Official SSF2T: HD Remix General Discussion Thread

[Cowdisease]

This thread is a continuation of the previous SFHD Thread. I decided to start a new thread because I can no longer update the first summary post with any more information because of VBulletin’s character limit for a single post. Therefore, the summary information from the last thread has been split into two posts in this thread.

What We Know about SSF2T:HD Remix (SFHD) So Far

Before I begin, make sure you check out Capcom’s main Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo: HD Remix’s FAQ and the State of the Union address in the Capcom blog before you ask questions about SSF2T:HD Remix (abbreviated to SF:HD from this point on). Chances are that your questions are answered there.

Here’s what we know about SF:HD so far based on what was said by Sirlin, Rey Jimenez, and other Capcom/Backbone employees.

SF:HD is considered to be the next entry of the SF2 series, making it the 6th installment of the series (Hyper SF2 is not considered a new SF installment). There will be actually be two games in SF:HD: the original Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo and a remixed gameplay mode with rebalanced gameplay tweaks. Fans will be able to play the game with the classic ST sprites or the new redrawn HD graphics (drawn by Udon artists) in either mode (however, the backgrounds will remain in their redrawn HD state regardless of sprite-style selection).

The game will be released as a downloadable title for both Xbox LIVE Arcade and Playstation Network (XBLA and PSN), but a price has not been determined yet. Christian Svensson indicated in the Capcom BBS that the price will not be $10. Capcom revealed that both versions will be identical, as Microsoft has granted Capcom an exception to the 150MB XBLA size limit that could have limited the XBLA version of the game.

Release Date

The final version of Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix will be available for the Playstation Network on Tuesday, November 25th, and on Wednesday, November 26th on Xbox Live Arcade.

SFHD Beta

Capcom announced that those who purchase Wolf on the Battlefield: Commando 3 via Xbox LIVE Arcade will be able to access an eight-week SFHD Beta where Ryu and Ken will be the only selectable characters. The purpose of this beta is to test the game’s network connections. Some have complained that PS3 owners were left out of the beta, but Christian Svensson explains why that happened.

We are resource constrained. This project already has gone over the original budget (we had a new budget approved to accomodate our dedication to its quality and the new features there were even a few we wanted to do that had to get cut in the end more on that in a post mortem blog or something). Anyway, we wanted to do a beta to test the new network features but even if it were possible for Sony to do, it would require 3 submissions (US, Europe, Asia/Japan) to reach the same global audience we can with MS in a single test and global submission.

Commando 3 is now available on the Xbox LIVE Marketplace as of Wednesday, June 11th, 2008, for 800 Microsoft Points, which equates to $10 US dollars. The beta has been active since Wednesday, June 25th, 2008 and will run for approximately eight weeks.

If you are participating in the beta, be sure to leave your feedback, suggestions, and constructive criticism (Capcom won’t respond to flames) in their beta forums.

Remixed Mode

Sirlin revealed his design goals for the remixed mode.

Here are the design goals:

1. Make the game easier to playmore inclusive rather than exclusive
2. Make the game even more balanced for tournament play
3. Add fun as long as it doesnt interfere with #2.

In this mode, we can assume that inconsistent properties such as random dizzies will be fixed in the game. Characters who did not have reversal supers can now perform them (we saw Ken do a reversal super in the SF:HD footage that Rey Jimenez revealed). Most interesting is what was revealed in a 1up.com preview article.

The game will feature a “rebalanced mode,” which will not only attempt to eliminate significant advantages between characters, but also simplify move inputs for casual players. Svensson stresses that all original button combinations will still remain intact, but those looking to pull off Zangief’s typically complex piledriver move or one of Akuma’s three-button attacks with one fewer button press will have that option.

More surprising than the slight modification of existing moves is the addition of new ones – both those taken from other, non-numbered series entries (such as Ryu’s fake fireball), and some that have been created from scratch for HD Remix. According to Svensson, “almost every character, especially the less popular characters, has been given some new toys.” Several of the world’s top Super Street Fighter II Turbo players have been consulting to help maintain the integrity of the experience during this rebalancing process.

Sirlin revealed in a Capcom blog the extent of these changes.

Easier Moves Overview
Dragon Punch timing more forgiving
360s alternate motions
Tiger knee motions removed
Mash moves easier
All 3 button moves changed to 2 buttons

You can read more about the changes in this post.

Brian Dunn revealed this in the Capcom Digital Blog, “This game uses the Dreamcast version as a base. Basically it uses the same base code (with improvements and new features and additions), with all of the “art” files replaced with new ones for the updated look.” Rey added the following in this Capcom Digital blog post after some objected to the use of the DC version of ST.

Brian mentioned that we are basing the game off of the Dreamcast version. That was done because the DC (Japanese version) code is easier to work with, and there was already existing network code within the game to start with because the Japanese version had an online matchmaking service. Now, before you guys start throwing tables in disgust because we are using the DC version and not the arcade version, realize that the DC version was an arcade perfect version. Or at least it was really close. Some dip switches were changed for the DC version that gave it some of its interesting quirks. For SFHD, we are simply flipping those switches back to their original settings so that the game plays like the arcade version. Also, we are making fine adjustments as needed to make sure it plays exactly like the arcade. So, while it is true we are basing the code off of the DC version, the end result will play arcade perfect.

Updating the Fighters

Sirlin has posted how the ST cast will be changed in the Remixed Mode. Here’s a list of changes revealed so far.

Ryu
T. Hawk
Ken
Blanka
Cammy
Balrog (Boxer)
Sagat
Fei Long
Guile
Dhalsim
M.Bison (Dictator)
Zangief
Deejay
Complete Change List

This list will be updated as more character changes are revealed.

Graphics

According to this Game Informer article:

According to Svensson, the art is behind schedule and Capcom wont release the game until its ready. The team at Udon was previously doing all character art, all static portraits, all backgrounds and all key frames. “Whats likely to happen is were going to have Udon do every single frame. As a result, well get a better product, but its going to take more time.” Svensson stated that the art budget alone surpasses what most companies spend on an Xbox Live Arcade game in its entirety.

Rey Jimenez revealed in the Capcom blog, “The HUD and fonts are very early. We haven’t done anything to jazz it up yet. So I know it looks boring now, but it’s something we’ll be working on.”

Capcom revealed how the HD art looks like now in the State of the Union address.

Music/Sound

In a reversal to what was announced previously, remixed tunes will be available in the game. According to the 1up article, Christian Svensson hints that the community will come into play somehow with the creation (or selection) of the remixed music tracks. Rey Jimenez said in the Capcom Digital Blog, “You’ll also notice the new Ken level music. Again, this is an optional feature, but I am working with a bunch of talented individuals to get new music in the game. I’ll let you know who they are later as we get closer to release.”

In recent gameplay videos, the remixed tracks for Ken’s, Vega’s (claw), Fei Long’s stages were modified tracks from the Blood on the Asphalt remix project. It was also confirmed that players can play with the classic or remixed soundtrack in either Classic or Remixed mode.

Many have complained about Guile’s wimpy “Sonic Boom” voice in ST, and Backbone has listened as Guile now has his original “Sonic Boom” from his Hyper Fighting days. Backbone also added a new announcer to yell out “Round x” and “Fight!”

Larry Oji, the assistant music producer for the remixed soundtrack of HD Remix, wrote about what to expect from the remixed soundtrack.

Because we at OC ReMix worked within the basic framework of the past game, keeping things to about a minute to 90 seconds long, the OC ReMix soundtrack is basically paced the same way.

We got hired in the first place off the strength of Blood on the Asphalt, so 8 of the stage themes are adapted from that, and we’re proud Capcom felt our work on that album was what they were looking for with HD Remix. So I’m glad we got to adapt a lot of our work for this particular title. 3 more are from other OC ReMixes, and 6 were created from the ground up. Nothing’s been set yet on an album release for the soundtrack, but I’m sure once something is finalized, you’ll definitely know!

For Guile’s stage, the lead is an electric guitar synth. But since then, artist Big Giant Circles actually bolstered up the track by getting his colleague Justin R. Coleman to add some real electric guitar in. So the melody’s now Justin’s live guitar doubled by the guitar synth, for a more realistic tone and beefier sound. Once you hear the finished cut, I think you’re gonna be feeling it even more!

For Vega, our main bro, Jos the Bronx Rican, tweaked his version up as well since the demo footage went out, adding some Latin style plucked strings to hook things up nicely and stay loyal to the Spanish influence while doing his own thing. For a hip-hop style piece, I actually thought it fit really well, especially the string intro as the fight is introduced, which was some amazing synergy.

AE and Prozax’s menu music remixing Ken’s stage is just for the menu, so that explains why there’s balls-out guitar soloing that we’d NEVER drop into the actual Ken stage music, since it would be a major distraction. But it’s a done deal, for sure. We are using Sixto Sounds’ “Made in USA” from Blood on the Asphalt for the actual stage theme, also.

Jos the Bronx Rican handled most of the ending themes, and those were kept fairly straightforward since they were so brief in the first place. Those are all about 30 seconds long.

Widescreen Mode

In another reversal to what was said previously, SF:HD will have a widescreen option. According to Rey Jimenez, “As you may remember, we weren’t planning on including any sort of widescreen support that would extend the edges of the playing field to the edge of the screen. But the community voiced that they wanted it really bad, so we decided to put it in. The mode is optional, so you can play in standard 4:3 if you want to. Its not a stretched mode, but something similar to whats been suggested on many forums as a widescreen option. Essentially, its a zoomed in mode, with a portion of the top of the screen cropped off.” Sirlin at one point in his blog said, “The widescreen mode zooms in the camera but does not change gameplay. I was skeptical at first, but it’s turning out surprisingly good. Even hardcore players seem to like it, even prefer it to the regular 4:3 mode.”

Remember, widescreen mode is optional.

Tournament Options

Capcom has revealed that there will be an 8-man tournament option in the game.

Online Matchmaking

There was a very good suggestion for a blind selection option. Setting it so that players wont know whom their opponent selected until the versus screen will prevent players from playing chicken on who picks first (and the other picking a counter-character). Definitely set blind selection as a default option for ranked matches.

In this Videogamer.com interview, Sirlin confirms that a visible time limit will appear on the character selection screen. It will visibly dissuade opponents from staying on the versus screen indefinitely (like those in Hyper Fighting who pick up wins from quitting players who are tired of waiting) and also advise indecisive Super Turbo players how much time they have left before the game chooses a fighter for them.

Speaking of quitting, Sirlin has stated that quitters will be dealt with (most likely with an automatic loss). Some have also suggested adding a disconnect stat (like DoA4) so that you can see if an opponent likes to quit mid-match a lot.

Rey Jimenez revealed that ranking system will no longer just track win/loss ratios. It will be a system similar to chess’ ranking system. Some have suggested implementing a decaying rating system, where rating points for everyone goes down after a week or so (or just for those who haven’t played in a week). It prevents people who begin with an awesome record to permanently remaining on top of leaderboards if they never play again.

Furthermore, there will be two leaderboards, one for original ST, one for Rebalanced/Remixed ST.

Quarter Match

Rey Jimenez confirmed that Quarter Match will be available, and according to a Game Informer article, it’s going to be expanded. The Quarter Match lobby can now hold six people with four spectators and two players. Spectators can hang out and opt out of gameplay if they dont want to play. Also, if someone drops out, someone can join a game thats already in progress.

Winner Stays as Same Character Option

Ultradavid had a really good suggestion of adding a “Winner Stays as Same Character” option for the Quarter Match lobby. In the arcade, you were not allowed to switch characters if you won a match and were challenged again, so you could recreate that in a Quarter Match lobby with this option. Players could search for Quarter Match lobbies with a filter for this option on, off, or either.

Allow Guests in Non-ranked Quarter Matches

This feature was missed in Puzzle Fighter HD, and I’m sure some would like to bring their guests online, especially since there are six slots in the Quarter Room. Since guests can only play in non-ranked games (like Halo 3), you don’t have to worry about people using their local friends to do some unscrupulous stat-boosting.

Play Arcade or Training Mode While Waiting for Online Match

A common complaint among online fighting game fans is the inability to do anything while hosting a room and waiting for a match. A good way to kill time is to allow the player to play Arcade or Training Mode while waiting for a challenger to enter the lobby. When a challenger enters the room, the “Here Comes a New Challenger!” message appears, your arcade/practice session ends, and you are back in the lobby with your new challenger.

[Cowdisease]

Netcode

In the 1up.com preview article, this interesting tidbit was revealed.

While Svensson can’t detail just what it is that the developers are doing to counteract such issues with HD Remix, he offers a bold, potentially reassuring statement: “It’s network code that’s never been seen in a commercial fighting game before, and it will hopefully provide, even under relatively poor network connections, a much better experience than any fighting game that’s ever existed.”

Why is Svensson so confident? You might assume that Capcom will license the GGPO algorithm, since it has been proven to provide almost lagless online play for fighting games. However, to date Capcom has not committed to using GGPO, despite its excellent reputation among the hardcore players that use it.

Why would Capcom invest their resources in reinventing the wheel if GGPO is already out there? Don’t expect an official answer from Capcom or Backbone for now, but some speculated that Capcom did not want to pay to license GGPO (this is merely conjecture and has no factual basis). Despite Capcom’s refusal of using GGPO for SFHD, Svensson acknowledged GGPO’s capabilities and indicated that they are doing “everything” to replicate its capabilities.

Recently, Tony Cannon (aka Ponder), the man responsible for GGPO, revealed that he was hired as a consultant to improve SFHD’s networking code. SFHD will not implement GGPO because by the time Capcom announced that they will license GGPO for their online games, it would have been delayed SFHD even further to implement the algorithm. Nonetheless, Tony assured fans in this Capcom Unity post that SFHD’s netcode will be as good as GGPO’s.

And indeed, we know it’s possible. We’re doing everything we can to provide similar levels of performance [to GGPO]. Exactly what “everything we’re doing is”, well some of that is going to have to remain a mystery until after we’re either successful or we fail. Suffice to say, I do mean everything. Read into that what you will but I can’t provide details.

Costume Colors

The removal of the ‘Old’ characters from the Remixed version most likely means the return of the original costume colors for the ST cast. Some have suggested that Backbone use this opportunity to provide 14 costume options instead of the standard 8. A good way to provide more colors is by holding a button. Here’s how I would set up the extra colors:

Jab - Original Color
Hold Jab - ST Default Color
Hold Strong - ‘Old’ Alternate Color
Hold Start - ST ‘Hold Button’ Color
Hold HP, LK, MK, or HK - provide four new color schemes, or three new schemes and a gasp custom color slot (or two new schemes and two custom color slots)

Backbone has not indicated if custom colors will be implemented, but it has been constantly requested in the SRK forum. If Backbone does implement custom colors, an option to disable it for online play should be considered.

Combo/Reversal Message Tweaks

Some have suggested that when the computer performs a combo or reversal, the Combo or Reversal message should appear similar to when a player performs a combo or reversal. Others have suggested that when a player performs a reversal throw, a Reversal Attack message should appear.

Replays

Halo 3 has shown how popular video replay sharing is, but I doubt Backbone is going to have the resources to host Super Turbo replays. Nonetheless, the option to save replays (and sending them to your friends if possible) would be welcomed and greatly appreciated by ST fans looking to improve their game (or gloat).

Display XBL/PSN Names during Match

Fans have suggested that, similar to the Xbox KOF games, player’s XBL/PSN names (and maybe even connection status: green dot - good connection, yellow dot - average, red dot - not so good) should appear under the lifebars. In a Videogamer.com interview, Sirlin confirmed that gamertags will appear under the health bar during online matches.

Theatre/Gallery Mode

Fans have also suggested that once you beat the game with a character, you unlock his/her ending and additional artwork in this mode. It will give players an extra incentive to beat the game with every character.

Training Mode

It has been confirmed that hitbox display will be an option. Still no word if frame data will also be shown.

Some have suggested that Capcom should take notes from Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution’s training mode. Rey said regarding this subject, “I’ve seen some very good suggestions using the training mode style from the SF EX series or VF 5, but I’m not sure if we have the time or extra file size to support such a feature.”

At the very least, the option to turn off dizzy should be available. Others have asked for a recording option similar to the one in Capcom vs SNK 2’s training mode (dummies perform the correct move even after being crossed-up, recorded actions loop). The Mullah suggested taking the recording option one step further by adding the ability to set the 1p action (block, stand, jump forward/backward/straight up crouch etc) while recording the dummy.

Stat Tracking

From the 1up.com article:

We’ll ultimately have to wait to see if such prognostications pan out, but one feature we expect to be completely fascinating is the addition of robust stat tracking tools. “Think of it as your Halo 3 service record,” says Svensson, referring to Bungie’s mighty collection of highly specific in-game statistics. Either through the game or via a web-based portal, HD Remix players will be able to check out a heap of stats, broken down by character, country of origin, and even move type. “If I want to see the top Cammy players from Canada, I can do that,” he says. “If I want to see who has the most throws in the world, period – I can do that.”

Custom Button Configuration Profiles

The Furious One suggested that SF:HD should also have the ability to save and name profiles of custom button configurations. Set up the buttons the way you like and give the configuration a name. Provide six to ten slots for these profiles. During local matches, have an option to allow users to choose their button config profile before the match begins. It eliminates the need to go to button config screen every time a new player joins the fray. Super Smash Bros. Brawl has such a system, so Backbone should definitely take notes from that game.

Controller/Arcade Stick Recommendations

To celebrate the release of SF:HD and commemorate the 20th Anniversary of Street Fighter, Capcom should strongly consider working with Sega again to release a version of the Sega Saturn controller for both Xbox 360 and PS3, similar to the PS2 Saturn Pad Vampire Edition. It would make a lot of pad people happy.

As for joysticks, Capcom should work with Sega to release a Street Fighter version of the Virtua Stick High Grade arcade stick for the Xbox 360 and PS3 (and perhaps call it Street Fighter High Grade). Capcom and Sega could improve on the original design by incorporating a longer cord, a more common button configuration, and easier access to the inside of the joystick (like a HRAP). Currently, Capcom has confirmed that they are working on an arcade stick for Street Fighter IV, and Svensson has said that the joystick won’t be “another EX2”, referring to the Hori Fighting Stick EX2 for the Xbox 360 that other companies have used for their licensed arcade sticks (specifically Dead or Alive 4, Virtua Fighter 5, and Soul Calibur 4).

New SF:HD Training Videos

Sirlin revealed in a recent Gametrailers interview that he would like to offer character-specific tutorial videos as a separate download pack. No official word if this desire will actually happen.

Xbox LIVE Camera Support

Burnout Paradise had an excellent use of the camera by taking a snapshot right when you crash another car (or you are on the receiving end of a crash), which makes for great reaction shots. Backbone could so something similar by taking a camera shot right when the final KO occurs. You could also activate the camera in the Quarter Match lobby. I wouldn’t make this feature a priority, but it would be nice to implement it IF all the other wish-list features have been completed.

More Win Quotes

The idea of permitting custom win quotes was shot down by the Capcom blog, but Sirlin has revealed in this SRK thread that he may incorporate three win quotes for every character in the original mode (some of the new quotes are translated from the Japanese version of the game). This change may bring the possibility of even more win quotes in Remixed mode. Raisin had some good suggestions for various win quotes–by providing either character-specific win quotes or win quotes based on how the player won (narrow win, normal win, or dominating win). In a SF:HD gameplay video, Ken was shown using one of his Alpha 3 win quotes.

Incorporate SF2 Home Console Pause Sound

Rioting Soul had a great suggestion.

There’s one thing Sirlin may be forgetting to add that would make HD Remix perfect. He forgot about the SF2 SNES pause sound. It must be in this game.

[media=youtube]9ZRa-5D7vmc[/media]

Different Backgrounds After Each Round

The time of day in certain SF2 backgrounds changed after each revision (Ryu’s Stage: WW - sunset, HF - night, ST - dusk), prompting some to suggest that the time of day for many (if not all) backgrounds should change after each round in SF:HD. This concept is not new, as the time of day in certain backgrounds in Fatal Fury Special and King of Fighters would change after every round. Unfortunately, Rey Jimenez confirmed that the backgrounds will not change after a round ends.

Multi-button pause

This was suggested to prevent accidental pauses during local matches. However, Sven confirmed that a multi-button pause option is not possible.

I’m almost positive pausing the game is a TRC [technical requirements checklist] issue for both MS and Sony. I don’t think we’ll have control over how that’s implimented.

I’ll keep updating these summary posts as new info emerges. If you have suggestions, please post them in the thread. If enough people like the idea, or if it’s really, really good, I’ll add it to this post.

DON’T FORGET

If you are participating in the beta, be sure to leave your feedback, suggestions, and constructive criticism (Capcom won’t respond to flames) in their beta forums.

[Don_Barracuda]

about time man 302 pages lol

Are Capcom still planning to release blog updates, or are they hoping we will be too distracted with playing the beta to care?

[SlothHands]

I would love the option of turning off the menu music. It gets very annoying and tiresome after 100’s of SF games.

Also for the ryu remix, please remove it or cut the first 4 bars of the song. It’s really annoying like ice cream truck music (especially when it speeds up) and it’s all I hear because the matches can go by so quick.

[T-hawk]

I would love the option of turning off the menu music. It gets very annoying and tiresome after 100’s of SF games.

Also for the ryu remix, please remove it or cut the first 4 bars of the song. It’s really annoying like ice cream truck music (especially when it speeds up) and it’s all I hear because the matches can go by so quick.

agreeeeeed

the opening of ryu theme sucks monkey balls

[System_1]

agreeeeeed

the opening of ryu theme sucks monkey balls

It’s Ken’s theme :arazz:

[COUM]

It’s Ken’s theme :arazz:

read -> comprehend -> post

[Magnetro]

muscles

[Sosage]

I would love the option of turning off the menu music. It gets very annoying and tiresome after 100’s of SF games.

You can turn BGM off in options. Granted, you still have to get either down to the multiplayer menu or go back down into options for the music to shut off when you restart the game.

[platinum_pinoy]

Multi-button pause
It would be more for local play, but this was suggested to prevent accidental pauses during matches. This should be an option and not the default choice.

I think it would be better if the option was that pause would have to be held down for 3+ seconds before it actually pauses (kinda like smash brawl when going back a menu screen during character/stage selection). The problem with multi-button pause is that pausing can still accidently happen if someone mashes, hitting multiple buttons at the same time. With a 3+ second pause holding, there is no way that someone could do this on accident. If someone paused during a game, then it was definitely intentional.

[zerodotjander]

I think it would be better if the option was that pause would have to be held down for 3+ seconds before it actually pauses (kinda like smash brawl when going back a menu screen during character/stage selection). The problem with multi-button pause is that pausing can still accidently happen if someone mashes, hitting multiple buttons at the same time. With a 3+ second pause holding, there is no way that someone could do this on accident. If someone paused during a game, then it was definitely intentional.

OK, so what if I’m playing my friend and my phone rings. I guess we just have to sit there for 3 seconds while we hold down pause, right?

[platinum_pinoy]

OK, so what if I’m playing my friend and my phone rings. I guess we just have to sit there for 3 seconds while we hold down pause, right?

Have your friend pause it?

How about this, both players have to hit the pause button in order for the game to pause…

[Nos99]

You don’t pause.

You answer the phone, and lose

Or don’t answer the phone and keep playing.

[Dime]

You don’t pause.

You answer the phone, and lose

Or don’t answer the phone and keep playing.

^^ QFT common sense ftw

[SaBrE]

does your phone stop ringing and auto reject phone calls after 3 seconds or something?

[SNK_Guitarist]

does your phone stop ringing and auto reject phone calls after 3 seconds or something?

Sounds like it. Must be like a tv show or movie where it rings once and the machine picks up.

[SweetJohnnyV]

OK, so what if I’m playing my friend and my phone rings. I guess we just have to sit there for 3 seconds while we hold down pause, right?

Get bluetooth and make the person on the phone listen to you play!

But seriously, a hold the button for X seconds would work nice. I don’t even think you’d need to go for 3 seconds. Even one or two full seconds is longer than anyone would accidentally press a button.

[Pimp_Willy]

One second is more than enough really, any more than that and it’s just annoying.

[Nos99]

I am not a fan of having to hold down a button for 3 seconds to pause. Some of us don’t hit the pause button by accident, so it’s just a waste of time.

Does anyone notice that the music abruptly stops on the last hit of a round? But not so in a local match?

Winquote music is sooooooo out of place too.

I also suggest cursor memory for the after-winquote screen… or assign a button to the options. Quick rematches are jawsome.

[zerodotjander]

The real issue is that sometimes you just need to pause the game, and having to set both characters to a neutral state and run 3 seconds off the clock is annoying. Is it critical? No. If it’s a tourney match or you’re playing for money or something, probably nothing could make you pause the round anyway. But even playing casually, I think having to wait to pause is annoying.

I don’t see a problem with a multi-button pause, just make it more buttons. All 4 face buttons + start seems pretty good to me, it seems pretty unlikely that you’d end up holding 4 buttons and pressing start no matter how you mash, and you can easily slap your palm down and hit pause in a moment.