy Slam.
•Fixed an input priorty bug that could cause this move's input to be dropped in rare circumstances.
jB - Crashing Footfalls:
•Damage increased, 5/3 -> 7/5.
•Quake hitbox has been adjusted to be more centered on Tusk's body (range adjusted to compensate).
666B - Don Drift:
•Fixed an issue where the invincibility on this move could expire early.
•Should no longer cross-up against grounded opponents in the corner.
•Added player collision during the final roll attack.
426B - Headlong Rush:
•Damage increased, 13 -> 19.
•Fixed a bug where the Quake afterwards hit twice.
Back Throw (Proto Boost):
•Damage increased, 9 -> 11.
•+10 Frame leniency to active (matches FThrow's window).
Parry:
•Increased Parry counter hitbox size.
Heracross
HP: 40 Parry/Throw Damage: 3 Endurance Restore: 4
//Heracross has been in a pretty good spot, and basically always has been, so not a lot has changed here.
5A:
•Damage increased, 1 -> 2.
2A:
•Damage increased, 3 -> 5.
•Increased horizontal movement speed.
•Increased hitbox size.
•+3 Ending lag
//I will note that the hitbox adjustments are pretty substantial, the effective space controlled by 2A is much larger than before. I'm expecting to see this move used a fair bit more than pre-patch.
4AA:
•Will reduce Horn Charge's startup by 5 frames when canceled into.
//There were some fringe scenarios where a clean 4AA hit would result in 46B not comboing. This will hopefully alleviate that.
6A:
•Damage increased, 3 -> 4.
•Fixed a bug where this move couldn't be counterhit.
jA:
•Damage increased, 2+1 -> 2+2
j2A:
•Damage increased, 3/2 -> 4/3
5B - Horn Flurry:
•Damage increased, 1+1+2 -> 1+1+3.
[4]6B - Horn Charge:
•Damage increased, 4 -> 6.
[2]8B - Horn Turret:
•Damage increased, 4 -> 5.
•Falling speed from peak signficantly increased.
•+8 Landing Lag
•Fixed a significant animation bug that effected both the jB cancel window and the perceived frame advantage/disadvantage of the move.
jB - Beetle Dive:
•Damage increased, 4 -> 5.
•Blockstun and Guard Damage increased, Md -> Sg.
•+7 Ending lag (to match Hyper version, which already had the increased ending lag).
[4]6B2B - Horn Sweep:
•Damage increased, 6/3 (Ground/Air) -> 8/4.
[4]646B - Mega Horn Flip:
•Damage increased, 5 (Scaled) + 5 (Unscaled) -> 9 (Scaled) + 4 (Unscaled)
•Fixed a bug where Parrying this move would cause a timestop (even though the move can't be parried).
FThrow:
•46B Cancel Damage 7 -> 8.
Mienshao
HP: 36 Throw/Parry Damage: 2 Endurance Restore: 3
//Mienshao was one of the culprits behind a lot of v9's changes. While you can still do some of the craziest extended combos in the game, your low damage output per hit will finally be felt. Mienshao's finishers and neutral-centric tools like 4A and 5A did get damage buffs to keep up with rising HP, though.
General:
•Fixed a bug that let Mienshao be thrown while dash jumping.
5A:
•Damage increased, 2 -> 3.
•Hitstun increased, VSG -> Heavy.
3A:
•+6 Ending lag
4A:
•Damage increased, 1 -> 2.
4A6A:
•Damage increased, 1+2 -> 2+2.
•Blockstun increased, Wk -> Md.
6A:
•-4 Ending lag
•-1 Active Frames (frame deleted)
•Fixed a bug where this move wasn't cancelable into 3A on block.
6AA:
•-3 Ending lag
•Has increased corner pushback vs air opponents.
//6A's on block data was notoriously bad due to being an advancing normal, to the point of being completely out of line with other similar normals. Mien's frame data on block is overall rather poor, and it felt like Mien needed something that let you keep the pressure on. It's been adjusted to be slightly more consistent with the frame data of other light attacks now.
5B - Striking Seviper:
•Damage increased, 1+1+2 -> 1+1+3
6B - Leaping Liepard:
•Damage increased, 3 -> 5.
2B - Soaring Spearow:
•Kick and slice damage increased, 2 -> 3.
jB - Swift Star:
•Damage increased, 2 -> 3.
624B - Qi Blast:
•Damage increased, 11 -> 14.
Poliwrath
HP: 41 Throw/Parry Damage: 2 Endurance Restore: 4
//Poliwrath overall had very low damage when Attack-Boosted 6A and 6Bs weren't involved, meaning Poliwrath has gotten some of the largest (relative) damage boosts from these adjustments. While the changes will result in less explosive damage from boosting, Poli shold overall feel more comfortable experimenting with his various routes.
3A:
•+2 Startup
•Hurtbox size increased.
•-5 Hit/movement duration.
4A:
•Damage increased, 2/2+1 (Anti-Air/Grounded) -> 6/3+3
•-1 Startup
6A:
•Horizontal hitbox size increased.
•+3 Ending lag.
jA:
•Damage increased, 2 -> 4.
j2A:
•Damage increased, 2 -> 3.
5B - Bubble Gun:
•Damage increased, 1 -> 2.
•Fast Version no longer decelerates.
•-30 frames of Projectile lifetime on fast version.
•Slow version's base speed increased.
•-30 frames of Projectile lifetime on slow version.
2B - Poli-Whirlpool:
•Will now fade when it makes contact on hit 3, like the EX Version.
//This was considered for launch, but I removed it, figuring allowing a 4-hit combo would not make a massive difference compared to a third. It instead has let FThrow C-Cancel completely warp Poli's gameplan, by enabling 50%+ combos off a minescule mistake, with a completely free hitconfirm window to follow it up. We're hoping these adjustments push Poli towards trying out new combos other than just fishing for this one.
2B/j2B (WP) - River Dive:
•Grounded Dive is now fully invincible on start-up.
•Poliwrath is now instantly actionable when landing after surfacing from a dive.
•River Punch (2BB) base Damage increased, 3 -> 5.
5B - Bubble Gun:
•Blockstun decreased, Md -> Wk.
6B - PowerUp Punch:
•Startup is now throw invulnerable.
•Doubled inital forward movement speed.
•Increased downward hitbox size to prevent certain low-profile hitbox situations.
•Late ending lag frames are no longer throw invulnerable.
•Will now have more corner pushback when juggling opponents.
•+4 Ending lag on whiff/block.
•Fixed an issue that let you C-Cancel after this move had completed.
//These changes make 6B somewhat odd- an extremely horizontal Shoryu. It makes the move extremely consistent for comboing, but means its use as an anti-air is much more spacing reliant. I'm hoping this overall feels more consistent to play with, even if it might take some getting used to.
jB:
•Damage increased, 2 -> 4.
jBB:
•Damage increased, 2 -> 4.
623B - Bulk Up Blow:
•Increased forward movement speed. This is not as large of an increase as 6B's.
426B - Bubble Blast:
•Damage increased, 6 -> 10.
•Bubble damage increased, 1 -> 2.
Forward Throw:
•C-Cancel Window reduced significantly.
•Throw now ends with a Wake-Up Slap if you miss
Air Throw:
•Damage decreased, 4 -> 2.
•Hurtbox size increased.
•Large hurtbox now activates as start of move, rather than first active frame.
•Now reduces your falling speed on use.
•Landing lag increased, 6 -> 16.
•No longer requires a forward input to execute.
Parry:
•Increased Parry counter hitbox size.
Primeape
HP: 37 Throw Damage: 2 Parry Damage: 4 Endurance Restore: 3
//Primeape was oppressive due to incredible frame data on 5B partnered with a Jab that was tied for fastest in the game, then could capitalize on that oppression with his high damage output. While Primeape did get some buffs to offset New World health, it's not quite as significant as some other characters. While 5B's strength is a baked-in design, weakening the ways to abuse it should prevent characters from feeling fully invalidated by its existence.
General:
•Fixed a long-standing bug that caused Primeape to occasionally face the wrong direction after landing from a crossup jumping attack.
5A:
•+1 Startup
6A:
•Fixed a bug where this move couldn't be counterhit.
5B - Ape Rush:
•Multihit base damage increased, 1 -> 2.
•Air hits now have increased corner pushback.
2B - Beam 'em Up:
•Damage increased, 6 -> 8.
6B - Fierce Upper:
•Now split into two hits. Damage 4 -> 3+3.
•Falling speed from peak increased.
•jB cancel now uses the "crazy momentum" version like 623B did, to compensate for two hits.
•+7 Landing lag
//Tweaking the uppercut to be two-hit like the EX version has allowed us to bring down the combo damage of 6B C-Cancel combos while still giving Primeape an incredibly dangerous DP in neutral.
jB:
•Damage increased, 4/2 -> 5/3.
28B - Furious Stomp:
•Damage increased, 3 -> 5.
•Can now be canceled into jA, j8A, and jB on the way down.
•Hurtbox extended downwards.
•Increased corner pushback on hit.
623B - Savage Upper:
•Damage increased, 2+3 -> 5+3.
•Falling speed from peak increased.
•+7 Landing lag
624B - Rampage:
•Now uses the two-hit uppercut at the end.
•Total damage increased, 11 -> 14.
•Guard damage increased (due to new uppercut), 8 -> 9.
•Fixed a bug that caused this move to refresh the user's guard health.
Forward Throw:
•-7 Frame Advantage on Throw
•Now requires a meter to be stocked before the throw is done in order to cancel into 28B.
Back Throw:
•-7 Frame Advantage on Throw
•Now requires a meter to be stocked before the throw is done in order to cancel into 28B.
•Fixed a bug that would cause Primeape 28B to go in the wrong direction when canceled into.
//While Primeape still gets to cheat on meter spent compared to other throw meterburns like Hera's and Tusk's, he no longer gets to do it "meterless" and overall gets a hair less damage for his investment.
Toxicroak
HP: 36 Throw/Parry Damage: 3 Endurance: 12 -> 10 Endurance Restore: 3
Parry Note:
•Parry Damage is dealt via 2 Damage + Poison.
//Tox's Toxic Bubble combo damage gets effectively reduced by this patch, and Poison is uncompensated, making that characters are losing even less of their percent HP due to Poison each round. It should make Poison feel less frustrating to have on. Overall Tox didn't need many changes, but Tox admittedly hasn't gotten many changes in a while, and may be due for some soon.
2A:
•Damage increased, 4/2 -> 5
•Hitstun increased, VSG -> Heavy
•Reduced hurtbox size.
•+3 Startup
•+10 Ending lag
6A:
•Damage increased, 2 -> 3.
jA:
•Damage increased, 2 -> 3.
j8A:
•Damage increased, 4 -> 5.
5B - Poison Spit:
•Standard projectile speed increased.
5BB - Double Spit:
•Can now double spit any combination and order of the straight and overhead shot.
2B - Dirty Bubble:
•Pop damage increased, 1+Poison -> 2+Poison.
jB - Poison Arrow:
•Damage increased, 5/6+Poison -> 8+Poison.
NEW GAME MODE: TOGEBALL
Head to Event Mode and select Togeball, the first of our new mini-games! Hit the Togedemaru to rack up points, but don't let it stop bouncing or else you lose both Time and your Multiplier. Share your High Scores on the YT Scoreboard (QR Code provided) or on the Discord!
Demo 08
December 7, 2023 | Poliwrath Debuts
Version 8 Changes
NEW CHARACTER: POLIWRATH
The Gen 1 amphibian wonder joins the roster as Fighter #11!
Being amphibious isn't just flavour; Poliwrath is well adapted for all the ebbs and flows of combat having offensive and defensive tools at every range.
Although its damage output and movement seem below average at first, like its pollywog cousins, it quickly develops into a fighter of frightening speed and power. Power-Up Punch strengthens all of its punching attacks every time it connects, and setting up a Whirlpool allows Poliwrath to Dive underwater and cross the stage at speeds that would make G.Zapdos dizzy!
If you're a more cautious type of player, you can choose to blow Bubbles and watch your opponent dash themselves against the rocks of your defense.
There's something for everyone here so we hope you give Poliwrath a spin!
RECODE + REWORK: BLAZIKEN
The last recode! We've been working on these since v4c, and with v8, they're finally done. It was an exhausting process, but now we get to start baking in goodies that were previously impossible.
Blaziken's rework ended up pretty simple. It's still very similar to old Blaziken, but a lot of the pain points where Blaziken has felt stubby and inconsistent have had major work done to them. Likewise though, a lot of the places where Blaziken felt especially oppressive have been removed. We're hoping this makes the character feel significantly healthier to play against, while feeling less bad to play as.
LILITHPORT ALPHA
We're including a new experimental version of LilithPort developed for PKMN:CC, LilithPort Alpha. Alpha should be able to provide connections without port forwarding, and hopefully some general stability updates.
LilithPort and Alpha are cross-compatible. We highly suggest using Alpha, but believe it might have some issues running on certain machines (moreso than old LilithPort), so it isn't included as our current default. You instead will opt-in by taking the version in the LilithPort Alpha folder, and replacing the one in the main folder with it.
General Changes
Corner Pushback:
•Corner pushback has been completely replaced with a system hand-customized by us. We're still going to use corner pushback as a balancing and infinite-prevention mechanism, but it won't be as heinous as 2DFM's default.
•Most standard attacks will have a small amount of corner pushback, half of the current pushback AT MOST.
•Attacks that launch will have increased corner pushback, to reflect the fact that they have more knockback than standard attacks. Horizontal launches will have more pushback than vertical ones.
•Throws will have the largest pushback out of all knockback types. This is to allow throws to feel somewhat consistent in terms of knockback, even when cornered.
Health and Damage:
•Health is overall slightly increased, but more importantly, more normalized. This will lead to a large health gain for the frailest fighters, but only marginal ones for our tankier fighters.
•27 - Toxicroak, Mienshao
•28 - Primeape, G. Zapdos
•29 - Falinks
•30 - Blaziken, Heracross
•31 - Poliwrath
•32 - Chesnaight
•33 - Bewear, Great Tusk
Damage scaling's increase from v7 to v7a was also partially reverted, now a value in-between the two.
Damage scaling additionally no longer has a bug where it will sometimes continue into a second combo.
Don't be surprised if these change again soon. There's some other things we're cooking up for future patches that will effect global balance changes, but aren't quite ready yet.
Hitstun:
•+1 Counterhit stun on Medium strength hitstuns
•Pop-Up Hitstuns (Example: Falinks 2A) now increment the juggle counter.
•Horizontal Launching moves (Example: Toxicroak Poison Dart) have reduced knockback.
General Bugfixes:
•The norotious "Path" bug has finally been fixed. All "Path" runs now function identically to the fixed (and somewhat harder) Galarian Zapdos Path.
•Fixed an issue that effected some C-Cancel colors.
Recode Related Issues:
•Fixed an issue where characters couldn't be counterthrown during landing lag of air attacks.
•Fixed an issue where characters could have an unusually long throw tech window. (Intended Throw tech window: 10 frames.)
•Fixed an issue that would cause characters to drop out of combos due to infinite prevention at unintended times.
Training Mode:
•Blaziken was the last recode? No! It's Wobbuffet!
•Wobbuffet now has the same coding treatment with the rest of the cast, meaning he's finally consistent with the rest of the crew. Make sure to check for any oddities.
•Wobb's projectiles now interact with Great Tusk's projectile armor.
Balance Changes
Non-Blaziken balance changes are overall minimal this patch due to building up a lot of system changes and bug fixes. We're shooting to shake things up soon, but for now, focusing on the coding side for recodes and corner pushback was the priority. With these completed, we should hopefully be able to spend some additional time focusing on balance and systems in v9.
Blaziken in particular has the pre-emptive markings of some changes you might expect in other characters moving forward. We're test-driving them on Ken first, but if we like what we see, expect to see similar design philosophy in v9/v10 adjustments.
Bewear
3A:
•Blockstun and guard crush increased, Wk -> Md.
•+5 Ending lag
j8A:
•Fixed a bug that allowed you to do the move more than twice per airtime.
5B - Great Big Hug:
•Adjusted body collision.
•Fixed a hurtbox issue that would prevent Bewear from being thrown during ending lag.
2B - Panda Wheel:
•Second hit hitbox size increased.
6B - Running Bear Hug:
•Fixed a bug that let you C-Cancel this move.
•Fixed an issue where your hurtboxes were too small to grab during the ending lag.
426B - Bedtime Buster:
•Added a 6 frame landing lag after hitting the throw.
•Bewear is now sent farther backwards after hitting the throw.
Blaziken
General:
•Blaziken's specials and 1-meter Hyper moves now inherit Blaziken's forward movement. Using a special from Dash for C-Cancel forward will provide the most forward movement, while canceling from forward-moving attacks will provide slightly less.
•Jump arc reverted to v3. This increases falling speed for faster jumps, but distance and height are basically unchanged.
//This change has been a long time coming. We changed this to softpatch a bunch of issues Ken's pressure had back in the day that were completely overbearing. Now we're fixing those problem issues directly.
•Forward Dash's first cancelable frame 1 -> 16.
•Fireballs now stop after traveling a set distance. Slightly less than full screen.
•Fireballs now stop when hitting stage edges, refreshing access to 5B immediately.
•Fixed a minor visual bug that appeared when using any Fireball.
5A:
•Removed a small hurtbox the move had behind Blaziken.
•+1 Startup
•Removed C-Cancel and Super Cancel.
2A:
•+1 Startup
•Hitstun decreased, Md -> Wk.
3A:
•+13 Ending lag
•Can now only be canceled into 2B and 24B.
4A:
•Second hit can now be C-Canceled.
•+1 Startup
6A:
•Damage increased, 2 -> 3.
•Now has a small amount of forward movement.
•Removed C-Cancel.
•+4 Startup
jA:
•A small additional body hurtbox was removed, but body's main hitbox size was increased to comensate.
j8A:
•Hitbox size substantially increased on both hits.
2B - Rising Sun Kick:
•Vertical hitbox size increased.
•Added a second smaller hitbox layered slightly below Blaziken.
•Adjusted the fireball invulnerability to be more consistent.
•Second hit blockstun/guard crush increased, Sg -> VSG.
•Increased hurtbox/collision vertical size.
•+10 Landing Lag
•Lowered height of jump arc.
5B - Flame Kick:
•Kick hitstun increased by 10 frames.
•Projectile hitstun increased by 7 frames.
•The Kick hitbox now always comes out.
•Projectile releases slighly farther forward.
•Cancels into C-Dash and Super now require the kick to hit.
•Kick damage reduced, 2 -> 1.
•Kick blockstun Sg -> Wk.
•Kick Guard Damage 2 -> 1.
•+1 Startup (Kick hitbox)
•+1 additional startup for fireball hitbox.
2BB - Flare (Rising Sun Kick):
•This move's properties are now entirely separate from 2B's.
•2BB retains many of the pre-rework values, including: Blockstun, landing lag, hurtbox size, and the lack of a hitbox below Blaziken.
•Horizontal hitbox size increased.
6B - Sky Uppercut:
•Damage increased, 3 -> 4.
•Hitbox size slightly increased.
•Initial forward movement speed slightly increased.
•Arc moves slightly lower, falls slightly faster.
•Falling speed increases after reaching peak.
•+7 Landing lag
•Can no longer cancel into super.
//This is a test run for future uppercuts in general. If people think these are overall healthy changes, Primeape and Heracross will receive similar changes. //Also noting the Shoryu cancels into super have always been... kind of an anomaly on Ken. There's not really ever been a good reason to do them beyond maybe cheesing guard breaks a little. It was more likely you did this on accident than on purpose, so I think it's best to just remove them.
5BB - Flame Kick (Flare):
•Projectile hitstun increased by 7 frames.
•-4 Startup
•-6 Ending lag
•Projectile releases slighly farther forward.
•Fixed a bug where this move removed Poison.
jB - Blaze Kick:
•Hitstun increased by 10 frames.
•Added a second small hitbox during initial hit, to cover inner leg.
•Middle-timed hit (first crossup hitbox) damage decreased, 2 -> 1.
•Late hit blockstun decreased, Md -> Wk.
•+7 Landing lag
24B - Triple Sun Kick:
•Damage increased, 2+2+2 -> 2+2+3.
623B - Solar Uppercut:
•Damage increased, 2+2+1 -> 2+2+2.
•Hitbox sizes increased substantially.
•Arc moves slightly lower, falls slightly faster, moves less horizontal distance.
•Falling speed increases after reaching peak.
•+11 Landing lag
•Cancel into super removed.
•Hit timings adjusted, more similar to v3 Blaziken.
426B - Rooster Roast:
•-10 Ending lag
•Final hit blockstun and guard crush decreased, VSG -> Sg.
•Damage reduced, 10 -> 9.
•13 Frames of Timestop removed.
•Body hitbox removed.
Forward Throw:
•Uses a new throw arc.
•Damage reduced, 3 -> 2.
//I want to make a write-up about this, but I feel like anyone that's played for the last 8 months knew this was coming. We just can't keep this. You can still get close enough to hit a sweep and threaten some other options, but you are just not going to get the same kind of pressure as you used to.
Chesnaught
General:
•Charge times increased from 0.4s to 0.6s
//Chesnaught's charge moves are extremely powerful- and they should be, considering the drawback of charge inputs and spending a meter. Players are concerned that these options are too powerful, however. Rather than offset it by making the moves riskier to use, I'm opting to make the charging cost slightly steeper.
2A:
•+1 Ending lag
5B - Bullet Seed:
•-1 Spit Startup
6B - Concussion Rush:
•Initial hit knockback increased. (Reverting a prior change).
//Ches's combos have had some level of inconsistency due to various issues and oversights involving 6B. This is hopefully going to be the changes that fix them once and for all.
2B - Thorn Hammer:
•Active frames 42-59 -> 42-56.
Falinks
General:
•Fixed an issue involving attacking during prejump frames.
•Fixed a bug where Parry Counter was skipping a small portion of the animation on hit.
2A (Linkless):
•-6 Ending lag.
4A:
•Cancel can no longer be delayed, must be done immediately on hit.
6A:
•-8 Ending lag
//Late canceling 4A was the cause of a few infinites, so it's being axed, and Falinks gets a variety of normal buffs now that No Retreat infinites are less of a concern.
j8A:
•Move now deals 3 damage and Wk blockstun. Big and Lil being with you increase the damage by 1 and blockstun by 1 level for each one you have. (Like before, Big additionally causes a vertical launch rather than a horizontal one.)
•Removed cancel into jB.
//I originally planned to remove the special cancel here before Falinks was even released due to some cheesy options found with it during testing. It slipped by, and ended up not being THAT much of a problem during development. But the new buffs, combined with new corner combos, pushes it over the edge.
5B - Chainspear:
•Move now deals 2 damage and Wk blockstun. Big and Lil being with you increase the damage by 1 and blockstun by 1 level for each one you have. (Like before, Big additionally increases hitbox thickness.)
•Anti-air version has a reworked hitbox, including being able to hit on ground if the opponent is immediately in front of Falinks. Grounded hitbox does not launch up, it instead launches away.
//Damage is being adjusted to try and lead to quicker games. I'm trying to also make some minor pre-emptive nerfs to compensate. Fal should be able to close out games quicker, but has to take slightly more risk doing so due to a stricter Anti-air hitbox and low blockstun.
2B - Defensive Formation:
•Hitstun increased, Wk -> Md.
6B - Frontline Push:
•Adjusted hit states to make 6B counterhit more lenient.
24B - Clawspear:
•Move now deals 2 damage. Big being with you increases the damage by 3 and causes a knockdown. Lil increases damage by 2.
22B - No Retreat:
•Link attack startup 15 -> 11.
•Fixed a bug that could cause the duration of No Retreat to extend.
G. Zapdos
General:
•Backwalk speed decreased to be more similar to other characters ratios: 6.4 -> 5.1
•Fixed a bug that made C-Canceling more difficult than usual.
5B - Fast Lane:
•Now stops if you hit a wall.
•+10 Run cancel lag.
5B5A:
•-2 Ending Lag
•Blockstun decreased, Md -> Wk.
6B - Piston Kick:
•Guard damage moved to be entirely on second hit.
•Blockstun and Guard damage on second hit increased, Sg -> VSG.
•+12 Ending lag
2B - Sky Vault / 28B - Kilo Vault:
•6 Frame landing lag added.
2BjA:
•Guard damage increased on all hits, 0 -> 1.
•Last hit's blockstun increased, Wk -> Md.
•+10 Landing Lag
2Bj2A:
•Blockstun decreased, Md -> Wk.
•+10 Landing Lag
26B/24B - Lane Storm:
•Now causes an air knockback state on hit.
•26B causes a horizontal launch, 24B causes a smaller knockback.
Throws:
•Now have a 12-frame landing animation when hitting the ground.
Great Tusk
//While the previous tusk changes were in the right direction, some places were slightly too heavy handed, and some small places where Tusk could've gotten some cleanup were ignored. These should help touch-up those missing pieces.
Roll Turnaround:
•-3 Ending lag
5A:
•-1 Startup
•Horizontal hitbox size increased
•Trunk vertical hurtbox size decreased.
•Horizontal hurtbox size increased.
5A (Roll):
•+10 additional frames after attacking where a wall bump will still spawn a stalactite.
•Summoning a stalactite's +6 ending lag changed to -6 ending lag (compared to a standard wall bump).
•Stalactite falling detection massively improved.
•Stalactite horizontal hitbox size increased.
•Great Tusk will no longer hit the wall, creating a stalactite, if Tusk hits a player with Roll 5A.
2A:
•-6 Ending lag
•Active Frames 33-53 -> 33-50 (frames deleted).
3A:
•Increased horizontal hitbox size.
4A:
•Hitstun increased, Md to Sg.
•Hitboxes and framedata reverted to launch.
•Can now be C-Canceled.
•4A hitstun type changed from launcher to standard sky hit.
•Hitbox shifted slightly left.
•Fixed a bug where 4A would forcibly stand crouching opponents.
//The launcher aspect of this move has constantly been a problem. It originally required the removal of the late hit to prevent ridiculous combos, then it caused corner infinites with pushback fixed. //Solving it once and for all. This removes a bunch of routes, but I'm hoping to compensate for those losses via a C-Cancel.
2B - Quaking Stomp:
•Great Tusk now takes reduced damage during 2B.
•Great Tusk now restores damage taken from projectiles when armoring one.
6B - Stampede:
•Increased second hit's hitbox size.
•Slightly increased horizontal hurtbox size.
426B - Headlong Rush:
•Fixed an issue that would sometimes cause the move to stop in the center of the screen on-hit, rather than running to the wall.
Heracross
//Heracross has generally be considered too strong, partially on the back of high damage. So Heracross will receive a few damage nerfs to bring her more in-line with the cast.
General:
•+10 Ending lag to Parry Counter (on hit only).
3A:
•Damage decreased, 2 -> 1.
4A:
•First hit hitstun increased, Wk -> Md.
5A:
•Active frames 7-12 -> 7-10 (frames deleted).
6A:
•Fixed a bug that effected this move's cancels.
jB - Beetle Dive:
•Hyper Variant damage decreased to be the same as standard version (5 -> 4).
•Fixed a bug that allowed this move to hit twice on block.
[4]6B - Horn Charge:
•-2 Ending lag on hit/block
•Damage decreased, 5 -> 4.
•+6 Startup, startup animation slightly adjusted.
•Increased horizonal hurtbox size.
•Heracross's height and distance using this move slightly adjusted (net change makes it go a few pixels higher/farther).
//Slightly adjusting this move to be very slightly less consistently punishable on block, but gives more opportunities for Pokes or anti-airs to beat out Hera entirely.
Forward Throw:
•Made the cancel into 46B and 4646B more lenient.
Mienshao
//We wanted to make sure Mienshao was not going to break the game in half in 7a. It turns out we went a bit overkill and nerfed things we didn't really need to change, so we'll be giving those bits and pieces back.
2A:
•Second hit active frames 27-33 -> 27-37.
•Blockstun adjusted from Sg + Sg to Wk + VSG.
3A:
•Damage decreased, 2 -> 1.
//This point of damage is being swapped out into the standard special finishers.
4A6A:
•Damage increased, 1+1 -> 1+2.
jA:
•-5 Ending lag on block.
•Damage decreased, 1+2 -> 1+1
//Similarly, a point is being shifted to j2A here, hoping it makes combo damage feel less dependent on meter.
j2A:
•Damage increased, 1 -> 2.
5B - Striking Seviper:
•Damage increased, 1+1+2 -> 1+1+3.
6B - Leaping Liepard:
•Damage increased, 3 -> 4.
623B - Thrusting Taillow:
•Initial hit can no longer counterhit.
//This was supposed to roll out with v7, but somehow got lost. Counterhitting with this move was usually to Mien's detriment, so we've simply removed the ability to do it.
Primeape
//The small downsides each of Primeape's changes were not felt at all. Some previous buffs will be partially reverted to reflect this.
General:
•Fixed a bug where Parry Counter was skipping a small portion of the animation on hit.
2A:
•Late hitbox damage increased, 2 -> 3
•Blockstun and Guard Damage increased, Wk -> Md.
•+4 Startup
•+4 Ending lag
•Initial hitbox size decreased.
•Initial hitbox duration decreased, 9 -> 7. Late hitbox replaces these two frames.
3A:
•Now cancels on hit/block into 28B instead of 623B
•Damage decreased, 2 -> 1.
•+4 Ending lag
//Tacking on this extra bit of ending lag made it reach the point where Ape couldn't consistently catch wake-ups anymore, so I'm adjusting the "burn meter for potential safety" feature from 623B to 28B to facilitate this combo more easily. This is probably a net buff even on block- but is also probably more interesting for both the attacker and defender.
6A:
•+2 Ending lag
2B - Beam 'em Up:
•+5 Startup
•Fixed a bug where canceling this into jB could cause jB to not knock down.
5B - Ape Rush:
•+2 Startup
•+2 Ending lag
•-2 Active frames on final hit.
28B - Furious Stomp:
•Adjusted the angle that Primeape is sent during on-hit ending lag.
•Fixed a bug where this move was using 2B's new increased ending lag on whiff. Corrected to a standard 6-frame landing on whiff.
Toxicroak
5B/4B/5BB - Poison Spit/Double Spit:
•Projectile hitstun +7 frames.
Demo 07a
October 31, 2023
Version 7a Changes
Unfortunately some late-in-development fixes caused issues to pop up. We're releasing a patch to address these before the first tournaments for the patch start up.
Major Fixes:
- Mienshao's jA and 2A were adjusted to fix an issue with combos dropping right before the patch released. Unfortunately, this added an infinite back in that we were already aware of and fixed once, but neglected to test again with the new adjustments.
- Parry hurtboxes were tweaked to be more favorable to the defender, but I neglected to ensure they were properly configured for Parry, resulting in several characters taking damage while Parry was active.
- The fix to Blaziken's 2A C-Cancel had an oversight that allowed it to happen even if you had no meter.
Minor Fixes:
Zapdos no longer has issues walking forward under a jumping player. Keep in mind this still turns Zapdos around, so you'll transition into backwalk.
- Fixed an issue where Heracross 2A couldn't cancel into 28B, and an issue where the move had a hard time hitting in certain situations.
- Fixed a story mode bug that could sometimes cause the Primeape Story Mode Congratulations screen to appear after losing vs Primeape as Zapdos.
- Fixed issues with Great Tusk's jump during Roll Backwards.
- Fixed issues that were causing Great Tusk's 6B combos to drop.
- Fixed an issue where Bedtime Buster could softlock opponents.
- Fixed an issue involving Bewear, Mienshao, and Chesnaught's Sweep cancels.
- Fixed Blaziken 3A canceling into unintended moves.
- Fixed Blaziken getting double knock downed in certain situations. Again.
- Fixed infinite No Retreat on Falinks.
- Fixed an issue where Heracross could cancel air attacks into airdash.
Damage scaling values across the cast were made uniform with G. Zapdos', which should only be noticeable for combos with an uncommonly high number of hits. Certain supers were adjusted to offset this scaling change.
Bewear
3A:
•+2 Ending lag
•-1 Startup
//This move needed a frame adjustment during Version 7 to prevent an infinite, and I figured it'd be best to put it during startup. After re-evaluating from initial testing, it's likely more balanced if it's in ending lag.
Falinks
2A:
•Hitstun increased, Sg -> VSG
•Blockstun increased, Md -> Sg.
•+7 Ending lag
•No Retreat Link summon now hits opponent earlier.
4A:
•Cancel into 2A restored.
//A Falinks infinite was found just before the patch was released. We tried to add a last-second hotfix for it, but there was still a second one. As long as we're releasing a hotfix, might as well address it for real.
Mienshao
2A:
•-1 Startup
4A:
•Damage decreased, 2 -> 1.
4A6A:
•Damage decreased, 2+1 -> 1+1.
jA:
•+2 Landing lag
•Adjusted to be "at best" -5 on block.
•Second hit can no longer cancel into jB on block.
•Damage decreased, 2+2 -> 1+2.
j2A:
•Now knocks straight down on air hit.
5B - Striking Seviper:
•Final hit damage decreased, 3 -> 2.
6B - Leaping Liepard:
•Damage decreased, 4 -> 3.
//Ivan and I ended up discussing it, and determined we want to reign in the rework's combo routes and pressure a bit before the tour. I usually would not be so willing to make a knee-jerk reaction like this, but the community doesn't seem to enjoy the power level the Mien rework was pushed at, so we're going to make adjustments to satisfy that. This includes reverting a few damage changes, along with making adjustments to moves used in juggles. //I personally apologize for telling the Mien chat that j2A would still exist as-is on the tour patch, then backtracking on that, but it was clear from our discussion that it was the easiest way to get Mien back on track. It was not an intended feature of my rework, and was only changed to what it is because I thought it might open some gimmick situational route. The routes found by the community using j2A dealt twice as much damage as the intended routes from the rework per meter, and much more than anything found for j2A in testing, it just can't stay the way it is.
G. Zapdos
5AA:
•Now cancels only into 5B.
jA:
•Damage decreased, 4 -> 2.
•Fixed an issue where this move could be used multiple times in the air.
//The jA damage and double per airtime were essentially oversights. This should help reduce the damage Zap gets off certain confirms to a more intended level.
26B Lane Storm:
•Cross up halt on Block.
Demo 07
October 26, 2023 | Galarian Zapdos Debuts
Version 7 Changes
New Stage: Welcome to a cozy bit of middle-of-nowhere, Dust Town. Brawl it out in this new locale, or sit down and chill with the locals. Many thanks to Ramen for the concept and linework which brought this sun-baked shanty town to life.
New Colors: Tournament colors have been added to Great Tusk and Falinks. Special thanks to ChunkBrickson for helping us fix Chesnaught's sprite. He's also changed up color 5 to something new in the meanwhile, so try it out!
NEW CHARACTER: G. ZAPDOS
Tired of piloting Pokemon who run and kick like they're chained to an Iron Ball? Galarian Zapdos is ready to shimmy and squawk those Slowpokes into submission. Though it hails from distant Galar, this bird could just as easily have migrated from another fighting game! Between its myriad movement options, launchers, air dashes, and restands, G. Zap repackages the anime fighter experience for our familiar Close Combat environment; so warm those fingers up and get ready to 100-meter dash your opponent to pieces!
RECODE + REWORK: MIENSHAO
Mienshao has gotten a recode like many before it. As usual, watch out for any new bugs or oddities that might be occuring!
But on top of that, Mienshao has gotten a very substantial rework. This aims at retooling a significant amount of the kit. Mien's combo routes will now be more varied and consistent, and Mien's options will have substantially altered risk and reward. This is by far the largest amount of changes a single character has gotten in one of these patches. Mien has barely been touched since launch due to its high complexity, and now all those changes are coming at once in full force.
Mien's changes include alterations to allow 623B to combo consistently, a rework of 2A that includes new animations, large improvements to super, and much, much more. I hope you all enjoy it.
But that's not all...
RECODE + REWORK: BEWEAR
Surprise! We have a second one too!
Bewear has been substantially adjusted for focus as a full-reset grappler. Bewear's Oki from command throws has been nerfed substantially, ranging from removing meaty hit opportunities to removing the knockdown entirely. On top of that, Bewear's actual pressure on Oki has been adjusted to be less overwhelming. In return, Bewear has gotten some adjusted neutral options, increased damage, and something entirely new to play with. Bewear should less frequently win games off of one very favorable interaction, but instead be able to play a more intense grappler game, focused on snatching your opponent with your variety of throw options.
General Changes
Walking Speeds: Most characters had a back walk speed at or close to the value of their forward walk speed. This has been changed, to where back walk speeds are now around 70% of their forward walk speed, with slower characters having slightly better back walk speed "ratios" than faster ones. In some cases, we opted to give slower characters better forward walk speeds instead. This should help to make spacing fairer and make it more difficult for characters to quickly shuffle away from hitboxes aimed at them.
Guard Health:
Getting knocked down will now only restore half of a player's Guard Health rather than all of it.
In the early days of the game, we added Guard Health reset on knock down so help mitigate Guard Breaks on wake-up, as many characters had break or near-break setups off of one touch.
After the various changes to Guard Health and blocking, this is no longer the case.
As a result, the amount of Guard Health regained off of a knockdown has been decreased.
Note that because Great Tusk's Guard Health is an odd number, it can't regain half, so it will regain 7 Guard Health instead.
Parries:
• Parry hurtboxes tweaked. This should help deal with situations where it feels unusually difficult to parry. This was especially easy to notice on Great Tusk.
• Parry Damage for Blaziken, Primeape, and Mienshao increased from 2 -> 3.
• Parry damage for Bewear, Chesnaught, and Great Tusk increased from 3 -> 4.
Bugfixes:
• Fixed a bug where Bewear, Chesnaught, and Great Tusk dealt more hitstun on several moves.
• Fixed a bug where characters where getting unintended I-Frames late in Parry animation. This was a larger issue on Mienshao than most.
• Fixed a number of under-the-hood bugs involving hitstun and knockback. Watch out for any hit related oddities in case these changes had unintended side effects.
NOTE: While "The Path" boss requirement bug was well-documented in v6, the fix is unfortunately quite time-consuming. While the fix for older characters will not be present in v7, Zapdos's story mode was implemented with the bug fixed.
Some character balance changes will now begin to have //comments. These will be put in places where I think a particular change is worth explaining. Simpler changes will not get commentary. Recoded characters also have their commentary in the section above rather than in their changes below.
Bewear
General
• Forward Dash first cancelable frame 6 -> 24.
• Back walk speed reduced from -3.10 to -2.30.
2A:
• Increased vertical hitbox size.
• Now only cancels into 2B and 2626B.
3A:
• Now hits low.
• Hitstun increased, Md -> Sg
• Time between hits reduced by 1 frame.
• +1 Startup
4A:
• Anti-air hitbox damage increased, 2 -> 3.
• Ending lag -2
• +2 Startup
• Anti-air hitbox moved slightly downward.
• Increased vulnerable hurtbox size.
jA:
• Initial hit now hits as a Sg Overhead rather than launching away vs grounded opponents.
j8A:
• A can now be pressed shortly after j8A ends to use the move a second time.
• Fixed an issue where not all hits were doing the same damage.
• Now only modifies your X-Momentum rather than replacing it entirely.
5B - Great Big Hug:
• Can no longer be special canceled into.
2B - Panda Wheel:
• Falling out of the move from the second hit will still result in a knockdown.
• Hitboxes drastically changed. All hits cover more of Bewear's body. However, the first two hits are significantly less disjointed.
• Hitbox duration for each hit 7 -> 8
• -1 Ending lag
• Fixed an issue that caused the projectile destruction effect to be inconsistent.
• Increased collision size (no effect on hittable hurtbox size).
6B - Running Bear Hug:
• First active frame 36 -> 21.
• Throw invulnerability 36-66 -> 21-66.
• Damage increased, 5 -> 7.
• Armor starting frame 1 -> 15.
• Opponent now flips out instead of being knocked down.
• Fixed an issue that was causing this move to reset Bewear's Guard Health.
• Counterhit window no longer extends to end of move.
jB - Flying Panda Wheel:
• Grounded cartwheel's projectile destruction effect now added to the air version.
• Fixed an issue where this move didn't properly overhead.
• -2 Landing lag
426B - Bedtime Buster:
• New move.
• Works as an anti-air throw that's invincible on the way up.
• Acts as a hit-throw on the way down. Must be blocked high.
• Causes Sg guard, and is slightly plus on block.
• Anti-air throw deals 10 damage. Falling hitbox deals 5.
624B - And a Great Big Hug:
• Rest in peace.
2626B - Stuffed Punch:
• Damage increased, 10 -> 12.
• Initial hit's hitbox size increased.
Forward Throw:
• Fixed a bug that was breaking Bewear's HP-based damage logic.
Air Throw:
• Input changed from c.j6A to j6C
• Altered knockback direction.
• Now builds a meter on hit.
• Ending lag can now be C-Canceled. A grunt has been added to help indicate the timing.
• No longer transitions into jA on whiff.
• +27 Ending lag on hit
• First active frame 1 -> 5.
Blaziken
General:
• Back walk speed reduced from -3.50 to -2.50.
5A:
• Fixed a bug where this move couldn't be counterhit.
2A:
• Fixed broken C-Cancel.
4A:
• Increased vulnerable hurtbox size.
6A:
• Fixed an oversight where this move was dealing Sg guard instead of Md.
5BB - Flare (Flame Kick):
• Fixed a bug that caused this move to deal no guard damage.
426B - Rooster Roast:
• Hitbox width is now more consistent and overall larger across all hits, should result in opponents dropping out less frequently.
• Damage reduced, 13 -> 10.
• 1 hit removed
• Last hit Blockstun and Guard Crush increased to VSG.
• +15 Ending lag
• Initial hit's range slightly reduced.
• Fixed a bug that would cause hitstun to end early.
• Adjusted the position where the super projectile spawns.
• Initial hits do not do guard damage.
//There were issues affecting how Blaziken's super was hitting that were softpatched by v6's changes. These turned out to be the main issue that was causing this move to be as poor as it was prepatch, and the power level of the move increased vastly beyond what we expected. The move is now being substantially pulled back to put it more in line with other supers.
Chesnaught
3A:
• -3 Startup
• Slightly increased hitbox size.
4A:
• Increased vulnerable hurtbox size.
6A:
• -13 Ending lag
• Hitstun increased, Sg -> VSG.
• -1 Hit duration
• Removed on-hit special cancels
//This is kind of a big change, but I think it'll ultimately have positive impacts both on how Ches pressures, and how Ches uses 6A as a combo tool.
5B - Bullet Seed:
• Projectile speed decreased.
• Block state caused by this move reworked.
6B - Concussion Rush:
• Last hit hitbox size increased.
• Last hit can no longer hit vs air opponents.
• Fixed a bug where second hit was not causing the intended knockback type.
//The 5B and 6B changes above are responses to adjustments we made for hit states. The move functionalities are slightly adjusted to compensate.
426B - Spike Cannon:
• Damage increased, 8/10 -> 11
• Hitbox size increased to cover entire spike.
Falinks
General:
• Forward walk speed increased from 2 to 2.80.
• Forward Dash after Parry forward movespeed increased, -9 ending lag.
• Fixed a bug involving Big Link's attack and throws.
2A:
• Forward movement increased significantly.
• Fixed an issue involving this move's kara cancel.
3A:
• -2 Startup
4A:
• Removed cancel into 2A.
6A:
• -1 Startup
• Increased forward movement speed
6B - Frontline Push:
• Hitbox size increased.
• Blockstun increased on all hits, Wk -> Md.
• Increased collision size (has no effect on hurtbox size).
• Fixed a bug where you needed 3 meter to cancel from this move into No Retreat.
2B - Defensive Formation:
• -5 Startup
22B - No Retreat:
• Fixed input priority, allowing you to cancel into both 4B and 24B.
Great Tusk
//In Great Tusk's development, I allowed many unintended things that popped up during development to slip through in order to test the impact it has on the character. I think it overall a detriment, as a lot of "unfair" feeling aspects of the character are entirely buried inside this jank. I've gone to rectify my design, trying to deliver a version of Tusk that plays something closer to what I intended. This involves a decent chunk of nerfs- but in exchange, I've also patched up some of the worst weaknesses the character had. This version should be more well-rounded, and not live and die by the match-up.
General:
• Forward Dash first frame of throw invuln 1 -> 11.
• Fixed an issue where Tusk would take less hitstun when standing against moves with VSG stun.
• Jumpsquat frames 11 -> 9.
• Landing frames will no longer vary between 8 and 10. It's now always 8.
Roll:
• Fixed a bug where Rolling couldn't be cancelled into Jump Attacks if it was done via a parry forward dash.
• Adjusted Roll turnaround to ensure that you can't bump into the wall while turning around.
• Turning around now takes 6 additional frames to execute.
• Dust active frames 7-24 -> 11-21.
• Body hitbox on roll turnaround removed.
//This last one was never intended, but let by after seeing it when testing because it might have interesting combo implications. It turned out to make the move an unusually good at beating out a number of airborne moves like Primeape 2A and Horn Charge. The combos turned out to be interesting but ultimately not as practical in real games as hoped, so this hitbox getting trimmed as originally intended.
5A (Roll):
• Adjusted wall collision functionality: If Roll 5A even enters its startup, colliding with the wall will cause the stalactite to spawn. This does not allow 44A in the corner- as you have to fully enter roll in order to use Roll 5A at all.
5A:
• Drastically increased hitbox size towards Tusk (deadzone removed).
• Slightly reduced hurtbox size, but hurtbox no longer retracts during the move's ending lag.
• +2 Startup
4A:
• Hit duration 12-26 -> 12-17. (+1 Hit duration to initial hit, late hit hitboxes disabled).
• Fixed a bug that was causing the hurtbox during startup to be significantly smaller than intended.
jA:
• Blockstun and Guard Crush reduced, Sg -> Md.
5B - Whirling Fortess:
• Blockstun and Guard damage increased, Md -> VSG.
• Adjusted start-up to be properly throwable.
• +10 Ending lag
2B - Quaking Stomp:
• Fully charged stomp is now invulnerable during startup of the stomp as well as the active frames.
• Mid and fully charged stomp can now hit enemies that are right next to the ground- even if they're technically in an airborne state. This will result in a smaller knockback, so you can't combo off this.
• Charging 2B now has armor vs standard projectiles starting frame 8. Getting hit by a projectile will instantly increase 2B's charge to the next level.
NOTE: This mechanic does not currently work vs Wobbuffet. Compatability for Wobb will be patched in at a later time.
6B - Stampede:
• Initial movement speed increased.
• Acceleration while moving decreased.
jB - Crashing Footfalls:
• Fixed this move not being throwable during ending lag.
• Fixed an issue where this move would beat parries (and likely, a lot of other things it wasn't intended to beat).
666B - Don Drift:
• Fixed a bug where this move's invulnerability frames would disappear much earlier than intended.
426B - Headlong Rush:
• +7 Timestop, to compensate combos for the hitstun bugfix.
• Will now drag opponent to corner, rather than camera edge.
Forward Throw (Proto Boost):
• Fixed an bug where this move could cause counterhits on the hit following up the throw.
Back Throw (Proto Boost):
• Damage increased, 7 -> 9.
Heracross
//Hera is basically getting tweaks for any feel-bads or oversights from the previous rework.
General:
• Back walk speed reduced from -2.80 to -2.00.
• Fixed an issue where the Grounded Forward Dash variation of Airdash ended on crossup. It now ceilings its height on crossup instead.
2A:
• Hitboxes no longer split up between ground and air hit. Merged into one big hitbox that hits both.
• C-Cancel restored.
• Increased vulnerable hurtbox size.
3A:
• Damage increased, 1 -> 2
• Removed standard special cancels from this move.
//Theoretically, I could've left in the other special cancels and only removed the cancel into 5B, but there wasn't a lot here to begin with, and I think on average the +1 damage will mostly compensate for not being able to go for 3A 28B. The high-skill 3A 4646B cancel is still on this move, so you can still get extra reward here if you're particularly sharp.
4A:
• First hit's initial hitbox completely relocated, giving it significantly more range.
• +1 Startup
5B - Horn Flurry:
• Last hit damage increased, 1 -> 2.
• Forward movement increased.
• +4 Hit duration on last hit.
• +6 Ending lag.
[4]6B - Horn Charge:
• Adjusted landing lag animation/hurtbox.
jB - Beetle Dive:
• Fixed a bug where the metered version could hit twice vs tall blocking opponents.
Mienshao
General:
• Dash Back no longer has hit invincibility.
• Dash Forward movement speed increased, 8.1 -> 9.1, but a small amount of deceleration over time during the dash was added.
• Dash Forward Jump now preserves momentum from Dashing Forward.
• Dash Cancel window 7-25 -> 14-29
• Can no longer cancel Dash Jump while still on the ground.
• Can now cancel Dash with crouch during the Dash Cancel window.
//These final changes were made in response to the discovery of the Mienshao dash cancel. We're experimenting with preserving this in an official fashion. It's possible the crouch cancel doesn't last long, but the existing bug was too jank to leave in, so this is the approach I decided on.
• Forward walk speed increased from 2 to 2.50.
5A:
• Fixed a bug where this move couldn't be counterhit.
5A4:
• -4 Ending lag
2A:
• Changed air trajectories of both hits to allow the move to combo vs air opponents.
• Second hit grounded hitstun now causes a small launch effect.
• Increased hitbox size of both hits.
• Blockstun and guard crush of both hits increased to Sg.
• Time between hits reduced by 3 frames and second hit's duration increased by 3 frames, 34-39 -> 31-39.
• First hit can be canceled into specials on hit or block as normal, but second hit can now only be canceled on hit.
• Second hit's cancels are now: Forward Jump, Back Jump, and 5B.
• +35 Ending Lag
• Increased horizontal hurtbox size.
• First hit no longer cancels into 4A.
3A:
• Damage increased, 1 -> 2.
• Now only cancels into 6B and 624B.
4A:
• Damage increased, 1 -> 2.
• +2 Startup
4A6A:
• Fixed hitstun using Overhead hitstun. Uses VSG now.
• Blockstun decreased, Md -> Wk
6A:
• Made 6A -> 6A's input more lenient.
• Increased horizontal movement speed.
6A6A:
• Increased horizontal movement speed.
• Can no longer cancel into 4A.
• Fixed a bug where this move couldn't be counterhit.
jA:
• Increased hitbox size of both hits.
• Increased hurtbox size.
• Reduced air knockback of first hit.
• Using jA now slightly slows your falling speed.
• Hitstun increased Md -> Sg.
• +4 Startup
• First hit can no longer be canceled.
j2A:
• Increased initial falling speed.
• Fall now has decerlation rather than acceleration.
• Reduced knockback opponents receive when hit in the air.
5B - Striking Seviper:
• Fixed a bug where this move wasn't dealing overhead hitstun (Overhead Md).
• Final hit damage increased, 2 -> 3.
• +9 Landing lag
• Reduced speed of backwards horizontal movement.
• Removed the ability to change your momentum after the final hitbox ends.
2B - Soaring Spearow:
• Now properly uses Overhead hitstun. Hitstun increased, Md -> Sg.
• Plane and slice variants have taller hurtboxes.
• +3 Clung-to-wall frames before you can choose which variant to use.
• +6 Landing Lag
• Can no longer be special canceled into.
• Fixed a bug where when touching a wall after using Slice, you could conditionally use Plane and Rise (You can still Slice multiple times).
6B - Leaping Liepard:
• Damage increased, 3 -> 4.
• Lowered the distance Mienshao retreats after a kick on hit or block.
• Now launches horizontally on air hit, rather than vertically.
623B - Thrusting Taillow:
• Adjusted animation to allow the move to combo off of almost any grounded hit.
• Adjusted second hit hitbox to allow more consistent combos.
• You can now hold up while on the wall to increase your height.
• When near the wall, the second hit now knocks the opponents towards the center of the stage.
• First hit hitbox moved upward.
• The "Slice" version (4B Wall Input) of 623B has been removed.
jB - Swift Star:
• Block state caused by this move reworked.
• +4 Landing lag
jBBB - Star Shower:
• Projectiles now release faster.
• Projectiles now use the far angle rather than the standard star angle.
• Adjusted to properly use three single hits rather than the "multihit" like jB.
624B - Qi Blast:
• Projectile damage 7 -> 11.
• Projectile now detonates on impact with a player.
• Projectil will now detonate if it reaches the corner of the map.
• Palm hitbox removed.
Primeape
General:
• Back walk speed reduced from -3.50 to -3.0.
4A:
• Increased vulnerable hurtbox size.
5AA:
• Now has forward momentum.
5B - Ape Rush:
• +2 Active frames for last hit
• Histun increased, Md -> VSG
• Blockstun and guard crush increased to Sg.
• +8 Ending lag.
//The game has changed a lot since v3. We're going to try to bring 5B back to "full power" and see what happens.
2B - Beam 'em Up:
• -5 Startup
• Uses an updated landing animation with +15 landing lag.
• Fixed an issue where this move cleared Poison.
Toxicroak
General:
• Back walk speed reduced from -3.30 to -2.30.
• Fixed a bug where Toxicroaks could not poison each other with 6B/jB.
• Fixed a bug where Toxicroak's burst was replaced with an empty action.
//Oops :)
4A:
• Increased vulnerable hurtbox size.
• Upper Body invulnerability now properly disappears after hitbox ends.
6B - Poison Dart:
• Fixed a bug where this move couldn't poison opponents.
Demo 06
September 8, 2023 | Great Tusk Debuts | The Path Debuts
Version 6 Changes
NEW CHARACTER: Great Tusk
Embrace your protohistoric power with the new fighter, Great Tusk! Roll into action with this fierce mixup character. Tusk may look slow at first, but once it gets up to speed, it's capable of hitting hitting your opponent from all sides, leaving them with no room to breath. Utilize stomps, earthquakes, rolls, and of course your gigantic tusks to catch your opponent unprepared.
Other Major Updates
New Rework and Recode: Heracross
Heracross has overall been in a strong but healthy state over the course of the game, getting few changes. If anything, this rework echoes that, being a bit on the smaller side. Heracross still gets some new cancels and combo routes, QoL changes, and various hitbox adjustments to make Hera's existing gameplan flow smoother. Heracross notably retains a quality that's going to be quite rare this patch, the ability to threaten Guard Crushes at almost any time. But you can read more about that in the next section.
Once again, keep an eye out for any Heracross oddities this patch. Recodes like this can sometimes cause minor bugs to pop up as we move the code from one framework to another.
Balance & System Changes
Hitstun and Block Changes:
In short, we will be increasing hitstun values slightly, decreasing blockstun values slightly, and decreasing guard damage.
Hitstun and Blockstun at each tier (Weak, Medium, Strong, Very Strong) has essentially had the following hierarchy
Counterhit > Blockstun > Hitstun
We will be adjusting this to
Counterhit > Low/Overhead > Blockstun > Hitstun
The stun changes are as follows (Wk-Md-Sg-VSG)
Hitstun:
16-22-27-37 -> 16-23-30-37
Blockstun:
20-27-34-41 -> 18-25-32-39
Low/High:
16-22-30 -> 20-27-34
(Low/High does not have a VSG variant)
On top of this, there was a bug effecting blocking specifically. This caused blocking to take two frames longer than intended. This is fixed, so the overall decrease in blockstun is actually four frames.
On top of that, the standard values for guard damage will be changed:
Weak: 1 -> 0
Medium: 2 -> 1
Strong: 3 -> 2
Very Strong: Unchanged (4)
Moves like uppercuts that had Very Strong stun but dealt 1 Guard Damage, will still do so.
There will now additionally be a handful of moves that will deal Weak Blockstun but still deal 1 Guard Damage, as all specials will deal a minimum of 1 Guard Damage. An example of this will be Blaziken's 5B.
In the balance section below, you'll see a mumber of hit type, block type, and frame data adjustments to go with this new system. If a change to these values isn't mentioned, that move simply uses the new system with no other changes. Additionally, all special moves with Weak Stun and all Sweeps still deal at least 1 Guard Damage, and as such won't be noted in changes. Any other block related changes will still be noted.
Control Changes:
• All 2Bs can now be executed by holding down-back and down-forward.
• All 5Bs no longer require neutral, and can be executed while holding back. Keep in mind that Toxicroak and Falinks still use their upwards variants when using 4B.
• Bursts now can only be done immediately after blocking a move. The trailing frames of the blocking animation can't be canceled into Burst.
• Due to feedback, we've re-increased the Dash window slightly, from 20 frames to 25 frames.
Throw System Changes:
• The proximity range for throws has been increased substantially.
• Throws now have a defined throw range.
• These changes mean its now possible to whiff grabs by attempting to grab too far away from an opponent.
• Actual effective throw range shouldn't be significantly different, beyond the fact that it'll now be easier to grab wider characters, and harder to grab narrower ones.
• All standard grabs now have +6 Ending Lag
Bug Fixes:
• Fixed the bug causing multi-guard breaks from v05, meaning that the hotfix that required deleting 2 frames of collision from Guard Break is reverted.
• Fixed minor collision errors in Primeape, Chesnaught, and Toxicroak.
• Fixed a bug where Wobbuffet's Guard Health would stop updating vs Blaziken.
Bewear
3A:
• Time between hits reduced by 1 frame.
4A:
• Fixed a bug that prevented this move from on-hit canceling.
6A:
• Hitstun increased, Sg -> VSG.
jA:
• Sweetspot now properly knocks back vs crouching opponents.
j6A:
• Fixed a bug where this Throw didn't remove Chesnaught's jB armor.
2B - Panda Wheel:
• -3 Ending Lag
Blaziken
General:
• Fixed a bug where Blaziken would receive knockdown twice.
j8A:
• Guard Damage reamins at 1 on both hits.
623B - Solar Uppercut:
• Second hit: Increased horizontal hitbox size.
426B - Rooster Roast:
• Input changed from 2626B to 426B.
• Adjusted Super animation slightly. Now hits 7 times for a total of 13 damage.
• Guard Crush adjusted, does 5 points of damage if all hits connect.
Chesnaught
General:
• Health Reduced, 31 -> 30
5A:
• Blockstun and Guard Crush increased, Wk -> Md.
• +3 Ending Lag
4A:
• Hitstun increased, Sg -> VSG.
• Blockstun and Guard Crush increased, Md -> Sg.
• +3 Startup
• Fixed a bug that prevented this move from on-hit canceling.
6A:
• Increased hitbox size.
• -1 Startup.
• Increased hurtbox size while the move is active.
5B - Bullet Seed:
• Increased hitbox size.
• +3 Startup on Spit
• +6 Ending Lag on Chew
6B - Concussion Rush:
• Initial hit no longer has an anti-air hitbox.
• Second hit is no longer disjointed above Ches.
• Hurtbox size increased during third hit to make it negatively disjointed.
• Adjusted hurtboxes to better match body.
• Adjusting timing on when front-body invincibility disappears.
• Fixed a bug that caused the third hit to combo off the second in certain scenarios.
[4]6B - Shield Smash:
• Third hit: Blockstun and Guard Crush increased, Wk -> Md.
• Last Hit: Blockstun and Guard Crush increased, Md -> Sg.
Falinks
General:
• Increased player collision sizes while being hit in crouch. This does NOT increase hurtbox size.
• Fixed a bug where Falinks took incorrect knockback from Toxic Bubble.
2A:
• Thrown Link hit will also cause the Pop-Up during the later part of the throw arc, rather than only on the way up.
jA:
• Initial hit hitstun increased, Overhead Md -> Overhead Sg.
• Hit duration 10-∞ -> 10-25.
2B - Defensive Formation:
• Invincibility reduced, 1-27 -> 1-10
6B - Frontline Push:
• Guard Damage on each hit remains 1. 4 damage total.
24B - Clawspear:
• Fixed a bug where the anti-air version didn't remove Chesnaught's jB armor.
22B - No Retreat:
• Fixed a bug where using No Retreat while No Retreat is active would drain 2 meter, even though No Retreat isn't re-applied.
Heracross
General:
• Slightly increased crouching hurtbox size.
• Heracross can now only airdash once per air time.
• Heracross can now airdash by tapping forward once immediately after a forward jump from neutral. (Using two quick taps like a Dash)
• You can now continue air dash after crossing up by continuing to hold forward. (This previously had no crossup detection, so you'd have to press back instead.)
5A:
• Now can cancel on hit/block into 3A.
• Can no longer cancel into itself.
2A:
• -7 Ending Lag
• Can now only cancel into 28B on hit/block.
• +2 Startup
• Fixed bug where this move wouldn't cause a blockstring against blocking opponents.
4A:
• Second hit hitstun increased, Wk -> Md.
5B - Horn Flurry:
• First Hit: Blockstun and Guard Crush increased, Wk -> Md.
• Final Hit: Hitstun increased, Sg -> VSG
• Final Hit: Blockstun and Guard Crush increased, Sg -> VSG.
• +3 Ending Lag
• Removed C-Cancel on hits 2 and 3.
• Time between first and second hit increased by 1 frame (now matches time between second and third hit).
• Adjusted forward momentum to decelerate less during the move.
[2]8B - Horn Turret:
• Initial invulnerability replaced with upper-body invulnerability.
[4]6B - Horn Charge:
• -2 Startup
• Horizontal hitbox size greatly increased.
• Horizontal hurtbox size greatly increased while hitbox is active.
• Reduced distance Heracross bounces away on hit/block.
• +2 Landing Lag on hit/block.
[4]6B2B - Horn Sweep:
• Ground hit damage increased, 3 -> 6.
• Air hitbox size increased.
jB - Beetle Dive:
• Blockstun and Guard Crush reduced, Sg -> Md.
• EX version's initial arc moves higher and forward.
• EX version's hitbox adjusted significantly to allow combos when 28B anti-airs.
• Fixed a bug where the Hyper Version could cause blockstun multiple times.
[4]646B - Mega Horn Flip:
• Horizontal hitbox size greatly increased.
• Initial hit damage increased from 3 to 5 (total unscaled damage from 9 to 11).
Forward Throw:
• Horn Charge cancel now requires 46B rather than just 6B.
• Horn Charge can now cancel into 4646B if Heracross has 2 meters.
Mienshao
4A:
• Blockstun and Guard Crush reduced, Md -> Wk.
4A6A:
• Guard Damage adjusted to be 2 total.
5A4:
• Fixed a bug that allowed you to C-Dash after using this move.
6A:
• Hitbox size increased vertically better hit crouchers at a distance.
j2A
• +2 Landing Lag
• Guard Damage remains at 1.
5B - Striking Seviper:
• Guard Crush adjusted to still deal 3 total Guard Damage.
6B - Leaping Liepard:
• -20 Ending Lag on Hit/Block
• Block Stun reduced, Md -> Wk. Guard Damage remains at 1.
624B - Qi Blast:
• Input changed from 2626B to 624B.
Primeape
General:
• Increased player collision sizes while being hit in crouch. This does NOT increase hurtbox size.
4A:
• Damage reduced, 3 -> 2
5B - Ape Rush:
• Hitstun decreased, Sg -> Md
• -4 Ending Lag
• Ape Rush no longer has increased ending lag based on or block.
(Frame advantage on Hit/Block unchanged)
• Only final hit deals Guard Damage. Guard Damage remains at 1.
6B - Fierce Upper:
• Late hit: Increased vertical hitbox size.
623B - Savage Upper:
• Second hit: Increased vertical hitbox size.
jB - Skull Pound:
• Sweetspot damage increased, 3 -> 4.
• Fixed a bug where 623B canceled into jB caused jB's damage to be reduced.
• Fixed a bug where the late hit was causing VSG blockstun instead of SG.
• C-Dash Cancels properly again, rather than being a cancel into Throw or Parry.
624B - Rampage:
• Multihit Blockstun and Guard Crush increased, Wk -> Md.
Toxicroak
4A:
• Fixed a bug that prevented this move from on-hit canceling.
jA:
• Hitbox size slightly increased
• Guard damage remains at 1.
jB - Poison Arrow:
• Damage increased, 4/3/2 -> 6/5 (Sweetspot/Sourspot, including Poison damage).
Demo 05b
July 14, 2023
Version 5b Changes
Toxicroak has joined the recoded+reworked character. This was originally slated for v5 and the general changes decided around a month ago, but instead we committed the dev time to ship the recode+rework on Chesnaught instead. We knew Toxicroak was high demand for changes, so we've put in double time to ship this out ASAP. Many of the changes involve making Toxicroak's moves more specialized instead of just generally good in any situation. We've also slightly reworked Poison to stick around more, but tick much slower to compensate. We've also adjusted Toxicroak's Guard Damage numbers, resulting in reducing his guard break capability to below average. Toxicroak will still have fantastic zoning that can quickly switch to offensive pressure, but his ability to stay safe on block and convert that pressure into a Guard Break is significantly less viable, and will cost much more meter. In return, Toxicrak has received buffs to Toxic Spit, as well as a few instances of increased damage. These changes are likely overall nerfs, but should still leave Toxicroak in a strong state, as is the goal with these single-character focused patches.
Guard Crush:
• Bug causing Guard Crushes to not occur when a player's Guard Health reaches 0 has been fixed.
• However, this fix requires removing player collision for two frames. Here's hoping this doesn't cause any unforseen issues.
While on the topic, there's been some discussion about the status of gaining Meter from Guard Break, we've heard it. However, we're still discussing how to solve the issue, so we're going to wait and implement a solution in a later version. There are also known Guard Break loops that still exist within the game, but tread in territory where making changes to eliminate them entirely would kneecap certain character options. For the meanwhile we've made changes to mitigate these loops, and are hoping to make a more permanent fix in the near future.
Training Mode:
• Fixed bug where a second Wobbuffet would spawn twice in Blaziken's training mode.
• Wobbuffett grounded Fast Attack startup reduced to 6 frames to match common jab timings.
• Fixed air hitstun interactions on recoded characters.
• Input windows for Dashes adjusted, 0.3s -> 0.2s. This window was only used for Dashes and Runs, not Parry Dashes.
Blaziken
Parry:
• Fixed a bug that caused Parry counter to have no lag.
2626B - Rooster Roast:
• Fixed multiple hitstun related issues that caused the move to inflict extremely small amounts of hitstun, or miss entirely.
Chesnaught
General:
• Added 5 extra frames of leniency for holding your charge partition.
5A:
• Blockstun and Guard Crush reduced, Md -> Wk
3A:
• Ending lag can now always be cancelled into Bullet Seed, even on whiff.
• Removed on-hit cancels, except into Spike Cannon.
4A:
• Blockstun and Guard Crush reduced, Sg -> Md
• No longer has +3 hitstun vs Standing opponents
6B - Concussion Rush:
• Changed initial hit launch trajectory to send grounded opponents a smaller distance, allowing both normal hits of Concussion Rush to combo when started from farther ranges.
5B - Bullet Seed:
• Changed hitboxes on block to better hit crouch blocking opponents.
jB - Falling Fortress:
• +5 Landing Lag if you don't hit a counter.
[2]8B - Thorn Upper:
• Fixed a bug where you could C-Dash Cancel with insufficient meter.
[4]6B - Shield Smash:
• Fixed a bug that caused the move to have a varying amount of hits and distance traveled depending on meter.
• Adjusted movement timing, now starts slightly slower but also slightly accelerates.
• Adjusted initial hit launch trajectory and hitbox placement to allow all hits of Shield Smash to combo when started from farther ranges.
426B - Spike Cannon:
• Fixed an issue where doing the input with two or less meter would result in [4]6B. It will now result in 6B.
Falinks
General:
• Fixed a bug where Falinks would take less hitstun while standing when hit with a VSG stun move.
• Fixed some visual issues in training mode.
• Fixed several issues with move input priority.
• Fixed palette related issues.
5B - Chainspear:
• Extended hurtbox now becomes active on the same frame as hitbox, rather than 5 frames before.
jB - Hoplite Hop:
• Fixed an issue where this move couldn't be used during running jumps.
22B - No Retreat:
• Slightly increased the range of the addition hits of No Retreat.
• Can no longer use No Retreat while No Retreat is active.
Heracross
General:
• Added 5 extra frames of leniency for holding your charge partition.
6A:
• Fixed a bug where the move could inflict 3 Guard damage instead of 2.
Mienshao
4A:
• Fixed a bug where the later part of this move was unblockable.
• Fixed a bug where 4A wouldn't cause blockstun during a blockstring.
Toxicroak
Poison:
• Poison now must be removed via Parry. Throws and various Hyper Meter Specials no longer remove Poison. Notably Guard Berry will still remove Poison.
• Duration between Poison ticks increased, 2s -> 4s.
5A:
• Fixed a bug where this move couldn't be counterhit.
2A:
• Initial hit damage increased, 3 -> 4.
• Late hit damage increased, 1 -> 2.
• +3 Startup
• Blockstun and Guard Crush reduced, VSG -> Sg.
3A:
• Increased forward movement speed.
• +4 startup
• +2 Ending lag
4A:
• Size of initial hitbox increased.
• +2 Hit duration for initial hitbox.
• +3 Startup
• Initial hitbox no longer hits airborne opponents.
jA:
• Reduced hitbox size.
j8A:
• Damage increased, 2 -> 4.
• No longer hits grounded opponents.
6B - Poison Dart:
• Hitbox and hurtbox now move forward during the later part of the move.
• Reduced hitbox size.
• Blockstun and Guard Crush reduced, Sg -> Md.
• C-Dash cancel removed.
jB - Poison Arrow:
• Blockstun and Guard Crush reduced, VSG -> Sg. Hyper version's block state unchanged.
5B - Poison Spit:
• Blockstun and Guard Crush increased, Wk -> Md. (For all versions)
• Fixed a bug where upper angled poison could be cancelled into Throw and Parry, rather than C-Dash.
5BB - Double Spit:
• -7 Ending Lag
421B - Dagger Heel:
• Doubled the hitlag the move inflicts.
• +15 Ending Lag
624B - Toxic Bubble:
• Initial damage increased, 2 -> 6.
• Duration ∞ -> 4.5s
• Moves will no longer deal double damage when used to pop the bubble.
Demo 05
July 6, 2023 | Falinks Debuts
Version 5 Changes
NEW CHARACTER: Falinks
Falinks storms onto the field of battle! Deploy your army from the reserves or charge into the frontline like the Heroes of old. Use your diverse array of tools to command and conquer, and claim your spoils of war.
Other Major Updates
Chesnaught Recode: The second recode and rework is in, and it's Chesnaught. Again, be on the lookout for any oddities, as bugs could be prevalent considering the large scale under-the hood changes. We're aware Chesnaught's already a new addition, and it seems unusual that he'd be picked so soon for this treatment. However, we felt that Chesnaught needed some adjustments to better mesh with players, as we saw many people that wanted to play Chesnaught but disliked several elements of his kit. We're hoping these changes alleviate that, incentivising players to pick up this character.
Training Mode:
• Added Parry to Wobbuffet's E options.
• Fixed a Bug where Wobbuffet could block while using attacks.
• Fixed an issue with the combo counter.
Damage Scaling: Combos have not had damage scaling before this point. We've added a small scaling factor, that should impact the damage of longer combos. In most cases it'll start around the sixth move, but with some higher damaging hits it could come into effect earlier. This will also end up impacting the final damage of longer multi-hit moves like Primeape's Super, but those changes won't be reflected in the changelist.
Knockback: Grounded Knockback had a bunch of oddball inconsistency, and also had issues where counterhits and high-hitstun would send opponents extremely far distances away from you. We've adjusted how grounded knockback works to hopefully alleviate these issues.
Balance & System Changes
Changes to inputs:
• 623 and 421 inputs now accept 626, 629, 424, and 427 as shortcuts.
• 2626 now accepts 2326 as a shortcut.
Changes to Guard Breaks:
• Zero no longer counts as a Guard Health value. Dropping to zero now results in Guard Break.
• Guard Breaks were previously throw-vulerable during initial frames. This practically never came up and could potentially caused bugs, so it's been replaced with total invincibility.
• Guard Breaks will be invlunerable for 1 additional frame to prevent an issue where players got erroneously launched.
• Cross-unders are now prevented against cornered opponents. This mostly only effects air vs air interactions, so stuff like uppercuts will no longer phase through cornered players sometimes. You can still walk under opponents if they jump in the corner.
• Widened Cross-up collision slightly.
• Parry attacks now have an additional +3 Ending Lag.
• Parry collision size made thinner.
• Fixed all known causes of the double-knockdown bug. This also fixes some buggy corner juggles.
Issue with 4c Patchnotes:
• Last patch noted that uppercuts now break armor, despite that not being the case. This is now properly implemented in v5.
Bewear
General:
• Guard Health increased, 12 -> 14.
• Fixed a bug with E settings in Training Mode.
4A:
• Added upper body invincibility during startup and active frames.
• Reduced arm hurtbox size during anti-air frames.
• Removed "dead frame" where Bewear looks like he's attacking but has no active hitbox. Animation frames adjusted to compensate (No frame data change).
jA:
• Shifted hurtbox upward.
• Significantly increased the size of the initial hit that knocks down.
j8A:
• Reduced leg hurtbox size.
2B - Panda Wheel:
• +2 Ending Lag
Blaziken
General:
• Guard Health increased, 10 -> 12
• Fixed an issue where Blaziken would fall slower than intended when launched while in the corner.
4A:
• Added upper body invincibility during startup and active frames.
• Reduced leg hurtbox size during active frames.
• +2 Startup
• Frames between hits increased, 1 -> 2
jA:
• Reduced leg hutbox size.
• Increased body hurtbox size.
j8A:
• Reduced hand hurtbox size.
• Increased collision size.
6B - Sky Uppercut:
• Added upper body invulnerability during startup and active frames.
623B - Solar Uppercut:
• Adjusted hitboxes and hit timing. This will hopefully make it easier to follow up two-hit 623B with 2A when anti-airing, and three-hit 623B with 6A when anti-airing.
2626B - Rooster Roast:
• Added a vortex effect so opponents getting hit from far away get pulled in and won't fall out of the attack.
• Changed hitboxes so that the move won't whiff at point-blank range, and will also hit opponents from farther away.
Chesnaught
2A:
• -1 Startup
4A:
• Added upper body invincibility to startup and active frames.
• Chespin wants to help too :)
• Lower body hurtbox widened.
6A:
• -2 Startup
• Fixed a bug that would cause the move to hit twice.
jA:
• Reduced non-collision hurtbox size.
j8A:
• Reduced leg hurtbox size.
5B - Bullet Seed:
• Projectile speed increased.
• Projectile hitbox widened.
2B - Thorn Hammer:
• Hitbox made taller.
• Increased collision size.
6B - Concussion Rush:
• Changed input from [4]6B.
• Second hit can now On-Hit cancel into Bullet Seed Spit.
• Final hit (usually only seen on block) can now be cancelled into a C-Dash.
• Third hit removed.
• Forward-body invincibility is removed starting at the final hit.
jB - Falling Fortress:
• Added a new counter that costs 1 meter. After being hit, press B to use it.
• Makes Chesnaught slightly floatier on block.
• Enemy Time Stop on Armor 18 -> 30 frames.
• Fixed a bug where this move could be thrown in air.
24B - Guard Berry:
• Self-Heal increased, 1 -> 2
• Now grants multiple hits of armor, but the amount of armor decays over the course of the move. Moves will only decay as low as a single hit of armor, at the point right before the move connects.
• 6A Armor max hits 1 -> 2.
• 2B Armor max hits 1 -> 4.
[2]8B - Thorn Upper:
• Charge requirement reduced from 0.5s to 0.4s
• Damage increased, 4 -> 5.
[4]6B - Shield Smash:
• This move is based on the previous version of Concussion Rush.
• Changed input from [4]6BB.
• Now costs 1 meter.
• Charge requirement reduced from 0.5s to 0.4s
• Replaced fourth hit of move with the Shield Smash.
• Damage of each hit adjusted. Total move damage is now 7.
• Is now invincible during the active frames of the Shield Smash, in addition to the frames immediately before it.
• Shield Smash ending lag -29.
• Shield Smash Blockstun and Guard Crush reduced, VSG -> Md.
• Can no longer be C-Cancelled.
• Shield Smash hit duration decreased, 8 -> 6.
426B - Spike Cannon:
• Changed input from [4]646B.
• -17 Startup
• +5 Added Active Frames
• Reduced Time Stop from 35 frames to 15.
• Spike damage reduced, 12 -> 10.
• Is no longer invincible in the frames before the Time Stop.
Heracross
2A:
• Added upper body invincibility during active frames and the frames immediately before those. (Is not upper body invincible from frame 1)
jA:
• Horn hurtbox size decreased during active frames of first hit.
Mienshao
General:
• Guard Health increased, 8 -> 10
5A4:
• -1 Ending lag
4A:
• First hit hitbox made taller, will now hit all crouchers.
• Reduced vertical hurtbox size during anti-air part of the move.
• Upper body hurtbox is now Throw Invulnerable during active frames.
4A6A:
• Second hit Blockstun and Guard Crush reduced, Sg -> Md.
j2A:
• Increased hitbox size.
• Shifted non-collision hurtbox slightly left.
6B - Leaping Liepard:
• Hurtbox shifted forward and widened.
• Blockstun and Guard Crush reduced, Sg -> Md
Primeape
General:
• Guard Health increased, 10 -> 12
5A:
• Fixed issue where you could get 5AA despite only tapping A once.
2A:
• Blockstun and Guard Crush reduced, Md -> Wk.
4A:
• Added upper body invincibility during startup and active frames.
• Reduced leg hurtbox size during startup and active frames.
• +4 Startup
jA:
• Reduced leg hurtbox size
• Increased body hurtbox size.
28B - Furious Stomp:
• Damage decreased, 4 -> 3
5B - Ape Rush:
• Slightly increased horizontal hurtbox size.
• Fixed an issue where last hit could cause upwards of 4 points of Guard Damage rather than 1.
• Fixed an issue where the move couldn't Guard Break if the second-to-last hit depleted your opponent's Guard.
6B - Fierce Upper:
• Upper-body invincbility on startup slightly shrunk.
jB - Skull Pound:
• +2 Landing Lag before you can cancel into 28B.
• +14 Landing Lag otherwise.
Toxicroak
General:
• Guard Health increased, 8 -> 10
• Fixed a bug where Parry didn't remove Poison.
4A:
• Added upper body invincibility during startup and active frames.
• Reduced hurtbox size on arm during anti-air frames.
• Fixed bug causing move to hit upwards vs standing opponents.
jA:
• Reduced arm hurtbox size.
624B - Toxic Bubble:
• Fixed a bug where opponents could get caught in the Bubble during Throws and unintended times.
• Fixed a bug causing Primeape to take more damage and less knockback from this move.
Parry:
• Fixed an issue that caused this to hit high instead of mid.
Demo 04c
May 29, 2023
Version 4c Changes
Under the hood - Recodes: We're slowly going to recode significant portions of characters in order to make future development easier. This recode and character rework was slated for v5, but happened to be completed in the time between v4b and v4c, so we're shipping it early. The first of these recodes is Primeape. We're asking players to keep an eye out for any Primeape oddities in this patch. On top of that, while v3 and v4 versions have been generally powering down characters to fix game breaking mechanics, we're hoping to power up characters in v5 and beyond, something Primeape's also received here. A second character was slated to receieve one of these big treatments in v5, but you'll have to wait for that one.
Removed the lights from the Morelull in Levelup Cave to see if that helps with framerate issues.
Fixed Various bugs involving the announcer calling wrong winner names.
Balance & System Changes
Armored moves:
- Uppercuts can now break Armored moves.
Bewear
6B - Running Bear Hug:
- Armor frames 1-35 -> 1-49
Parry:
- Damage reduced, 5 -> 3
Blaziken
6A:
• Increased hitbox size downwards.
jA:
• Initial hit Damage increased, 2 -> 3
• Reduced leg hurtbox size.
623B - Solar Uppercut:
• Fixed Bug that caused opponents to fall out of move on counterhit.
Chesnaught
General:
• Fixed an issue that caused Chesnaught to take more hitstun.
• Fixed parrying sometimes using the wrong animation.
• Added new color palette.
3A:
- Blockstun and Guard crush reduced, Md -> Wk
4A:
- Replaced an upper-body hurtbox with a lower-body hurtbox during the anti-air part of the move.
6A:
• Hitstun reduced, VSG -> Sg
• Blockstun and Guard Crush reduced, VSG -> Sg
• Only has armor while guard berry is active (Guard Berry is only removed on successful armor)
• Fixed a bug where you couldn't special cancel the move after armoring a hit.
5B - Bullet Seed:
- +8 Berry Eat Startup
2B - Thorn Hammer:
- Reduced hitbox size.
Parry:
- Damage reduced, 5 -> 3
Heracross
28B - Horn Turret:
• Lower-body vulnerability added to active frames. (Startup still fully invincible)
• Invincibility extended until Hera stops moving up.
FThrow:
• 6B follow-up damage increased, 5 -> 7
Mienshao
5A:
• Hitstun increased, Sg -> VSG
4A:
• Initial hitbox now only hits vs Grounded Opponents
• Late hitbox now only hits vs Air Opponents
6AA:
• +4 Ending Lag
5B:
• Last hit damage 1 -> 2
2B:
• Widened hurtbox during horizontal-dash walljumps
623B:
• +1 Startup
jB:
• +6 Landing lag
Primeape
5A:
• -1 Startup
• Increased range
5AA:
• -1 Startup
• Increased range
2A:
• +1 Startup
• Initial hit damage 2 -> 3
• Late hit damage 1 -> 2
3A:
• -1 Startup
• Damage increased, 1 -> 2
• Can now special cancel into 623B
4A:
• -1 Startup
• Damage 2 -> 3
• Slightly reduced leg hurtbox size
• Fixed a bug where leg was partially throw vulnerable during active frames.
6A:
• -1 Startup
jA:
• Damage increased, 2 -> 3
j8A:
• Initial hit damage increased, 3 -> 4
5B - Ape Rush:
• -1 Startup
• -2 Ending lag on hit
• -4 Ending lag on block
2B - Beat 'em Up:
• Skull Pound startup -4
6B - Fierce Upper:
• Damage increased, 3 -> 4
• Initial hitbox size increased
• Added upper body invincibility to startup and active frames.
• Increased size of player collisions on startup.
623B - Savage Upper:
• Total damage increased, 4 -> 5
• Increased size of player collisions on startup.
624B - Rampage:
• Increased damage, 10 -> 11
jB - Skull Pound:
• Late hit blockstun and guard crush decreased, VSG -> Sg.
• Fixed a bug that was causing it to hit twice on block.
Toxicroak
2A:
• Damage increased, 2 -> 3
• Increased size of late hit leg hitbox and hurtbox.
4A:
• Damage increased, 1 -> 2
• Initial hit Wk -> Md
421B - Dagger Heel:
• Damage 2 -> 4
• -6 Ending Lag
• Blockstun and Guard Crush significantly reduced, Sg -> Wk
Demo 04b
May 25, 2023
Version 4b Changes
New Additions:
• New vocals by the talented Tom Gilvear (https://www.tomgilvear.com/). More VOs to come in v05!
• The HUD got an upgrade. Expect more aesthetic boosts.
General Changes & Bug Fixes:
• Fixed the double-knockdown/double-damage issue on a number of throws.
• Guard Break time stop is now the same number of frames for both players. Previously, it time stopped the attacker for 10 frames longer than the defender.
• Adjusted how charge inputs are handled.
• Fixed an issue allowing you to cancel EX moves into C-Dash or Super without having sufficient meter.
• Fixed issues related to Parry and Armor storage.
• Fixed certain issues with character palettes.
• Adjusted throws again. Max range should be reduced, but consistency of getting throws instead of parries should be increased.
• Fixed an issue causing double-throw-whiffs to happen more frequently than they should.
• Throw ending lag +4
• Added a new hitstun length, Very Strong (VSG) which has 10 more frames of hitstun than Sg. Again, if a change doesn't mention Wk/Md/Sg/VSG, it was likely one of the other rarer hitstun types.
Due to internal dev issues, the following changes slated for v4 got reverted to 3c. They are now correctly implemented in v4b.
We've changed how we handle things on our end to prevent this from happening in the future.
Bewear:
• Third hit of j8A, damage 1 -> 2
Blaziken:
• jB late hitbox blockstun and guard crush, VSG -> Md.
Heracross:
• 6A: Blockstun and guard crush, Sg -> Md
• 4A: Overhead removed.
Primeape:
• 6A: Startup +2
• jB: All hits now knock down.
Because changelists are shorter this time, I (Altilt) will also provide some additional dev commentary for players.
Bewear
3A:
• Now has player collision.
4A:
• Hitstun Sg -> VSG
• +3 Startup
• +8 Ending lag
• Adjusted timings: Anti-air hitbox +3 duration, low-to-ground hitbox -3 duration
5B - Great Big Hug:
• Damage decreased, 8 -> 7
2B - Panda Wheel:
• +6 Ending Lag
• Adjusted move to catch cases where projectiles weren't being destroyed.
2626B - Stuffed Punch:
• No longer hits high.
Comments: Minor nerfs to try and stop Bewear from running away with the game off of a stray hit. Less reward off of 5B and 2B should help considerably with that.
Blaziken
4A:
• Hitstun increased to VSG
• Reverted v3c change that reduced endlag (+4 Ending lag)
6B - Sky Uppercut:
• +4 Startup
• Slightly increased initial forward movement during startup.
• Guard Crush value reduced, VSG -> Wk.
623B - Solar Uppercut:
• Blockstun increased, Sg -> VSG
• Guard crush decreased, Sg -> Wk
Comments: We're aware of balance/design concerns involving Blaziken, and I plan on exciting changes for hopefully v5, but other priorities came first in this version. Notably the 1-button shoryus, including Primeape's, got tuned down this patch.
Chesnaught
Added icons that show when a Bullet Seed or Guard Berry armor is stored.
3A:
• Now Special cancellable.
6A:
• Hitstun increased, Sg -> VSG.
5B - Bullet Seed:
• -10 Startup
• -10 Ending Lag
24B - Guard Berry:
• Armor state granted to 2B will no longer be consumed on use. Instead, it will be consumed when 2B armors a hit.
(4)6B - Concussion Rush:
• Third hit now knocks back opponent like the first two.
• -12 Ending Lag
• Final hit Blockstun and Guard Crush reduced, Md -> Wk
• Hitbox on second hit adjusted
2B - Thorn Hammer:
• -5 Startup
• Window for armor is longer after Guard Berry is eaten.
• Is no longer hit invulnerable during active frames. (Is still throw invulnerable)
jB - Falling Fortress
• Fixed bug where grounded shield was taking full damage instead of none like the air shield.
• Bigger armor window on landing.
• Successful shield now gives Chesnaught frame advantage to make punishing easier.
Commentary: I don't believe Chesnaught is even bad as-is, but these changes should be enough to push him over the edge and get people playing.
Heracross
6A:
• Initial hit hitstun increased to VSG
• Reverted v3c change that reduced ending lag (+5 ending lag)
[2]8B - Horn Turret:
• Guard Crush reduced, VSG -> Wk.
[4]6B - Horn Charge:
• Fixed charge input being skipped by doing 426B.
• Blockstun and Guard Crush VSG -> Sg
• Reverted v3c change that increased ending lag (-2 Ending Lag)
jB - Beetle Dive:
• Fixed bug causing multihit blocks.
• Slight adjustment to first frame hitbox for metered version.
HP:
• 29 -> 28
Commentary: Heracross is overall in a good place, and as such, mostly just received bugfixes and minor adjustments.
Mienshao
General:
• Fixed a bug where Mienshao was taking incorrect block pushback.
4A:
• Hitstun increased, Sg -> VSG.
4A6A:
• Hit 1 hitbox horizontal size increased.
• Hit 1 damage increased, 1 -> 2.
• Reverted v3c change that reduced startup (+5 startup)
• Forward speed partially reverted to v3c. Overall still a net distance increase from v3c.
6B - Leaping Liepard:
• Hitstun increased, Sg -> VSG.
Commentary: Mienshao is if anything, on the strong side. The adjustments we're looking at for that could have a large impact on playstyle, so we're pushing those down the road to v5 rather than shipping them before the big v4 tour.
Primeape
2A:
• Hitstun increased to VSG
• Ending lag +1
• Movement arc adjusted. This should be more similar to the arc in 3c.
5B - Ape Rush:
• -7 Startup
• Final hit hitstun Md -> Sg
• +9 Ending Lag
• Adjusted hitbox. Now reaches farther forward, but is smaller vertically. Still has large negative disjoint.
6B - Fierce Upper:
• +5 Startup
• Guard Crush reduced, VSG -> Wk
• Added player collision to startup.
623B - Savage Upper:
• Guard Crush reduced, VSG -> Wk
426B - Rampage:
• Significantly reduced Guard Crush.
jB - Skull Pound:
• Fixed a bug resulting in double hits.
• Removed a 0-damage hitbox that was erroneously showing with hitboxes turned on.
Commentary: 2A tuned again to feel slightly better, I hope. 5B has been retooled to no longer be safe on block, instead being more threatening at catching counterhits. Shoryu is tuned down like Ken's. Hopefully this keeps Primeape threatening but overall less polarizing to fight.
Toxicroak
General:
• Fixed a bug that happened when parrying an enemy Tox's 5B.
2A:
• +2 Active frames
• Hitstun Sg -> VSG
6A:
• Hitstun Md -> Sg
jB:
• -6 Startup
Commentary:
Adjustments to help Tox's kit flow better. These changes are small, but should feel significantDemo 04
May 8, 2023 | Chesnaught Debuts | Training Mode Debuts
NEW CONTENT
Chesnaught
Chesnaught joins Pokemon CC! Chesnaught is a big and tough Charge Character. Ready his unique move Bullet Seed to fire on your enemies, extending your combos and blockstrings. Trap your foes with Spikes by using Thorn Hammer and Thorn Upper. Unleash high damage combos using strong finishers like Spike Cannon.
Training Mode
Training Mode is now added. Use Wobbuffet to help you practice your combos, punishes, and more! Features many different states and attacks to switch between, with additions and improvements coming in the future. See TRAINING MODE.txt for more info.
New Music by A. Max Adams
New tracks now play in:
• Title Screen
• Character Select Screen
• All Three Stages
Balance & System Changes
In order to better explain the following patch notes, here's first some information: There are three standard types of knockback, Weak, Medium, and Strong (Wk/Md/Sg). There are other knockback types, but these are the most common. If the hitstun type isn't specified as Wk/Md/Sg, it's probably something else. There are four standard types of blocking, Weak, Medium, Strong, and Very Strong (Wk/Md/Sg/VSG). These will be listed along side any changes to these values.
Changes to Blocking, Guard Health, and Guard Breaks:
• Blockstun of stronger, high-blockstun moves reduced. Blockstun for these moves now lands squarely between hit and counterhit. Blockstun used to last around as long as counterhit did. Weak hits with low blockstun always had this in-the-middle value, so lower stun moves are uneffected.
• Blockpush increased for Md, Sg, and VSG blocks. Crouching blockpush now matches standing blockpush.
• Forward+Back protections added. While the engine's input handler itself can't be adjusted to properly prevent Forward+Back, there will be adjustments to discourage its use. After a small leniency window, blocking while Walking Forward will cause a Guard Break.
• Fixed a bug where Blockstun duration varied depending on Guard Health.
• Fixed instances where blocking multihit attacks wouldn't result in guard breaks.
• Adjusted Guard Breaks to add player collision, as well as adjusting player vulnerability during Guard Break. This will fix issues related to players phasing through Guard Broken opponents, as well as address issues where Multihit moves could erroneuously launch a player after a Guard Break.
• Fixed bugs where getting knocked down wasn't refreshing guard health.
• Burst no longer gives the opponent a meter.
Addressed an issue where inputs would drop during blockstrings or combos. This required adjusting the input windows for moves. The old windows varied greatly from .01 second to .45 second windows to place your inputs. Their new values are:
• .15 seconds for Simple inputs (Ex, 3A, 2B)
• .30 seconds for two/three-input motions (Ex, [4]6B, 26B, 623B)
• .45 seconds for four input motions (Ex, 2626B, [4]646B)
Noting that these windows only start for charge after the player releases back Ex, you'd have .30 seconds for [4]6B after releasing back to press forward.
•Adjusted C-Dash Forward to have homegenized initial collisions, to avoid character-specific oddities relating to cross-unders.
• Adjusted Throw range trigger, in hope that it prevents issues where players could not Throw even when standing next to each other.
• Adjusted in-air hurtboxes and collisions. Should result in more consistent juggles across the cast.
• Corners now have a dynamic collision box above players to prevent jump-in crossups.
• Heal is disabled for VS mode, and is now bound to 2F (Down + O by default). A new VS-mode debug heal has been added: 246F, and can only be used while standing close. This version is also considerably slower, to discourage using in real games.
• Fixed a bug where some Knockdowns didn't deal damage vs high block.
• Fixed a bug where multi-hit launchers couldn't counterhit.
• Fixed a series of bugs where Parries would occur after throws.
• Fixed a bug where you could store parry state using projectiles.
Character balance changes are organized per move, first listing buffs, then nerfs, and finally misc changes or bugfixes after that.
Bewear
5A:
• Damage increased, 1 -> 2.
3A:
• Hitstun increased, Wk -> Md.
4A:
• Extended Arm hurtbox made Throw invulnerable during startup and active frames.
• Significantly reduced size of extended hurtboxes during startup.
• Overhead removed.
jA:
• Initial hit Blockstun and Guard Crush significantly reduced, VSG -> Md.
• Late hit Blockstun and Guard Crush significantly reduced, Sg -> Wk.
j8A:
• Damage on all hits increased, 1 -> 2.
5B - Great Big Hug:
• +18 Ending Lag
2B - Panda Wheel:
• Projectile destruction frames increased, 17-48 -> 9-48
• First and third hit hitbox adjusted to be more similar to second hit.
6B - Running Bear Hug:
• Fixed a bug where Bewear could 6B in air
2626B - Stuffed Punch:
• Initial hits Blockstun and Guard Crush increased, Sg -> VSG.
Blaziken
General:
• Decreased falling speed. This effects all three main jumps, the running jump, and both Uppercuts. Total distance traveled during jumps compensated to be similar to pre-patch.
5A:
• -1 Startup
• +3 Ending Lag
• Fixed a bug relating to Dash Cancelling.
4A:
• -4 Ending Lag
• Increased hitstun on second hit.
• Extended Leg hurtbox made Throw invulnerable during active frames.
• Blockstun and Guard Crush reduced on both hits, Sg -> Md.
6A:
• Extended Arm hurtbox made Throw invulnerable during active frames.
jA:
• Blockstun and Guard Crush significantly reduced, Sg -> Wk
• Increased leg hurtbox size
j8A:
• Hitstun on overhead (vs crouch block) increased, Md -> Sg
• Damage on both hits increased, 1 -> 2
• Blockstun and Guard Crush reduced, Sg -> Wk
5B:
• Fixed a bug relating to Dash Cancelling.
• Fixed a bug that would cause ending lag to be erroneously reduced.
6B - Sky Uppercut:
• Blockstun and Guard Crush increased, Sg -> VSG
• Fixed a bug where the 9-frame landing lag was being skipped.
2BB - Flare (Rising Sun Kick):
• Kick hit damage reduced, 4 -> 3
24B - Triple Sun Kick
• -4 Startup
• Hitboxes on second and third hits adjusted & increased in size.
• Time between hits lessened.
• Forward movement speed slightly increased.
623B - Solar Uppercut:
• Adjusted the location, size, and timing of third hitbox.
• Adjusted travel arc due to new gravity.
• Increased collision size during active frames to prevent awkward cross-unders.
• Fixed a bug related to counterhits.
• Fixed a bug where the 11-frame landing lag was being skipped.
jB - Blaze Kick:
• -4 Landing Lag
• +4 Startup
• Initial hit damage reduced, 4 -> 3
• Initial hitbox size reduced significantly (end of leg only).
• Blockstun and Guard Crush significantly reduced, VSG -> Md
• Increased hurtbox size
• Fixed a bug where jB couldn't be counterhit.
• Fixed a bug where jB couldn't hit Primeape in air.
Heracross
General:
• Forward Dash can now fly over low-to-ground hits like Sweeps.
• Changed all charge times to be identical.
5A:
• Now can cancel Ending Lag into another 5A.
2A:
• Upper-body hurtboxes made Throw Invulnerable during active frames.
3A:
• Fixed a bug relating to Dash Cancelling.
4A:
• Overhead removed.
6A:
• -2 Startup
• -5 Ending Lag
• -2 Hitbox duration (frames deleted entirely)
• Blockstun and Guard Crush reduced, Sg -> Md
• Fixed a bug relating to Dash Cancelling.
jA:
• Blockstun and Guard Crush significantly reduced on both hits, Sg -> Wk
• Increased hurtbox size.
j2A:
• Blockstun and Guard Crush reduced on early hit, Sg -> Md
• Blockstun and Guard Crush significantly reduced on late hit, Sg -> Wk
5B:
• Blockstun and Guard Crush reduced on first two hits, Sg -> Md
• Second hit hitbox vertically reduced in size.
[2]8B - Horn Turret:
• Blockstun and Guard Crush increased, Sg -> VSG
• Now destroys projectiles.
• Invincibility 1-21 -> 1-11
• Horizontal speed and distance reduced.
• Fixed a bug where the 6-frame landing lag was being skipped.
[4]6B - Horn Charge:
• +2 Landing Lag on hit/block
• Fixed a bug where the landing lag wasn't fully throw vulnerable on whiff.
• Fixed a Keyboard exploit that allowed you to charge during forward walk.
[4]6B2B - Horn Sweep:
• Fixed a bug where you could C-Dash forward after the move ended.
jB - Beetle Dive:
• Blockstun and Guard Crush reduced, VSG -> Sg
Forward Throw:
• Can now spend 1 Bar to use Horn Charge after FThrow.
Mienshao
General:
• Back Dash is now invincible rather than fully intangible.
3A:
• -2 Startup
4A:
• Hitstun increased, Md -> Sg
• Extended cancel window into 4A6A to last until the end of the move.
• Upper Body hurtbox widened.
4A6A:
• -5 Startup
• Increased forward movement speed.
• Blockstun and Guard Crush significantly reduced on first hit, Sg -> Wk
jA:
• Blockstun and Guard Crush significantly reduced on both hits, Sg -> Wk
• Now hits Mid instead of High.
j2A:
• Increased hitstun
• +2 Startup
• +6 Landing Lag
• Increased initial hurtbox size.
5B - Striking Seviper:
• Increased size of first hit.
• Increased fall speed to ground after third hit completes.
• -3 Landing Lag
2B - Soaring Spearow:
• Made Startup Throw Invulnerable
623B - Thrusting Taillow:
• Made Startup Throw Invulnerable
jB - Swift Star:
• Fixed a bug where damage wasn't dealt on an overhead hit.
• Firing delay reduced by 4 frames.
• +4 Startup
• +5 Landing Lag
jBBB - Star Shower:
• Increased input leniency of rapid button presses.
• Firing delay reduced by 4 frames.
• +5 Landing Lag
Parry:
• Fixed a Bug where Mienshao couldn't remove Poison by Parrying.
• Fixed a bug where Mienshao would get frozen in place after parrying.
Primeape
General:
• Fixed a bug where Primeape could be grabbed while in the air.
5A:
• -1 Startup
• -2 Ending Lag
5AA:
• -1 Startup
• -2 Ending Lag
2A:
• -4 Ending lag
• Increased hitstun
• +3 Startup
• Adjusted movement arc.
3A:
• -1 Startup
4A:
• Damage increased, 1 -> 2
• Hitstun increased, Wk -> Md
• Extended Leg hurtbox made Throw invulnerable during startup and active frames.
6A:
• Significantly decreased arm hurtbox size during startup.
• Slightly decreased arm hurtbox size during active frames.
• Cancels into 6B will combo at further ranges.
• +2 Startup
• Blockstun and Guard Crush decreased on both hits, Sg -> Md
jA:
• Blockstun and Guard Crush significantly reduced, Sg -> Wk
j8A:
• Blockstun and Guard Crush reduced, Sg -> Md
5B - Ape Rush:
• +1 Ending Lag
2B - Beat 'em Up:
• Made Throw invulnerable on Startup
• +1 Landing Lag on whiff
6B - Fierce Upper:
• Blockstun and Guard Crush increased, Sg -> VSG
• -5 Landing Lag
623B - Savage Upper:
• Blockstun and Guard Crush increased on initial hit, Sg -> VSG
• +2 Landing Lag
• Fixed a bug where you could dash cancel without having enough meter.
624B - Rampage:
• Overheads adjusted: Two removed, remaining one will now combo into other Super hits.
• Fixed a bug where Primeape could Super Cancel without the sufficient meter to super, causing a 5B to occur instead.
jB - Skull Pound:
• All Variants now cause Knockdown
• Blockstun and Guard Crush increased, Sg -> VSG
• 623B Version will no longer build meter on Grounded hit.
• Fixed bugs relating into cancelling into this move.
Parry:
• Fixed a bug where Parry was causing 20 additional frames of Time Stop.
Toxicroak
5A:
• Hitstun increased, Wk -> Md
• -6 Ending Lag
• Blockstun and Guard Crush decreased, Md -> Wk
2A:
• Extended Leg hurtbox made Throw invulnerable during active frames.
• Blockstun and Guard Crush increased, Sg -> VSG
4A:
• Extended arm hurtbox made Throw invulnerable during startup and active frames.
• Reduced arm hurtbox size during startup.
6A:
• Blockstun and Guard Crush reduced, Sg -> Md
jA:
• Blockstun and Guard Crush significantly reduced, Sg -> Wk
j8A:
• Damage increased, 1 -> 2
• Can now on-hit cancel into Poison Arrow
• Leg Hurtbox significantly reduced in size.
• Added an increase in Tox's gravity on use.
2B - Dirt Bubble:
• Shifted hitbox slightly downward.
6B - Poison Dart:
• Fixed a bug where startup was being erroneuously reduced.
421B - Dagger Heel:
• -20 Ending Lag.
• Reduced retreat distance during Ending Lag.
jB - Poison Arrow:
• Blockstun and Guard Crush increased, Sg -> VSG
Demo 03c
April 3, 2023
General Bug Fixes:
• AI now uses throw.
• Some characters couldn't C-Dash cancel when standing too close.
• Fixed a number of moves being unparryable for Bewear, Primeape, Blaziken, and Heracross.
• Fixed issue where some overheads were not doing damage on hit upon Crouch Blocking opponents.
• Tightented the screws around multihitting moves being blocked after Guard Crush.
• Fixed issue where sometimes an uncalled for Counter Parry animation would occur after hit.
• Fixed issue where sometimes jumping back while being hit would cause character to fall through the floor.
Balance changes:
ALL:
• Guard Heath slightly increased
• Block Crush normalized to no longer differ based on Stand and Crouch Blocks.
• Knockdowns now reset Guard Crush status.
• The amount of hitstop inflicted on opponents due to Parry has been doubled.
• Dashing Forward or Backward after a Parry now has a large amount of invincibility.
• Increased collision size during parry counter. This does not effect the size of damage-vulnerable hurtboxes after parry counter.
• Semi-normalized Parry Counter frame data. Fast counters (Primeape, Blaziken, Toxicroak) are 32 frames startup. Slow counters (Bewear, Heracross, Mienshao) are 39 frames startup.
• Lag after connecting a Parry Counter hit normalized to 40 frames for all.
• Total Parry Counter duration on whiff normalized to 90 frames.
Bewear:
• 2B Block Stun and Guard Crush reduced.
• 2B is no longer an overhead.
• Made 5B and 624B hitboxes less meaty.
• Made 5B and 624B throwable on whiff.
Blaziken:
• 5B Projectile Block Stun and Guard Crush reduced.
• Fixed a bug that was allowing Blaziken to reset Guard Health.
• Fixed a bug that prevented Blaziken from using 5B, even if there was no Fireball on screen.
• Fixed a bug that allowed Blaziken to use too many 5Bs, even if there WERE Fireballs on screen.
• Slightly increased start-up and recovery of 5B, 5BB, and 2B.
• Reduced landing recovery on j.5B
• Reduced Guard Crush for 2B and 24B.
Heracross:
• Fixed being able to throw with 4A.
• Lessened forward movement during parry counter.
• Able to act more quickly out of any air dash.
Mienshao:
• 5B Block Stun and Guard Crush reduced.
• Adjusted forward momentum during parry counter.
• j.5B can be angled more noticeably.
Primeape:
• Reverted 5B and 2A to v3 frame data, due to block stun and guard crush fixes.
• Fixed a bug where Forward Dashing after Parry would deplete a bar of meter.
• Fixed being able to C-Dash without meter after j.B
• Arcade Mode reinstated.
• Given slightly higher Forward and Back Jumps.
• Given slightly more Forward momentum control on 2B
• 28B is now a guaranteed hit after Throw, 623B, and 2B. It is also more reliable after other knockdowns.
Toxicroak:
• 5B Projectile Block Stun and Guard Crush reduced.
• The rate at which Poison saps health has been reduce.
• Poison can be removed by successfully Parrying any attack.
• Removed bug where Tox could stay in the air indefinitely with meter.
• Removed bug where Tox could Dash Cancel a 5BB with no meter.
Demo 03b
March 27, 2023
Made it possible to jump to avoid grabs. Made medium crouch guard frames consistent. Overhead attacks now do damage to crouch blocking opponents. Guard crush multihit attacks should no longer be blockable. Should be easier to combo short crouching opponents.
Grabs are now done with 6C and 4C (close only) 7 frames startup. 5 active frames. 28 recovery frames. Grab tech window larger.
Heracross
- Rolling after being bthrown by Hera no longer causes you to crossup.
Blaziken
- Fixed bug where projectile would sometimes have no limit or not come out at all.
- Fixed bug where some characters could not be hit by Blaze Kick in the air.
Primeape
- Easier to combo into Skull Pound from j.8A and Upper from 5A and 4A.
- 2A less block and hitstun.
- Missing hitboxes returned.
Toxicroak
- Pressing forward while performing Dirty Bubble will cause Toxicroak to spit out a more forward advancing bubble.
- Fixed bug where projectile would sometimes have no limit or not come out at all.
Bewear
- j.8A can no longer be cancelled.
- Extended time hitbox on j.5A is out.
- Made it harder for Running Hug to bug out in the air randomly.
Mienshao
- New magic colour.
- 6AA less blockstun.
Demo 03
March 20, 2023 | Mienshao Debuts
Fixed guard break where a second consecutive hit after breaking guard could be blocked.
Boosted HP 10% across the board
Fixed Guard break properties where the variable overlapped with another system.
Combos ending on wall don't push back attacker as much.
When Roman Cancelling an attack (cost 2 bars) and you dash forward, you gain back 1 bar.
Made Throwable hitboxes on pokes more uniform.
Music by on New York (JoJo) stage by SIMON FM: https://soundcloud.com/smiley-trashbag-196042845
Heracross
- 2A now moves Heracross forward slightly
- Slightly increased startup
- Increased speed of air dashes
- Fixed bug where 4A would only cancel into special when Heracross had meter.
- Jumping 2A causes increased hitstun.
Primeape
- Changed hitbox on Upper
- Rampage now costs 2 meter instead of 3.
Toxicroak
- Easier to hit opponent with uair.
- Super Bubble now costs 2 meter instead of 3.
- Poison Dart can now be Roman Cancelled
- Poison Dart damage reduced.
Bewear
- Changed damage partitioning on fthrow.
