The FPS dungeon crawler is dabbling in a different genre.
Warframe’s latest update comes with an entirely new gaming experience! The FPS dungeon crawler now has a fighting mini-game, where two players face off in a traditional 2-D fighting game. Inspired by Warframe fan LocoCrazy_, the brand-new Frame Fighter could be enough to get fighting game fans into the FPS genre.
Players can choose from an initial roster of Excalibur, Volt, and Mag, all of which possess unique abilities. Additional fighters unlock through acquiring “Fragments” throughout their Warframe experience. Additionally, if a player has scanned Warframe’s Prime into their inventory, they will be able to fight using the Prime versions of their selected characters.
[Editor’s Note: I dare someone to find frame data for this and send it in.]
MixBox has done more than replace joysticks with keyboard buttons — they are now revealing a new SOCD switch, as well as a slew of combo videos to show fans exactly how precise their controller can be.
The MixBox is known for its unique take on button inputs. Rather than using a joystick, the MixBox has installed keyboard buttons in its place, a first-cousin of sorts to the HitBox arcade controller. This decision was made for PC players to utilize multi-button inputs, as well as to save on stick space with accessibility and finger placement in mind.
While the MixBox might look like the perfect controller for PC players looking to make the switch, joystick and gamepad fiends rightly speculate on its ease of use. YouTuber Future Soldiers created a combo video to showcase the stick’s precision and responsiveness. “A lot of people have been skeptical about this fight stick,” he began, “It’s very responsive once you get used to it. Yes, there’s a learning curve to it, just as there is with the HitBox… as far as execution goes, it’s on point, because there’s no diagonals.”
Much like the HitBox, players can simply use a button combination in place of directional inputs, dismissing the need for joysticks’ directional precision. Future Soldiers’ combo video was a prime example of this: he was able to clear Ryu’s trials quickly and cleanly, with a simple combination of button presses for both directional inputs and attacks. More trial videos are forthcoming, as well, detailing Season 1 all the way through Season 3, and beyond.
Aside from demonstrating the MixBox’s precision, the company is also implementing a new switch meant to aid players of charge characters. According to MixBox, the SOCD switch has multiple settings, allowing two keyboard inputs to be read as neutral, upwards, or forwards. “When you press left, and then press right, the forward input will become neutral,” a representative explained. “When you press down and press up, the forward input will become up. Another option is, when you press left and then press right, the forward input it will become right. When you press down and press up, forward will become up, as well.”
MixBox’s representative assured that the switch is tournament legal, as consulted by staff of the Evolution Championship Series. Be sure to keep an eye out for more combo videos demonstrating the MixBox’s input accuracy!
The horror-themed fighting game is flying your way this fall
From Chilean developer, AOne Games and Dutch publisher Sodesco comes a fighting game title that has circled major tournaments for the past year. Omen of Sorrow takes the horror genre and brings it to new heights, with twelve characters based on lore from popular horror stories and timeless myths. An official trailer for the game was released on August 16th, announcing the game’s upcoming release on November 6th, 2018.
The trailer also revealed an emphasis on single-player content, with a total of 36 solo battles for players to enjoy and unlockables like concept art. There will also be an Arcade Mode, Survival Mode, and Tutorial Mode. In addition to standard online matches, Custom Rule Matches will also be available for players to set their own rules. Keep a weather eye on the horizon for this new, independent fighting game — but best not play it under the full moon.
Capcom’s Shadaloo C.R.I. recently released Sagat’s early concept art, alongside details concerning his newest design.
Sagat’s newest iteration in Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition hasn’t seen any drastic changes. The Shadaloo C.R.I. recently uploaded a collection of concept art for the King of Muay Thai, which highlighted his nomadic status, as well as revealed an intent to stay true to old-school Muay Thai style.
“He’s a character that has a lot of flavor, so there wasn’t much we could change about him,” artist Takayuki Nakayama wrote. This is certainly true: Sagat maintained his iconic design with minimal changes in dress, donning a simple shawl over which to hide his scar from the trembling masses. “His body is covered in scars from training and his fights,” Nakayama explained, “so he wears the upper body cloth in order to not frighten the villagers – the kind considerations of a king.”
Alongside Sagat now pads a beautiful and ferocious tiger, named ‘Phicit Willa Maiu’ or ‘Willa Maiu’ for short. According to Nakayama, the tiger’s full name means ‘victorious courageous cat’ in the Thai language, although Sagat originally named him just ‘Maiu,’ or ‘cat,’ in kittenhood. Concept art shows Maiu wearing an eyepatch to match his owner, with bandages and a scar, to boot. Fans can check out the artwork here.
Fighting game analyst dantarion recently examined the player engagement between Street Fighter V, Tekken 7, and Dragon Ball Fighterz through Steam
Dragon Ball FighterZ released on January 26, 2018. Upon launch, the game saw a whopping 44,000 players via Steam — but these numbers didn’t last. Twitter user and fighting game analyst dantarion released a comparison of player engagement between DBFZ, Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition, and Tekken 7 across their current lifespans.
Retention Thread!. DBFZ peaked at 44k players on Steam on launch day, but only spiked at around 5K after EVO. Its very easy to say, "casuals", and end the conversation about this, but I see it as 40K players that got hyped enough to try it out, but didn't end up sticking it out, pic.twitter.com/R0PNjXASsZ
Compared to DBFZ’s 44k players, SFV saw 14,782 fighters on its launch day on February 16, 2016, while Tekken 7 boasted a 18,966 players on June 3rd, 2017. However, player retention across each game has shown a sharp decline since then: SFV retains an average of 1,500-1,600 players, while Tekken 7 keeps anywhere from upwards of 3,000 to 2,600 PC users. DBFZ is on a decline since its recent release date, sinking from about 4,000 players to 2,352 at the last count in May.
Retention has declined across the board for each game, but appears to level out around certain levels. SFV strays between the 1,500 and 2,000 player mark, while Tekken 7 remains strongly at around 3,000 players. DBFZ appears to fluctuate within the 2,000 player range. Those interested can take a look at the full graph here.
FGC content creator BornFree sat down with Evo organizer Tom Cannon, where the two discussed the upcoming Evo Japan, tournament saturation, and shared their thoughts on inclusivity in the community.
Fighting game fans might know Tom Cannon by his rich history in the community — from creating the largest fighting game tournament in the world, to heading their own game development studio, the Cannon brothers are known throughout the scene as major influencers, and have had a considerable hand in building it up to its current state. Notable FGC content creator BornFree sat down with Tom to discuss his work with Evo, his thoughts on tournament saturation, and to pick his brain on how to make the community more accessible to those who wish to be part of the historically vibrant scene.
Here, Tom recollects in the early Street Fighter IV era, Evo had run an all-women’s tournament, where girls who competed in the regular tournament were entered into a separate competition of their own. “It was an experiment to see if we could encourage more women to play,” Tom stated. Legendary Soul Calibur player Kayane ended up taking the tournament, highlighting her achievements and helping cement women’s strength in the scene.
While the tournament saw some success, many criticized the movement, holding that no group should get special treatment for want of inclusiveness. Tom recognized that things have changed since that time, and that Evo exists now as more than just a tournament series: it comes complete with after-parties and exhibition matches, and movements like Combo Queens are helping create a network for women who are always welcome at their event. “It’s hard to be anonymous,” Tom said in regards to women in the scene. “We’re not aiming to change the FGC, just build more pathways to get into it and stay there.”
Photo Credit: Carlton Beener
Tom likewise spoke on the upcoming Evo Japan, which saw a monetary loss this year due to what he called “jump-starting the event.” While many Americans felt that Evo Japan was a throwback to Evo’s earlier times, the Japanese company the Cannons partnered with chose to skip the growing pains and dive straight into the big time. “I think that represents a strong commitment to build something,” he commented. “I would be surprised if an event like that was profitable at year one.”
You can watch the full interview here, and hear Tom’s thoughts on Beginner’s and Intermediate tournament leagues, tournament over-saturation, bringing Evo to other areas, and more.
While plenty of fighting game fans have dissected MvC:I’s visual aspects, sound and music designer Mike Thal takes a deeper look into the game’s use of audio.
Mike Thal’s YouTube channel is chock full of videos breaking down the sound design of various video game titles. While he praised the audio of 2013’s Killer Instinct, Mike held less optimistic views towards the newest installment in the Marvel vs. Capcom series. He first cited the advent of the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a contributing factor: noting the importance of the Infinity Stones in the game’s plot, as well as the absence of the X-Men and Fantastic Four, Marvel’s closer involvement in the game created major changes to the series — not all of which were well-received.
Mike begins his analysis by examining character themes, using Captain America’s theme as an example. While its Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 iteration was fast-paced, energetic, and representative of Cap’s American verve, his MvC:I theme marked a drastic change. If readers have watched any of the MCU films, they will note the similarity between Cap’s MvC:I theme and the MCU’s general music scoring. “The orchestral style is a pretty run-of-the-mill modern film score, which reflects the game’s focus on the Marvel Cinematic Universe,” Mike explains. “The tempo was also a little slower on this track, which doesn’t help sell the ‘fighting game’ aspect, in my opinion. While there’s a majestic-sounding melody to fit Captain America, I don’t feel it captures the excitement or action like his old theme.” Mike also notes that Marvel’s characters had no returning theme songs: instead, each superhero had a completely new theme written for them in MvC:I, derailing any sense of continuity from the previous games in terms of music. “Most of them are composed in a similarly straightforward, orchestral style,” Mike stated. “As a result, MvC:I’s soundtrack is pretty generic and, honestly, a little bland compared to other modern fighters.”
Another element of MvC:I’s sound design that struck Mike as odd occurrs in the timing of when music plays. In previous MvC titles, the theme of Player 2’s team would sound at the beginning of a match, reiterating the status of P2 as the “challenger.” Once a fighter was knocked out, the theme would end, and the challenger’s upcoming character theme would begin upon the next fight. While MvC:I’s song selection begins the same way, the character theme doesn’t end upon a knockout — instead, the song only changes once another character activates an Infinity Storm. “I think it would make more sense for each Infinity Stone to have its own theme,” Mike suggested. “Doing this would reiterate the power of these artifacts, their importance in the MCU, and their impact on the gameplay…. These power-ups are supposed to be giant, game-changing abilities, but the music doesn’t really reflect that. It doesn’t create an effective separation from between when an infinity Stone becomes active and when it isn’t, nor does it emphasize the might of the Infinity Stones.”
While he felt MvC:I’s music left much to be desired, Mike hailed MvC:I’s combat sounds as “pretty good,” holding that the announcer and voice actors delivered a solid performance for the tag-team fighter. One of his better-favored aspects came with the interaction of characters upon one of their teammates having low health, with their partner calling out words of support or advice. “This one choice serves two very effective purposes,” Mike states. “From an aesthetic standpoint, it helps push the idea that these characters are working together… from a gameplay standpoint, this is a helpful audio queue for the player. These voice clips serve as a notification and a reminder to the player that their character’s health is getting low.”
However, the characters’ voices didn’t sell the experience completely: Mike criticizes the constant calling out of characters’ Infinity Stones upon activating their Infinity Surge, citing the ensuing “Reality Stone!” as repetitive and like “nails on a chalkboard.” Mike cites this event as “audio fatigue,” an instance where hearing the same sound effect or voice clip repeatedly can frustrate or even put players on tilt. To rectify this, Mike suggested giving each Infinity Surge its own sound effect, while removing characters’ voice clips. “Through sheer sound design, players would discover what makes each Infinity Stone unique,” he states. He also noted that the game currently requires 42 audio files for the Infinity Surges — with his solution, that number would be reduced to 18-30 audio files.
Mike’s analysis centers on a desire to make the Infinity Stones their own character through sound design. By giving each Infinity Stone their own theme song, and each Infinity Surge its own set of sound effects, Mike’s plan would sufficiently serve to further emphasize the Stones’ importance in both the game’s plot and gameplay. Fans can watch the video in its entirety here, and get a deeper look into Mike’s examination of the latest installment in the Marvel vs. Capcom series.
For those lab monsters out there, alb3530 has all the hitbox and hurtbox data for SFV’s two newest characters.
With G and Sagat’s recent release, players have been scrambling to gather all the tech they can on these two fighters. From optimal combos to punishes and more, tons of tech has been uploaded to the internet in the hopes of making the most out of SFV’s newest characters. alb3530 is no different: he’s uploaded two full-length videos breaking down their hitboxes and hurtboxes, allowing prospective players a chance to get a better grasp on the characters’ strengths and weaknesses.
For those unsure of how to read this data, alb3530 has likewise created a guide explaining the hurtbox/hitbox meta. Be sure to check out his other hitbox breakdowns on his YouTube channel for optimal character usage.
A new tournament circuit has been created in honor of Street Fighter’s most celebrated title.
Prepare for battle! There’s more than Cooperation Cup for fans of Street Fighter III: Third Strike to test their mettle. A brand-new tournament circuit was created for the classic fighting game title, and it starts on August 25th — dubbed the Jazzy Circuit, this tour takes 3S on a trip across the United States in celebration of the game’s 20th anniversary.
Players can qualify for the tour in one of three ways:
Winning one of six Jazzy qualifying events in Season One
Being one of six players to earn the greatest amount of points in the tour
Taking one through fourth place in the circuit’s last chance qualifier
Events within the circuit lie on three different tiers, and will be fought on both arcade cabinets and consoles alike. The console iteration of the game will be played through Street Fighter’s 30 Anniversary Collection, while the CPS3 cabinet will be used for the classic fighters. MSF-Tier events will reward players with the greatest amount of points, while S-Tier and A-Tier events will reward fewer.
The circuit’s first event takes place on August 25th in Lacross, WI, at the Paradigm Grand Prix. Be sure to follow the circuit’s Twitter page to keep up to date with the action!
Just a week after his release, Capcom has made a major change to the King of Muay Thai.
Early this morning, Capcom announced via their Shadaloo C.R.I. site that a “serious oversight” would be addressed in regards to one of Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition’s most recent releases, Sagat. According to the report, a “problem with big influence on the battle was found,” and Capcom is already taking steps to remedy it.
The issue in question is Sagat’s Tiger Uppercut: currently, the move’s V-Skill iteration is completely invulnerable between frame 3 and 7 of its animation. The quickly upcoming patch will seek to fix this, rendering it invincible in regards to projectiles and attacks only — not throws. This nerf will make Sagat’s Tiger Uppercut V-Skill unsafe in regards to grabs, leaving players to adapt to a new change early on in his lifespan.
When Sagat was added on the 7th, Capcom revealed that new changes were ushered in with him: According to the post, certain “lock-on” attacks would reverse players’ inputs. Characters affected by this glitch include Cammy, Dictator, Kolin, Zeku, and Blanka. Old Zeku will be able to cancel his cr.HP into special moves and V-Trigger, while Blanka will no longer be able to perform his normal Electric Thunder during V-Trigger 1 via jump cancelling. Ryu, Abigail, and Mika likewise received some changes — Ryu won’t be subject to V-Trigger damage scaling after stunning his opponents with Collarbone Breaker or Axe Kick. Abigail’s hitboxes during Abi-Lift will also be fixed, no longer hitting opponents behind him due to his collision box clashing with his opponents’ knockback. Players can read a full list of the changes here.
Alongside these developments comes an all-new training option — Following a ranked or casual match, players can now choose to return to training mode against the last character they played, allowing for immediate labbing following the battle.
Aside from demonstrating the MixBox’s precision, the company is also implementing a new switch meant to aid players of charge characters. According to MixBox, the SOCD switch has multiple settings, allowing two keyboard inputs to be read as neutral, upwards, or forwards. “When you press left, and then press right, the forward input will become neutral,” a representative explained. “When you press down and press up, the forward input will become up. Another option is, when you press left and then press right, the forward input it will become right. When you press down and press up, forward will become up, as well.”
