bistromathics said:
Oh hell if i know the tech behind multiplayer netcode. I do know how fucking ridiculous things can get with regular ol' data, and have a 5000 ft understanding of how it goes down in games. More specifically I meant around developing a fighting system that doesnt require that kind of precision, which - I'm going to go out on a bullshit-limb here - is what was done with SF4.
que?
You did say bullshit limb, so this isn't just launched at you specifically - but the thing I don't understand about the reaction to SF4 is that it's probably one of the more technical and "hardcore" fighting games out there. Even for basic gameplay, the combos are demanding, the unintuitive priorities of a wide variety of moves need to be learned to even begin to construct a strategy, and the dexterity-oriented command inputs/timing for individual performance are extremely complex - just to name a couple aspects.
So why is this suddenly the poster child for a simple/less precision-oriented fighter?
DOA, sure I get it.
Soul Calibur, sure I get it.
In both of these games, there's pretty simplified command-input requirements that are far more universal across characters, more forgiving timing in all aspects of gameplay, an accessible parry system that evens out skill level, intuitive priority handling (ie - the flashier, bigger move mostly wins), and very little focus on high-damage, extendable combos.
Street Fighter 4? The only thing I can see that's "simple" about this game in any way is that there is a cultural burn-in and usable muscle memory for the world warriors' special moves. Beyond that, it's a pretty fucking complicated game.
What's utterly fascinating to me here is how Capcom managed to effectively convince people that this game was really casual-friendly and easy to get into when so many less complicated fighters have not.
It's a marketing point. It's a communication tactic. And it's something that a lot of games obviously fail at when they shouldn't.
If you ask me, constructing a less complicated or frame-specific fighter isn't even remotely necessary. What these companies should really get after is figuring out what it was about Capcom's communication and marketing efforts that completely altered the physical reality of their product into something that people are willing to swallow.
That communication is obviously the ticket to broader fighting game success.
I'm not being even remotely sarcastic. After listening to the mainstream media reaction to Sf4, I'm utterly convinced that it's less about what you give someone, and more about what you can make them believe that you are giving them.
