I was thinking that it would be nice to have online mode have offline connections. Like in the future at some time playing online would be identical to playing offline, as far as the connection goes. This would be great for practice and gaining experience, much like how I view online is now. But there would be no debate on that point. However, people would still be playing casuals. Moreover, people wouldn't be getting the hype and atmosphere of playing offline. People often don't understand the difference between casuals and tournaments. Which I, among many other people, have stated. It's similar to having a "ranked mode" in a fighting game. Take UMK3 on XBL as an example. Say you get a pretty high rank, the top 100. Every time you play in ranked, you have something to lose. Your reputation and your rank that you worked hard to achieve. So when I play ranked, I feel differently than when I play in player matches. I sometimes even get nervous, but a lot of that has to do with fear of getting an opponent with a terrible connection.
Even with this different feeling and approach to ranked mode, it's still a casual match. At least in my opinion. I think all online fighting game matches are casuals. Though even with something insignificant and small on the line, it's still a lot different than playing in with non at all. So when you play offline at tournaments, you basically have the same things on the line, plus more stuff. Which can include money, the thought of putting in the time of getting their only to lose, your tournament life, etc. There can be more or less on the line for different people, but a lot of the same things as well. Not only is there more things on the line, which I've stated makes you play and think differently, but the atmosphere is way different as well. For one it could very well make you nervous and feel pressured. But it also could make you play better rising to a new level of play. Things that you normally wouldn't try to get out of or avoid, or things that you would shrug off and say "oh well" in a casual match, you would not do so in a tournament match. You would force yourself to find a way around certain tactics, because now you HAVE to.
All these things that a tournament brings, WILL improve your game. When you're forced to play better, you become better.
