Skullgirls Encore 1.03: Skin and Bones Patch Notes

September 30th, 2014
Written By: Earl Gertwagen

General Changes

• Eliza added to the roster as the third DLC character.

• Purchase her from the store FREE for first 3 months!

• Eliza’s Story added to Story Mode.

• Eliza’s Tutorial added to Tutorial Mode.

• New stage added: Bath of Tefnut. Eliza’s personal spa features the “An Oasis in Time” background theme by Michiru Yamane.

• Added Fukua’s Tutorial to Tutorial Mode.

• Improvements to existing stages:

• Medici Tower stage improved with better parallax effects, floor polish, and animated scenery outside of the top floor window.

• Nightmare Crest (PC 2D version) improved with lessened blur effects.

• Fixed a bug in background camera-shake effects. For example, Painwheel’s charged cr.HP and LK Buer Reaper now shake the trees on Maplecrest as intended.

• Class Notes (PC 2D version) now has blue lines in the background to help with determining character positions in the air.

• Added 1 additional Patron Saint NPC.

• Added Entourage. Save up to two teams, including Ensembles and palettes, on a hotkey for quick selection later!

• After picking a team in Versus Mode or the Training Room, press Macro1 or Macro2 during Stage Select to save the team in Entourage slot 1 or 2. To select using Entourage, press Macro1 or Macro2 while selecting Team Size.

• Online play disables saving a new Entourage, but still allows Entourage selection of a previously saved team.

• Entourage selection is completely disabled in Story Mode.

• Added background effects for a match-ending Blockbuster.

• Added background effects and appropriate music for the duration of a Double Take (AKA double snap) combo. Thanks to a certain someone!

• Various improvements for console versions:

• Improved menu caching, making most menus load faster.

• Stage backgrounds are no longer rendered when they are not actually visible. This removes some lag during Valentine’s Dead on Arrival, among other less noticeable things.

• Further optimized load time for character art files when switching to a new character (Xbox 360 version).

• Tournament Mode now disables the “Home” button during gameplay (PSN version).

• New Training Mode options:

• Grid: display a grid on screen to see character spacing.

• Show Crossups: when a move hits as a cross up the hit effect is replaced with a large, round hit effect.

• The Art Gallery (PC version) received the following updates:

• 150 new pieces have been added!

• The background music player has been updated with all new and previously missing songs.

• Running the game windowed (PC version) now no longer has a titlebar and always has a thin border. To move the window, simply click anywhere inside it and drag. This change disables several commands that cause predictable lag during online play, such as bringing up the context menu with Alt-Space or even just clicking on the titlebar and holding down the mouse button.

 

Gameplay Changes

• Fixed the last known remaining unblockable setup: when a throw attempt whiffs through throw invulnerable jump start up frames, the rest of that jump start up is now invulnerable to everything. In addition, anti-air throws that are unblockable on the way up (Cerebella’s Excellebella, Big Band’s Take the ‘A’ Train) become blockable for 8f. Thanks to Age.

• Added a Pushblock Guard Cancel Flash effect; a successful PBGC will cause the defending character to flash green similar to the red flash effect from a counter hit.

• Standardized all high and low multi-hit normal moves; the first hit that makes contact always forces a block direction and any subsequent hits can be blocked as mid, as originally intended. This includes fixes for attacks that forced a block direction for every hit (Parasoul’s j.HK, Fukua’s c.MK, etc) and some others that forced a block direction for the first hit but never for the subsequent hits (Squigly’s c.HP, Valentine’s j.HK, etc).

• Ensemble markers now stay on screen until the character gets hit or becomes invincible during the exiting taunt; if you see the marker, you can hit the Ensemble.

• Quick-swapping team order (during load screens or while selecting Play Again after a game) is now done by holding a Tag command (MP+MK or HP+HK) instead of the Ensemble commands.

• Setting “Teams Number of Rounds” to more than 1-out-of-1 will use rounds instead of the downs used during a solo team vs solo team match.

• Added an additional 5f leniency window during recovery after normal throws to buffer special or Blockbuster move inputs.

• The default Macro2 command is now MP+HK instead of MK+HP to prevent unwanted command overlaps, such as moving around Ms. Fortune’s head. Thanks to Wildpony.

• Various issued have been fixed with the “Advanced” Attack Data option’s frame data display in the Training Room. Thanks to Pizzarino.

• Whiffed attacks no longer show as -1f off of their total frames in the numeric frame data display.

• Numeric frame data display now completely ignores super flash frames.

• Various attacks that have a recovery animation that do not actually restrict any other action (Cerebella’s (air) ↓+MP, Ms. Fortune’s FIber Upper command jump, Peacock’s The Hole Idea) no longer count as recovery frames to the frame data bar or the numeric frame data display.

• Fixes for various bugs and glitches. Lab Zero just can’t stop fixing whatever you find!

• Fixed an IPS exception where the first hit of a new chain could hit something other than the point character (an Ensemble, Ms. Fortune’s head, etc), causing IPS to not properly “watch” the chain when the rest of it hits the point character. Thanks to zeknife.

• When the Ground Tech option is enabled, the training dummy no longer attempts inputs for a Ground Recovery unless it is in hit stun. Thanks to MyLifeIsAnRPG.

• After the game boots without previous save data, the training dummy will now actually use an Infinity Breaker when the Escape Infinite Combos option is set to the first available hit. That was a weird one.

• The Ensemble character is no longer invulnerable to supers during a Double Take combo. Thanks to Flotilla.

• After being hit by an Outtake, the Ensemble character is invulnerable until leaving the screen or hitting the wall. Thanks to Skarmand.

• Fixed a bug where a Blockbuster Sequel would succeed when the attacking point character gets hit and starts the Blockbuster Sequel on the same frame. Thanks to MyLifeIsAnRPG.

• Fixed a bug where if Player 2 starts a Blockbuster Sequel and Player 1 starts a Blockbuster (or a Blockbuster Sequel) on the same frame, Player 2’s incoming character would jump on screen and then leave without doing the Blockbuster.

• Fixed a bug that could lower a throw break window by 2f in some situations.

• Fixed various lobby issues, including controller assignments, player rotation in odd player count lobbies, and some complete crashes. Thanks to Flotilla, gluemchen, Camail, Luweewu, Zari0t for bug reporting and troubleshooting.

• When loading a match, keyboard inputs (like holding a tag command to swap team order) now register as late into the loading screen as controller inputs do.

• Fixed launchers so that they function properly against an opponent landing from an Infinity Breaker. Thanks to Stuff.

• Fixed a crash in the Tutorials when moving the cursor in certain ways on the chalkboard. Thanks to MysteriousJ.

• Fixed a bug where the AI could not pick an Ensemble for Big Band or Eliza.

• Fixed various “missing” VO lines to Valentine, Squigly, and Big Band. These were all lines that were already in the game but never played.

 

Character Changes

 

Filia

• Fenrir Drive will no longer kill the opponent’s point character at any point before the final hit.

• The Trichobezoar projectile will now absorb and negate all other projectiles until it makes contact with a character.

• The air version of Gregor Samson received the following changes:

• Bugfix: Gregor Samson can no longer be performed while beginning to fall after a failed Fenrir Drive.

• Induced hit stop lowered; it can now be blocked on reaction after the flash at any range.

• On block or whiff, Filia now lands closer to the opponent.

 

Cerebella

• Fixed a bug with Diamond Deflector vs Peacock. Thanks to Skarmand.

• Diamond Dynamo now has a smaller hit box on the first active frame (while opponent is still stuck in induced hit stop). Invulnerable frames have been reduced to overlap the first few active frames only. This brings it in line with other level 1 Blockbusters and still lets Excellabella or Cerecopter combo directly into Diamond Dynamo at mid screen.

 

Peacock

• Peacock’s backdash no longer has a portion where it is considered airborne; she can always be thrown, always cancel to ground normals, and can no longer randomly go over certain low attacks.

• Fixed vulnerable frames at the end of a successful ground throw; the entire throw animation is invulnerable as originally intended.

• Shadow of Impending Doom received the following changes:

• The barrel and piano items now affect the opponent the same way as other equivalent items in all cases including OTG hits.

• A Road Roller can now drop as an Ensemble if using the Lv3 version

• The Road Roller can now cause the same background effects as a game winning Blockbuster.

 

Parasoul

• Slightly modified palette #21 per Indiegogo backer request.

• j.LK and (air) b+LK no longer count as seperate moves for IPS. Thanks to gllt.

• Fixed a bug where hitting a tear with j.MK then chaining to another tear igniting attack would detonate a tear that j.MK originally hit. Thanks to Baiken.

• Egret Dive received the following changes:

• The soldier is now “active” to block projectiles as soon as he lands instead of waiting the additional 10f to start his jump.

• Parasoul now gains meter when the soldier absorbs a hit.

• Silent Scope hit box expanded downward to hit certain low profile moves (like Filia’s Gregor Samson).

• Egret Charge now only goes to the “failed” state if Parasoul is hit during the first 20f of her action, not the entire action.

 

Ms. Fortune

• Fixed a bug that corrupted Ms. Fortune’s lighting information in certain spots.

• Throw animations that would normally grab an opponent’s head (Painwheel’s ground throw, Big Band’s air throw, etc) now grab at Ms. Fortune’s body instead of her missing head. Fortune still breathes gas through her neck during Valentine’s ground throw.

• Fixed a bug where an input for another back dash during the recovery of Ms. Fortune’s back dash could give her a forward dash instead. Thanks to faerie.

• Fixed a cleanup error in j.MP.

• The 5f early input window on Fiber Upper’s command jump now also allows special move commands instead of only normal moves.

• Cat Strike received the following changes:

• Invulnerability changed – invulnerable to hits only, never to throws.

• Cancelling from the end of Cat Scratch Fever removes all invulnerability from Cat Strike.

• OMNOMNOM will now produce appropriate red or green hit sparks if the opponent can perform an Infinity Breaker as soon as the OMNOMNOM ends.

• Tag In attack can now generate Drama and get watched by IPS as originally intended.

• Feral Edge’s induced hit stop lowered; it can now be blocked on reaction after the flash at any range.

• Fifth of Dismember updated – can now do a Blockbuster Sequel from the final explosion hit, but only after a successful first hit from one of her limbs.

 

Painwheel

• Fixed a bug that caused Hatred Guard moves to not have armor after certain odd inputs. Thanks to Elky Dori.

• c.LK hitbox extended downward to give more consistent OTG hits.

• c.MK now hits as a low.

• c.HP now hits as a high when fully charged.

• c.HK now knocks the opponent towards Painwheel when fully charged, allowing easier follow up combos.

• During Hatred Install, the LP version of Gae Bolga Stinger no longer forces its typical 50% Damage Scaling.

• Fixed a bug involving the start up of Flight when performed high up in the air during the startup of Squigly’s Center Stage.

• Flight Cancel received the following changes:

• Fixed a bug that caused Painwheel to go into a weird state after blocking during the 5f Flight Cancel animation. Thanks to Zevak.

• Blocking during the cancel animation now causes 25% of the incoming attack’s normal block stun.

• Flight Cancels can now be performed with a negative edge PP command, as well as just pressing PP. Thanks to NeonNightRider.

• Fixed LK Buer Reaper so that cancelling to Flight then combing to ↘+j.LP, s.MP will no longer randomly miss on Squigly when facing left.

• Tag In attack received the following changes:

• The throw can no longer be teched when used as part of a combo. It can still be teched in any other situation.

• It can now generate Drama and get watched by IPS as originally intended.

• Outtake has been standardized with a slightly shorter start up and recovery.

• Buer Overdrive received the following changes:

• It now fully connects in all situations, even when the first hit connects at an odd angle or hits as an OTG.

• Armor improved to 3 hits instead of just 1. Thanks to Weatherbee.

 

Valentine

• Valentine can now choose between throwing a Dead Cross or a Flew Shot when she has a poison loaded. The ↓↘→+P command with a button tap will throw the shuriken, and holding the P button down for more than 7f throws the syringe. The start up times do not change and she will still prefer to throw syringes during an Ensemble.

• Tag In attack will no longer cross up an opponent in some situations near the corner.

• Fixed extraneous hit boxes and sound effects in Valentine’s Infinity Breaker.

• Countervenom now breaks armor.

 

Double

• Fixed a vulnerable frame in Double’s post-Ensemble taunt.

• Tag In attack received the following changes:

• Trading hits with the first hit now causes a regular knockdown instead of a ground bounce.

• The ground bounce has been improved, allowing Double to start a combo off of it in most situations against heavy characters.

• The second hit can no longer cross up; blocking the first hit and holding that block direction will always block the second hit.

• Bandwagon Rushdown will now trigger the reverse direction when holding any back direction instead of just straight back.

 

Squigly

• Redistributed damage and hit stop on Seria Draugen Punch to favor the first hit, offering better damage scaling and a bigger window to cancel to a Blockbuster.

• Fixed various projectiles on other characters so Center Stage can no longer drag them off the back of the screen to make them disappear. Thanks GFarmer!

• Fixed vulnerable frames at the end of a successful Silver Chord; the entire throw animation is invulnerable as originally intended.

• Fixed bug where Squigly Battle Opera would occasionally not disappear when Squigly was hit by certain moves.

• Daisy Pusher now properly interacts with the landing recovery of Cerebella’s grab Bag. Thanks to severine.

 

Big Band

• The recovery animation of a successful Noise Cancel no longer prevents blocking.

• s.MP received the following changes:

• Playing additional notes now requires holding the initial MP down for 28f, making the first hit easier to use as an actual attack. If the MP button is only tapped, followup buttons like HP/HK will be attacks instead of notes.  Thanks to LAST_WINDOW.

• Fixed visuals when playing a LK+HK or LK+MK+HK trumpet note with s.MP.

• Frame data adjusted to make it less unsafe on block.

• HK Cymbal Clash now has a 3f kara cancel window from j.HK to help prevent input errors.

• Take the ‘A’ Train received the following changes:

• Big Band stops moving forward entirely as soon as the grab attempt begins, rather than sliding.

• Fixed a bug where being hit on the first active frame could cause the second active frame to be skipped because of the armor reaction, resulting in no active frames. Thanks to Fizzxwizz.

• Tag In attack has 1 hit of armor.

• Outtake received the following changes:

• Recovery made slightly shorter to match the rest of the cast.

• Hit box extended slightly downward; certain characters shouldn’t be able to occasionally duck under it at close range.

• When used after a taunt, Super Sonic Jazz and Tympani Drive will not kill until the last hit.

 

Fukua

• Drill of My Dreams (↓↘→+KK) now has an air version. It has a downward angle and is sort of a new move!

• Removed Filia’s “Sorry, Samson…” VO at loss.

• j.HK received the following changes:

• Active frames reduced from 3f to 2f, changed to prevent a variety of bugs with the attack. It should no longer hit Marie without triggering the dive effect or go completely bonkers if it hits Horace.

• Fixed a bug where teching a throw could later cause the dive effect to trigger on whiff. Thanks to Natezer.

• Air throw’s recovery can no longer cancel to a special or Blockbuster move.

• Love Dart received the following changes:

• Damage for all versions increased to 600 with 200 chip, from 350 with 150 chip.

• All versions scale followup combos to 75% damage on hit.

• Air LP version now has a steeper angle.

• Air MP version now bounces off the ground.

• All versions now lose hit stun as they travel. The air versions reach a minimum of ~19f after 14f of travel. Block stun works the same way and is always slightly shorter than the hit stun.

• Ground versions now have 8-12f more hit stun than air versions. Best Friends Forever will now combo off of a close Love Dart.

• Ground versions have 5f more recovery, giving them a close range hit advantage similar to the original version of the move.

• Tender Embrace received the following changes:

• Start up increased to 8f from 4f.

• Damage increased to 2000 from 1800.

• Inevitable Snuggle can no longer cancel to level 1 Blockbusters during start up. It can still cancel to her level 3 or level 5 after it has absorbed a hit with armor.

• Best Friends Forever received the following changes:

• Throw attempts made against the invulnerable start up frames now add start up to the move; an opponent starting a throw on the same as frame as Best Friends Forever will have more frames to recover and block.

• Best Friends Forever will no longer combo from Platonic Drillationship.

• The first shadow hit will no longer connect after triggering a Blockbuster Sequel.

• The shadow will no longer follow Fukua off screen during a Blockbuster Sequel.

• If the opponent leaves hitstun after the first hit then the second slide hit will not connect and Fukua loses all invulnerability, preventing some unintended resets.

• When her back is to the corner, Fukua will no longer step forward out of the corner during the startup.  This prevents her from crossing under the opponent and missing. Thanks to worldjem.

• Fixed a bug that could cause occasional wrong way input for reversal attacks after a Best Friends Forever finishes.