TIME: 11:00 am PST (we will have our normal "news portion" of the stream before at 10:30)
PLATFORM: PC Steam Early Access.
PRIZES: T-shirt each for winning team + official forum badge. Runner up gets consolation prize.
REFEREES: Tony (Casper_SBM) + Chris (Chris_SBM).
MODE: 2v2 Deathmatch (3v3 mode ... two devs (1 on each team) as refs/broadcasters).
PLAYERS: 8 Teams of 2 (16 players)
JULY 25 UPDATE: Achievements + Global Group Chat!
ACHIEVEMENTS
New progression system with artwork has been added - available in Multiplayer > Achievements.
- Achievement icons can be unlocked
- Badges earned from collecting enough achievements
- Notifications added in Lobby if a new achievement has been unlocked
*Reward system will be added to the achievements, but is not ready yet. Also these achievements should be able to be hooked up to official steam achievements once they are ready.
GROUP CHAT
Group chat has been added to the main menu. Activating will enter the user into the global group chat (Steam group chat) and can be accessed by pressing [shift + tab]. We will be adding to other menus as well very soon.
FRIENDS
- If a group of friends is together in a pregame, the Host will now take the entire party with them back to lobby if he/she exits back to lobby
- If one of the non-hosts backs out, the game will give them an option to wait for the host, or break the connection with the team
SEASONAL LEADERBOARD
- Fix for certain match scenarios not being tracked in the rankings
ANIMATION
- Kidred hit reaction made more snappy
- Killer hit reaction made more snappy
July 11 Update: Menu UI Focus
MAIN MENU
While we have been busy working on some bigger tasks and content which you will see later, in this update we've streamlined the navigation flow. Everything used to be listed in the main lobby and was getting cumbersome. We've now organized the flow to keep the lobby menu clean, with only relevant multiplayer options. Other options can be found in the Main Menu. This is a work in progress, as we'll be migrating practice mode into the main menu.
- main menu is added to the menu navigation to separate Game Options, Single Player and Multiplayer.
- added template to Arcade Mode for future implementation.
- reworked Game Type selection: now a clear option immediately after you select multiplayer. You will be asked "Rank or Rookie?"
- changed wording in the "Game Type > Player Size" pop-up menu to make things more explicit. (now says 1v1 instead of solos, 2v2 instead of duals , 3v3 instead of Posse)
GAMEPLAY
- cleanup has gone into Phantom Ponchos weapon disarm. Disarmed players can now pick up their weapons off the ground by running over them.
June 27 Update: Balancing + Bug Fixes
The following are Early access bug fixes and balancing adjustments we are currently testing. The balancing adjustments are experimental and not permanent.
MATADOR
Matador sloppiness around her blind has been tightened up, so her visuals are accurately reflecting what the gameplay windows are. Her Banderilla throwing has had several adjustments to make it a more effective option. TDM is punishable now if you make someone miss. Here is a complete list:
Matador Blind was working outside of its range and Visual FX. Hit box should line up with visual range
- Matador Bind move was triggering after the move was complete. Hitbox now active only when the animation is showing the spin.
- Reduced blind time from 8 to 6 (experimental)
- Matador spears regenerate quicker after a miss. Cool-down reduced from 7.0 to 5.0, giving her more potential spear throws per round.
- TDM miss penalty extended from 1 s to 2s. If she misses she's now punishable during recover
- Banderilla crit hit DMG increased from 45 to 50
- Crit opportunity after spear throw has been lengthened (time the first spear stays in opponent)
- Basic spear throw DMG increased from 20 to 25
PHANTOM PONCHO
- Whip hit box increased from 0.3 to 0.4 (for both whip strike, and choke)
- Shotgun width reduced from 10 to 6.6
- Range adjusted 1 meter 7.0 to 6.0
- Shotgun hit box reduced from 1 to 0.1m outside of character (requiring greater accuracy)
- Knockdown time has been reduced to 120 frames, to match other characters
DESERTER
- Deserter shotgun cone width reduced 10 to 7.5
- Deserter shotgun range reduced 7.0 to 6.0
- Deserter shotgun hit box reduced .5 to .2
- Adrenaline cool-down decrease from 20 to 15s
- Adrenaline duration decrease from 11s to 7
- Snipe fire-rate timing adjusted to .75 from 1.0 to eliminate stun-locking
KID RED
- Kid Red’s dual shot now consumes 1 stamina unit. This was considered a better alternative than proposed cool-downs, as you can still dive in and stun 2 enemies quickly (but with a cost).
June 20 Update (Week 3/12) More AI Implementation + Numerous Gameplay Fixes
The week 3 of the "12 Weeks 'Til Showdown" update has arrived. Here is what's new:
BLACK SCREEN
[IntelGraphics3000] HD rendering black now fixed.
NOTE: card is currently below minimum requirements, so not recommended!
AI BOTS
- Bots now supported in Rookie Domination/Deathmatch Modes
- FFA mode now a votable mode in Rookie
PHANTOM PONCHO
- Reduced heavy impact to be consistent with other outlaws
KID RED
- Kid Red's lagamite have been fixed - player should no longer throw invisible dynamites with weapon switches
MATADOR
- Pounce now requires 1 stamina
- Fixed: blinding enemies and it not registering on the opponent
- Fixed: full speed matador execute (Player could run with a TDM charged)
KILLER
- Fix for multiple knives into one opponent causing killer to lose knife
OTHER
- Added FFA to Rookie Modes
- FFA mode time reduced
- Chat added to match results screen, and bounty screen for post match discussion
- Lighting updates in Saloon lobby
- Graveyard: graves covered up
As always - let us know what you think of the changes. We're particularly curious as to what you think about us covering the graves (we had some complaints about getting stuck in the holes).
AI BOTS Added to Practice & Rookie Mode!
TRY OUR NEW AI BOT PROTOTYPE: AI BOTS CAN NOW FILL PLAYER SLOTS IN ROOKIE & PRACTICE MODES!
We have been working hard over the last few weeks with AI to provide new ways to populate lobbies, especially for those new to the game. This weeks update we've improved AI behaviour and, we're pleased to announce, introduced AI to Rookie Mode! Meaning you can now activate AI in both Practice and Rookie Modes.
To activate in Rookie Mode, you will see an "Activate AI" option in the main menu of the pre-game lobby. It will be up to the host (the name in yellow) to activate AI to fill the available slots. The option will be greyed out for other members in the lobby.
As this is a new feature, you may need to politely prompt the host that the feature exists and let them know it is up to them to populate empty slots with AI to start the match. That being said, we would prefer if a little bit of time is given to allow for the population of other players instead of relying on bots. Secret Ponchos is still best expereinced as PvP in our opinion.
Update is Out! Restart Your Steam!
Hey Everyone,
Please Restart your STEAM to get the update: our weekly update is out now! Of note: we did a bunch of back-end stabilization changes and have done some work on the in-game Chat for better visibility and to prevent Victory Screen layering issues.
Also - last week to practice - the Season Zero contest starts on Saturday, June 13!
Special Dev Twitch Stream With GIVEAWAYS, Sat June 6!
We hope you can join us on Saturday for a very special Twitch stream. We’ll be giving away some awesome prizes (T-shirt! art print! more!), answering questions about the big release, and talking about all the goodies and plans to come (we hinted at some of them in the 12 Weeks 'Til Showdown Trailer)! Oh, and of course playing some 3v3 with the community!
WHEN: Sat. June 6 10:30 am PST / 1:30 pm EST
WHERE: http://twitch.tv/secretponchos
GIVEAWAYS: T-shirt, Art Print, Soundtrack, Steam Keys!
Hope to see you all there!
HUGE “12 Weeks ‘Til Showdown" Update Released - Featuring New Outlaw: GORDO!
UPDATE WEEK 1 (OF 12)
Behind the scenes the last few months, we've been working closely with a tiny Early Access community, taking apart Secret Ponchos and rebuilding the matchmaking, new user experience, and expanding the game with brand new content to support the gameplay we love. Now its time to get everyone into the game and expand our Early Access program!
UPDATES:
3v3 gameplay added - it’s the sweet spot and a real game changer
Added new playable Outlaw "Gordo" - armed with a giant Gatling gun, and deadly Molotov infernos
Smarter matchmaking & searching (created a lobby merging system to bring together players waiting in parallel lobbies)
Mode Vote - redesigned to allow us to have as many modes as we want, without fragmenting player population
Improved Practice Mode - now with an AI bot option
User experience improvements: leaderboards, in-game chat, custom keybinding, adding Steam friends within game and more
