Hey everyone! Patch 3.1 brings some increased stability and additional balance changes in a first wave of multiple updates we're planning as a followup to the 3.0 release. Version 3.0 came out underdone. Not all of the balance adjustments we had originally intended for that release made it in time, a few features that worked in 2.0 were temporarily disabled, and there are a number of known issues that aren't fixed yet. While 3.1 doesn't fix all the issues we need to address, it should at least be an improvement, and it's closer to the original vision we had for the 3.0 update as a whole. Why did version 3.0 come out underdone, what are we doing about it, and what's coming next? We're hosting a post-patch developer stream next week to answer these questions and discuss the changes we've made to the game in both 3.0 and 3.1. The 3.0 post-patch stream will be Wednesday the 20th at 3PM PT, on our Twitch channel. As a final note, in a previous Development Update we said that version 3.1 would mark the release of Chapter 2 of Story Mode. Timelines have been reconfigured since our acquisition by Modus Studios, so that is no longer the case. Chapter 2 is still in development. We will explain more during our upcoming stream. Now, onto the patch notes:

Player Usernames

• In preparation for consoles, we have changed the set of characters supported in player usernames and pixel lobby names to match those available in console platforms. To maintain parity between platforms, this set will remain universal between PC and consoles. You can consult the list of allowed glyphs here. Any glyph not in this table is unsupported, and will display as an interrogation mark (?).

Pixel Lobby

• Fixed a number of item rarity and cost errors from the Lunar New Year batch.
• Server notifications have been reworked so they are more generic and do not use player usernames (many of which were broken anyway since the 3.0 update).

Mac

• Fixed an issue causing single-player combat scenarios (Story Mode, Tutorials, Arcade Mode boss) to flat-out not work for players on Mac.

Gameplay

General

• Fixed a few visual issues with backgrounds during various level 3 super cinematics.

• Changes have been made to recovery rolls to make them feel "less sticky", by giving characters movement across all frames.
  • To expand: the vulnerability window has been reduced, rolls no longer stop and wait, and forward rolls have increased distance.
• Cross Canter now causes a hard knockdown, and both players recover at the same time.
• Reduced the base value of the Cross Canter metergain lockout to 5 seconds. Furthermore, we set an upper-limit of 10 seconds (the old base value) so that the timer can't stack too high if the player continues to do CCs.
• Metergain from multihits (on all characters) has been reduced a bit for the attacker.
• Reversal backdashes out of recovery rolls, knockdowns, and buried states no longer allow cancels into attacks. All other backdashes continue to function normally.

• Fixed recovery roll hitboxes not matching the animation (on all characters).

• Trample's startup has been increased by 2 frames so that it now matches a basic standing jab, and is no longer the singularly fastest move in the game.
• Rebound now launches the opponent slightly higher, allowing a bit more time to follow up after a Magic Dash.
• Magic Headbuck's startup and recovery have both been increased by 3 frames each to make the move a tiny bit less safe overall.
• Added a slight vacuuming effect and widened the hitbox on Arizona's level 3 super to make it easier to hit with.

• Fixed Arizona's Anti-Air Lasso being able to grab grounded opponents immediately after completing her level 3 super.
• Fixed an instance where opponents would get launched the wrong way after being hit by Rebound.
• Fixed Arizona's level 3 not connecting properly when hitting someone behind her.
• Fixed an issue with Arizona's level 3 where specific spacing could cause it to whiff, or the rope to be misaligned during the animation.

• Smoothed out the transition back from Velvet's level 3 super.
• Fixed Velvet's level 3 super background color not disappearing if Velvet is hit out of the move during startup.

• During Magic Ice Eruption, Velvet's invulnerability now ends as the first hitbox materializes, which allows trades. (Previously it lasted around when the second hitbox materialized.)
• Magic Ice Eruption is now -6 on block (increased from -2).
• Chain rules have been changed. Velvet can now chain in either direction between 2B and 5B.

• Velvet's Snowballs and Icicles now disappear when she executes a Throw Tech, to make it more consistent with how projectiles work on other characters.
• Velvet's Wind should now more consistently push in the direction she is intending to, regardless of the opponent's facing direction. (This fix is not intended to affect existing combos, so please keep an eye out if something seems off.)
• Fixed flickering vulnerability during the startup of Velvet's level 3. She should now be invulnerable until after the first active frame, then vulnerable the rest of the time afterward.
• Fixed an instance where Velvet could airgrab opponents that were in blockstun caused by an Air Icicle Missile.

• The input has been changed to 63214XX (half-circle-back + atk atk) to match the rest of the cast.
• The sneeze now pushes Paprika away slightly and recovery has been slightly reduced, to make it more difficult to exploit.

• Edible gifts now expire after 13 seconds (down from 27 seconds, which was a silly number that was way too long).
• Metergain from Kiss! Has been reduced by half.

• Fixed Paprika's Kiss! giving her meter during the metergain lockout from Cross Canter.
• Fixed instances of Paprika not being vulnerable to other characters' supers during her level 3 install state. (Paprika is supposed to be vulnerable to other supers so that there is counterplay.)
• Fixed Paprika's level 3 grab being techable under certain circumstances.
• Fixed some instances where Paprika could leave her level 3 install state early.
• Fixed Pom's dogs turning invisible when Paprika hit with her level 3 sneeze attack.

• Fixed Oleander's book not following her if she turned around while reading on the ground.
• The book now properly changes its animation from air-read to ground-read without interrupting the process of the move.

• Fixed Fred being able to attack past his timer from inputs made within the buffer window. He can no longer initiate attacks at all if his timer is 0.
• Fixed the projectile of level 1 Magic Shadow Spark turning invisible (but retaining hitboxes) if Oleander was struck during her recovery.
• Fixed Oleander being vulnerable even after connecting her level 3 super.

• Fixed Pom's level 3 super animation instantly snapping her facing direction when transitioning to the KO version.

• Pom's level 3 is now inescapable at melee range or if it's triggered by a normal. (Triggering the counter with an air attack or from far away still allows a chance to evade.)
• Pom's level 3 can now hit airborne opponents, but in this case it can be blocked. (Ground is still unblockable.)

• Dog attacks are now positive edge (instead of negative edge).
• Move Dog (5[D]) no longer has any startup.
• Dogs now stop attacking when Pom enters blockstun (except for Momma's counter).
• Dog summon startup times have been slightly reduced across the board.

• Pom's backdash now travels farther.
• Most of Pom's normals now move her forward slightly, then back (after the hit frame) to give her some breathing room to summon dogs.
• 2B now slides back a bit.
• 5C and Bark! now cause increased pushback on block.
• Pom's launcher now has very slightly reduced recovery and causes slightly increased blockstun.

• Fixed Bitey dog (236B) having a collision box active at all times.
• Fixed Fred being visible and controllable during the cinematic of Pom's level 3 super.

• Fixed Tianhuo being vulnerable even after connecting her level 3 super.
• Fixed not being able to Fly cancel out of Volcanic Dash after jumping over your opponent and using Volcanic Dash backwards before landing.
• Fixed an issue where super canceling from Volcanic Dash reversed the directional inputs for supers, even when not crossing up.

• Keelhaul and Gangway! (A and C out of Run Stance) are now safer on block.

• Fixed more issues causing camera breaks during Wallcling (this has been a particularly pervasive problem).

Known Issues

• Many tutorial segments need to be revised to account for balance changes, and there are missing moves still.
• The background shadow on Lobby Messages in the upper third of the screen may occasionally persist after the message itself goes away. An easy way to prevent this from occurring while a fix is added to the game is to not mash through the prompts when opening salt mines for the first time.