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With Season 3, Killer Instinct has grown into the "people's champ" of fighting games

DopeyFish

Not bitter, just unsweetened
Is there an article about how they managed to achieve the results they did with the netcode? I'd like to know how they have been able to have success when so many console developers fail at abysmal online coding for their games.

I'd also like to see some insights into how they balance the game.




This game is not coming for PC is it?

it's already out for PC
 

ScOULaris

Member
Is there an article about how they managed to achieve the results they did with the netcode? I'd like to know how they have been able to have success when so many console developers fail at abysmal online coding for their games.

I'd also like to see some insights into how they balance the game.




This game is not coming for PC is it?

The game is out now on PC, and it's cross-buy with the Xbone version. It's also free to play with a rotating free character every Wednesday if you want to try it out before plunking down cash. If you like it enough, you can get all of the content at once for $50 on PC.

As for the netcode, I'm not entirely sure what's going on behind the scenes but it doesn't appear to be using rollback netcode. I say this because I've never once seen the game rollback during a match, and if the match is laggy it just kind of stutters/slows occasionally like it would in any other fighting game using delay-based netcode.

The game's inputs are somewhat lenient in terms of buffer windows, so that definitely helps the online feel responsive. The same can be said about ArcSys games and why they feel good online. Large input buffers hide little moments of lag/delay in fighting games in a way that more strict games like KOF and Street Fighter can't.
 
The game's systems are absolutely built around accomodating netcode. DH went on record a lot in the ramp up leading to release and during season 1 about how netcode was the highest priority.

Good on them considering how awful it's contemporaries were at points (MKX).
 

vg260

Member
As for the netcode, I'm not entirely sure what's going on behind the scenes but it doesn't appear to be using rollback netcode. I say this because I've never once seen the game rollback during a match, and if the match is laggy it just kind of stutters/slows occasionally like it would in any other fighting game using delay-based netcode.

They've said it's a form of rollback netcode, though.
http://www.inquisitr.com/2269709/killer-instinct-actually-runs-at-90-fps-on-xbox-one/
Maybe because it's running so well under the hood, it appears less like it.
 

ScOULaris

Member
They've said it's a form of rollback netcode, though.
http://www.inquisitr.com/2269709/killer-instinct-actually-runs-at-90-fps-on-xbox-one/
Maybe because it's running so well under the hood, it appears less like it.

Ah, okay. Sounds like the rollback takes into account the extra frames being rendered unseen by the engine.

While the game is still outputting to monitors at 60 fps, the game’s engine renders the graphics at 90 fps and then performs a “rollback” to 60 fps. This allows Killer Instinct to read controller input at a much higher rate, which makes gameplay feel smoother whether in single-player or multiplayer. The latter is the key part, combined with the netcode to enable online play.
 
what I find hiding in that quote is the inescapable fact that the genre at large is a product of Street Fighter II. Every fighting game you've played is some variation of it. That will probably never change as long as the genre is relevant.

I'm sure everyone who plays Call of Duty these days thinks about how great Wolfenstein 3D and Doom were.

When someone is queuing up in League they first pay homage to the Blizzard RTS games that they replaced in relevancy.

Pokemon is popular but in their heart-of-hearts they actually want to play a table-top RPG
 
Yeah, your sarcasm would have some merit if the FG genre had any real correlative growth in terms of mechanics/popularity. We're not very far removed from SF II. Especially considering the nature of SFV
 
That's a cynical interpretation of his comment, though. Admittedly, it's a crude expression, but what I find hiding in that quote is the inescapable fact that the genre at large is a product of Street Fighter II. Every fighting game you've played is some variation of it. That will probably never change as long as the genre is relevant.

That's going to play into the psychology of many people that play fighting games. Especially if you're a millennial child.

Actually, if I use your logic I should really be praising and longing to play Karate Champ. Because isn't Street Fighter just a variation of Karate Champ?

Isn't that going to play into the psychology of many people that play fighting games? Especially if you're a millennial child. Right?
 
Yeah, your sarcasm would have some merit if the FG genre had any real correlative growth in terms of mechanics/popularity. We're not very far removed from SF II. Especially considering the nature of SFV

We're not very far removed from SF II? Really? Have you played Tekken, Virtua Fighter, Pokken, Blaz Blue, Guilty Gear, Killer Instinct, Naruto, Dragon Ball, or any other fighting game besides Street Fighter II?
 

Dinjoralo

Member
Of course, all fighting games are exactly like Street Fighter II. This genre has been completely stagnant and devoid of any innovation for almost thirty years.

i think i get the point he's trying to make, i just don't see it as a valid point. all fighting games owe something to sf ii, so fucking what.

I wonder how many people the Windows 10 version brought in... Hopefully, a bigger number than I think it would being limited to the Windows store.
 

Zedox

Member
As someone who literally screamed at his TV while watching KI be announced (as that was a game I have been wanted MS to come out with and predicted it), I am happy to see where KI is right now and I see a great future for it. Our community started really small and the DH forums were great (we were tightly knit) and seeing it grow has been fantastic. I knew that the way that they were selling the game was to its benefit in the long run as long as MS kept with it and our community as well.

I remember when Filthierich came down to Raleigh for TFC in Oct 2013 before the XBO was released and he let people play Killer Instinct. At that time Thunder was the latest character and I started playing him (and ever since he's been my main). I had to feel it out in order to learn how to play and I had a blast. There were some issues on the second day where people couldn't play but a lot of people were playing but not a huge number as Marvel was probably at its peak of hype back then. Good times.

Seeing where it's going and getting bigger is really awesome. I see it being a mainstay for Xbox and that's a good thing. I'm happy more people are excited to play it and more people are playing it on PC. It's an awesome game and a game you really need to play a lot of matches to get good. Player matchups, risk/reward opportunities, spacing, offensive and defensive, there's just so many things in KI that you have to be aware of almost at all times. It's really rewarding having a good match and I don't feel bad when I lose because I really feel that it is me losing and not because of the system or the character.

If anyone wants to play, just send me a message on XBL (gt: The Zedox) and I'll see if I'm avaible (probably this weekend).
 
Yeah, your sarcasm would have some merit if the FG genre had any real correlative growth in terms of mechanics/popularity. We're not very far removed from SF II. Especially considering the nature of SFV

FPS games are still in the first person perspective and they're primarily about shooting guns

If you want me to paint with a brush as broad as yours
 

Justinh

Member
The odds were really stacked against this game.

It's a Western developed fighting game that actually stands up to Street Fighter mechanically. And let's be real, KI1 and KI2 were kinda trash.
Yeah, I loved KI and even KI Gold back in the day and spent a lot of time with the first game in the arcade with friends. I don't think anybody actually expected this game to be any good being from Double Helix given their past projects, but they did a wonderful job. I remember people being pessimistic about Iron Galaxy taking over, but they've done great with Seasons 2 and 3, too.

No it's free.

Even now, you can play every mode with 1 unlocked character. If you're patient enough, you can earn every achievement without spending a cent.

So yeah, it's as free as a fighter can realistically be.
I'm not sure if that's entirely true. Someone already mentioned that Shadow Lab is unavailable for free members (I think this is true because I was getting a message saying so before my licenses finally carried over to the W10 version), but I don't think you can get any achievements without buying at least one character. I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure I'm not.
What people seem to forget is that KI is $40 and not a $60 game.

So it bothers me with the comparison of SFV, as if KI was $60 when it came out.
I think we need to stop with the KI vs SF comparisons, too. They're doing completely different things and as it was pointed out, content was pretty anemic at launch (I think 6 characters, and no arcade mode until the end of the first season's character releases?). It took a while for it to get to a point where it felt like a "full roster", I think. Also, it being a F2P game with a price of only 20 clams at launch for the eight Season 1 characters, so even if you didn't want to be restricted to the rotation, it wasn't a heavy buy-in.

I love this game, but I need to stop being a bitch and play start playing online so I can get better at it. I only played online back at the console launch (which was fun, because I kept getting guys that didn't do any of the dojo and it'd just turn into the fight stopping, me telling them how the game works and then saying "dude, you gotta dojo").
 

John Wick

Member
Um....KI was free though soooooooo

When it launched it was free to try one character. Jago I think it was. That doesn't equate it to being free. $60 for the full KI package. $60 for SFV. Difference is KI has been on the market over 2 years. Let's give SFV a fair chance then judge eh???
 
Of course, all fighting games are exactly like Street Fighter II. This genre has been completely stagnant and devoid of any innovation for almost thirty years.

i think i get the point he's trying to make, i just don't see it as a valid point. all fighting games owe something to sf ii, so fucking what.

I wonder how many people the Windows 10 version brought in... Hopefully, a bigger number than I think it would being limited to the Windows store.
Its litterally the only well rated big pc game on the windows store. It was a really good port as far as how well it ran and worked on a wide range of hardware.
 

Synth

Member
When it launched it was free to try one character. Jago I think it was. That doesn't equate it to being free. $60 for the full KI package. $60 for SFV. Difference is KI has been on the market over 2 years. Let's give SFV a fair chance then judge eh???

KI wasn't $60 two years ago though, and the $40 Ultra package for S1 was inclusive of the classic KI1 game. Really each season was $20, so the situations between Killer Instinct and SFV at launch aren't very comparable.

Street Fighter V will likely be a solid overall package in time... but the audience that's most likely to stick around long enough for better solo content to be added, is also the audience that requires it the least.
 

kodecraft

Member
Its litterally the only well rated big pc game on the windows store. It was a really good port as far as how well it ran and worked on a wide range of hardware.

Bu...but but it's UWP they said, we don't want that they said.

You damn right it is.

KI deserves the love. WinStore ain't going nowhere.
 

Zedox

Member
When it launched it was free to try one character. Jago I think it was. That doesn't equate it to being free. $60 for the full KI package. $60 for SFV. Difference is KI has been on the market over 2 years. Let's give SFV a fair chance then judge eh???

If only people wanted that when KI coming out and the amount of shit was piled onto it. The people who did were people who wanted to play the game. A good amount of people talked ish about it because it was a Xbox One exclusive, it didn't have many characters, it was F2P, it didn't play like Street Fighter, it wasn't a "Capcom fighter", it wasn't made by Rare, etc...

I totally understand and I think SFV will be a good game with good content in time. But people are going to judge what's out now, not what is going to happen in a couple years. Believe me, KI players already did that.

If anything, i'm happy KI is getting the deserve it loves as now we have even more competition in fighting games and it makes fighting games a good genre to have in platform holders eyes. Pokken is a testament to that. Street Fighter needs some good competition, and when you are an underdog or put in a position in which you may seem like one, you gotta change and do it better.

To me, and I've said this when KI released how they were selling the game, every fighting game should approach it like that. It just makes sense. But we'll see what happens.

kodecraft said:
Bu...but but it's UWP they said, we don't want that they said.

You damn right it is.

KI deserves the love. WinStore ain't going nowhere.

WinStore and UWP ain't going anywhere. If we get more PC releases that are good like KI, which I think we will, people will open up to the platform. Devs are still getting used to DX12 (which all the other games are based on in winstore) and somethings just aren't clicking and they are having issues that don't even deal with the nature of UWP (although there are some that MS is changing come May). We'll see how the store is when the combine both stores and cross-buy truly happens instead of instances of QB. But let me not go off topic. :)
 
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