The MEGALODON Update: New Stadium, New Blocking System, Major Gameplay Changes

Patch 1.0.4.29 - The MEGALODON Update

We are excited to introduce the MEGALODON Update! This is the largest and quite possibly best Gridiron update we’ve ever released. Packed with features and gameplay changes, we hope you all enjoy playing it as much as we’ve enjoyed making it!

Blocking 3.0

Blocking 2.0 fell short of our expectations. We've been in the lab grinding on the latest version of the shields and we’re excited to show them to you!

Shield Changes

• The shield now drains shield stamina when holding it out and not blocking anybody.
• The shield stops draining stamina when you make contact with a defensive player, or put it away, in which case it will start regenerating.
• The shield now only slows players when they physically contact the front of the shield.
• The shield can no longer be abused or glitched via jumping when you make contact with it.
• Blocking in the back is no longer possible.
• The shield now has a concave hitbox to better hold players.
• You can now dive and dashe off of shields horizontally.

Bash Blocking

With Shields 3.0, linemen can now bash players that are contacting your shield and send them back a short distance, creating room and relieving pressure on your QB.

• Bash can be bound to any key you like but is set to RMB by default.
• Bash is tied to your shield stamina. Executing one bash costs 40 shield stamina. You have a total of 100 shield stamina that regenerates over time.
• After 2 seconds of holding up the shield, the shield will enter a charged state, and upon successfully bashing a player with a charged shield, will slow the player hit by by 15% for 2 seconds.

Pancake Blocking

With the introduction of the bash mechanic, you can also now pancake defensive players trying to get to your quarterback!

• The pancake block will send the player hit by it back a few yards, and knock them to the ground for up to 1.5 seconds depending on the distance travelled while dashing.
• To execute a pancake block, you must dash into a player with your shield up and use your bash as your shield makes contact with them.
• The player you intend to bash must be in a "Vulnerable" Status(Indicated by a yellow bleeding eye above their head) which can be applied via a bash from yourself or another linemen.

Defensive Line Spin Move

We also are introducing a spin move for defensive linemen! A clever new mechanic that can be used masterfully to get off of shields and to make great plays.

• The spin move costs 15 stamina to use and spins the player to the left or the right(Q and E by default) a short distance.
• The spin move can be used most effectively to get off the edge of a shield that is blocking you, or to bait out a pancake block.
• Using the spin move as a offensive linemen tries to pancake you and forcing them to miss will award you with a free dash(your next dash executed within 4 seconds will cost 0 stamina)

The Underwater Stadium

Humans have returned to Kepler-1989g aka Styx, the home planet of the Scyllians. The Purpose? Some good old-fashioned diplomatic football. Humanity is in for a tough away game though, as the home team and their fans may not be too fond of them...

This exoplanet whose surface is 92.43% covered in water is home to the brand new underwater Gridiron stadium. Check out the reveal trailer to see the stadium in all its glory!

Players can now select which stadium they’d like to play in in custom games. The Underwater Stadium will also appear more often in public matches for a limited time!

Competitive Ruleset Changes for Runningbacks and Linemen

We want competitive games to feel more competitive, so a few changes are coming to the runningback and offensive line positions in ranked and custom matches with the competitive ruleset enabled.

• Linemen in the competitive ruleset will now receive permanent ineligibility if they activate their shield. This does not apply to runningbacks, quarterbacks, or wide receivers.
• The Runningback will no longer make a loud sound when receiving a handoff.
• These changes do not apply to other positions and are only applicable during a normal play(Kickoffs and Punts will have normal rules.

General Changes

• Added the ability for players to name their team and set a team abbreviation in custom lobbies. Your team name and abbreviation will appear during gameplay!
• Ball Carrier Stamina Drain is now 1.65x greater then the default stamina drain instead of 1.75x greater.
• Players can now close some UI elements by pressing the escape key, including the in-game chat prompt.
• Changed how the camera behaves when a player is tackled.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed an issue where the tackle hitboxes were not behaving correctly and allowed for tackles to happen when the tackler was not close enough to the ball carrier.
• Fixed an issue where the down and distance would be incorrect after a team intercepts the ball.
• Fixed an issue where the tutorial prompts would appear over the options menu.
• Fixed an issue where changing your FOV in the main menu would cause issues with the character being displayed in the locker room.
• Accepting a game invitation before opening Gridiron will now put you in the lobby with the player who invited you instead of just opening the game.
• Fixed an issue where spectators could not see the touchdown and conversion graphics after a team scores.
• Fixed an issue where a player would start the next play from the spot they were tackled instead of their appropriate spot in the formation.

Status Effects

This patch introduces several status effects as described above. These are the icons of the different status effects that you can receive and what they mean:

Vulnerable: Lasts 2.0 seconds - This debuff is applied when an offensive lineman bashes a defender. Players with the Vulnerable status effect can be pancake blocked.

Shield Charge: 2.0 second charge up period - When a shield is charged, you can discharge it by bashing a defensive player, giving them the Slowed status effect.

Slowed: Lasts 2.0 seconds - Applied by a charged shield bashing into a defensive player.

Rocket Boots: Lasts 0.5 seconds - Increases player speed by 25% after successfully bashing a defender.

Pancaked!: - Lasts 0.75 seconds - You've been knocked to the ground by a charging offensive lineman. You can get back up after the duration expires!

Pancaked!: - Lasts 1.5 seconds - You've been knocked to the ground by a charging offensive lineman. You can get back up after the duration expires!

Pancaked!: - Lasts 2.25 seconds - You've been knocked to the ground by a charging offensive lineman. You can get back up after the duration expires!