Pirates, Vikings, & Knights II News

Changelog:
Just a few small things here. Keep an eye out for the next Major Update!

General Changes:

• Increased edict limit to 8,192
  
• Increased brush limit to 16,384
  
• Shrank “Game Settings” menu
  
• Added “Combo Finisher Received” sound (cl_hitsound_combosound_finish_received), that plays when you get hit by a combo finisher. Can be disabled in ‘Game Settings’
  
• Added “Consistent crosshair” option (cl_crosshair_consistent), which forces crosshairs to remain static. Can be enabled in ‘Game Settings’
  

Gameplay Changes:

• Can now cancel attacks with shield without being forced to charge a shield bash
  
• Powderkeg cooldown now persists through respawn
  

Miscellaneous:

• Changed Blunderbuss crosshair to a ring
  
• Added “Oldschool” option for scoreboard in ‘Game Settings’
  
• Added background blur option for scoreboard in ’Game Settings’
  

Bug Fixes:

• Fixed Neck snap Sound effect being too loud
  

Changelog:
We’ve been listening closely to player input since the last update, so here we are with the first hotfix to address a few balance issues and squash some bugs. Check out the latest changes below!

As always feedback is appreciated and more hotfixes will be developed as necessary.

Gameplay Changes:

General

Improved responsiveness of holstering melee weapons mid-swing


Class Balance: Sharpshooter Powderhorns dropped by killed Sharpshooters are weaker
Can now jump during special
Rifle knockback lowered


Berserker Axesword range reduced (48->46)
Removed slowdown on special start

Huscarl Shield HP increased (245->270)
Special no longer ends when shield is broken


Archer Crossbow knockback corrected (300->250)

Heavy Knight Shield HP increased (285->300)

Menu Changes:

Renamed ‘Advanced Options’ to ‘Game Settings’
Renamed ‘Settings’ back to ‘Options’
Reorganized ‘Game Settings’ menu, and added dividers

Added ‘Fast Zoom’ option for aimable ranged weapons to ‘Game Settings’
Added ‘Enable HUD’ option to ‘Game Settings’ which disables all HUD elements if turned off
Removed ‘Experimental’ tab, moved muzzle flash option to ‘Game Settings’


Miscellaneous:

Added “Techno” combo hitsound


Bug Fixes: Fixed SS powderhorn bouncing instead of exploding

Fixed SS powderhorn colliding with teammates
Fixed ‘X’ not appearing over full teams on faction screen
Fixed Assassin bots getting stuck on special
Fixed low hp shield hit sound being too loud

Changelog:

Howdy, cowboys and girls! It’s the PVKII Dev team here with a special gift just in time for Christmas. This update primarily focuses on gameplay improvements and balance changes, and also reverts ranged damage falloff to the much yearned for older spread system - not to mention a few other long requested features! We’ve also tweaked combos and introduced the “Combo Finisher” mechanic that we think y’all will be quite fond of.

As always, we’ll be monitoring this update and will release any hotfixes as needed. So get your sabers and pistols ready and have a fun holiday season!

General Notes: Dodge Roll now has a 3 second cooldown by default (mp_dodge_delay)
Added commands to disable roll & kick (mp_disable_dodge, mp_disable_kick)
Damage falloff system for ranged weapons scrapped, reverted to modified spread system
Most ranged weapons now have dynamic crosshairs
Combo System updates, added “Combo Finishers” and more
Shields have been given a new suite of impact sounds and effects

‘Advanced Options’ Changes: Renamed ‘Options’ to ‘Settings’, moved ‘Advanced Options’ to the Main Menu
Added new tabs to Advanced Options (HUD, Hitsounds, Experimental)
Added ability to disable HUD elements individually
Hitsounds can be added simply by putting them in their respective directory in sound/hitsound
Experimental features can be disabled in their new tab, but feedback is appreciated
Added Experimental muzzle flash setting for guns
More Advanced Options features are planned for the future
Advanced Options is currently the only menu with a revamped size

Gameplay Changes: General Added reload swapping, weapons holstered during reload will remain so if they appear loaded
Melee weapons can no longer be holstered mid-swing
Halved stun time for when your shield is broken (0.5s->0.25s)
Shields now remain holstered through repeated deaths (cl_shield_remembers_holster)
Readded vertical momentum melee damage modifier, applies to all 4 attack directions
The Special button now automatically swaps to and uses the appropriate weapon

Combo System Changes: Added sound effects and updated text to the combo system
Max damage and attack speed modifier lowered (30%->20%)
Combo no longer goes above 4x, further attacks only refresh the 4x combo
Perform a “Combo Finisher” by using a fully charged attack with at least 2x combo
Combo Finishers deal 10% extra damage at 2x combo, 15% at 3x, and 20% at 4x
Combo no longer enhances perfect parry speed, only damage
+1 combo is gained by ignoring/canceling a perfect parry (hold block to cancel)
Hitting a player parrying in the wrong direction now refreshes combo instead of granting it
Combo now decays at a fixed speed instead of accelerating over time
Shield-bashing no longer grants combo

Spread Changes: Damage falloff system for pistols removed, re-added spread
Aiming down sights now gradually decreases spread
Reduced aiming speeds of Archer Crossbow, MaA Crossbow, and Long Rifle (0.22s->0.44s)
Removed hip fire damage penalty for crossbows
Jumping/Falling increases spread by 5°

New Crosshair Functions: All Guns and Crossbows have new crosshairs
Crosshairs remain visible when not aiming down sights
Crosshair size scales with spread
New red dot when aiming. Off, On-when-Aiming, Always on (cl_rangedreticle 0-2)
New methods for firing aimed weapons. Toggle, Hold, Fire-on-Release (cl_aiming_mode 0-2)

Class Balance: Skirmisher Cutlass combo decays sooner (2.0s->1.5s)
Pistol spread re-added (12.5° Hipfire->7.5° Aimed)
Removed Pistol quick swap

Captain Special reverted (projectile flies slower and has less gravity again)
Removed Blunderbuss quick swap

Sharpshooter Pistol spread re-added (10° Hipfire->0° Aimed)
Rifle spread added (15° Hipfire->0° Aimed)
Rifle knockback lowered from 300 to 250
Dagger combo decays sooner (2.0s->1.5s)
Special explodes on impact again, but with less damage and radius if it hits the environment
Special no longer decays on charge

Berserker Big Axe swing speed increased very slightly
Big Axe combo decays sooner (2.5s->2.0s)
Special no longer has flat damage and attack speed buffs, instead gradually gives max combo
Special has unique combo gain sound effects (can be disabled with cl_berserker_combosound 0)
Berserker can now be perfect parried while using special, but cannot be stunned

Huscarl Shield HP reduced (295->245)
Shield sword damage reduced (42->38)

Gestir Shield HP reduced (240->210)
Special damage per hit increased (15->20)

Bondi Special fire rate lowered (0.24s->0.33s between shots)
Atlatl charge rate slowed on left-click but no longer reduces movespeed
Removed quick swap for all weapons

Heavy Knight Shield HP reduced (350->285)
Shield sword damage reduced (46->42)

Archer Special controls input refined
Special ammo cost reduced to 1
Special now has knockback (300hu)
Movespeed during special increased (120->180)
Added zoom to crossbow

Man-At-Arms Shield HP reduced (185->180)
Halberd combo decays sooner (2.5->2.0)
Special activation made more responsive and no longer restricts crouching
Mace & Buckler shield-bash max damage lowered to default (30->20)
Crossbow hip fire spread lowered (20°->15°)
Added zoom to crossbow

Assassin Stiletto combo decays sooner (2.0->1.5)
Added Minimum backstab damage (60)
Added Maximum backstab damage (90)
Crossbow Pistol hip fire spread increased (4°->7.5°)
Crossbow Pistol bolt velocity reduced (2600->2100)
Crossbow Pistol bolt gravity reduced (1.4->1.15)
Smoke Bomb is now manually thrown, throwing it briefly slows the player (120hu)
Smoke Bomb velocity increased (100->450)
Special attack damage reduced (105->95) but can now backstab for 125 damage
Special attack now sets user to 1x combo on hit
Special attack can no longer be blocked
Special attack knockback halved (150->75)

Miscellaneous Changes: New voice lines for Berserker
New voice lines for Sharpshooter
Added Crit kill icons
Can now disable zoom for some or all ranged weapons (cl_aiming_zoom)
Command to disable first person hand models (r_drawhands)
Spawn entity flag for mappers, SpawnType. 0 is any, 1 is player only, 2 is bot only
Huscarl and Berserker arm models updated.
Added ‘maxplayers_extended 2’, which increases max players to 65. Caution: Highly Unstable

Bug Fixes: Restored slowdown for Sharpshooter and Man-At-Arms specials
Fixed shield-bash charge starting too late
Fixed shield-bash range being too long
Fixed stutter on perfect parries if holding down the attack button
Fixed Caltrop holster glitch
Fixed Atlatl right-click dealing less damage
Old hud style disabled due to outdated code
Many crash fixes

Hi, PVKII dev team here. We've been rather silent for quite a while but now we have some scrumptious balance changes for those who’ve stuck around!

This update introduces a revamped Combo System with an additional focus on special rebalance. As always, we’ll be monitoring these changes and will make adjustments as necessary, so feedback is greatly appreciated.

This update is also a precursor necessary for other things to come, like Buccaneer and Alternative Weapons! So that stuff will be right around the corner, how about that.



Disclaimer: Due to some of the contents of this update, certain workshop mods will be rendered obsolete. These include player model changes and model / animation changes to the Skirmisher’s Flintlock. You will need to disable them, so please accept our sincerest apologies in the form of these many changes to the game instead!

• Thirdperson is no longer enabled on the classic ruleset by default
  
• Bunnyhopping added under mp_allow_bunnyhop
  
• Added third person animations for weapons with holstered/broken shields
  
• Explosions now gib based on a few calculations as opposed to only damage
  
• Removed Ninjabrine
  

[h2]Blocking[/h2]

• The 30% slow down when blocking with a weapon now occurs after a 0.35 second delay
  
• The 20% slow down when blocking with a shield now occurs after a 0.225 second delay
  

A quality of life change to prevent attack canceling from immediately lowering move speed.

[h2]Perfect Parry[/h2]

• Changed the flat move speed bonus granted by performing a perfect parry to a range of 30-50 H/U; faster classes receive less bonus move speed, slower classes receive more
  
• Stuns now slow you down by a flat 50 H/U
  

[h2]Melee Attacks[/h2]

• Removed the momentum damage modifier
  

This was an often unknown or misunderstood mechanic that led only to inconsistencies in damage calculation. The system would increase your damage based on moving in the direction of your swing. However, all directions aside from thrusts generally suffered due to a conflict of practicality, so we just removed it entirely.

[h2]Combo system overhaul[/h2]

[h3]General[/h3]

The Combo System used to only apply a minor damage buff to consecutive attacks, but this update overhauls the Combo System to be more impactful and interesting. The primary goal in this overhaul is to give players a partial solution to combating the “Full Charge Meta”, wherein players forgo using uncharged/partial charged attacks to fully charge every attack they unleash. This new Combo System runs parallel to full charging and offers an alternative combat style that can be utilized at opportune moments.

• Increased Combo damage modifier from x1.02 to x1.0875 per combo, up to x1.3 at 4+ Combo
  
• Combo now increases attack speed by x1.0875 per combo, up to x1.3 at 4+ Combo
  
• Combo is now gained when attacking someone parrying with a mismatched parry
  
• Combo is now gained when attacking someone parrying with a lower weapon weight
  
• Combo begins to decay quickly after 2 seconds of not landing attacks
  
• Attacking someone blocking with a shield refreshes the Combo decay timer
  
• Missing an attack or being perfect parried reduces Combo decay timer by 0.75 seconds
  
• Landing or missing a fully charged attack ends the Combo
  

By racking up a Combo, one can unleash a flurry of strong attacks. But keep in mind that careless attack spamming is risky as missing repeatedly is a quick way to lose the Combo entirely, and it also leaves one vulnerable to perfect parries. A Combo is finished when a fully charged attack is performed, regardless of whether or not it lands its mark. A fully charged, high Combo attack is quite powerful, but risky to achieve and perform.

[h2]Base Class Balance[/h2]

[h3]Specials[/h3]

Specials in general have been too effective relative to their ease of use and lack of risk or counterplay. In more extreme cases, classes with very strong specials are almost dependent on them to be effective, leaving their base kits lacking. This patch alters many of the specials to require more skillful play on the part of the user and to reward skillful counterplay on the part of the victim.

• All melee specials now only stun after a specific quota of hits (ticks) has been met per player
  

The immediate stuns applied by specials like the Gestir’s or Skirmisher’s made them instantly effective and debilitating. Now, players will have to be a bit more accurate and follow through with some specials in order to incapacitate their targets.

• The extra damage from headshots, crits, or backstabs no longer counts towards special gain
  

At their core, the whole purpose of specials is to “level the playing field”, so rewarding highly skilled players by rapidly and repeatedly granting them specials was counter to their inclusion.

• Increased the cost of many specials
  

Specials in general were too easy to get, with many requiring less damage than needed to kill even an Archer.

[h3]Skirmisher[/h3]

Special: Due to the sheer immediacy of his special, the Skirmisher is far more reliant on it than other characters are to theirs. To address this, his special has been reduced in immediate strength and risklessness, but the Skirmisher as a whole has been buffed to compensate.

• Increased special cost from 165 to 210
  
• Decreased damage per tick from 25 to 18 (max damage remains unchanged)
  
• Now only stuns an enemy after landing at least 4 ticks
  
• After the special ends, the Skirmisher is slowed by 75% and recovers over 0.35 seconds
  

Cutlass:

• Reduced draw and holster times
  

Flintlock Pistols: The random spread of Skirmisher’s pistols led only to confusion and frustration, and was not a mechanic that rewarded skillful play. Now, the difference between a hit and miss is always down to aim and dodging. To offset this, pistols now deal increasingly less damage as distance increases. Additionally, the Skirmisher can now aim down sights to trade move speed for increased effective range.

• Updated first person animations (Remove any Flintlock remodels / animation mods, they will break!)
  
• No longer has random bullet spread (except while airborne)
  
• Removed damage ramp-up
  
• Now has damage fall-off
  
• Can now aim down sights by pressing Secondary Attack
  
• Aiming down sights reduces the damage fall-off penalty
  
• Changed the crosshair from a ring to a dot
  
• Reload can be canceled by tapping Secondary Attack
  

[h3]Captain[/h3]
Special:

• Increased special cost from 190 to 210
  
• Pressing the Special Key with another weapon equipped will auto swap to the Blunderbuss to load it
  
• Increased projectile speed and gravity
  

Blunderbuss:

• Spread reduced from 30 degrees to 25
  
• Reduced draw time
  

[h3]Sharpshooter[/h3]
Special: With a rifle that can’t be fired repeatedly, a pistol with built-in unreliability, and a worthless melee weapon, it’s no wonder Sharpshooter was so reliant on his special. To reduce his dependency, his weapons have been adjusted to be more reliable, and the powderhorn has been reworked to no longer explode on impact with the environment. Now it explodes only after the fuse expires or if it collides with an enemy, thus requiring a great deal more planning and timing to use appropriately.

• Increased special cost from 165 to 210
  
• Now explodes only after the fuse expires or on direct contact with an enemy
  
• Updated fuse sound effect
  
• Updated first person animations
  

Artisan Flintlock: Much like the Skirmisher’s pistols, the Sharpshooter’s pistol has been changed to prioritize skill through the removal of random spread. This change also reinforces Sharpshooter’s role as the Pirate ranged specialist, as before he would struggle to maintain pressure at the distance favored by Archers and Bondis, neither of whom suffered from spread.

• No longer has random bullet spread (except while airborne)
  
• Now has damage fall-off
  
• Aiming down sights removes the damage fall-off penalty entirely
  
• Updated first person animations
  

Long Rifle: Despite its high damage output and long reload time, the Long Rifle’s knockback was inferior to the Archer’s crossbow. The knockback has been increased to more or less match the Crossbow.

• Increased knockback by 50%
  

Fancy Dagger: The Fancy Dagger has always been unnecessarily awful. Thanks to a few tweaks and the Combo System rework, it has become a competent accessory in the Sharpshooter’s kit and a properly lethal defensive option in cases when one achieves a parry or high Combo.

• Reduced draw time
  
• Increased range from 45 to 47
  
• Increased swing speed slightly
  
• Increased counterattack speed and damage by 33%
  
• Missing an attack reduces Combo decay timer by 0.35 seconds, rather than 0.75
  
• The 30% slow down when blocking now occurs after a 1 second delay
  

[h3]Berserker[/h3]
Special: The Berserker’s special essentially does nothing but double down on all of Berserker’s strengths without requiring any consideration. On top of this, his special is often used to retreat rather than engage, a shameful act for such a proud warrior. To address these issues, Berserker’s special has been given a wind-up period that renders him more vulnerable, and most of the special’s power has been integrated into the new Combo System so that players have to engage in battle in order to benefit from it.

• Increased special cost from 190 to 240
  
• Buffs now apply after a 1 second delay, during which the Berserker is slowed by 25%
  
• HP buff now decays over the course of the special rather than all at once when the special ends
  
• Now buffs max Combo from 4 to 5 while active, allowing for a higher Combo multiplier
  
• Removed intrinsic damage buff in favor of the higher Combo damage buff
  
• Reduced attack speed multiplier from 1.25 to 1.1, as max Combo increases speed greatly
  

Big Axe:

• Combo begins to decay after not landing attacks for 2.5 seconds, rather than 2
  

Sword & Axe: The Sword & Axe has generally been regarded as the worst melee weapon in the game due to its lack of effectiveness, reliability, and overall practicality compared to the Big Axe. The Combo System rework has given us an opportunity to finally redesign the Sword & Axe and give it a reason to exist.

• Left and Right attacks now have diagonal traces instead of vertical traces
  
• Back attack now has doubled X-shaped traces instead of horizontal traces
  

These changes increase the Sword & Axe’s general consistency, and the doubled traces of the back attack give it the potential to deal double damage.

• Changed attack weight class to small, but retains medium parry weight
  

Without this change, the Sword & Axe would stun enemies with a mismatched medium parry, rendering it almost impossible to counter for the majority of the roster. This also means the Assassin and Sharpshooter can now perfect parry the Sword & Axe.

• Combo begins to decay after not landing attacks for 1.5 seconds, rather than 2
  
• Missing an attack reduces Combo decay timer by 0.35 seconds, rather than 0.75
  
• Being stunned ends the Combo outright
  

The Sword & Axe is an outlier in the reworked Combo System, as it is designed to suffer heavy penalties for thoughtless usage. Combo is lost faster with inactivity, and lost entirely simply from being parried or bashed. Without these risks, the Sword & Axe would be ridiculously powerful and forgiving, while also less interesting.

[h3]Huscarl[/h3]
Special:

• Increased special cost from 200 to 210
  
• Increased horizontal knockback by 50%
  
• Decreased vertical knockback by 25%
  
• Added a 0.25 second wind-up
  
• Now only stuns an enemy after landing at least 2 ticks
  

Two-Handed Axe:

• Combo begins to decay after not landing attacks for 2.5 seconds, rather than 2
  

Throwing Axes:

• Can now begin charging while airborne
  

[h3]Gestir[/h3]
Special: Gestir’s special is at times both frustrating and confusing. Its silence makes it difficult to anticipate and adapt to, and the quickly reached damage cap leads to situations where enemies are harmlessly tossed about and pinned to walls. Both of these issues have been amended.

• Decreased damage per tick from 25 to 10 (max damage remains unchanged)
  
• Now only stuns an enemy after landing at least 4 ticks
  
• Added charging voicelines
  
• Now plays a stun voiceline when the special ends prematurely
  

[h3]Bondi[/h3]
Bondi has struggled a bit with having a defined identity beyond just “Viking Archer”. To that end, we’ve adjusted him in several ways to push him into the more distinct style of a mobile and adaptive fighter. Bondi can now swap to each of his weapons more quickly, his Atlatl has been redesigned to no longer run counter to his role as a mid-range marksman, and his special has been reworked to be more accessible. This is all on top of him already having a competent melee weapon and him not being slowed as much while using his Flatbow.

Special: Bondi’s special was both the weakest and strongest special simultaneously, “balanced” only because its insane killing potential was offset by its unreasonable difficulty to use effectively. His special has since been reworked to be much less lethal and much more practical by making his arrows explode.

• Arrows now explode in a small area on contact
  
• Direct arrow hits deal 15 damage
  
• Explosions deal 65 max damage with linear damage fall off
  
• Removed Combo integration
  
• Now consumes 5 arrows instead of 1
  
• Reduced fire rate slightly
  

Flatbow:

• Reduced draw time
  

Atlatl: The Atlatl was overly strong and weird. The zoom and intense slow while readying the Atlatl would heavily punish Bondi for using it in his preferred range, and the rapid reload rendered it one of the highest DPS weapons in the game. Instead of removing the option to use the Atlatl at long range, we’ve given it an alternative free-moving firing method reminiscent of Gestir’s Javelins.

• Reduced draw time
  
• Can now be charged with Primary Attack, this takes longer but does not zoom or slow Bondi down
  
• Increased reload time
  

Seax:

• Reduced draw time
  

[h3]Heavy Knight[/h3]
Special:

• Now only stuns an enemy after landing at least 4 ticks
  

Unlike other classes who had their specials changed to inflict the stun after a tick quota is reached, Heavy Knight can actually benefit from a delayed stun since it takes longer for his special to push enemies away. Of course, this also gives enemies more time to react as well.

Two-Handed Sword:

• Combo begins to decay after not landing attacks for 2.5 seconds, rather than 2
  

[h3]Archer[/h3]
Special: The Archer’s special was unnecessarily impactful and riskless on an already powerful class. This rework requires more dedication, patience, and aim on the Archer’s part to achieve the same effectiveness as before. Now the Archer has to charge his special to reduce its spread so that he can deal max damage on a single target. Quick use of the special is still practical as a last resort or when shooting into a crowd, but it is no longer easy burst damage.

• Increased special cost from 165 to 210
  
• Increased max arrow spread from 4 degrees to 6.5 degrees
  
• Can now be charged with Primary Attack to reduce arrow spread, down to a fixed point
  
• Reduced the damage of each arrow from 120 to 40
  
• Enemies can now take damage from more than one arrow
  
• Now fires when Primary Attack is released rather than when the Special Key is released
  
• Now consumes 3 arrows instead of 1
  

[h3]Man-at-Arms[/h3]
Halberd:

• Combo begins to decay after not landing attack for 2.5 seconds, rather than 2
  

[h3]Assassin[/h3]
Special: Assassin’s weak and bizarre special has been reworked. Instead of doing nothing more than making her fast and invisible for the duration, she now has access to a strong single-target attack on top of the speed boost and invisibility. Performing this attack cancels her cloak, adding much needed risk and reward to the special. Her target, assuming they’re aware of her presence, can bait and dodge the attack like they can other specials.

• Increased special cost from 165 to 210
  
• Quickened cloak bomb draw and throw animations
  
• Cloaking now forces the Assassin to equip the Stiletto and only the Stiletto
  
• Replaces Primary Attack with an attack that has an X-shaped trace and deals a flat 105 damage
  
• Performing the attack ends the cloak prematurely
  

Stiletto:

• Finally fixed the super serious facestab bug that made us mad!
  

Crossbow Pistol:

• Reduced reload time from 2 seconds to 1.75
  

Caltrops:

• Damage per caltrop lowered from 5 to 3
  
• Caltrops now have a lifetime of 60 seconds (Sorry, this was long overdue)
  

[h2]Hud Changes:[/h2]

• New HUD advanced options menu
  
• New HUD ConVars:
  - hud_draw_ammo
  - hud_draw_chat
  - hud_draw_blockindicator
  - hud_draw_chargemeter
  - hud_draw_deathnotice
  - hud_draw_damagedisplay
  - hud_draw_gamehud
  - hud_draw_gamemodehud
  

[h2]Misc. Code Changes:[/h2]

• Engine has been updated with recent security fixes and misc. performance enhancements
  
• Fixed not being able to click on certain UI buttons under Linux
  
• Fixed SourceTV being counted as a bot for hiding servers
  
• Fixed a crash that happened when model quality was set to low
  

Feel free to ask us devs for clarifications on the Combo System directly, a comprehensive video demonstration will be released in time. You can contact us in the PVKII Discord! https://discord.gg/pvkii

Stay tuned! Bigger, better things will come soon!

An update to PVKII has been released. The update will be applied automatically when you restart the game. Server owners, please update your servers.

[h2]Changelog[/h2]

• Fixed common server crash
  
• Fixed crash when loading hand models
  
• Fixed friendly hitsound playing when friendly fire is disabled
  
• Fixed infinite caltrops
  
• Fixed opposite side of bt_island chest zones not affecting timers
  
• Fixed territory markers crash
  
• Re-worked booty logic to accommodate multiple chest zones