New 2DFG coming

Current Fighting Games Fighting Game Discussion
1

Hi all,

To make a long story short, me and some team mates I have would like to make a 2D fighting game. And a great one.

The project is not just on paper, we’re actually working hard on it for two month now. We hope to finish it for April/May 2013 ( max is october 2013 ).

We do not really need a kickstarter since we’re lucky enough to have the funds and the person we need ( for the moment ). BUT it may be possible that we make this a kickstarter project in order to save us some time and finish the game faster.
The only main problem we could have in the future is online gaming and servers…

I have no background in making video games, but most of the guys I work with have good experiences and they are very at ease with this.
I’m myself in the graphic departement for almost 6 years now.
Nowadays, it’s not really difficult to make great 2D fighting games. That’s what I learned from working with those guys since September. But it’s takes a lot time. Actually, we’re almost able to reproduce engine/system like 3.3 or more refined engine like SF4.

Actually, we’re fixed with the whole game feeling, stages, characters concept, 90% of the moves, sounds, overall feels…

I spent a lot of time reading the forum, I asked a lot of question and I asked some players I respect about some details.
Even if some of you are quite harsch sometime, I respect this community and I think there are really good/smart/constructive people here.
I respect your opinion, and if you want to give me some reflexion of yours, I’ll consider them.
Actually it’s in your best interest to give us some feedback or opinion since the game has good chance to finish in your hand.

We ( I ) can not give you big details about the game, but i can give you some details.

  • Game atmosphere = Street/Urban. This means no anime girl, no 14 years old people punching like UFC fighter, no bizarre characters ( No blanka, no Necro/twelve/Oro, no Taokaka ect… )
    no weapon, no fireballs, no super sayajin, no godlike power…
  • Character concepts are pretty realistic BUT the whole graphic style is something anime/colorful oriented.
  • I spent a lot of time and effort on the stages, they’re rich and varied, but they’re pretty static and gritty. We tried to avoid getting to much thing on the screen while trying to make them very inspired.
  • The game is more something you can find in psn/xbla than big games like SF4AE2012 or KOFXIII. Think of something like ( IN SIZE and contents ) Skullgirls.
  • The game will be a 2D fighting game of course, but the graphics will be 3D* ( Like Sf4, MVC3, SFXT… ).
  • 8 to 10 characters, each one has **his **own stages.
  • Each character has 10 differents fight introductions ( depends on the character he’s facing ).
  • Taunts have effects ( Like in 3s and other games ).
  • One super per characters, but a powerfull one. No shitty cutscene who last ten minutes.
  • Two buttons throw, no airdash, no airblock, no parry or other game breaking mecanics.
  • The games engine ended feel a lot like a more refined 3s, but with faster and more powerfull normal moves.

Of course, no comeback system,

  • The reason behind 3D graphics is time and work. Sprite are great, but actually, I’m the only one who’s capable to do it in my work team. This might takes me an eternity to do all the thing we need.
    Plus we would like to add some costumes for the characters, and that hard work on sprite.

I’ll up date this often, in order to keep in touch with all of you.

We’re actually working on a 1.13 minutes trailer for the game. I’ll post it here first, in one or two month. The game is not ready at all, it isn’t even a beta or an alpha, but we’re able to produce a small movie/trailer about it.

2

So why play this over SF4?

3

I really wish you luck with your project, but why do you think that is a good idea to post about it when at this point is pretty much only Vaporware

Also

Obviating all the aesthetics stuff (Anime girls, 14 years old boys, godlike power, etc)
You are aware that by limiting your scope of possibilities of characters the number of archetypes and the tools of the characters become way more limited, right?.
For example without weapons or oddballs you cant have characters with long reach with their normals like dalshim or vega, plus you can’t try with new concepts (at least more extreme concepts) because the pool of possibilities is very narrow compared to games that throw realism in favor of more fantasy elements.

Also what do you mean with no fire balls?
Does this mean that we wouldn’t have projectiles at all or that youe choose for representating them would be different of that, if is the former then does this mean that zoner characters are a no on your game?

Since when are parries, air dashes, airblock, etc are considered game breaking mechanics?

4
5

Sounds like an interesting game. However, I have a serious gripe that you’ll have no fireballs in this game. The fireball is one of the most essential elements in a 2d fighting game. It’s what largely separates it from 3d gameplay, and adds an infinite depth of strategy to the ground game as well as the zoning game. To not have a single fireball in the game seriously waters down the variance you’ll have between each characters, and the game will devolve into just a bunch of guys trying to poke and anti-air each other at close range. The mid-screen and full-screen will be completely non-existent.

That being said, it’s difficult to give an honest opinion of your project with no gameplay footage. It’s all theory craft until we can at least begin to see your project take shape. Until then, our opinions won’t have much basis.

6

I hope this doesn’t mean that it won’t have projectiles. Because if it won’t then it’ll be a shitty 2D FG.

I suggest you read up on Seth’s old Domination 101 article.

7

Sounds pretty boring to be honest, especially for a indie game. Good luck though.

8

Hi all and thanks for your reply.

I’ll try to answer to you all.

First, projectiles are different from Fireball. I guess Fireball are just a type of magic projectile =P.
There will be no magic power in the game, or at least no “hadouken like” fireball. There are projectiles in the common way ( things you can throw ) and there’s other projectiles ( If you think, like us, that Dhalsim C.HP or viper seismo are type of projectiles ).

Of course, The game will have some projectile and long reach character.

[FONT=Helvetica]"Since when are parries, air dashes, airblock, etc are considered game breaking mechanics?"
It’s a misunderstood. I consider parry to be pretty game breaking, but that’s a matter of opinion I guess since you do not seem to agree. But what I meant was “other game breaking mechanics like parries”. I do not consider air dash, air block ect as game breaking mechanics.
[FONT=Trebuchet MS][INDENT][FONT=Helvetica]"So why play this over SF4?“
Because in our opinion ( mine actually since I’m the one who decide =P ), SF4 is very slow paced. Our game will be faster, not mvc2 or Darkstalker speed, but maybe twice as fast. Of course, no ultra or other comeback mechanics.
The SF4 engine is very great and pretty clean, it was a huge source of inspiration for us. Although I think a better work could have been done with how the hitbox interact. We’ll try to work hard on the hitbox at the end of the project in order to make them fit the animation’s move perfectly.
Plus I put a lot of work on the character concept, stages, effects and musics. In my opinion, fighting games must be pieces of art in order to grew in the heart of the players. And SF4 lack this, there’s no stage i’ll truly remember when i’ll grew older ( except maybe for the SSF4 hong kong stage ), the character design is pretty meh for a lot of characters and the songs are not that greats. Effects are pretty beautiful though and inspired us a lot in our work.
For the moment, it’s impossible for you to picture it, but please, wait for the trailer and then I’m pretty sure you’ll be hyped about the game. [/FONT]
[/FONT][/INDENT]
I also think that a character who’s complicated to play should reward the player more than a braindead character. Gen isn’t easy to play in SF4AE2012, but Fei long is and if you believe the tiers list he’s stronger than the old assassin.
We tried to make every character viable in this game, but they’ll probably be stronger character. We tried to favour some characters in some departement. The more you have to take things in account when you have to use a move, the stronger he is when you master it ( for example ).
We also thought of many way to rewards stronger players. The game isn’t really hard to handle at first but the games mechanics truly favor strongers players. And we think that SF4 is very bad in this departement.
” I really wish you luck with your project, but why do you think that is a good idea to post about it when at this point is pretty much only Vaporware "
First, because this community has been very usefull since we started our project. We learned a lot from it => What games are considered good, why, what games mechanics fit the best with agressive gameplay, defensive gameplay, character who are the most popular…
Second, because there are very constructive people here, and I think you’re all pretty good to tell people when they’re doing something wrong. So if we make one bad step in the future, we know the community we’ll be here to tell us "no, that definitively shouldn’t be in your game ".
And last, because we want you ( the shoryuken community ) to be the first to see our project evolution, espacially the trailer and the beta. The trailer will come in one month ( max 2 month ) and if we’re good with our timeline, the beta will come in 7 month.
We can make the game, we can make the graphics, but it’s a community who make what the game is. So why not get the community involved from the start ? I think it will be a pretty good experience for us all.[/FONT]

9

Looks like MahJawn is at it again.

Wonder if he’ll show a screenshot this time.

In before Steve Wilkos and Kakuto Chojin.

10

IMO, you should have waited to announce this when you have something…not just “Hey guys, I’m making a fighting game so GET HYPE!!!”

The simple fact that you consider parries game breaking…I can’t take your project seriously.

11

Parries is not game breaking, it adds for depth to a game.

Now if you want game breaking think of the lines of glitches/tools like DHC glitching in MVC3 and infinities. Please, if there’s no infinities, please don’t make the system stupid in the way it prevents it. But I actually don’t mind infinities and the DHC glitch being in the games before honestly.

All I can say is good luck.

12

Can you at least show some artwork? So say you’ve got so much done already so that shouldn’t be a problem right?

I’m also wondering what engine you’re using. Are you building your own from scratch or are you using a pre-existing one? I ask because I’ve got a small bit of experience with this sort of stuff and a 7 month development cycle seems a bit unrealistic.

You’ve got some interesting design choices there and some difficult obstacles to overcome to keep your characters from being stale, but that’s just up to you guys how good that will end up being.

I’d be careful about assuming stuff like this though:

I absolutely guarantee you that a great fighting game will take you more than 7 months. I mean if I’m reading your description correctly, and each character will have 2 attacks and a throw, then yeah you may be able to do that. I assume I’m wrong on that account though.

At any rate, good luck. I’m sure I"ll be keeping an eye on this if this actually pans out.

13

" IMO, you should have waited to announce this when you have something…not just “Hey guys, I’m making a fighting game so GET HYPE!!!” "

But we have things. We have all the artwork and we have almost finished the engine, but we can’t just let you see them like that before the trailer. Maybe we could show you some early concept we did not use in the end ? I doubt about this being really usefull, but if you would like to see some of them, why not ?

One thing I’d like to do is release a pre beta, but just with very basic sprite, but again I do not find this very revelant. But if that could help you to take us more seriousely, again why not ?

[FONT=Helvetica]"The simple fact that you consider parries game breaking…I can’t take your project seriously."
Parry are free, overusable, they cover almost everything in the game. Of course the game has more deepth with them, but still it somewhat kill the “simple and effective” feeling ST and Sf4 ( to a lesser extent ) have.
Maybe game breaking was not the good word, that’s true.
In our game, there this “simple and effective” thing I talked about. That’s what I meant by no parry or system like that. [/FONT]

14

Okay…where are these concept art?
Why didn’t you post it when you made the thread?
Why wait on a trailer?
Do you even have a name for this project?

If something was intentionally put into a game…it’s not game breaking.

15

Show me a trailer. Otherwise this is like everyone else’s post they make for the ‘ultimate’ fighting game.

16

Parry is only as free as you yourself are.

17

Sounds like a revival of Urban Champion.

18

Release this first to pc, dont make the same mistake Skullgirls did…

19

This is why you’re not getting many serious responses right now. There isn’t a single game company in existence that announces a game before they have something to show OR announces a game before they are willing to show something. No one is going to get excited off a text description of a game. If you look around these forums for other games pitched like this, the ones that got more responses are the ones that had something visual. If you weren’t willing to show anything for a few months, then you should have waited until that point. If your progress is actually what you say it is, then you’re at a good point to show something. There’s really no reason not to.

20

I’m still fairly confused about how you classify a fireball as a magic projectile, versus a standard projectile. The whole purpose of a fireball, is that it is an attack that separates from your body, and the fireball itself isn’t in fear of being counterhit or causing damage. It’s a high startup, high recovery attack, designed to poke at your opponent from a long distance. C.Viper’s seismo isn’t really a projectile, it’s more similar to Dhalsim’s st.fierce, which also isn’t a projectile. They’re pretty much extended pokes that are fairly easy to counter, and don’t play a strong a role as a fireball in the zoning game. To not have a fireball would seriously detract from your 2D fighting game, and I hope you reconsider this idea. Every good 2d fighting game has had a fireball element of some kind, and it’s kind of a no-brainer to add a fireball to every fighting game as a basic rule.

As far as the whole parry argument, I can see both sides. Parry adds complexity by never truly making anything a safe or smart poke, even if it’s normally a highly effective move in games without the parry. I’ve contemplated game design for a 2d fighter for a long time, and I can tell you that if you want to satisfy both camps, make parry available, but have it cost you something. I believe this eliminates the “game breaking design” part, but having a limited amount of parries, and some more inherent risk with doing the move. You could have it cost meter, cost life, have a whiff animation, use a motion that eliminates blocking while performing it (such as 3’s forward tap and down tap to parry). That makes it so that you don’t have to fear the parry everytime you play a game, but it does add a bit of complexity and momentum shift when your opponent has access to a parry, which forces you to adapt your game a little bit. Alpha counters were actually a pretty good mechanic in A2 and A3, and something based off that mechanic would add a lot of variety to the game.

As far as all this ‘why you tell us now?’ type threads in here, I agree and disagree. I think it’s great that you want to tell us about the game now, but the impact would be a lot greater if you showed some initial screen caps, concept art, a basic game engine demo, something.