A new update is out for the holidays! We've included a new map, a new character, and lots of quality-of-life improvements to the overall game experience. Check out the update trailer below, and then please show your friends and try the game out! You can also check out the previous devlog if you want a text description of the major new content.

I'd like to highlight one big change outside of the patch notes, and that's the updated lobby hosting system. Previously, hosting a lobby required port forwarding, a very technical process that requires access to your internet router's settings and knowledge of how to modify them. This was a big limiting factor to people checking out the game, and I'm glad to say that this should no longer be required. I consider this the biggest change from a quality-of-life perspective, and should be a big help for the game's potential reach.

Anyway! Trailer! Patch notes below the trailer!

Update Notes

• New map: Snowflake Station
  • A winter map that takes place on a mountainside bus stop, sandwiched between two cable lifts. Features lots of close-quarters action.
  • The snow weather effect can be disabled in Video options to improve game performance if needed.
• New character: Scratchy the Kangaroo (it/she)
  • A technical character with committal moves. Good at moving the ball fast or from a distance, but its close range attack has an unpredictable launch direction and its long range attack has a charge time, leaving it ill-equipped for direct frontrunning.
  • Its primary ability, Spinning Bat, has two control styles that can be chosen on the character select screen, or in Input settings’ Characters tab.
• Port forwarding is no longer required to host a lobby. Lobbies will now have a room code generated that will be used to connect to both private and public lobbies.
  • As part of these changes, the lobby password system has been removed. Room codes now serve the same purpose.
  • As an advanced feature, direct port forwarding can be accessed through the Advanced settings tab when setting up a lobby. This works as it did in the previous release, aside from the password system being removed.
  • Please note that this feature is in beta. Please report any issues you have (e.g. if players can’t join your lobby) with as much descriptive detail as possible, such as your network type (home, school, work, etc).
• Game controls for player abilities and camera control are now displayed in-game. This can be turned off or reduced in Game options.
• Character changes:
  • Jolene: Hammer Swing now comes out faster, and lunges forward on the ground. Additionally, the meat tenderizer’s hitbox has been extended.
  • Poppy: Their base running speed has been increased, and loses less speed when inflated. Additionally, the vacuum inflates/deflates slightly faster at the slower end of each range.
• Other changes:
  • The options menu has been reorganized, with some visual settings unrelated to performance moved out of Video and into Game settings.
  • Team colors can now be customized in Game settings. Changes only affect the local client, not other players in the lobby.
  • Control icons throughout the game are now dynamically updated to represent the actual input used, instead of a generic placeholder based on the default (commonly gamepad) binding.
  • Implemented the ready system in lobbies.
  • Menus have been slightly tweaked to improve keyboard and controller navigation support.
• Bug fixes:
  • Fixed one of the team flags in Sunset Cove not appearing.
  • Fixed an issue that would occasionally cause menus to lose a focused menu item and not respond until clicking on a new item.