I understand the reason why there’s a timer. Just like forcibg left handed joysticks make more games end quicker than forcing right hand joysticks, and mire than giving players a choice, and hardening a game without flipping dip switches.
The main reason it to move the line. But even if you turn off the timet at hone, that sugificantly alters strategy. It’s like the tine limit was irntentionaly part of the design, and does not seem cheap or tacked on.
Of the big early 90s fighters that I was exposed to, Street Fighter 2.x, Mortal Kombat, and Eternal Champions, 2 of the ganes’s with time ruined the experience.
The only one of the 3 that was balanced well chronometrically, was Street Fighter 2.x (any Capcom made SF2-Based game). The timer wad s factor in 20% of the matches. Not that 20% of matches end in the ref’s time out decisions. But about 20% of SF2.X matches come down to 20 second ls to go, and that’s usually when you think internally “this is a long one”. And when that happens, you alter your strategy depending on whether you winning big, losing big, or fighting for every pixel on both bars,.
My Guest Web SF4 comnmentary was weird, until proven true.
In one tournament where was comsidered a local celebrity entry, in addition to my friend the local gaming tv star and his protege who appeared the next year on WCG season 2. (Justin Wong, the first gaming star i heard of outside of my friend and his tekecised exploits, also appeared on season 2). Since i git my lical fame bu commentsting local nini golf, I tried my uand at SF4 web commentary. I noticed in one particilar matchup 3 or 4 matchup, most were practicing a big combo and matched ended pretty quickly. In best of 5 rounds matched first to 3 matches. In the 9 matches, we seen a person win with a big vitality advantage by time decision, 3 mstches whete thev person ahead using time to force an opponen’s error, a person being too conservative a with a marginall lead and losr vua KO, and one back snd forth round, where the difference in heallth wad unnoticeable to the naked eye, but the last second hit to give someone a tape measure win.
Due to the nature of these long matches, when i noticed the time at 50 seconds lleft the other host said it was too early. And I said, with most other matches not getting to 50 seconds, and with half these matches asking you to think about the clock, you may want check your sutuation early, before it’s crunch time.
The only other unique comment I made when I noticed a lot of hits, some landing, some blocked, in 3 seconds, but no combo indicator, I said sometimes a chaotic barrage that it technically blockable in the middle, but not fully blocked anyway, is better than a predictable, blocked conbo.
Let’s compare SF2.X to its 2 biggest Genesis rivals, Mortal Kombat and Eternal Champions.
One thing that flawed the cartridge version of EC was that timers were so fast, the timer felt “quarter-hungry” . And this is a hone game. There’s no libe to jeep moving abd feeding quarters. This is either a bug ir a oshcological muscalculation This is because of all hits being isolated hits and barrages that are ALWAYS blockable in the middle. matches feel like the ref has to take a pee break, as opposed to time becoming a factor only when it “feels like time to think about time”. EC had the problem of the clock sneaking up on you, and ending WAY too fast too many times, and had way too many ref’s decisions if you go by SF time.
MK only had time just to clear milkers. A jhunan matvh ghat hot yo 60 second temsinibg is rarem. i had to double time limit tlwin the sub boss in number 2 (Motoro?) to beat him, because it seemed all you can get on him are isolated hits, like his defense plays according to Ethetnal Champions rules, where the only ture combo is a 5 moves in 1 animation. That easy block applies to HIM, NOY YOU. Everything else is blockable right away. Plus your only combo is blocked too many times to work, and exposes you to a wholloping. it felt like an upward climb. This was tedious. Sneaking hits and dodging for 99 seconds, twice in a set of 3.
SF is perfect in that regards, even though few matches end in time victories, enough rounds go to 20 seconds left, when you should factor in time as an aspect of strategy.
Remember when lefty sticks were used to shorten credits. It becane less if an issue with the original social Vs game phenomenon that was SF2.
The left handed stick is Here’s 2 issues that aren’t.
Mortal Kombar, me and my friend wete using the 99 econds to practice basic moves in the shadow. After round one ended, the computer said game over. I guess we basically both got booed off stage. Unexpected, hut deserved.
When I tried to fight the hidden character for getting 50 wins in a row, i thought they may have thought about this, but might not have. So i jyst beat yp on s oaralyzef neat sack for about 29 rounds, thrn CPU becane aluce with zomhie like invincibility and Bruce Lee llke fighting AI.
Midway closed 2 loopholes.
Also I was playing Turtles ib Time for the fitst time using my TMNT Arcade “Quailman” strategy of stick and move. First boss was Baxter Stockman The Fly. I know beatemup bosses are cheap by having nearly instant recovery. So i stuck and moved. I had about 95 % enetgy, and then an atomic bomb drops on me and kills me instantly. Not just a hurry up nudge to go quicker. It wad sudden, undodgable, and lethal, and thids boss one. It seems luke an unmasterable deliberate quarter eater.
The days of the modern coin op is over. Only retro machines, ride ganes, and skill ganes for prizes do well today. Since there are no popular modern coin op arcades anymore. why carry over a relic from JAMMA which inhibits people abd shortens credit length? Beeshu had a market giving an alternative until ambi sticks required 12-16 buttons using the tradutional methods. Visit SinisterSticks.com for my design I’m making a prototype for.
