MEGA UPDATE NOTES
November 25th 2020
The 2.3.0 patch brings with it controller optimization tuning, competitor and combat updates, AI improvements, and lots of new quality of life features such as Region/Server Select and new performance based XP rewards in the Post Game sequence!
Major Controller Update
One of the main goals of this patch was to improve the controller experience of Rocket Arena. We wanted to make sure the game not only plays and feels awesome, but to help close the gap between controller and mouse and keyboard users. To do so, we’ve completely overhauled aim assist systems, added several more features under the hood, and updated our tuning values to improve overall responsiveness. Players may choose between Normal (new default) and Legacy (previous tuning) in the Controller Settings Menu.
Aim Assist Rework
We’ve reworked our entire Aim Assist system to be more intelligent and consistent. Rocket Arena is a high skill floor projectile shooter that can be difficult to play at times, especially with your thumbs. So, we’ve updated Aim Assist (and our overall balance, as you’ll see below) to really help players track and hit their targets much easier than ever before.
Region Select
Players can now switch regions if they’d like to matchmake using servers in a different location. Access the Region Select in the Settings Menu in the Front End UI.
Performance Based XP Progression
We heard your feedback about XP, so we added more! We also reworked the system to focus on rewarding players for participating and taking part of the action. Now after completing a match, players get additional XP for their personal damage, assists, and KO’s. Player’s also get combined teamwork XP for match objectives such as Mega Rockets captured. The more you and your team play, the more XP you receive. You also get match complete XP and a match win bonus.
Competitor Balance and Tuning Changes
Amphora
- Charge Torpedo (Primary)
- Uncharged
- Projectile collision radius is now a constant 120
- Previously scaled between 75 - 180 based on charge percentage
- Reduced impulse from 1500 to 1100
- Increased fire rate 0.5s to 0.425s
- Fully Charged
- Reduced impact damage from 40 to 35
- Reduced impulse from 2800 to 2000
- Increased projectile visual scale
- Uncharged and Fully Charged
- Increased projectile speed from 17000 to 17500
- Increased Rocket Jump radius from 500 to 700
- Improved controller force feedback
- Hydro Form (Special)
- Hydro Form now cancels when picking up the Rocketball or Treasure Chest instead of activating the water cyclone
Blastbeard
- Rocket Cannonball (Primary)
- Increased speed from 11000 to 12000
- Increased arc distance from 4000 to 5000
- Charged Anchor (Secondary)
- Reworked functionality
- Removed automatically firing after charge completed
- Secondary input must now be held down until fully charged and then released to fire
- Ability now cancels if:
- Secondary input is released before max charge
- The player uses Rocket Cannonball (Primary) or Shockwave (Special)
- Ability will now start charging again after being canceled if the input is still held after 0.35s
- Updated crosshair UI to make it easier to understand how the ability functions
Boone
- Blunderblast (Primary)
- Increased Rocket Jump radius from 500 to 700
- Improved controller force feedback
- Megadon Scope (Secondary)
- Reduced controller sensitivity modifier from 0.6x to 0.5x (ie. input will not be slowed as much)
- Improved controller force feedback
- Using Zik's Vortex (Special) now also resets Boone's ability to hover during his next mid-air Megadon Scope use
Izell
- Spear Rockets (Primary)
- Increased speed from 15000 to 16500
- Increased collision radius from 120 to 130
- Increased Rocket Jump radius from 400 to 600
- Improved camera animation and controller force feedback
- Reduced scale of primary projectile trail
- Jaaqua Charge (Special)
- Reduced the distance Izell travels when Jaaqua Charge is used to pick up the Rocketball or Treasure Chest
Playlists and Matchmaking
- Bots in Matchmaking
- Bots will now fill in for players in all standard playlists if not enough players are found during matchmaking (both PvE and PvP)
- New Scaling Bot Difficulties
- Bot difficulties are Easy, Normal, Hard, and Extreme
- Difficulty in PvP (Competitive Arena, Knockout, etc.)
- In Matchmaking, bots will scale in difficulty based on the average skill of the players
- Difficulty in PvE (Co-op Arena, etc.)
- In Co-op, unlike PvP, each player will have a Bot Difficulty Level independent of their skill
- Players increase their Bot Difficulty Level by winning 5 games in a row
- If a player loses 3 games in a row, their Bot Difficulty Level will decrease
- In Matchmaking, a bot will be added for each player’s Bot Difficulty Level
- For example, if Player A has Extreme difficulty, B has Hard, and C has Easy, then there will be an Extreme, Hard, and Easy bot added to the game
- If less than 3 players match into the game, the remaining bot’s difficulties will be that of the player with the lowest Bot Difficulty Level (for both the friendly and enemy team)
- Play vs AI
- Playlist renamed Co-op Arena
- Contains Rocketbot Attack and Bot versions of Knockout, Mega Rocket, Rocketball, and Treasure Hunt
- Social Arena
- Playlist renamed Competitive Arena
- Knockout
- The Knockout playlist returns to the Tour!
As always, we value your feedback and if you’d like to leave us some now, or in the future, hit us up on the Rocket Arena Discord, Reddit, Twitter, Twitch Streams, DMs, etc. - we read as much as we can!
Thanks for being part of our community and we’ll see you in Crater! #LETSROCKET
The team at FSG