In the past, fighting games haven't exactly been known for their great story telling. With fighting games having a great deal of characters, you can't expect many of your favorites endings to be canon. After all, everyone can't win the tournament.
With gaming reaching a standard of movie production level, it is not far fetched that the need for an enveloping story in fighting games has become something that fans of their favorite franchises honestly want to see improve.
There have been plenty of fighting games this generation that have successfully managed to engage their fans. Genre crossing titles like Persona 4 Arena have proven that it's not always about the multi-player and that there is fun to be had in the single player experience.
For a great deal of time, the single player experience was all there was for someone like me. I can remember those days suffering from boss rage just to see the 1 minute(if that) ending that might reveal some sort of clue about the mysterious background story of your character.
Even though great strides have been made in story telling when it comes to fighting games, I'm honestly not that interested anymore. I didn't honestly expect that it would get this far and with my attention span level at an all time low, it is hard to rekindle those joys of the past.
I hear a great deal of positive feedback about the stories and the worlds created and I'm to busy wanting to learn everything else about the game to care. I guess when you've been lacking the ability to play people on a regular basis for so long it kind of takes precedence over everything and anything extra that these developers are working so hard to create.
On the first announcement of Blazblue: Continuum Shit Extend for Steam, I felt a little annoyed. The final game in the Blazblue series has long since been released and for us to just be receiving the games second part of the series, it felt very shady.
It took another individual to point out the fact of a continuing story line in the game and that maybe, just maybe people would appreciate playing the game for its' story to knock me out of my saltiness. When you've been so wrapped up playing against human opponents and trying to improve your skills in training mode, it is very easy to forget about the narrative of the character you're spending so much time with.
The strides that companies, like Arc with its upcoming release of Guilty Gear Xrd -Sign- and Netherealms Studio, are taking to give us a complete narrative for our beloved characters has been forgotten in my eyes.
For the first time in the history of fighting games the narrative is becoming just as important as the gameplay itself. Maybe it is time I took notice..maybe.
Thursday, December 4, 2014
Monday, December 1, 2014
Input delay vs Rollback: The Fight For Good Netcode
"Input delay". Two words was all it took to send fans excited about a fighting game coming out in the next few days reeling in disappointment. Having been in direct contact with the company in charge , a question about "roll back" was given and with that an answer that implied, no dice.
The developer in question had already been praised about a previous game they had worked on stating that it used the same netcode but that didn't seem to matter once the announcement of input delay was said to be the games final netcode.
Now, I'm on the fence about the purchasing of this game ; one that was full of promise and a great deal of excitement within its' community. It's Funny. In the past it never really made a difference to me. When many have stated that a games netcode hinges on its' success, I've found to many examples that state otherwise.
KOF XIII, a game that has long been plagued with its' inability to create a playable netcode on the console, surprisingly is built on the same input delay technology that is used in the most popular fighting game this generation, Street Fighter IV. Though many players still argue that Street Fighter IV's netcode is inferior to many of the newer games available, it stands unaffected and still enjoyed by a great deal of its' community even to the extent of constant streams and even an online competition every once in a while.
This in large part is most likely due to the individuals whose experience has solely been based online lacking a great deal of the offline camaraderie that people like myself have experienced long before netplay even became a thing.
Even with experiencing these offline accounts, my expertise on the subject is still that of a novice as I can't completely admit to reaching an advanced level in any of the fighting games I've played this cycle. While I can somewhat gauge my online experience, the brunt of my experience has been based generally on how smooth the game looks vs how smooth the games plays.
Now some may argue that how smooth the game looks goes hand in hand with how well it plays but when just one input can determine you being in heaven or hell, well, I would think that inputs would be just a bit more important.
Because my level of play doesn't exactly scream pro, determining whether the inputs for my combos or even my defense were in fact accurately being displayed on screen is not quite something I can pinpoint even when I tend to play at the best connections I most possibly can.
With me not having reached the levels of what many would call advanced, I would think it be imperative that those who are at a higher skill level be the more qualified individuals to discern whether the netcode is "playable" but then again if I feel like the experience is in fact a "playable" one does their opinion really matter?
Tony Canon, one of the founding members of the biggest fighting game competitions on earth, decided that his opinion did in fact matter and he did this by creating his own netcode. Using the technique coined as roll back, Tony created a code that essentially allows a player to input their move, predicts an opponents input awaiting to see if it matches, and then essentially rolls back to correct the input if incorrect.
Obviously the player nor the opponent never see these complex set of events happening giving off the illusion of a somewhat seamless online match that looks smooth and plays smooth. To the delight of many, GGPO was created and what happened in the next few years after its' inception is the on going battle that we now have when it comes to wanting good netcode today..Roll back vs Input delay.
Given that most companies are quite impartial to sharing the exact technology being used in the online games of today, some have come around and are a lot more open to not only the suggestion of the emerging technologies but are very communicative about why they think one vs the other will work better for their game.
With me being at such a low level when it comes to fighting games, I have never really been resistant about at least trying a fighting game online. I have found that some are just to input challenged to play and I've found others to be good enough to enjoy. I unfortunately cannot relate to a player who finds frustration in their inability to play at their maximum efficiency especially when they are still beating players with the handicap of input lag..smallest violins for their plight I'm afraid.
Ultimately, I want to have the best experience online that I can have and I want that experience to land as close to an offline experience as it can get because basically, I want to play the game the way it was intended to be played. If that is what rollback will offer me and many who've reached an advanced level in their skill can concur this a thousands times over, then conclusively rollback will work for me just fine but does it work for the developer..well that is the constant analysis we face and its' going to take some time before we reach a mutual agreement one that is based on player experience, player expertise, and game developer decisions.
The developer in question had already been praised about a previous game they had worked on stating that it used the same netcode but that didn't seem to matter once the announcement of input delay was said to be the games final netcode.
Now, I'm on the fence about the purchasing of this game ; one that was full of promise and a great deal of excitement within its' community. It's Funny. In the past it never really made a difference to me. When many have stated that a games netcode hinges on its' success, I've found to many examples that state otherwise.
KOF XIII, a game that has long been plagued with its' inability to create a playable netcode on the console, surprisingly is built on the same input delay technology that is used in the most popular fighting game this generation, Street Fighter IV. Though many players still argue that Street Fighter IV's netcode is inferior to many of the newer games available, it stands unaffected and still enjoyed by a great deal of its' community even to the extent of constant streams and even an online competition every once in a while.
This in large part is most likely due to the individuals whose experience has solely been based online lacking a great deal of the offline camaraderie that people like myself have experienced long before netplay even became a thing.
Even with experiencing these offline accounts, my expertise on the subject is still that of a novice as I can't completely admit to reaching an advanced level in any of the fighting games I've played this cycle. While I can somewhat gauge my online experience, the brunt of my experience has been based generally on how smooth the game looks vs how smooth the games plays.
Now some may argue that how smooth the game looks goes hand in hand with how well it plays but when just one input can determine you being in heaven or hell, well, I would think that inputs would be just a bit more important.
Because my level of play doesn't exactly scream pro, determining whether the inputs for my combos or even my defense were in fact accurately being displayed on screen is not quite something I can pinpoint even when I tend to play at the best connections I most possibly can.
With me not having reached the levels of what many would call advanced, I would think it be imperative that those who are at a higher skill level be the more qualified individuals to discern whether the netcode is "playable" but then again if I feel like the experience is in fact a "playable" one does their opinion really matter?
Tony Canon, one of the founding members of the biggest fighting game competitions on earth, decided that his opinion did in fact matter and he did this by creating his own netcode. Using the technique coined as roll back, Tony created a code that essentially allows a player to input their move, predicts an opponents input awaiting to see if it matches, and then essentially rolls back to correct the input if incorrect.
Obviously the player nor the opponent never see these complex set of events happening giving off the illusion of a somewhat seamless online match that looks smooth and plays smooth. To the delight of many, GGPO was created and what happened in the next few years after its' inception is the on going battle that we now have when it comes to wanting good netcode today..Roll back vs Input delay.
Given that most companies are quite impartial to sharing the exact technology being used in the online games of today, some have come around and are a lot more open to not only the suggestion of the emerging technologies but are very communicative about why they think one vs the other will work better for their game.
With me being at such a low level when it comes to fighting games, I have never really been resistant about at least trying a fighting game online. I have found that some are just to input challenged to play and I've found others to be good enough to enjoy. I unfortunately cannot relate to a player who finds frustration in their inability to play at their maximum efficiency especially when they are still beating players with the handicap of input lag..smallest violins for their plight I'm afraid.
Ultimately, I want to have the best experience online that I can have and I want that experience to land as close to an offline experience as it can get because basically, I want to play the game the way it was intended to be played. If that is what rollback will offer me and many who've reached an advanced level in their skill can concur this a thousands times over, then conclusively rollback will work for me just fine but does it work for the developer..well that is the constant analysis we face and its' going to take some time before we reach a mutual agreement one that is based on player experience, player expertise, and game developer decisions.
Thursday, September 25, 2014
The Curious Case Of The Edition Addiction
It's been said that Street Fighter II single-handedly saved the arcades from an early demise ; it can also be said that it increased the quarter count to. Any way you slice it, Street Fighter II not only ushered in a new genre of gaming, it birthed a new kind of competition, one that gave an individual instant gratification and legendary status amongst their gaming peers.
After the stunning success of Street Fighter II, many games like it started to flood the arcades and brought with them new favorites like Mortal Kombat and Fatal Fury. Through it all Street Fighter II, however, remained the favorite and it also managed to do something that a lot of the other fighting games did not and that was edition, and edition, and edition some more.
It all started with Championship Edition which allowed for mirror matches, playable bosses, and character balances. Not very long after, it brought an edition that increased the speed and added new character move sets. While arcade owners quickly jumped at these updates, young kids jumped at every new game cartridge that came to market. What at the time seemed like a superior milking job was actually a renaissance of sorts as no other game spent so much time refining not only the way the game looked but the way that it played.
Once the new generation of video games began, Street Fighter was there to introduce us to the Alpha series. What was really interesting about the new series is that it never saw an edition per se as they continued to revise and add additional characters and mechanics to each new game.
Not very soon after, Street Fighter III was released but the landscaped of fighting games and arcade culture as we know it started to change. Despite these changes, Street Fighter III trudged through returning to its' old formula of bringing out new editions for the latest game in the series.
Fast forward and Street Fighter IV has created a bursting resurgence in the genre that the series itself gave birth to. Like many, I'm happy to see its' return but am somewhat bummed at the fact that a great deal of the old guard is missing. At this time DLC was the new way to add extra content to games and many anticipated that Street Fighter IV would do the same, boy were we wrong.
A year later, Super Street Fighter IV is released and I'm getting that feeling of deja vu. While some are excited about this new edition, I'm a little perturbed. I am no longer that little kid who sees something shiny and new and wants it instantly..I'm now an adult that sees something shiny and new and wants it instantly but doesn't quite like the price.
"You're practically getting a whole new game" they said but I wasn't sold. To me, it was the milking process all over again and it was almost like we were doomed for all eternity...ok maybe not doomed but I definitely felt gloom. For the rest of the consoles life cycle, I would be tempted with each new edition that reared its' ugly head and be forced to be patient or pay the price.
Now, I could have lived with Street Fighter doing this because it is the grand daddy after all but unfortunately almost every other fighting game began to pick up the same edition addiction. Unlike Consoles, adding a new edition to the Arcade comes at the cost of doing business and can just as easily be loved or shunned, either way the brunt of the cost is on the owner not the individual enjoying it.
The arcades in some ways tease us like the kid on the block who gets the first of everything and the instant you see his new toy, you want one. Publishers bank on this and so the edition addiction is in full play. For the individual who spends their every waking moment on said fighting game of choice, a new addition is as good as it gets for them. For the rest of us who look for new games and experiences, this becomes a little bit expensive.
Now the new age of gaming is upon us ,and while some developers seem to be asking for patience while they continue to create more content and changes, others seem to be betting on the same premise - that you're going to want more. It's hard to tell at the moment if the edition addiction will be in full effect for this generation. All I can do for now is try my best not to look less I end up glamored...it is so hard not to look.
After the stunning success of Street Fighter II, many games like it started to flood the arcades and brought with them new favorites like Mortal Kombat and Fatal Fury. Through it all Street Fighter II, however, remained the favorite and it also managed to do something that a lot of the other fighting games did not and that was edition, and edition, and edition some more.
It all started with Championship Edition which allowed for mirror matches, playable bosses, and character balances. Not very long after, it brought an edition that increased the speed and added new character move sets. While arcade owners quickly jumped at these updates, young kids jumped at every new game cartridge that came to market. What at the time seemed like a superior milking job was actually a renaissance of sorts as no other game spent so much time refining not only the way the game looked but the way that it played.
Once the new generation of video games began, Street Fighter was there to introduce us to the Alpha series. What was really interesting about the new series is that it never saw an edition per se as they continued to revise and add additional characters and mechanics to each new game.
Not very soon after, Street Fighter III was released but the landscaped of fighting games and arcade culture as we know it started to change. Despite these changes, Street Fighter III trudged through returning to its' old formula of bringing out new editions for the latest game in the series.
Fast forward and Street Fighter IV has created a bursting resurgence in the genre that the series itself gave birth to. Like many, I'm happy to see its' return but am somewhat bummed at the fact that a great deal of the old guard is missing. At this time DLC was the new way to add extra content to games and many anticipated that Street Fighter IV would do the same, boy were we wrong.
A year later, Super Street Fighter IV is released and I'm getting that feeling of deja vu. While some are excited about this new edition, I'm a little perturbed. I am no longer that little kid who sees something shiny and new and wants it instantly..I'm now an adult that sees something shiny and new and wants it instantly but doesn't quite like the price.
"You're practically getting a whole new game" they said but I wasn't sold. To me, it was the milking process all over again and it was almost like we were doomed for all eternity...ok maybe not doomed but I definitely felt gloom. For the rest of the consoles life cycle, I would be tempted with each new edition that reared its' ugly head and be forced to be patient or pay the price.
Now, I could have lived with Street Fighter doing this because it is the grand daddy after all but unfortunately almost every other fighting game began to pick up the same edition addiction. Unlike Consoles, adding a new edition to the Arcade comes at the cost of doing business and can just as easily be loved or shunned, either way the brunt of the cost is on the owner not the individual enjoying it.
The arcades in some ways tease us like the kid on the block who gets the first of everything and the instant you see his new toy, you want one. Publishers bank on this and so the edition addiction is in full play. For the individual who spends their every waking moment on said fighting game of choice, a new addition is as good as it gets for them. For the rest of us who look for new games and experiences, this becomes a little bit expensive.
Now the new age of gaming is upon us ,and while some developers seem to be asking for patience while they continue to create more content and changes, others seem to be betting on the same premise - that you're going to want more. It's hard to tell at the moment if the edition addiction will be in full effect for this generation. All I can do for now is try my best not to look less I end up glamored...it is so hard not to look.
Monday, September 8, 2014
The wait is sooo over!!
As someone who has slowly but surely migrated over to playing games on the PC(I shall return console. This, I promise), I'm starting to find things that are just a bit redundant when it comes to playing online..especially with certain games. I have been quite revved up about increasing the number of fighting game reviews before I approach the first year of my website.
Unfortunately, I'm only up to one review..yes..one review. Now, I could go into greater detail as to why my review count is pretty much non-existent but I'm going to save the sad songs for another day and get to the issue in question. There has been a great deal of moving, shutdowns, and even false alarms when it has come to online multiplayer fighting games.
Despite these changes, I've taking advantage of some great sales in hopes that I would get to review some of these amazing fighting game titles but I've come across some very hard obstacles during this journey. Most of these issues seem to stem from bugs but more importantly these bugs seem to have gone unchecked and honestly..I've about had enough of it.
Now, I'm not one to fly off the handle when a game has problems that need fixing. I believe myself to be somewhat of a patient man but I'm tired. I'm tired of spending all this time in preparation to review these games only to come up short near the finish line because the online netcode is having major issues.
I'm at an impasse at this point and it's time to make some tough decisions despite the future relationships these decisions may crush. I want these companies to win ; I want to see more fighting game titles come to PC but if these companies are unwilling to take some time out of their, what I can understand to be hectic, schedule, I'm going to have to let people know what is going on.
It was not that I wanted to put a pretty dressing on something that does not look very presentable, I just wanted to give these companies sometime to look...presentable and I honestly believed that things would be fixed in a timely manner..call me gullible..I promise no offense taken. In the end, these companies have let me down and I can no longer wait. What I'm saying is, it is time to get this show on the road and if you are not ready, then that is just too bad.
I intend to be truthful and give as much of an unbiased opinion as humanely possible. So, with said it's time to get some more reviews done for the site. I wish things could just work but sadly life can throw you some unexpected curve balls and you just have to roll with the punches despite how hard of a blow they may give.
Unfortunately, I'm only up to one review..yes..one review. Now, I could go into greater detail as to why my review count is pretty much non-existent but I'm going to save the sad songs for another day and get to the issue in question. There has been a great deal of moving, shutdowns, and even false alarms when it has come to online multiplayer fighting games.
Despite these changes, I've taking advantage of some great sales in hopes that I would get to review some of these amazing fighting game titles but I've come across some very hard obstacles during this journey. Most of these issues seem to stem from bugs but more importantly these bugs seem to have gone unchecked and honestly..I've about had enough of it.
Now, I'm not one to fly off the handle when a game has problems that need fixing. I believe myself to be somewhat of a patient man but I'm tired. I'm tired of spending all this time in preparation to review these games only to come up short near the finish line because the online netcode is having major issues.
I'm at an impasse at this point and it's time to make some tough decisions despite the future relationships these decisions may crush. I want these companies to win ; I want to see more fighting game titles come to PC but if these companies are unwilling to take some time out of their, what I can understand to be hectic, schedule, I'm going to have to let people know what is going on.
It was not that I wanted to put a pretty dressing on something that does not look very presentable, I just wanted to give these companies sometime to look...presentable and I honestly believed that things would be fixed in a timely manner..call me gullible..I promise no offense taken. In the end, these companies have let me down and I can no longer wait. What I'm saying is, it is time to get this show on the road and if you are not ready, then that is just too bad.
I intend to be truthful and give as much of an unbiased opinion as humanely possible. So, with said it's time to get some more reviews done for the site. I wish things could just work but sadly life can throw you some unexpected curve balls and you just have to roll with the punches despite how hard of a blow they may give.
Friday, September 5, 2014
Fighting games from the far east.
Previously, I talked about the lack of new IP's when it came to fighting games and the fact that the next generation has the possibility of continuing this trend and maybe, just maybe I got a little ahead of myself. How you ask? Honestly, I felt like I saw the glass half empty and this was partly due to my focus on the major fighting game companies and their blockbuster titles.
Though we've come to the end of the road when it comes to the current gen systems, I'm astonished to find there are a great deal of potential fighting games that are galloping on the horizon..even if their primarily exclusive to one system. The long awaited announcement of Under Night In-Birth was like a heavy burden lifting off my chest.
I was so convinced that this game would never touch a console and that I'd only be able to gaze upon it's magnificent sprite based animation if, I chose to fly half way around the world to find it in one of the last few standing arcades on the planet. No worries!! The game is making its' way to Northern shores by next year but more importantly, if you can't wait, you can grab it now!
For sometime now, imports have always been a very infectious option for curing the ailment of your anticipated impatience. As a young man, I spent a great deal of money during Playstation One's golden era to experience my first import Street Fighter Vs X-Men. Whether the impulse was premature didn't matter. For that moment in time, I was elated at the fact I had my hands on the home version of the next era of fighting game goodness.
Imports are even more accessible now then they used to be. Now a days, you can download them and their region free. Patience is taking an ass whopping of epic proportions from technology and you honestly can't help but love the happiness it brings to those who no longer have to wait from across the pond to get their hands on an amazing fighting game title.
While our Northern American brethren have not quite embraced this idea of creating more fighting game IPs(NRS being the only company holding fort), Japan has been quite the opposite. Sega, a company whose been pretty quiet on the fighting front, has Denki Bunko Fighting Climax slated to release in japan on November 13 and they've already gotten another title Blade Arcus in development soon to be released in Arcades!!
Add a few japan only titles in the mix, and I would have to say that this current gen had a pretty good representation. Unfortunately, a few titles didn't make the play it online roster like cult favorite Chaos Code but I really have to admit that we've gotten more then enough when it comes to fighting games this generation.
So I'm saying that I was totally wrong. Expecting the power houses that stand a top fighting game god mountain to create more original titles was maybe just a little too much of an expectation but I know at least one company that has done this in past..you know who you are. The possibilities for next-gen are getting just a little bit brighter each day and I know I can at least count on one continent to bring the fighting games full force. If import is the only way to play, so be it, I'm just glad we can get our hands on it.
Though we've come to the end of the road when it comes to the current gen systems, I'm astonished to find there are a great deal of potential fighting games that are galloping on the horizon..even if their primarily exclusive to one system. The long awaited announcement of Under Night In-Birth was like a heavy burden lifting off my chest.
I was so convinced that this game would never touch a console and that I'd only be able to gaze upon it's magnificent sprite based animation if, I chose to fly half way around the world to find it in one of the last few standing arcades on the planet. No worries!! The game is making its' way to Northern shores by next year but more importantly, if you can't wait, you can grab it now!
For sometime now, imports have always been a very infectious option for curing the ailment of your anticipated impatience. As a young man, I spent a great deal of money during Playstation One's golden era to experience my first import Street Fighter Vs X-Men. Whether the impulse was premature didn't matter. For that moment in time, I was elated at the fact I had my hands on the home version of the next era of fighting game goodness.
Imports are even more accessible now then they used to be. Now a days, you can download them and their region free. Patience is taking an ass whopping of epic proportions from technology and you honestly can't help but love the happiness it brings to those who no longer have to wait from across the pond to get their hands on an amazing fighting game title.
While our Northern American brethren have not quite embraced this idea of creating more fighting game IPs(NRS being the only company holding fort), Japan has been quite the opposite. Sega, a company whose been pretty quiet on the fighting front, has Denki Bunko Fighting Climax slated to release in japan on November 13 and they've already gotten another title Blade Arcus in development soon to be released in Arcades!!
Add a few japan only titles in the mix, and I would have to say that this current gen had a pretty good representation. Unfortunately, a few titles didn't make the play it online roster like cult favorite Chaos Code but I really have to admit that we've gotten more then enough when it comes to fighting games this generation.
So I'm saying that I was totally wrong. Expecting the power houses that stand a top fighting game god mountain to create more original titles was maybe just a little too much of an expectation but I know at least one company that has done this in past..you know who you are. The possibilities for next-gen are getting just a little bit brighter each day and I know I can at least count on one continent to bring the fighting games full force. If import is the only way to play, so be it, I'm just glad we can get our hands on it.
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
The Miseducation Of Casual
On the surface, casual and fighting games go together like..like humans in a mine field...maybe I just went a little to far with the metaphor, but these days I feel like the majority mind set when it comes to fighting games and "hardcore" games like it just fits. I feel like the word casual in reference to gaming has been getting a very bad rep on both sides of the coin and this rings especially true when it comes to fighting games. Unfortunately, the future may be a train wreck in the making if developers don't walk this line very carefully and really analyze what casual truly means to the world of fighting games.
Find your latest gaming killer app and you'll quickly understand why the word casual has been unfairly thrown out of context. In its minimalist form, when it comes to gaming at least, causal is the literal meaning of picking up a game and playing it. True, the word casual is often presented in the learning curve of the games you play but like games so love to do, they gradually become a little more rockier the more you tread upon the landscape.
The addiction that manifests itself the minute a game grabs a hold of you can singularly be lead to one culprit, difficulty. It is the hang up, that initial moment where it becomes an obsession that you have to complete but you may not have time to. Often times it can become a bit competitive "He has a high score, I must break it..and in breaking it I break him *maniacal stare*." Okay so its not that serious but this is what casual becomes when you enter the land of gaming...I know I'm not alone here..don't you judge me.
It's why today's gaming has become something that millions of people all over the world do when they get a little free time. I feel like the over aged high school kid that should have already graduated hanging out at the locker when classes are done. I've been there ; I know the feels, it's wonderful,it sucks monkey balls, yeah yeah. Being there allows you a point of view that some don't quite understand yet and I feel like my view of casual in the game world is pretty 20-20.
Casual and fighting games are very much old friends but in a time of online match making and streaming competitive bliss, they may look like mortal enemies...mortal enemies who friend hug each other and laugh at the ones who just don't get it. The line can't so easily be drawn because this line is based on the human interaction that the individual takes on when they first pick up the controller and start to play.
The path of the player is a very individualistic journey and should not be confined to just a set group's idealistic tendencies. Because you can't bend the game to your "I want to pick it up fast" attitude the idea of this being a casual experience eludes you. If you tell me there is no fun to be had in a challenge, I'm afraid I'm going to chuckle in your direction...maybe even lol because I've never known of any game that didn't have some kind of challenge.
I can often times share the sentiment of how difficult it can be to enjoy something that is so entrenched in a very competitive mindset but I assure you ; you're going to find this in any game that has high scores, time completion, and a myriad of other set goals that have made its way to gaming since the dawn of its inception.
Despite the mountain you may have to climb, you are well in your RIGHT to take as much time as you need to enjoy the challenge set before you. If you don't feel the need to know how much frame data Ryu's crouching MK has, then that is OK...just don't get too pissed off if the other person you're playing against knows how to punish you for using it.
*deep breath* So, with all that being said, please take a second and think about it before you say "This game isn't really considerate to the casual gamer." or "This game should be created to invite more casual players.". By thinking in this way, you are giving the word casual a bad name.(and putting more pressure on the developers at that) One that it does not deserve ESPECIALLY when it comes to games in general.
Find your latest gaming killer app and you'll quickly understand why the word casual has been unfairly thrown out of context. In its minimalist form, when it comes to gaming at least, causal is the literal meaning of picking up a game and playing it. True, the word casual is often presented in the learning curve of the games you play but like games so love to do, they gradually become a little more rockier the more you tread upon the landscape.
The addiction that manifests itself the minute a game grabs a hold of you can singularly be lead to one culprit, difficulty. It is the hang up, that initial moment where it becomes an obsession that you have to complete but you may not have time to. Often times it can become a bit competitive "He has a high score, I must break it..and in breaking it I break him *maniacal stare*." Okay so its not that serious but this is what casual becomes when you enter the land of gaming...I know I'm not alone here..don't you judge me.
It's why today's gaming has become something that millions of people all over the world do when they get a little free time. I feel like the over aged high school kid that should have already graduated hanging out at the locker when classes are done. I've been there ; I know the feels, it's wonderful,it sucks monkey balls, yeah yeah. Being there allows you a point of view that some don't quite understand yet and I feel like my view of casual in the game world is pretty 20-20.
Casual and fighting games are very much old friends but in a time of online match making and streaming competitive bliss, they may look like mortal enemies...mortal enemies who friend hug each other and laugh at the ones who just don't get it. The line can't so easily be drawn because this line is based on the human interaction that the individual takes on when they first pick up the controller and start to play.
The path of the player is a very individualistic journey and should not be confined to just a set group's idealistic tendencies. Because you can't bend the game to your "I want to pick it up fast" attitude the idea of this being a casual experience eludes you. If you tell me there is no fun to be had in a challenge, I'm afraid I'm going to chuckle in your direction...maybe even lol because I've never known of any game that didn't have some kind of challenge.
I can often times share the sentiment of how difficult it can be to enjoy something that is so entrenched in a very competitive mindset but I assure you ; you're going to find this in any game that has high scores, time completion, and a myriad of other set goals that have made its way to gaming since the dawn of its inception.
Despite the mountain you may have to climb, you are well in your RIGHT to take as much time as you need to enjoy the challenge set before you. If you don't feel the need to know how much frame data Ryu's crouching MK has, then that is OK...just don't get too pissed off if the other person you're playing against knows how to punish you for using it.
*deep breath* So, with all that being said, please take a second and think about it before you say "This game isn't really considerate to the casual gamer." or "This game should be created to invite more casual players.". By thinking in this way, you are giving the word casual a bad name.(and putting more pressure on the developers at that) One that it does not deserve ESPECIALLY when it comes to games in general.
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Practice?!!
To quote one of the greatest known basketball players of my generation "We are talking about practice, not the game". What does "practice" really mean when it comes to fighting games. When something rooted deeply in the arcade culture was, in a sense, impossible to do because there was no such thing as a training room, why is practice such a practical way to play fighting games in this current generation of online lobbies and major tournament competitions.
While I've talked about mastering your character and glossed over the amount of dedication it takes to learn a fighting game, I've been thinking lately about the training room and my dependency on its use. Recently I competed in a weekly Vampire Savior tournament on GGPO in which I clumsily fuddled with my character losing the match and feeling a bit of embarrassment which may have had a little to do with the live stream that was unexpectedly viewing my match at the time.
Once I was completely knocked out of the tournament, another competitor invited me to play a few rounds looking to give me a few tips, though, I got the impression that he felt I was new to the whole fighting game thing and not the actual game itself. It had been a very long time since I played Vampire Savior and to be honest I really didn't get into it much mostly due to the fact there was only a computer to play with.
After that day, I had every intention of doing a little bit of grinding by learning about the game mechanics, special moves, and figuring out the combo system. Sad to say this was cut short once I realized there was no training room available. I mean..I don't know what I would do without my dummy. When you're trying to figure out how certain moves work in the game, having an opponent that doesn't hit back helps with meeting that agenda. Take the dummy out of the equation and its going to take a little more time to figure out what I can and can't do.
The training room has become a significant staple to any one wanting to improve and get better but not everyone stands by it. Dieminion, a well known Street Fighter IV player, as he so boastfully stated, does not use the training room. No doubt rooted in his love for arcades, he wants to stay true to that player mind set. I often wonder if that is the way to go as it takes more than just learning combos to get better but I've gotten so used to having the training room that changing now feels impossible.
The idea of practicing in a game seems a bit far fetched in a lot of ways because..its a game. Never, until fighting games, was there ever a need for a training room and its some what confusing when I honestly sit and think about it. Even in many cases where games have a competitive following there is no training room. You play the game, you learn the strategies, and you get better. Is a fighting game really that hard?! Does it require that much dedication that you need to have something in place to practice?! For myself, absolutely.
But what is that saying about me that I can lose interest in a fighting game due to the absence of a training room ; that I can't find enjoyment in learning everything on the fly despite the incredible amount of time it may take to figure it all out and start belting out those stylish combos that I love so. Mind you I don't live by the training room often times just using it as a way to warm up and learn more about my character. The more I've discovered and furthered the growth of my character, the more I've come to the realization that the training room can some what be a game in itself with discovery being the fun part and creating big damage being the challenge.
In no way do I find juicebox's (pro fighting game player) "30 times" training method appealing. That may be necessary by competitive standards but I find it a bit overkill. We are talking about a game something that is supposed to be enjoyable and yet a significant amount of my gaming when it comes to fighting games stays in the practice room. I often times wonder if I could get better without a training room but at this point it feels like letting go of it is the same as wearing a blind fold...with my hands tied behind my back..so..yeah letting go isn't an easy thing.
While I've talked about mastering your character and glossed over the amount of dedication it takes to learn a fighting game, I've been thinking lately about the training room and my dependency on its use. Recently I competed in a weekly Vampire Savior tournament on GGPO in which I clumsily fuddled with my character losing the match and feeling a bit of embarrassment which may have had a little to do with the live stream that was unexpectedly viewing my match at the time.
Once I was completely knocked out of the tournament, another competitor invited me to play a few rounds looking to give me a few tips, though, I got the impression that he felt I was new to the whole fighting game thing and not the actual game itself. It had been a very long time since I played Vampire Savior and to be honest I really didn't get into it much mostly due to the fact there was only a computer to play with.
After that day, I had every intention of doing a little bit of grinding by learning about the game mechanics, special moves, and figuring out the combo system. Sad to say this was cut short once I realized there was no training room available. I mean..I don't know what I would do without my dummy. When you're trying to figure out how certain moves work in the game, having an opponent that doesn't hit back helps with meeting that agenda. Take the dummy out of the equation and its going to take a little more time to figure out what I can and can't do.
The training room has become a significant staple to any one wanting to improve and get better but not everyone stands by it. Dieminion, a well known Street Fighter IV player, as he so boastfully stated, does not use the training room. No doubt rooted in his love for arcades, he wants to stay true to that player mind set. I often wonder if that is the way to go as it takes more than just learning combos to get better but I've gotten so used to having the training room that changing now feels impossible.
The idea of practicing in a game seems a bit far fetched in a lot of ways because..its a game. Never, until fighting games, was there ever a need for a training room and its some what confusing when I honestly sit and think about it. Even in many cases where games have a competitive following there is no training room. You play the game, you learn the strategies, and you get better. Is a fighting game really that hard?! Does it require that much dedication that you need to have something in place to practice?! For myself, absolutely.
But what is that saying about me that I can lose interest in a fighting game due to the absence of a training room ; that I can't find enjoyment in learning everything on the fly despite the incredible amount of time it may take to figure it all out and start belting out those stylish combos that I love so. Mind you I don't live by the training room often times just using it as a way to warm up and learn more about my character. The more I've discovered and furthered the growth of my character, the more I've come to the realization that the training room can some what be a game in itself with discovery being the fun part and creating big damage being the challenge.
In no way do I find juicebox's (pro fighting game player) "30 times" training method appealing. That may be necessary by competitive standards but I find it a bit overkill. We are talking about a game something that is supposed to be enjoyable and yet a significant amount of my gaming when it comes to fighting games stays in the practice room. I often times wonder if I could get better without a training room but at this point it feels like letting go of it is the same as wearing a blind fold...with my hands tied behind my back..so..yeah letting go isn't an easy thing.
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