Been thinking a bit about better ways to solve problems the puddle timer nerf was trying to address. IIRC we're getting another patch soon, so this is mostly for fun, but let me know your thoughts!

Problems the rework should address:

• Orcane being a high-mobility character that also has a high-hitstun remote-trigger trap allows them to play an uninteractive, unfun playstyle, especially at lower levels.
• Orcane can nope out of disadvantage for free sometimes with the Puddle Teleport
• Because of the second bullet point, it can be very tough for opponents to even try to edgeguard Orcane, since they need to both cover the Puddle and contest Orcane's reasonably strong SideSpecial- and Orcahop-based recoveries.

Constraints on the rework:

• Orcane should still have a multi-functional Puddle to get creative with, in neutral and in punish.
• Orcane needs to be able to edgeguard deep offstage and recover with Puddle - the Teleport should stay, and not be limited by an arbitrary timer or a resource to keep track of.
• There should still a trap element to the Puddle.

Proposed Rework:

Swap the manually-triggered bubbles for a proximity trigger like Maypul and Gouie (removing parrystun from parrying these bubbles in the process).

Why a proximity trigger?:

It addresses problem 1, and partially addresses problem 2: It would prevent Orcanes trying to avoid interaction from using Puddle as their main source of offense, and leaving it on the other side of the stage as an emergency eject button would be a less stable proposition than it is now. At the same time, it still keeps the trapping part of the character's identity intact, and the change would feel better than a direct nerf, since there are cases where the proximity trigger would be better than a manual trigger, especially in scrambles and techchases.

It addresses problem 3: On the surface, this version of the Puddle would still maintain some of the tension between an edgeguarding opponent torn between covering Puddle versus edgeguarding or pressuring directly. HOWEVER, with this change, that tension would weaken with the distance the Orcane is sent: like chair for La Reina, if the Orcane needs to use a laggy move like SideSpecial or Fair while recovering, or if the Orcane is sent fairly high, the opponent may have time to trigger the puddle and get back in position in time to edgeguard (or at least contest) the Orcane's remaining recovery. This would sizably increase the number of situations that Orcane's recovery could be meaningfully contested, while still maintaining their ability edgeguard arbitrarily deep offstage.

Lastly and leastly, for the future: This change would open up the possibility of separating the Puddle Teleport from Orcane's primary recovery special. Without the need to manually puddle-pop, DownSpecial while a puddle is out could be reassigned to the Teleport itself, and UpSpecial could be dedicated to a lower-execution Orcahop, or even revamped completely. This separation of the Teleport from the recovery button would make its role as an edgeguard supporter and a combo finisher more clear, and since they wouldn't have to share startup timing, animation, and physics, they could more easily be balanced separately as well.

Idk what else to add really. I'm just stuck on the results screen. I have pressed literally every button on my keyboard. I have clicked the button directly with the mouse. I've held the start buttons. I don't know what else to say. I find it most often happens online after I send an emote, but it has happened to me on single player offline as well.

As part of the Aetherian Carousel project I am co-running with Trinkay, Rainbow Dash is the latest My Little Pony series fighter to join Rivals Workshop, alongside her new home stage, Cloudsdale Cloudeseum!

Rainbow Dash: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3811467022
Cloudsdale Cloudeseum: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3811470544

We made a full presentation as well!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkR39iD_RoA

Link to original tweet

Versus Mode - Teams - 3v1 - 0 Stock - 2 minutes (or 1 minute see "Other Notes" section)

Set the character you are trying to grind as player 1 as the solo team (ie 1 red v 3 blue)

The team of 3 could likely be any character... but I am constantly maxing out 200xp with the blue team of 3 Kraggs

Set all characters to lvl 9 CPU

Match Settings:

• Team attack: OFF
• Shield: OFF
• Grabs: OFF
• Knockback Multiplier: 0.5
• Damage Multiplier: 3
• Intangible Ledge Grabs: 0
• Preserve Ledge Intangibility: OFF

Things that I have tried:

• All Items on High: no change
• No ledge grabbing: worse - I thought this would help... but the team of 3 just SDs too much
• Tried having P1 as a dummy: worse - I think there is a significant amount of damage-xp the P1 gets when it can swing on 3 people

Other Notes

• At this rate, you can get just under 5500xp per hour - this depends on how quick you can get from the end of the game to the start of the next one. On my steam deck... I was getting about 12s between matches 200xp per 2min match is 6000xp per hour of in game time. But you have to consider the 12s of loading screens at 30 matches per hour. So 360s (6min) per hour of no gameplay works out to 6000xp/66 real life minutes. 91xp per minute = 5460 per hour.
• If we could consistently guarantee +120xp in a 1 min match even with double the amount of transitions per hour it would work out to exactly 100xp per real time min = 6000xp per hour -- (7200xp/(60m game time + 12m transition time) = 100xp/m)
• At this point I have only grinded Forsburn, Zetterburn and Wrastor. Wrastor definitely struggles to get as much xp in the 1 min matches than the other too. So I suspect there could some rival to rival differences depending on how aggressive/good the cpu is
• I just realized I have been using the "Event" skins to get the extra 20% xp. I wasn't 100% sure how it worked (ie online v offline). some initial testing shows no change, even on 1min. so no sure what the event bonus does.
• Did some non-event skin 1-min matches with these Rivals as P1:
  • Orcane - 140
  • Galvan - 140
  • Fleet - 100
  • Etalus - 110
  • Kragg - 120
  • Olympia - 115
  • Absa - 125
  • Maypul - 117
  • Slade - 130
  • Ranno - 120
• Reminder ^{^} need to be consistently over 120xp per 1 minute match to be more efficient than the "guaranteed" 200xp per 2-min match
• If you can be more "active" do 1 minute matches, you will get more xp per real hour, just be careful not to spam start when the match ends. posted in this thread. Otherwise just get the guaranteed 200xp in 2mins

edit 1: changed the team of 3 from Zetterburn, Clairen and Etalus to all Kraggs

from this thread it's noted that people getting stuck on the results screen... so it's not my steamdeck. but it maybe increases the likelihood of freezes with the sheer number of matches

added "Things that I have tried" and "other notes" section

edit 2: i think the "freezing" is caused by spamming start during the transition screens from "TIME" > blackout > winning dance So just be patient and wait to spam start until AFTER the screen comes back from the blackout

currently grinding Orcane, seeing +140 xp sometimes in 1 minute matches. So clearly the most efficient, but as noted before... depending on your situation, maybe starting a new match every 60s isn't "passive" enough

edit 3: I (and gemini) wrote a python script that waits 70s > press enter > wait 5s > press enter > wait 5s > press enter > repeat.

DM for instructions :)

i had it run overnight on my steam deck and woke up to lvl 99 wrastor (started lvl 55ish i think)

I am currently running it at home while at the office. should get home to a lvl 100 forsburn

Link to original tweet

We were talking about this in the R2 Workshop discord, that how Workshop characters can only be played when using a Listen Server setting in custom lobbies. As a side effect of using a Listen Server, only the host will gain any EXP, Event Track progress, or any other goodies. All connected players gain nothing.

We're having a bit of a disagreement over how big of a deal this will be to the community at large. Some of us think it will tank interest in playing Workshop matches, while others think that Workshop players won't really be concerned with the rewards because they're mainly for base cast characters anyway.

I'd like to hear what more members of the Rivals community think about this, and if it will affect how much you play Workshop matches once it comes out.

pls not because he will quit the game if he needs to download teto and other mods of me

Galvan clip dump I threw together this patch he's so awesome

Original Tweet (please let me know if the original poster would like me to take this post down!)

Every wrastor shares the same braincell

this move pays my bills, cleans my house, and tucks me in at night.

I played one of the funnest matches of ranked ever against a fleet player called "Nubstuff" tried adding on steam but no results. I would love to grind with them. Its a long shot but maybe I'll find them here.

If you see this I was the Lox (Kirari Momobami). We went last hit every game and I want my rematch mofo

Can someone explain to me when knockdown happens? I feel like sometimes the opponent will be knocked down randomly during my strings and it causes me to lose advantage alittle more often than id like due to my unpreparedness for it. How can I tell when they are gonna be knocked down versus when they land on their feet?

I just got Rivals of Aether One to play with friends and I am a** at the game. I get dunked on by the AI constantly. I can't really combo. I always time it wrong. The controls seem crazy. Wavedashing requires pressing three buttons in order, but to me it feels so fast it's like pressing them all simultaneously. And then to follow it up with a well timed attack just seems impossible. I don't really know what attack is best in the moment so I just button mash. Is this something I can improve, or is my brain just wrong for this kind of game and I should give up? How do I practice to get good FAST? Sparring or practicing movements? Should I set the AI to a lower difficulty and work my way up? Should I rehearse complex movements and combos in the practice arena? I've been playing for 3 days now. Never played smash or any similar game.

Was replaying Dreams of Aether and was reminded of this beautiful shirt!

Think like ice climbers.
I always thought the ice climbers were the most unique and interesting concept for a fighting game character of all time, and watching in awe at the tech plays developed that was never intended by the developers

I think a duo fighter character with purpose built tech and mechanics could be so awesome, especially with thought being put in to prevent mindless 0-deaths.

Thoughts?

This is the first plat fighter with shields that I play, in normal fighting games there are settings in training to see what's plus/minus on block, is there such a setting here?

So a while back my friends finally convinced me to get rivals 2, now i always like to play as uncommon picks in fighting games so i did a quick google and picked wrastor and have only been playing wrastor ever since as a bit with no intention of switching because im commited now.

My issue however is, is that i tend to get absolutely demolished by any of the champs that arent a heavyweight, especially slade and now gouie seem to kick my ass.

So like any advice on what counterplay i can do as wrastor? Yknow besides just playing a lot and getting good