**Patch Summary**
This patch delivers a sweeping refinement to gameplay mechanics, input systems, and movement fidelity across the entire cast. Modifier inputs (Mod X/Y) gain deeper, more intentional behavior. Platform drops, DI, moonwalking, and controller mapping see crucial overhauls. Movement, blocking, and offense are now more expressive and technical. Massive quality-of-life improvements land for control customization, UI flow, and sound. Characters like Selmani, Minkata, and Sleepy receive updated movement behaviors to standardize feel across the roster, while early animations begin to surface for the mysterious Azzurria...
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**Universal Mechanics**
- Walking and crouching no longer activate if you're holding Mod Y.
- **Moonwalking is now universal!** Perform by quickly flicking the stick from one side to the other during a dash and then holding the opposite direction with Mod Y. Each character has unique moonwalk calibration.
- The **grab button now performs aerials** in midair instead of triggering an air dodge.
- Blocking an opponent’s attack no longer causes hitlag for the attacker, preserving input consistency during pressure.
- **Multishine timing** has been made stricter: you must wait a few frames into jump squat before performing another shine. Similarly, jump canceling shine on whiff is delayed slightly, while hit-confirmed jump cancels remain instant.
- The old "hitstun coma" glitch (caused by zeroed-out vertical knockback on platforms) now correctly causes knockdown using the new knockback banding system.
- Aesthetic improvement: characters now **rotate more expressively** based on their vertical speed when launched. Selmani and Minkata now visually spin like others; Sleepy excluded for rig compatibility.
- Characters no longer enter tumble from knockdown bounce when falling off stages/platforms. Instead, they transition into the fall state. This improves consistency and tech flow in edge scenarios.
- Grounded spike bounce now uses a dedicated hitstun state for better aesthetics and debug support.
- Wall jumps can no longer be performed by pressing the jump button. Input must come from directional stick movement.
- Double jumps no longer ledge snap during ascent, making recoveries more deliberate and more in line with Melee-style ledge play.
- All ledge grab animations are now snappier, improving visuals and slightly altering frame data for ledge hang transitions.
- **Up B moves can no longer be wall-jump canceled**, emphasizing intentional recovery and reinforcing ledge guard as a rewarding defense.
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**Control & Input Overhaul**
- The **Unity input system has been completely replaced** by the new Stardust Input System.
- This allows Player 2 to navigate menus.
- Controller input is now more deeply customizable and easier to debug for devs.
- Players can now assign buttons or axes to **up, down, left, or right** on either stick.
- Button-to-axis mapping is now fully supported.
- Keyboard and rectangle controller support significantly improved.
- Deadzone sliders now use Stardust input and move in **5% increments** instead of 10%.
- Minimum value set to 0.1 to prevent controller detection bugs caused by zero-deadzones.
- The **old control setup wizard and axis inversion settings** have been removed. The game now automatically determines axis direction on assignment.
- "Default Controls" code was removed due to long-standing bugs.
- "Private Room" field now autofills if empty and shows on the title screen by default.
- Controls menu UX and layout greatly improved.
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**Audio & UI Improvements**
- A **new, higher-quality Credits theme** has been composed and implemented.
- Sound and music sliders now use floating points (note: this reset sound settings to default).
- Cursor navigation bugs in the options menu fixed.
- Visual bugs involving UI focus from legacy menus have been cleaned up.
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**Character Updates**
**Ayrie**
- Fixed a visual bug where her hitstun facial expression wouldn’t play during landlag.
**Azzurria**
- Still unreleased, but work has begun! New animations completed:
- Idle, crouch, walk, dash, run
- Jump squat, jump, short hop, fall
- Platform drop, wavedash
- Ledge grab, hang, hop, leap
- Air dodge/freefall
- Block
**Minkata**
- Her unique moonwalk-style dash dance has been **removed in favor of a standard dash dance**, improving responsiveness and approachability.
**Selmani**
- Her wavedash no longer flips direction on input, making it easier to wavedash off stage for ledge grabs.
- Dash dance reverted to standard movement, eliminating previous moonwalk quirks.
**Sleepy**
- Dash now only performs a vertical hop if you **input vertically upward** while dashing. Pure horizontal inputs allow for standard dash dance.
- Fixed a visual bug where Player 2 Sleepy had no shadow.
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**Developer/Internal Updates**
- Vestigial input and character state code (e.g., old Combo Babies "knockdown" functions) has been cleaned from the source.
- Removed old Unity project UI elements that were causing invisible menu bugs.
- Internal values for sound now use floats instead of ints.
- Inputs now use integers instead of bytes to support Mod X/Y tracking and future expansions.