• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

How would you change the fighting game genre?

silentstorm

Member
Just wondering, a lot of people complain that fighting games don't really change and in many ways are still trying to emulate Street Fighter 2, or Smash Bros more recently, and a lot of complaints about it being hard for newcomers to get in...the thing is, there have been games that attempted to simplify the genre or make it more attractive for newcomers, all of them failed.

And nothing has been as well liked as the good old style started by Street Fighter, even games like Tekken are still small arenas where you fight 1 VS 1 and dish out combos or moves, it just feels like a genre that is actually hard to innovate because any major idea seems to either make things worse or make the games seem more appropriate for another genre entirely.

Still, if so many people complain about how fighting games don't evolve or need new ideas, i am sure that users here have some good ideas that i haven't thought of.
 

DunDunDunpachi

Patient MembeR
The only "change" would be to streamline the time it takes for a player to go from booting the game to fighting an opponent. Maybe something like loading screen -> Press button -> Select 'continue', and then you're fighting with the next match in the single-player mode while (according to your settings) the multiplayer searches for an opponent. SF5 kinda-sorta moved in this direction but too much is tucked behind menus and pop-up notifications.

The joy of the genre is fighting. The experience should be tuned top to bottom to get players into matches / practice mode as quickly as possible, every time they boot the game.

Other than that, there's still a lot of fun iteration and experimentation with meters. Fighting games from the 90s were mostly about meters / stock for special moves. Over time meters became a resource pool for both offensive, defensive, and parrying maneuvers. Under Night even has a tug-of-war meter at the bottom. Resource meters should be explored more.
 

Reizo Ryuu

Gold Member
Why would it need to change? Most genres don't change.
If you do anything to the traditional fighting game genre (as in fighting is done on a 2d plane, even if you can move around in 3d like SC), it quickly becomes a different genre.
Like a party game or a beat em up.

IMO fighting games are always going to be "hard to get into", because they are "true pvp"; it's 1 vs 1 so you can't hide behind a "bad team", or get carried by a good team.
Even fighting games with the most basic mechanics are going to have players dominating others, specifically because it's 1v1, so you need to be willing to spend a lot of time learning the systems. This isn't the case with most other genres, because even in competitive fps you'll be able to get a few kills by catching someone by surprise, or being carried by your team.

If you aren't willing to spend the time, then the genre will never be something for you.
 

Rubik8

Member
I want more games like Fighting Vipers. I recently went back and picked up all the trophies on the PS3 version. I miss simple controls (3 buttons) and not having to memorize complicated combos.
 

silentstorm

Member
Yeah, less 6 buttons fighting games would be awesome since the main controllers all have 4 main buttons and then triggers.
 

teezzy

Banned
Tekken needs more beginner friendly tutorials. I'd eliminate story mode entirely and focus on that.

I'd remove story mode altogether. The plots always stink, and are occasionally just still framed images with way too much dialogue like in Soul Calibur 6. Even worse you're forced to play as characters youd never main outside of being forced to.

Focus on the fighting. Teach people how to play your game and why the mechanics are unique so that juggahoes dont just jump in, learn a "few moves" and then start mashing without any sense of strategy.
 

Ten_Fold

Member
Overall I would say stop making them easier, making gameplay systems to make it so a scrub can take like 50% or more of your life with a simple command is kinda silly, instead make teach them how to do the more complex things right outta the gate, like in story mode. If you make a game too simple the results at the top level will be more or less random, and the top level will be too easy to reach. If you are decent at fighters you could actually take games off of top players now,



Street Fighter 6, needs to go back to sf4’s gameplay style where and just refine it even more. What I mean is turn the story mode into more of a tutorial, teach people about spacing, when and when NOT to throw a fireball, teach them which EX moves goes pass fireballs. Bring back non EX wake up DP, an talk about the risk/reward all in the story mode.

make trial combos, actual combos you could use in a fight.

make the online point system better
Once you got well over 20kBP and you get matched to someone with a 1bar and low points, you lose WAY to much.
I think the point system needs to be gone.
 

TintoConCasera

I bought a sex doll, but I keep it inflated 100% of the time and use it like a regular wife
Add more boobs. Like three or four per character I don't know.

Overall I would say stop making them easier, making gameplay systems to make it so a scrub can take like 50% or more of your life with a simple command is kinda silly, instead make teach them how to do the more complex things right outta the gate, like in story mode. If you make a game too simple the results at the top level will be more or less random, and the top level will be too easy to reach. If you are decent at fighters you could actually take games off of top players now,



Street Fighter 6, needs to go back to sf4’s gameplay style where and just refine it even more. What I mean is turn the story mode into more of a tutorial, teach people about spacing, when and when NOT to throw a fireball, teach them which EX moves goes pass fireballs. Bring back non EX wake up DP, an talk about the risk/reward all in the story mode.

make trial combos, actual combos you could use in a fight.

make the online point system better
Once you got well over 20kBP and you get matched to someone with a 1bar and low points, you lose WAY to much.
I think the point system needs to be gone.
Imo they should be more accesible but not easier. For me DB FighterZ is a good example of this: anyone can grab the controller and start having fun just mashing buttons, but they'll get wrecked the moment they play against someome that knows how to really play.
 

Rubik8

Member
I’d like a moratorium on all the stupid graphical effects. Some fighters have so many sparkles, light trails, and bullshit I can’t even tell what’s happening sometimes. It isn’t just fighters; lots of action games are lousy with this too (DmC, most Platinum games, etc). Just cut down all the visual, electric diarrhea all over the screen all the time.
 
S

SLoWMoTIoN

Unconfirmed Member
Focus on neutrals. No triple jumping bs. No rage or meter filling up by taking hits. Have a playable cast (day one) of 18 fighters that actually play differently. Add at least 6 game moves and a USABLE lobby system. Reduce loading times to nothing.

It will basically be UNIST x GBF Versus graphically.
 

Pejo

Member
I always thought a freeflow combo system would be more fun than a strict timing based system. Skullgirls did this pretty well. Memorizing strings and having to consistently input them turns off a lot of people that would normally be interested in playing fighting games. Nobody wants to whiff a punch and get comboed from 100-50% over 10 seconds that you can't even move. It's stylish to watch and fun as the winner, but that's just too high of a bar of entry for most people to get to that level. I'm thinking maybe they should try a game where combos max out at 3-4 hits, and it's more about guessing right, controlling the arena, etc. I though DoA did a pretty good job with giving everyone parries and counters and stuff, and it seems to be a little more casual friendly than other 3D fighters. I also think Granblue VS does a pretty good job of being more beginner oriented and casual friendly, but there's still a huge difference between a "FGC" player and a casual player. This huge gap will do nothing but scare away the casuals, killing the overall playerbase.
 

Knightime_X

Member
The king of fighters 14 sums up my requests.
Make defense just as aggressive as offense.

Most fighting games are lopsided in favor of more offense options than defense.
 

cireza

Member
I have in mind a 2D fighting game with pixel-art, low res 240p and destructible environment.
A bit like Power Stone, but put on a line, with interactivity and beautiful animations when you use the right attacks at the right place, that would throw the opponent in the background, destroying stuff. It would be more dynamic and fun, not really for e-sport or whatever. Would love playing this.

Overall fighting games are way too stuck in their core concepts. Why should every character from a game play the same way to begin with ? You could have a game where each character plays differently, and would not require tons of characters. Buttons would not do the same thing depending on the character.

A character could have gameplay oriented around combos and attacking, with all 4 buttons used to attack and having to chain as the player (a bit like Tekken).
Another would be focused around counters, and you would get buttons to counter high/middle/low and only one to attack.
Another would use items, each button being an item.
Another could have a weapon and a shield, you would have vertical/horizontal slash, and high/low guard on the 4 buttons.
Another would be a character that evades and throws.
Triggers could be used for a special attack, would be different for each character of course.
You never need quarter circles and so on in this game as you can see.

It would not be about combos all the time, but about reading the enemy, and using the right actions at the right moment. Placement is the key. Go back to these essential roots.

Good single player content and AI.

I came up with this idea in 5 minutes.
 
Last edited:
Top Bottom