Skullgirls 2nd Encore News

Hello,

Today's beta update includes balance changes, Valentine's new cross redesign, and fixes for an ancient defect with character lighting.

UPDATE:
A new patch (3.7.5) has been released after these update notes were initially posted. This patch includes a few bug fixes, which are as follows:

• Fixed a bug where Umbrella's puddles would vanish instantly in some circumstances.
  
• Fixed a bug where Umbrella's jLK and jLP could not be buffered during prejump.
  
• Fixed a bug where Lenny could still hit assist characters after they leave hitstun (during their landing frames) which was not intended.
  
• Fixed a bug where Hatred Install had extra recovery even when used as a point character.
  

[hr][/hr]
[h3]VALENTINE[/h3]

The long awaited updates to Valentine’s crosses are finally here!

Why did she get these changes? You can read the full explanation here, but the short version is Valentine’s original red crosses presented a potential legal issue, and were very hastily changed to fuchsia a few years ago. Skullgirls is bigger than ever, and now that the characters in the Season 1 Pass are complete we can finally spend the time to update her design with proper care.



This update us primarily focused on getting her in-game sprites into the beta, so don’t worry if you see some old style crosses in the Art Gallery.

[h3]CHARACTER LIGHTING[/h3]

We've tuned character lighting to resolve some graphical issues that have always been present wherever the bottom of a character's sprite meets the open air. This is most noticeable on stages like New Meridian Streets. To resolve this, we tweaked the math used for these lighting calculations, and then also readjusted each stage's lighting manually to keep parity with the old version.

(Example before and after of the issue colloquially known internally as "5 o'clock shadow bug")

[h3]HUD[/h3]

As you probably know, characters that are Counter Hit lose some amount of Drama (Undizzy) depending on the strength of the hit. This can push a character's Drama into the negatives. In this update, negative amounts of Drama are now displayed on the HUD using a blue fill instead of a green fill.



[h3]MULTIPLE CHARACTERS / SYSTEM[/h3]

• When using a burst against a combo that started at max Drama (Undizzy), it is no longer guaranteed to be safe and invincible during the recovery, and it can be baited. However, Undizzy is preserved and does not drain when bursting in this situation, but will drain when being punished since it is a Counter Hit state.
  (... Instead of there being zero risk for the defender to take the burst in this situation, the burst can be baited per usual with reduced reward.)
  
• We've standardized armor damage reduction so everyone consistently takes 100% of incoming damage instead of reducing it. Big Band, Cerebella, Fukua, and Marie now take 100% damage during their armor moves - Umbrella, Robo-Fortune, Painwheel, and Beowulf already took 100% damage. Eliza's cHK still takes 50% against projectiles, and Sekhmet takes 75% damage, both as intentional edge case exceptions.
  
• Adjusted some "OTG" hurtboxes for characters to make it less likely for low hitting attacks to slip under them. This impacts Ms. Fortune, Robo-Fortune, Filia, and Fukua.
  

[h3]UMBRELLA[/h3]

• Umbrella can now cancel jMK into any normal on whiff (if floating) or contact, just like her sister Parasoul.
  
• Fixed a bug where Tongue Twister only added 15 Drama (Undizzy) instead of the usual 20 from Special Moves.
  
• Extended cMP hurtbox. Reduced hitbox range in Ravenous.
  
• Overstuffed sHP armor now starts 3F later than before.
  
• Increased Tongue Twister hitbox to make it easier to hit airborne targets without spending OTG.
  (... It also ends up being tall enough to destroy Peacock's sHP and BANG BANG BANG! (H) projectiles now.)
• When using Retina Reflector in Ravenous, it now has 2 extra hits and lasts longer, like in retail.
  
• Overstuffed Damage Tuning:
  
  • Hungern Rush: Reduced damage from 800/800 to 500/600. Adjusted knockdown on the final hit to require OTG to continue a combo.
    
  • sMP (2nd Hit): 500 → 400
    
  • Bobblin' Bubble: 700 → 600
    
  • Salt Grinder: 1100 → 1000
    
  • jMP: 850 → 750
    
  • jHP: 1100 → 1000
    
  • cHP (2nd Hit): 750 → 650
    
• Bobblin' Bubble Damage (Satiated): 600 → 650
  
• Slurp n Slide damage (Satiated): 650 → 750
  
• Slurp n Slide damage (Satiated, puddle boosted): 750 → 900
  
• In Satiated, Slurp n Slide is now +2 on block again instead of -2.
  
• In Ravenous, Slurp n Slide dismounts with more speed forwards.
  
• Ravenous can now use bubble Special Moves (Cutie Ptooie, Bobblin' Bubble, Wish Maker), but with worse properties.
  
• Overstuffed no longer loses Hunger Meter for using bubble Special Moves, or using Under The Weather.
  (... Entering Overstuffed now requires that you commit to playing the mode in neutral for a short while instead of immediately exiting it by using Bubbles.)
• Increased Satiated and Overstuffed Hunger Meter drain over time.
  
• When entering Satiated or Overstuffed in a combo from an "eating" type move, Hunger Meter will continue to drain instead of freezing for that combo, at a reduced drain rate.
  
• When using "eating" type moves in Ravenous, Hunger Meter will fill a little over halfway into the Satiated section, instead of at the max of the Satiated section.
  (... This last two changes should make it a little bit easier to stay in the bottom half of the Hunger Meter if desired, for more Ravenous opportunities.)

[h3]PAINWHEEL[/h3]

• Adjusted almost every hitbox Painwheel has to bring them in line with more recent characters. Many are simplified, and some attacks have more range than before. Adjusted attacks are as follows:
  
  • sLP, sLP, cMP, cLK, cLP, cMK, sHK[1], sHP, jMK. Death Crawl.
    
  • s.F+HK (each hit has more range than the last, to ensure all blades connect easier)
    
  • sMP (improved hitbox, but also reduced hurtbox height before active to help anti air)
    
• Buer Thresher (QCF+KK) has a larger hitbox for the first active frame.
  (... This is the hitbox that is covered by hitstop, making it post flash unblockable if you were not already blocking, and preventing reversals from coming out immediately. Buer Thresher is now much less likely to get Painwheel immediately countered by reversals and such and must be respected more than before.)
• Buer Reaper
  
  • Increased size of the physical hit performed at the end of Buer Reaper, to ensure it hits characters when assists are nearby and trying to block Painwheel.
    
  • Painwheel is no longer pushed around by nearby characters when delivering the ending hit of Buer Reaper, to prevent her from being pushed out of range.
    
  • (L): Reduced recovery by 5F on whiff/block, and increased blockstun by 1F.
    
  • (All Buer except L): Reduced recovery on whiff/block by 4F.
    
  • (L): Extended hitbox range.
    
  • (H): Removed extended hurtboxes before active frames, making it a much better anti air.
    
  • When using Buer Reaper, Painwheel now gains an extra 2% meter, like most throw type moves.
    
• cMK now pivots forward to help connect from longer cLK ranges.
  
• cLK: Reduced startup by 1F.
  
• sLK: Startup reduced to 7F, giving her a 7F normal like every other character.
  
• sMP: Startup reduced by 1F.
  
• jLP: Startup reduced by 2F. Hitstun and blockstun increased by 2F to maintain frame advantage.
  (... This also hastens her fastest possible overheads from Flight.)
• jHP: Reduced knockback vs airborne opponents to prevent victim from falling out between hits. Hitstun on the last hit increased by 3F.
  
• cMP now pulls the victim down for all hits except the final one.
  (... Last hit still knocks them up and away, so cancel before it if you want to stabilize a ground confirm. This mostly prevents them from falling out unexpectedly in between two hits.)
• When using fully charged Hatred Guard normals, armor has been extended one frame to fully protect her from potential trades.
  (... This was an intended change made several updates ago before this current beta cycle, but it wasn't working correctly without this.)
• Reduced startup of Gae Bolga Stinger (L) by 3F.
  
• When using Pinion Dash (L) as a Stunt Double (Alpha Counter), it is now a knockdown hit.
  (... Previously she was +1 right against the opponent, which is a bit awkward for her with her slow buttons and lack of movement.)
• Hatred Install (QCB+KK)
  
  • When used as a DHC, Buer Reaper hits deal 10% less damage, and scales to 50% instead of 70%.
    
  • Level 1 Blockbusters no longer scale to 55% during Hatred Install, and now scale to 30%.
    
  • Increased recovery by 8F when used as a DHC.
    
  • Increased damage per hit on Death Crawl during Hatred Install to match the regular version of Death Crawl (220).
    
  • When used while Painwheel is the point character, she has an additional 3 seconds (216F) of uptime regardless of health, but cannot exceed the old max duration of 1300F.
    
• Accidental Flight:
  
  • Adjusted air Buer Reaper inputs so that ending in an upwards input when inputting the QCF motion doesn't extend the window the motion can be entered. This was causing situations where the same QCB used to input Flight (autocorrecting towards the opponent) could be used to trigger air Buer Reaper on button release (negative edge) giving an unintended Buer Reaper input.
    
  • Painwheel will now never turn around to auto correct when using jLK. If super jumping past the opponent, pressing LK early could cause her to perform an autocorrect jLK, which then turned a QCB into a QCF and performed Buer Reaper. From now on, you can use jLK as your button to input flight and ensure this never happens. Of course, jLK no longer autocorrects, but hopefully that is alright!
    

[h3]VALENTINE[/h3]

• Fixed a bug where the last hit of EKG Flatliner would not play the finisher effect right away if the last hit killed an opponent.
  

[h3]FUKUA[/h3]

• Inevitable Snuggle and Tender Embrace now grant Dramatic Tension (meter) for whiffing them, like all other Special Moves.
  
• Holding Forever a Clone (Shadows) now drains health again, but does not drain red life.
  
• When Shadows successfully hit a character, Fukua heals for the amount of health that they drained.
  
• Successful hits from Love Dart now heal Fukua up to 200 health, from health that has been removed from holding Shadows.
  
• When Fukua heals, she now briefly glows.
  
• The amount of life that Fukua restores (from recoverable Shadow drain life) when using certain has been increased.
  
  • Twice Shy: 55% → 100%
    
  • Inevitable Snuggle: 33% → 75%
    
  • Taunt: 20% → 50%
    
• Hitting, or being hit by an Outtake (Snapback) will now remove all potential recoverable health from drained Shadows.
  

[h3]BIG BAND[/h3]

• When using the following Big Band assist options, the first portion (31F) of his assist taunt is now a Counter Hit state. Note, this doesn't extend the recovery of any of his assists or change them functionally, it only extends the duration of the window where you can counter call or attack the assist and still benefit from bonus counter hit damage.
  
  • Take The 'A' Train (M and H strength)
    
  • Beat Extend (All strengths)
    
  • Brass Knuckles (H strength)
    
• Previously, when Big Band caught an assist with Beat Extend, the assist would drop to the ground sooner than the point character to make it trickier to combo both at the same time. This has been adjusted further in this update.
  
  • Assists drop 4F sooner than before.
    
  • Assists drop with more velocity towards the ground than before.
    

[h3]ANNIE[/h3]

• Reduced Crescent Cut (H) start up by 2F.
  

[h3]PEACOCK[/h3]

• Argus Agony pellet damage increased. Max damage increased from 1350 → 1440.
  
• Lonesome Lenny no longer has a hit when placed that interacts with assist characters. Instead, Lenny's explosion will never hit airborne assists that are recovering from hitstun.
  (... These changes have always been aimed at removing a particular reset against assists with Lenny, and this is a different approach at that.)

[h3]PARASOUL[/h3]

• sLP: Increase hitstun on both hits by 3F.
  
• s.F+LP: Increase hitbox height to match the animation.
  
• Extended ground throw hitbox slightly.
  
• Inferno Brigade (QCB+PP): Now pulls victims down into the barrage of bullets if they are too high above Parasoul.
  
• Egret Dive jumps further and is active for longer. When landing, he recovers and exits the screen faster than before.
  
• Egret Charge
  
  • Speed (before grabbing) increased from 30 to 31. This makes him fast enough to grab Big Band miscreen from most Egret Charge combos.
    
  • Reduced period (20F → 17F) where the Egret will continue with the grab even if Parasoul gets hit during the start up.
    
  • Fixed a bug where the grab would scale to 50% instead of the intended 55%.
    

[h3]MARIE[/h3]

• Extended hurtbox downwards during knock up frames, to ensure Double's Beast of Gehenna grabs her correctly after Robo-Fortune's magnetic trap.
  
• Adjusted physical collision during "OTG" frames to prevent some characters from being able to slide under her.
  
• Hilgard's Haymaker (L) no longer scales follow-up damage to 70%.
  
• Increased taunt recovery by 10F.
  
• The Dust Bunny spawned from Hop To It no longer jumps infinitely if Marie has taunted. It now jumps a maximum of 3 times.
  
• Adjusted Marie's ground throw against Black Dahlia to ensure Marie Go 'Round connects without spending OTG in the corner.
  

[h3]BLACK DAHLIA[/h3]

• Fixed a bug where Parting Gift could sometimes not be detonated if it fell off of an assist character that died while on the stage.
  
• cMK
  
  • Now triggers shortly after the point character enters hitstun.
    
  • If hitting a character after the point has entered hitstun, damage scaling is set to 50% to lower the reward of the follow-up combo.
    
  • Reduced hitstun by 5F.
    
  • No longer teleports characters to the position of the trap
    
• Empower no longer can hit characters that are dead.
  
• Ice Shot is now two hits, has tweaked damage and chip damage, and no longer breaks armor.
  
• Rail Shot now breaks armor and has had hitstop on successful hit increased by 8F.
  
• Order Up! (H) now places special shots in the 3rd and 5th position of her gun, instead of 3rd and 6th.
  
• Order Up! (M) now places the special shot in the 2nd position of her gun, instead of the 3rd.
  

[h3]CEREBELLA[/h3]

• Fixed a bug introduced last update that made jHP no longer hit overhead in some situations even after gliding.
  

[h3]DOUBLE[/h3]

• Fixed a bug where the projectile hits from jHK could allow the opponent to burst even if first hit connected below 240 Drama (Undizzy).
  

[h3]ELIZA[/h3]

• Reduced crouching height so that she can duck Robo-Fortune's Theonite Beam (H). She's now the same height as Black Dahlia when crouching.
  

[hr][/hr]
(Version number 3.7.4, but then it became 3.7.5 in the same day.)

Hello,

Today's update features a new debug feature for those using debug replays, and continued balance changes for characters. In case you missed it, our last update featured a large rework for Umbrella. You can read the update notes for that update here:
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/245170/view/7817760904371395868

EDIT: A small update was released to resolve an issue with Umbrella's Overstuffed Tongue Twister. The version number is now 3.7.3.

[hr][/hr]
[h3]DEBUG REPLAYS[/h3]

• Everything below assumes you are using the debug launch option command: -enablereplays
• Added a new debug feature, "Replay Takeover", which can be used to temporarily take over controls for a character when watching a replay. You can use this feature to test how to escape or win against certain situations that are difficult to recreate in training mode, use it to test if there was a better combo or conversion you could have done, and more!
  
• Press SELECT to activate Replay Takeover and assume control of P1 for 10 seconds. You can take over P2 by holding RIGHT as you press Select.
  
• After a brief pause, the replay will continue and your inputs will control the character you have selected.
  
• Pressing SELECT will jump back to the point where you started Replay Takeover. This also occurs if the match ends while Replay Takeover is active.
  
• Holding SELECT will end Replay Takeover and carry on as normal.
  
• As a refresher, here are the controls available in replays:
  (... Apologies, at this time we don't have availability to update replays with proper UI.)
  • LP: Toggle Hitboxes
    
  • MP: Toggle Health & Attack Data Display (Currently bugged, will be fixed next update)
    
  • HP: Rewind time (Hold LEFT to rewind even further)
    
  • LK: Toggle Input Display
    
  • MK: Toggle Slow Motion (See also: -debugkeys launch option to advance frame by frame)
    
  • HK: Fast forward (Hold RIGHT to fast forward faster)
    
• While we'll try and address any critical bugs found with this feature, our time spent supporting this feature will be limited. Please let us know if you find any issues in our official Discord, in the #2e-bugs channel.
  

[h3]UMBRELLA[/h3]

• Reduced Ravenous Hunger Meter drain by 40%.
  
• Overstuffed Hunger Meter drain now matches Ravenous' new value.
  
• Ravenous and Overstuffed drain at half speed when the opponent is in hitstun.
  
• Ravenous and Overstuffed drain at half speed when Umbrella is in hitstun or blockstun.
  
• Hunger Meter no longer drains during a "Double Snap" or "Assist Kill" situation.
  
• In Ravenous, df+MP (Overbite) jumps much further towards the opponent.
  
• df+MP (Overbite) now carries momentum before the jump happens, if used while moving forwards.
  
• cMP in Ravenous is now a low again.
  (... In Ravenous, cMP is a low again and df+MP has extended range. Between these options and a surprise Tongue Twister, she should be threatening from further away.)
• Slurp n Slide (Back, Forward + MP) no longer activates if holding Down + Forward at the end, to avoid overlap with df+MP (Overbite).
  
• Hungern Rush and Salt Grinder no longer increase the Hunger Meter when used as an assist.
  (... Tongue Twister still does, for now)
• Tongue Twister is never a command grab when used as an assist, and can always be blocked.
  
• Tweaked launch trajectory of Overstuffed Hungern Rush to leave the victim closer to Umbrella. As an assist, the second hit launches victims less high.
  
• Fixed a bug where using punch normals would drain Umbrella's Hunger Meter faster, which was supposed to be removed last update.
  
• If Umbrella is struck with an Outtake, all bubbles summoned from Under The Weather (QCB+KK) will pop immediately.
  
• Fixed a bug where Overstuffed Tongue Twister didn't apply forced damage scaling when used as an assist.
  
• Fixed a bug where Umbrella wasn't using the proper reversal window timings out of blockstun and hitstun.
  

[h3]ROBO-FORTUNE[/h3]

• Tweaked the beginning frames of Robo-Fortune's normal jump animation so that she doesn't tuck into a ball the moment she leaves the ground. This is the same change Ms. Fortune received.
  
• Reduced active frames on cMK by 6.
  

[h3]PEACOCK[/h3]

• Removed extra recovery when placing Lonesome Lenny which was not working correctly most of the time last patch.
  
• The red flash on Lonesome Lenny before he is about to explode now starts earlier.
  

[h3]ELIZA[/h3]

• Sekhmet's JH (Signature Attack, AKA "Cartouche") now avoids the extra landing recovery from last update if it successfully hits the point character.
  

[h3]CEREBELLA[/h3]

• Fixed a bug where jD+MP (Unbreakable Elbow) had more start up than intended from the last update.
  

[hr][/hr]
(Version number 3.7.3)

Hello,

Today's update focuses on bug fixing and tuning from the last update, and introducing a fairly substantial "rework" for Umbrella.

[hr][/hr]
[h2]SYSTEM[/h2]

• Fixed a bug where characters would take no chip damage during the last frame of a Pushblock, and attackers would behave as if the hit did not connect.
  (... This fixes a bug where Umbrella connecting with Slurp n Slide on this frame would have her slide much longer than she should have, for example)
• Fixed a bug where Pushblocking in between two attacks before hitstop for the first hit ended would prevent the Pushblock from happening. Pushblocking during these scenarios should feel drastically more responsive.
  (... This happens most commonly when pushblocking in between a point character hit, and a secondary hit from a projectile or an assist.) (... Please let us know if you see any weirdness or issues with pushblocking and report them to us in our official Discord in the #2e-bugs channel, thank you!)
• When assists counter hit another assist, damage scaling will be set to 90% on them instead of the new 70% to ensure "counter calls" are as damaging as before.
  

[h2]UMBRELLA[/h2]

We're making Umbrella more consistent in all of her Hunger States without relying on entering and maintaining Ravenous for the entire match. This means buffing how she handles in Satiated and Overstuffed, and nerfing some of the most egregious parts of playing Ravenous. We're also making changes to how she adjusts her Hunger Meter up and down so that Umbrella players are forced to engage with all of the different Hunger States more often. Lastly, since we're buffing many elements of Umbrella's kit, we're also nerfing some of the more frustrating parts to play against when facing her.

If you need a quick refresher on her terms, Starving is when the bar is empty and purple, Ravenous is when the bar is low and red, Satiated is the middle section that is yellow, and Overstuffed is the blue section when full. When we mention her Hunger Meter going up or filling, that means it's closer to Overstuffed. When we mention her Hunger Meter going down, draining, or being empty, that means it's closer to Starving.

KNOWN ISSUES

• Umbrella's "eating" assists (Tongue Twister, Salt Grinder, Hungern Rush) will now raise the Hunger Meter on success, which is a change in behaviour that may not be desired.
  
• Tongue Twister, when in Overstuffed, does not apply any scaling when used as an assist.
  
• It is difficult to predict where Umbrella's damage and routing will take her after all of these changes. Please expect damage tuning depending on how things shake out.
  

HUNGER METER / HUNGER STATES

• Umbrella's Hunger Meter drains during most actions now instead of freezing momentarily during Special Moves, Normals, etc.
  
• Umbrella's Hunger Meter no longer drains faster for landing hits with "punch" (Hungern) normal attacks.
  
• Tweaked Hunger Meter loss rate in different Hunger States individually. In Satiated, it is drastically faster than before for example.
  
• Hunger Meter no longer drains naturally over time in any combo where it increased. Landing Salt Grinder for example will halt all Hunger Meter drain for the rest of the combo.
  
• Hunger Meter will also freeze when a combo starts if Umbrella is in the Overstuffed state.
  
• Creating Bubbles with Cutie Ptooie, Bobblin' Bubble, Wish Maker, no longer drains Hunger Meter, except when used during the Overstuffed state.
  
• Under The Weather no longer drains Hunger Meter unless it's used in Overstuffed.
  
• Umbrella can now transition from Overstuffed into Satiated during a combo, instead of needing to wait for it to end.
  
• Increased how much Hunger Meter is lost from taunting, and shortened the minimum time that Umbrella must perform her taunt before being able to stop.
  (... To drain Hunger Meter quickly, you'll have to taunt instead of looping Bobblin' Bubble like before.)
• Ground Throw and Air Throw no longer adjust Hunger Meter.
  
• Major eating moves (Salt Grinder, Hungern Rush, Tongue Twister, and Feeding Time [LV3]) all force Umbrella up one single Hunger State on success, regardless of chews, chomps, etc.
  (... In Starving or Ravenous, she will always become Satiated. In Satiated, she will become Overstuffed. We're doing this to force Umbrella to commit to cashing out and changing Hunger States when the Hunger Meter is low.)
• When using Cutie Ptooie (QCB+LK), the butterfly can no longer be spared or eaten manually by holding LK, and it no longer adjusts Hunger Meter.
  (... With the removal of being able to eat the butterfly to fill the Hunger Meter, entering the Starving state is very bad news for Umbrella. When enjoying the benefits of playing in the Ravenous state for a prolonged time, Umbrella will need to keep a close eye on how much time she has left before she must land a "eating" style move to prevent the Starving state. Note that as before, the Ravenous state will not enter the Starving state during a combo, so take your time once you've landed a hit! We may add another method of gaining Hunger Meter during the Starving state if needed, but for now we're trying to introduce an element of risk and urgency.)

BLOCKBUSTERS

• In Ravenous, Under The Weather performs an underwhelming version.
  
• In Ravenous, Retina Reflector is no longer improved with an extra two hits.
  
• Changed Blockbuster inputs:
  
  • Retina Reflector: Contact Lens is now QCF + PP.
    
  • Retina Reflect is now QCF + KK.
    
  • Under The Weather is now QCB + KK.
    

GENERAL / OTHER

• Added a new normal, down forward + MP, called "Overbite". This is an overhead that can be used in every state. It's faster in Ravenous, and slower in Starving and Overstuffed.
  (... We're giving Umbrella an overhead to increase her consistency and power level across all Hunger States without relying on being in Ravenous to open the opponent up.)
• Slurp n Slide is now -2 on block when done in Satiated.
  (... We're delegating Slurp n Slide pressure on block exclusively to Ravenous, since Ravenous has lost other tools and is mostly about sticking close to the opponent.)
• Ground Throw has been adjusted to only chomp the opponent once, and then trap them inside of a bubble much like Air Throw. Ground Throw damage has been adjusted.
  
• Tongue Twister
  
  • Is now only a command grab for a single frame when used up close. After that, it is a hitgrab.
    
  • After victims bounce off the wall, you can combo opponents easily off the ground when the land.
    (... You can use this in combos now and confirms for far away hits, and it can still catch people by surprise just as before. However, it is no longer a command grab at those ranges, so it can be blocked and should be a bit less frustrating to deal with. She can now perform combos afterwards without using Retina Reflector in exchange for these changes.)
  • Reduced damage and number of chomps based on Hunger State. Chomps are now automatic instead of requiring LP+LK presses.
    
  • Reduced the speed that the tongue retracts, increasing recovery if it was stretched far away.
    
  • Adjusted hitbox.
    
  • If used for the second time in a combo, the opponent will become invincible and the combo will end.
    
  • Fixed a bug where the wall bounce hit applied an extra hit of damage scaling despite doing no damage. Damage scaling is now properly 55%.
• Set priority of taunt input above Salt Grinder.
  
• Increased Salt Grinder active frames by 1F, and expanded hitbox.
  
• When Starving, Umbrella's red life now drains faster than before.
  
• jMP: Reduced hitbox size in all states.
  
• cHP: Start up of the second hit is reduced by 1F if the first hit whiffs, to help it connect after far cMP hits.
  
• sHK
  
  • Improved hitbox.
    
  • Increased start up by 2F.
    
  • Landing recovery on failure is now fully vulnerable.
    
  • Damage increased: 975 → 1200.
    
  • Doing it a second time in a combo performs a worse version.
    
• sLK: Now slides forward slightly, and has a slightly larger hitbox.
  
• cMK: Added vulnerable hurtboxes under her while she jumps, and removed throw invincibility.
  
• cLK: Increased hurtbox height, and reduced hitstun.
  
• Air Throw: Reduced hitbox horizontal reach.
  
• Hungern Rush: Reduced start up in all hunger states, except for Starving.
  
• Adjusted stagger hurtboxes to be closer to idle.
  
• Increased hurtbox size during some air hitstun and air knockdown states so that she is easier to combo.
  

RAVENOUS SPECIFIC

• Bubble creating moves (Cutie Ptooie, Bobblin' Bubble, Wishmaker) no longer work in Ravenous.
  
• Hungern Rush is now fully invincible (instead of strike invincible) when in the Ravenous state.
  
• Hungern Rush is no longer unblockable while rising (when Umbrella is the point character) unless she is in Ravenous mode.
  
• Dash forward, dash backwards, and dash jump are now faster in Ravenous.
  
• Reduced Feeding Time (LV3) damage in Starving and Ravenous from 6750 → 6000.
  
• cMP: In Ravenous, this is no longer a low hit.
  
• jMP: In Ravenous, now starts up slower than before.
  (... Instant jMP in Ravenous no longer reaches crouching characters after these changes)

OVERSTUFFED SPECIFIC

• In Overstuffed, sHP now has armor that starts up a little bit into the move.
  
• Fixed a bug where the wall bounce hit of sHP (Overstuffed) applied an extra hit of damage scaling despite doing no damage.
  
• Salt Grinder, when Overstuffed, now performs a powerful damaging bite that staggers, instead of a throw type hit.
  
• Hungern Rush, when Overstuffed, now starts up faster, and now hits again on the way down with a powerful knock up hit. This can be cancelled into Blockbuster on HIT only.
  
• Tongue Twister, when Overstuffed, now pulls the victim towards Umbrella and trips them, instead of eating them.
  (... The trick is that while this hit does not do any damage, it doesn't force any combo scaling, giving Umbrella some scary combo damage from a command grab when she's up close.)
• Adjusted all Overstuffed normals:
  
  • They are now much faster than before, and are only two frames slower than their Satiated versions. (Exceptions exist on sHP and jMP which are still slower than 2F, but still faster than before.)
    
  • Reduced hitpause on almost all hits, to speed up the general flow of attacks and combos.
    
  • Fixed a bug where sF+HP was not any slower in Starving or Overstuffed.
    
  • Reduced jMP damage: 950 → 850.
    
  • Reduced jHP damage: 1200 → 1100.
    
  • jHP jumps less high and falls faster.
    

[h2]MS. FORTUNE[/h2]

• Adjusted jLK hitbox enough to hit all crouching characters in the corner when done from a headless instant air dash.
  
• Decap attack damage 100 > 200.
  (... This alone increases Ms. Fortune's headless corner combo damage quite a bit.)
• sHK (headless) damage: 950 → 975.
  
• Feline Allergies cooldown reduced from 80F to 60F. (50F in retail).
  
• Head lockout from hitstun: 60 → 35. (15F in retail).
  
• Cat Scratch metergain (head on) per whiffed swipe: 1.5% → 1%.
  
• Cat Scratch metergain (head on) per swipe contact: 4%/3%/2% → 3.5%/2.5%/1.5%.
  
• El Gato and Cat Slide when cancelled from Cat Scratch (head on) have reduced metergain for whiffing (1%) and reduced metergain for making contact (2.5%).
  

[h2]CEREBELLA[/h2]

• jD+MP (Unbreakable Elbow) no longer floor bounces when done as an instant overhead, but now always starts in "IPS Combo Stage 1", and it now has a 5F buffer into light normals after it finishes to help with confirms.
  
• Pummel Horse now leaves Cerebella a bit closer to the victim, to help with some confirms on some characters.
  

[h2]ELIZA[/h2]

• Sekhmet Axe (air) damage: 900 → 1000.
  
• Sekhmet jump: Reduced start up 6F → 4F (back to retail values).
  
• Sekhmet landing: 6F recovery → 7F recovery.
  
• Sekhem Rebound (backflip) is no longer impacted by extra landing recovery, the frame data on this should be back to retail values.
  

[h2]ANNIE[/h2]

• Increased air hitstun hurtbox size to make it easier to combo Annie.
  
• Adjusted knockdown on the star spawned from charged sHP, in Star Power.
  
• Reduced blockstun on large stars summoned during Star Power.
  

[h2]BLACK DAHLIA[/h2]

• Lowered the position of Dahlia during her air knockback hitstun animation to fix some combos not working against her.
  

[h2]PEACOCK[/h2]

• Lonesome Lenny
  
  • Lenny now flashes colors right before he is about to explode.
    
  • Fixed a bug where Peacock could not DHC out from this move in some situations which was introduced last update.
    
  • Lenny now hits assists further away with a different type of a knockdown.
    (... It should be a bit harder to call an assist as you place Lenny down to continue a combo on two characters at once.)
  • Lenny now always has increased start up and recovery when being placed. This is the same frame data from the last update when Lenny was placed after BANG! (M).
    
  • If using Lenny from BANG! (M) on successful hit, it uses the old placement and recovery speed from retail to allow for the old BANG! (M) x Lonesome Lenny, Argus Agony conversions.
    
• George now properly flashes on Mac and Linux systems if Peacock is hit while they're out.
  
• Adjust how long it takes for George to explode if Peacock goes into hitstun.
  
  • L: 60 → 50.
    
  • M: 15 → 12.
    
  • H: 20 → 15.
    

[hr][/hr]

(Version number 3.7.1)

Hello,

A small patch to address two outstanding issues that have been reported by the community. If you are still experiencing the issues described below, you can report bugs in our official Discord or on our official forums.

Discord: https://discord.com/invite/skullgirls

Skullheart Forums: https://skullheart.com/
[hr][/hr]
ACHIEVEMENTS

• Fixed an issue preventing the Toil and Trouble achievement from triggering.
  

PERFORMANCE

• Further performance optimizations for some new graphical effects that were implemented in the last update.
  

[hr][/hr]
(Version 3.6.11)

Hello,

Today we are continuing with some experimental balance changes for the cast. This is just the first update of many, and more system / character changes should be expected. Characters that have gotten changes may still receive more of them later. Characters that have no changes are most likely still being worked on, such as Black Dahlia, Umbrella, Painwheel, etc.

While we do our best to monitor all hot spots of discussion around character balance, the best place to discuss these changes where we can see them is our official forum. Feedback in Discord and Steam Forums / Comments for example are seldom checked.

Bug reports are welcome in the official Discord and our forum!

Discord: discord.gg/skullgirls

Skullheart: https://skullheart.com/


[hr][/hr]
[h3]SYSTEM / ALL[/h3]

• Counter hit assist calls now scale combo damage to 75%, instead of the 90% in retail.
  (... Most notably, this slightly reduces the reward off DP assist calls and requires a cleaner hit for characters to reach their max damage potential.)
• Starting a combo on a character that has 240 Drama (Undizzy) or higher will now scale the combo damage immediately to 35%. (Hits against opponents at entering or starting at 240+ Undizzy continues to scale to 55% just as it does in previous versions)
  
• When using a Burst to escape a combo that started at 240 or higher Undizzy, that Burst will be forced to a Super Gold Burst.
  (... Super Gold Burst is the one denoted by gold Burst sparks, which keeps all of your Undizzy on activation, and can not be punished. Currently it triggers when a Burstable combo goes on for longer than 90F, or when activating a Burst against a throw that started a new chain... that one! It doesn't have a name, so let's try Super Gold Burst?) (... Carrying on the tradition of adding more layers to IPS and Undizzy systems when they are not protecting players effectively, we are stepping in and stopping sluggish, long, looping combos at 240+ Undizzy that end in a Burst Bait / Throw (back into itself) in a pretty heavy handed way. Consider a different strategy that is more "two player" and interesting for players and spectators.)
• Fixed a bug where characters could perform a dash out of punch normal assists when they were used as a Stunt Double.
  
• Fixed a bug where the OTG bounce color on sliding knockdown would sometimes show a red bounce ring instead of a blue bounce ring.
  

[h3]ANNIE[/h3]

• Star Cancel is input now LP + LK instead of LP + LK + One other button, in addition to the existing 3K and 3P inputs. This should be easier to trigger with all input devices.
  
• Star Cancel can no longer be done unless Annie is attacking.
  
• Star Cancel can no longer be done for the first handful of frames of LP and LK normals to prevent accidental use.
  
• Increased cHK slide recovery (without making contact) by 7F.
  
• Reduced hitstun on jMP against airborne opponents only by 2F.
  
• Reverted most damage nerfs, new damage values compared against RETAIL are as follows:
  
  • cHP: 1200 → 1000.
    
  • sfHP: 1300 → 1200.
    
  • Destruction Pillar [H]: 1100 → 1000.
    
  • Meteor Strike: Forced 50% scaling on DHC still, from last patch.
    
  • Star Power damage from stars on normals is increased to old values. 550 for jHP, 650 for others.
    
• Added VO to the Star Power version of Re Entry.
  

[h3]BIG BAND[/h3]

• Tympany Drive
  
  • The very first hitbox frame has been shrunk, for a single frame.
    (... This is the frame that is post flash unblockable if you were not already blocking before the Blockbuster started.)
    
  • The two landing frames from Tympany after Big Band blocks are now in a counter hit state, and tracked by frame data display in training mode.
    (... It's now more obvious if the move was punished or not, and using the counter hit bonus is more reliable.)
  • Reduced blockstun of the looping hits before the final hit.
    
  • Added 6F of extra recovery to the move if it was blocked.
    (... Up close, Tympany is now -19. Previously, Tympany could be made safe by hitting with the last active frames of one of the looping hits before the final hit, since the looping hits had significantly higher blockstun. Using this strategy is still possible, but it will only be -14 now at best on block.)
• Noise Cancel (Parry)
  
  • Parry window (tap): 17 → 15.
    
  • Parry window (hold): 12 → 10.
    
  • Parry window (leaving hitstun, blockstun, wakeup, etc, tap): 18 → 16.
    

[h3]CEREBELLA[/h3]

• Unbreakable Elbow (jD+MP)
  
  • Fixed a bug where pressing down + MP on the exact frame Cerebella left the ground from a jump would cause jMP to start instead of jD+MP.
    
  • When jD+MP is performed as an instant overhead after leaving the ground, it will now floor bounce for a combo that is easy to convert from, which doesn't use OTG.
    (... In place of the often discussed JHP overhead conversion, jD+MP is becoming a more powerful overhead instead as a compromise.)
• jHP: Now an overhead if done after a glide of any length, or if done while not ascending.
  
• jHP: Increased max glide speed by 20%.
  
• jHP: Increased momentum Cerebella keeps after gliding by 50%.
  
• If Cerecopter successfully touches the enemy point character, cancelling into Diamond Dynamo will never autocorrect to avoid Cerebella turning around unintentionally and getting punished for it. Does not apply on whiff or when hitting assists.
  

[h3]ROBO-FORTUNE[/h3]

• H Beam: As an assist, it can only do a maximum of 4 hits (the amount of hits it does when far away) regardless of her range to the opponent.
  
• H Beam: Increased recovery as an assist by 26F.
  
• Magnetic Trap is no longer unblockable while rising when done as a DHC.
  

[h3]ELIZA[/h3]

• Eliza can now use Crimson Scourge without being in Sekhmet form, after performing her taunt, Scarlet Ladies. Most notably, this gives her a powerful DHC option that allows for combos afterward.
  
• Crimson Scourge no longer drains life or creates blood droplets if it connects with a character that has no life.
  
• Taunt (Scarlet Ladies) no longer pulls in nearby blood droplets.
  
• Osiris Spiral [M] now pulls in blood droplets, using her old taunt behaviour.
  
• Throne of Isis now performs a red bounce instead of a blue bounce, allowing OTG pickups.
  
• Sekhmet
  
  • Sekhmet can now be counter hit out of attacks if she is hit with an armor breaking move. She will take bonus damage, and lose Drama (Undizzy) appropriately.
    
  • Increase Sekhmet jump landing recovery by 6F.
    
  • Increase Sekhmet jump / super jump startup by 2F.
    
  • If Sekhmet sH (Axe) is blocked by the point character, Sekhmet can no longer use Sekhem Rebound (backflip) even if it hit an assist or some other object like Lenny.
    
  • Adjusted jM damage: 1000 → 900.
    
  • Adjusted sH damage: 1100 → 900.
    

[h3]DOUBLE[/h3]

• Catellite Lives (Cat Heads):
  
  • Reduced knock up on forward advancing hits.
    
  • Increased hitstun by 2F.
    (... Both of these changes combined should make it much less likely for the victim to fall out of the hits for longer range Catellite Lives confirms.)
• Flesh Step projectile invincibility starts 3F earlier, and it now builds a small amount of meter like every other special move on whiff.
  
• Hornet Bomber [L]: Increased height of the physical collision box, and hitbox, during the first hit of the move.
  (... This move should be more consistent about hitting opponents right in front of Double and less likely to whiff or pass over the opponent in awkward ways.)
• Luger Replica
  
  • L: Knockback against air reduced to 11, from 12. (Leaves victim closer)
    
  • L: Knockup against air increased from 12 to 12.5.
    (... These values are half way between the older versions of Luger, and the last version of Luger live in retail, for context.)
  • M: Increase blockstun by 4F.
    
  • H: Decrease blockstun by 2F.
    (... M Luger is now +0 on block like H Luger was before, and H Luger is now -2 on block. The powerful combo starting bullet ends Double's turn more consistently, and the lower reward bullet can be spaced to be plus if she is playing her range effectively.)

[h3]FILIA[/h3]

• cMK: Adjust pattern of alternating between push back and vacuuming, such that the final hit is now the vacuum hit.
  
• Increased the landing DHC window after Fenrir Drive by 3F, to make it a little easier to get the full damage off this Blockbuster without accidentally missing the DHC window.
  

[h3]FUKUA[/h3]

• Forever a Clone (QCB+K) no longer drains Fukua's health while she is holding her shadow.
  (... We'll start with this experiment for now and see if we need more changes at a later date.)

[h3]MS. FORTUNE[/h3]

• Adjusted Ms. Fortune's normal jump animation. Her feet are now stretched downwards for a handful of frames (like almost every other character) after she leaves the ground, to prevent her from tucking into a tiny ball on the very first frame prejump is completed.
  
• Adjusted Cat Scratch (QCF+P) metergain for whiffing each strike, when the head is on: 2.5%x3 → 1.5%x3.
  
• Adjusted Cat Scratch (QCF+P) metergain per swipe: 5%/5%/5% → 4%/3%/2%
  
• Head
  
  • When Ms. Fortune's head is struck with a light attack and Decap Attack triggers, it will launch the opponent less high, and has 2F less hitpause on contact, compared to M and H normals.
    (... With this, head loops should be effectively removed, and headless Decap Attack pressure with cLK, etc, is slightly less powerful on block.)
    
  • Fixed a bug where Feline Allergies (Sneeze) could be used shortly after Ms. Fortune was in hitstun.
    
  • When Ms. Fortune goes into hitstun, the head immediately goes into hitstun even if it was performing or recovering from an attack. This does not apply to Sneeze once it has started.
    (... This notably removes the ability for Ms. Fortune to trade with the opponent while also hitting her own head, and getting a full combo off the Decap Attack trade.)
  • Increased head lockout time on Feline Allergies from 50F to 85F.
    
  • Increased head lockout time when hit by opponent non-projectile attacks from 15F to 60F.
    
  • When Ms. Fortune's head is near the camera edge or corner, the hurtbox will be wider. This only applies when it's idling, on cooldown, or being hit.
    (... This should make it easier to hit the head with moves like cLK when it's right under and behind you, and it is easier to lock the head repeatedly.)
  • OMNOMNOM now triggers a blue bounce instead of a red bounce, preventing OTG follow ups.
    
• Damage Tuning:
  
  • Headless sHK: 1050 → 950
    
  • Head on sHP: 1000 → 975
    
  • Airborne El Gato: 900/1000/1100 → 800/950/1000
    
  • Grounded El Gato (From Cat Scratch / Headless): 1100 → 975
    
  • Final Cat Scratch Hit: 950/1100/1250 → 800/900/1000
    
  • Decap Attack: 300 → 100
    
• Fiber Upper
  
  • All versions are now only strike invincible when the head is on, and fully vulnerable when the head is off.
    
  • Added 2F of extra recovery to M Fiber Upper, and 4F of extra recovery to H Fiber Upper.
    
  • Adjusted pushback on block.
    
  • On whiff only, Ms. Fortune must wait an additional 2F to jump away from M Fiber, and 4F to jump away from H Fiber.
    
• Cat Strike (Head Bowl)
  
  • Increased invincibility by 1F to prevent it from trading.
    
  • Increased the window for the head to stagger the opponent, fixing issues where the first hit would connect but the second hit wouldn't stagger.
    
  • Lowered the hitbox height for the initial strike to make it easier to evade by jumping.
    
  • Forces 75% scaling.
    
• jLK
  
  • Adjusted hitbox to have a smaller hit region directly under her.
    
  • Can no longer hit cross up in any circumstances.
    
  • Increased recovery by 4F.
    
  • Is now a mid while rising, instead of overhead.
    
• sLP
  
  • Added two frames of recovery
    
  • Added a hurtbox to match the hit region during active frames.
    
  • Reduced range of the hitbox slightly.
    

[h3]VALENTINE[/h3]

• Fixed a bug where Acquisitive Prescription (counter time stop) against Sekhmet would not revert Sekhmet to Eliza form when Sekhmet was hit afterwards.
  
• All versions of Savage Bypass (Air) will now produce a hitbox for at least one frame, improving consistency and ensuring the move always hits when opponents are nearby.
  (... This does allow for new routes, especially in the corner, and may require damage adjustments.)
• cHP
  
  • Increased physical extent height to prevent Valentine from sliding under airborne opponents and whiffing.
    
  • cHP will no longer move Valentine forwards if the opponent is right next to her.
    
  • Slightly extended the top of the hitbox backwards.
    (... We're sacrificing some of Valentine's niche cross under resets with cHP to make the move more consistent and a better anti-air.)
• cLK: Increase hitstun by 1F to make it combo into the second hit of cMK, in the event the first hit of cMK whiffs.
  
• cMK: Second hit now vacuums back towards Valentine.
  
• cMP: Reduced startup by 2F.
  
• jHK: Increase hitstun on the first hit by 4F.
  
• jLP: When performed from a backdash cancelled into air dash (BDAD), it now has a taller physical collision box to prevent her from crossing over the opponent, much like Filia's jLK.
  
• sMP: The first slash downwards now pulls opponents down further.
  
• sMP: Increased hitstun on the first slash, and the follow-up sawing hits slightly, to prevent unlucky cancel timings into other moves uncomboing.
  
• Added 4F of hitstop (up from 0) to the final hit of EKG Flatliner so that there's a longer window to perform a DHC on the final hit without performing an unintended side switch.
  
• Extended the hitbox of Forbidden Procedure backwards a little bit so it's possible to revive every character when they are dead in the corner if Valentine's back is to the corpse.
  
• Vial Hazard Type C, AKA: Orange Vial.
  
  • Input delay values per level are reduced - Lv1/2/3: 4/6/9 → 3/5/7 frames of delay respectively.
    
  • The level 3 version now goes away if Valentine is hit at all, and no longer requires her to be hit with a Blockbuster.
    
  • The level 1 and 2 version now go away if Valentine blocks a hit.
    (... We are giving Valentine some reasonable buffs and "QoL" while reducing the effectiveness of looping Orange Vial on victims. If a victim under the effects of input delay manages to fight back against Valentine while she's in control of the situation, they are rewarded for their bravery more than before.)

[h3]PEACOCK[/h3]

• Added a new intro! You can force it to happen by holding two punches or two kicks during the fight loading screen.
  
• Victims gain more meter from blocking or being hit with Peacock's projectiles, equivalent to how Robo-Fortune's lasers work. This impacts Item Drop, Georges, and BANG! BANG! BANG! (H).
  
• Reduce damage of Argus Agony bullets: 180 → 150. Max damage 1530 → 1350.
  
• Reduce block advantage on cHK by 3F.
  
• Shadow of Impending Doom will lose its hitbox if Peacock goes into hitstun, to prevent it from trading in her favor long after she is hit.
  
• Georges
  
  • Reduce advantage of L George by 2F on block. Now -4 on block.
    
  • If Peacock is hit with a physical attack (non projectile), all active George bombs will begin to blink and count down to an automatic explosion. (NOTE: There is a known issue where the blinking is not visible on Mac and Linux - we're working on it!) The time it takes for each type of George to explode varies and is as follows:
    
  • L: 60F.
    
  • M: 15F. (... Due to the speed at which Boxcar George travels, this still may be too long...)
  • H: 20F.
    
  • If George hits an opponent after these timers have started, it will force 50% combo scaling.
    (... Using George early to cover Peacock has always been a huge part of her defensive game, and using George to force a trade or making the opponent back off is still possible even after these changes, but when this does happen, the reward has been reduced in the form of forced scaling. Calling a M/H George a single frame before going into hitstun however will no longer save her, and L George will no longer walk across the entire stage to interrupt a combo. Let's experiment with these changes and see if this is a reasonable middle ground.)
• BANG! (M)
  
  • Now has 8F of extra recovery in any situation where it does not successfully hit the enemy point character.
    
  • Reduced blockstun by 3F.
    
  • Now pulls the victim towards her if they block it while grounded.
    
  • Reduced the length of the hitbox slightly.
    
  • Increased Peacock's hurtbox after active frames so it's slightly easier to punish her.
    (... These changes, combined with the Lenny frame data changes when done from M Bang described below, should make this definitively unsafe as other DP type moves. No more awkwardly hitting them with the tip of the sword and having it be awkward to punish, no more whiffing M Bang and doing another one if they aren't in position to whiff punish, no more cancelling into Lenny at will to reduce the risk, etc. The powerful zoner needs to commit to her reversal, and if it doesn't work, she should be punished, full stop.)
• Lonesome Lenny
  
  (... After reading discussion, we opted to give Lenny numerous adjustments while still keeping it a level 1, rather than leaving it as is and making it a level 2.)
  • Damage: 3800 → 2750.
    
  • Chip: 800 → 600.
    
  • Lenny will hit nearby assist characters and push them away when placed, forcing them to drop out of the combo in most situations.
    
  • No longer deals any bonus damage on counter hit.
    
  • Reduced how far forward Lenny moves when hit by allied attacks and projectiles by 15%.
    
  • Peacock now builds zero meter while Lenny is out and she is the point character.
    
  • Peacock has more startup when the move is canceled into from BANG! (M).
    
  • Peacock has more recovery when the move is used as a DHC or when cancelled into from BANG! (M).
    

[hr][/hr]
(Version 3.7.0)