January 2020 patch
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The January 2020 patch is an update for Plants vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville that was released on January 28, 2020. It was first announced on PopCap's Live from Neighborville livestream on January 24, 2020, and posted on the EA Answers HQ afterwards.[1]
Changelog
General
- Character hitbox adjustments
- Tuned (increased) the hitbox sizes for Nightcap, Acorn, Rose, Imp, and Electric Slide.
- Velocity and drag distance
- Certain characters were overperforming at distances beyond their intended range. So, we've made changes to the velocity and drag distance of several characters' primary weapons that will make it harder to hit targets beyond this expected range (but not impossible). Wiki note: Despite the claims about projectile drag being added in this update, internal data shows that this is not true.
- New UI Element: Health Regeneration Bar
- A new bar that goes above a player’s health bar will now display how much time will pass before health regeneration begins.
Peashooter
- ▼ Homing Pea Upgrade has a shorter range on target acquisition
- (unlisted) Decreased maximum lock-on range from 50m (146.04 ft) to 25m (82.02 ft)
Chomper
- ▲ (unlisted) Increased effective area of primary Chomp
- ▲ (unlisted) Increased length from 4.25 to 4.5
- ▲ (unlisted) Increased near width from 3.4 to 5
- ▲ (unlisted) Increased far width from 1.8 to 3.4
- ▲ (unlisted) Increased height from 1.75 to 2.25
- ▼ (unlisted) Decreased velocity and drag distance of Slobber Shot
- (unlisted) Decreased projectile speed from 800 m/s (2624.67 ft/s) to 400 m/s (1312.34 ft/s)
Kernel Corn
- ▼ Decreased velocity and drag distance of Cob Busters
- (unlisted) Decreased projectile speed from 800 m/s (2624.67 ft/s) to 500 m/s (1640.41 ft/s)
Nightcap
- Decreased velocity and drag distance of Spore Strike (not true, see below)
- ▲ (unlisted) Increased projectile speed from 225 m/s (738.19 ft/s) to 300 m/s (984.25 ft/s)
Oak/Acorn
- ▼ Decreased velocity of Shell Shot
- (unlisted) Decreased projectile speed from 500 m/s (1640.42 ft/s) to 390 m/s (1279.53 ft/s)
- ▼ Decreased velocity and drag distance of Wood Grief
- (unlisted) Decreased projectile speed from 150 m/s (492.13 ft/s) to 120 ft/s (393.7 ft/s)
- ▲ Fixed flight path and increased initial velocity of Sap Trap
- (unlisted) Removed projectile spawn bone offset
- (unlisted) Forced projectile spawn to camera
- (unlisted) Decreased upward projectile speed from 4.5 m/s (14.76 ft/s) to 2.5 m/s (8.2 ft/s)
- (unlisted) Increased forward projectile speed from 30 m/s (98.43 ft/s) to 50 m/s (164.04 ft/s)
Rose
- ▼ Decreased rate of fire on Magic Thistles
- (unlisted) Decreased rate of fire from 240 RPM to 200 RPM
- ▼ Time Snare Upgrade – Increased the number of hits needed to trigger Time Snare
- (unlisted) Increased the number of hits required from 5 to 6
- (unlisted) Increased charge gain per hit from 0.22 to 0.2428572
- (unlisted) Increased charge decay rate from 0.1 to 0.3333333
Foot Soldier
- ▼ Decreased velocity and drag distance of Z-1 Assault Blaster
- (unlisted) Decreased projectile speed from 850 m/s (2788.71 ft/s) to 450 m/s (1476.38 ft/s)
- ▼ (unlisted) Increased recoil of Z-1 Assault Blaster
- ▼ (unlisted) Increased spread increase per shot from 0 to 0.275
- ▲ (unlisted) Decreased spread yaw multiplier from 1 to 0.75
- ▼ (unlisted) Increased maximum vertical recoil while unzoomed from 4.5 to 12
- ▼ (unlisted) Increased vertical recoil increase per shot while unzoomed from 0.115 to 0.15
- ▼ (unlisted) Increased minimum horizontal recoil increase per shot while unzoomed from -0.12 to -0.13
- ▼ (unlisted) Increased maximum horizontal recoil increase per shot while unzoomed from 0.12 to 0.13
- ▼ (unlisted) Decreased recoil decrease factor while unzoomed from 18 to 16
- ▼ (unlisted) Increased maximum vertical recoil while zoomed from 4.5 to 15
- ▼ (unlisted) Increased vertical recoil increase per shot while zoomed from 0.115 to 0.159
- ▲ (unlisted) Increased recoil decrease factor while zoomed from 18 to 50
- ▼ (unlisted) Increased recoil multiplier while zoomed from 0.3 to 0.4
- ▼ Rapid Fire Upgrade – Decreased fire rate speed up and max fire rate
- (unlisted) Decreased fire rate increase from 8.6666 RPM per shot to 6 RPM per shot and max rate of fire from 780 RPM to 700 RPM
- ▲ (unlisted) Added 25 XP bonus for vanquishing enemies with ZPG
Imp
- ▼ Decreased velocity and drag distance of Imp Blasters
- (unlisted) Decreased projectile speed from 550 m/s (1804.46 ft/s) to 500 m/s (1640.42 ft/s)
- ▼ Increased recoil of Imp Blasters
- ▼ (unlisted) Increased spread increase per shot from 0.9 to 1
- ▼ (unlisted) Increased maximum spread angle from 1.8 to 3
- ▼ (unlisted) Increased maximum vertical recoil while unzoomed from 1.5 to 7
- ▼ (unlisted) Increased vertical recoil increase per shot while unzoomed from 0.08 to 0.155
- ▲ (unlisted) Increased recoil decrease factor while unzoomed from 15 to 16
- ▼ (unlisted) Increased maximum vertical recoil while zoomed from 1.5 to 4.75
- ▼ (unlisted) Increased vertical recoil increase per shot while zoomed from 0.08 to 0.18
- ▲ (unlisted) Increased recoil decrease factor while zoomed from 15 to 16
- ▼ (unlisted) Increased spread multiplier while zoomed from 0.25 to 0.5
Super Brainz
- Increased health gain per punch landed and effective area of Heroic Fists
- (unlisted) Increased health gain from 1 HP per 0.3 seconds to 1.5 HP per 0.3 seconds
- (unlisted) Changed damage trapezoid x- and y-offset from -0.35 and 2 to -0.85 and 2.5 respectively
- ▲ (unlisted) Increased length from 3.75 to 4.5
- ▲ (unlisted) Increased near width from 3.5 to 5
- ▲ (unlisted) Increased far width from 2 to 3.4
- ▼ (unlisted) Decreased height from 3 to 2.25
All-Star
- ▼ Decreased velocity and drag distance of Football Cannon
- (unlisted) Decreased projectile speed from 620 m/s (2034.12 ft/s) to 480 m/s (1574.8 ft/s)
- ▼ Increased recoil of Football Cannon
- ▼ (unlisted) Increased minimum spread angle from 0.15 to 0.22
- ▼ (unlisted) Increased maximum spread angle from 2.2 to 2.75
- ▲ (unlisted) Decreased spread increase per shot from 4.7 to 4.65
- ▼ (unlisted) Increased minimum horizontal recoil increase per shot while unzoomed from -0.1 to -0.185
- ▼ (unlisted) Increased maximum horizontal recoil increase per shot while unzoomed from 0.1 to 0.185
- ▲ (unlisted) Decreased minimum moving gun sway angle while unzoomed from 0.5 to 0.25
- ▲ (unlisted) Decreased maximum moving gun sway angle while unzoomed from 1.85 to 1.2
- ▲ (unlisted) Decreased minimum base gun sway angle while unzoomed from 0.25 to 0
- ▲ (unlisted) Decreased maximum base gun sway angle while unzoomed from 0.75 to 0.4
- ▼ (unlisted) Increased vertical recoil increase per shot from 0.02 to 0.035
- ▼ (unlisted) Increased minimum horizontal recoil increase per shot while zoomed from -0.1 to -0.185
- ▼ (unlisted) Increased maximum horizontal recoil increase per shot while zoomed from 0.1 to 0.185
- ▲ (unlisted) Decreased first shot recoil multiplier from 2.5 to 1.8
- ▼ (unlisted) Decreased Football Cannon damage from 8 to 7
- ▼ Sprint Tackle refresh doesn’t start until ability is done
- Dummy Shield
- Has a decreased cooldown time (not true, see below)
- ▼ (unlisted) Increased cooldown time from 25 seconds to 30 seconds
- Decreased active time (not true, active time stays at 15 seconds)
- Has a decreased cooldown time (not true, see below)
Engineer
- ▲ Fixed collision check when attempting to deploy Double Time (easier to deploy)
Electric Slide (unlisted)
- Boogie Bolt
- ▼ Increased the number of hits required to stun enemies from 3 to 4 (without Jazz Hands upgrade) and from 2 to 3 (with Jazz Hands upgrade)
- ▼ Decreased charge gain per hit without Jazz Hands from 0.4651163 to 0.3157895
- ▼ Decreased charge gain per hit with Jazz hands from 0.620155 to 0.4210526
- ▼ Increased the number of hits required to stun enemies from 3 to 4 (without Jazz Hands upgrade) and from 2 to 3 (with Jazz Hands upgrade)
80s Action Hero (unlisted)
- Rocket Ride
- ▼ Decreased maximum lock-on range from 50m (146.04 ft) to 10m (32.81 ft)
- ▼ Decreased maximum lock-on angle from 0.1 to 0.01
Other unlisted changes
- ▼ The spawn pattern of the enemies while defending the Fartifact in Parade Gloat has been changed so it becomes much more unpredictable. The Weeds that spawn near the Pressure Pier entrance no longer spawn there constantly. This is to discourage players from farming XP and Prize Bulbs by using the 80s Action Hero with the Free Ride upgrade, where they could extend it almost indefinitely by simply killing the Weeds that will keep respawning as soon as all of them are killed.
- The pause menu no longer shows "0 XP to next level" info for characters that have been leveled up to Grand Master 5.
- Ability cooldown bonuses now show their duration properly instead of staying on the ability icons until the cooldown has passed.
- Fixed a bug where the swim rings in Giddy Park during Snowday were indestructible
Bugs
- Defibrillated upgrade does not work
- On some occasions, snipers deal no damage despite the hit confirmation
- 80s Action Hero's upgrade list will show a glitched Bombing Run upgrade that is locked, has no upgrade description, and costs 7 upgrade points (see Plants vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville/Upcoming content § Upcoming upgrades for a datamined description).
- The prize bulb counter will roll to 51 if the player has maxed it out, but will reset to 50 upon restarting the game
- Occasionally, the Shogun-Guard upgrade does not replace the default Cob Busters with the alternative weapon, allowing the player to use it while still having the shield from the upgrade. This bug seems to only appear when the player is in Giddy Park.
- Preserve Pastures:
- The game will sometimes cause an entire area within the barn to become out of bounds for the zombies. This effectively prevents players on the zombie team from winning the game.
- At the end of a match, the game will sometimes play both the victory and defeat music.
- The "land hits on multiple enemies with one Roll for Damage" challenge for the Acorn often does not register the player's hits when they hit multiple enemies with it. Additionally, the multiple hit bonus for it will not be awarded when this bug occurs.
Trivia
- This is the first patch that does not describe each of the changed stats in detail in the accompanying patch notes.