dude, theres so many things that need to be changed to make MK9 ITSELF a better and more fair game that it would end up an entirely new game by the end instead of just an "update".
first things first they should totally switch to hitboxes instead of 3D hitting. i was so sure SF4 would benefit from a 3D hitbox or whatever is used for that style because 3D models still are awkward when used with 2D hitboxes. but MK9 is proof positive that Hitboxes are just the best way to go. a 3D game built as a 2D one just doesnt cut it and leads to weird shit like Ermacs attacks having nebulous ranges, and since it gives better and more consistent frame data it gets rid of most infinites (or so i am told).
needs to have physical attack "trading". when i heard about how trading was done (apparently its random at the start of a match then jumps around players between frames) it just sounded completely bonkers and it leads to exchanges where certain pokes can just flat out fuck you up and theres little you can do about it. having ranged attacks not trade is perfectly fine to me and i totally like it AS IS. but the way physical attacks work is wrong. exchanges should NEVER be based on a roll of the dice in a tournament level.
ALOT LESS NEGATIVE EDGE!!! for the love of all that is holy this needs to be fixed and done with. whats the most basic thing about a fighting game? the fact that it controls WELL!! if your doing the motions and getting something completely different it can ruin your chances of winning on just that exchange alone. and this goes double for MK9. it makes using a stick abhorrent and almost completely useless except for those stalwarts whove done their best to get used to it. the fact that using a simple DUX command only works when it wants to is all the proof you need to know this needs to be fixed.
a BETTER SPECTATOR MODE. you know why we dont have alot of online streams for MK9 from TYM like SRK does for SF4? because in KOTH (its version of endless battle) the operators cant just set a machine aside and forget about it. they HAVE to play, and that itself fudges up any ideas to hold some of the same events for PS3 or 360 for MK9. what needs to happen is have a simple 15-20 timer and if the challenger or current king dont respond at this time then it moves on to the next person. thats a simple fix and then we can have those online Justin.tv steams for everybody to see.
BETTER ONLINE with ALMOST no input lag. the biggest problem with MK9 online aint even the "gamestate lag" but the "INPUT LAG". now no online is perfect and there will ALWAYS be lag of some kind or another to bother people. but if MK9-ultimate-10 can at least get SOMEBODY to make a netcode that has little to no input lag then itll all be worth it. because for a good deal of players wanting to play with real people, alot of them want to learn characters and matchups and at its current state it just DOESNT WORK. some characters play fine offline and some play like absolute SHIT online. the fact that moves have different properties and priorities from offline to online undoes whatever good could come from learning online. if we want to foster better players in cities where theres little competition for them then they too deserve a better gateway to do that in.
and of course a BETTER training mode. a trainer that shows off as much detailed information as the system will allow is paramount to a good tournament community. frame data, hitbox data, interaction data, how much life it takes, where the hit comes from, and of course a PROPER record function for the CPU to test moves. whatever they can fit in it i totally think should be put in it. im all in the belief that its the game's duty to teach new players high level play, not just community built around it.
other than some of the big (change to hitbox from 3D hit modeling,trainer changes, negative edge, trading, better netcode) and the simple (better spectator mode in KOTH) i think MK9 is solid enough that it doesnt need to change to heavily. i like the way it plays and i think its a great game when some of it elements cant be abused to oblivion like it was MvC3. but thats the nature of things, this is a first step for MK players and some changes are necessary if not outright mandatory if they want to continue making MK "for the tournament player". it definitely sells enough to the casual player alone so i dont see why this cant work. so im hoping they see this and do their best with what they can do.
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