IMPORTANT: Please check the integrity of the game files in the Steam client after this update!

1. Load the Steam client
2. From the Library tab, right-click on the game and select Properties from the menu
3. Select the Local files tab and click Verify integrity of game files...
4. Steam will verify the game's files


Hellish Quart pre-alpha v.2023.11.12.0


FIX:
- Fixed a bug where the arcade mode difficulty was locked out at difficulty 3, regardless of the chosen level.
- Character Selection Menu: when playing with a keyboard, you can only choose your fighters by using the appropriate set of keys for the side you chose. You can no longer press any key to choose the keyboard as your controller (it caused confusion for new players). A panel with a default keyboard controls layout will pop up when you press any key on the keyboard.
- Fixed a situation where you could cancel a Forward attack, and instantly do a Backward Attack, because Backward and Sidestep attacks did not respect the cancel cooldown rule
- Gedeon: fixed a bug that forced him to a wrong foot position when canceling certain attacks
- Father Zera: Bashing through the opponent's Long Guard with a cut no longer disables the damage detector
- Gedeon: fixed a bug where he was not respecting the cancel cooldown in some attacks
- Jacek: fixed a situation where he could bypass the opponent's Long Guard with his Far Lunge thrust attack
- Jacek: his lower guards are a bit higher to get his forearm out of the way
- Jan: fixed a bug where you could not cancel B attack
- Samuel: fixed a bug where you could cancel some attacks on active frames
- Marta: fixed a bug where you could cancel some attacks on active frames
- Marie: fixed a bug where you could cancel some attacks on active frames
- Isabella: fixed a bug where you could cancel some attacks on active frames
- Jan: fixed too long blending to some guard positions
- Barabasz, Jan: (LG) Fwd + Y animation tweak so it's "more" blockable
- Jan: Fwd, Fwd, Y is no longer cancelable
- Jan: Fwd, Fwd, X is no longer cancelable
- Fixed a situation where you would not assume a guard pose, if your opponent started his attack first, and then you started yours right after, but canceled it right away. Now you will assume a guard pose if you do that.
- Updated the Rewired Game Controller Plugin to the newest version to improve Dual Sense controllers support (mainly, it fixes the bug where the button mapping randomly resets for Dueal Sense)
- Updated Playmaker plugin to version 1.9.7 (bugfixes for the editor)


TWEAK:
- Animation transitions tweaks, which should result in quicker blending to guard poses from attacks, and in effect, more responsive blocking.
- Jacek: is generally ~6% slower
- Jan: tweaked the Fwd, Fwd Y animation to be more blockable by the Long Guard
- Jan, Barabasz: tweaked the (LG) Fwd + Y animation to be more blockable
- Samuel: is generally ~4% faster
- Marta: tweaked weapon inertia
- Marie: tweaked weapon mass and inertia
- Gedeon: tweaked weapon inertia for more stability on collisions
- Jacek: Longer recovery in Back attacks on whiff
- Jacek: weapon inertia tweaks
- Isabella: tweaked the (RFF) LG + Fwd + X thrust attack animation so it is clear that it aims at the torso.
- Increased next Attack delay after canceling the first attack from 0.2 to 0.26s


NEW:
- New move: Taunt. A short move that makes the opponent assume a lower or higher guard, just like a normal attack would. This is more of a psychological move, a short twitch, that may trigger your opponent to react (for example cancel his attack, whiff, or dodge). Assigned to Left Bumper on gamepad, or Y+B on gamepad, or Y+H on keyboard or R on keyboard. Please reset the controls to default if you changed them, or assign Taunt manually.

- New Attack Canceling rule: If your opponent started an attack, you have 0.3s in which you can cancel your attack even in active frames. In other words, when the opponent is attacking, the "no canceling on active frames" rule is suspended for 0.3s.

For example: you start your attack, and right after, your opponent starts his. This would result in a double kill or a "parry and riposte". With this change, you are no longer committed to your attack, and you can cancel it any time (by pressing Backward) to assume a guard position and block his riposte. Remember that canceling still triggers the cooldown for the next attack, so you can't cancel-spam attacks, even if your opponent is swinging in the air.

- Isabella: new Long Guard combos to break the somewhat OP one-button-mashing-stab tactic (you can still do it, but now you have to cancel to break the combo, and not just mash the button)
- Added UI button glyphs for Playstation controllers, that will show, if your first hooked up controller is a Playstation controller


Known bugs:
- If you play in more than 60fps, the Long Guard does not go back to the Neutral Pose, when you release the Long Guard button. We are working on resolving that issue now.

- Grabbing someone sometimes doesn't trigger a corresponding animation
- Training matches don't have win / lose animations yet