I mean, yeah, that’s easy to say. But it’s solving it that the issue. What fits their style? What’s feasible and can be accomplished over a cast that’s so large?
Maybe they like shiny specular highlights (as the quote from Professor mentioned above). If they don’t, will changing it on the skin make them change the way highlights play on every other fabric (Leather, plastic, metal, etc)?
They’ve improved lighting, highlights and shadow colors, added more separate and unique texture detail and material effects since the first showings. Clothing, hair, chains, and breasts have gotten more physics work, and they’re even animating a lot of the details by hand (closer to how clothing is handled in 2D KoF), rather than just letting a physics simulation take care of it (which produces a lot more clipping, but takes less time animating on their part). Self-shadowing has also been added.
And we still don’t know what kind of demands adding background character or models take, or if they plan to do things like have variations to the stages between rounds. Their time could be better spent somewhere else.
It’s unfortunate the game will only look like a 360 game. At least it’s better looking then SF4 but still, would have been nice if it could have gone toe to toe with SFV visually but oh well.
SFV has a marginal roster so pumping out the graphics was priority, SFIV had 44 (initially 39?). KofXIV will have 50 at launch so the priorities are set a bit different there. They will have to adjust the characters first then the graphics.
There’s so much more to presentation than graphics, too.
SFIV (and so far, V) both have 1 “cinematic” win pose, and a few mid-round poses per character.
None of the characters have unique rival animations.
The stages aren’t dynamic; it took multiple iterations to get a few variations on ore-established stages.
Character themes weren’t even in the first release of the game.
Everyone had 1 cinematic Ultra, some EX’s, and normally 1 super.
And this is all with a much smaller cast of characters. But what kind of things do we normally want with a KoF?
The post-match victory should have unique poses for the 2 back row characters, and the front row character. From what we’ve seen so far, they have this, and full voice for the winners victory quote.
We’ve been seeing a unique Kyo VS Iori pre-match start since the beginning. Hopefully, this is a standard feature between multiple characters / teams.
We don’t know if the stages are dynamic yet, but it’s an SNK tradition. KoF XIII had some that were, even. This could include new props per variation, unique characters and 3D objects, etc.
SNKP normally has unique team, and even character themes. That could be between 16 ! 50+ themes, depending on how they work it.
The devs have stated that every DM will have an EX version this time. Along with this, we have Climax DMs, similar to the Neomax’s from XIII.
And then you have things like unique systems and graphics that can only be used one 1 or two characters. Such as Kula’s Ice abilities, Maxima’s mechanization and guard point shield effects, Tung’s growing soul-body / full transformation, various teleport / quick movement effects, Angel’s Unchained Circle abilities, potential buff/powerup mechanics, everyones unique projectiles… and all the stuff the new characters have that haven’t even been seen before. Nakoruru might be the only person in the game with a pet / summon that could always be on the screen. All these unique systems and subsystems take their own special development.
Generally, when things are so unique, developers cut gameplay corners. Look at the way early DBZ and Naruto games had the same combos for every character, or how the controls and motions are very simplified, with very small deviations between characters. Most characters have the same body proportions, so that animations can be reused and shared between models, without too much re-tweaking.
Really, SNKP never has an easy time making a new KoF from scratch. We demand more from a game with a huge roster, than we generally do from others with much smaller ones. The only other fighters that really delivers on diversity as well as a KoF is MK 9 and X(L), and even they cut a lot of corners (Very similar character models, sometimes weak cloth and secondary animation physics), and they probably put more money into MKX than SNKP has been able to put into their last several games.
I’m pretty satisfied with my Fighter looking like a higher-resolution, stable, smooth-running 60fps PS3 or 360 game, if it can have the wealth of content games like Soul Calibur 3 or MKX, and the solidarity of gameplay of an SNKP UM title.
All I care about is that solid 60 FPS on all stages. I’d hate for KoF to have issues that other fighters are currently having. If 360 era visuals means no frame drops and performance issues, fantastic, sign me up.
Alright well when you say it that way yeah I don’t mind either. A better looking SF4 with massive content and all the features typically found in a KOF game with solid fluid gameplay is way better then just having pretty graphics and not much else. Don’t get me wrong though, having SFV type visuals is nice but if that’s primarily all you’re offering then no thank you.
Fully new characters will probably come once they have story materials and such to show with them. They’ll also likely have more complete trailers that explain the character, rather than just a name and a few key moves.
It’s very likely we’ll be seeing them as late as possible, so I wouldn’t be holding my breath for them.
I really hope they go all out for the new characters. Introduce their theme music with them, explain their gameplay quirk, show a few scenes (art or in game graphic cinematics) that could be in the story mode, show them interacting with the old cast, or make comments to fellow new cast members, etc, etc. Maybe they’ll show their whole team at once, too, rather than just showing 1 character at a time.
i remember a while ago someone here saying juicebox isn’t really the best person to listen to if you wanted to learn KoF could someone maybe explain why or at least pm me the reason
everything in street fighter 5 looks like oiled rubber dude
the lighting is great. if they mess with the lighting it could end up looking like some generic Xbox fighting game (like Killer Instinct). KOF was always bright with its colors, yea the pixel shading gave it some gritty side to it, but KOFXIV graphics have great presence and the characters blend with the background nicely, while professionally standing out.
well a huge factor will be the quality of the online, plus the mainstream expect things like stable multiplayer lobbies and spectating style quarter matches at the minimum.
I think KOFXIV could really gain more popularity in NA than any KOF before it, especially if the command inputs are fair and accessible. (not pretzel move nightmare’s like Geese’s raging storm, which caused a lot of players to choose someone else. and even those that do, are gimped cause they can’t do the move.)
CHON REI or NAY?
ALX wanted to chip in after the last post concerning some details we posted.
He wanted to point out that if we are to believe the leak (source long deleted),
the third character in Geese’s team is a butler
the third character in Kim’s team is Kim’s Master’s Wife, NOT Kim’s wife
The Palace Wan team, is the #KOFXIV official team, just like the KOF2001 NESTS team
“Tung’s two teammates, one is fiendish young adult, the other one is pillow teenager, I suppose his weapon is similar to a pillow.”
Concerning the last point, there is much debate:
The first time the rumour surfaced with two young kids as Tung’s team mates, the Chon Rei twins immediately sprang to mind. But now ALX is more sure that these are teenagers, new characters, with the reasoning that if the leak could recognise Tizoc in a dinosaur mask, there’s no way they wouldn’t recognise Rei and Shu.
Still, there’s 9 days till the showing in Korea, perhaps we’ll see something then to confirm the truth. We really hope it’s the opposite because the leak would really take the surprise away.
– Ooop this just in: anon retorting it’s not Geese’s Butler, not Rei and Shu and other stuff like big boss stadium battle and other stuff. If you like gossip, read away!
