MK1 Patch Notes 6/4 - Homelander, Small balance changes, and bug fixes

Mortal Kombat 1 Patch Notes - June Update

PC Steam & Epic Games Store

• Updated Intel XeSS to 1.3, including support for 6 Upscaling Quality presets and XeSS Native Anti-Aliasing on supported hardware
• Various fixes to improve game stability

General Fixes & Adjustments

• Move list corrections & Localization fixes
• AI adjustments & improvements
• Improvements to Screen Reader functionality
• Added Homelander Fighter to Roster
• Added Mileena announcer
• Added Earthrealm skins for Kitana, Mileena & Reptile
• Added Deadly Hybrid skin for Mileena, Titan skin for Li Mei, & Festival Disguise skin for Quan Chi
• Adjusted pushback distance during start-up of throws at very close range
• Fixed several visual issues during brutalities
• Fixed an issue causing several attacks against airborne opponents to cause the hit reaction to start lower to the ground than expected
• Fixed issue that could cause special move cancels to not be possible if the player was moving the Right Stick at certain timing
• Fixed several instances of facial animations lingering longer than intended
• Fixed an incorrect visual effect occurring when a Kameo is interrupted by a Breaker or during a Summon attack
• Adjusted Round Number UI for Round 2 & later rounds start to better match the Fight announcer

Invasions

• Added ability to turn around while traversing between Encounters
• Added ability to preview rewards before a Boss Fight
• Added additional reward information to Seasonal Towers
• Added Elemental advantage & disadvantage indicators on some Encounters
• Increased inventory slots for Talismans & Relics
• Fixed Johnny Cage Hype meter and Geras Hourglass meter remaining on screen after they are defeated in an Endurance fight
• Fixed some Talisman attacks used during Finish Him causing the opponent to use an incorrect animation
• Fixed an issue causing incorrect elements to display during Character Trials
• Fixed an issue that could allow Maximum Damage to occur in the Wu Shi Academy Practice Mode
• Fixed some rare instances of Maximum Damage triggering unexpectedly
• Fixed an issue that caused certain modifiers to unexpectedly prevent attacks from hitting the opponent

Kustomize Mode

• Fixed visual issues that could occur by repeatedly pressing the Change Pose button while in Photo Mode
• Fixed rare issue that could cause the game to become unresponsive if you hover on a character then quickly select a different one with specific timing

Character Specific Adjustments
Main Fighters
Geras

• Bulldozer (Back Punch, Front Punch, Back Punch) is now considered airborne when Geras is visually off the ground
• During Slab Returnal (Towards + Front Punch, Back Punch, Front Punch + Front Kick) both characters are considered airborne when the attack hits until they land on the ground
• During Back Throw both characters are considered airborne when Geras hops in the air
• Fixed issue in Practice Mode where repeatedly performing special moves over a really long period of time could cause the game to become unresponsive

Havik

• Neoplasm & Enhanced Neoplasm are no longer destroyed if he is interrupted by his own Kameo

Kenshi

• Ancestral Guard is now considered airborne when Kenshi is visually off the ground

Kung Lao

• Human Weapon (Away + Back Punch, Back Kick) is now considered airborne when Kung Lao is visually off the ground
• Get Back (Back Kick, Back Kick) is now considered airborne when Kung Lao is visually off the ground

Johnny Cage

• Cagenado (Back Kick, Back Kick) is now considered airborne when Johnny Cage is visually off the ground

Li Mei

• Against The Rope (Back Punch, Front Punch, Back Kick) & Calculated (Back Kick, Front Kick, Back Kick) are now considered airborne when Li Mei is visually off the ground
• Fixed issue that was causing incorrect visual effects and excessively long knockdown animation after hitting an opponent with Enhanced Chain Reaction

Mileena

• Fixed issue that could cause opponents to move through Mileena briefly after landing from Teleport Down

Nitara

• Fixed Leap of Faith being unable to hit airborne Kameos

Reiko

• Reiko is now considered airborne when he is off the ground during the hit animation of Pale Rider and Enhanced Pale Rider
• Fixed issue with Practice Mode Frame Data display not working with Retaliation

Scorpion

• Fixed rare issue that could cause Scorpion to be briefly outside the arena boundaries after landing from (Air) Enhanced Flame-Port

Smoke

• Fixed issue that could cause ducking opponents to briefly turn around when Face Walk (Towards + Back Kick) is performed at very close range

Tanya

• Fixed issue that could cause ducking opponents to briefly turn around when Spinning Splits Kick is performed at very close range

Omni-Man

• Fixed camera issues that could sometimes occur if Back Throw is interrupted at specific timing
• Fixed camera issue that could occur if Back Throw is used to defeat the opponent

Quan Chi

• Zone Of Fear will no longer end early if a Summon Kameo move is performed

Peacemaker

• Fixed issue that could cause Ground-Air Offensive and Beautiful Bird Bullet to use an incorrect animation when the opponent and their Kameo are on screen at the same time

Ermac

• Adjusted hit region of Mass Driver (Back Punch, Front Punch)
• Fixed issue that could cause throws to not grant first hit bonus if Death's Embrace is active
• Fixed issue with Practice Mode Frame Data display not working with (Air) Suspended Animation
• Fixed visual issues that could occur from Yurei (Back + Front Kick) being interrupted early
• Fixed visual issues that could occur with Witch Slam being interrupted at specific timing

Kameo Fighters
Kung Lao (Kameo)

• Fixed Buzz Saw not having sound effects when it travels across the ground if it is delayed

Sareena (Kameo)

• Sareena will no longer sometimes remain on screen when doing Jataaka's Kurse with specific timing when a round ends

Sektor (Kameo)

• Fixed Up Rocket directional inputs being reversed while performing certain attacks

Shujinko (Kameo)

• Fixed several Mimic & Kopy Kat abilities facing the opponent unexpectedly when switching sides
• Fixed Shujinko's partner not taking damage if he is hit after performing several of Li Mei's Mimic & Kopy Kat abilities
• Mimic Lightning Port stolen from Raiden has 2 more frames of start-up and recovers 1 frame faster
• Fixed camera issue when Shujinko perform's Omni-Man's Flatter Tiebreaker

Khameleon (Kameo)

• Fixed visual issue that could cause Khameleon to be invisible during Jade Disguise Breaker

Mavado (Kameo)

• Fixed Best Feet Forward & Nindrop not being possible after several attacks
• Fixed rare issue that could cause Best Feet Forward attack to trigger twice in the same combo despite the input only being pressed once

Mortal Kombat 1 Patch Notes - June Update

PC Steam & Epic Games Store Updated Intel XeSS to 1.3, including support for 6 Upscaling Quality presets and XeSS Native Anti-Aliasing on supported hardware Various fixes to improve game stabi...

mortalkombatgamessupport.wbgames.com

 

just do your thing and press the BS button to be safe, the game.

This is what happens when you make a team fighter without pushblock and/or guard cancels, not just when you make an assist that covers your shit

 

Having Cyrax bombs have reduced cooldown would make him less of a one trick pony instead of un-nerfing his chopper. His net is already useful as a meter drain or as a cheeky plus frames from fullscreen. Likewise, buffing Goro punchwalk to having armor on wakeup, faster startnup and do chip on hit (kinda like Frost's punches) would have him be more of a useful kameo. There are lots of moves that could be buffed to make kameos more diverse and fun instead of just leaving the useful ones as is or reverting their nerfs, imo. Dont bring stryker grenades back, instead make his batons have less recovery.

 

This is what happens when you make a team fighter without pushblock and/or guard cancels, not just when you make an assist that covers your shit

Exactly, the game can't support these kind of moves without additional core mechanics added to the game. And even then, more balancing needs to take place for the rest of the significantly underpowered kameos. And what about the remaining underpowered characters?

At this point, you're overhauling the entire game. And for what exactly? So can players like M2Dave that don't like the game to finally give a damn? I don't get it.

 

There are lots of moves that could be buffed to make kameos more diverse and fun instead of just leaving the useful ones as is or reverting their nerfs, imo

@SixPathsOfHate was onto something with that thread about Kameo changes he made, 90% of the change suggestion in there are much more interesting than the ones other folks are cooking up
That reminds me i should update my comment there, had a lot of ideas since

 

At this point, you're overhauling the entire game. And for what exactly? So can players like M2Dave that don't like the game to finally give a damn? I don't get it.

I think Horizontal Kopter is fine now since the damage and recharge are ass but even with moves like that nerfed, pushblock and guard cancels are simply essential for this subgenre unless for some ungodly reason you make every assist into a Summon

 

I think Horizontal Kopter is fine now since the damage and recharge are ass but even with moves like that nerfed, pushblock and guard cancels are simply essential for this subgenre unless for some ungodly reason you make every assist into a Summon

In a scenario were kameo moves like Cyrax kopter were permanently in the game like it is today, then more defensive tools like you described are essential. If this move, along with Goro punch, Kano ball, etc. weren't in the game I think the game balance would be pretty decent overall without additional defensive mechanics being necessary.

It's all up to NRS were they want to go with the game. Either way, they need to commit towards a direction and go all in. As long as they don't half-ass it, I'm sure they can make a fun game.

 

Maybe I don't understand fun but how is it fun when literally every single player is doing the exact same setup no matter the character, forever? No execution barrier, no thinking, just do your thing and press the BS button to be safe, the game.

The conversions and combos that cyrax allows for these characters are very fun.
Johnny command dash safeguard bypass combos,multiple hype mode activations in 1 combo,nut pucnh ender extensions,very fun and and dynamic.

Shao axless pressure with cyrax is very fun,
Mid combo axe buff activation and contiunation etc

I dont think i need to write anything about baraka,evryone knows the team and conversions with cyrax inside and out,and the dynamics of his combo structure with cyrax is indeed very fun.


With that being said,if cyrax proves to be out of control still after this revert,i think making it so you cant use horizonotal chopper unless you are at full kameo bar but it still costing only half would put cyrax in a perfect spot.

This way you cant do gapless horizontal chopper loops and spam d1xx special into horizontal chopper and have annoying turn steal mind games too often but at the same time preserve the use and availability of his other moves keeping kameo viable and fun to use at the same time.

 

Ngl I did laugh when he called the worst era of this game the "fun" lol.

Cmon man,you cant pin that only on cyrax lol.
Back then alot of the kameos sucked even harder then they do now,dlc kamoes werent a part of the game then,nor the full characters,characters thay desperatly needed some updates didnt have them then etc etc.

Still a long way to go,rain treatment is needed for a number of chars and further updates to lagging kameos is needed.

Cyrax bringing back fun teams,like the ones i mentioned is not a bad thing.

 

making it so you cant use horizonotal chopper unless you are at full kameo bar but it still costing only half

Interesting suggestion.

I know you'll hate it but my suggestion would be to retain the half cost but make it come out only during combos, like Mavado. In fact, I would suggest the same treatment for Kano ball, Goro punch, Stryker nades, and Khameleon fan lift.

 

This is what happens when you make a team fighter without pushblock and/or guard cancels, not just when you make an assist that covers your shit

This is why kameo power balance should be on the lower side, not higher side - there are no real defensive mechanics in this game to balance out offensive power of kameos. Balancing up to kham's level would ruin the game.

 

Interesting suggestion.

I know you'll hate it but my suggestion would be to retain the half cost but make it come out only during combos, like Mavado. In fact, I would suggest the same treatment for Kano ball, Goro punch, Stryker nades, and Khameleon fan lift.

Tbh not sure how that would work,cause horizontal chopper is majorly used outside of combos,except a few specific situation,like johnny command dash safeguard bypass.
It literally cant be used in combos because it auto drops(unless it is the first and only begining hit),hence the bypass need.

That would kill the kameo more then it did costing full bar.

 

Tbh not sure how that would work,cause horizontal chopper is majorly used outside of combos,except a few specific situation,like johnny command dash safeguard bypass.

It would be completely different.

1. It would still cost half a bar.
2. It would have a faster cooldown.
3. It could only be used within combos or as a combo extender.

It literally cant be used in combos because it auto drops

Yeah, it would be reworked so it wouldn't drop combos.

 

They nerfed my ermacs 21 string they gave him t rex arms!!

 

Correction.

Players choose certain kameos only to spam one, two at most, moves over and over again.

Whether that move is helicopter, low hat, grenades, ice armor, up punch, daggers, etc. I fail to see the difference.

This sounds a bit out of date with how the meta's changed. Khamelon players commonly use 4-5 kameo options (glow, lift/jump, overhead, boomerang, air sais). Janet users do not spam anything, and either use her as a combo extrender on hitcofirm or use the wall to set up character-specific abilities. Mavado players use the OTG slide, grapple, trap, and his juggle extenders (none of which are spam-able).

But more importantly, for attacks that have counterplay (like Lao Low Hat), there's another layer of yomi. We’ve just seen at Combo Breaker a couple weeks ago that it can be dangerous to auto-pilot armorable kameo attacks against better players. There are numerous examples of players being punished for being predictable.

More thinking = better. Going back to autopiloting helocopter is a step backward.

Sure, there are kameos that can definitely use some love/buffs. But that's true in any assist game (not all assist attacks will be equally good and some will be used constantly).

 

buffing Goro punchwalk to having armor on wakeup.

I don't understand the love for Punchwalk and the desire to buff it instead of his launching grab.

 

This is what happens when you make a team fighter without pushblock and/or guard cancels, not just when you make an assist that covers your shit

There's also no good punishes to reading an assist call.

Its weird because NRS has this as consistent problem in their games. They adopt a mechanic from outside their system, but seem extremely reluctant to adopt the counterplay. They've been fucking with breakers in every game since MK9, and even at the end of MK11, still only half committed to allowing people to read and punish them.

D2 KB was, imo, a really great idea. You got a hard read, did a huge committal and classic move, and it rewards you with a boatload of damage and a chance at a great combo. So great in fact they brought it back in this game and made it totally fucking useless because of reasons I just cannot fathom (or as I more likely suspect, they've got extremely limited resources as this point)

Finally at the end of MK11's life, we get moves that can counter breakers. Awesome, a neat twist on the idea of burst baiting from GG or basically any other game with a combo escape. Oh except that for some reason some cast members have it on their best move and others literally couldn't set it up if they wanted to.

So now we've got assists, which are 100% known for covering unsafe bullshit. MvC has pretty much nailed the "dumping all your meter to blow up their assist even if the point character blocks" as a mechanic.

Obviously you can't do that as much here because they don't have their own lifebar, and there is a reward if you catch the assist in the form of extra damage, but there's almost no moves that really do that. Just about everything hits one character and stops dead, its not like you get to just blow them up for being predictable in neutral. You just shut up and take it.

I like the game, and I think they've done ok, but this is a consistent pattern with their design that's so frustrating. The tools already EXIST, just make them better and it'll solve so much. Give us just a few more ways to actually INTERACT with the mechanic rather than watch it play out. Hitting an assist in almost every other tag fighter is a pants shitting moment for everyone involved. It's not even something you aim for in this game, and that to me is a major failure.

Edit didnt see this -

This sounds a bit out of date with how the meta's changed. Khamelon players commonly use 4-5 kameo options (glow, lift/jump, overhead, boomerang, air sais). Janet users do not spam anything, and either use her as a combo extrender on hitcofirm or use the wall to set up character-specific abilities. Mavado players use the OTG slide, grapple, trap, and his juggle extenders (none of which are spam-able).

Seriously? Of course they do more, they're more recent. His complaint is about every launch kameo still being 1 dimensional. Yes it sucks that if you want to use them you lean on mostly one move. This is because the cooldowns are too long, the tools are too lopsided, and the shared cooldown problem really punishes some kameos (goro especially).

 

This is what happens when you make a team fighter without pushblock and/or guard cancels, not just when you make an assist that covers your shit

Exactly. It is CRIMINAL that those things are not in this assist fighter of a game. It's embarrassing imo and directly correlates to watered down lackluster play and kameo tier shifting every few months.

 

There's also no good punishes to reading an assist call.

Its weird because NRS has this as consistent problem in their games. They adopt a mechanic from outside their system, but seem extremely reluctant to adopt the counterplay. They've been fucking with breakers in every game since MK9, and even at the end of MK11, still only half committed to allowing people to read and punish them.

D2 KB was, imo, a really great idea. You got a hard read, did a huge committal and classic move, and it rewards you with a boatload of damage and a chance at a great combo. So great in fact they brought it back in this game and made it totally fucking useless because of reasons I just cannot fathom (or as I more likely suspect, they've got extremely limited resources as this point)

Finally at the end of MK11's life, we get moves that can counter breakers. Awesome, a neat twist on the idea of burst baiting from GG or basically any other game with a combo escape. Oh except that for some reason some cast members have it on their best move and others literally couldn't set it up if they wanted to.

So now we've got assists, which are 100% known for covering unsafe bullshit. MvC has pretty much nailed the "dumping all your meter to blow up their assist even if the point character blocks" as a mechanic.

Obviously you can't do that as much here because they don't have their own lifebar, and there is a reward if you catch the assist in the form of extra damage, but there's almost no moves that really do that. Just about everything hits one character and stops dead, its not like you get to just blow them up for being predictable in neutral. You just shut up and take it.

I like the game, and I think they've done ok, but this is a consistent pattern with their design that's so frustrating. The tools already EXIST, just make them better and it'll solve so much. Give us just a few more ways to actually INTERACT with the mechanic rather than watch it play out. Hitting an assist in almost every other tag fighter is a pants shitting moment for everyone involved. It's not even something you aim for in this game, and that to me is a major failure.

Edit didnt see this -



Seriously? Of course they do more, they're more recent. His complaint is about every launch kameo still being 1 dimensional. Yes it sucks that if you want to use them you lean on mostly one move. This is because the cooldowns are too long, the tools are too lopsided, and the shared cooldown problem really punishes some kameos (goro especially).

Iike this post alot. Identifies the perceived problems and offers perceived solutions. This is an amazing post man. Well thought out too. This the type of feedback nrs needs

 

I don't understand the love for Punchwalk and the desire to buff it instead of his launching grab.

Because punchwalk is absolutely useless while his launching grab is niche but still very much a usable tool?

 

D2 KB was, imo, a really great idea. You got a hard read, did a huge committal and classic move, and it rewards you with a boatload of damage and a chance at a great combo. So great in fact they brought it back in this game and made it totally fucking useless because of reasons I just cannot fathom (or as I more likely suspect, they've got extremely limited resources as this point)

It likely had to do with people complaining endlessly about d2 KBs being braindead or "scrubby" and advocating for ways to nerf them.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1253751242003800067

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1310353742743642113

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1629522700552089607

 

I think early on NRS still had one foot in the MK11 "just simplify everything so we don't have to work as much" design philosophy, which is why so much of the MK1 base roster feels one dimensional. Every new MK sells better than the previous title, they wanna keep pumping them out quickly over making them more intricate and replayable.

This is my tinfoil hat theory. The games are still fun, but yeah. Using/fighting certain characters can feel extremely repetitive.

 

its not like you get to just blow them up for being predictable in neutral. You just shut up and take it

This is so true regarding MK1. You’ve really explained why this neutral has been feeling “rudimentary” to me going between this game, and Strive/SF Vi . I’ve grinded MK1 since launch and I’ve never seen an enhanced uppercut once. Push block with Movado is similarly expensive, I don’t own him but I’m curious if you’ve tried using him? Does push block help make defense more interactive?

But yeah as you say you have to just hold the opponents offense even if you make the read it’s just too risky to stuff it.
Throws have a lot of range in MK1 and are easy space during strings, almost as if it was Tekken. In most 2d games, a step or two to close the distance must be taken to connect the throw, which allows the defender to be risky. Even if the defender is minus they can jab the atracker out of their walkup throw attempt. In mk1 however you block, empty duck when you suspect the thrown and then punish. You must wait your turn. The fights seem rigid in a way

 

As this game is clearly never going to get a push block I think armour moves should be changed to full invulnerable reversals and made so that you can't call an assist while doing it. This way they can blow through people trying to be safe with assists but don't reward you with a combo at the same time. At the same time the attacker can decide not to call the assist and potentially punish your attempt at a reversal. This at least removes some of the autopilot gameplay this game has.

 

As this game is clearly never going to get a push block I think armour moves should be changed to full invulnerable reversals and made so that you can't call an assist while doing it. This way they can blow through people trying to be safe with assists but don't reward you with a combo at the same time. At the same time the attacker can decide not to call the assist and potentially punish your attempt at a reversal. This at least removes some of the autopilot gameplay this game has.

That's an interesting suggestion. The problem with these moves is exactly like you guys said; even if you expect it you have to sit and take it, there's no counterplay which is dumb. In the scenario were we could fully armour reversal as a punish, how would it work? Would we be able to hit the character and the kameo? How many hits would the armour reversal be able to soak up?

 

As this game is clearly never going to get a push block I think armour moves should be changed to full invulnerable reversals and made so that you can't call an assist while doing it. This way they can blow through people trying to be safe with assists but don't reward you with a combo at the same time. At the same time the attacker can decide not to call the assist and potentially punish your attempt at a reversal. This at least removes some of the autopilot gameplay this game has.

Another good suggestion. Good stuff