Schwarzerblitz
[Minor bug fix] Fixed Donner's second trial visual glitch
2024 Character popularity poll - the results!
The 2024 Character Popularity Poll is over! Thanks to all who have taken part - this has been the largest Schwarzerblitz survey since the game's alpha launch in 2017! Now, for the results!
Favorite Visual Design
84 votes, 3 choices per vote
Top 5
- Mystery Johnson (34 votes, 40.5%)
- Cyphr Wolfchild (24 votes, 28.6%)
- Shaz Aliart (21 votes, 25%)
- H-168 Krave (19 votes, 22.6%)
- The Evilobster (18 votes, 21.4%)
Full results
Favorite Moveset
84 votes, 3 choices per vote
Top 5
- Cyphr Wolfchild (24 votes, 28.6%)
- The Evilobster (20 votes, 23.8%)
- Sir Rattlebone (18 votes, 21.4%)
- Tutorial Man (17 votes, 20.2%)
- H-168 Krave (16 votes, 19%)
Full results
Overall favorite character
84 votes, 3 choices per vote
Top 5
- Cyphr Wolfchild (34 votes, 40.5%)
- Mystery Johnson (25 votes, 29.8%)
- H-168 Krave (21 votes, 25%)
- The Evilobster (20 votes, 23.8%)
- Shaz Aliart/Sir Rattlebone (15 votes each, 17.9%)
Full results
Least favorite character
84 votes, single choice
- Mono Kishima (11 votes, 13.1%)
- Renzo Rubecca (7 votes, 8.3%)
- Donner Misterkay (6 votes, 7.1%)
Favorite "costume character"
84 votes, up to 3 choices
Top 3
- Notorious Smithson (36 votes, 42.9%)
- Mecha Elena (31 votes, 36.9%)
- Delfina Hyaruno (25 votes, 29.8%)
Full results
Favorite character in the story
48 votes, 3 choices per vote
Top 5
- Cyphr Wolfchild (26 votes, 54.2%)
- Mystery Johnson (17 votes, 35.4%)
- H-168 Krave/Shaz Aliart (15 votes each, 31.3%)
- Donner Misterkay (11 votes, 22.9%)
- Lejl Kaleidos (10 votes, 20.8%)
Full results
Thank you very much again for taking part! Surprised by the results? Feel free to leave your opinion!
The Schwarzerblitz 2024 Character Popularity Poll is now open!
A lot of time has passed since I launched a character popularity poll for this game! Now, after v1.6 has been shipped, it is time to make amends and hear your voice!
The poll will be open till August 12, 2024 at this link! Filling it takes 2-3 minutes at most, so make sure to have your opinion heard!
Thank you very much in advance for taking part to the survey and for having been part of this amazing journey!
Note: If you have filled this already as a member of the Discord server, please don't fill it again - it's exactly the same poll!
[Major Bug Fix] Steam Deck Input issues solved
Long version
The bug
Several users reported input lag spikes after playing through the game's story or tutorial mode on Steam Deck. The issue only happened when playing with a joypad and only on Steam Deck or Linux + Proton (albeit more rarely), while Windows was completely unaffected.
The cause
Back in 2016, I edited the irrlicht source code to allow for detecting joypads more than once. The original behavior was to keep adding joypads at every new detection, effectively duplicating the list. This was fine at the time because the function to detect joypads was meant to be called only once, when the game started up.
My modification cleared the list of detected joypads before starting a new detection, to solve this issue. Unfortunately, what I didn't do was also releasing the already detected devices, which somehow still lingered in memory, causing the input events to be duplicated or missed entirely after enough detections had been triggered.
The solution
The solution to this bug was going back to that 2016 code and release all the previously detected devices before clearing the list. This apparently was the core of the issue.
Special thanks
My thanks go to the members of the community that helped me tackle this nasty bug, since I didn't own a Steam Deck to check it. In no particular order:
- Desaeta, who first reported the bug and helped me find the root cause (see this thread)
- Gamingjunkie222 for confirming the bug independently on Twitter, which made things easier to deal with (i.e. showing me it wasn't a bug that just affected one single user)
- GamingWarthog and 4C3M4N777, who verified that the fix is indeed working as intended
Minor update: v.1.6.1 (16.07.2024)
Schwarzerblitz v.1.6.1 (16.07.2024)
Character changes
Lucia
- 9P can now be cancelled on whiff (rationale: Lucia, contrary to most other characters, couldn't cancel any of her moves on whiff. This update gives her at least one whiff cancelable move)
- 9P has now Low invul from frame 1
- 9P (Supreme) can cancel into 1P
Bug fixes
- Fixed bug that persisted since v1.0 that caused some text boxes and menus in Borderless Window mode to appear off-centered
- Fixed some older memory leaks that went undetected since v1.0 too
Miscellaneous
- Added extra options for switching off joypads and switching off the joypad reconnection check. This might be useful for some bizarre configurations that don't work with the current game and allow the use of software such as Antimicro or Joy2Key in case of need
Note
- A bug that affects the game on Steam Deck is still under active scrutiny. See this thread for more information on the bug and possible workarounds.
RIDE THE LIGHTNING! Schwarzerblitz v1.6 is out!
- A new playable character: Lucia Lunarossa joins the cast, this time for real!
- New costumes and some revamped animations
- Version select: choose your favorite old moveset from the alpha and beta times (must be toggled in the options)
- Unlockable story NPCs, playable in Versus Mode
- A short bonus story chapter
- New arcade endings for Lazor and Rattlebone
- A new, revamped juggle system
- New advanced combo trials
- Balance adjustments all around the board
- A new secret arcade boss
- New training options
Thanks for having been here for the ride and, once again, let the Black Lightning strike! Detailed patch notes for each character will follow in the coming weeks!
A small delay - SCHWB v1.6 will come out in the middle of June 2024
A short technical delay
Due at least two other indie fighting games coming out on May 30-31st and Steam Next Fest approaching, I've decided to postpone the release of Schwarzerblitz v1.6 to the middle of June.
Wanna see your fan art in the game?
To celebrate the upcoming launch, fan-art submissions are open for the in-game gallery. If you have drawn any Schwarzerblitz related art piece, feel free to contact me to have it added to the game. Rules as follow:
- latest submission: 15th June 2024
- must be SFW
- must only feature Schwarzerblitz characters (characters from the short stories allowed)
Open beta still running
In the meanwhile, you can still play on the endless-beta branch (password: mysteryjohnson) to get familiar with the new character and additional features!
Thanks for your continued support! See you in 2-3 weeks!
Schwarzerblitz - Candidate v1.6 Release available in the endless-beta branch
One last huge update
Schwarzerblitz v1.6 is coming soon as a last big update... and I need all the player feedback I can get! The release candidate version is available in the endless-beta branch of the game. To access it:
- Right Click on Schwarzerblitz in your Steam Library
- Select Beta
- Input the password mysteryjohnson to access the endless-beta channel
- Switch to the endless-beta channel and let the game update
A new character
Lucia Lunarossa, originally released as a Workshop character, will be added to the game in an official form as character #28, to be unlocked by clearing Arcade mode with Mira and Lazor OR Leo and Rattlebone OR Renzo, Mono, Wally and Shaz. She sports an updated and more polished moveset (and, hopefully, more balanced), while still having access to all her transformations
A new juggle system
The juggle system has been revamped to allow for more freeform combos. Every character has now access to a universal launcher that costs one Bullet Counter and a new evasion mechanic called Trigger Escape. A new tutorial section has been added specifically to address this new content.
Each character will also receive a new combo trial that makes use of the new juggle mechanics.
Version select
You've read it right! All the characters have now access to most of their old movesets, ranging from the very first 2017 Alpha version to the latest update. Version select must be toggled in the options and changes, among other things, how gravity, juggles, mechanics and wake up options behave. If you want a taste of an older Schwarzerblitz version, be sure to check it out!
Unlockable story characters
Previously unplayable characters that appeared during the story, such as Army Soldier and Broken Krave, can now be unlocked for Free Match. They can be selected by keeping the Trigger button pressed down while hovering on a certain character.
To cry wolf
In addition to the above, there is also a new secret arcade boss fight. The conditions to get it are pretty hard, but not impossible if you have already met and beaten Arkaneis in Arcade Mode:
- Don't get any Perfect wins before match #3. If you meet K-069 at any moment during your run, you failed this condition.
- Obtain at least 2 Perfect wins after match #3.
- Play at Hard or higher.
- Win two times or more by Ring Out
- Never lose a round nor continue
- Defeat Doll in match #6
- The new boss will replace Donner as the final arcade boss
Quality of life improvements
As one last thing, there will be a couple bug fixes and general improvements, such as:
- Replaced some old animations, such as the universal backdash and Kiyoko's run
- Improved Record&Replay function in Training Mode
- A 3-frames buffer for making links more consistent
- A general rebalancing of the cast
- Small improvements to the CPU-controlled opponent logic
The update will drop within a couple months, so any additional feedback NOW is well appreciated!
[Bug Fix] Fixed song selection not working with player 2 controls
- Song selection wasn't working when Player 2 had selection priority (e.g. vs AI selected with P2 controls). Furthermore, the icons were displayed with the wrong size. This has been fixed
- Fixed a small memory leak due to a menu not being destroyed after a Free Match was over.
[Bug fix] Pressing Trigger while advancing won't cause unwanted running
Pressing Forward + Trigger together at the same time, however, will still result in a run.