The control system irks me

Current Fighting Games Mortal Kombat
1

The directional control system in this game doesn’t make much sense to me.

Firstly, there’s the fact that it doesn’t properly process diagonal inputs. So moving the stick (using a MadCatz TE) from D to DF, counts as D,F. I can’t stress how annoying this is when you’re trying to get an uppercut and your character does a special move that requires a QCF or QCB motion, without you actually having put that in.

Next, the game seems to allow you to execute a special move by pressing the attack button first, THEN putting in the required directions.
For example: Nightwolf’s command grab is D,F,BP. You can input BP,D,F and nightwolf punches and then cancels into his grab (without another press of BP).

This is specially annoying while trying to combo. With nightwolf for example, I was trying to do:
FP, BP, BP, D, F, FP : So a 3 hit punch combo ending in his axe uppercut

Now if you input that fast, the game ignores the last FP input and just reads:
FP, BP, BP, D, F : A 2 punch combo, cancelling into his grab (the game interprets BP, D, F as his grab motion)

The only way you can get hte axe to come out is if you delay the D, F, FP input. Makes comboing so much harder, when your pressing the buttons in the right order, but the game thinks “oh, you must’ve meant to grab and put the buttons in wrong, let me fix that for you…”

2

I dunno I use a Mad Catz TE stick and I have no problems. The other issue you are having is called Negative edge. Stop spamming the buttons and you wouldnt have this issue.

3

I could understand you having this problem with a 360 dpad, as I have the same problem all the time on that tilty POS, but unless your stick is overly sensitive there’s no reason you should be hitting diagonals when you’re trying to hit down.

4

Not really. You COULD delay the D, F, FP input OR just enter the D, F, FP input faster, OR take advantage of the negative edge and hit FP then do D, F motion.

5

Correct me if I’m wrong, but my understanding of Negative Edge, is that releasing a button counts as a second input of that button. I don’t think thats my issue. I’ve tried quick tapping the button, then puttin the directional motions, and the move comes out.

The critical factor seems to be hitting with the preceding hit. Using another character for example:
With Noob Saibot, if you press FK, D, B and the kick whiffs, no upkick comes out. If the kick hits on the other hand, Noob cancels into his shadow upkick. I tried this repeatedly with only 1 quick tap of FK, then inputing the QCB motion.

It seems like an option select of sorts.

@Skudd: I have a reflex (from playing other fighters where back is block) to move the stick towards DB when crouching on most occasions. Usually when i do this, I end up moving my stick to down, then to down-back (into the corner of the square gate). This may not be technically the correct thing to do, but I maintain that this should still not count for a QCB motion, when I haven’t done a complete QCB. Considering DB or DF keeps the character crouched in MK, and holding it longer, then press BP will result in an uppercut, i see processing D, DB as D,B as counter-intuitive.

6

You’re right, it’s not negative edge. It’s just a shitty buffering system. I don’t like it either.

I understand why diagonals count as both inputs, and it does have its uses such as spamming air projectiles more easily, but I agree that it’s very annoying to get a smoke bomb instead of an uppercut and a teleport punch instead of a sweep.

7

I know that feel,bro. It’s especially bad when people jump over you and you try to uppercut. As Liu Kang it always makes me dragon stance which is just like standing there and saying “HEY,I’M A DUMBASS,HIT ME!!”

I also don’t like the “dial-number” way the game reads inputs either. Like I can pres b+3,1,2 in a quick piano key motion and they seem to come out like an auto-combo(just in looks!!). The control system is really the only thing I absolutely hate about this game.

8

I’ve always preferred dial-a-combos to combos with strict timing. I’d rather pay attention to what I’m doing in a combo than when I have to do it.

9

Its was like that in MK3 when they started having actual combo chains in the game. Dont mind it at all, but the other control issue is indeed quite annoying. I always thought MK did away with diagonal inputs so things like this wouldnt happen.

10

Just out of curiosity, why play a game if you don’t like the way the game plays?

11

I agree completely. I feel like games with exceedingly high execution reward the types of behavior that make one good at games like Guitar Hero: people who spend obscene amounts of time perfecting split second inputs by rote practice. Some people say that’s how it should be, and I can’t fault them for their beliefs, but I think FG’s should favor the player who outreads their opponent and makes better decisions.

There’s a place for extreme execution in any fighter, but it shouldn’t be required just to play. Sorry, kind of tangented from topic there…

12

I like the way the game plays,just not the way it reads inputs. Those are 2 completely different things(inb4 someone debates me on that).

Now I believe that I am done with this thread,having shared my disdain for the control system with the OP. Good day/night.

13

My only problem with the controls is that I keep hitting F+BLOCK to activate a blocker when I don’t want to, wasting meter.

14

That’s your fault. You don’t need to hold forward/back to block like games without a block button.
Just hold block and go neutral/hold down. The negative edge is much more an issue to get used to than your breaker (which arguably works quite well).

15

So if you played a racing game in which you couldn’t control your car properly, you’d keep playing it?

16

I also use a stick and encounter this problem. It’s also definitely not an issue of negative edge. It’s more like a timing leniency system for combos, in a way sort of like SF4’s movement leniency system. however, this system can totally fuck up your game if you don’t know how to handle it.

Sometimes people like to punish blocked moves with a combo starting with you pushing towards or back along with a button. They just get used to holding towards and back before they do anything, and that could end up with their breaker.