SIDEKICKer 1.2

New Features

• Added Bowser-throw assistance: sidekicks bunch closely behind the player while grabbing, swinging, and releasing Bowser, making them appear to help with the throw.
• Added a dedicated bowser_assist.lua handler to avoid further bloating the fragile main.lua.

PIGGYBACKer Compatibility

• Reworked sidekick-on-sidekick riding anchors to use PIGGYBACKer’s current riding-pose offsets.
• Removed SIDEKICKer’s obsolete hardcoded Kirby and Pikachu corrections.
• Added support for PIGGYBACKer’s new get_sidekick_stack_anchor API.
• Retained a fallback calculation for older PIGGYBACKer versions.
• Moved responsibility for seated sidekick stack height into PIGGYBACKer, keeping character-specific offsets centralized.
• Updated self-piggystacks and multiplayer sidekick mounts to use the same anchor system.

The newest PIGGYBACKer is recommended for corrected stack offsets. SIDEKICKer still runs with older versions, but their positioning may be less accurate.

[REDACTED]er Compatibility

• Added _palette.lua as a dedicated compatibility handler.
• Sidekick can now derive colors from each sidekick’s locked character palette rather than the currently controlled character.
• Added support for er’s character-specific palette types.
• Added palette restoration after rendering to prevent sidekick colors from bleeding into players or other sidekicks.
• Added a small smoke puff when a sidekick is spawned.
• Preserved independent sidekick randomization, disabled record tracking, and existing special- support.

ChainSMOKEer Compatibility

• Added APIs for ChainSMOKEer to retrieve sidekick objects and character identities.
• Sidekick appearance capture now records the selected smokeable when compatibility is enabled.
• Character swapping transfers the correct smokeable between the player and sidekick.
• Added ChainSMOKEer compatibility documentation to the README.

This remains optional and only activates when ChainSMOKEer provides its corresponding compatibility functions.

Multiplayer Fixes

• Fixed a Character Select API requirement that could silently prevent joined players from swapping with sidekicks.
• Joined players may now swap using either force_set_character or Character Select’s newer character_set_current_number API.
• Host behavior remains unchanged.

Internal Changes

• Added src/bowser_assist.lua.
• Added src/pooper_palette.lua.
• Expanded the public _G.SIDEKICKer compatibility API.
• Kept drivers.lua, nuzcompat.lua, and runtime.lua unchanged from 1.1.
• Updated the README compatibility list.

Your favorite sidekick mod is back! Plenty of additions, changes and bugfixes:

SIDEKICKer 1.1 Features

• Added full NUZLOCKer compatibility, supporting up to 10 pool Nuz sidekicks at once!
• NUZLOCKer pools can automatically appear as sidekicks in pool order.
• Pool sidekicks update when characters are added through 1-Ups.
• Characters beyond the ten visible pool slots remain accessible through character rotation.
• Added compatibility controls to NUZLOCKer and prevented its swapping controls from conflicting with SIDEKICKer.
• Added door-transition “snaking,” temporarily drawing sidekicks into a line before spreading back into formation.
• Added vertical formation handling for poles, trees, and recognized climbing actions.
• Added /sidekicker-help.
• Added L + R forced sidekick reset after 1.5 seconds.
• Added safer character swapping that blocks swaps to dangerously distant or lost sidekicks.

Compatibility Features

• PIGGYBACKer: Sidekicks can self-stack, ride other players’ sidekicks, form multiplayer towers, use character-specific offsets, and send overflow sidekicks along on foot.
• NUZLOCKer: Pool-driven sidekick parties, automatic appearance caching, 1-Up additions, and pools larger than ten.
• POOPer: Sidekicks poop with independently randomized sizes and colors, including applicable special variants, without affecting records.
• ColorSHIFTer: Match Palette can reproduce animated shifting gradients.
• MarioFIGHTer: Sidekick swapping avoids disruptive swap hops during 2D battles.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed sidekicks changing character when their owner changes character.
• Fixed natural, preset, same-character, and custom palettes spreading between sidekicks.
• Fixed custom palettes temporarily repainting the next selected character.
• Fixed ColorSHIFTer gradients becoming stuck during character changes.
• Fixed grabbed objects, enemies, Bowser, and other held items appearing in every sidekick’s hands.
• Fixed the real held object being thrown from a sidekick’s position.
• Fixed sidekick animations eventually freezing into a single frame.
• Fixed sidekicks briefly displaying the wrong character after swapping.
• Fixed sidekick swap cycles skipping particular characters.
• Fixed rapid swapping allowing repeated altitude gain.
• Fixed numerous sidekick reset Lua errors involving invalid object fields.
• Fixed unreliable manual resets, including NUZLOCKer-managed sidekicks.
• Reduced sidekicks becoming permanently lost in pits or outside level boundaries.
• Reduced late sidekicks zipping ahead of the player or endlessly resetting.
• Improved formation recovery when the player stops moving.
• Improved path timing for sidekicks farther back in the formation.
• Fixed door transitions softlocking when MMX sidekicks were active.
• Reduced sidekicks spawning inside walls after door transitions.
• Fixed pause behavior corrupting movement history and formation targets.
• Fixed the fifth Delta sidekick using the wrong movement delay or failing to jump.
• Fixed piggyback sidekicks bunching on their owner instead of mounting corresponding sidekicks.
• Fixed overflow piggyback sidekicks scuttling in sitting poses.
• Fixed numerous riding offsets for Kirby, Toad, Bowser Jr., Pikachu, MMX characters, and other short models.
• Fixed sidekick attacks unintentionally hurting distant players.
• Fixed sidekick removal explosions causing damage.
• Improved multiplayer visibility and synchronization.
  
  (note: please update all -er series mods for full compatibility features)