Our newest seasonal event, the [b]Winter Festival[/b], is live now and packed with holiday goodies in patch 1.0.3. We’ve got a new event track, event bundle, plus other bonus free and unlockable cosmetics this month. This is also our first patch that includes gameplay changes as well as some of our standard quality of life updates - but more on that below. First check out the event trailer: [previewyoutube=njAjXGehkW8;full][/previewyoutube] Here’s all of the event related items this month. Using any skins from the event will give you a 20% bonus to your XP track, plus Winter Stoat Maypul and Husky Fleet (a new skin you can pick up for coins on the featured shop) also apply. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/43889344/a891ad049124e9ad3c365573b08422d6a7e910bc.png[/img] [h2]New Skins for Every Character![/h2] [h3]Animal Skins[/h3] On top of the skins related to our monthly event above, each Rival is getting a new common skin you can pick up for either coins or Aether bucks in the shop. These are all themed around different animals, and are super useful for when you want your animals to look like other animals. These common skins include Cheetah Zetterburn, Tree Frog Ranno, Puffin Wrastor, Bee Kragg, Marten Maypul, Husky Fleet, Tiger Clairen, Cow Loxodont, Blue Tang Orcane, and Dalmation Forsburn. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/43889344/aa27bf78d34deaa729bbd7dd7522ce4593ed6be6.jpg[/img] [h3]Abyss Skins[/h3] You might have already seen our Abyss skins in Arcade Mode or on some event streams over the past month. We’re excited to share that these skins are now available for FREE as unlocks for reaching level 100 on each character. Once you reach this level, you’ll now receive the skin so you can show off your mastery and warn your opponent that you’re truly an eldritch horror to behold. Don't worry, if you're already above level 100 the system will grant you the skin automatically in the next 24 hours. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/43889344/eb0bb6501dd9699a2229c9a680788a3d8007a977.jpg[/img] [h2]Patchnotes and Patch Philosophy[/h2] [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/43889344/aaa673fa86db8c34f481efd2396c6c9a04fa3632.png[/img] This patch also includes our first round of gameplay changes, with updates for every Rival in the cast. Since our goal is for Rivals II to be a long term competitive game (just like Rivals 1) we know that achieving perfect balance is a constant pursuit. There’s a careful stability to be struck between letting the community adjust and adapt to a meta vs. knowing when to patch. Our plan is to update the game twice a month with new store content and we’re not afraid to include a small number of gameplay changes in those updates as issues arise. But you can typically expect at least a couple months between big balance updates like this one. Now for this first update, the game and the meta are still very fresh. While we are tracking overall roster balance, that is not our priority right now. We are more concerned about mechanics and gameplay that are both frustrating to play against and reward players for avoiding interaction. For this reason, we looked across the cast to identify particular pain points when playing against these characters and made changes to incentivize more variety and introduce counterplay into some of the less interactive options. In later patches, we will be looking closer at how the roster is stacking up against each other, but for now we want to let the meta develop after adjusting some of the more frustrating tools. As always, please leave feedback for this patch on [url=https://rivals-of-aether-ii-patch-103-feedback.nolt.io/]our nolt board[/url]. Even if we don’t answer every post, we do read them! [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/43889344/6fd9f9202f25816abe013a2383ac93093237b78f.png[/img] We want to address a lot of the annoyances that have been expressed throughout the past month. Some high priority targets are: [list] [*] Shield being too strong [list] [*] [i]When looking at the numbers for optimal shield pressure (i.e. low aerials, spaced tilts, etc) the attacker has a clear advantage. In practice, however, getting perfectly spaced shield pressure isn't always feasible, so shields end up being strong in neutral. If we adjust the frame advantage of shield pressure, then attacking will be too strong at the top level, so instead we want to focus on increasing the risk of shielding in neutral so that baiting people into shield is more rewarding. We're also nerfing the shield hp regeneration time again, but adding a mechanic that rewards offensive play by restoring your shield when you land a hit.[/i] [/list] [*] Parry being too weak against projectiles [list] [*] [i]Parry is a bit slower than it was in Rivals of Aether, which reduces its effectiveness against quick projectiles in neutral. We want to make sure projectiles have enough counterplay, since they can be frustrating to play against otherwise, so we're making parry faster specifically when used against projectiles.[/i] [/list] [*] Recoveries being too strong, making successful edgeguards too rare [list] [*] [i]Because of the inherent strengths of walljump-cancellable recovery moves, it can often feel impossible to prevent characters from making it back to the stage without sending them directly into the blastzone. We want to increase the chances for counterplay against most recoveries, with changes to universal mechanics as well as character-specific recovery nerfs.[/i] [/list] [*] Character balance [list] [*] [i]It's too early to make balance changes based on any tier lists, so instead we're targeting specific annoying, overcentralizing, or overly safe strategies. It turns out there were quite a few of those, which is to be expected in the very first live version of the game, so character balance will be shifting quite a bit. These sweeping changes will be less common as the meta settles, but we want to make sure the obvious problems with the characters are addressed quickly.[/i] [/list] [/list] [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/43889344/b54bb4d4c35eca665b76287d2ccfba73c883d9a1.jpg[/img] [list] [*] Replay Menu Rework [list] [*] [i]This was the first menu on our rework list (as previously mentioned in our year 1 roadmap). This screen now beautifully shows match info, plus includes features like favoriting and deleting. Other menus will also continue to receive updates as we work on improvements. [/i] [/list] [/list] [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/43889344/fa3008b55d1bb70aca4d02c7730481c7905e05e3.png[/img] [list] [*] Bundle Improvements [list] [*] [i]You can now purchase bundles if they include an item that you already own. This was one of those things that seem simple, but is actually fairly complicated on the backend. We’ve finally got this change in though and now bundles will refund Aetherbucks to your account after purchased based on items you already own. [/i] [/list] [*] Tourneymode DSR [list] [*] [i]In ranked you can now no longer go back to a stage you’ve won on in that set when it’s your turn to pick stage (they are automatically banned by the system). [/i] [/list] [*] Winter Main Menu [list] [*] [i]Swapped the main menu background to Hyperborean Harbor for the winter vibes.[/i] [/list] [*] Lobby codes are now displayed on screen, with a show/unshow button. Copy to clipboard has been reimplemented slightly differently. [*] Performing a parry will now parry projectiles starting on frame 3 as long as your shield was not hit by anything. [list] [*] [i]This allows parry to be used reactively against projectiles, while still preventing players from parrying multihit projectiles after shielding early hits.[/i] [/list] [*] Parrying a cancelable jab will now let you cancel the parry recovery instantly. [list] [*] [i]This allows you to punish the opponent if you act quickly, instead of just resetting to neutral, since jabs do not put foes into parry stun.[/i] [/list] [*] Parrying an article after already successfully parrying something else will now give you half of the normal hitpause. [list] [i][*] This is a pretty rare situation, but one example is parrying Loxodont's empowered strong attacks, which would lock you into the parry state for long enough to make Loxodont fairly safe from being punished.[/i] [/list] [*] Tilt cancels will now use the same joystick mapping as normal tilts. [list] [i][*] Previously, you would get an Up Tilt/Down Tilt if your joystick was above/below the deadzone threshold, even if it was tilted mostly horizontally. Now it will perform an Forward Ttilt in those scenarios instead for consistency.[/i] [/list] [*] Colliding with another player will now apply a constant force to push them apart instead of applying a gradually increasing force. [list] [*] [i]This makes the pushback happen faster, decreasing situations where players are overlapping for a long period of time.[/i] [/list] [*] Minimum number of shield frames before you can release shield: 0 > 7. [list] [*] [i]The lockout is removed if someone hits your shield.[/i] [/list] [*] Shield Release duration: 10 > 15. [list] [*] [i]These two changes add more commitment to using shield in neutral, since you will have to either jump or wavedash to exit shield quickly.[/i] [/list] [*] You can now parry during the Shield Release state using the Parry button. [list] [*] [i]This does not activate the frame 3 projectile parry, otherwise you could release shield after someone hits your shield to circumvent the mechanic's restrictions.[/i] [/list] [*] Shield recharge time: 20 seconds > 25 seconds. [*] Hitting the opponent or their shield will now restore shield health equal to half the damage dealt. [list] [*] [i]These two changes make holding shield more risky, requiring players to use it less, or to mix in some offense to restore shield health.[/i] [/list] [*] Shield pushback formula adjusted to have more pushback from high damage attacks. [list] [*] [i]Low damage attacks are mostly unchanged.[/i] [/list] [*] Spot dodge intangibility window length: 14 > 17. [list] [*] [i]We're pushing back the first actionable frame to make spot dodging easier to punish in most situations. We opted for extending the active window instead of the recovery frames to slightly increase its utility while lowering its punish potential.[/i] [/list] [*] Successful techs will now reset the tech lockout timer. [list] [*] [i]This allows you to tech multiple attacks in a row.[/i] [/list] [*] Airdodging to ledge will now remove all ledge intangibility. [list] [*] [i]This option made recoveries a little too simple when near the ledge, so now it carries a bit more risk with it.[/i] [/list] [*] Hitting an opponent will now only restore 1 of your intangible ledge grabs instead of restoring all 3. [list] [*] [i]This makes intangible ledge grabs a more limited resource when using them to invincibly attack someone offstage.[/i] [/list] [*] Starting an attack will no longer reset the ledge grab lockout timer. [list] [*] [i]When releasing ledge, you cannot grab ledge again for 30 frames. This lockout also applies after a walltech, which is why attacking would reset the timer. Now attacking will only reset the timer if it is input after a walltech.[/i] [/list] [*] Getting flinched by a new attack while already in the flinch state will now reduce the flinch duration by 30%. [list] [*] [i]This removes some guaranteed flinch loops (Ranno Forward Air, Fleet Down Air, Orcane Down Air).[/i] [/list] [*] Ledges will now be displayed in training mode when stage collision drawing is enabled. [list] [*] [i]The ledges will be colored green when unoccupied and red when occupied.[/i] [/list] [*] [b]Bug fix:[/b] Tilt boost joystick inputs must be performed after starting the jab. [list] [*] [i]Previously, you could buffer the joystick input before doing the jab, making tilt boosts more lenient than intended.[/i] [/list] [*] [b]Bug fix:[/b] You can now parry/counter when you have respawn invulnerability. [*] [b]Bug fix:[/b] Shield DI could sometimes still cause the player to fall off the edge of a platform due to rounding errors. [*] [b]Bug fix:[/b] Leaving the ground on the 2nd frame of PlatDrop will now clamp your aerial speed as intended. [list] [*] [i]This removes a frame perfect bug that allowed players to retain full grounded momentum while platdropping.[/i] [/list] [*] [b]Bug fix:[/b] Hitting the ground on the first frame after being spiked will no longer always cause a ground bounce. [*] [b]Bug fix:[/b] The game will no longer crash if a character is thrown into a spot that's too narrow for them to fit. [*] [b]Bug fix:[/b] Increased the length of Zetterburn, Maypul, Clairen, and Loxodont's intro animations by 1 frame to match the rest of the characters. [*] [b]Bugfix:[/b] Fixed a local tourney mode bug that could occur when returning to the CSS mid set. [*] [b]Bugfix:[/b] The overtime clock now updates properly. [*] [b]Bugfix:[/b] Fixed a UX bug that could occur when backing out of the CSS that caused it to take you to the wrong menu. [/list] [h2]Character Patch Notes:[/h2] To read the full patch notes, please [url=https://aetherstudios.com/news/patch-1-0-3-notes/]visit our website for the full notes article[/url]. The character section was simply too long to be included on Steam. We hope you enjoy this latest update along with the Winter Festival event. Keep an eye out for our mid-month update later this month!