How do you rate the patches, the hotfixes, and the balance changes?

[M2Dave]

As the title of the thread asks, how do you rate the patches, the hotfixes, and the balance changes? In other words, how do you rate NRS's job in the past 11 months? Have NRS developers listened to the community's feedback and addressed concerns? Have they designed a balanced fighting game up to this moment? Have they polished the game and fixed glitches, bugs, and hitbox issues as well as inconsistencies? What do you think?

You may vote in the poll above. 1 represents the worst job while 10 represents the best job.

Click on spoilers below for my humble opinion.

Spoiler

The Good

• adjustments to fatal blows' armor, krushing blows' damage output, jumping kicks, and blocking mechanics prove that NRS developers are listening to the community and addressing concerns.
• top tier characters have been gradually normalized while low tier characters have been gradually buffed with each patch, although I am not in agreement with all the balance changes (i.e., Cassie's up glow kick was over-normalized).
• albeit at a very slow pace, hitbox issues and inconsistencies have been getting fixed.
• no overpowered DLC characters that defecate on the meta as in previous games.
• great "vision" and understanding of the meta and its evolution with each major patch.
• patch timing has been very respectful to offline as well as online tournament players.

The Bad

• multiple "incomplete" variations that are neither fun to use nor competitively viable.
• lack of creativity and risk-taking with certain characters, gameplay styles, special moves, etc.

I would vote 8.5, but because I am not including decimals, I think a rating of an 8 is fair.

 

[Jynks]

releasing spawn so close to Doom Eternal is bad news for MK11. I think about 1/2 the player base disappeared today.

 

[M2Dave]

releasing spawn so close to Doom Eternal is bad news for MK11. I think about 1/2 the player base disappeared today.

FPS? Meh.

But who knows how long ago NRS planned to release Spawn on 3/17? I highly doubt they paid attention to the releases of other popular games.

 

[Jynks]

Jokes are much funnier when taken seriously and explored deeply.

 

[zerosebaz]

Jokes are much funnier when taken seriously and explored deeply.

No, there's actually been a few studies that showed the opposite. Kurzgesagt made a video about it:

https://www.youtube.com/oHg5SJYRHA

 

[DeftMonk]

FPS? Meh.

But who knows how long ago NRS planned to release Spawn on 3/17? I highly doubt they paid attention to the releases of other popular games.

Anyway doom eternal was delayed multiple times. I’ve been waiting a long ass time for that one.

 

[Wigy]

If you're going to make small changes I'd prefer they did them more frequently.

Buffer punish one of the best universal changes they've made.

Hitbox issues and dumb frame pokes still about.

We are still seeing changes to like tower assists and other pointless shit but characters/variations who have been very meh for ages still not changed.

There's a middle ground between yolo patching and this.

Frost's head grenade variation is just straight buns. Why has she got the slowest most reactable OH that is absolute death on block with an impossible kb as one of her main toolkit

 

[Slymind]

The changes have been good in every patch, but it's way too slow. Around 2 or 3 characters per patch are getting meaninful changes. I get It, you don't need to turn the game upside down every patch, but given the amount of characters and variations, they need to do more per patch i think.

With that said, maybe they are planning more substantial changes to open season 2, so they are holding back? Time will Tell.

 

[Qwark28]

If you're going to make small changes I'd prefer they did them more frequently.

Buffer punish one of the best universal changes they've made.

Hitbox issues and dumb frame pokes still about.

We are still seeing changes to like tower assists and other pointless shit but characters/variations who have been very meh for ages still not changed.

There's a middle ground between yolo patching and this.

Frost's head grenade variation is just straight buns. Why has she got the slowest most reactable OH that is absolute death on block with an impossible kb as one of her main toolkit

Yeah, it's not like you have 2 other perfectly viable variations to play.

Meanwhile there are characters who have barely 1, or not even that in the case of shao.

 

[Jynks]

No, there's actually been a few studies that showed the opposite. Kurzgesagt made a video about it:

https://www.youtube.com/oHg5SJYRHA

two of them in one thread hah!

 

[Wigy]

Yeah, it's not like you have 2 other perfectly viable variations to play.

Meanwhile there are characters who have barely 1, or not even that in the case of shao.

Not sure why I'm getting a salty response. This isn't the Olympics of who's got it hardest playing this game.

I'm totally with that, said in that shao thread that dude needs buffed but yeah I'm using an example of the character I play.

Sheeesh.

 

[Darth-Nero]

Too little too late imo, i give it a 5.

 

[SoapBar]

Too infrequent and insubstantial.

 

[Eldriken]

Gave it a 4.

While some things have been addressed, far too many things that needed to be addressed more remain unaddressed.

I do not get what their priority system is. Why is there still any focus on Towers? Why do so many variations have abilities that aren't even useful or add to the character in any meaningful way?

 

[villainous monk]

I gave it a 6. It's just the fact that some issues that has plagued NRS (no pun intended) is still here damn near 12 years later. I mean what more can you say about that.

 

[M2Dave]

Why do so many variations have abilities that aren't even useful or add to the character in any meaningful way?

Because in previous games when they buffed or normalized characters significantly, the results were usually catastrophic.

• massive up ball buffs to Kano in Mortal Kombat 9 that were removed two weeks later
• a book full of buffs to Bane in Injustice 1
• massive buffs to Kano in Mortal Kombat X followed by nerfs
• a book full of nerfs to Alien
• a book full of buffs to Kitana in Mortal Kombat X
• a book full of buffs to Shinnok in Mortal Kombat X followed by nerfs followed by buffs
• a book full of buffs to Takeda in Mortal Kombat X followed by nerfs
• a book full of nerfs to Tanya followed by buffs
• major nerfs to Aquaman in Injustice 2
• major nerfs to Deadshot in Injustice 2

I am sure there are many more examples, especially with Mortal Kombat 9 and X. LOL.

 

[Chernyy Volk]

This is quite possibly the worst patching NRS has done for a game of theirs. I feel like especially the balancing front, they've literally done the WORST AND LAZIEST possible workaround for everything. They refuse to address degenerate moves like Sandtrap in any substantial way but gut combo potential, they make jumping in successfully worse and preventable BY FUCKING ACCIDENT instead of making anti airs better.

Game is condemned to the dumpster.

 

[xKMMx]

THe recent patch took care of one the more annoying aspects of the game but didn't make it any more fun imo. Im very happy though that a lot of shit that should have always been punishable is now punishable.
It kinda sucks that the game is as dry and boring as it is for me but that's just how it goes not everything is for everyone.

 

[Eddy Wang]

Game general issues has been good lately, character changes on the other hand have been terrible, gave it a 4

 

[CrimsonShadow]

This is quite possibly the worst patching NRS has done for a game of theirs.

I don't see how anyone, even the most ardent critic, could conclude that. There's being critical and then there's outright lying.. And the fact that anyone could believe this after MK9, Injustice, and MKX especially beggars belief.

 

[Marinjuana]

Changing the hurtboxes of characters in hitstun(the d1's now consistently jail into highs patch) was one of the best changes they've ever done to their games and it was desperately needed.

Changes like reduced frames on jump ins, improved flawless block stuff and the block buffer make the game better.

With exception to a couple new variations that needed some toning down, the balance of the game steadily improves as the patches go by and the system mechanics help prevent polarizing tier lists. I would definitely like to see some of the worse variations and tools get buffed but overall I think it's been good stuff.

MK11's patch strategy seems to be a continuation of the INJ2 patch cycle where it's small patches without every patch having real balance changes, but with more focus on polishing system mechanics.

 

[BRAZILIAN SHEEP]

I really admire the workers and their talent. It is evident.
But honestly, regarding the flaws of the game now.....these small patches are not going to fix the game, and I really think that with the amount of things implemented in the gameplay that need to be out or improved....they will not fix it everything needed in order to transform the game in something acceptable competitively.

I went to practice mode to learn Johnny, because he is awesome right? When I discoverd his shit and how the characters is literally so fucking broken and brainddead jesus lord....I stopped learning him.

I just play in casual mode now to have some fun and do some brutals.

 

[M2Dave]

Game is condemned to the dumpster.

Now you know how we feel about your threads. LOL.

In all seriousness, you used to call the game "good" but with some flaws, which I could get on board, but then you proceeded to make a series of videos trashing the "good" game and its developers. You have no more credibility.

I went to practice mode to learn Johnny, because he is awesome right? When I discoverd his shit and how the characters is literally so fucking broken and brainddead jesus lord....I stopped learning him.

More hyperbolic nonsense coming from you. "Fucking broken" and "brain dead" do not describe any character in this game, especially after the most recent patch.

 

[BRAZILIAN SHEEP]

Now you know how we feel about your threads. LOL.

In all seriousness, you used to call the game "good" but with some flaws, which I could get on board, but then you proceeded to make a series of videos trashing the "good" game and its developers. You have no more credibility.



More hyperbolic nonsense coming from you. "Fucking broken" and "brain dead" do not describe any character in this game, especially after the most recent patch.

Dave man you competed in mk9....you accept any shit.

Sonic fox said that too...so....

Repeat it out loud...."THIS CHARACTER IS NOT FAIR" (0:57)

By the way, half of the cast or even more are in the S+ / S- rank with him saying "this shit is broken", "not fair"..."not fair at all"....a thousand times....
When he said in this video that the NRS community is complicated to deal with.....I think he is right.

 

[Ram]

Now you know how we feel about your threads. LOL.

In all seriousness, you used to call the game "good" but with some flaws, which I could get on board, but then you proceeded to make a series of videos trashing the "good" game and its developers. You have no more credibility.



More hyperbolic nonsense coming from you. "Fucking broken" and "brain dead" do not describe any character in this game, especially after the most recent patch.

I love modern m2dave