[previewyoutube=TnySxKdnPR4;full][/previewyoutube] Do you feel that rumbling beneath your paws, Super Animals? It’s a new season of Super Animal Royale, with the highly requested Super Lizards, Sense of Scale Animal Pass, and another big S.A.W. vs Rebellion game mode update including the addition of the Giant Star-nosed Mole. Choose your class and get ready for something truly beastly, because it’s time to dig into all version 1.5 of Super Animal Royale has to offer! [h1]Season 4 Update Highlights[/h1] [previewyoutube=mNVFuLpJ4Sw;full][/previewyoutube] [list] [*] SAR Tonight is back with a new episode! [*] Huge update to the S.A.W. vs Rebellion mode including the Giant Star-nosed Mole boss battle [*] Sense of Scale Animal Pass (featuring the much requested T-pose emote and a Mini Lizard pet) + Season 4 Starter Pack DLC [*] You asked, and we’re delivering: Super Lizard (+ 4 additional breeds)! [*] Updated Locales: S.A.W. Research Labs and Pixile Port [*] New in the S.A.W. Shop: The Sunflower Bundle [*] New Rock & Roll Twitch Drops items available for the next week [*] And tons of quality of life updates, game balancing, and more [/list] [h1]New SAR Tonight Episode[/h1] [h2]A Mole Lotta Trouble[/h2] [previewyoutube=-Nwvfn9kE3Q;full][/previewyoutube] The animated series continues with more Superest Kills, more Blooper Scooper, and a whole lot of mole. Catch up on the adventures of Peep and Joe, and meet the first Giant Star-nosed Mole! [h1]S.A.W. vs Rebellion Boss Fight[/h1] [h2]The Giant Star-nosed Mole[/h2] [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//33586940/2b6f98e6806d952b35fa3938687e8ec1609e92ab.png[/img] He’s big, he’s angry, he’s visually impaired: the Giant Star-nosed Mole has clawed his way into S.A.W. vs Rebellion matches! Once either team drops below 400 Reinforcement Points, a warning message will signal the Mole’s imminent approach, so you can use the time to converge on his location and join the fight, or hang back to defend or steal flags while others are distracted by the battle. He’s got a bone to pick with both sides, and will make that fact known by throwing heavy crates at players within range and performing a devastating ground-slam attack if anyone gets too close. Plus, you’d be surprised how good of a shot the guy is with a wooden crate despite the near-blindness – it seems crate-chucking runs in the mole family. [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//33586940/99d45515bc68b4fcd70052324a3b47850f072e51.jpg[/img] Our goal with the design of the mole was to create more opportunities for comebacks, but you’ll need to work hard to earn one. It can also function as an early mercy, for the winning team to secure a faster, decisive victory if they kill the mole first. Overall, we wanted to avoid matches feeling too predetermined and difficult to sway at mid-game, and the mole is one of multiple ways we’re aiming to address that in this update. Before we dig into the others, here’s a rundown of the key mechanics of the mole boss fight: [list] [*] Once a team reaches [b]400 Reinforcement Points[/b], there will be an announcement signaling the Mole’s approach. After 25 seconds, he’ll spawn at a fixed location. [*] To attack, he throws crates at players around him and can perform a high-damage ground slam if anyone gets too close. The crates he throws have a chance to drop ammo, so be on the lookout for mid-fight ammo restocks! [*] At half health, the Mole will dive back underground, emerging again shortly after in an enraged state, throwing 40% faster than before! [*] The player who lands the final hit on the Mole will give their team a morale boost that rewards a [b]20% move speed buff[/b] for [b]one minute[/b]. [*] The Mole will also leave behind a [b]special reward crate[/b] when killed. Opening this crate causes the opposite team to lose 100 Reinforcement Points, so be sure to secure it before the other team gets the chance! [*] A [b]new Super Milestone[/b] has been added for owners of the Super Edition DLC: killing the Mole for the first time will net you a [b]Star-nosed Mole Beanie[/b]. (Note: this is our first milestone for a rotating mode, which means it will be occasionally unavailable. However, since the modes typically rotate weekly, there will be plenty of opportunities to grab the milestone over time.) [*] Your Giant Star-nosed Mole boss kills will be tracked in the Stats menu, and the Top Players section at the end of SvR matches will sometimes highlight the player who killed the mole. [/list] Beyond the mole, we’ve made further changes to the SvR mode that aim to make matches more dynamic: [list] [*] Capturing flags is now faster, taking only [b]5 seconds[/b] (reduced from 8). This aims to create more opportunities for flags to change hands, and reward flanking behind enemy lines. [*] Capturing a flag now instantly [b]deducts 10 Reinforcement Points (RP)[/b] from the team who lost the flag, and the player who captured the flag [b]gains 1 tick towards Tier II[/b] of their current class. [*] When your team holds more flags than your opponent, your Reinforcement Points now drain slower, and your enemy’s points drain faster, creating the potential for bigger swings when flags change hands, and reducing the feeling of constant decay. [*] In v1.4 there was a persistent RP drain of 0.667 per second for each team, and each flag owned also added another 0.667 per second drain to the opposing team. In v1.5 each team only decays at 0.25RP per second as a baseline, making flags more significant. Flag drain now also varies based on how many flags your team owns: 1 captured flag drains the enemy at 0.5RP per second, 2 captured flags drain 1.5RP per second, and 3 captured flags drain 2.75RP per second. [*] Respawning also drains fewer Reinforcement Points: now 1.5RP, down from 2. [/list] Additional quality of life changes to the mode include: [list] [*] [b]Hamster balls[/b] will now spawn nearby spawn hatches. When these hamster balls are broken, they will respawn after a while. [*] Giant Emus will respawn at their original spawn location about 30 seconds after dying (if no players are nearby). Their spawn chance has also been slightly increased in SvR. [*] Medic II now has [b]level 2 armor[/b] (down from level 3), 5 bananas (down from 10), and 5 initial tape (up from 4). These changes are to balance the overall strength of Medic II, as it often extended outside of its intended defensive/support niche. [*] If you swap your weapon order, the order will be remembered on a per class basis. So the next time you play that class, your preferred weapon order will be retained, even in a new match. [*] The positions of flags A and C in the Security Situation map have been adjusted to balance how close they are to the main spawn pathways on each side. [*] The healing buff at spawn hatches has been removed (it wasn’t visible before, and wasn’t very useful since there’s no need to defend a hatch, especially since players spawn briefly invulnerable). [*] We’ve fixed an issue where close matches could display as a 0 - 0 tie at the end of the game, even though one team did actually win. This happened when decimals were rounded down to 0. Decimals will now be rounded up to 1 when displayed, and if it is actually a perfect tie at the end of a match, by some extremely rare act of Banan, the victor will be decided by a coin toss. [/list] [h1]Season 4 is Here: The Sense of Scale Pass[/h1] [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//33586940/db46ec360e0f62954d8717059d572afb431c1aa5.png[/img] To celebrate the introduction of the Giant Star-nosed Mole and Super Lizards, Season 4 introduces the [b]Sense of Scale Pass[/b]! This pass is packed full of cosmetic items, themed around all things big, small, or scaly, as well as a few surprises, like the highly requested T-pose emote. It also includes the Mini Lizard pet, which might just be one of the sweetest Mini Animals the Lab Labs have whipped up yet — so long as you have crickets to feed him. Lots and lots of crickets. [list] [*] During Season 4, the Sense of Scale Pass will be available for a discounted price of 550 S.A.W. Tickets. [*] As always, you can continue working on passes you own from previous seasons on your second track for as long as you need, and you can purchase them from The Archive for 750 S.A.W. Tickets. [/list] [h2]Season 4 Starter Pack DLC[/h2] [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//33586940/1b44808f1211b50674d033347dce5ae5601a55db.png[/img] Along with the debut of Season 4 comes the Season 4 Starter Pack! You’ll receive the following items upon purchasing the pack: [list] [*] Super Platinum Fox [*] Ninja Outfit [*] Sai melee weapon [*] 600 S.A.W. Tickets [/list] [h1]Super Lizards Join the Cold-Blooded Rumble[/h1] [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//33586940/f8388b081d8e1958502d0e6c7e5d27bd3e75b3d3.png[/img] The Lab Labs have heard your rallies for reptiles, Super Animals! For too long, the Super Turtles have been alone in representing their scaly phylum of the Animal Kingdom. So, what better followup member of the reptile family to brew up in the Lab than Super Lizards? Super Lizards have arrived in the Research Lab to create once you reach level 20. Play matches to earn their DNA, and use it with Super Serum to unlock all the breeds: [list] [*] Super Lizard [*] Super Dark Green Lizard [*] Super Blue-Tongued Skink [*] Super Red and Blue Lizard [*] Super Iguana [/list] [h1]Updated Locales: S.A.W. Research Labs and Pixile Port[/h1] Two longstanding points of interest on the island are getting an update! [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//33586940/41ff8957f217a722c27e4f8f24c160c05dbbd324.jpg[/img] Firstly, the [b]S.A.W. Research Lab’s tank room[/b] in Building #3 has been remodeled so that the gestation tanks better match the versions seen in the game’s menus and SAR Tonight. Giant Eagle-eyed players will also be able to spot different Super Animals floating in the tanks, including a Giant Emu in a specially designed pod for Giant Animals. The room’s layout has also been improved for gameplay, so that the tanks provide more cover and corners, while also leaving some open space for fighting. Rubble and a blast mark have also been added to the opening on the right of the building, to make the opening more visible and to make it a bit more clear what the historical reasoning behind the opening was (an explosion that breached the Lab in the past). [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//33586940/1741ad98f44d54e381038851b3a62fd5fef46564.jpg[/img] We’ve also updated the central region of Pixile Port to bring back something we all loved from the old S.A.W. Shipyards point of interest. There’s now a maze of shipping crates scattered all around to create lots of interesting pathways and cover to fight around. Just don’t tell the Forebeaver how much the beavers working at the port have been slacking in their container organization… [h1]New in the S.A.W. Shop: Sunflower Bundle[/h1] [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//33586940/dd75759ce6b16af74162f28a58defba00f7c44a3.jpg[/img] As spring melts into summer, the bright and cheerful Sunflower Bundle has bloomed in the S.A.W. Shop! Have you ever wanted to hit people with a giant sunflower? Have you ever wanted to be hit by one? If you answered “yes” to either of these questions, this bundle might just be for you or a friend. If you answered “no,” just… think about it for a bit longer. The Sunflower Bundle includes the following sunkissed items: [list] [*] Sunflower Dress [*] Sunflower Outfit [*] Sunflower Hat [*] Sunflower melee weapon [/list] [h1]Rock & Roll Twitch Drops[/h1] [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//33586940/56d0d881bc1ebd23329bfed889b182524edf941b.jpg[/img] [h3]June 28th - July 5th[/h3] For the next week, watch your favorite streamers playing Super Animal Royale on Twitch to unlock 3 rockin’ new cosmetic items: [list] [*] Rock & Roll Outfit [*] Rock & Roll Glasses [*] Rock & Roll Guitar [/list] To start earning, just link your Twitch and Super Animal Accounts here and then watch a participating streamer with Drops enabled on Twitch! [h1]Quality of Life Improvements and Balancing[/h1] [list] [*] BCG range indicators: while charging a new range UI will appear to help you line up your shots. This should help with visualizing the trajectory of eggs when you shoot. [*] BCG balance changes: The epic BCG’s max damage is now 59 (up from 58) and the legendary BCG’s max damage is now 76 (up from 67). Both rarities now deal 75% of their max damage (up from 65%) when hitting an enemy with the edge of the yolk, i.e. an indirect hit. These changes improve the ability of the BCG to finish off enemies, especially with the legendary version. This should help bring it up to the power level of other crate-exclusive items. [*] In addition to providing increased view while sneaking, the Hunting Rifle and Sniper will now also get extended bullet range while zoomed out. This helps makes the experience of sniping while zoomed out more reliable, so you can hit the players you see with your extended view. We’ll be actively monitoring the effects of this change and make further adjustments as necessary. [*] Healing from Dogna’s Dart Gun will now stack by time in all game modes, up to 12 ticks of healing total. Previously, in all game modes but SvR, hitting an ally with multiple darts would override the standard 4 ticks with another set of 4 rather than stacking efects. Now, all modes have the same healing mechanics as SvR where hitting an ally with multiple darts will stack into a longer, more substantial heal over time. [*] The Ninja Booties powerup now provides a permanent 5% movement speed buff and makes all movement sounds (including passing through bushes) 50% quieter. Previously, this powerup was situationally useful, but didn’t feel like it was competing well enough with alternative powerups. We hope this change will make it more competitively viable, but be sure to leave us feedback so we can continue to fine-tune it! [*] You can now hit and damage a Giant Emu that a teammate is riding if the Emu has an enemy passenger on it. [*] Added a spawn animation for hamster balls. This mainly applies to the respawning balls in SvR, but it’s also used for any spawned by an admin in Private Matches. [*] Added an /emu admin command for Private Matches to spawn a Giant Emu. [*] Updated the Soda Bottle melee weapon hit and equip sounds. [*] The game mode screen has been refreshed to display the current rotating mode more clearly, and also displays the game mode coming up next. [*] Translation updates, as well as some edits to the end-of-match puns in some languages. [/list] [h1]Bug Fixes[/h1] [list] [*] Fixed several couches making metal clang sounds when hit by a melee weapon. Turns out, S.A.W. was skimping on the comfortable furtniture. [*] Fixed victory music occasionally being incorrect in the Bwoking Dead mode. [*] Fixed an issue where purchasing many items at once (such as from Animal Pass tiers) would not display reward popups. [*] The inventory tooltip description now automatically sizes to the text length, which fixes some language-related issues for powerups. [*] Added a proper background image to the Customize screen’s animal preset name field. [/list] That covers just about everything for this Giant update, Super Animals! Get out there and gather that Super Lizard DNA, but beware… the ground beneath your paws isn’t quite so safe anymore.