Sablicious
Apprentice
Now that "X-Rays" / "Fatal Blows" (FB) / "supers" are no longer attached to meter, are divvied automatically, regenerate after a few seconds and can be thrown out infinitely, until one lands -- effectively, guaranteeïng that these moves appear every, single round, without fear or failure -- I think the game, in this respect, runs a real risk becoming predictable; and, as a result, being rendered more boring than it could / should otherwise be. Paradoxically so, in light of all the other bells and whistles NRS have added to try move MK away from the Cirque de Juggle, die-rolling 50-50 fiesta of 'X'.
Now, let me 'inb4' the "oh!, but FB's aren't armoured on their first few frames" (...which is meaningless online and at low-to-intermediate level play) and the "yehbut, you can punish -- and at 30% HP, one punished FB wiff will end it" (...until the next round rolls around), and the Age olde favourite "hurr derr, git gud" (...*fart + follow-through*), by pointing out that, at high level play, all thus spergs of wisdom, and more, are fine and dandy + cherry-on-top DLC. However, in low, intermediate and even online play with moderate latency (i.e., what will comprise 95% of game's play time, throughout its lifespan), the cited issue could well become a real and present problem.
As such, I think an easy way in which the potential, and then predictable passade of to-and-fro FB flailing can be mitigated, could be to do, frankly, what should have always been done (with "supers" in NRS games): GIVING FATAL BLOWS A PROPER COMMAND INPUT (...as distinct from the universal non-command, LT+RT Casual Titillator 9,000).
Now, I'm not implying some Rachmaninoff's 5th style, "flight of the fumblefingers" input schemes are needed -- no. Merely some back-back-forwards or down-down-ups or down-forwards -- nothing too restrictive for casuals; yet, at the same time, something which will require enough deliberate action and consciousness (and character knowledge), that it dissuade automatically bee-lining towards said attack, the instant it becomes available; and such that it will discourage predicable negative offshoots -- e.g., backing away to the far reaches of a stage in order to run down the clock, whenever the trailing opponent reaches 30% HP (because the inevitable YOLO FB is always only a button-mash away).
What I see as a broader, fundamental problem here -- and one that is seemingly reaching a critical mass and, indeed, is evinced by the "Fatal Blow" system at hand -- is that, because of the continual simplification of gaming, certain mechanics that have been and are integral to, particularly, the fighting game genre, are now becoming difficult to implement--without them being broken, too easy, too repetitive, too exploitable etc.. Simply put, and in the case of powerful abilities in fighting games specifically, if the given ability is too easily accessible -- being it automatically granted (...like, FB's) or easily executed (...like, FB's!) -- it will inevitably be abused. This 'abuse' can be either balance-breaking, or simply just annoyingly repetitious ("Clashes", being the most recent, and egregious, analogy). That's as far as I'll elaborate about this here: as I've digressed enough, and a Tolkien-esque epic could be written on this eristic subject matter.
PS: Redundant as it is to state, I do anticipate the après moi, le déluge of "elitist scum!" style ripostes, flowing in from alumni of the 'Sirlin the Vermin Academy of Fighting Games Should All Have But A Single, Bulbous, Illuminated, Dragon's Lair Button to Play, and Still Be Playable at Competitive Levels... While Maintaining a Straight Face' school of fighting games... 'Cause "It's all about teh 'mind games'... yadda yadda, goo-goo, ga-ga, poo-poo". NOTWITHSTANDING, I need to make it clear that this suggestion is not about raising the "entry level" of the game, nor about filtering newbies. Rather, it is purely an easily-implementable means by which to stop the FB's in Mortal Kombat 11, becoming the "Clashes" of Injustice 2: The nuaseating, obligatory mechanic of the latter game -- design decisions that end up goading people to drop a given product, more than they serve to attract people to pick it up.
Disclaimer:
[In theory] I like the overall approach NRS seems to be taking with MK11 -- Flawless Blocking / Countering; hopping; the "Krushing Blows" system... even auto-regen meters (something I had never imagined could be a 'boon' for a fighting game, given how MMO-esque the mechanic seems) -- and even the FB system, as a kind of "rage" or "desperation" ability, could actually work. It's just that, from what has been shown and what has been elaborated upon (e.g., the "Fatal Blow" is available again "3 or 4 seconds" after a failed attempt), unless there is some kind of restriction placed upon the "super" moves in question, human nature dictates that theses abilities will, in one form or another, be abused--and to the ultimate detriment of the overall product.
Now, let me 'inb4' the "oh!, but FB's aren't armoured on their first few frames" (...which is meaningless online and at low-to-intermediate level play) and the "yehbut, you can punish -- and at 30% HP, one punished FB wiff will end it" (...until the next round rolls around), and the Age olde favourite "hurr derr, git gud" (...*fart + follow-through*), by pointing out that, at high level play, all thus spergs of wisdom, and more, are fine and dandy + cherry-on-top DLC. However, in low, intermediate and even online play with moderate latency (i.e., what will comprise 95% of game's play time, throughout its lifespan), the cited issue could well become a real and present problem.
As such, I think an easy way in which the potential, and then predictable passade of to-and-fro FB flailing can be mitigated, could be to do, frankly, what should have always been done (with "supers" in NRS games): GIVING FATAL BLOWS A PROPER COMMAND INPUT (...as distinct from the universal non-command, LT+RT Casual Titillator 9,000).
Now, I'm not implying some Rachmaninoff's 5th style, "flight of the fumblefingers" input schemes are needed -- no. Merely some back-back-forwards or down-down-ups or down-forwards -- nothing too restrictive for casuals; yet, at the same time, something which will require enough deliberate action and consciousness (and character knowledge), that it dissuade automatically bee-lining towards said attack, the instant it becomes available; and such that it will discourage predicable negative offshoots -- e.g., backing away to the far reaches of a stage in order to run down the clock, whenever the trailing opponent reaches 30% HP (because the inevitable YOLO FB is always only a button-mash away).
What I see as a broader, fundamental problem here -- and one that is seemingly reaching a critical mass and, indeed, is evinced by the "Fatal Blow" system at hand -- is that, because of the continual simplification of gaming, certain mechanics that have been and are integral to, particularly, the fighting game genre, are now becoming difficult to implement--without them being broken, too easy, too repetitive, too exploitable etc.. Simply put, and in the case of powerful abilities in fighting games specifically, if the given ability is too easily accessible -- being it automatically granted (...like, FB's) or easily executed (...like, FB's!) -- it will inevitably be abused. This 'abuse' can be either balance-breaking, or simply just annoyingly repetitious ("Clashes", being the most recent, and egregious, analogy). That's as far as I'll elaborate about this here: as I've digressed enough, and a Tolkien-esque epic could be written on this eristic subject matter.
PS: Redundant as it is to state, I do anticipate the après moi, le déluge of "elitist scum!" style ripostes, flowing in from alumni of the 'Sirlin the Vermin Academy of Fighting Games Should All Have But A Single, Bulbous, Illuminated, Dragon's Lair Button to Play, and Still Be Playable at Competitive Levels... While Maintaining a Straight Face' school of fighting games... 'Cause "It's all about teh 'mind games'... yadda yadda, goo-goo, ga-ga, poo-poo". NOTWITHSTANDING, I need to make it clear that this suggestion is not about raising the "entry level" of the game, nor about filtering newbies. Rather, it is purely an easily-implementable means by which to stop the FB's in Mortal Kombat 11, becoming the "Clashes" of Injustice 2: The nuaseating, obligatory mechanic of the latter game -- design decisions that end up goading people to drop a given product, more than they serve to attract people to pick it up.
Disclaimer:
[In theory] I like the overall approach NRS seems to be taking with MK11 -- Flawless Blocking / Countering; hopping; the "Krushing Blows" system... even auto-regen meters (something I had never imagined could be a 'boon' for a fighting game, given how MMO-esque the mechanic seems) -- and even the FB system, as a kind of "rage" or "desperation" ability, could actually work. It's just that, from what has been shown and what has been elaborated upon (e.g., the "Fatal Blow" is available again "3 or 4 seconds" after a failed attempt), unless there is some kind of restriction placed upon the "super" moves in question, human nature dictates that theses abilities will, in one form or another, be abused--and to the ultimate detriment of the overall product.
