I’ve been seeing a lot of newer players get into the genre recently due to Steam sales and stuff and not surprisingly most people start with SF4 however it made me realize Capcom really missed the point with making the game more accessible. There is no tutorial and no explanation of how the game is meant to be played. There are plenty of other FGs that have tutorials, some ranging from basic to great, such as Skullgirls and apparently KI. For the biggest game in the genre by far, I do believe Capcom has some responsibility for introducing new players however I feel SF4 is more of an example of how not to do it.
No tutorial
Too much link based gameplay
Input leniency that could bring bad habits
Frustrating arcade mode (Overpowered Seth + reads your inputs)
So in short I believe Capcom has a responsibility of introducing new players by making the game more accessible and that they are really doing the genre a disservice by making SF4 so alienating. I’m not blaming Capcom for it as they have helped the FGC in many other ways so props to them however I do believe as a game SF4 could do a lot better in bringing in new players who don’t know anything about the genre or game besides “This game has Ryu and Ken in it and you shoot fireballs out of your hands”.
You know you hear the saying like “back in my day you had to work harder to do well at what you did”, and you dont think its so because you didnt grow up back then and the world is completely different now.
Well, I think its BS that people can win games in SF4 but when they sit down for Super Turbo they cant even do special moves nearly as much, and they cant deal with how fast matches go due to faster speed and high damage, or how theres no dashing or focusing to get through fireballs. So then people are like “this game is too hard, this game is 2D, this game isnt fun.”, and its only because SF4 babies people. Making games “easier” is just wrong and makes people only want to stay with those games and never go out their comfort zone.
if you’re referring to Steam sales, then you’re referring to the computer game version. Computer games have a different demographic
Capcom’s support on the computer versions has been mediocre at best. Starting from the MS-DOS and Amiga version of SF2 and the Windows version of SFA2
but in the mean time USFIV will be much cheaper to play on PC due to the lower system requirements. game can be played very well on an old PC at half the price of an PS4 and at the same price of a PS3.
If FGs are always handicapping themselves for accessibility to new players, I can’t imagine that the game would ever improve. Holding you hand when playing is ridiculous. The instructions on the cabinet are all we need; figuratively speaking.
capcom should do whats bets for them. I pretty much hate sf4 at this point but capcom can still mi;k the series, who am I to hate.
no company should be responsible for how their fan base operates. That’s up to the each individual them selfs. Also plenty of game have tried or already implemented some things the op suggest. Problem is these game as whole are ignored because of some …“reasoning”.
Also what is with this mentality that making thing easier is such bad thing? As long as thing are designed well around the “simplicity” than their is nothing wrong with it. Fighting game should all come in different size and shape.
capcom has a responsibility to all of their employees and their investors.
that is all they should really be concerned with. the rest just naturally falls into place if you want to continue being a profitable business.
Capcom doesn’t really owe the FGC anything. They just need to produce a balanced and well made product. It isn’t the game itself that alienates people (though it plays a part), but a person’s own fear of not doing well at something as soon as they start. A lot of people nowadays hate to lose, and they’ll quit a game like SF when they lose because they don’t wanna learn the fundamentals of the game. Capcom can’t change that nor should they shoulder it when making new games, despite being the face of fighting games to most casual players.
Well making a game more accessible is still in their interest as it means you retain a customer… guy who throws down $30 for the game, plays it for a few hours and never plays it again versus someone who plays it for hundreds of hours, tells friends about it, buys the upgrades and the next game in the series.
Eh… I suppose Capcom can improve a bit with the introduction and even a tutorial explaining the basics (UI, EX bar, etc). And I hate how there is never any challenge stages for any new characters or updated ones for fighters in newer versions.
Other than that I think its fine. The game is known for being easy to pick up and play and I like the fact that combos range from somewhat lenient in the input to frame perfect.
The also have an obligation to my entire dick. Not just halfway.
Also, it isnt Capcom’s responsibility alone to bring more people into the genre. If someone see’s a game they really like, they will learn to play it. If they decide it’s too much work, they will drop and go back to goat simulator.
Besides, Capcom tried that shit already and it’s self explanatory, and the results were conclusive.
So much this. Capcom made a game with execution cheats. Fuck it - there’s a “safe combo” function on SFxT that requires a single input. A bunch of the combos are chain or chain-like, rather than linked, it has a tutorial mode (which won’t help multiplayer anyway) and the ability to power up your player with safety net features.
The game has been largely dumped on by fighting game fans and has lost competitive legitimacy faster than most other titles of its caliber.
It’s there if you want it. Evidently; other people didn’t.
Spoiler
On a side note, auto block has been around since at least Alpha 2, but I can’t recall anyone ever selecting it, asking for it or arguing to keep it.
Fighting games don’t need help, they’re launching and porting over 20 games a year; wouldn’t do it if people weren’t playing them.
Auto block in Alpha 1 was why everyone played auto and no one plays it now.
On Topic: I think they do somewhat, but only to keep/generate customers from a business perspective. Outside of raw business, it would be nice for good tutorials, etc. to help ease people into something that is insanely complicated once you get past the basic motions, but if they can get away without, there’s not much reason to change it.
God bless good fighting game tutorials, for they may help keep this beloved genre alive long term.
