To Game or To Protect: When PC Security Affects Gaming

Up until now, arguing Street Fighter V's development decisions have been, for the most part, easy to do. The growing pains of dealing with a new technology and figuring out how it can be of equal benefit to the consumer, developer, and publisher is certainly the act of juggling, in a metaphorical sense, so it is understandable that issues are going to arise.

When you add emerging technology and dealing with the PC..well...things get a bit crazy. The freedom that a PC gamer has with the ability to modify(or Mod as it is more notoriously known) in-game artifacts is certainly unparalleled when it comes to gaming. 

While the publishers may disagree with this practice, it by no means is the bigger issue at play unfortunately. Dealing with users who choose to cheat and create exploits that allow some to play the game without paying for it has certainly been an issue on PC for what seems like a decade. 

Developers and publishers have been unable to halt this practice and it has done far more damage to the loyal consumer then it has to the parading pirate. Case in point, the latest Street Fighter V update. The latest patch would include an anti-crack measure to deal with those individuals manipulating the game. 

I guess giving it the old college try doesn't hurt but if time and experience accounts for anything, these efforts often time become a exercise in futility. None the less, Capcom tried and it ultimately ended up blowing up in their faces. 

Issues started to arise with the game and when certain community members took a deeper look into what Capcom had added to the new update..well..saying shit hit the fan probably doesn't come close to what was discovered. 

A potential security issue was found that could ultimately give access to the worse type of PC user, a hacker. As Skull Girls co-creator,Mike Z put it, imagine a draw bridge that you left open to your castle, that was on a moat, and one of your windows were open...they basically had that type of access. 

Hours after this discovery had been made and explanations of the potential harm this could do to your PC operating system was shared on many social media and blog sites, Capcom delivered an announcement that they had a plan that would fix the issue. Unfortunately, this plan did not completely work as planned because it did not remove the particular issue in question as it required the user to physically remove it themselves. 

This "mistake" has now ballooned into a bigger issue for PC users of this title. If a game developer can be so careless as to leave such a harmful file on your PC, can you really trust them not to do it again? This is the question that I'm currently sitting with and if you are playing this game on your PC, you probably should be sitting with this question as well. 

Lucky for me, I did not do the update before this discovery was made and I'm thinking it is probably in my best interest to uninstall Street Fighter V. This is certainly a very big breach of trust and as such, Capcom is going to have to earn this trust back by leaps and bounds. And I'm not talking about a free give away as an apology here, I'm talking about their going to have to walk a fine line for the foreseeable future before I even THINK about re-installing Street Fighter V on my PC. 

I'm in no way going to reward Capcom's folly by purchasing a PS4 version of this game, which is certainly a viable option but one I should not have to make. This is certainly not where I hoped I would be with Street Fighter V going into the next year but it is the mess they made and only they can do whats best to rectify the situation. Until then, I'm forced to wait and see. 

The Struggle To Coincide

Console wars are as old as the dawn of time...just take my word for it. I can still remember the Mortal Kombat conflict. One system, which dealt with hardware constraints, versus another system that struggled to maintain its "family" appeal.

Now a days, exclusivity plays a more heavier role in battle.  Long gone are the days where you could easily distinguish the system that "did a better job".  The war still rages on but when it comes to games that share multiple platform ports, there seems to be a bit of concession brewing for gaming online.

PC has fast become the neutral ground of choice when it comes to cross-network play. If there was ever a time to play nice between warring consoles, now is definitely that time. 

Xbox has, in a way, extended the olive branch when they launched a new initiative for developers interested in having cross-network accessibility for their titles. They have gone on record saying their open to working with other consoles.

While it would seem that ball is now in the other consoles courts, I can not completely trust that Microsoft is as open to this idea as they are professing to be. The Playstation 4 is certainly in a strong position and having a large percent of exclusive fighting game titles on their system has definitely hurt Microsoft's chances of competing in the market. 

With that being said, having cross-network for fighting games would change the game drastically. One could imagine what this would have meant for street fighter x tekken's community. 

An increased player base insures the games longevity, yes, but in a time where consoles have now become the official sponsor for online and offline tournaments, there is still so much that creates a divide between companies. 

 The fighting game community could certainly use this boost. While it may be of greater benefit to the developers then to the console manufacturers, cross-network compatiblity may do more good then competing companies fail to realize. 

We as players tend to migrate where the action is. Imagine if that was no longer necessary...does not sound so bad now doesn't it? 

When Opportunity Knocks.

They say opportunities come once in a life time but I myself think they come once in a blue moon. I never imagined that someone who was good at playing a fighting game would one day have the opportunity to step out into an arena with over 5,000  screaming fans watching them compete in a fighting game. You just could not tell me a day like this would ever happen.

The farthest I ever got to conceiving this sort of thing in my imagination as a kid was watching "The Wizard" and now here I am in my late 30's watching one of my favorite fighting game franchises on on a live stream while two fighting game commentator's give me the play by play as things unfold.

My mind was already blown when it was just a packed hotel conference room back when I first witnessed it in 2010. Now, I'm on the moon and what is even more crazy is the fact that I am just a simple spectator. I can not begin to imagine what it feels like playing in front of a crowd of 5,000 on lookers, or being behind the control board of a stream which is being fed to ESPN2...yes I said ESPN2. From the commentators, to the organizers, to the ones competing for cash prizes over $50,000, you have to think that an opportunity like this is something that only comes once in a lifetime but it only feels like the beginning!!

Fighting games are still at the low end of the totem pole when it comes to the production of big video game competitions. Even though this year an increase in the overall participation at many of the big name events have more then increased, it is still safe to say that fighting games have yet to reach the level of a MOBA or a FPS competition.  After all, when you compare video game sales or active players to popular games like Street Fighter V, they tend to pale in comparison. Yet and still it looks like fighting games are on their way and with that the opportunities for those passionate about fighting games are now at an all time high.

Street Fighter V, despite the negative press it has gotten overall, has gained big support on the competitive side of things. The biggest fighting game tournament of the year Evolution 2016 has passed but there doesn't seem to be any signs of slow down as the Capcom Pro Tour continues leading up to the big finale at Capcom Cup while other competitive companies like ESL and Red Bull eSports throw their hat in the ring offering all paid expense trips to their events with a nice prize pot to boot!

This year several players have been picked up by big eSports teams and that is not all. Certain teams have picked up coaches and managers as well. This year I have seen a few new sites and live streams erect that feature news for the the competitive fighting game scene..it all feels so surreal.

Like many, I wait(while working towards it of course) on bated breath hoping that possibly one day an opportunity will arrive that will give me a chance to be amongst all the excitement happening at this amazing time in history for gaming. I have to believe that opportunity does come in a blue moon because I would hate to miss out on something that has occurred in my lifetime.

Delayed By Design

It is fair to say that input delay is, in fact, the demon of the gaming world...even more so when it comes to fighting games. With reaction being a big component of what differs one's skill or ability from another, it is important that inputs register as fast as the human brain can physically command them.

Even at the beginning of online gaming, attempts were specifically made to ensure one's inputs could register on an even playing field. When designing Weapon Lord, a classic title that was playable online back in 1995, developers James Goddard and Dave Winstead would deliberately delay the inputs of their game taking into consideration the significant amount of input delay one would experience while playing online. 

Several years later Tekken Tag Tournament 2 developers would implement this same sort of technique to ensure that the online experience was as incredible as it could be. Some disagreed with this approach sighting that affecting inputs would essentially take away from how the game was meant to be played. Despite these feelings, it was not apparent that this greatly affected the majority of players offline experience. 

When it had been discovered that Street Fighter V had 8 frames of input lag by default, an incredible discussion came as a result. This was not the first time an issue of input lag had come about. The last game in the series dealt with a similar issue when it got ported to the PlayStation 4. After a flurry of complaints, improvements were made as a result. Because competitive gaming has taken on such a big precedent especially when it comes to Street Fighter V, many are wondering what was Capcom thinking.  

Capcom, realizing this was an issue that needed addressing, announced they would be "looking into it". My common sense told me they already knew and a recent answer from the SFV producer Koichi Sugiyama confirmed it. The 8 frames of lag was as many suspected it to be, an intended design in the new game's architecture. The only question that remains now is why? 

A well-known broadcaster theorized it was done as a way to create the same online experience that Tekken Tag Tournament 2 was praised for and that would make sense but it doesn't quite answer the entire question. After all, Street Fighter V was additionally designed with roll back net code a technique used to keep input delay at a minimum during online play. 

One could say theoretically having both the 8f delay and the rollback would be the best method of creating a parallel experience between both online and offline play but so far player feedback suggests that this is not the case. 

It has been said that SFV has become a very offensive game and that 8 frames of delay disrupts the reactionary ability one might have to combat this style of play...another game design that was most likely done intentionally for this new version of Street Fighter. 

Traditionally Street Fighter has been known to be a "thinkers" fighting game. Patient play was a part of the game and as such things could be slow during certain matches.  In a time where games are now bordering on that line of being a "spectator sport", keeping the perspective of viewer appeal may now be an important part of the design process and while I've found the previous competitive Street Fighter to be a great watch, others found it to be a bit mundane.  

When it is all said and done, inherent risks come with creating a new game that stems from a beloved franchise. With so much feedback and a somewhat technical understanding of how the games work when it comes to gaming in this generation, things are bound to evolve at a more accelerated pace and I feel this will be no different for Street Fighter V. 

There was never a written rule that said inputs had to be at their lowest to ensure the highest level of competition. Why can't it be based more on one's ability to predict than to react?  When you break the balancing act, it may possibly lead players to a place they never thought they could go. This may very well be the intention of delaying the game by design but we may ultimately never know the truth. 

The Risk Of Focusing On Competitive Gaming

A lot of people like myself suspected that Street Fighter V's launch was going to be epic, some may even say historic. The night before, an exhibition between an unlikely opponent in rapper Lupe Fiasco and fighting game legend Daigo Umehara ended in explosive vibrations that anyone in the building or watching on stream for that matter could feel. It was clear that there was an excitement in the air one that was full of bright lighted optimism.

Unfortunately, the optimism for some would dampen on the official day of its release. Reviews were already pouring in pretty harsh criticisms. Aside from a few game modes playable at launch, SFV felt very incomplete. While Capcom did let excited fans know that everything would not be available on release day, it didn't quite seem to dawn on everyone until people finally got their hands on the game. 

Now, some of this may have been quieted if a giant server issue didn't come up during the time of launch but it in fact did and this lead many to taking some time to try out the two game modes that were available and realizing that one of them was very much incomplete. Though it was announced that a big story mode would be coming in June, it didn't quite sink in that it would be directly tied to what they would be delivering initially and it certainly left a bad taste in the mouths of many.

Things have certainly improved over the first week but the resonance for lack of content during this launch of Street Fighter V has remained with two sides of an argument happening over the past week. My feelings on losing the narrative has not really changed any and so it didn't bother me much about the lack of content. I was more so let down with the lack of characters available at launch which, once again, was pretty much confirmed long ago. 

A franchise that has been near and dear to my heart has been receiving some very harsh criticism and because I genuinely adore and respect its producer Ono-San greatly, it hurts to see so many unhappy with what we know isn't the final result, but, I can agree it is definitely not something you would deem as a complete product. 

For those that sincerely want to know where Capcom went wrong, what happened here was a direct affect of something that has now become apart of gaming moving into a new generation, and that is the competitive arena. It has been apparent from the onset of Street Fighter V's birth that this would officially be the first game created with a competitive aspect in mind. 

While the mechanics would be fine tuned in hopes of bringing in a broader spectrum of gamers, the biggest goal of Street Fighter V would be the emergence of competitive gaming through their already cultivated creation, Capcom Pro Tour.   

The Capcom Pro Tour happened back in 2014 its sole purpose leading us to this moment where Street Fighter V would become the featured game for the next years to come.  The relationship with Sony in the development of Street Fighter V and the Capcom Pro Tour, pushed further this notion of a dawn of competitive gaming that would give pro players and up and coming competitors an opportunity to earn real life fight money and travel the world fighting new opponents similar to what protagonist Ryu has done throughout his gaming life cycle. 

The Capcom Pro Tour will be starting off officially this week at the Cannes Winter Clash in France. This isn't going to be obvious to the average gamer who has yet to understand the competitive world of the Fighting Game Community but those of us in the know understood the decision to release this game in its initial state was to make sure it was available at this said event and others like it in the coming weeks. 

While I'm excited about the Capcom Pro Tour and will be involved more so as a volunteer than a competitor, I get it, Capcom messed up..kind of. I haven't forgotten that before I ever thought about this being more than just a game, I was a 12-year old little boy playing with my friend, trying to beat the game with every character to see their ending, and for years this was the narrative until the emergence of online gaming. 

Whether this has hurt Street Fighter V and the initial new players that it had the potential to bring in doesn't quite seem apparent at the moment. What is apparent, at this point at least, is the fact that Street Fighter V is creating an all time high in the competitive scene. 

It has already eclipsed  the recorded attendance that Street Fighter IV had previously this year for EVO and the game has only been out for a week preceding the Betas that some initially had the opportunity to play.

Some are saying that this risk Capcom took may have been detrimental to the overall bottom line. After all, once the game has been reviewed there aren't any re-reviews. Despite, what I believe are some valid criticisms of its initial release, the game is, without a doubt, solid and I look forward to putting more time into it going forward whether I decide to compete or not. 

Whether in success or failure, I hope Capcom takes a look back at this release and remembers that despite their optimism about the future of competitive gaming, they remember there are still young and old who can and will enjoy the game for what it is. Whether they play it casually or competitive, it's important that one doesn't get alienated for the other. 

Celebrating 25 Years Of Fighting With Street Fighter II!!

On February 6th the original Street Fighter II arcade game would celebrate its 25th anniversary and like nostalgia always loves to do, it starts to float memories to the surface. Many of us have that first fighting game where we experienced that one on one competition that got us completely enveloped in the characters on screen as we externalized our game play using our controller of choice.

For me, Street Fighter II was that introduction and it was a day that I will never forget. A field trip to the bowling alley would eventually lead to an impromptu moment with this new game that I gravitated toward among the others surrounding the arcade area. I had no clue what I was in for as I was met with the character selection screen and a decision to make. 

Enthralled by the martial arts wearer of the red karate gi Ken Masters, I made my choice and waited patiently for my first opponent which was none other then the very monstrous ball of electricity Blanka. Having no clue about any of the controls, I frantically mashed as many beginners do some how pulling out a win and facing my next opponent, the guy with the funny do, Guile. 

He proved to be a little more challenging. Despite the loss, I was mesmerized by the astounding attention to detail during the match as I watched my character get tossed into a near by wooden crate only to have it be destroyed on impact all the while the background is populated with cheering on lookers and music setting off a tone which let's you know it's time to get busy(did I just say get busy?). 

By this time other classmates started to take an interest in the game as well and before I knew it I was facing off with one classmate in particular who I've, needless to say, traded a few punches with in real life. He went with Dhalsim who to my surprise had an uncanny ability of almost stretching his limbs the entire length of the screen to hit his opponent. I managed to pull out a victory sending my classmate into salt as he no longer had the will to fight and left dejected..I took much satisfaction in his defeat.

It was moments like these that would continue going into the home console version of the game. Despite the change of venue, the fight was the same. He who won the match kept the controller and when facing my overconfident pal among a group of friends, I once again felt extreme adulation after defeating him very convincingly even pulling off a combo during the fight.

While the Street Fighter series was not the game that I would eventually identify with the most, there is no forgetting the foundation that it laid for me and many others. From webpage creators(like myself) to game developers, legendary players, tournament organizers, and more, Street Fighter II has spawned a generation of inspiration that will never be forgotten. 

As with Ryu the next challenge is all that matters and I feel it my duty to make sure that where there is a will to fight their is a challenger to meet with them any where, any place, and I have Street Fighter II to thank for creating the spark in me that has lead to this point in my life. 

The Damage Is Done: Publishers Abandoning Their Fighting Games To The Nether Realm!!

There was excitement in the air when game developers Nether Realm Studios, creators of the popular Mortal Kombat series, announced they were over hauling their original netkode with Mortal Kombat X to take advantage of the popular roll back technology fighting gamers clamored for...before, during, and after the game released.

"They are finally coming to the light", I thought given the fact that Street Fighter V is soon on its way and they will have to do everything in their power to keep players interested in playing MKX once the giant awakes from its resting place in February.

Amidst the excitement, something did discern me though. I noticed the absence of the PC/Steam logo among the two consoles something I was quick to shrug off as a "not a priority" thing. I would soon learn that this was much more severe then that.

The "what about the PC" chants made their way around different social media outlets all the while Nether Realms seemed to remain silent until one day a simple answer was given to the justifiable "what is going on" question.

Community specialist Tyler Lansdown would finally reveal the worst stating all the new things they had planned for Mortal Kombat X as of this moment would be Xbox One and Playstation 4 only...not much of a shocker but very depressing none the less.

There has not been any real reasons given for the abandonment of a game that many people payed the exact same price for on PC. It has been known for some time that the PC version did have its problems...it has also been known that publisher WB interactive entertainment has had problems with porting their other games to PC as well but to completely ignore the collective fan base of their PC consumers is, without a second thought, a very huge insult.

And dear old Ed Boon who promised that there would be no issues with the PC has remained silent not even offering an earnest apology to the MK PC community. He continues to advertise for the new content for console owners all the while as if nothing happened, that to me feels like the biggest slap in the face.

In all honesty, I'll get over this pretty quickly. Street Fighter V will be here in just a few more weeks and their PC build has played great in comparison to the MKX one...they seem to give a fuck.

We can also hope the Killer Instinct version will not be a let down as well and I'm sure MK fans will find certain similarities when it comes to that game. I can be optimistic and hope that maybe Nether Realms Studios and WB interactive entertainment will make things right but I can already tell that many may have sworn off both companies for the foreseeable future.

Either way it goes we can pretty much call the relationship between them and the PC consumers a fatality and it is my opinion given the climate of where the PC may be in a few years they may just regret this decision to abandon their player base on the PC.