Party Animals has been out for half a year, and we're delighted to have welcomed millions of players, infusing the game with endless vitality and enthusiasm. You come from around the world, representing different cultures and backgrounds, and have found common fun in the game. We're proud to witness the growth of this game community, where countless players have made new friends in Party Animals.

In this half-year journey, the development team has worked hard to improve the gaming experience. We've released multiple updates, adding new features, challenges, and fun to the game. New maps like Castleween, Luggage Chaos, and Conveyor have provided richer experiences for players. The PAWS gameplay in Winter Cabin has brought warmth and joy to the cold season.

In the upcoming update, we will introduce two new solo challenge maps—Black Sails & Cast Away. Players can also team up with a friend to tackle different difficulty levels of the Black Sails map, testing their teamwork and synergy.

We're also introducing local multiplayer to Quick Match, allowing players to join quick match games with multiple local controllers, just like in Custom Lobbies.

Besides the new Black Sails & Cast Away solo challenges, we are launching a new multiplayer game mode, which we believe will bring a fresh experience to the party animals who love to fight.

Ladies and gentlemen, cats and dogs, let me introduce to you: SMASH

Each game of SMASH consists of 6 rounds, each round randomly selecting a map from all Last Stand maps. The winner of each round earns points, and as rounds progress, the amount of points winners receive will increase, making the final round's victory more crucial.

Before each round, players choose a "Perk" to enhance their animal character, and the chosen "Perk" will carry over to the next rounds. At launch, SMASH will feature 50 different "Perks." These abilities have various effects, providing animals with different powers and traits. "Perks" can also stack or upgrade, enhancing their effects and creating different combat styles and strategies.

The 50 "Perks" in SMASH can enhance skills like kicks, punches, and headbutts, or improve speed, jumping, and even allow a second mid-air jump. Some "Perks" give animals new abilities, like a roll that can knock other players away or a slam that creates a shockwave. By trying different "Perk" combinations, players can discover new effects and choose the best combination for their style and game situation.

The video below shows how these "Perks" work in the game:
This mode will be added to the game in the next update and can be found in The Lab under Custom Game. The development team will continue to refine and update this mode in the coming months.

Please note that there are some limitations to this mode at first. Players cannot join an ongoing SMASH map, and the mode does not currently support local multiplayer. We are working to improve these limitations and will gradually improve them in future updates.

Furthermore, our development team has not yet decided on an official name for "Perk" in the game, as words like "skill" or "talent" seem a bit too cliche. Therefore, we welcome your ideas and suggestions for this name, and any 'perks' that you want to see in game in the comments section. Your input is crucial for us to create a more exciting world of Party Animals.

Thank you again for your support and understanding of the development team. We look forward to seeing players showcase their skills and teamwork in the new update!

Party Animals
April 20, 2024

1. The game will be muted when it is running in the background
   
2. Increased the frequency of player status update in the Friend List

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1. Fixed some misaligned 3d models in the Winter Cabin structure
   
2. FIxed the issue where when FSR is on, the scarf on Sakura Maneki will cast shadow incorrectly
   
3. Fixed the issue where certain accessories are not highlighted correctly when selected by the new crossbow card in PAWS
   
4. FIxed the issue where input latency on certain servers will increase occasionally

1. Added new card for PAWS: Crossbow - Turn in to a Bolt card of the same color, put it into the hand of a chosen player
   
2. Added new card for PAWS: Invisibility Potion - Dodge one targeted effect, pass the effect to the next player
   
3. Added one more sledge to the Winter Cabin map

1. Fixed the issue where substitute AIs for players leaving the game early in Quick Match do not move in certain situations

1. Updated the settings for Streamer Mode
   
2. Added new options for voice and text chat range settings (Friends Only)
   
3. Turning on Streamer Mode will now hide all in-game passwords
   
4. In the filter for Custom Game lobby list, the Full Lobby filter is changed to default OFF
   
5. Friends request valid period is extended to 24 hours
   
6. Updated the movements for animals pulling sledges in Winter Cabin
   
7. Adjusted the animation sequence for the Shovel card in PAWS
   
8. Adjusted the highlight effect when it comes to your turn in PAWS
   
9. Adjusted the animation sequence for the Bomb card in PAWS after explosion
   
10. In PAWS, you can now exit the small menu on your top right by pushing the back button on your controllers

1. Corrected the discounted price for Easter Carrot in Item Shop

1. Fixed incorrect character voice for Maneki

1. After a game of PAWS, the winner will be awarded with cookies
   
2. In custom games, the lobby owner can now opt to disable the feature of throwing items after death in Last Stand

1. Adjusted the sound effect when selecting colors in PAWS
   
2. Updated some of the card visual effects in PAWS
   
3. The sorting and filtering settings for the custom lobby list will now be preserved until you return to the main menu or enter a Quick Match
   
4. Optimized the UI prompt for camera switching after player death in Last Stand

1. Fixed incorrect item descriptions in the item shop

1. In PAWS, the effect of the Shovel card can now be stacked and transferred
   * Shovel - Next player draws 2 penalty cards
   
   
2. In PAWS, you can now pick one color when you play Taser, Bomb and Banana
   * Taser - The next player keeps drawing cards, until they draw a card that is the same color as the Taser or a wild card
   * Bomb - The fuse keeps burning. When the bomb blows up in front of a player, they will draw 4 extra cards
   * Banana - Place it back into the draw pile after playing. If drawn again, player will draw 3 extra cards
   
   
3. Updated PAWS card decriptions for the applicable cards

1. Fixed the issue where XBOX client in spectator spots crashes occasionally when Winter Cabin map restarts
   
   
2. Fixed the issue where the Justice Rains From Above achievements are not unlocked in certain cases

1. Fixed an issue where players could not throw items after restarting a match on the Winter Cabin map in certain situations
   
2. Fixed misalignment of some models on the Winter Cabin map
   
3. Fixed an issue where characters would lose balance on some logs in the Winter Cabin
   
4. Fixed an issue with the glasses falling effect for the character Shin being incorrect
   
5. Fixed an issue where Shin's glasses would not become invisible after drinking an invisibility potion
   
6. Fixed an issue with Star Lotus's hair displaying incorrectly after being tasered
   
7. Fixed an issue where the Hula Bacon did not have a gift button in the Item Shop

1. Fixed the incorrect finish time for Shen Loong Pass
   
2. Fixed the shadow for medium and low settings in Castleween
   
3. Fixed the incorrect special effect behavior when switching to Fire Lotus in the Locker
   
4. Fixed the incorrect special effect behavoir for Star Lotus's tail when tasered

Dear Players,

First and foremost, please allow me, on behalf of the entire development team, to express our deepest apologies. We know that many players have been eagerly anticipating the new content update originally scheduled for release on April 18th. However, regrettably, we have to postpone the release date to April 25th. The Twitch Drop event is also delayed to April 25th.

This delay is due to the discovery of some serious bugs during our final testing phase that could negatively impact the gaming experience. Our team is working tirelessly to fix these issues to ensure that when the new content goes live, the product meets our quality standards.

We understand that this decision may disappoint many players, and for that, we are truly sorry. Please trust that this was a difficult decision, but one made to ensure we can provide you with a more polished and seamless gaming environment.

In this update, aside from the originally planned content, we have also prepared some new gameplay elements that may surprise and delight you. The development team will announce these additions later this week. We hope that these new features will, to some extent, make up for the inconvenience caused by the delay and add more fun and freshness to your gaming experience.

We greatly value the support and understanding of each and every player. Without your enthusiasm and feedback, we could not continue to move forward. Once again, we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused by this update delay and ask for your understanding.

Party Animals
April 16th 2024