Slapshot: Rebound News

[h2]NEW[/h2]
- New locker room!
- Overhauled the matchmaking rating system. This is phase 1 to prepare for ranked.
-- This now uses a 'certainty' element to the rating, placing you in the appropriate rating more quickly.
-- The new rating is better in creating ratings based on teams
-- Note: all ratings have been reset to switch over to the new system!
- Matchmaking has been sped up to compensate for the better skill distribution curve
- Added the ability to change the match length in custom lobbies

[h2]Public API[/h2]
- Added more depth to the end reason field, including noting an overtime end
- Lobby creation through API can set the new match length setting as well

[h2]Cosmetics[/h2]
- Added mullet, duck beak

[h2]Fixes[/h2]
- Fixed the crashes that have been plaguing some players
- Fixed back numbers not rendering correctly for some cosmetics / scenarios
- Fixed an issue where leaving games still rewarded you with the experience you got after, now you get zero
- Fixed a backfill issue where joining mid-match could sometimes still count as a loss

GLHF

[h2]NEW[/h2]
- Added a Rebound Hoodie exclusive to premium users - free for all current and future premium users.
- Added cosmetic presets. Premium users can create up to 5 presets.
- Added 'recommended' server, auto selected on first boot, which picks the server(s) with the lowest latency.
- Created a Slapshot status page https://status.slapshot.gg/ (the ping checkers are used to find the recommended server for players)
- Added the ability to simulate latency in practice mode which can be toggled on and off based on your latest match latency. (Premium users have a slider)
- Created a public API for bot creators and leagues where you can query matchmaking information, game statistics and create lobbies. (API keys provided on request)

[h2]Matchmaking[/h2]
- The hard cap of 300 MMR difference in matchmaking has been turned into a soft cap
-- Past the cap, the search range will still increase just at a slower rate so people on extremes can still find matches
-- This is a temporary improvement while we work on the new system

[h2]Cosmetics[/h2]
- Removed the restrictions on the fox mask
- Added scythe, earphones, hockey mask variants, pink camo on hunt, camo stick, mushroom, fisher set, monk set, mug hat, pepperoni puck, cheddar puck, chef jersey, trash hat, nana jersey
- Made the fire eyes cosmetic more uniform
- Fixed LED and toothbrush highlights

[h2]Fixes[/h2]
- Added some more feedback to invalid codes for promotions
- Fixed an issue where your input would be locked if you were rebinding and found a match at the same time
- Fixed a matchmaking bug where you could technically be backfilled and matched in a new match at the same time

[h2]Other[/h2]
- Made the outdoor arena's dark mode darker
- Unlock popups will now be delayed until the end of the match if you are in an active match during them
- Added better error tracking to track down some crashes and issues
- Added support for 2560x1600 resolution
- Added support for FPS cap at 400, 500 and 600 FPS. (Thinking of turning this into a slider)

GLHF

In this patch, we addressed some much needed changes to gameplay and fixed some long standing bugs.

[h2]Gameplay changes[/h2]
- Controller nerf: Brought stick rotation speed to be the same as mouse input
-- This makes bumping and shot speeds equal for all input types, as well as making stick rotation on controller more consistent
- Buffed controller dizziness to compensate for the change above; also brought on par with mouse input
- Balanced the catch-up speedup mechanic where preserving momentum allows you to go over max speed; this now enters a 1 second cooldown when dashing in a different direction
-- You preserve your current momentum even over max speed when dashing, it only prevents further speedup for the cooldown time.
- Nerfed the catch-up mechanic by 40% to encourage better positioning and discourage dumping
- Fixed an issue with max speed consistency when slowing down
- Fixed an issue where holding the dash button after the dash has concluded allowed you to still dash chip the puck, now only triggers when the dash is in progress
-- There is a 1 second margin after the dash completes to perform your chip shot to allow for multiple playstyles (carrying or boosting into the puck or dekeing right before)

[h2]New promo / code redeem feature[/h2]
- The shop page now has a 'redeem code' button
-- We'll be running promotions giving away free stuff through this feature
-- Want to test it out? Use the code FIRST to get 1000 pux. The first 500 people to use it get it!



[h2]Cosmetics[/h2]
- Fixed cat ears topology causing weird shadows on it
- Added the OG hockey mask, grim reaper hoodie, cucumber, lime, orange, grapefruit and lemon puck, mono-eyes and tri-eyes, dog ears, baby hair

[h2]Other[/h2]
- Added a popup for pux earned (promo, level up, manual by devs,..) for when you're online
- Added a popup for cosmetic unlock including when you make a shop purchase
- Spectator camera now defaults to the caster cam
- Added a new console command spectate that you can use in practice mode to go into freecam for content creators
- Added a setting in custom game lobbies to change the current active period when periods are enabled

[h2]Fixes[/h2]
- Fixed pressing the reset button online causing a desync (for real this time)
- Fixed the hide spectator camera buttons setting
- Fixed an issue where people that left before the end game screen would show just 'username' on the scoreboard
- Fixed an issue where pop-ups mid-game would cause the game to unfocus completely and require opening the menu
- Fixed a memory leak that would cause crashes for some players
- Fixed an issue where some popups would display under other UI
- Fixed custom lobby period setting not toggling correctly the first time you load the UI in your session
- Fixed an issue with arena selection in custom lobbies glitching / resetting


- We're making really promising progress on bots!
- The gameplay changes made this patch will be monitored and tweaked if necessary
- I'll be working on a 'recommended' regions selection that's used by default to avoid people queueing into a really high ping region by just selecting all regions.
- Another feature I've wanted to implement for a long time is the option to simulate network latency in practice mode for muscle memory, I'll be starting this too
- We are investigating a way for you to add people as friends in-game so you don't need to have them added on your current platform and allow cross-platform parties
- A rework for matchmaking ratings is in the works for ranked

GLHF

This is mostly a quality of life update including some foundations for updates to come.

[h2]Lefties rejoice![/h2]
- Your handedness preference is now synced across devices (as well as your jersey number)
- Left handed players will now see their character hold the stick left handed in the main menu
- Left handedness is now synced in parties in the main menu display as well

[h2]Titles[/h2]
- Premium players now unlock the blue glowing 'Premium' title automatically. You can set it in Player -> Titles.
- Created a popup for when you unlock titles (only premium atm, more planned for other things).
- Added titles to the end-game scoreboard
- Titles now have more appropriate sizing and spacing on the scoreboards and in the title selection interface

[h2]Cosmetics[/h2]
- Created a system for the artists to hide ears on jersey cosmetics (to support hooded capes like 'hooded').
- Added three capes: clawed, hooded and royal cloak (one of which will be exclusive on our Patreon, voting happening now)
- Added alien hands and antennas, superstar cosmetic
- Added two variants for mittens, 9 for fishbowl

[h2]Fixes[/h2]
- Re-added proper sanitizing of usernames (bug where you could make your username a different color).
- Fixed an issue where if you're banned the ban message would disappear after the loading screen
- Fixed an issue with our chat filter that would fail to catch vAriATioNs iN CapITaliSaTioN

[h2]Other[/h2]
- Took down the holiday decorations in the locker room
- Created a bunch more internal tooling to help us resolve support issues, organize things and moderate the game


- There's more experimentation with taking down the bumping meta and some rotational speed unfairness between input devices (this is progress towards ranked)
- I'm working on a code redemption system in the shop which will help with giveaways and marketing to increase the player base (e.g. we can give influencers and organizations a code in the shop to get a jersey with their logo)
- We have a developer working on a first draft of bots for the game. Still early stages but it's looking promising.
- The artists are working on several simpler cosmetics that we'll be giving away for free later as rewards for logging in and other things

GLHF
Oddshot Games

Happy holidays @everyone!
Premium is 20% off during the Steam winter sale.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1485570/Slapshot_Rebound_Premium_Lifetime/

Thank you for a fantastic 2021 for Slapshot. 2022 will be even bigger!

[h2]Balancing[/h2]
- Increased the cost of dizziness for controller users by 25% to help combat helicoptering
-- We're open to further feedback on this. If you feel like your legit playstyles are getting you dizzy, please post clips.

[h2]New[/h2]
- Added a title system, can be found in Player -> Titles.
-- Currently we only have the exclusive titles for various things such as leagues and the upcoming ranked.
-- Patreon supporters on the legendary tier can have a custom title that they choose. DM me if you are eligible. (not conflicting with existing titles).
-- We'll be adding titles you can obtain through gameplay in the near future
- Added party chat. When you're in a party with someone you can now talk to them using the chatbox on the main menu and in practice mode.
- Your own name is now highlighted on the leaderboards with a golden line in front of it so you can find yourself easier
- Added a new filter to custom games to only show locked or open lobbies
- The locker room has been transformed from anniversary to holidays decorations!

[h2]Other[/h2]
- Changed the tutorial to reflect some stats on where people got stuck or were too advanced for an intro to the game

[h2]Cosmetics[/h2]
- Added cucumber eyes, toothbrush stick

[h2]Fixes[/h2]
- Fixed the highlighting on the indoor stick
- The match found buzzer is now correctly controlled by the UI volume slider
- Fixed a server side issue that caused it to panic and die.

GLHF