Porcupine Mines can now be targeted and destroyed.
Thunder clouds can be destroyed and have a base health value of 120.
Added HUD "Fire" prompt to Electron's Orbital Strike and Vampire's Frag Grenade secondary abilities.
Sniper Prince Forward Shield is now destructible and has a base shield health value of 200.
Fortress Barrier Shield is now destructible and has a base shield health value of 200.
5 New Primary patterns available in Character Customiser.
8 New Flight Suit Logo's available in Character Customiser.
7 New Face paint Make-up available in Character Customiser.
2 New Helmets available in Character Customiser.
7 New Eyes available in Character Customiser.
6 New Hair colours available in Character Customiser.
Removed Features
Christmas skins are no longer purchasable from the Store.
Christmas music in the Hall of Champions has been replaced with the original Switchblade soundtrack.
Hall of Champions snowy effects have been removed.
Balancing Changes
Tower Laser Damage has been reduced.
Large Mobs now have 1200 health.
Medium Mobs now have 800 health.
Fortress Shotgun now has a reduced range, with an increased damage fall-off.
Reduced cone angle by 15% (15 > 12.75 degrees).
Reduced Min Damage Range by 15% (3000u > 2550u).
Reduced Max Damage Range by 15% (10000u > 8500u).
Max range damage scale reduced by 60%.
Known Issues
Players may be unable to purchase the new Flight suit skins.
Electron Orbital Strike does no damage at level 4.
Thunder Pulse super decal positioned incorrectly if used with Tractor Beam.
Thunder Pulse super decal can disappear if the tractor beam is activated afterwards.
Hall of Champions - Podium for Berserker incorrectly names "Hot Rod" skin as "Winter" skin.
Customiser - Mohawk hair style doesn't sit correctly on 4 of 5 female head types.
Stats - Pressing "P" does not change filter. This can be done by clicking the button with the mouse cursor.
Upgrading a rocket weapon whilst locked on to an enemy will show a black reticle.
Tutorial 2 - First Upgrade prompt does not display.
After accepting an invite to a match in progress will display the entrance way briefly. This will go away after a couple of seconds and the player will be able to player as intended.
Mastery Rewards - Incorrect currency type shows for level 8 attainment on the end of match results screen.
Opening a dialogue box as match comes to end, leaves dialogue open over end-game screen.
Options - Occasionally opening the Options menu will have two items highlighted.
Localisation - There are multiple instances where text is not localised into supported languages.
SwitchBlade is Going Free to Play January 22nd!
Hey everyone,
We’ve been very open with the community regarding our plans to eventually move Switchblade into Free to Play. We’re thrilled to announce that you won’t have to wait much longer!
Switchblade is going Free to Play on January 22nd 2019!
We can’t wait to see each and every one of you on the battlefield!
Ruley
Patch 1.5.0
New Features
General Changes
Vehicle Changes
Economy
Known Issues
Welcome to Switchblade
Hi everyone,
We just wanted to welcome the Yognau(gh)ts who have joined our community through The Yogscast Jingle Jam Bundle, hosted over on Humble Bundle! Many of you might be asking yourselves “What exactly is Switchblade?” It’s a fair question and we wanted to put together a short blog post to give you a brief introduction!
Be sure to join our Discord server and follow us on social media to stay up to date with all things Switchblade!
WHAT IS SWITCHBLADE?
In the future, war is the new sport! With companies competing to produce the most deadly combat vehicles in a display of their capabilities, all for the entertainment of the entire world.
Switchblade is a 5v5 vehicular MOBA where you can swap between two completely different vehicles on the fly. You’ll find the game packed with fast-paced third-person action, plenty of vehicles, abilities and utilities along with vast cosmetic customisation options to really make your pilot and vehicles your own.
As with any MOBA, the game breaks down into several easy to remember steps:
YOUR OBJECTIVE
Your objective is to fight through your enemy’s defences and towers before destroying their base to win the game. The enemy towers and base core are protected by shields that can only be destroyed by mobs, not players, so these need to be brought down before you can destroy the cores.
To do this, you need to escort your mobs along their lanes whilst protecting them from threats they will encounter along the way. These threats include enemy mobs, defence turrets and enemy players! Once enough mobs reach their destination, the core will become exposed and vulnerable to attack from players. Destroy the tower cores to advance on the enemy base and press on to victory!
CLASSES
At your disposal are 17 deadly vehicles spread across 5 different classes, each with unique play styles and abilities. In each match, you’ll collect cash and earn experience to level up, allowing you to unlock new abilities and buy consumables and upgrades for you and your team. The 5 classes are:
Armoured: The largest and toughest vehicle class. Soak up damage and back your teammates up with powerful support abilities.
Artillery: Slow and not very well armoured, long range artillery units excel at raining fire from afar using weapons such as their howitzers with unmatched strength.
Fighter: An all-purpose class, fighters strike fast and hard at short and medium range. They excel at seeking out opponents and clearing the way for their team.
Scout: If you want to get to an objective and quick, the scout is the class for you. Small, fast and nimble, they are great at sowing chaos with their disruptive abilities.
Tank: Tanks are big, bulky and heavily armed. Back your faster teammates up at the front line while blazing the trail for those behind.
Each vehicle has a primary fire, two abilities and a super ability. These supers are designed to turn the tide of a battle, but don’t hold on to it for too long waiting for the perfect moment! You’re not limited to just one vehicle in a match. You can choose two and switch between them on the fly with your dropship. Be sure to pick two vehicles from different classes to maximise your effectiveness on the battlefield!
WHERE TO FIGHT
The first map available right now is the cold and desolate beaches of Iceland.
*Coming soon*
An all-new map with an all-new aesthetic: Monorail
IN-GAME CURRENCY
To reward your efforts, you’ll earn two currencies in Switchblade: Battle Points and Bit Cash.You’ll be spending these currencies on fantastic cosmetic options in-game to customise your pilot and vehicles!
Battle Points are our progression currency that you can earn by completing games, challenges and daily logins. Bit Cash is our premium currency that can be earned through completing challenges and daily logins, with the option to buy more should you chose to. Most cosmetic items in Switchblade can be purchased with either Battle Points or Bit Cash so you can earn and unlock rewards at your own pace. The only things that are only purchasable via Bit Cash are Battle Point boosters, vehicle packs and some character cosmetics.
We’re thrilled to have you all on board as we make our final push towards getting the game ready for its Free to Play launch! We’re constantly listening to community feedback and talk to players every day in our Discord server. We also run regular community playtests where the developers jump into games with the community on PC and PS4.
See you all on the battlefield!
New Vehicle Released - The Porcupine
Hey everyone,
We’re thrilled to announce the release of a new vehicle onto Switchblade today, The Porcupine!
The Porcupine - A Gathering Storm
This remarkable mobile weather machine is the result of a childish bet between the CTOs of Switchblade Central and Environment Central. If you ever want to know which department has the best scientists, either watch the Porcupine in action or read the Switchblade chief’s unfortunate new facial tattoo.
The Porcupine is a fast Scout-class vehicle equipped with the force of a volatile weather system. It has a light primary attack in the form of a laser of electricity that slowly chips away at its opponent's health. Its first ability is Overdrive, a speed boost shared with nearby teammates to get your vehicles to the front lines faster! Its second ability is Thunder Mines, a deployment of several storm cloud mines, left in a row behind the vehicle to catch pursuers by surprise. Its super ability is Lockdown Storm, summoning icy winds that freeze opponents in place and disables their abilities for a short time!
The Porcupine will be available for all Legendary and Founders pack owners to use. Starter and Epic pack owners have the option to buy access to the Porcupine from the in-game store for either 150 Bit Cash or 22,000 Battle Points or wait for it to start entering the daily rotation from 12th December.
Like many of the other Scout vehicles, It’s positioned as a fast attack vehicle with a few tricks up its sleeve. We’re excited to see exactly what the community gets up to with a new tool in their arsenal!
The Porcupine is now live on Steam and PS4. You can read the full patch notes, along with a list of known issues in the Steam release here.
As always, be sure to join our Discord and follow our social media accounts to stay up to date on all things Switchblade!
See you all on the battlefield!
Ruley
Patch 1.4.0
Major Changes
Porcupine vehicle added to game.
Porcupine skins and Mastery skins added to game.
Vehicle health and shield ratio rebalanced. Now vehicles will have unique health and shield quantity values.
Bug Fixes
Fixed issue where players were unable to progress into Tutorial 2 when playing in German, French, Italian or Polish.
Crash fixed when navigating the Collections menu.
Fix for late-join crash.
Blurred wheel effects causing issues with wheels have been temporarily removed until they have been fixed.
Text strings fixed for Boosts.
Fix for camera disconnecting from player vehicle.
Fix for HUD not appearing after late-joining into a match.
Fix for Tiny Giant skins being swapped in Collections menu.
Fix for shotgun vehicles (Vampire and Fortress) not dealing damage to balloon weapons.
Known Issues
Game registers input when the Options menu is open during a match.
Multiple Broadcaster UI issues.
Broadcaster controls are inverted when locked on to a player.
Pressing “P” on keyboard on the Stats screen will not change filter.
There are some missing SFX when navigating the Hall of Champions menus.
Multiple text strings throughout the game are not localised.
Patch 1.3.0
Major Changes
“Showroom Sheen” achievement can now be unlocked by either purchasing a vehicle or a vehicle skin with bit cash.
Vehicle rotations added.
New Bundles added.
Bundles
Starter Pack - Includes:
Fog Hog.
Tiny Giant.
Thunder Pulse.
Berserker.
Epic Pack - Includes:
Fog Hog.
Tiny Giant.
Thunder Pulse.
Berserker.
Goofer.
Electron.
Gravitron.
Kamikaze.
SafeGuard.
Healing Hippo.
Legendary Pack - Includes:
All current 16 vehicles.
Instantly unlock any new vehicles upon release.
3-Day Battle Points boost.
500 Bit Cash.
Known Issues
Hall of Champions - Thunder Pulse model in Hall of Champions has the wrong skin name.
Stability - Occasional crash when late-joining a server.
Customiser - Options occasionally need be selected twice before they open.
Stats - Pressing “P” on keyboard does not cycle through filters.
Tutorial 1 - The player can't use keys 3 or 4 to unlock / upgrade their abilities.
Lobby - When the user is selecting a skin for their second vehicle in the lobby, the green tick does not appear to confirm the choice.
Lobby - Occasionally the skins menu cannot be opened.
Invites - Error message displays incorrectly informing players they have lost connection to the server. However, the player has not disconnected.
Broadcaster - Sway mode enabled by default.
Broadcaster - “Temp” button icons display when playing with mouse and keyboard.
UI - 4K scaling - HUD distorts when game enters Overtime.
UI - If the user dies with their upgrade HUD open, when they respawn they will be unable to use any of their secondary abilities and open the shop.
UI - When the user opens the game options menu, there can be two highlighted selection boxes.
UI - The mute button is not functional.
HUD - Allied AR Markers can occasionally be left on screen after the ally is killed.
Options - The default setting of "Full Screen" within the video settings isn't full screen, it appears to be using borderless settings
Localisation - Localised Thunder Pulse name displayed in the Hall of Champions, out of line with other vehicles
Localisation - "Support Ace" Challenge is not translated
Localisation - Camera Relative Movement within the game options isn't translated
Patch Notes 1.2.0
Major Changes
The Armoured class has been replaced with Support. Gravitron, Tiny Giant and Healing Hippo are now classed as Support, while the Vampire is now a Tank.
Vehicle top speeds have been rebalanced across the board. Slower vehicles are now capable of keeping pace with Mobs, allowing them to be used to push waves.
Healing output on all support vehicles' main weapons has been rebalanced to stop them out-healing damage in small team-fights. This change puts more focus on the healer’s “sustain” role, and gives their secondary abilities more weight.
Dropship health has been increased (its max health is now equal to roughly 60% of a Small Mob’s). However, Dropships now spend slightly longer hovering above the player before the new vehicle is dropped. This change means Dropships now require a little more focus to destroy and should help make switching vehicles a more viable strategy without having to worry about your ship being taken out by a stray bullet or destroyed at the last second.
A.I targeting has been rewritten to consider priorities instead of just shooting the nearest thing.
A.I have now been taught how to use ramps.
Added bot taunt dialogue (get rekt!)
Added bot behavior on Sin Bin (looking at stuff, emoting)
Vehicle Changes
The distance of your incoming Dropship is now displayed in the lower-right HUD.
Vampire: [Ability R/R1] Grenades now fire in a narrower arc and their range can be altered, allowing players to focus on single targets more easily. Each individual grenade now deals more damage, but the total number of grenades fired has been reduced.
Vampire: [Ability Q/L2] The Vampire super now steals health from enemy vehicles and Mobs much faster, making this ability much more effective in group fights and increasing the Vampire’s survivability and viability as a Tank.
Mob Buddy: [Ability R/R1] Mimic is now removed if the Mob Buddy takes any damage while using the ability and Mimic’s damage reduction is now limited to the first hit taken.
Berserker: [Ability E/L1] The Mortar’s range can now be adjusted by raising or lowering the turret. In addition, shells have a much narrower spread allowing players to focus on single targets.
Flaming Blade: [Ability Q/L2] Hitting enemies with the Flaming Blade Super no longer applies a damage modifier. This was causing the ability to be much more effective in team fights than it should have been.
Fog Hog [Ability E/L1] Stone Shield’s duration has been significantly increased and its cooldown has been reduced. Upgrading this ability now increases its damage resistance, but no longer changes its duration. This ability should now feel more consistent to play with and against.
Sidewinder: Some small camera adjustments to give players a clearer view ahead.
Sidewinder: Improved missile behaviour while firing and moving.
Sniper Prince: [Ability E/L1] Activating the Forward Shield no longer applies a damage reduction to the vehicle’s chassis (this was more of a bug).
Bugs
Fixed an issue causing the Damage Boost, Damage Reduction, and Damage Enhancement items to work incorrectly.
The Safeguard's Gunner Drone now displays the correct cooldown durations in the Upgrades menu.
Fixed an issue causing enemies hit with the Flaming Blade to appear rusted.
The vehicle stat bars seen in the lobby have been updated to reflect the latest balancing changes.
Fixed issue causing bots to fire when they shouldn't and not fire when they should (no more pacifist bots, and much less shooting rocks).
Fixed the issue upon levelling up players not being shown upgrade points within the UI but had the points to spend.
Fixed the issue causing Tiny Giant to remain tiny for a player if they are killed while it's super ability is active.
Fixed the issue of Flaming Blade's super ability decal remaining after the super ability has been used.
UI audio added to upgrading abilities on the Sin Bin .
Fix added for when the player is killed and their vehicle just disappeared.
Fix for the reticle overlapping with Scoreboard.
Exploit fix for the Goofer being able drive into mobs and take no damage from them if the player used their weapon lock ability upon impact.
Fix for the character line-up, where an aiming reticle appeared in the middle of the screen.
Collision fixes where players were able to drive into parts of the terrain and unable to receive damage or damage other players.
Fix for Challenge Post-Game Screen not correctly displaying challenges.
Fix for being able to kill Enemy Players & AI on the oppositions starting platform.
Fix for Sin Bin HUD elements being missing (mini map etc...).
Weapons HUD fixed to be correctly positioned.
Ability cooldowns now update when upgraded.
Mastery and Challenge UI screens now update correctly after playing Co-op vs. AI matches.
Missing loading screens when accessing Tutorials have been added back in.
Fix for the Pause menu getting stuck on screen, forcing a restart.
Fix for players being unable to navigate end-game screens with a controller.
End-game screens now update when players leave the session.
Upgrade notification now appears in Tutorial 2.
SWITCHBLADE ROADMAP: WINTER 2018
Hi everybody! With our next update fast approaching, we wanted to share with you some of our plans for the last few months of 2018.
October
NEW VEHICLE – PORCUPINE Porcupine, a Scout-class vehicle in Switchblade.
This remarkable mobile weather machine is the result of a childish bet between the CTOs of Switchblade Central and Environment Central. If you ever want to know which department has the best scientists, either watch the Porcupine in action, or read the Switchblade chief’s unfortunate new facial tattoo.
November
MATCHMAKING PHASE 1 Finding players in Switchblade can currently take a long time which can be frustrating. Here are some steps we are taking for the first matchmaking update to make a smoother process for players.
UNDER THE HOOD Visually we’ve provided some improvements (see below) but under the hood things have changed quite a bit. While our old way of doing matchmaking basically ran on a first come first served basis, if a player wanted to join a match it would boot up that server and then wait for others to join. This led to almost empty, split lobbies as players would get bored of sitting in a lobby twiddling their thumbs and just start the match.
This new matchmaking system will pool players together before any servers are booted up. This way we can ensure that matches are (hopefully) full of players and a more enjoyable experience in Switchblade. In future updates we will provide a more streamlined UI as well as more balancing of teams as we reintroduce Competitive play.
PLAYERS WILL NOW BE ABLE TO SEE
How long you have been waiting
What region you are searching in
More detailed breakdown of server stats
A player list of who is in your party
Which map and game mode you are searching for
Quick Play: If the matchmaker is taking too long we would inform you that you will be entering a game with bots and uneven amounts of players.
MAP SELECTION While the only map right now is Iceland, Monorail will be joining the roster in December. We will allow players to pick their preferred map when selecting Quick Play.
LATE JOIN AND REJOIN
During Phase 1 of Matchmaking, there will be no late joining. We are going to be implementing a “Rejoin” feature in a future phase of Matchmaking.
INVITATIONS AND PARTIES The matchmaking system will still be able to handle players joining as a party (2-5 players). If a player is already in a match, we won’t allow players to invite other players to join, unless there are free spaces in that match.
NEW VEHICLE – SUNDOG Sundog, a Fighter class vehicle in Switchblade
After scientist at the Super-Cern high energy physics laboratory successfully led their fighter design to victory in the 3153AD amateur Switchblade leagues, they decided to turn pro and bring their sun-fuelled little scrapper to the professional Switchblade circuit.
STORE CONTENT
New content includes:
New helmets
New flightsuit colours
New eye colours
New logos
Vehicle skins
December
NEW MAP
MONORAIL We’ll be sharing images and videos of the new map coming in December. Get ready for a whole new experience with Monorail.
NEW VEHICLE – BIG BOB Big Bob, a Tank class vehicle in Switchblade
Based on a vehicle used by Environment Central to wrangle Patagonian Hyper-Moose, Big Bob’s mighty 6000mm cannon is easily capable of subduing a 200 ton Hyper-Ram. Its atom-powered ability to simulate a ritualistic threat display has been known to turn the head of many a young Hyper-Doe in mating season.
2019
MASTERY TITLES
A mastery title is a unique title that is displayed underneath the player’s Username. Related to completing a particular accomplishment in Switchblade. For example a Title is awarded when the player has reached Level 20 with a particular vehicle or as a Season Reward.
Here is a selection of Mastery Titles to come!
Stormbringer – Reach Mastery Level 20 with the Porcupine.
Bastion – Reach Mastery Level 20 with the Fortress.
River Pig – Reach Mastery Level 20 with the Healing Hippo.
Founder – Purchased the Founder’s Pack
Beta Tester – Participated in the Closed Beta
CUSTOM GAMES
Unranked matches where players can host their own match
Will allow both private and public matches
Will require its own match select screen where the host can configure the custom match
This screen replaces the Matchmaking screen in the Custom Match session flow
COMPETITIVE
We are overhauling our matchmaking system to ensure players are matched as evenly as possible.
A minimum of 10 players must be present for a Competitive Ranked match to start.
There are no AI Bots in Competitive Ranked. If a player disconnects/quits from a Competitive Ranked match their vehicle is immediately removed from the game-world.
Players will have the opportunity to rejoin a Competitive Ranked match if they have disconnected/quit.
Competitive Ranked matches will require players to be at least Tech Level 15.
This ensures that players entering this high-stakes mode have a better understanding of the game.
We are introducing an automated moderation system that penalises players who intentionally spoil others’ experience. Initially this will take the form of a penalty system that introduces time-limited bans that escalate for repeat offenders.
If any player leaves a match within a short time after it has started, the match will be cancelled with no change to your season rank.
We’re adding a more complete notification system informing team-mates of leavers, and giving players the option to abandon a match if they do not have a full team after a grace period (in which leavers may reconnect).
Map selection will be randomised and Map Select will no longer be an option in Competitive play.
Players can begin losing Stars when they reach Rank 5 (currently this is Rank 15).
Winning Streaks will be available from ranks 1-24 and will only require 2 consecutive wins.
At the end of a season, players’ ranks will be reduced by a set number of Stars rather than being completely reset. This means that at the start of a new season players will be matched against others of a similar skill.
We are reworking our Rank Insignia to be more effective at communicating the player’s current skill “band”. We will also display the player’s current MMR when they enter the Superstar League.
Players who reach the Superstar League will be ranked according to their current MMR and we are introducing a “Top 500 League” that adds a flourish to the player’s Rank Insignia if they are within the top 500 players in their region.
SEASON AWARDS
Giving the player prizes for taking part in ranked matches
5 awards, themed together so each season has different prizes
Will need additional UI to tell the player what they’ll win and when they win it
SWITCHBLADE DOUBLE XP AND BATTLE POINTS WEEKEND | SEP 21-24
It’s time to give you guys a little extra!
To thank all the players who have joined us during Early Access, all players who log in this weekend on PC and PlayStation 4 will receive double experience and Battle Points.
This bonus will apply to nearly all sources of in-game XP and BP, including:
Completing a match
Playing vehicles and gaining XP to your vehicle masteries
This bonus experience period begins in all regions across all platforms on Friday, September 21st at 3:00 p.m. BST and ends on Monday, September 24th at 11:59 p.m. BST.
Thank you so much for your support, passion, feedback, and enthusiasm. We hope to see you in-game this weekend and wish you many awesome adventures on the battlefield during Early Access!
