January Update! Balance Changes and the BIGMOON BASH!

BIGMOON BASH! We're beta testing a brand new limited-time event where you can challenge opponents all around the world! You can learn more about the first Bigmoon event here! Sport Detail View option which keeps sports matches in "detail view" at all times. We don't recommend this for most players, but some advanced players requested this...
Freeze Camera accessibility setting, which removes world-bending effects, keeps the camera very static, and force-enables to above detail view setting. In effect, visibility in the game is reduced in a few places, but camera motion is minimized, which should make the game easier to play for those with extreme motion sensitivity.
PvP Games now show your opponent on the field with their custom outfit. There are not currently any way to communicate ie. via claps/emotes (we know you'll want this...)
The title screen now has a fancy little news box! It may even link to patch notes like these sometimes; Wow!

Note: Much more is in production than what is reflected here.

Ostrisigh: Move animation added

Bandicraft: Move animation added

Goofsder: Cleaned up design and added sketch poses

Garood: Cleaned up design

This update focuses on filling in missing interactions/reactions, and filling in gaps players have reported via in-game feedback.

Toward the end of the story, players are given a choice of how to respond to a certain controversial character revelation. This impacts dialogue which happens afterward as well, although it doesn't fundamentally alter the plot or ending of the game.

After finishing the story, characters in Rutile have more varied dialogue reacting to the player's choices during the ending sequence

Marlin has dialogue after finishing the story

The high schoolers in Rollback Loop have additional dialogue after being defeated, including a reward item

A missing encounter with Korwin has been fixed and now is findable in Quartz Canyon

There is special text if Kaz unexpectedly wins a scripted encounter during one of his hangouts; this is only possible in randomizer mode

We've made a large number of changes with the goal of improving the game balance at advanced PvP levels.

[h3]Feelings[/h3]

Tender: Changed the description wording

[h3]Traits[/h3]

Vicious: Damage calculation adjusted to apply in all the same scenarios as Cheerleader (ie, it now combos with Grinder).

Ambush: When triggered, boosts POW by 2x (up from 1.5x)

Goofy: Sideways attacks now do x1.5 damage (up from 1.3x)

Protean: Now works for both POW and DEF boosts. If you boost a single POW stat, it will boost all POW stats. If you boost a single DEF stat, it will boost all DEF stats.

Dauntless: Removed from the game.

Fearless: Now also prevents Stressed. Removed from Daredillo, given to Supilero as a recessive trait.

Heavy: Now known as Steadfast. Also now prevents opponents from lowering their stats. Steadfast replaces Dauntless for Waglash and Riplash.

Flee: Shooga and Supassum now get this as a recessive trait.

Power Forward: Added back to Armantis!

(New!) Self-Assured: Stats can't be increased or decreased (by any source). Radillo and Daredillo now get this instead of Fearless.

[h3]Plays[/h3]

Reach Shot: Changed the description wording

Energized: POW increased to 45 (up from 15). Also fixed a previously unknown bug with its damage calculation.

Hex: Causes only 6 Tired now (down from 8 Tired)

Set: Can only be used if the ball is hittable (aka "under control"). This is more in-line with how setting would work in real life, if Beastieball were real of course.

(NEW!) Slide: Body attack with 70 POW. POW x1.5 if user changed row or lane.

Thriller: POW increased to 60 (up from 55). Changes to JAZZED from the previous patch made Thriller unintentionally weaker. This causes Thriller to be somewhat more in-line with easy to use Spirit attacks.

[h3]Combo Plays[/h3]

Blitzwift Rival:

- POW x 1.5 if the user just MOVED or SHIFTED

[h3]Movesets[/h3]

Jellibat / Froofulks

- Added to level-up plays: Faith
- Removed level-up plays: Set (still accessible via friendship)

Webbounce / Goofsder

- Shifted order of level-up plays

Musselbound

- Removed: High Five

Woollie / Fetcham

- Removed: Torch Pass

Kaleidarn

- Removed: Doze, Set

Servitt / Servace

- Added: Counter (via level-up)
- Removed: Burnout

Noizard

- Removed: Cyclone

Scrubbub / Grubiron / Beetlback

- Added: Battle Cry, Updraft, Clear Field, Call Out
- Removed: Dive

Waglash / Riplash

- Added: Launch, Trait Dance

Petula / Flowish / Orgella

- Added: Shake Off
- Removed: Tough Front

Skibble / Skorock / Boldlur

- Added: Pump Up

Gremlur

- Removed: Cyclone

Radillo / Daredillo

- Added: Slide, Overpower

Leobro / Broslidon

- Shifted order of level-up plays
- Added: Slide

Punkchirp / Magpike

- Added: Kneebender, Net Rush, Steal

Maraptor

- Added: Kneebender

Blitzwift

- Added: Slide

Sprecko / Bongus / Surgus / Illugus / Shloom

- Removed: Set

Axolati / Hopsong / Hopra

- Added: Faith
- Removed: Set

Grazada

- Added: Set

Crawlurk

- Removed: Set

Mudslee

- Removed: Set

Yamyth

- Added: Burnout, Turnabout

[h3]Stats[/h3]

Goofsder

- Body POW: Increased to 90 (from 85)
- Spirit POW: Reduced to 30 (from 40)
- Mind POW: Increased to 85 (from 80)
- Body DEF: Increased to 55 (from 50)
- Spirit DEF: Increased to 100 (from 95)
- Mind DEF: Increased to 85 (from 80)

Turogue

- Spirit DEF: Increased to 83 (from 40)
- Mind DEF: Reduced to 40 (from 83)

Turtaneer

- Spirit DEF: Increased to 94 (from 45)
- Mind DEF: Reduced to 45 (from 94)

Tortanchor

- Spirit DEF: Increased to 115 (from 55)
- Mind DEF: Reduced to 55 (from 115)

Skiffrig

- Body POW: Reduced to 20 (from 23)
- Mind DEF: Increased to 69 (from 60)

Magpike

- Spirit POW: Reduced to 21 (from 31)
- Body DEF: Increased to 50 (from 40)

Platypulse

- Spirit POW: Reduced to 51 (from 66)
- Spirit DEF: Increased to 85 (from 75)
- Mind DEF: Increased to 120 (from 115)

Cherrily

- Spirit POW: Increased to 55 (from 50)
- Spirit DEF: Reduced to 90 (from 95)

Mistic

- Body POW: Reduced to 15 (from 20)
- Mind POW: Increased to 85 (from 80)

Skulkapi

- Body DEF: Reduced to 50 (from 89)
- Spirit DEF: Increased to 89 (from 50)

Armantis

- Body DEF: Increased to 80 (from 75)
- Mind DEF: Decreased to 70 (from 75)

Grazada

- Body POW: Increased to 55 (from 45)
- Mind DEF: Increased to 65 (from 55)

Handicoot

- Body POW: Decreased to 43 (from 45)
- Spirit POW: Decreased to 22 (from 25)
- Body DEF: Increased to 52 (from 50)
- Spirit DEF: Increased to 68 (from 65)

Debugly

- Body POW: Decreased to 45 (from 55)
- Spirit POW: Decreased to 20 (from 25)
- Body DEF: Increased to 79 (from 74)
- Spirit DEF: Increased to 65 (from 60)
- Mind DEF: Increased to 91 (from 86)

Maraptor

- Body POW: Increased to 89 (from 84)
- Spirit POW: Decreased to 19 (from 29)
- Mind POW: Increased to 87 (from 82)

[h3]New Mechanic: Receive Weariness[/h3]
This mechanic is not explained in the game, and probably never will be as it's quite obscure.

How does it work? If the same Beastie receives any attack 7 times in the same point, then that Beastie will begin to take 10 bonus damage from each successive attack, starting with the 8th. On the 17th receive, they will always take 100+ damage, ensuring the point ends. This feature does not trigger if the attacker or target are Rowdy, OR un-numbered (ie, recruitable).

This interaction will almost never come up in a typical game where both players are trying to win. We evaluated matches with slow-moving stall-focused teams, and even in these sorts of games, the same Beastie would rarely or never receive an attack more than 7 times before the point ended by some normal means. However, in extreme edge cases, this ensures that all points end somehow, eventually, no matter what and that no player is ever able to create a game state that never ends.

Reduced the price of higher-level Jerseys
Away Teams now appear more often after defeating all Ranked coaches
Adjusted the layering on Dread field effects so that Beasties' stamina isn't covered anymore
The variable Power of some attack plays are now correctly factored into visual effects and recruit conditions
Refactored how Beasties from past encounters are saved and stored for future rematches. For players updating from old versions, this might mean that some Beasties you've encountered before this update will have a slightly different appearance in subsequent matches (ie. the color of Kaz's Beasties might change, etc). However this change significantly improves performance and reduces save file size for players with a lot of playtime.
Adjusted mouse selection of overlapping Beasties in sports matches
Raremorph Beasties that are discovered via rumor from Indie are now properly randomized (previously all were generated from the same starting seed, resulting in similar vibes, colors, etc)
Fixed having the correct Beastie as the server at the beginning of Kaz's new Sports Problem. Before this fix, the puzzle wasn't conventionally winnable.
Adjusted controls displays while on Steam Deck to never show mouse input options
Changed crash behaviour on Steam Deck so that crash data is submitted without requiring mouse clicks
Enforced online features being disabled when playing in Clown randomizer mode
Fixed an issue where item sorting wasn't properly saved/loaded
Fixed issues with Diggum hills / Weald ball shrooms, which could spawn Beastie clones if a players quit and reloaded after recruiting a Beastie found within.
Changed how Beasties spawn from Trash bins to be in line with other special spawn objects. Trash bins now sparkle when they contain a raremorph, and if you save/load in front of a trash bin it remembers the Beastie that was inside. Trash bins also now contain Beasties more often than before, and will always shake if they contain a Beastie. (Previously there was an issue stopping them from shaking until they were hit with trash).
Rivals Combo Attacks now display the attack type the corresponds with the Beastie using it. Previously the attacks were changing type based on the user, but not updating the type that was displayed, causing confusion for some players.
Fixed an issue with boss team generation in Grand Expeditions, which made far fewer varieties appear than we intended. Bosses in Expeditions will now be much more diverse.
Fixed buzzing sound and slowdown when checking certain map icons in Randomizer modes
Reese now warns you if you attempt to set a radar when one is already active
Repeatedly asking the same character for favors now displays their dialogue each time, rather than only the first time
Changed certain conditions for a certain event you can do with Platypulse to make it work with "High Five"
Changed the wording on Skulkapi's recruit condition
Adjusted to ensure the correct message displays when the player is recruiting multiple Beasties and has recruited all of them, OR run out of usable jerseys.
Changed how secondary attack effects are resolved on point win, such that Beasties with Superorganism now still are affected by secondary attack effects on point-ending hits
Changed how Keyboard/Controller configs work to be more robust and enable setting ESC/Select as an input
Fixed a broken scene ending that could occur after beating a late-game boss in Ironman mode
The game window now centers itself anytime resolution updates/changes, to prevent the window from going off-screen and becoming inaccessible
Fixed a few story flags on scenes around Valerie Stride so her introduction doesn't happen twice in certain story routes
Changed some story phone conversations to not occur if the player crosses certain story progression thresholds while already registered for the Crown Series
In Ironman mode, gifts that would contain jerseys now contain water instead. In previous versions, these gifts were set to appear as if they'd already been opened, which confused some players.
Adjusted Marlin's AI in Ironman mode to prevent softlocks if the player begins the tutorial boss match with a wiped Beastie
Added a double confirm when the player presses "back" while recruiting a Beastie in the Grand Expedition if they already have 5 beasties in their squad
Fixed movesets on some Beasties in Tower Tourney/Draft Challenge which were missing
Fixed movesets on Beasties in Tower Tourney/Draft challenge being broken in Randomizer modes
Fixed "Sports Problem" Beasties movesets being broken in Randomizer modes
Removed the "Victory Option" from Draft Challenge matches
Removed an invisible "Skip Drafting" button from the initial draft in Draft Challenge
Beasties recruited in the Draft Challenge now only know the exact 3 plays they have equipped, and no others
Prevented opening the Team Order menu in Draft Challenge or Grand Expedition when the player doesn't have any Beasties
Fixed an issue where skipping one Sport Problem would automatically treat the subsequent ones as skipped as well
Removed an extra space added to player's team name when their descriptor is left blank
Adjusted sizing of Beasties/bonds displayed on a Beastie's detail page, so that they don't obstruct important info
Added more safety checks to prevent players from double-triggering the Draft challenge, resulting in a crash
If a Beastie with the "Launcher" trait is previewing a Sideways attack, the preview now correctly shows the attack as going straight instead
Fixed a few issues with private lobbies getting desynced during different disconnection states
Added a timer to the Team Rotation/preview which precedes PvP matches
Adjusted the display of a Beastie's coached % so that there are no decimal places
Fix for some plays not being learned by level-up when using an item at a Gym and skipping scenes very frequently
Away Teams that were downloaded in older game versions but are no longer compatible in newer versions are now silently removed, rather than lingering on the player's map forever
Removed an old debug sign from the entrance to a post-game area
Added a small number of extra reactions/interactions/lines in dialogue for certain obscure situations
Adjusted some Beastie pose animation states to remove some weird stutters and ensure Beasties are in their Wiped pose after being wiped out by an attack
Added and fixed a bug where the damage calculation of Airblast and Launch wasn't based on the correct Beastie position
Added and fixed a bug that made some Combo Attacks usable when they shouldn't have been, and unusuable when they should have been
When a Beastie attacks with Airblast, and is forced off of the field (ie. by Cyclone) before the attack lands, the attack no longer gets the net power bonus, making it more consistent with other attacks
Fixed player respawn positions when interacting with environmental effects such as wind
Fixed typos
Changed wording in several places to have consistency on the Rutile Preserve's name (which was sometimes called a "reserve" instead).
Changed the color used to represent Grazada for stamina bars and other UI elements
Adjusted layering on some player customization beards
Adjusted some area layouts to fix weird area transitions, collisions, and camera issues
Some areas were changed a bit more substantially; one puzzle in Eburbean Cavern has been completely redone. Too many other changes to remember/list them all!
Removed debug file output related to networking, which should improve PvP performance for some players
Fixed a softlock that could happen in the tutorial if a Beastie with Launcher is chosen as a starter
Added more safety checks to hopefully prevent some common crashes
Found and fixed one more potentially major memory leak
Added a safety check which disables shadows when the game is run on very old GPUs that don't support our lighting textures
Updated credits with some missing names in Character/Beastie voices
---------NEW SINCE PREVIOUS EXPERIMENTAL---------
Beasties returning from Away Games now have their plays properly checked and cleaned up for any hacks or patch changes.
Improved line spacing in Beastiepedia menus
Fixed an issue with the final boss softlocking sometimes if auto-mode was enabled
Fixed some issues with damage preview calculation, specifically so that Thriller properly predicts Jazzed damage again as intended
Added and fixed a crashing issue with wandering Beasties being added to the map
Fixed Jellibat/Froofulks recruit condition to respond to "full restore" effects such as those from Doze or torch Pass
Adjusted Jellibat's metamorph condition to trigger a little bit sooner on average
The Speedrun Timer no longer counts time spent processing AI actions, since this varies greatly between devices
Improved visibility on "Request Favors..." button in the Contacts menu
Fixed a certain character's reaction to Rally during the final match sequence so they only react to one stack at a time
More prevention for obscure crashes
Fixed an issue with Beasties being shown incorrect plays to learn via Favor in Clown Mode
Removed a phantom interaction with Craig after exhausting all of his dialogue
If the user's monitor resolution doesn't match an existing preset, a new resolution preset is added to match it
Added safety checks to avoid loading corrupted settings files; previously for some unfortunate players this manifested as the game crashing on startup

Many other fixes were added in a mid-December patch, which I documented here!
Other fixes are... still coming! Gosh darn, this game is big. Why did I make this game so big?!

Thank you for playing. It means the world to me and the team. :)