Pocket Rumble: 2D indie fighter - Discussion

[JohnGrimm]

Wow the health system looks silly. Can’t say I care about it any more than I did after seeing the first kickstarter. If anything I like it even less.

I like how they’re willing to challenge really basic ideas in fighting games. I think it’s a pretty interesting solution. I’m a little worried how the absence of chip damage will work out. But it’s probably not a big deal, how they seem to have buffed throws quite a bit. If those aren’t easy to tech, it should be fine.

I can understand your frustration with them ‘using’ the NGPC style for something completely unlike the fighting games on that system though.

Also, #SNKPlaymore misses you! I’ve been wondering what you thought of these new system updates, but you’ve been gone for quite some time now.

My computer is still bunk and IRC on my phone is terrible. I’d stop by more if it was convenient.

Frankly though the issue I have with the health bars is that longer combos will always be better all the time because everything, at least now, does the same damage and is an equal threat. This inherently gives rush down combo characters an advantage. Also, characters with longer confirms are now double the threat because not only do they get more time to confirm their hits into damage, they get more damage off the top anyways. If things start doing more than one pip of damage to balance it out you start running into dangerous territory of something like a low risk poke/pressure move doing more damage than a high risk juggle move or DP. A dedicated pip healthbar leaves too wide of a variable for damage. Everything does 8% minimum, which is already high for say a jab compared to most games, but is also really low for things like a DP. With this damage system the risk/reward is already skewed since a successful DP anti air gives you just as much reward as an extremely safe poke. I see it having the KoFXIII problem of people not being afraid to jump because your AA does 25% the damage my jump in combo will do so who cares.

I just don’t see these healthbars being anything more than a gimmick at best and at worst it’s going to seriously affect character balance.

The game doesn’t look to be a heavily combo-centric game though, especially with the limited number of normals.

From what I’m seeing, it seems to be the the more damaging stuff will be mostly from hit confirming into meter powered options (EX or supers).

All it takes is someone who has a launcher of some sort or jab jab jab special to go nuts.

From what they’ve shown, and what they’ve previously talked about, I don’t think they’re going for anything that goes like this. I highly doubt we’ll see a character with a launcher.

As for jab jab jab special, that’ll only really happen if they screw up their frame data. In any case, all they need to do is make sure that you don’t get to continue a combo after a special.

Things happen, though. You can’t account for everything unless you remove all possible variables. And let’s say they do remove all possible variables, if every character gets boiled down into a 2 or 3 hit combo with how limited the move set already is, it’s gonna be a real homogenized game. It’d feel like a case of too much going on to be a casual game like Divekick or Señor Footsies, not enough going on to be taken seriously like SF, KoF, SG, whatever.

[d3v]

Wow the health system looks silly. Can’t say I care about it any more than I did after seeing the first kickstarter. If anything I like it even less.

I like how they’re willing to challenge really basic ideas in fighting games. I think it’s a pretty interesting solution. I’m a little worried how the absence of chip damage will work out. But it’s probably not a big deal, how they seem to have buffed throws quite a bit. If those aren’t easy to tech, it should be fine.

I can understand your frustration with them ‘using’ the NGPC style for something completely unlike the fighting games on that system though.

Also, #SNKPlaymore misses you! I’ve been wondering what you thought of these new system updates, but you’ve been gone for quite some time now.

My computer is still bunk and IRC on my phone is terrible. I’d stop by more if it was convenient.

Frankly though the issue I have with the health bars is that longer combos will always be better all the time because everything, at least now, does the same damage and is an equal threat. This inherently gives rush down combo characters an advantage. Also, characters with longer confirms are now double the threat because not only do they get more time to confirm their hits into damage, they get more damage off the top anyways. If things start doing more than one pip of damage to balance it out you start running into dangerous territory of something like a low risk poke/pressure move doing more damage than a high risk juggle move or DP. A dedicated pip healthbar leaves too wide of a variable for damage. Everything does 8% minimum, which is already high for say a jab compared to most games, but is also really low for things like a DP. With this damage system the risk/reward is already skewed since a successful DP anti air gives you just as much reward as an extremely safe poke. I see it having the KoFXIII problem of people not being afraid to jump because your AA does 25% the damage my jump in combo will do so who cares.

I just don’t see these healthbars being anything more than a gimmick at best and at worst it’s going to seriously affect character balance.

The game doesn’t look to be a heavily combo-centric game though, especially with the limited number of normals.

From what I’m seeing, it seems to be the the more damaging stuff will be mostly from hit confirming into meter powered options (EX or supers).

All it takes is someone who has a launcher of some sort or jab jab jab special to go nuts.

From what they’ve shown, and what they’ve previously talked about, I don’t think they’re going for anything that goes like this. I highly doubt we’ll see a character with a launcher.

As for jab jab jab special, that’ll only really happen if they screw up their frame data. In any case, all they need to do is make sure that you don’t get to continue a combo after a special.

Things happen, though. You can’t account for everything unless you remove all possible variables. And let’s say they do remove all possible variables, if every character gets boiled down into a 2 or 3 hit combo with how limited the move set already is, it’s gonna be a real homogenized game. It’d feel like a case of too much going on to be a casual game like Divekick or Señor Footsies, not enough going on to be taken seriously like SF, KoF, SG, whatever.

You’re discounting the fact that everyone has a unique meter and meter options. That should at least make for an interesting neutral game.

[JohnGrimm]

Wow the health system looks silly. Can’t say I care about it any more than I did after seeing the first kickstarter. If anything I like it even less.

I like how they’re willing to challenge really basic ideas in fighting games. I think it’s a pretty interesting solution. I’m a little worried how the absence of chip damage will work out. But it’s probably not a big deal, how they seem to have buffed throws quite a bit. If those aren’t easy to tech, it should be fine.

I can understand your frustration with them ‘using’ the NGPC style for something completely unlike the fighting games on that system though.

Also, #SNKPlaymore misses you! I’ve been wondering what you thought of these new system updates, but you’ve been gone for quite some time now.

My computer is still bunk and IRC on my phone is terrible. I’d stop by more if it was convenient.

Frankly though the issue I have with the health bars is that longer combos will always be better all the time because everything, at least now, does the same damage and is an equal threat. This inherently gives rush down combo characters an advantage. Also, characters with longer confirms are now double the threat because not only do they get more time to confirm their hits into damage, they get more damage off the top anyways. If things start doing more than one pip of damage to balance it out you start running into dangerous territory of something like a low risk poke/pressure move doing more damage than a high risk juggle move or DP. A dedicated pip healthbar leaves too wide of a variable for damage. Everything does 8% minimum, which is already high for say a jab compared to most games, but is also really low for things like a DP. With this damage system the risk/reward is already skewed since a successful DP anti air gives you just as much reward as an extremely safe poke. I see it having the KoFXIII problem of people not being afraid to jump because your AA does 25% the damage my jump in combo will do so who cares.

I just don’t see these healthbars being anything more than a gimmick at best and at worst it’s going to seriously affect character balance.

The game doesn’t look to be a heavily combo-centric game though, especially with the limited number of normals.

From what I’m seeing, it seems to be the the more damaging stuff will be mostly from hit confirming into meter powered options (EX or supers).

All it takes is someone who has a launcher of some sort or jab jab jab special to go nuts.

From what they’ve shown, and what they’ve previously talked about, I don’t think they’re going for anything that goes like this. I highly doubt we’ll see a character with a launcher.

As for jab jab jab special, that’ll only really happen if they screw up their frame data. In any case, all they need to do is make sure that you don’t get to continue a combo after a special.

Things happen, though. You can’t account for everything unless you remove all possible variables. And let’s say they do remove all possible variables, if every character gets boiled down into a 2 or 3 hit combo with how limited the move set already is, it’s gonna be a real homogenized game. It’d feel like a case of too much going on to be a casual game like Divekick or Señor Footsies, not enough going on to be taken seriously like SF, KoF, SG, whatever.

You’re discounting the fact that everyone has a unique meter and meter options. That should at least make for an interesting neutral game.

The only thing that meter makes unique is how you build and spend meter. I’m not discounting it so much as it doesn’t matter as much as you’d want it to. We’ve already seen games that do that, from KoF98 to CvS2. A different meter choice changes an option here or there, gives you one new situation you didn’t have before takes one situation away from you, but the toolset of the character stays the same. Of course those games give you the choice of your meter where as this game it’s tied to the character, but the idea is the same. Meter does not create drastic differences between characters.

[luckyjim]

Gah, this is still just closed alpha, I was hoping to try out the game already. I’m really looking forward to it and love the artstyle as well as what I’ve read about some of the changes to the mechanics. I think I cheaped on the backer money so not sure if I’ll get any alpha or beta access.

Knowing that throws work like SF2, one of the first things I plan to try is throw/DP option select to see if that will work the same way too. I suppose that depends on if normals can be cancelled before active or not.

[Rabbit360]

I wonder if this is going to be another one of those kickstarters that fail due to incompetence.

[luckyjim]

Pocket Rumble alpha tourney stream archive, starts @ 1:52:00 http://www.twitch.tv/worldjem/v/8631430

I love this game already from the little bit I played. rewarding neutral game and usage of fundamentals, and obviously has quite a bit of charm to it. I wish I had the alpha to spend more time with it. Tenchi is very “SF” - fireball, DP, fireball super, flash kick, and headbutt type moves along with Chun’s headstomp. Naomi seems a bit more complicated as a KoF-influenced character but should be fun if I can figure her out.

[PSYCH0J0SH]

Mm… not to rain on anybody’s parade here, but I just stumbled upon this thing, and you guys might wanna know about it. @CardboardRobotGames

Pocket Neon City RUMBLE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTjA7lhxs6U

[J_ism]

Reviving this thread since early access is out now.

[Wedge_Antilles]

It’s a neat little thing. Can confirm it does have combos.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wm2ZqPHHmdg

[luckyjim]

Awesome, I’ve been getting my ass kicked in our Pocket Rumble tournies since I wasn’t able to practice anything (didn’t have the alpha). Just toying around with it now, love the hitbox viewer in training mode and I’ll rope some friends in to try it out outline.

[Bob_Sagat]

Just played around in training mode, trying to find impractical combos. Lots of fun! Well done!

[Veserius]

ranked #1 in the world, AMA

[d3v]

Am I the only one who finds the controls somewhat unresponsive? As in, moves sometimes don’t come out when you want them to, like I’ll be trying to chuck plasma with Tenchi and instead I’ll be getting just his low kick.

[Veserius]

took me 15 or so games to get used to the controls. get used to holding the buttons down a bit and it all feels fine.

My biggest issue is trying to walk into crouching normal and getting a dp.

[Tomo009]

Has anyone deciphered how the frame display works? I don’t seem to be able to tell at all, some moves have 2 same coloured pixels vertically and some have different, what does this even mean

[phoenixnl]

Am I the only one who finds the controls somewhat unresponsive? As in, moves sometimes don’t come out when you want them to, like I’ll be trying to chuck plasma with Tenchi and instead I’ll be getting just his low kick.

I initially thought this was a bug, and reported it. Turns out it’s a feature. They apparently realized that getting a dragon punch when you try to do a normal out of crouch block is is not ideal. So they decided that doing specials requires you to hold a diagonal and hold the button for a longer time, rather than tapping it.

I honestly find this a pretty questionable design decision. The result is that you don’t get the specials when you want them but slightly delayed, and you have to do something that is completely unintuitive for fighting game players. While I understand the sentiment to make the inputs easier, this just makes them more awkward. I really hope they change their minds and start doing specials with qcf and qcb inputs, that’s hardly more difficult if you just write a good input interpreter that also accepts down, forward as a qcf, you’re not shooting keyboard players in the foot either.

[Naeras]

ranked #1 in the world, AMA

Apparently your joke post in the SFV forum revived this thread. =V

Also I hadn’t heard about this game before. Seems kinda neat, maybe I’ll give it a try.

[Bob_Sagat]

Ah, I thought I was doing something wrong. Didn’t know about having to hold the button down for a bit as well.

[Veserius]

complaining that you can queue your inputs is like kind of silly IMO. Does it suck when your opponent has frame perfect reversals every time? sure. But you also have that available to you as well, and the overall ease of execution is there.

If you actually play the game the execution quirks will not even be an issue anymore. The only time i get really messed up is when I get crossed up, and that can happen in any game with your reversal input getting eaten outside of modern capcom games with 3000 dp shortcuts.

[phoenixnl]

complaining that you can queue your inputs is like kind of silly IMO.

Are you replying to someone? Nobody complained about that in this thread. I think the time that you cant expect the opponent to do frame perfect reversals are basically over. Every game has a huge buffer these days. Pocket rumble just has the hugest possible.

I dont think that’s a bad thing, although it sure made for a lot more fluid setplay in games like Alpha 2, where reversals were literally 1 frame, not even piaonoing helped.