Howdy all! Update 1.4.0 is live with a gigantic amount of quality of life updates for Training Mode... stuff we've wanted to do for quite a while! There's a lot to digest here, so we're doing a post-patch stream tomorrow, Friday the 2nd) at our usual time (3pm PDT) at the usual place (twitch.tv/manesix). Now, onto the notes...

Fullscreen Mode Bugfix

ATTENTION: Everyone's "Screen Mode" display setting has been reset to default (Windowed mode) for this update. We've been receiving reports that switching to fullscreen hard locks the game for some players, forcing a system reboot. This update includes a potential fix for that bug, hence the option reset. Prior to this, we've been instructing players to enable "exclusive" fullscreen via a launch option as a workaround. If you were one of these players, we ask you to please try the "regular" fullscreen option again and tell us if it's working or not. It's hard for us to 100% confirm the fix without help from more players and a wide variety of hardware.

Training Mode

Menu Restructure

• The Training Mode options menu has been rebuilt from the ground up. Instead of one giant list, it now categorizes Training Options into four pages: General Options, Display Options, Dummy Options, and Savestate Options.
• Combo Training now has its own section straight from the pause menu (it's no longer inside Training Options). There are three pages: Combo Trials, Combo Options, and Combo Recording.

New Features

• Horizontal Combo Display. This type of display allows most (if not all) the steps of a combo to show onscreen at once.
  • The horizontal list does not show move names or success counts. Players have the option to switch back to the vertical list to see this info.
• Combo Trial Infight Hotkeys. Players can now watch combo demos and advance to the next combo without having to go into the pause menu.
  • The "Next Combo" function only works in character trials, not custom combos.
• Quick Reposition. The Utility 1 button is now called "Training Utility". Use it to instantly snap characters to different parts of the stage. No more pushing and shoving!
  • A reference sheet for these new commands has been added to the Training Mode pause menu (displays when a combo file isn't loaded).
• Center Line Guide. This new display overlay helps players distinguish crossups.
• Infinite Frostbite (Velvet Lvl 2). Lab those slo mo combos. Because magnificence is eternal.

Reworked Options

• There is now a "Restore All Defaults" command for Training Mode options.
• Many Training Mode options have been renamed for better clarity.
• All relevant Training Mode options now have hintstripe descriptions.
• Players can now set AI intensity presets from the "AI Options" submenu.
• Direction arrows in Training Mode now always adapt to facing. The "Input Arrow Direction" option has been removed. (EDIT: Restored this option as of 1.4.2)
• Air/Ground tech options now include "Never" in their RNG when the toggle is set to "Random".
• "Auto-Restart on Failure" now offers toggles for success. To reflect this, it has been renamed to "Auto-Restart Type".
• All "Infinite Lvl 2" options can be set to affect P1, P2, or both. Previously they would only affect P1.
• The "Starting Combo Step" feature has been merged with "View Combo Steps" to form a new submenu simply titled "Combo Steps".
• The "Combo Steps" menu now shows both move names and inputs.
• The maximum setting for "Simulate Input Delay" is now 8 frames (instead of 60), as that is the maximum allowed in actual play.
• The "Auto-Restart Delay" option is now measured in seconds instead of frames.
• The Combo Recording menu hintstripe now shows where combo files are saved. We also now automatically create a combo folder on game install containing a readme with instructions on how to use the custom combo system.

Bugfixes

• Reduced the intensity of the savestate flash.
• Fixed a bug where Hitstun recordings were being played instead of Wakeup recordings when the training dummy was waking up from a soft knockdown.
• Fixed a bug where any blockstun/wakeup/etc recordings done as Pom would be delayed.
• Fixed Training Mode options not saving unless the player returned to the game. They now save immediately when toggled.
• Fixed dummies not blocking meaties after teching a soft knockdown despite dummy blocking being enabled.
• Fixed "Block Recovery" playback skipping over options when set to "Sequential".
• Fixed an issue where recording a wakeup option and holding back immediately as it recorded caused the dummy to play it as a backdash.
• Fixed an issue where recording wakeup or hitstun allowed movement at the start instead of counting down.
• Players can no longer pause the game during wakeup recovery recordings. They must wait for the (short) recording period to finish. This is to prevent an issue where the game would "reject" re-records if attempted while a recording was already in progress.
• Repaired the "Oleander Master 03" combo trial.
• Combo file names now hide the .tfhc file extension when viewing them ingame.

Online Play

• Rebuilt the ping measurement system to ensure greater accuracy.
• Fixed a bug with matchmaking that would cause the Ping Tolerance option to not work correctly.
• We've temporarily removed the Ping Tolerance option from matchmaking options on the Training Mode pause menu. That option is now just a toggle to enable the queue, like how it works in the Pixel Lobby. (You can still access Ping Tolerance from Gameplay options on the main menu).
• Fixed a bug that prevented the character select timer from timing out in online play (an issue introduced with the addition of the confirm prompt in a previous patch).
• Fixed a rare issue where the character select timer would get stuck on 1 and softlock the game during online play.
• Fixed some occurrences where players would see their Steam portrait on both player's spots in the online match loading screen.

Pixel Lobby

• The chatbox has a new font for better legibility.
• Glyph support (Kanji and Cyrillic) has been expanded.
• The Wardrobe menu now has a page "scrollbar" element (both in Pixel Lobby and Story).
• More detailed messages now show up when a player is dropped out of spectating unexpectedly.
• Fixed various minor layering and collision issues across Pixel Lobby maps.
• Salt Mines: Fixed various doors that had transition triggers too far inside the wall.
• Salt Mines: Fixed more occurrences of Predators spawning inside walls.
• Fixed another bug that caused the Wardrobe mirror to linger onscreen after the Wardrobe was closed.
• Fixed some cosmetics not layering properly on Tianhuo.
• Fixed an issue where Minizona did not remove Velvet's antlers (like Mini Velvet) as it should.
• Fixed an issue that caused chatbox typing to appear backwards. (Your guess is as good as ours).
• Server Browser Menu: Removed the "Stop Refresh" command. It never worked in the first place.

UI

• Fixed a bug where the newsfeed widget would dim if manually scrolled during the middle of an automatic scroll.
• Fixed a bug that caused some AI names to appear as .

Tutorial

• Directional inputs on the command display now adapt to facing. The explanation of input notation at the start of the tutorial has been updated to reflect this.

Story Mode

• The following cutscenes in Chapter 1 are now skippable:
  • Canyon: First map opening.
  • Canyon: Madison sleepover.
  • Caves: Orb introduction.
  • Highlands: Exhaustion collapse, BEFORE waking up at the Alpaca camp.
  • Highlands: AFTER waking up at the Alpaca camp.
  • Temple: Entrance.
  • Temple: Rocks falling. (Everybody dies).

Gameplay

General

• All characters now have idle flourish animations (an idle flourish is a secondary animation that plays during idle stance).
• All characters have new pushblock animations.
• Fixed a bug that made it possible to cause more than one tumble state in a single combo off an OTG if that the opponent HAD NOT teched or woken up after a soft knockdown that round.
• Fixed a bug where super cancelling a second groundbounce caused a "fake" groundbounce to occur.
• Fixed a bug on Button Config that prevented Player 2 from changing macro button binds.
• The "Background Characters" option now has an only non-backer characters toggle.
• Dynamic Music System: Made it so if a character's domination theme is playing and they lose, the music resets to neutral.

Arizona

• Arizona has a new palette: "Effervescent Kicks" by Bubbleboots, Champion of Grand Stampede 2020!
• Counter now has that cool green magic afterimage effect. Yeah.

Velvet

• Fixed a bug where Velvet's Wind would force a hard knockdown if the opponent's JD was full.
• Velvet has new lighting effects for her attack animations.
• Velvet has a new effect for her Snowball attacks (on hit and block).
• Magic Ice Eruption has a new effect animation and character animation.
• Velvet's eat animation now has a poof effect when the ice sprite appears/disappears.
• Velvet's command list now correctly says Magic Ice Eruption hits low.
• Fixed a color zone error on Velvet's eye during her roped animation.

Paprika

• Adjusted a misaligned hurtbox during Paprika's 5B.
• Fixed a bug that made it possible for Paprika to tech throws during the startup of Smother.
• Fixed a bug where various slowdown effects (such as Arizona's Magic Dash) would cause Paprika to miss her boops on gifts.

Oleander

• Oleander has new lighting effects for her attack animations and projectiles.
• Fixed several bugs where various levels of Shadow Spark and Magic Spark had incorrect attackboxes and armor damage, leading to weird interactions with opposing projectiles.

Pom

• Fixed a bug that made it possible to summon multiple Big Papas at the same time (in normal play).
• Fixed an issue where Pom did not trigger the onscreen reversal indicator (in general).

Tianhuo

• Volcanic Bash (ground and air) have new effect animations.
• Volcanic Bash (air) is now projectile invulnerable (like the ground version).