Tape to Tape News

Patch 0.1.16 introduces a complete UI overhaul along with a variety of additions, gameplay improvements, and system enhancements. We will also go over the progression of the roadmap going into 2025 right away!

[h2]Roadmap[/h2]
As pleased as we are with the current progression on the roadmap, we’re incredibly excited about what’s on the horizon! We’re aiming to release an alpha version of the Roguelite Campaign 2.0 to our Beta Testers in early 2025. While this will still be a significant work-in-progress, we’ll make sure to incorporate all your feedback as we refine it further. We know we’ve been teasing it for a while, but soon we’ll finally be able to share it with our beloved testers!

If you haven’t already, be sure to join our Discord to get involved and test out all the exciting upcoming features!


[h2]UI Rework[/h2]
As we continue developing the 2.0 version of the campaign, the UI overhaul was a much-needed update. Being able to see your power-ups on each players during a game was a highly requested feature. It was designed with your feedback in mind, and we still need your input! Let us know what you think about it!

[h3]The following are toggle-able options in the Settings Menu:[/h3]
You may now see the team's artefacts and the power-ups of the player currently in control of the puck!

Originally posted by author

Skaters can now display their active power-ups above their heads!

Originally posted by author

Team Customization now features the newly revamped UI
You can now rotate your skater during Skater Customization to get a full 360° view of your creation

Originally posted by author

New UI Animations for Tournament Menu

• Improvements to pass direction calculation and pass reception
  
• Enhanced goalie rebound mechanics
  
• Goalies will butterfly more frequently during breakaways
  
• Adjusted checking formula: vulnerability and size differences no longer always guarantee a successful hit
  
• AI now occasionally misses their body checks
  
• Removed the "Swap to Goalie" function. Players can only control the goalie when position-locked or if the goalie has possession of the puck

Originally posted by author

• Fixed an issue where you'd lose control of a position-locked goalie at the end of a period
  
• Setting a locked position away from the skater with the puck no longer incorrectly shows your player color above them
  
• Fixed an issue with goal replays
  
• Tentative fix for one-timer sound sometimes playing too soon
  
• Fixed an issue with animation mixing during faceoffs

New Camera Settings: Alternating, Always Up, Always Down
Underlying changes to how sprites are split up, which will pave the way for even more customization options in the future! Stay tuned for exciting new features down the line.

Originally posted by author

[h2]Final Notes[/h2]
And that wraps up our final Patch Notes of 2024! There’s so much ahead in 2025, and we’re buzzing with excitement about what’s to come. A huge thank you to everyone for your continued love and support. We absolutely love reading your reviews and feedback and interacting with our amazing community.

From all of us here at Excellent Rectangle, we want to wish you and your families a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a Happy New Year!

The Tape to Tape Team

Fixed an issue where new players would be soft-locked after a game

[h2]General[/h2]
Goalies now generate more natural rebounds
Feedback will be monitored to ensure a balance, as some goals were scored due to excess rebounds Improved goalie shot tracking
Goalies now repositioning mid-shot for more accurate tracking Throw Stick Power-up:
Enhanced accuracy with a small aim assist added for directional inputs General performance optimizations

Tournament Mode Match-ups in the first round are now editable
Now able to assign your favourite teams

Manual Goalies Players can now lock into the goalie position from the controller selection window
If manually controlling the goalie, auto-swap to a skater will occur upon possession unless goalie lock is active

[h2]Bug Fixes[/h2]
Resolved a bug that would randomly switch players to goalie control
Fixed a few instances of game soft-locks
Fixes done to some animations

Steam Integration: Added Steam Timeline support: https://store.steampowered.com/gamerecording
Fixed several bugs related to Steam initialization that could cause controller detection issues

Fixed Navigation Issue: Resolved a problem where assigning input devices after selecting "Play Now" could lead to unintended screens (like the Tournament screen)

Breakaway Fix: Implemented a tentative fix for breakaways where the AI wasn't shooting

Metallic Fury Icon: Corrected the wrong icon for "Metallic Fury"

Custom Jerseys Optimization: Addressed GPU errors by optimizing the handling of custom jersey names/numbers

Controller Assignment: Fixed issues related to controller assignments when changing the skater lineup
Fixed an issue where a player could lose control of their character after a faceoff

Custom Teams: Fixed bug where built-in players were not usable in custom teams. Built-in players no longer appear in the "Create a Player" screen but remain usable in custom teams

Tutorial and Controller Fixes: Resolved issues with disconnected controllers during the tutorial
Fixed an issue that could position lock players during the tutorial, preventing progression in the player swap section.
Addressed a bug where players 2 and 3 could control other skaters in the tutorial

Tournament: Teams are no longer locked in tournament, preventing issues with controller assignment.
Fixed an issue where simulating the tournament would break if you had multiple instances of the same skater on a tournament team
Alternating Home and Away teams in tournament, if best of 7 follow the 2-2-1-1-1 format


Known Issue:
We are aware of an issue where multiple controllers are no longer being recognized. We're actively working on a fix and apologize for the inconvenience.

Patch Notes 0.1.15

From exciting new power-ups and relics to the addition of a new Elite Team, the highly requested Tournament Mode, and a host of gameplay changes - Welcome to Patch Notes 0.1.15! This update is packed with fresh content and improvements. Let's dive right in!

Please note that all the features below are not final. Your feedback is always appreciated to help us continue improving every aspect of the game!

The Shooting Stars are taking over Act 3!

Introducing the newest alternate Elite team addition: the Shooting Stars! Masters of skating, crafty at eluding physical contact, and—of course—beautiful, magnificent, and good-smelling! Salchow Bob and his friend will surely bring their A-game as they guard your path to the Golfers. Don’t hold onto that puck for too long, because Timmy Spinelli is never far behind, ready to send you… spinning! Be wary of all that glitters…

The Tournament Mode is FINALLY here!

Jump into Tournament Mode and create your own brackets using either pre-made teams or your custom ones. You can play, simulate, or spectate the matches! Plus, check out the leaderboards to see who emerges as the ultimate top scorer of the tournament!

New Power-Ups & Relics Patch 0.1.15 brings a ton of new Power-ups and Relics to the game! Here's a breakdown of the latest additions: (all variable numbers are subject to change based on feedback)

The Original Glove - Checking bonuses are doubled

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The Original Skates - Speed bonuses are doubled

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The Original Puck - Shot Power bonuses are doubled

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The Original Stick - Shot Accuracy bonuses are doubled

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Wind Up - Unleash a shockwave that pushes opponents away when winding up for a slapshot

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Chexplosion - Bodychecking a player will knock other players in the vicinity

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Hidden Ace - Your goals are worth an extra goal

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Metallic Fury - Get enraged for 20 seconds when your shots hit a post

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Self-Defence - Gain +50 checking while in your own zone

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Slap Chot 3000 - +30 shot power on one-timers, -30 shot power otherwise
Slap Chot 4000 - +30 shot power on slapshots, -30 shot power otherwise

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The Squeezer - Shrink the opposing team (for 1 game)

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Glass Cannon - Gain +50 shot power. You have 33% chance of breaking your stick on each shot

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Pressure Cooker - Gain +40 OVR, lasting until the player scores a goal. Resets after each game

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Slapshart - Get propelled forward after shooting

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Buzzer Beater - Goals you score in the last minute of the game are worth 2

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Wet Noodle - For each game, the first 5 shots of your opponents are 50% weaker

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Yeet - Shove players into the air

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Breakaway Boost - Gain +50 OVR while on a breakaway

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Spiked Armor - When hit, knock the opponent instead

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Blue Line Boost - Get a speed burst when crossing the blue lines

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Cripple - Opponents lose 1 OVR when knocked out

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The Howitzer - Slapshots knock all the players in the puck's path

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Glass Stick - Opponents' sticks will shatter when they execute a slapshot

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Heavy Helmet - -30 Speed +100 checking

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Propeller Helmet - Gain +40 speed -40 accuracy

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Lost Fungus - Picking up a loose puck propels your skaters forward

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Mjolnir - Throw your stick and it automatically returns to your hand (Upgraded Tomahawk)

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Pitiless - Gain +5 OVR when winning by mercy

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Puck Rocket - +15 speed when you possess the puck

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Pass Puncher - When knocked out, pass the puck to the closest teammate

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Jump - Jump in the air, hold to go higher. Execute a jump shot when activated in the offensive zone

Originally posted by author

New Events
After a lot of feedback regarding events, we’ve decided to introduce some exciting new ones! Here are a few sneak peeks, with more surprises waiting for you to experience in-game!

New Elite Team: Shooting Stars added as Act 3 Elites

Golfers Update

Originally posted by author

A puck on a golf turf wasn’t making much sense, so we’ve swapped it out for a golf ball instead! Golfers’ ice will now change throughout the periods Golfers' curved shot weakened

Bodychecking Update

Originally posted by author

Visual improvements & scaling impacts Internal formula rescaled Hard bodychecks send players flying both vertically and horizontally Glass now breaks on bodychecks

AI Changes

Originally posted by author

AI Interception threshold reduced on Expert Mode Goalie AI in breakaways improved Improvements on goalies on lob shots Goalie are a bit weaker when in butterfly Expert AI will finish their bodychecks AI won't leave the offensive zone when the puck carrier is in the neutral zone AI will wait a bit less before entering the offensive zone AI improvement on puck reception in offense Fixed an issue where the AI would never shoot on a breakaway AI tweaks on both offense and defense

Power-ups & Relics

Originally posted by author

Headshot Redirect is now more consistent and accurate Stick Throw is more accurate with the direction you are aiming and is faster. Collision and impact also improved.
Grappling Hook's speed increase
Dash improved
Point Sniper also increases shot power
Sonic Slap Increased radius
Improved propel power-ups more control over the steering when triggered
Rubber Idol now gives double attributes for both options at camp sites
Referee Rumble now gives a stackable +3 overall for each successful Referee knockout
Charge shot is more accurate and gains a rebound bouncer if charged for 3+ seconds

Headshot Redirect

Small balancing changes for Play Now teams Added cones for the first Spartans match, turning it into a 5v3 Shot accuracy slightly changed Added more weight to the puck Skating; New system with smoother and faster left-right turningVisual Changes

Originally posted by author

Puck tipping & redirect effects added
Enraged power-up now has a fiery aura
Wildshot now shows the randomized shot stats
Bodycheck impact particles
Shooting stars: Rainbow glitter when spinning, ice "splash" and trail when jumping and landing & Tornado snow powder trail
New celebration and disappointed animation
Several animations corrected
Slightly changed the angle of the salute celebration
Shooter now celebrates after scoring a goal and winning a shootout

Arena changes

Originally posted by author

Ice shader rework: more realistic look and better performance
Ice will be progressively damaged/scratched as time passes
Arena name and logos are more visually integrated with the ice
Arena names added for the 32 new teams, plus board colors for each
Support for arena boards trim color to match team color

Create a player now has the new UI (WIP) integrated (Create a team will follow shortly)

Originally posted by author

Foundation work and changes done to prepare for the new UI System

Originally posted by author

We are currently working on a completely new UI for the entire game, which we expect to be available very soon! Stay tuned!

Added blur to the end screen of shootout
Credits removed from End of Run and added to Settings Menu
Option added for always skip replay
Shooting Stars logo is now available in customization
New puck trail renderers
Various sounds added (Bodychecks & Power-ups)
Fixed a bug with ref being immune to bodychecks during tutorial
Fixed an issue where all goal horns were playing the Calaveras' horn
Fixed minor typo in Boilers Arena Name
Fixed an issue where you would be stuck in the pause menu after Alt+Tabbing during end of period
Fixed a bug where you would get stuck on the pause menu after locking a player position
Fixed a bug where the Headshot Redirect would knockdown your own player
Bodychecking a teammate no longer counts as a successful hit
Play now and shootout game settings are now cyclic and persistent
Fixed an issue where the Blademaster screen would appear before entering a game if the start button was mashed
Fixed a bug where the Early Access message would not disappear in some cases
Fixed an issue where the referee would wander during the shootout
Minor sound fixes

As usual, here's the progress we've made on the roadmap! Console porting is going smoothly, with numerous improvements being made daily. Work on the new UI has officially begun, and the Create-a-Player feature has received its update, with Create-a-Team following shortly!

Here's what is being worked on next:

• Roguelite campaign 2.0
  
• Complete UI/UX rework
  
• More visual & sound add-ons for the new power-ups

[h2]Special Thanks[/h2]
Special thanks to Marypou for her incredible talent on the Power-ups and Relics artwork!
You can find her at: https://www.twitch.tv/marypou & https://x.com/marypouart/

And of course, a huge shoutout to our amazing beta testers. Your valuable input and relentless testing are always appreciated! Thank you for helping us improve every step of the way.