We've continued to fix various issues with online play, added several bits of graphical help to make the game more understandable here and there, improved the snow stage's look, did a few balance changes, and made it so if you mash jump you'll get out of special throws just as well as if you hold jump. ;)
ONLINE PLAY FIXES
--When someone sends you a challenge then cancels it, we no longer show a popup, and we immediately hide the notification.
--When someone declines your challenge, we only show a popup if you're not playing online.
--If you somehow accept a challenge that was just canceled, the challenge is now just dropped, rather than accepted.
--Local P2 controls no longer accidentally control the remote player's rematch menu in a friend match.
--Fixed a bug that could sometimes cause players to be instantly disconnected when rematching online, and could also cause seeing “Player 1” and “Player 2” as the usernames of players. It’s possible that these bad things could still happen (please report if they do) but at least several cases of this problem are now fixed.
--Fixed a bug that consistently caused a desync if Midori got hit on the first frame after he transforms to a dragon.
CHARACTERS
GRAVE --His cloud meter (used with air C) has been redrawn. Now shows an X if you try to use it before it’s full. Also has a new visual effect for the moment it becomes full.
JAINA --Jaina's ground super, the cinematic that triggers on hit is now correctly invulnerable until the end (so that she can block projectiles she happens to land in).
--When you take 1 self-damage from doing ground C, a “-1 HEALTH” message now appears on screen, to better communicate what’s happening.
--Fixed a bug that could cause Jaina’s self-damage from her ground C happen multiple times for no reason if she’d take the damage at certain frames of the opponent’s super flash.
ROOK --If the opponent has flashing life from block damage, hitting the opponent with long-range air C to knock them down no longer heals their flashing life.
VALERIE --Her yomi counter now has text saying “YOMI COUNTER!” like other characters do.
--The graphics for her rainbow trail during her air C have been implemented a different way. Before, the trail could wobble around and change position by a large amount during the move. Now it better stays in place, so it looks more like an actual trail behind her, rather than a thing attached to her. (Imagine an airplane leaving a trail of smoke behind it; if the plane moves around, the older parts of the smoke trail shouldn’t move in lockstep to new movements of the plane.)
--Fixed a bug with her C that was introduced last month accidentally. This move was always -1 on block, but for the last month, it was +0 even though the in-game frame stats incorrectly stated that it was -1. Now it’s really actually -1 frames on block again.
--Air C frame stats adjusted so that it’s often -1 on block also, to match the ground version. It can be made +0 or +1 depending on spacing and timing.
Fixed a similar bug that affected her ground C that also affected the second hit of her B, B sequence. It now has 1f more recovery and matches the in-game frame stats, even though for the last month it was missing that 1f accidentally.
SETSUKI --Double palm (f+A) has less hitstun / blockstun.
--The version of the divekick you cancel into from ground C and air C has more startup.
--The C -> C throw has been moved to the command “hold the C button.” Now the second press of C -> C does Flying Fox.
--Fixed a bug that made her A attack to be missing 1 frame of recovery even though the in-game frame stats reported that that frame was there. Now it has the extra 1f it used to and matches the in-game stats
--Updated the graphics for her smoke cloud during her intro animation before a game starts and also during her yomi counter..
--Fixed a bug (we think??) on Mac that caused Setsuki’s model to be corrupted and crazy looking sometimes. Perhaps this is now fixed or perhaps it’s still possible but very rare. If you see this bug, please report it. If it happens to you, you can restart the program repeatedly and it will eventually load properly.
Developer’s Note: The Setsuki balance changes aren’t really an attempt to nerf her, but rather to make her mixup from ground C make more sense overall. Before, when doing Starlight Tumbler (C button), two of your options were throw and divekick. They could jump out of throw but not divekick. That makes sense except for the part that divekick then lead to f+A, C, divekick again. This lockdown felt too oppressive and could sometimes go on too long vs characters who don’t have a reversal other than their super. Now, the reduced blockstun from f+A and the increased startup from the divekick means that it’s easier to jump out. But there is now a new option of C -> C (Flying Fox) to easily hit jumpers. It’s just that if you choose this option and they block instead of jump, you’re at disadvantage, rather than in a position to repeat the whole loop.
GEIGER --His gear meter (used with ground B, ground C, and air C) has been redrawn to look cooler. Now shows an X if you try to use it before it’s full. Also has a new visual effect for the moment it becomes full.
DEGREY --Neutral A first punch of the 2-hit series is now +1 frame advantage on block, rather than +5.
--Air B (first hit of the sequence) has more recovery. It’s now about -1 on block when done from close but can be made plus on block if done from farther.
--In practice mode, if the dummy has 0 life, the ghost will no longer fail to grab them.
--Fixed a bug that made DeGrey’s air ghost do nothing if he was at the very edge of the stage, jumped back, then called her during his jump.
--Fixed a bug that showed incorrect frame advantage after air super is blocked.
--His practice animation (on the score screen after online matches) now has him punching with the arm he winds up with, rather than the other arm.
MIDORI --Sound effect adjusted for dragon transform.
--In practice mode, if the dragon is set to “reversal” after blockstun or wakeup, he will do back+A tail swipe (his fastest ground move) instead of doing nothing.
--Pre-jump frames 4 -> 3, so it’s the same as other characters. Also, graphics for these pre-jump frames adjusted to look more like you’d expect.
--In practice mode, ground B now shows correct frame stats for frame advantage on block and on hit.
--Fixed a bug that made his flurry attack (A then A again) to be missing 1 frame of recovery even though the in-game frame stats reported that that frame was there. Now it has the extra 1f it used to and matches the in-game stats.
STAGES
--Snowy Mountains. The lighting has changed so that the snow is more white and the shadow colors make more sense. The buildings in the far background have been remodelled. Some artifacting on the sky near the moon has been fixed. Also, the ground has been slightly altered to fix a subtle problem that made it appear too low under characters’ feet sometimes.
--Dojo stage’s ground also slightly altered not appear too low under characters’ feet sometimes.
MISC
--Jump now buffers like the other buttons, meaning it repeats its input for 8 frames. The practical use of this is make it so that if you mash the jump button as you’re getting up, you will jump on the first frame you’re up. Holding down the jump button used to (and still does) make you jump at the earliest possible time, but pressing it rapidly did not (now does!).
--There is a new on-screen message that says JUMPABLE! if you get hit by a special or super throw that you could have jumped out of. It’s a general, game-wide mechanic that your pre-jump frames are immune to special and super throws, and this better helps communicate that to new players.
--Max volume of the game is now louder. We found this was necessary at trade shows because even with volume set to max, using good external soundbars also cranked to max, left our game a bit too quiet for the noisy environment.
--Super meter now has a visual effect the moment it becomes full.
--When a player wins a round, the blue round-win icon now has a visual effect for the moment it appears.
--The dust effects by characters feet (seen when they move left or right) now correctly appears behind characters rather than in front in cases where it obviously should be behind.
--Fixed a bug that caused the main menu to have an all-black or partially-black background if you got to it from quitting gameplay during a super or yomi counter.
--Fixed a bug on lowest graphics settings that caused the CPU to still compute cloth physics for the shadows of characters on the ground, even though their shadows are disabled and replaced with blob shadows on lowest graphics settings.
Developer Update: Understandable Gameplay
Game Director David Sirlin discusses new graphical cues that make Fantasy Strike easier to understand.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XI5cOpfWzfU
Fantasy Strike Developer Update - Character Balance
Game Director David Sirlin discusses balance changes for DeGrey and Setsuki that are currently testing on the "wild west" branch of the game available on our Patreon and that will soon be in the Steam Early Access version of the game.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRXdNOLxBPU
What do pro players think of Fantasy Strike?
Hey fans, Leontes here with Sirlin Games. We had a blast demoing Fantasy Strike at this year's Southern California Regionals. With the help of JWE Vman and SRM Mad King we ran some pretty hype tournaments on Saturday and Sunday.
While we were surprised to be able to run TWO 45+ player double elimination tournaments over the weekend(!), we were even more floored by the incredible response the FGC had to our game, in particular that of the Injustice and Killer Instinct communities. After the event, I reached out to many of the players who hung out with us at our booth to ask them two questions; first, who's your favorite character in the game, and second, what's your favorite thing about Fantasy Strike? Here's what they had to say:
"I LOVE DeGrey. He's by far the coolest looking character to me. He's got class, style, and has a spoopy ghost bae. That's all I need. Gameplay wise, I love his simple yet effective frame trap/setplay style. If he corners you, you're gonna have a bad time. And I love that.
The game overall is perfect. Fantasy Strike is the epitome of what a balanced, competitive, FUN fighting game should be. You are rewarded when you play well. You are punished when you play bad. Making good decisions will allow you to win. Making bad decisions will kill you. It's simple, but once the mind games come into play, it IS the most layered meta I've ever experienced in a fighting game. Winning in this game feels great. You KNOW you outplayed your opponent. If you lose, you always know why you lost, and it doesn't feel bad necessarily. Losing TRULY is learning in this game. Anyone who is a fan of competitive fighting games will love this game, period."
"Jaina is definitely my favorite character! It just so happened that she was the first character I tried because I thought she looked cool out of everyone, and I had so much fun with her I rarely switched to another character! 2nd favorite is Rook.
The game is great because it is so easy to get into, there are no back forward motions, down forward motions, or charge motions for any character in the game. Every single attack and special attack is all 1 button, but you can do different attacks by jumping and using that button or holding toward/away from the opponent and pressing that button. But while the game is simple to play, it also keeps intact many aspects of fighting games people love like anti airs, whiff punishing, punishing unsafe attacks on block, teching grabs, etc. On to the point of teching grabs, you tech grabs in this game by pressing absolutely nothing, which is called a Yomi Counter! It's interesting because no other fighting game has this mechanic, but it works and I love it. You're always going to pressing something at all times whether it be an attack, walking back or forth, jumping, etc. So if you get hit with a Yomi Counter, you know that your opponent KNEW that you were going to attempt to throw them!"
"Favorite character Geiger hands down no questions. I love that he’s like a time wizard, his play style is based on defense and "TIMING".
Man, the game itself there's so much to say. For anyone who thinks it looks simple or too easy...the game is only as easy as your opponent’s skill level. There is no cheesy stuff that hits you even though you made right choices. If you make the right choice you are rewarded period. The health system may look crazy but it is honestly one of my favorite things about the game. It makes you play smart. You can't just throw things out without a purpose because the consequences are large. Yomi counters are so cool in the risk reward area. Stand still and get a huge reward or get popped in the mouth lol.
Character diversity in this game is beautiful. Not one character remotely resembles another and you can tell there was plenty of time put into the balance of the game. I could keep going on and on but I think you get that I love the game and think it’s a work of art."
Kitana Prime, Injustice/Mortal Kombat community leader
"Jaina is my favorite character in the game, hands down. I love my annoying women with air projectiles, to play defensively, and splash in a hint of risk. She fits me perfectly. One touch and I never looked back.
Fantasy Strike's simple to pick up gameplay makes it very easy to dive in and immediately have fun. However, it has enough of the deeper fighting game mechanics to add a realistic sense of depth beneath it's simplistic surface. I definitely felt like there was still much to learn/react to, and even though movesets are intentionally small, there's a freedom and style any player could lend to their character choice."
"My favorite character in the game is Valerie. I love how rushdown heavy she can be and she has some of the nastiest setups that chunks so much health even if blocked. She has great range too so she can play the neutral/footsies game really well.
The game is simplistic but can be competitive at the same time. It's great in a sense that anyone, whether they be new or are FGC veterans, can pick up and play. The mechanics themselves are easy to get a grasp onto and it makes for some interesting matchups; some matches ends quickly and some take a bit based on how the players make use of them. The inclusion of the Yomi Counter also brings a good display of mind games to the table; are they gonna throw or not? It keeps you guessing which is great in a competitive match and even when landing a Yomi Counter brings in satisfaction and a payoff too. The game itself brought players from different titles (KI, Tekken, IJ2, etc.) together and brought in so much hype! Even new players who have no knowledge of FGC terms can pick it up and compete with the pros!"
"Grave, he automatically fit my lame style, where I just want to play a strong fundamental ground game.
The game feels good all round to be honest, it feels like any player from any game can pick it up, adopt strategies from their own game, and then apply them successfully in Fantasy Strike. However, if you're also a new player, you can pick it up and play too, it feels like the skill barrier can be more easily overcome (or the reason why you lose is quicker to see and therefore quicker to be able to apply a counter strategy) since it's easier to teach these sorts of strategy due to the execution barrier being so simple."
As far as the game itself goes, it's easily one of the most pleasantly surprising fighters I've played in years. The game has a unique identity, while maintaining the spirit of a classic fighter, with some interesting twists. The system is definitely worth a closer look. The 'Yomi counter,' is one of the most unique mechanics I've ever seen in a fighting game, and while the base combat system is similar to that of a traditional 2D fighter, the character archetypes and the way they function within the game allow for expansion past that."
"My favorite character at the moment is definitely Setsuki.
Yomi counters are really satisfying to hit on someone; it feels almost disrespectful because of how risky it is. The gameplay is really fluid and it feels good to hit someone. People from any fighting game can pick it up easily and start enjoying it really fast. The offense is kinda really broke but it's fun to fight around it."
"My favourite character in the game is Rook. With the limited amount of time we got to play the game, I wasn't able to explore the other characters as much as I wanted to so I decided to just play Rook. I gravitate towards big body characters and was intrigued by his command grabs and armor.
From what I've played of the game I was really surprised by how easy it was for a newcomer to pick up. I liked the fact that each "special" move was mapped to just be a different button; it’s nice to be able to rely on reaction over execution. The difference in life bars made sense, having an agile/quick hitting fighter as a glass cannon and a slow grappler as a tank is something that you don't get in a game like Injustice 2. It was a welcome change to what I'm used to in fighting games. The Yomi counter was something that I found a lot of players would go for when I fought them because of how strong Rook's normal throw was. For me to use it on an opponent was usually due to missed inputs or a read. Though the roster was smaller than what I was used to seeing, there is so much variety and depth in each character that was playable. If Fantasy Strike is seen in future tournaments I could easily see it being picked up by a lot of different communities, the characters have a strong relation to the Street Fighter cast in their gameplay, the rounds go by quickly and add up to very hype matches when a character can die so quickly. Very interested to see more Fantasy Strike in the future!
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We made a lot of new friends at SoCal Regionals, and I want to personally thank you all for making it our most memorable event ever. I also wanted to give a shoutout to all of the other players who entered our tournaments: Rogue Slayer, EMPR Menzo, DaaChronicle, Madzin, Dawn Hibiki (Saturday Winner!), Killer Miller, Royale, MIT, DJT, Bio Billy Bones (Sunday Winner!), Timtastic, Hoku, kuroppi, Outlawshawn, Travnks, CrashOverride, Swordsman 09, Light Buster, Soda, Zaaspacer, DannyBoy, Josuke, Last Laugh, GSfrosty, and many many more.
We hope you guys continue to support us in the future. If this is the beginning of the competitive Fantasy Strike scene, I can't wait to see what it looks like in the future!
-Leontes
Minor update for network fixes
Hello, today's update is a minor quick-fix for three specific issues:
- Fixed several instances of online matches disconnecting at the start of the match, especially for slower computers
- Fixed one instance of visually being in the QM queue but never getting any matches
- Your online display name is now your Steam display name, no need to fiddle with displayname.txt anymore
Fantasy Strike at SoCal Regionals!
Coming out to SoCal Regionals this weekend?
Join us at the Fantasy Strike booth and play casuals, learn from the devs, and enter our daily tournaments at 3pm for a chance to win a Steam key!
We will be demoing with a slightly farther along build than what is currently online, so there might be some surprises ;)
SoCal Regionals is a premier fighting game tournament at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, CA featuring tournaments in Street Fighter V, Tekken 7, Killer Instinct, Injustice 2, Super Smash Bros. and more. It's one of the big majors in California, so if you're a fighting game fan, don't miss out.
SoCal Regionals: http://socalregionals.com/
Official Schedule is here.
