Anti-Armor/Breakaway moves revealed on Kombat Kast

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1262840289045237763

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1263202057718099968

Aside from a pretty swaggy Fujin, a brief summary for those who didn't watch.

• One Anti-Armor/Breakaway move with different properties per character.
• New leveling augment system will add some life to the single player game (although a bit grindy I imagine)
• Briefly saw retrokade example of MK3 Church/Cathedral stage. (looks to be a pseudo-3rd projection of old stages, similar to what KI has)

Seems like a pretty good quality of life update overall (and we don't even know the other character specific adjustments yet either).

Also stream for Robocop and Sheeva this coming Monday!

 

Imagine if you could no longer breakaway if launched by a KB. That'd make the ones that require it to be the first hit of the match actually see the light of day.

 

Imagine if you could no longer breakaway if launched by a KB. That'd make the ones that require it to be the first hit of the match actually see the light of day.

Actually not a bad suggestion. Then again, they could eliminate breakaway from KB and breakaway would still need to change.

One breakaway per match, unless there’s a 3rd round and then defensive meter only goes to one bar, or doesn’t refill anymore if you breakaway again.

 

Kustom variations in ranked ?

I forgot to mention what I actually think is gonna happen. I think it's this. I don't really see them doing anything that adds brand new moves to characters that they need to go animate. I guess the only thing I could see happening about breakaway is making it a more universal combo breaker thing. Maybe it's a change to fatal blows. I dunno, just the way Stephanie phrased that makes me feel like:

1. It's not a whole new feature because she said a "change" that affects all characters, rather than "addition". To me, that makes new breakaway-specific moves or a brand new way to break combos less likely.
2. The fact that she said "adds" to the meta makes me feel like they're not going to restrict players further by taking stuff away from Fatal Blows or breakaways or making them less powerful. I realize that those things are technically adding to the meta, but that's just not really the connotation I get from that phrasing.

Those things along with Ed Boon recently stating that he'd really like to open the floodgates eventually on custom variations, and the fact that they just had a custom variation tournament on the anniversary week would make this change really "on brand". The other things people are suggesting I think are changes I could see happening and would be positive for the game, but I don't think that's what she's talking about. When you think about all the players of this game that are being catered to, I don't think a vast majority of them would view breakaway/FB restrictions as "exciting".

 

I forgot to mention what I actually think is gonna happen. I think it's this. I don't really see them doing anything that adds brand new moves to characters that they need to go animate. I guess the only thing I could see happening about breakaway is making it a more universal combo breaker thing. Maybe it's a change to fatal blows. I dunno, just the way Stephanie phrased that makes me feel like:

1. It's not a whole new feature because she said a "change" that affects all characters, rather than "addition". To me, that makes new breakaway-specific moves or a brand new way to break combos less likely.
2. The fact that she said "adds" to the meta makes me feel like they're not going to restrict players further by taking stuff away from Fatal Blows or breakaways or making them less powerful. I realize that those things are technically adding to the meta, but that's just not really the connotation I get from that phrasing.

Those things along with Ed Boon recently stating that he'd really like to open the floodgates eventually on custom variations, and the fact that they just had a custom variation tournament on the anniversary week would make this change really "on brand". The other things people are suggesting I think are changes I could see happening and would be positive for the game, but I don't think that's what she's talking about. When you think about all the players of this game that are being catered to, I don't think a vast majority of them would view breakaway/FB restrictions as "exciting".

I doubt it would be a brand new move for each character either, they might just make assign an existing move the "anti-Breakaway" property.

 

Imagine if you could no longer breakaway if launched by a KB. That'd make the ones that require it to be the first hit of the match actually see the light of day.

I have called for this exact change for months. It would only serve as a healthy alteration to the game.

 

I doubt it would be a brand new move for each character either, they might just make assign an existing move the "anti-Breakaway" property.

Yeah maybe, but then you're retroactively tacking that ability into moves where the animation makes sense for that, and then also needing to balance the utility of having that property against the frame data of the string/ability itself. I could see some really sharp corners coming out of that for some characters.

Honestly, while if they made that work it would be cool, it still just doesn't change the fact that there are characters who just ignore the breakaway mechanic completely. I would much, much rather they outright replace breakaway with a different mechanic altogether.

 

I have called for this exact change for months. It would only serve as a healthy alteration to the game.

There are characters who dont even have launching krushing blows.

 

I just want more options to combo with, or something that makes it so characters aren't so cookie cutter between players.

 

There are characters who dont even have launching krushing blows.

Everyone has D2 KB. Plus NRS could adjust some KBs to make them launch or at least open up a standing combo route.

 

I doubt it would be a brand new move for each character either, they might just make assign an existing move the "anti-Breakaway" property.

This was one of my buff suggestions for NW ancestral gift: make new cmd grab kB requirement to catch them in a breakaway

 

Heavy Breakaway changes and more combo routes for god sake...

 

It’s been leaked on Reddit that it is a “Clash” mechanic, not unlike Injustice.
Instead of wagering meter, you wager actual money.
Seems legit.

 

Maybe ditch breakaway and replace them with breakers that cost only one bar? Hey a man can dream.

 

Kinda disappointing if it's really only one change. I bet it's breakaway.

 

I won't be able to watcj, but i sure hope you guys list every change so i can read and know about it too.
I'm not getting my hopes up, it can be a few things:
a) Breakaway punishes
b) Breakaway exanged with breakers
c) Breakaways removed from the game.

Two weeks ago i had a vision they added a way to punish Breakaway in aftermath and by doing punished characters would stay longer in the air allowing for longer combo extensions, like a reset on gravity.

Well see

 

My take on most to least likely-

1. Kustom Variations in ranked-

From a developer perspective this makes a lot of sense. Ignoring the balance nightmare this is, if they're been seriously testing this shit and looking at all the data and maybe have some tweaks ready to go, it will vastly increase the amount of junk for people to screw with (initially) and it requires no new animation work. Now if they fuck this up, it's just going to appear to be a shitload of new moves/variations until someone finds out that one move that was locked up lets you 50/50 safely for days and now we're in an even worse meta and everyone's annoyed again.

2. Breakaway delay/other generic issue-

Some sort of generic and simple to implement change like just having more recovery on it. It'd have a pretty heavy impact on how the game is played, especially for anyone who has a move with huge startup that they could cancel into on a breakout read to start a major punish.

3. Breakaway crush moves-

I think this is unlikely just because it means either adding new moves or reworking a ton of moves, and thus it's the most work. I could still see it being possible, but i'm not sure it really fixes the problem or if we just wind up with everyone always doing the crush combo if they have meter and not doing it if they don't, which just makes the mechanic feel extra weird.


Other stuff-

Dear god can we get some krushing blow reworks/balances around that. If some characters are supposed to land every single one every single match and others aren't, fine, but please give those who are actually working for their KB's other tools to help compesate for the fact that one of their major damage tools requires them to beat reptile in MK1 before it'll trigger.

 

Anti-breakaway isn't even universal to Spawn though.

 

Guys, as someone who's not really versed in the meta of mk and fighting games in general ... what exactly is a breakaway?

 

Guys, as someone who's not really versed in the meta of mk and fighting games in general ... what exactly is a breakaway?

A breakaway is a kind of block that allows you to "drop" out of combos. In MK11 it simply adds armour, the armour absorbed a hit, and as that hit fails, the combo drops. So when you watch people play, you see them kinda flash and a sound go off and them simply fall to the ground, when normally the combo would continue.. that is a break away.

The problem with breaking in MK11 is that it is two plus, which means how fast you can input a new move after doing an old one. See the opponent has probably imputed the full combo string, and these strings take time to complete. As the breakaway is so plus in MK11 once you break you can often attack the opponent and get a full combo punish in the window that he is unable to do anything as his old string is still preventing him from blocking or attacking.

So in MK11, the biggest problem, imo, is that you can be punished for playing better than your opponent. Now breakaway IS a catch up mechanism, always has been. Still, this issue means that if you play better and have me on the defensive I can break and then smash you for a combo, almost for free (costs defensive vars in MK11).. so in a way you have been punished for playing better than your opponent.

Adding insult to injury is that due to character archetypes, some slots can do massive burst damage and others can't. So I can be o the offensive and outplaying you then spend offensive bars and combo you for a max dmg of 280, but it gets broken so it only does a fraction of that, and then as say Kabal or someone like that they can hit back with a 400 combo. So for me playing "better" I have been punished a mass chunk of my life.

This, I hope, is what they should address. Maybe making breaks negative or something, I do not know I am not a designer, maybe make it cost defensive and offensive or combine the bars into one bar.. so you can break, but then not attack fully... maybe push both players back and delay both so it resets the neutral (sorta like MKx) as I said I am not a designer nor do I pretend to be.. but I hope that this is something that they take a serious look at.

 

Watch them announce that you can now cancel a breakaway into a Fatal Blow.

meterless

 

@Nickolaidas Yeah aside from everything Jynks just said, which is true. The move also costs not just one but 2/BOTH defensive bars putting you pretty much defenseless if your opponent should hit you again and pray it's not a big combo or the match may as well be over if you're down 50% or in the corner. To add more insult to injury, the move unike breakers does not give you ANY breathing space whatsoever. You're still put literally right next to the guy attacking you with now zero wake up/defensive options except delaying getting up which you have to do sooner or later, which has got to me one of the dumbest things ever.

Now some folks will feel the offensive player gets punished for getting an opening and doing a combo, and I can see that with some characters(not all) I don't feel any pity on broke or S tiers like Cage, Jacqui etc as these characters are so plus on everything and just OP in general but if I'm someone like say Raiden, who's already low tier. I get someone in a combo using SC they break early and can easily punish me while I'm still in my SC animation which is so stupid. And for the defensive player it's stupid because you just wasted two bars of meter which is literally your entire defensive meter in this game, unless you can recover fast enough to punish the attackers open strings/animations etc, you're still next to them so you can also argue that person is still on top of you since unlike a breaker which gives you space from the attacker and reset the neutral. BA's do not do this.

TBH, this mechanic felt rushed and unpolished overall and simply does not work. NRS has this bad habit of going against the "if it ain't broken, don't fix it" rule. They definitely did that with a few mechanics in this game, Breakaways from Breakers being one of them.

 

I get it. I saw the guys who cancel their combos and fatals but I never realized the bars it needs to be pulled off.

 

I get it. I saw the guys who cancel their combos and fatals but I never realized the bars it needs to be pulled off.

I am surprised that you don't know what breakaway is since you play mk11

 

I am surprised that you don't know what breakaway is since you play mk11

I am not a competitive player, thus do not really dwell on meta lingo like D22's and the like. I just have fun with the game.

 

I'm very worried when I see things like this. A meta change could be anything; for all we know they'll actually nerf throws cause so many low level players are complaining about them.

Don't nerf muh throws pls