NRS dedication to MK11

[ForeverKlone]

So basically I'm supposed to be studying for my finals tomorrow but I ran into this on youtube and I decided to last my 1-term break a bit longer. So here goes.
LONG POST WARNING

Most of you must have known, or at least heard of Sikander. He was a great player in MKX. He still is in MK11, but an obvious deficit in gameplay can be seen.
This video, on is cover, is similar to tons of rants that we have seen. I got intrigued and watched the whole thing. And my answers? RELATABLE.
Right this might be a bit misleading but the story has to start somewhere. And let's do that with everyone's favorite "Kombat League". First things first, around of applause for NRS for this idea. Now you have a reason to grind the game more. Me personally I prefered the competitive aspect of the game, since MKX, so having a break from casuals and on to the real deal was something. Then it hit me: this game is a mash fest.
Kay before you get started with the regular scrub bashing, hear me out. MKX was BROKEN, even at it's last patch (Ermac's push lol), but I actually had fun playing more or less reasonable characters like Smoke and Shinnok, or even Kitana (fuck her though). But overall, you HAD TO ACTUALLY LEARN THE GAME. You can't expect to mash a poke being -6, 7 of sort. To deploy all of the ridiculous 50/50s you had to learn your character, or else you'll be predictable. Let's skip Injustice 2 for now, I don't wanna do the regular scrub rant on Starfire and Fate, but them came MK11.
In the beginning of the game, I saw a potential. Running was gone, dash cancel's back, ARMOR WAS GONE, and wakeup is more or less reasonable. Hell yeah.
Then came the actual game, and to this point, I'm disappointed. Doing 5 KLs a day should be fun, but then it just became a pressure, and obligation to get my favorite skins. Yet they switched back to FT2, which kinda favors weird matchups, but worst of all, dare I say it, favors scrubs.
I know, we are all scrubs at certain point, we aren't all born Sonicfox. Yet the problem is: most "scrubs" I encounter at higher ranks just straightup disrespect the game. There does not exist "fundamentals" it's about who mashes the most. "Just counter poke lol git gud" welp imagining landing a poke, which should means, you're at an advantage and the opponent has to respect your frames, but NOPE lol, they just straight up poke you back ON HIT. So block then you said? Yeah well get ready for random throws or a barrage of even more pokes. This never happened to me in mkx. If I land a poke, it's my turn mtfk, unless you have armor. Pokes in MK11 is RIDICULOUS. As seen in the video, Lao can just sometimes d3 sub to death. His d1 won't reach, so does d3 and D4 is just way too slow. Best option he has in to back away and whiff punish. But with this game's netcode, it's merely impossible. And the throws. Lol guess wrong? Well get ready for the next throw to be 31% lol. And KB throws on both side is cancer. Same thing with D2s in this game. This game is in favor of scrub mashing d2s lol. It's basically unpunishable, and for characters like Jade, it's a nEuTraL ToOL. Long story short, this game favors scrubs. The frustration of fighting them in KL is just over the top. But is NRS gonna do anything bout it? Nope. And also the random desynchronizations in this game make me wanna break the screen.
Then let's talk characters. DLC characters recently are just lazy. Nightwolf stance is almost the same as noob. Terminator has 2/3 of this move list's animation from Jason. Sindel's idea is similar to certain characters: by default you have a long range overhead, a great range d2, in the first variation you get a launcher (sounds familiar?) And the idea behind her b3 and overhead strings is just the same as shang tsung, just not as good. And as the seventh KL skins have just been "leaked", I'm disappointed in the competence to actually come up with something more genuine. At least cassie quinn skins and the new gothic skins helped.
I preferred MKX, not only because of gameplay, but NRS' dedication to the game. In MK11 you can see less attention to the product, and what came out seems faulty and incomplete (hitboxes lol). Everything seems ... Rushed. They seem to be to afraid to take big steps as in MKX, but not here. Every patch is just playing it safe, and a character slaughter once in a while. And do you get the feel like NRS is leaking its content on purpose? I've been feeling this way since the KP2 leak
There are a shit load more things to mention in order to fortify my point, but have to get back to work. If you reach here, thanks for being generous enough to spend your time reading this rant, and this is only like 20% of what I can come up with rn

 

[SabreAndLittle]

NRS reuses animations and ideas from past games. LK nunchucks and Michelangelo from IJ2. Sometimes I get it but mostly yeah it’s lazy. Maybe a product of large roster sizes and quick development turnaround. Rem working for NRS sounds like its terrible but for executives.

 

[QueenOmega]

Another one of this. Gosh. GTFO

 

[CrimsonShadow]

So basically I'm supposed to be studying for my finals tomorrow but I ran into this on youtube and I decided to last my 1-term break a bit longer. So here goes.
LONG POST WARNING

Most of you must have known, or at least heard of Sikander. He was a great player in MKX. He still is in MK11, but an obvious deficit in gameplay can be seen.
This video, on is cover, is similar to tons of rants that we have seen. I got intrigued and watched the whole thing. And my answers? RELATABLE.
Right this might be a bit misleading but the story has to start somewhere. And let's do that with everyone's favorite "Kombat League". First things first, around of applause for NRS for this idea. Now you have a reason to grind the game more. Me personally I prefered the competitive aspect of the game, since MKX, so having a break from casuals and on to the real deal was something. Then it hit me: this game is a mash fest.
Kay before you get started with the regular scrub bashing, hear me out. MKX was BROKEN, even at it's last patch (Ermac's push lol), but I actually had fun playing more or less reasonable characters like Smoke and Shinnok, or even Kitana (fuck her though). But overall, you HAD TO ACTUALLY LEARN THE GAME. You can't expect to mash a poke being -6, 7 of sort. To deploy all of the ridiculous 50/50s you had to learn your character, or else you'll be predictable. Let's skip Injustice 2 for now, I don't wanna do the regular scrub rant on Starfire and Fate, but them came MK11.
In the beginning of the game, I saw a potential. Running was gone, dash cancel's back, ARMOR WAS GONE, and wakeup is more or less reasonable. Hell yeah.
Then came the actual game, and to this point, I'm disappointed. Doing 5 KLs a day should be fun, but then it just became a pressure, and obligation to get my favorite skins. Yet they switched back to FT2, which kinda favors weird matchups, but worst of all, dare I say it, favors scrubs.
I know, we are all scrubs at certain point, we aren't all born Sonicfox. Yet the problem is: most "scrubs" I encounter at higher ranks just straightup disrespect the game. There does not exist "fundamentals" it's about who mashes the most. "Just counter poke lol git gud" welp imagining landing a poke, which should means, you're at an advantage and the opponent has to respect your frames, but NOPE lol, they just straight up poke you back ON HIT. So block then you said? Yeah well get ready for random throws or a barrage of even more pokes. This never happened to me in mkx. If I land a poke, it's my turn mtfk, unless you have armor. Pokes in MK11 is RIDICULOUS. As seen in the video, Lao can just sometimes d3 sub to death. His d1 won't reach, so does d3 and D4 is just way too slow. Best option he has in to back away and whiff punish. But with this game's netcode, it's merely impossible. And the throws. Lol guess wrong? Well get ready for the next throw to be 31% lol. And KB throws on both side is cancer. Same thing with D2s in this game. This game is in favor of scrub mashing d2s lol. It's basically unpunishable, and for characters like Jade, it's a nEuTraL ToOL. Long story short, this game favors scrubs. The frustration of fighting them in KL is just over the top. But is NRS gonna do anything bout it? Nope. And also the random desynchronizations in this game make me wanna break the screen.
Then let's talk characters. DLC characters recently are just lazy. Nightwolf stance is almost the same as noob. Terminator has 2/3 of this move list's animation from Jason. Sindel's idea is similar to certain characters: by default you have a long range overhead, a great range d2, in the first variation you get a launcher (sounds familiar?) And the idea behind her b3 and overhead strings is just the same as shang tsung, just not as good. And as the seventh KL skins have just been "leaked", I'm disappointed in the competence to actually come up with something more genuine. At least cassie quinn skins and the new gothic skins helped.
I preferred MKX, not only because of gameplay, but NRS' dedication to the game. In MK11 you can see less attention to the product, and what came out seems faulty and incomplete (hitboxes lol). Everything seems ... Rushed. They seem to be to afraid to take big steps as in MKX, but not here. Every patch is just playing it safe, and a character slaughter once in a while. And do you get the feel like NRS is leaking its content on purpose? I've been feeling this way since the KP2 leak
There are a shit load more things to mention in order to fortify my point, but have to get back to work. If you reach here, thanks for being generous enough to spend your time reading this rant, and this is only like 20% of what I can come up with rn

If you’re losing to people who are just mashing pokes, d2s, and disrespecting hit advantage you either 1) have no idea how to play the game or 2) Don’t realize that online play in any game incurs a bit of latency, which means you may need to input your response a little bit faster. That’s it.

I’m going to guess it’s both. Most of these complaints about being unable to beat mashers come from guys who are unable to get past Master in KL and want to blame the game for their losses.

Nobody in the top 3 ranks plays this way. Because if they did, they’d get blown up for it. And almost no one in the lower 6 ranks is even teching thows, or using flawless block. So I’m questioning your statement about how frequently you get hit with a throw KB, etc.

In any case, if you can’t beat a d2 masher 7-8 months into the game’s life that’s entirely on you.

 

[Braindead]

Gotta love people who think they're entitled to win because their opponent is doing dumb stuff

 

[S+ Main]

play someone with a 9frame mid auto win.

 

[Saltea Moonspell]

I agree with Crimson, but there is some truth to the game being scrub friendly as well.

 

[Saboteur-6]

Man all this video shows is Sikander gets tilted and loses. He's obviously the better player but he still lost because he dropped damage A LOT and got frustrated because "how dare I lose to someone scrubbier than me."

You aren't entitled to shit in life bro and that's not the video games fault, that's a mental barrier. That's a personal deficit, not a balance deficit.

 

[Hellbringer]

Losing to scrubs who mash. GIT GUD

 

[thlityoursloat]

I played Sikander and I lost 1 game to wakeup fatal blow and the other because he was constantly neutral jumping and doing air axe jump in punch mixups lol.
He was also wakeup jumping like mad. Just saying.

 

[NeonGroovyGator]

If you're losing to scrubby, yet counterable shit, doesn't that mean that you're plain bad/can't adapt?

 

[Demon_0]

This Sikander555 is cancer himself. Gtfo with this dumb, rage-quitting, scrub.

 

[Ram]

Wait wtf I just watched the match and Sikander won... the way you setup this whole post OP, you made it seem like he lost the set lol. It seems like the better player won in this situation, so what exactly is the problem here?

 

[ForeverKlone]

If you’re losing to people who are just mashing pokes, d2s, and disrespecting hit advantage you either 1) have no idea how to play the game or 2) Don’t realize that online play in any game incurs a bit of latency, which means you may need to input your response a little bit faster. That’s it.

I’m going to guess it’s both. Most of these complaints about being unable to beat mashers come from guys who are unable to get past Master in KL and want to blame the game for their losses.

Nobody in the top 3 ranks plays this way. Because if they did, they’d get blown up for it. And almost no one in the lower 6 ranks is even teching thows, or using flawless block. So I’m questioning your statement about how frequently you get hit with a throw KB, etc.

In any case, if you can’t beat a d2 masher 7-8 months into the game’s life that’s entirely on you.

I have no (or less complaints) while playing offline, thinks make more sense. D2 mashers isn't not much of a problem comparing to other pokes. For example Lao's & Erron's D3 on chars like Kitana or Sub are almost infinite online, and it's not that easier offline.
And I just hate the fact that I can be reversal d1 on hit which I swear never happened in previous game

 

[gitblame]

Sikander detected the real problem on this video. It's not that the game just helps scrubs win. He said it himself after he just did random fata blow. Because that guy was playing like mental patient, he started panicking and become reckless himself.

 

[DanCock]

ummm watched the video and the Kung Lao wasnt tea bagging at first, he was just trying to buffer a teleport to punish with. when i use kano, jax cetrion i tend to buffer D,D's alot. sik was the actual prick in the video.

also MK11 is 100x's better then MKX. MKX belongs in the trash with MK vs dc, MKDA and MK4.

 

[james1926]

He's like "HE WASN'T EXPECTING MY OVERHEAD TO FB HE JUST BLOCKED RANDOMLY". Seriously?

 

[Trini_Bwoi]

What's happening in the video is the Kung Lao player is for the most part not reacting to anything Sikander is doing, they're just going about their game plan. After the first few F214 gets blocked and punished you'd think they'd stop, after the first few wake-up attacks get baited and punished you think they'd stop, and yet they don't.

The thing is, it can actually be hard to fight someone like this (whether or not this is truer of MK11 than other fighting games, that I don't know). If you're expecting to fight someone that will adapt throughout the match it can throw you for a loop fighting someone like this. The reads you would normally make don't really work because they're not really fighting you.

That being said this doesn't absolve you. You can also adjust to this, let them do their stupid shit, block, punish, and be done with it.

 

[MagicMan357]

You know its hilarious to me how im known as a troll yet every single thing i have said has been proven correct.

You guys are horrible at fighting games, so you have to come up with why its the game and not you. Thats why only in the mk community can people literally make fun of you for actually knowing how to play the game. This is why im so glad sonicfox just keeps embarrassing these fools like raiden, jade, etc. downplayers.

This is why when i make the most constructive posts, my same haters will never respond.

Even funnier is people accepting japanese games literally doing the same shit with the same animations for over 20 years yet mk re-uses (and updates) everything and its an issue.

 

[Gaxkang]

A big issue is how the fights are online...whether all the rules hold up. Online if you block someone's poke...maybe you can poke back or maybe they keep mashing. Ya never know which might happen so heh. And then what else might work different...

It's a D1 or D3 heavy game and you can't do much when you hit with that. Game involved a lot of unreactable stuff too.

But take one scenario...Baraka's F4 or F44. If he hits you with that you will lose a massive amount of life from what he gets from it. If you block it, you can go for a throw....that's it. Even a 6f D1 will not punish (and so what if it did) and your S1 string will definitely not punish.

You can actually punish and combo if he whiffs and you get him before his block comes thru, or you could hit him as he's doing the move.

But the nature of the move...being a sort of neutral skipper...that is to say, it's not like say Sub Zero's slide or Jade's kick or Cage's kick, or the teleports etc.. But online you're gonna look at 150-200 ms quality...and you're gonna end up blocking the move more than whiff punishing it. And you may not be able to react and can't block anyways heh....or you will be anticipating it more than trying to get that whiff going on.
And it might get to the point where that move feels awfully low risk high reward to people.

If folks could punish more on block...and have a better AA game to work with, they'd probably feel better bout the game. And maybe even forgive the cheesy fatal blows heh.

 

[CrimsonShadow]

But take one scenario...Baraka's F4 or F44. If he hits you with that you will lose a massive amount of life from what he gets from it. If you block it, you can go for a throw....that's it. Even a 6f D1 will not punish (and so what if it did) and your S1 string will definitely not punish.

You can actually punish and combo if he whiffs and you get him before his block comes thru, or you could hit him as he's doing the move.

But the nature of the move...being a sort of neutral skipper...that is to say, it's not like say Sub Zero's slide or Jade's kick or Cage's kick, or the teleports etc.. But online you're gonna look at 150-200 ms quality...and you're gonna end up blocking the move more than whiff punishing it. And you may not be able to react and can't block anyways heh....or you will be anticipating it more than trying to get that whiff going on.
And it might get to the point where that move feels awfully low risk high reward to people.

If folks could punish more on block...and have a better AA game to work with, they'd probably feel better bout the game. And maybe even forgive the cheesy fatal blows heh.

Dude, f44 does like 110 damage.. He gets more from it only on counterhit KB, which can only happen once out of an entire match.

Not every move is supposed to be unsafe on block. It's not how fighting games work. If you're losing to Baraka it's definitely not because f44 is safe.

Throw is not your only option after blocking. You are free to pressure him, stagger him, etc. If throw is the only option you can think of, that's part of the problem.

 

[Gaxkang]

Dude, f44 does like 110 damage.. He gets more from it only on counterhit KB, which can only happen once out of an entire match.

Not every move is supposed to be unsafe on block. It's not how fighting games work. If you're losing to Baraka it's definitely not because f44 is safe.

Throw is not your only option after blocking. You are free to pressure him, stagger him, etc. If throw is the only option you can think of, that's part of the problem.

Oh the KB is definitely what a Baraka always wants...but f4 gutted amplified with just a simple uppercut is 300 damage. Am pretty sure people do other stuff than just uppercut. The uppercut is simple tho and 300 damage is nothing to sneeze at. If someone hits that twice ya got 600 total damage heh. And f4 gutted amplified is not complex to do.

When you block the f4 they are free to do gutted really...you can't say interrupt them. You have to keep blocking and block the gutted to get a true punish then (hopefully!). Of course...they don't have to do the gutted heh.

Pretty much what you will see a Baraka do most in a fight is f4 or b23, and both are safe. b23 gutted amplified uppercut is 292, again, quite respectable.

And how shall one stagger when one cannot hit him? And if one's fastest move is useless...where does the pressure come from? If anything, a blocked f4 is pressure on the defender and its their loss because they weren't offensive enough.

These are things a Baraka has every reason to keep doing in a fight, unless whiff punished...and even then still has reason to keep trying. It seems woe to the player who ends up blocking.

 

[CrimsonShadow]

Oh the KB is definitely what a Baraka always wants...but f4 gutted amplified with just a simple uppercut is 300 damage. Am pretty sure people do other stuff than just uppercut. The uppercut is simple tho and 300 damage is nothing to sneeze at. If someone hits that twice ya got 600 total damage heh. And f4 gutted amplified is not complex to do.

When you block the f4 they are free to do gutted really...you can't say interrupt them. You have to keep blocking and block the gutted to get a true punish then (hopefully!). Of course...they don't have to do the gutted heh.

First you were complaining about f44 being safe, now you're complaining about f4~gutted on block which is hella unsafe. No Baraka in their right mind is just tossing Gutted out on block for kicks.

And how shall one stagger when one cannot hit him? And if one's fastest move is useless...where does the pressure come from?

Methinks you don't know what a stagger is.

a blocked f4 is pressure on the defender and its their loss because they weren't offensive enough.

It's not pressure, it leads to nothing and you get a turn afterwards.

 

[Gaxkang]

First you were complaining about f44 being safe, now you're complaining about f4~gutted on block which is hella unsafe. No Baraka in their right mind is just tossing Gutted out on block for kicks.

Considering I said when you block gutted that is when you actually get a true punish, you may have skimmed over what I said.

F44 is safe. F4 is safe. F4 is used into gutted. You cannot interrupt the use of gutted. And Baraka's can and will throw gutted out if they have the mind the other person is going to try something.
On f4 blocked Baraka can do gutted, can throw, he can D1. If you guess right he will throw you can hit him then. If you guess right he will d1 you should be able to D1 him first....tho the slower the D1 the more dicey it will be and latency may change it entirely.

F4 is used in much the same way the really really unreactable moves in the game are used.

Methinks you don't know what a stagger is.

Only by another name...since the game has animations that are stumbles, staggers. But yeah it's much like the tick throw concept, I've seen people do it plenty...it adds to the guesses since you get to figure if someone will tick, or do a whole string, and finally if they will do a special at the end.

But a "stagger" in this still requires real offense and not just a D1. Doing a D1 on a blocked F4 means your D1 is blocked and the way rules are supposed to work is you get poked back then.
Now, going for a throw anyways on a blocked D1 is something people will try to do....with mixed results.

Just to add, staggering in this isn't just limited to going for a throw after the stagger.

Overall being on defense means having one's hands very full.

It's not pressure, it leads to nothing and you get a turn afterwards.

On block the defender has 3 different things that can now happen to them which require a correct guess or answer or else.

 

[CrimsonShadow]

Considering I said when you block gutted that is when you actually get a true punish, you may have skimmed over what I said.

F44 is safe. F4 is safe. F4 is used into gutted. You cannot interrupt the use of gutted. And Baraka's can and will throw gutted out if they have the mind the other person is going to try something.
On f4 blocked Baraka can do gutted, can throw, he can D1. If you guess right he will throw you can hit him then. If you guess right he will d1 you should be able to D1 him first....tho the slower the D1 the more dicey it will be and latency may change it entirely.

F4 is used in much the same way the really really unreactable moves in the game are used.




Only by another name...since the game has animations that are stumbles, staggers. But yeah it's much like the tick throw concept, I've seen people do it plenty...it adds to the guesses since you get to figure if someone will tick, or do a whole string, and finally if they will do a special at the end.

But a "stagger" in this still requires real offense and not just a D1. Doing a D1 on a blocked F4 means your D1 is blocked and the way rules are supposed to work is you get poked back then.
Now, going for a throw anyways on a blocked D1 is something people will try to do....with mixed results.

Just to add, staggering in this isn't just limited to going for a throw after the stagger.

Overall being on defense means having one's hands very full.




On block the defender has 3 different things that can now happen to them which require a correct guess or answer or else.

Why would you attempt to interrupt f44? This sounds like you've never played against a decent Baraka. No Baraka is going to throw gutted out after f4 just in case you 'try something'. They will occasionally use chop-chop in certain situations (like d1~chop to catch a counterpoke), but the situation you're speaking of literally doesn't exist.

Staggers and d1 have literally nothing to do with each other. If you d1 it's because you expect your opponent to hit a button. If you're staggering it's because you expect them to block first and you want to open them up.

In every 'situation' you've listed if you just block, you can take your turn afterward. It sounds like you understand neither the game nor Baraka's offense, but are trying to convince people that you do.