SUPER ANIMAL ROYALE v1.4 – Season 3 is here with the new S.A.W. vs Rebellion control point mode

Posted on April 5, 2022

Season 3 brings with it a new mode, map location, Super Easter event and more

S.A.W. vs Rebellion is back, revamped and better than ever! The update also features a new map location, new Super Animal breeds, Super Easter event and more.

Season 3 is here, Super Animals, and it marks the debut of a brand new version of our S.A.W. vs Rebellion mode, now revamped with respawns, classes, tighter battle arenas and new point-based win conditions. You’ll also be able to explore the new S.A.W. Security HQ location on the map, unlock new canine and feline breeds in the Research Lab, and hunt Easter Eggs to redeem for limited-time cosmetics in the Super Easter Event!

A note on Season 3 and SAR Tonight

The v1.4 update is packed full of content to explore in Super Animal World, but before we do, we wanted to briefly address the real world crisis going on in Ukraine and how it has impacted Season 3 of SAR. Months ago, when we decided to do a S.A.W. vs. Rebellion reboot, we thought its launch would be the perfect time to scale the game’s simmering conflict into a war on Super Animal Royale Tonight. Unfortunately, the February escalation of the war in Ukraine made it far from the “perfect time” for that, so we decided to cancel the episode. We know that fans would have enjoyed it under different circumstances, but it might be hard to enjoy right now. All the great clips we received will remain in consideration, and we’ll be reworking the script into what we hope will be an even better episode that will premiere alongside Season 4 in roughly three months.

Our hearts go out to those suffering the real costs of conflict. In March we released a blog post that explains our thought process in more detail that you can read here:
https://medium.com/@michael_one/a-note-on-our-latest-super-animal-royale-update-ace6ce8748f6

All this said, we’re extremely proud of how this update turned out and can’t wait to play the new mode with all of you! Here are the highlights of what you can look forward to in this update:

Season 3 Update Highlights

• S.A.W. vs Rebellion 2.0: Class-based Control Point mode
• Season 3: S.A.W. vs Rebels Pass & Season 3 Starter Pack DLC
• New Map Location: S.A.W. Security HQ
• New Super Cats & Dogs (and Super Leopard and Super Wolf)
• Super Easter Event
• Gameplay updates, quality of life improvements & more

S.A.W. vs Rebellion 2.0

Class-based Control Point Chaos!

The S.A.W. vs Rebellion mode has been revamped from top to bottom, turning it into something brand new. It’s still a clash between two teams, Super Animal World (S.A.W.) security forces and the Super Animal Super Resistance (S.A.S.R.) rebel fighters, with strategic flags to capture, but that’s just about where its similarities with its previous incarnation end. With classes, respawning, and 8 battle maps, it’s unlike anything the island has seen yet!

Let’s go over some of the biggest changes to the game mode to get you prepped.

Choose from five unique class loadouts – Scout, Medic, Assault, Sniper, or Heavy – each specializing in different weapons and tactics. Pick your preferred playstyle or experiment with unfamiliar ones!

Respawn until the Super Cows come home… or until your team’s Reinforcement Points run out, whichever comes first. Each time you respawn you can stick with the same class or change up your strategy with a new class. It’s a ruff world out there once you emerge from the underground Lab Labs, pups, so make sure you’re ready for action!

Note from S.A.W. Legal: Please do not allow Mini Animals to ride on your helmet. Even if they beg.

When you achieve 4 kills with a particular class, your next respawn will see you upgrade into Tier 2 of that class, with improved gear and weapons! Medics can also gain points towards Tier 2 by healing teammates.

SvR matches take place in 8 condensed battle maps, each featuring different locations around Super Animal World island!

• This is the same island you know from the battle royale mode, but the Skunk Gas has a preset size, forming an unmoving oval shaped area for you to duke it out with your enemies.
• S.A.S.R. rebels and S.A.W. Security forces respawn from their respective HQ Hatches on each side of the map, where Lab Labs loyally supply clone reinforcements from their underground…Lab Labs. Rebels spawn on the left side of each battlefield, and S.A.W. on the right.

To reflect the new scale seen in the new battle maps, the number of players has been reduced to 24v24. With tighter maps, closer flags, and more focused fights, this change in lobby size brings a whole new flavor to combat.

Since reinforcements will be continuously respawning for both teams, the methods of claiming victory have changed as well. Flags A, B, and C will still need to be captured and defended, but their placement between spawns in the narrow battlefields focuses the fighting.

• Both teams start with 999 Reinforcement Points. Each flag your team owns drains the enemy’s points faster.
• Respawning costs your team points, so it’s important to get lots of kills and keep your team alive while fighting for control of the three flags.

The game mode has also been fully themed with new animations, music, custom UI, and more, bringing its production values up to par with the Bwoking Dead mode we released last year.

We’ve also made some smaller changes to improve the flow of gameplay in the mode:

• Mole Crates and regular loot (ex. guns and powerups) do not appear in this mode, but grass and breakables will still drop their usual contents.
• Upon death, players drop some ammo, and have a chance to drop some Health Juice and Super Tape.
• You can only pick up ammo that your class can use, and you cannot drop items. Ammo will despawn after 30 seconds.
• Healing from Dogna’s Dart Gun will stack in this mode, but healing is still delivered over time. For instance, if you hit your teammate twice, the second dart’s healing time will add on top of the existing duration, rather than replace it like it does in battle royale.
• Since the mode has changed significantly from its previous iteration, its stats will be tracked separately in a new category. However, you can also view your legacy S.A.W. vs Rebellion stats on the stats screen if you played the previous version of the mode.
• Kill & win challenges can still be completed in this mode, but kill & win milestones cannot.
• Gravestones and any sleeping Mini Animal pets next to them fade out after death in this mode.
• At the end of a match, the top players and those who achieved notable stats will be highlighted.

The new mode will be available for the entire 3 week duration of the Super Easter event, and after that, weekly rotations will begin between S.A.W. vs Rebellion and our Bwoking Dead zombie survival mode so there’s always an additional rotating mode to complement the battle royale modes.

Season 3 is Here: S.A.W. vs Rebels

In tandem with the triumphant return of the S.A.W. vs Rebellion game mode, Season 3 marks the debut of the S.A.W. vs Rebels Pass! Highlights from the pass include the “Sit in Peace” emote, Mini Hippo Pet, and outfits to dress up as the secret rebel Catfive from SAR Tonight, or the political head of Super Animal World, Governor Moosevelt.

• During Season 3, the S.A.W. vs Rebels Pass will be available for a discounted price of 550 S.A.W. Tickets, as with previous passes.
• As always, you can continue working on passes you own from previous seasons on your second track for as long as you need, and purchase them from The Archive for 750 S.A.W. Tickets.
• You can now equip items directly from the Animal Pass screen.
• Once you own a pass, you now also have the option to purchase tiers for 100 S.A.W. Tickets each.

You know the drill, Super Animals: a new season means a new Starter Pack DLC! The Season 3 Starter Pack includes:

• Super White Bengal Tiger
• Roman Armor Outfit
• Gladius Melee
• 600 S.A.W. Tickets (500 + 100 bonus tickets)

New Location: S.A.W. Security HQ

Situated to the immediate west of Pixile Port and east of Bamboo Resort, S.A.W. Security HQ is where S.A.W.’s loyal team of Super Dogs keep an eye, ear, and extra-sensitive nose out for trouble on the island. Super Dogs aren’t the only type of Super Animal trained to crush the Rebellion, but the canine cavalry definitely finds some comfort in the HQ’s choice of decor.

The area isn’t all doghouses and squeaky toys, though. S.A.W. Security HQ is surrounded by heavily fortified walls, blocking access until player-controlled gates and doors are opened. Some Rebels have also heard rumors of flimsy wooden barriers in the complex that might give them another sneaky way to snag some loot…

New Super Animal Breeds

There are six new breeds coming to the Research Lab, with 3 canine and 3 feline breeds to serve as reinforcements for both S.A.W. and Rebel sides.

S.A.W. is famous for their elite team of Super Dogs, so it was only natural that more found their way into the fray for this update! Though some might argue a Super Chihuahua offers much more bark than bite…

Unlock two new Super Dogs and one new Super Wolf in the Research Lab:

• Super Chihuahua
• Super Poodle
• Super African Wild Dog

And where would the Rebels be if not for their cunning feline operatives like Catfive? Some more claws on S.A.S.R.’s side to combat the new Super Dogs seems like a purr-fect countermeasure…

Unlock two new Super Cats and one new Super Leopard in the Research Lab:

• Super Himalayan Cat
• Super Chimera Cat
• Super Cheetah

Super Easter Event

April 5th to April 26th at 11:59 pm PDT

It’s a beautiful day outside, Super Animals. The Super Birds are singing, flowers are blooming… On days like this, it’s hard not to notice springtime is in the air! That means Super Easter is back again, so assemble your egg-hunting squad to amass as many as you can.

As always, you’ll be rewarded eggs at the conclusion of each match and can hunt for bonus eggs hidden around the island while you play. However, a warning from the workshop of Thomas Sleddison: please don’t try to use the Easter eggs as ammo for the BCG. The paint on them is not good for the weapon’s “delicate machinery.”

Redeem your eggs for 8 new event cosmetics:

• Easter Bonnet
• Fancy Spring Glasses
• Easter Dress (2022)
• Bunny Fancy Shirt
• Paw SMG
• Easter BCG
• Spray Bottle
• Carpet Beater

Or spend them to collect 18 returning legacy Super Easter cosmetics! 4 legacy Super Easter bows have also been moved to Carl’s Cart for one more way to get your animal into the Easter spirit.

New S.A.W. Shop Items

Spring is a wonderful time of year to do some gardening, and while on the Island there’s nothing saving your geraniums from grenades or your hibiscus from hamster balls, the S.A.W. Shop is featuring some flowery new items!

Check with Ms. Macawsome and get your paws dirty with these new items:

• Gardening Apron
• Flower Bundle (Flower Hat, Flower Apron and Daisy Umbrella)

Gameplay Updates and Quality of Life Improvements

• Skunk Bombs now display a ring to make their area of effect clearer, and to help distinguish between your allies’ bombs that won’t hurt you (white ring) and ones that will hurt you (red ring).
• A delivery mole will now personally deliver your cosmetic items or Carl Coins at the end of a match. (It’s only a visual upgrade, but isn’t that thoughtful of them?)
• Hamster balls now stay in their full-damage mode more consistently (for example, you’ll no longer lose full-damage mode after running over an enemy).
• Removed compression from Super Animals on the main menu so they’ll all look extra clear and sharp now.
• New music and sound effects at the end of a match for victory and defeat. This especially helps distinguish when you come in second or almost win.
• “Mark Map” and “Remove Marker” hotkeys will now display for keyboard users on the map screen.
• The event screen’s leaderboard does a more obvious blip animation now when starting in a closed state, since the previous animation was too subtle.

BCG Updates

We’ve been monitoring the BCG (Big Clucking Gun) since adding it last update, and it quickly became clear that the BCG reigned in close range frenzies but needed some improvements for longer-term engagements. These changes should help push in that direction, but we’ll be continuing to monitor it for overall balance.

• Reload time has been reduced from 2.2s to 1.8s.
• Self-inflicted damage from BCG eggs has been increased from 50% to 65% of their normal damage.
• Minimum charge time for BCG shots has been increased from 0.08s to 0.10s.
• The BCG’s egg impact sound is also more eggs-plosive now.

Bug Fixes

• Shooting gallery targets can now be hit mid-air by BCG eggs.
• Fixed BCG charging up unnecessarily if you had an empty clip while rolling.
• Fixed visual delay with grenade explosions that was introduced in v1.3.
• Reduced minimum time between hamster ball bounce sounds from 0.7s to 0.35s, which fixes some cases where repeat bounces wouldn’t play any sound.
• Fixed several spots on the map where Emus could get stuck in what looked like viable paths (this mostly applies to forest areas).
• Fixed incorrect size issue with some gravestones.
• Fixed soft crash when viewing and walking away from SMOMA artwork before it could load.
• Fixed glitch in the Shop where Carl Coin or S.A.W. Ticket icons could disappear temporarily.
• Fixed a rare bug where crates would become indestructible.
• Fixed 1s invulnerability after being downed not applying to all types of damage (was only affecting bullet damage previously).
• Fixed some emotes (such as Rap) sometimes having distorted face animations on characters in-game.
• Fixed hat positions while using the Country emote.
• Fixed body showing during the Country emote while wearing the Warrior Monk Outfit.
• Fixed sleeve on the Warrior Monk Outfit.
• Fixed campfire animations becoming jittery when near the bottom of the screen.
• Fixed z-order issue with a weapons box in the SASR hideout room.
• Fixed mole crate sometimes not fading if you stood at certain spots behind it.
• Fixed small glitch where the Hamster ball was doing > 101 damage on ice.

That’s everything for this update, Super Animals! As always, we hope you enjoy the new features and content, and we look forward to seeing you on the island!