[Kokonoe]

The King Of Games Joins the Fray

Yes.

[Cosmo Clock 21]

MikeZ at Family Fun Arcade reppin a patched version of SG:
http://www.twitch.tv/themixup

EDIT: Well okay theoretically he's there? Apparently he went to go play Guilty Gear lol

[Steaks]

I'm liking all of the changes. I'm super, super happy with the DP+Throw change for Cerebella.

The back -> DP+throw motion I assume still doesn't work at all? That always gives you normal throw which still confuses me, but it has gameplay implications (makes beating jump in -> jump in vs Cerebella not beatable I think). Though with the range increase I might be able to do a precise pusblock into DP+Throw.

Also, for the love of god remove the os DP+Throw -> 360 with Bella. It's just... dumb. Beyond dumb. It would cover way too many options with this buff.

[Crocodile]

List of changes discussed in the latest stream (this is of course all tentative and not all encompassing):

-EKG Flatliner only hits the point character, and goes through assists (may or may not stay)
-Cerebella's anti-air grab has larger range
-HK Hornet Bomber no longer has invincibility and has techable knockdown
-Peacock's teleport has 3 more frames of recovery
-Peacock's lvl 3 is easier to input
-Painwheel's air Blockbuster damage adjusted
-Double's lvl 3 does less damage and has been sped up
-Valentine's lvl 3 has been sped up and the animation can be partially skipped by holding a punch button
-Napalm tears now scaled
-Fortunes head now goes flying when hit in Noms
-Excabella input on assist select is less precise
-Green Vial time goes down on additional hits
-IPS will now consider standing normals, crouching normals, and command normals to all be the same attack
-Training mode options are being worked on
-assists now take 120% damage rather than the original 106%
-tech window for grabs is now increased by 3 frames
-tournament mode (disables achievements and returns players to controller select screen on controller unplug as well as resetting controls to default)
-menu select screen allows you to go to the bottom selection by hitting up
-exit game no longer brings you to dashboard (I believe)
-fixed some crashing bugs
-Painwheel's Pinion Dash (down, down, K) is being changed to down, K (I believe that's the input) and activates once 4 kicks are input within 36 frames (I think that was the amount), also it's cancellable into some normals
-assists will have more mapping options
-PS3 ranks altered
-more regions
-working on making pause menu not appear as an option in training
-Lobbies and additional online features will have to wait as the guy responsible for all that is working on the PC port

[DiscoShark]

List of changes discussed in the latest stream (this is of course all tentative and not all encompassing): -EKG Flatliner only hits the point character, and goes through assists (may or may not stay)[Not sure how I feel about this change given that she had the Knives super as an alternative but I'm willing to accept it.] -Cerebella's anti-air grab has larger range[Lol picking up this character] -HK Hornet Bomber no longer has invincibility and has techable knockdown [As a person who mains Double/Cock (Double on point) I gotta say ... I'm completely okay with this, especially with the techable knockdown at the end. ] -Peacock's teleport has 3 more frames of recovery [I think this is fair actually, it makes using it a far more risky proposition and encourages a player to use her other escape options (double jump) to get out of pressure situations] -Peacock's lvl 3 is easier to input [Awesome] -Double's lvl 3 does less damage and has been sped up[I'm okay with it doing less damage given that she could combo off of it anyway but the speeding up part is a god send. Thank you MikeZ.] -Valentine's lvl 3 has been sped up and the animation can be partially skipped by holding a punch button [Neat] -Fortunes head now goes flying when hit in Noms [Long time coming, thank youuu] -Green Vial time goes down on additional hits -IPS will now consider standing normals, crouching normals, and command normals to all be the same attack [It goes back to what I think MikeZ intended when he created Skullgirls, less emphasis on long combos, more on resets. The IPS change is HUGE though, that's going to destroy Filia's corner loops and Double's midscreen loops as well and dramatically shorten the length of most combos in the game ... I like it.] -Training mode options are being worked on [Expected but good to hear never the less] -assists now take 120% damage rather than the original 106% [Awesome! Anything to keep people from mindlessly spamming assist is a good thing] -tech window for grabs is now increased by 3 frames THANK GODDDDDDDD. I've commented on it before but grabs in Skullgirls were pretty crazy in my eyes. It's a combination of the small tech window, no damage scaling, and general pace of the game. Taken individually it's not much of an issue but combined into a single game and ... yikes. So glad to hear that Mike is addressing this] -tournament mode (disables achievements and returns players to controller select screen on controller unplug as well as resetting controls to default) [Neat] -assists will have more mapping options [Does this mean charged Painwheel normals / Peacock item drops as assists?]

All and all, I have to say I'm quite alright with the changes. The new Double assist makes it about as useful as Hairball assist is and relegates it to pressure usage primarily, it still has a super amazing presence when thrown out on the field but requires the person to use it more intelligently. Of course this also leaves my Double/Cock team without an invincible assist but seeing as how I was leaning towards using Double on point anyway I think this gives me a natural reason to try Parasoul or Filia to fill the void. Really I think I'd prefer if all of the invincible assists had techable knockdown but this change I think was a long time coming. The assist had just significantly more reward for landing than others of its kind, it was horizontal, pushed the opponent back significantly on hit, hit multiple times, and was invincible. I think I would have been okay if they had retained the invincibility but forced the assist to hit only a single time but it's whatever. This'll also make it harder for Double to deal with zoning as well given that she can no longer bully her way through projectiles at mid range thanks to HK Hornet Bomber's invincibility.

As I commented on above, the IPS change is absolutely HUGE. It's going to dramatically decrease the length of combos in the game and pretty much force a player to go for the resets in order to do significant damage, both being changes that I most certainly approve of and seems to be more in line with MikeZ's vision for the game.

Super excited for this patch to hit the fan, it pretty much addresses every issue I've been having with the game up until this point. Grabs are now significantly easier to tech and combo length has been toned down.

[floorbread]

You can't follow up on Double's level 3 anymore. It does less damage, has been sped up, sends the opponent to the opposite end of the screen, and the knockdown is techable.

[DiscoShark]

You can't follow up on Double's level 3 anymore. It does less damage, has been sped up, sends the opponent to the opposite end of the screen, and the knockdown is techable.

There's no combo followup either? I'm going through the archive now but if that's the case I may want to save that meter for Catellites if the level 3 isnt going to kill.

[floorbread]

No followups on Double level 3, and Double builds no meter while Cattelites are out in this build. She's getting hit pretty hard. Her mk, mk chain window is getting shortened as well to prevent the restand people are doing with it. For what it's worth though, MikeZ emphasizes that these changes aren't final.

[SolarPowered]

List of changes discussed in the latest stream (this is of course all tentative and not all encompassing):

Everything except that IPS system change sounds good. I can see why he is changing it though. Skullgirls doesn't need that BB long combo syndrome and he really doesn't want the game to go in that direction. That single change made me pretty uncomfortable for the twenty minutes tbh. I'll probably be anxious about it until it comes out and we get to see just how limiting it can be.

I'm deeply disappointed that lobbies and spectator can't be added yet, but it's understandable considering the size of their team and their limitations. It's commendable that they've got so many changes in store for the game as is.

[darkblade77]

IPS change makes me feel uncertain too, although I haven't put in enough time to say it seriously affects anything I currently do. It does require one to seriously think when trying to optimize combos now, and I guess that's not a bad thing.

I also didn't like the shape many extended combos are taking and feel that within the space of half a year or so SG gameplay would largely boil down into hitconfirms into long xN normal cycling ground loops with a chance of reset. So I think this is sort of welcome.

I tried to ask on the stream if any changes/updates were being made to tutorial mode but never got the question through. More than adding some movelist, I hope the game eventually goes through the trouble to explain more of the subtle elements you'd have to dig through the internet or pour over the wiki to understand--stuff like ground techs(so many people not realizing what blue vs red bounce meant near the beginning when making combo videos, lol), IPS basics, unblockable protection, anti up-back frames on jumping, 0-frame resets retaining IPS, etc.

Additional tech window for throws was probably needed, it is next to impossible to see them coming unless you know who you're playing against and they have predictable tendencies. I loved that though, it was all I did as solo Painwheel. Drives my friends nuts.

I really like the whole solo/duo/trio setup for this game because IMO you can use it as a powerful self-training tool. If you need to learn a character, run with them solo online and build up your fundamentals/defense; you don't need to know terribly extended combos to make progress yet, but you need experience dealing with defending against all the varieties of cheese a team setup can toss your way and recognizing your openings/opportunities to get past assist calls when you don't have one of your own. Then you can upgrade to a duo and familiarize yourself with this or that assist, having DHCs and alpha counters as available options, general team strategies, etc. Then once you're ready to seriously optimize what you have and desire a finer, well-rounded toolkit of options, you go to trio.

This is all independent of personal preference and assumes that trios will shape the final form of meta in this game, but I think it's really well designed.

[Nyoro SF]

I don't like super long combos either, so the IPS change is good (for me). Not good for combomaniacs I guess.

[Masaki_]

I think that explains why I was worried about damage output being so low before the release. But even then players weren't doing optimal damage anyway and changing IPS to what it is currently turned the game into MVC3, basically.

I started to suspect Mike was gonna do something about the long combos when I saw him on WNF doing silly resets with Filia that he didn't need to do in the first place since one good optimized combo could kill any non-solo character (and I guess getting hit by 40-50% combos from Parasoul and Double even though you're ONE character against three).

In the end, I'm pretty happy. Game is now exactly what I wanted it to be as a spectator. The emphasis is gonna be on dirty resets and not long, boring combos.

[Ravidrath]

Last weekend, there was a Japanese Skullgirls tournament:

http://www.twitch.tv/finalroundbats/b/318682725

http://www.twitch.tv/finalroundbats/b/318690048

Bracket
http://challonge.com/frb01_sg

1st tonosama
2nd Niceboy
3rd Motobe Izou / Kusoru a.k.a. Ageo Joe

And there's another happening on 6/16!
http://goutama.net/event/vol11/

Exciting stuff.

I'm deeply disappointed that lobbies and spectator can't be added yet, but it's understandable considering the size of their team and their limitations. It's commendable that they've got so many changes in store for the game as is.

Yeah, we'd love to, but poor Ben can only do so much with the limits time and the human body imposes on development.

Also, if we're going to get cross-platform working with the PC, we need to set all those things up very carefully from the start. It's more than just adding a single (very complicated) feature, it's making it robust enough to handle all of our future plans for it.

[darkblade77]

Belated thanks, Ravi, for getting the Double logo and pics up on the Customize part of the store.

I'm getting some error when I try to make my shirt atm(it tells me I didn't pick some option in red instead of letting me pay for it and forces me to start over), but I think it might just be a browser thing. Will try when I get off work today.

[Ravidrath]

Belated thanks, Ravi, for getting the Double logo and pics up on the Customize part of the store.

It's important that everyone be able to make their "Back that ass up" shirt before the patch hits!

[alstein]

I love these changes- really good work.

Probably going to wait to get back to this until it comes out on the PC though.

[SolarPowered]

The Break #160 - SG GF - Masta Chibi VS FC ChrisG
Just to show how dumb that head is. I knew it was going to be a problem the moment I got caught in my first NOM loop.

BSL - Spring Season - Week 5 - KOF13/SG/AE2012/UMVC3
Another good show as usual from box sessions. Dios X shows off some sick overhead resets using Filia that I didn't know about. You'll see a nice bit of Painwheel and more talk about the game from Viscant. Double ass is abundant here. I think people are definitely relying too much on her right now.

RipTen Dojo: Interview with Skullgirl’s Audio Director Vincent Diamante
Choice quotes:

NG: Were there any challenges in particular that stick out to you? What would you say the most challenging part of overseeing the entire audio side of Skullgirls? VD: The basic sound effects were definitely the most difficult part. Nearly the entire development time, I was working on just “whoosh” sounds and impact sounds. From the beginning, there was this idea to move away from where fighting game sound design was going, especially in the 3D fighters, and bring it back to the more old-school, more abstract quality that the serious tourney fighting game players remember from a decade or so ago, while rectifying it with this visual look that’s unique and ultramodern. I spent a lot of time working with [the project leader and designer] Mike Zaimont as well as parsing comments on the sound in SRK, Dustloop, and elsewhere. Since we were constantly letting people see progress on the game through things like Friday Night Fights and presence at tournaments and conventions, things like YouTube comments and blog posts really informed my process of getting a sound that the fighting game community would best respond to. It’s pretty neat that I could get feedback from the FGC on new sounds on a weekly basis. Of course, even with my ear constantly to the ground, the sheer diversity of the community meant some people appreciated this specific sound design more than others, but I think this ultimately ended up really successful. NG: Going off of something you mentioned in your comment, where do you feel that sound design is going in regards of newer fighting game titles? There does seem to be a focus on more electronic/synth feel to a lot of the 2D fighting games, especially so in Street Fighter X Tekken, which I felt had a somewhat forgettable soundtrack. If you could change one trend in current game music, what would it be? VD: There’s definitely some cool stuff going on these days. The quality that can be had these days with audio budgets, both in terms of money and memory, are pretty incredible. There are some really good game soundtracks out there these days. In terms of interactivity, though, I think we’ve stepped backwards compared to the really interactive soundtracks made with sequenced music back in the 90s. Of course, increasing memory meant we could start doing high quality recordings of soundtracks, but this was at the expense of interactivity. I think now, anticipating the next generation consoles, we’re getting to a point where we can have both high-quality music and high-interactivity music. Now, for fighting games specifically? I’d love to see what other genres of music can be paired with some cool fighting game action.

It's a nice read and there is more at the link. Sound is definitely very important when it comes to fighters. I've come to notice that a lot of the better selling and popular titles in the American fighting scene(even outliers like smash historically had very sharp and distinct sounds) tend to have some rougher sound effects. Smash, MvC2/MvC3, Guilty Gear, Skullgirls, Soul Calibur, KOF, Mortal Kombat and others with sharper effects appeal to a lot of people(like me). Others like BB, Melty and Arcana seem to have really weak sound for some reason. I also think the voices in BB tend to get annoying quickly. The Japanese vocals in some music and weak impact sounds don't help one bit.

I also didn't like the shape many extended combos are taking and feel that within the space of half a year or so SG gameplay would largely boil down into hitconfirms into long xN normal cycling ground loops with a chance of reset. So I think this is sort of welcome.

It most definitely will. ToD combos are already appearing and I think it's crazy that Severin can kill Mike Z's solo character with three resets like he did at WNF. Shorter combos needed to happen. I was pretty pissed for the first five minutes, but this change makes a lot of sense.

I tried to ask on the stream if any changes/updates were being made to tutorial mode but never got the question through. More than adding some movelist, I hope the game eventually goes through the trouble to explain more of the subtle elements you'd have to dig through the internet or pour over the wiki to understand--stuff like ground techs(so many people not realizing what blue vs red bounce meant near the beginning when making combo videos, lol), IPS basics, unblockable protection, anti up-back frames on jumping, 0-frame resets retaining IPS, etc.

The announcement of the PC version said there would be more tutorials added. It's pretty cut and dry. If he wanted to add combo trials then they probably would have explicitly said that instead. This game does need some trials, though. BB's trials were a big help thanks to their replay functions(not like SFIV or MvC3). I'd be much further along in Skullgirls by now if it had trials.

Additional tech window for throws was probably needed, it is next to impossible to see them coming unless you know who you're playing against and they have predictable tendencies. I loved that though, it was all I did as solo Painwheel. Drives my friends nuts.

The throw tech change is definitely one of the better system wide changes there(along with 120% assist damage). Getting into a good reset position in this game is easy and the rewards for throws are really good. Not to mention how easy it can be to combo after grabs.

I really like the whole solo/duo/trio setup for this game because IMO you can use it as a powerful self-training tool. If you need to learn a character, run with them solo online and build up your fundamentals/defense; you don't need to know terribly extended combos to make progress yet, but you need experience dealing with defending against all the varieties of cheese a team setup can toss your way and recognizing your openings/opportunities to get past assist calls when you don't have one of your own. Then you can upgrade to a duo and familiarize yourself with this or that assist, having DHCs and alpha counters as available options, general team strategies, etc. Then once you're ready to seriously optimize what you have and desire a finer, well-rounded toolkit of options, you go to trio.

I tried this approach, but it didn't work too well for me. It might have turned out better if I had trained with friends.

This is all independent of personal preference and assumes that trios will shape the final form of meta in this game, but I think it's really well designed.

Faster walk speed is the only big change left that I've wanted to see for a while now. I mentioned it to Mike on SRK a while back(after the overall speed boost) and he was considering a small increase. These shorter combos bring it that much closer to Vampire/GG in my eyes. Upping the walk speed would pretty much make Skullgirls my modern day catchall for GG, MvC2 and Vampire.

And there's another happening on 6/16! http://goutama.net/event/vol11/ Exciting stuff.

This is good news. Isn't Tokyo supposed to be the big center for fighting games? The game should have a bright future in Japan if it can gather attention in Tokyo. All it needs is an arcade release.

It's important that everyone be able to make their "Back that ass up" shirt before the patch hits!

I just hope that I don't have to make a shirt for Napalm Pillar someday. It's definitely the next scrub target now that hornet bomber is set for a patch.

I love these changes- really good work. Probably going to wait to get back to this until it comes out on the PC though.

It seems like this is what everyone else is planning. It's the PC, Diablo or big 360 exclusives getting in the way. I just wonder if any of these guys are actually coming back.

[alstein]

It seems like this is what everyone else is planning. It's the PC, Diablo or big 360 exclusives getting in the way. I just wonder if any of these guys are actually coming back.

In my case it's VF and possibly Persona. I do want a fighter for the PC, so I'm planning on double-dipping there instead of getting DLC on the PS3.

[DiscoShark]

Oh ... oh god.

lilo & stitch skullgirls edition
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZXnBNI7sJo

HNNGGGHHHHH ... I need Umbrella as DLC.

[notworksafe]

Double! What did they do to you? ;_;

Tournament mode sounds fantastic though. That I am very happy to see.

[Thores]

Oh ... oh god. lilo & stitch skullgirls edition http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZXnBNI7sJo HNNGGGHHHHH ... I need Umbrella as DLC.

Oh jesus. This is adorable.

[Steaks]

Also, for the love of god remove the os DP+Throw -> 360 with Bella. It's just... dumb. Beyond dumb. It would cover way too many options with this buff.

Shoutouts to Mike Z for removing this.

[SolarPowered]

Additional Skullgirls Patch Change Notes From UltraChen TV

General Changes Five frame leniency buffer has been added for chains, allowing you to do combos with “marvel timing.” The second player can now config buttons in in training mode and the options menu. Holding down buttons no longer locks inputs in button config. As long as the second player has hit one button in button config, button config won’t close for them when another play chooses “accept”. Air normals and air command normals are now counted as the same move in the iPS. Mike Z said the IPS changes has reduced everyone’s maximum damage output by 1,500-2,000. Mike Z hopes the patch will come out mid-June though the date is not official. Double Hornet Bomber causes untechable knockdown again. Hornet Bomber bounces you lower than it used to. It still lets you follow up with a combo but it’s more likely that you will use up your OTG. Hornet Bomber cancel window has been reduced. Double’s first medium kick has been slowed by one frame. Ms. Fortune Rekkas can no longer be canceled into head recall Peacock Meter gain on GARBAGE DAY has been normalized. Now builds a third of what it used to. Peacock gains a third of the meter she usually would when charging an item drop. Peacock’s teleport now ends closer to the opponent than it used to. Peacock’s teleport is now four frames slower on recovery, but starts up faster. Cerebella Cerebella has received an across the board damage nerf. Her basic combos do about 1,500-2,000 damage less. Jumping MP knocks you down further than it used to. j.MP-j.MK no longer works in the corner. Parasoul Nothing else has been changed since the last build. Valentine Valentine’s jumping hard punch now knocks you higher in the air Painwheel The tweak to Buer Thresher’s damage scaling has been returned to normal Painwheel’s new Lightning Legs style pinion dash can be chosen as a custom assist by pressing down and two kicks. Filia Trajectory on the first hit of Fenrir Drive has been slightly changed. It can now DHC out of EKG Flatliner. Fenrir Drive has been given slightly more recovery.

The leniency buffer is gonna make this game run like butter for just about everyone now. I also think that Hornet Bomber just found it's sweet spot and those Peacock changes seem fair. I gotta thank based Mike for not messing with Parasoul too much.

[SolarKnight]

Which of you guys was trying to invite me right now?

[DiscoShark]

Definitely my favorite piece of fan art from this weeks Fan Art Friday

[Ravidrath]

Definitely my favorite piece of fan art from this weeks Fan Art Friday

That one was really solid, but I think my favorite is the first one, in crayon. It's just so weird and charming!

He sent in a bunch of others, too, and they were also weird. There were a few MK/Skullgirls mash-ups, Valentine doing the dance of the seven veils, and some others.

I like good fan art. But I like weird/charming/clever fan art more, because it's a lot rarer.

[Masaki_]

Nice to see CJ winning UFGT8, dude really knows the game. Hoping the SG scene is gonna level up to the point where you can't reach top 8 unless you main the game.

[DiscoShark]

First time I've felt absolutely destroyed online today. Ran into a dude named Psyken while going through unranked matches. This guys block strings with Valentine/Double were intense, every time I'd get out I'd be hit by Double assist and thrown back into the blender. I'm usually running Double on point these days and naturally as I hornet bombered my way out ... I'd be tagged by the assist version of Hornet Bomber every single time. In hindsight I probably should have tried to make a more conservative approach to a team with Double assist (despite using it myself I actually dont have much experience against someone who actually knows how to use it effectively) but I was in "fuck you Imma hornet bomber into catellites" mode at the time. The real issue was that if I'd back off to try to respect the Double assist he'd just run up and stick me in a block string long enough to call the damned thing again (and this is with copious amounts of advance guarding mind you). I've considered the possibility that there was a hole in my team with the lack of an invincible assist while running Double on point but I'd never really felt it as a huge limiting factor until this point, definitely going to be picking up Filia or Parasoul after this.

Never before have I felt more thankful that Mike is nerfing Hornet Bomber HK because that shit is dumbbb. Multihitting invincible assist that doubles as both lockdown and get off me? A fullscreen confirm into any combo you want? Shit is silly.

Did a quick google search of the name after the match and low and behold ... what do I find?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1NL7uEq1V4
Psyken vs. ChrisG / NerdJosh. The guy has crazy experience against some of the best players in the game. It was definitely a humbling experience and I look forward to playing more people of his caliber in the future.

[Crocodile]

That's a pretty interesting encounter. It's rare that you'd run into someone like that online. If nothing else, I hope it was a good learning experience.

On a different note, Mike is reaching out to the community and inquiring as to whether or not people would be interested in a slight speed increase (3%). Head over to the Shoryuken forums to voice your opinion.

[Captain_Spanky]

I have yet to have a single game online. It makes me sad :(

[Ravidrath]

Yeah, I'll post what Mike said about speeding up the game, and report back anything you guys say.

Hey! Hey, listen! I have a question for anyone who feels like answering. Please encourage your friends to vote, or if you don't have friends then tell people on other forums. The more responses, the better. One of the things I can do in the Skullgirls patch is change the frameskip. After testing, I sorta prefer a 3% speed increase, and the few people I've had try it also seem to prefer it. However, I'm curious how many people prefer the fact that it's currently fairly slow. [edit] For those curious, a 3% speed increase is enough so you can feel it when moving around, but it doesn't affect the timing of combos a whole lot. It's equivalent to dropping about 2 frames out of 60 (2 / sec). [edit 2] Given the average movement speed and attack startup, GG is about 3% faster than SG. :^) I'll be bringing a sped-up build to WNF this week, so anyone who can make it to Super Arcade should go. In the meantime, vote! You have something like 3 days. :^P

I posted a poll of FB, too: http://www.facebook.com/skullgirls

[Master Milk]

I'm definitely in favor of a speed increase. I've always thought the game was on the slow side, especially for the type of game it is. The game's fine how it is, but it'd be better, faster.

[Nyoro SF]

After watching Mike's Filia, I don't know if I want a speed increase.

[SolarPowered]

I had no idea that you were already doing some new stuff for the first DLC character, Rav. Did you do all the stories for the characters? How high would you rank the current one so far when compared to the other stories?

Yeah, I'll post what Mike said about speeding up the game, and report back anything you guys say.

Awesome news!

I posted a poll of FB, too: http://www.facebook.com/skullgirls

until this...

I'm not expecting facebook people to give favorable responses even though Skullgirls is somewhere between SFIV and BB which is not even that fast.

I'm definitely in favor of a speed increase. I've always thought the game was on the slow side, especially for the type of game it is. The game's fine how it is, but it'd be better, faster.

Yep, a slight increase is the exact thing I've been hoping for ever since the game launched. I've been waiting for my modern analogue to VSav/GGAC and I can almost taste it now. My friends like the idea as well. I really want this to happen. It would be the best possible change to the game in my eyes(besides the IPS change).

After watching Mike's Filia, I don't know if I want a speed increase.

There is nothing to it. Block high the moment she jumps and block low if she is on the ground. Know your character's AA and pick a good AA or lockdown assist to keep her at bay.

I have yet to have a single game online. It makes me sad :(

Is it because you can't find any? I normally quick match and I almost never have problems finding games. Player match is pretty empty on both consoles though.

[DiscoShark]

Gotta say I'm undecided on the speed increase, more because I can't say what a speed increase would really mean for the game. I have no basis of comparison here and without any sort of footage demonstrating what a sped up version of SG would look like I'm a bit hesitant to side one way or another. Hopefully we'll have some footage by WNF to see how this sort of thing affects the game as a whole.

[DiscoShark]

MikeZ showing off the newest (and fastest) build of Skullgirls and talking about some of the latest changes to the build that haven't been seen before. Briefly going over balancing philosophy and the advantages of being a competitive player as well as a game designer when it came to this games development.

http://www.twitch.tv/leveluplive/b/319893925
Starts around 30 minutes.


THIS tidbit is the most interesting by far though. Knockdowns being changed globally for all assists.

Assist knockdowns. So basically currently there are two types of knockdowns, red and blue. The blue one you hit the ground you become invincible and you can tech. The red one is you get knocked down you bounce and are vulnerable for the whole time and then you can tech. Normally Parasoul's napalm pillar [assist] would be a red knock down meaning they hit the ground your opponent can run up as far as they can and hit you out of the end of their bounce. Globally all assists have green bounces now which is a new type. You hit the ground you're vulnerable the same way a red tech is so you can still OTG them but you can tech after 7 frames. The end result is they work like mvc2 where if you time the OTG properly you can combo it, if you time it improperly they can tech. Combos don't change because you know when and where you can OTG. It does affect hit confirms and random napalm pillars / up-do and stuff ... but that's the point. It makes it so it requires more skill to combo off of random assist calls.

Awesome. Just nothing short of awesome. I absolutely love this change.

[Holy Order Sol]

I find it hard to make time to play and learn this in detail because omgbbq KOF XIII, but I'm pleased to see the game still being supported with decisions that seem to be well thought-out.

I've had mixed reports regarding how viable it would be to play a single character. What's the current consensus?

[DiscoShark]

I find it hard to make time to play and learn this in detail because omgbbq KOF XIII, but I'm pleased to see the game still being supported with decisions that seem to be well thought-out. I've had mixed reports regarding how viable it would be to play a single character. What's the current consensus?

The viability of a single character is going to be largely dependent on how capable that character is without assists. Characters like Fortune and Parasoul do extremely well without assists due to the fact that they have tools to deal with most any specific situation. In Fortune's case in particular the head mechanic allows her to be played in very much the way that a two character team would be played anyway. Likewise a character like Cerebella is also considered a strong solo character due to the raw damage that she's capable of by connecting any hit or command grab. The power of a solo character is in their inherent damage potential and often times landing a single hit into a reset is enough to kill a character on a multiple man team.

Despite this however, things that have arisen in the game such as touch of death combos with Fortune and Painwheel have greatly diminished this main strength of a solo character. The raw damage capability is dampened by the fact that a team with a specific setup can land a massive combo that takes out 50%+ of a solo character's health or potentially 75%+ against a team with multiple characters. Couple this with the obvious lack of an assist that comes with being solo and in a lot of instances one is put into a situation where they're going to be at a distinct disadvantage.

The incoming patch is something to be excited for if you're a person who is more inclined to play a solo character though. The IPS change is going to greatly decrease the length of combos, character specific loops are being addressed and removed from the game (Fortune's Nom Loop, undiscovered Valentine corner shenanigans) and the change to assist knockdowns is also going to make it harder for someone with an invincible assist to bully their way out of your pressure and connect with a combo afterwards. So things are looking up for Solo characters all and all.

[SolarPowered]

http://shoryuken.com/2012/05/31/autu...t-at-evo-2012/
Autumn Games Sponsoring Official Skullgirls Side Tournament at EVO 2012

This is very good news for the game. I hope it gets a ton of competitors. I've heard some talks about a stream, but we probably won't know for a while. I expect to see a lot of positive press for the game at EVO. The patch better be before then too. :P

I've had mixed reports regarding how viable it would be to play a single character. What's the current consensus?

It probably wouldn't be feasible against high level players a few months from now without the patch. Combos right now can be extremely damaging, hornet bomber is insanely good and resets(especially grabs) can be very strong. A two character team is more than enough to keep up though. Mid level and low level play can work with solos.

Post patch? I think it might be doable, but trying to predict how a fighting game will evolve is no easy feat.

[NEO0MJ]

Nice. They didn't have to go through the trouble of opening a side tourney for the game, I'm sure players would have had no objections for it to take SFxTKN's slot.
I kid SFxTKN fans, I kid.
But seriously, this is a great way to generate/keep hype going for the game, especially after it slowed down a bit, at least here.

[Crocodile]

Mike Z is running another Q&A session: http://www.twitch.tv/themixup

[DiscoShark]

http://www.twitch.tv/themixup/b/320309048
Woo! Stream Archive with the latest build of SG showing off ... even more changes!

Before that though, at the 21:00 minute mark we go over some of the DLC colors we'll be seeing in SG. I'll list the notable ones ... or at least the ones I can identify.

Double -
Neapolitan Ice Cream(Chocolate, Vanilla, Strawberry)
Ice?

Parasoul -
Mitsuru (Persona)
Zero Suit Samus (Metroid)

Valentine -
Even more ninja-y?
Blueberry?

Cerebella -
Ameribella

Peacock -
Awesome red/white
Cable (looks FANTASTIC)
Zombie?

Ms.Fortune -
Blue Mary (KOF)
Xbox 360.

Of the palettes shown I'm definitely feeling that Peacock and Parasoul have the best of the bunch. I have a soft spot for Ice Cream double as well but for sure I think Im going to be picking up Peacock's day 1. I MAY get Parasoul if I start using her. Seeing as how Double assist is getting nerfed I'm probably gravitating towards her regardless.

[NEO0MJ]

So, no new info for E3?

[Master Milk]

So, no new info for E3?

lol, what were you expecting?

[alstein]

I wonder if the Valentine DLC outfits were Galford or Hanzo.

[NEO0MJ]

lol, what were you expecting?

Didn't Ravi mention something about E3 once? Maybe I was just imagining...

[Dreavus]

http://www.twitch.tv/themixup/b/320309048 Woo! Stream Archive with the latest build of SG showing off ... even more changes! Before that though, at the 21:00 minute mark we go over some of the DLC colors we'll be seeing in SG. I'll list the notable ones ... or at least the ones I can identify. Double - Neapolitan Ice Cream(Chocolate, Vanilla, Strawberry) Ice? Parasoul - Mitsuru (Persona) Zero Suit Samus (Metroid) Valentine - Even more ninja-y? Blueberry? Cerebella - Ameribella Peacock - Awesome red/white Cable (looks FANTASTIC) Zombie? Ms.Fortune - Blue Mary (KOF) Xbox 360. Of the palettes shown I'm definitely feeling that Peacock and Parasoul have the best of the bunch. I have a soft spot for Ice Cream double as well but for sure I think Im going to be picking up Peacock's day 1. I MAY get Parasoul if I start using her. Seeing as how Double assist is getting nerfed I'm probably gravitating towards her regardless.

Looks like there was a "Sentinel" Painwheel too (Purple and blue). Awesome

[Hamblasto]

http://www.twitch.tv/themixup/b/320309048 Woo! Stream Archive with the latest build of SG showing off ... even more changes! Before that though, at the 21:00 minute mark we go over some of the DLC colors we'll be seeing in SG. I'll list the notable ones ... or at least the ones I can identify. Double - Neapolitan Ice Cream(Chocolate, Vanilla, Strawberry) Ice? Parasoul - Mitsuru (Persona) Zero Suit Samus (Metroid) Valentine - Even more ninja-y? Blueberry? Cerebella - Ameribella Peacock - Awesome red/white Cable (looks FANTASTIC) Zombie? Ms.Fortune - Blue Mary (KOF) Xbox 360. Of the palettes shown I'm definitely feeling that Peacock and Parasoul have the best of the bunch. I have a soft spot for Ice Cream double as well but for sure I think Im going to be picking up Peacock's day 1. I MAY get Parasoul if I start using her. Seeing as how Double assist is getting nerfed I'm probably gravitating towards her regardless.

Valentine's number 12 looks like Sheena Fujibayashi from Tales of Symphonia.

[SolarPowered]

Didn't Ravi mention something about E3 once? Maybe I was just imagining...

He specifically mentioned that they were not going to mention anything.

iirc...

[Crocodile]

Today at 10:30am PST (or 1:30pm EST), Mike and Alex will be talking about the PC port of Skullgirls with the Origin people (though the game will also be on Steam and other DL services).

http://www.origin.com/skullgirls-chat