Beastieball News

This weekend we held the second Bigmoon Bash, an in-game event where players could match up into each other for limited time! This one lasted for 24 hours, and saw 376 players play 4,019 matches (!!!).

For the first time, the bash also had a theme; it was a contest between Kichik, Axolati, and Bildit, and 3 Beasties players can choose as their starter. Every player had to use EXACTLY one Beastie related to one of these 3, with their results contributing to that Beastie’s global score. Here are the final results!



[h3]Kichik is the Bigmoon Champion, with a final Bash Score of 2008! [/h3]

Want more stats? We shared some more Beastie usage statistics as well as the top players for each Beastie team in our official newsletter post!

I've been uploading frequent fixes this week to address issues with the latest patch. Some new things were snuck in as well!

[h2]New Stuff[/h2]

• Re-factored layering of ALL facial hair, hair, and collar/neckwear to make the character creator much more consistent and have fewer overlap issues. This may slightly alter the appearance of your character from previous builds.
  
• Voices added for Wottle
  
• Voices added for Yamyth
  
• Voices added for Crawlurk
  
• Voices added for Deluja
  
• Voices added for Seakit
  
• Added a small undocumented feature mostly for speedrunners - you can add a file called new_game_config.json to the same directory as your settings file / save folder and the game will read data in to create default settings when starting a new game. This is only really useful if you start new games very frequently and require specific non-default settings. (More info available in the speedrun Discord...)
  

[h2]Fixes[/h2]

• Fixed an interaction with the "In the Clouds" trait and Rhythm, which made it so that Beastie's ally wouldn't receive Rhythm healing, rather than the Beastie with the trait
  
• Adjusted sizing and spacing of stamina bars in sport matches
  
• Changed behaviour when giving "default" movesets to Beasties that prioritizes assigning them an attack. This should prevent issues with wild Beasties or Expedition recruits sometimes not having an attack equipped
  
• Fixed a few movesets on Beasties in the Tower that weren't updated when some plays were removed from some playbooks
  
• Altered the appearance of icons of Guardian encounters that are higher level than the current party
  
• Fix for the "View Replays" menu not being openable until a replay was manually saved
  
• Fix for issues with Ballshrooms being invisible
  
• Fixed for Ballshroom appearance not always changing when a Webbounce is hiding in it
  
• Adjusted text sizing for some fields in the Beastiepedia
  
• Fix for issue with gym training not resetting when the menu was closed
  
• Fix for Quake sounds lingering after a match ends
  
• Fix for layering issues of sport UI over coaches
  
• Adjusted layout of Cerise Atoll to prevent a story skip
  
• Fixed an issue where the Ballcenter Merch Guy's text could repeat for a certain one-off scene near the end of the game
  
• Fixed Armantis' color palette (reverted to how it was in previous patches)
  
• Additional fixes for crash when a Beastie nickname starts with certain symbols
  
• Fixed an issue where playing a very unusual story route and skipping scenes rapidly could cause a certain endgame story flag to not be set correctly
  
• Fixed a crash related to editing your party loadout within a small frame window after a match has started
  
• Adjusted AI for a certain critical-path story match the player watches, to make the result more consistent.
  
• Fixed a few more typos

If you've been testing and keeping up with our Experimental changes, then most of this is not going to be new to you! Check out the Major Changes section near the end for updates on game mechanics that weren't part of the previous Experimental updates.


[h2]Introducing a new Field Effect, Quake![/h2]

• Quake: Volleying to your ally deals 25 damage to that ally, and reduces the amount of Quake by 1. Quake also lowers by 1 at the end of your offense. When applying Quake, it does not "stack" like Lay Trap, but merely sets the target field to the target value.

Quake has been added to replace all splash damage in the game (ie. secondary damage done to allies via moves like Explosion, Bang, and Mindfield, as well as the Echo trait). Splash damage in general has been the cause of many of the game's most unintuitive interactions with respect to how Beasties are wiped, points are scored, etc. It makes it easy to force opponents into unplayable and unfun situations where both of their fielded Beasties are WIPED. And because splash damage scales with damage dealt to the initial Beastie target, it gave players a way to deal high amount of damage to ally Beasties that otherwise would resist their attacks, invalidating many defensive matchups. It never quite felt right or made sense, and it was time to do something a little more interesting.

Quake provides similar utility to splash damage (it often deals damage to Beasties that are allies of the one you targeted). However, it puts more power in the hands of the team that has had Quake applied to them, giving them the option to avoid damage by taking fewer actions instead. It's another tool that can be used by stall-focused teams to slow down the pace of the game and build up damage through means other than direct offense. It also offers more direct counter-play into teams that heavily rely on frequent passing or increasing their action count, strategies which have emerged as more popular than others over time.

[h2]Bigmoon Bash Features[/h2]
You'll now receive prizes from participating in previous Bigoon Bashes when you open SportNet.

We also expanded the feature set of Bigmoon Bashes to allow players to represent different Beasties and increase a global score by playing. The upcoming Bash will be a ocntest between the 3 starters, with players able to influence the outcome and fight for their favorite! For more info on the Bash, check out our announcement here.

[h2]Info Guide[/h2]
We've added a new menu purely for explaining game mechanics in a simple, readable format. This guide includes detailed reference information on different FEELINGs and Field Effects. It's available from your phone menu as well as during any sport match where no time limit is set, and it replaces some of the more dry and inaccessible NPC dialogue that we previously relied on to convey the details of some game mechanics. In future updates, we intend to add images to some guide sections so it isn't all just text.

[h2]Etc[/h2]

• Added a "copy to clipboard" button for Team Codes in the Team Setup > View/Edit Details menu
  

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

• Riplash: Cleaned up design
  
• Boldlur: Cleaned up design and sketch poses added
  
• Albrax: Cleaned up design and sketch poses added
  
• Debugly: Cleaned up design and sketch poses added
  
• Wisper: Cleaned up design and sketch poses added
  
• Lunaptra: Cleaned up design and sketch poses added
  
• Hydrolm: Cleaned up design and sketch poses added
  

Many story encounters have been modified in accordance with below balance changes. In general our intention was to make use of new play and trait changes without affecting the game's overall difficulty balance. Final boss fights in the post-game Expedition mode have had their difficulty notably adjusted with the intention of making each Boss more equally threatning (some were overperforming and some were unerperforming).

[h2]FEELINGs[/h2]

• Wiped: Introduced a new RUSHED RECOVERY mechanic. Generally, anytime WIPED is cured by counting down to 0, Beasties fully restore their stamina. This recovery is now reduced by 10 STAMINA for each stack of WIPED above 1 on the Beastie if they recover earlier than they would naturally. So a Beastie recovering with 2 stacks of WIPED will restore to 90 STAMINA; 3 stacks to 80 STAMINA, and so on.
  
  The intention of this change is to reduce the effectiveness of some methods of recovery that circumvent the downsides of being WIPED OUT too easily, such as Team Chant and Torch Pass. WIPED is a special status in the game and any amount of this Feeling applied to a Beastie should be relevant.
  
  
• Tender: Beasties that are TENDER are now prevented from feeling TOUGH. If a Beastie is already TOUGH, TENDER does NOT remove the feeling.
  
  This small change adds some more usefulness to TENDER, which hasn't seen much use and is outclassed by many other Feelings.

[h2]Plays[/h2]

• (NEW!) Rumble: Support play that applies 2 Quake to opponent’s field.
  
• Explosion: Now called Eruption. No longer deals damage to the entire field. POW is now 60 (from 70). Applies 3 Quake to opponent’s field, and 2 Quake to your field.
  
• Mindfield: POW reduced to 30 (from 45). No longer deals damage to target’s ally. Instead applies 2 Quake to opponent’s field.
  
• Bang: Now called Boom. BODY type attack (previously SPIRIT). No longer deals damage to target’s ally. Instead applies 1 Quake to opponent’s field.
  
• Updraft: Costs 40 STAMINA to use (from 34).
  
  Players have discovered many uses of Updraft that give a lot of value with very little drawback. This tweak gives opponents greater opportunity to limit how many times the play can be used, introducing more effective counterplay.
  
  
• Juggle: Now shifts its user sideways.
  
  This change means players need to plan a little more in order to make effective use of Juggle. Previously, the move was too easy to use in too many circumstances, giving players great benefit without any drawback.
  
  
• Dump: Target now always get an easy receive.
  
  Dump has been a little too easy to use, and difficult to play against. This adds a slight drawback to one of the strongest and most-used attacks in the game. It also better reflects the move as a simulacrum of a setter-dump in real volleyball.
  
  
• Bounce: POW increased to 70 (from 50). Now auto volleys to the target’s ally.
  
  Bounce was previously too similar to Careful Shot and Slice, without offering any interesting distinction. There also was no solid attacking option for Beasties hitting sideways using Body POW. This adjustment gives Bounce more of a unique niche, and indirectly buffs Goofsder, a Beastie that has been underperforming.
  
  
• Soulcrusher: POW reduced to 110 (from 120).
  
• Vigor Beam: POW reduced to 125 (from 135).
  
• Careful Shot: POW increased to 45 (from 40).
  

[h2]Traits[/h2]

• Echo: No longer deals damage to target’s ally. Instead applies 1 Quake to opponent’s field.
  
• (NEW!) Welcoming: +40 Stamina to your ally as they Tag In. This is now Bongus’s recessive trait as it no longer gets Crafty.
  
  Crafty was seldom used and not very effective on Bongus, whose POW stats are overall lackluster. This trait better cements their role as a strong pivot and supporting Beastie.
  
  
• Performer: Boost to DEF increased to x1.5 (from x1.3).
  
  Surgus and Plumask, two Beasties with this trait, have been somewhat underperforming. Our intention is to give these two more of an edge and make them more viable relative to other Beasties.
  
  
• Restless: Removed from the game! Seakit now has Hunter, Scrubbub and Grubiron now have…
  
• (NEW!) Momentum: 1.3x damage just after moving or tagging in.
  
  Restless was not a very well designed trait. In the vast majority of circumstances, it was entirely useless. And when it was useful, it was overwhelmingly effective to the point where it had no interesting counterplay. Our intention is to offer these Beasties options that are more generally useful and better convey their theme.

[h2]Beastie Changes[/h2]
In general, since our last patch, Mind offense has been dominant in PvP. One of our overall goals with these changes is to bring the game to a more equitable balance where Mind attackers aren’t more effective than others.

Another BIGMOON BASH is beginning soon in Beastieball! During Bigmoon Bashes, coaches can challenge each other in open matchmaking for a limited time.

When: February 15, 2025 00:00 UTC to February 16, 2025 00:00 UTC (equivalent to February 14, 4PM PST to February 15, 4PM PST) Theme: Bildit VS Axolati VS Kichick!

This Bash is a contest between 3 Beasties! Players must bring EXACTLY ONE Beastie related to one of the theme Beasties (metamorphs or alternate forms of the theme Beasties are OK)! Your wins and losses will count towards the global score of the Beastie you bring. When the Bash is over, only one of the theme Beasties will be declared the Bash Champion! Choose your favorite and fight to bring them to the top!

During the event you'll have a Bash Rank, which will improve based on your performance. After it's over, you'll receive in-game rewards based on your participation, such as Social Battery and Sports Points.

Players of all skill level are invited! All you need to do to participate is to play the game on that day and join the Bash on SportNet! SportNet is typically unlocked within the first 2 hours of your adventure, after beating your first Ranked boss. And if you aren't confident in your own Beastie team, you can use a randomly generated one instead - just go to Team Setup and set "Random Team" as your current team.

[h3]Official Game Rules:[/h3]
First to 2 Points wins
Standard time limit on move selection
No Undos allowed
No duplicate Beastie species allowed
Relationship Combos are disabled
All Beasties are set to Level 50

[h3]Notice on Upcoming Balance Changes[/h3]
If you're preparing a new team for this Bash, we recommend you reference ourlatest balance patch as of Feburary! Teams that were strong before will still be strong after the new balance adjustments, but you might want to take a peek at the changes if you rely on splash damage from attacks like Mindfield, Bang or Explosion.

We've been following discussion on the most recent Experimental balance patch. We're back with some more tweaks that we hope sands off some of the edges and brings things closer into balance! With changes this big, and a team as small as ours, it's hard to test every corner - that's why your feedback on these is so valuable. Thanks for keeping the discussion healthy and productive!

[h3]If you missed it, you should check out our notes on the current experimental changes. These patch notes are alterations on top of the previous experimental patch.[/h3]

[h2]Changes to Quake[/h2]
Quake no longer "stacks" the same way that field effects like Rally and Trap do. Instead, moves like Rumble will set Quake to a specific value, which then counts down, more like Rhythm or Dread. There is one new fold distinguishing Quake from these field effects, however; if you attempt to set Quake when the target field already has the effect, then the field will take on whichever value is higher (its current Quake level, or the Quake level being set). So applying 2 Quake will set the field to 2 Quake whether it already has 0, 1, or 2 stacks of Quake.

The intention of this change is to cap out how much value players can get from applying Quake from several sources. Previously, it was easy to get momentum and overwhelm the opponent with layers of Quake faster than they could be cleared. Quake should be immediately threatening, but have lower long-term effectiveness compared to slow-play strategies like Sweaty or Trap.

[h2]Play Changes[/h2]

• Rumble: No longer makes the user feel ANGRY.
  
• Explosion: Name is changed to Eruption. POW now is 60 (from 70). Applies 3 Quake to opponent field (from 2). Applies 2 Quake to ally field (from 1).
  
• Bang: Name is changed to Boom. Now a BODY type attack (previously SPIRIT).
  
• Mindfield: POW reduced to 30 (from 35).
  
• Bounce: POW reduced to 70 (from 80).
  
• Careful Shot: POW increased to 45 (from 40).
  

[h2]Beastie Changes[/h2]

• Duggout:
  • -Body POW: 50 (from 54)
    
  • -Spirit POW: 100 (from 105)
    
    This change lowers Duggout's stat quality to compensate for its extraordinarily good traits, and makes their stat total the same as Diggum's. This Beastie is proving to be very effective with the stats that it has!
  
  
  
• Deluja:
  • Playbook: Added Boom
  
  
  
• Goofsder:
  • -Body POW: 80 (from 85)
    
  • +Spirit POW: 30 (from 25)
    
  • Playbook: Removed Slide (and updated level-up plays)
    
    This combined with lowering Bounce's power undoes some of the power gain Goofsder got in this experiment. We want to see Goofsder succeed offensively, but still be in-line with other major aggressive threats.
  
  
  
• Scauldra + Druppa:
  • Playbook: Removed Boom (and updated level-up plays)
  
  
  
• Sefren + Zephyre:
  • Playbook: Removed Boom
  
  
  
• Skibble + Skorock + Boldlur:
  • Playbook: Added Boom
  
  
  
• Sprecko + Surgus:
  • Playbook: Added Toppler, including to level-up plays. Boom is now a friendship-only play.
  
  
  
• Turogue, Turtaneer, Tortanchor:
  • Playbook: Added Boom, including to level-up plays.
  
  
  
• Conjarr:
  • +Body DEF: 110 (from 63)
    
  • -Mind DEF: 63 (from 110)
    
  • Playbook: Added Eruption and Mind Read. Removed Boom. Adjusted level-up plays to include better offensive options.
    
    Conjarr fits into the game's balance very strangely, offering a huge variety of utility without a particularly defined role or specialty. Our initial changes didn't respect its unique design and we are bringing it closer to how it was before. That said, analytics from the last bash showed this Beastie underperforming, and we want to see them offer more value in their role. We are giving them easier access to strong attacking options with the intention of making them easier to use casually.
  
  
  
• Yamyth:
  • Playbook: Removed Relentless, and updated level-up plays to better incorporate Boom.