From: maestas@cs.arizona.edu (Mark Maestas)
Newsgroups: rec.games.video.arcade
Subject: Re: Design of controls for Mortal Kombat vs SF2.
Date: 3 Sep 92 23:54:17 GMT
Organization: U of Arizona CS Dept, Tucson

In article <Btyw3L.D9t@watserv1.uwaterloo.ca> cpw@watserv1.uwaterloo.ca writes:
>I was slamming SF2 for being designed by a bunch of unwashed
>primitives who couldn't design a door knob.
But are still raking in boku bucks even after 3 years!!!

>At the same time, I was arguing that Williams designs controls
>excellently, and I trust that those people who couldn't see
>my points will take a break from SF2, and get a good long look
>at Mortal Kombat as an example of superior interface design.
>(It's difficult to believe the simplemindedness of some people)
>
>Then PLAY the game. I've also said that Williams is WAY superior
>in terms of conceptual development as well. Look at the intensity
>of Mortal Kombat. The savagery. There is no question that SF2's
>popularity is unjustified. Always has been. Or perhaps I overestimate
>the IQ of the typical video player.
Or perhaps you underestimate your fanaticism and ignorance.

     Let's talk about the actual PLAY of the games.
Mortal Kombat is indeed a fresh angle on the concept of one-on-one
Street Fighting.  The digitized graphics are a nice touch; the blood
is cool but a bit excessive (for the 'realism' poster:  you can't lose
that much blood and remain conscious, like about a pint per uppercut),
and the fatalaties were an original and satisfying coupe de grace.
However, aside from that, the character's normal attacks have no real variation
to them (e.g. down and high or low punch is uppercut, or back and low kick is
a sweep) like they all went to the same school of Kombat or something.  SFIICE
has 12 different characters each with at least 40 or so different attacks,
each made for their particular styles of fighting.
     In MK, if you press down and hit high punch you get an uppercut, if you
press low punch you STILL get an uppercut.  If you're going to come up
with an extra button, give me an extra attack!  And if that's not bad enough,
it's the same for EVERY CHARACTER!!!  True that some attacks in SFIICE are
the same (in appearance) at least you can choose from intensity/duration.
     Now let's talk about balance.  In MK, I have never seen people get hit
at the same time (aside from range attacks, which go on reguardless of anything
else).  If you're in close quarters, either one person or the other will make 
contact, but not both.  In SFIICE, simultaneous attacks can be a key strategy.
Like in chess(sacrificing), if you are stronger than your opponent, it is 
sometimes good to make an attack that you know will come in contact with the 
other player's attack.  You both will take damage, but you will be 
proportionally stronger than he (and closer to defeat).
     In MK, counter-attacking is even harder.  I'm not talking about hitting
another guy that just whiffed an uppercut, I'm talking about using an attack
that is effective at countering another attack.  Take Ken vs. Vega in SFIICE:
if Ken jumps at Vega and tries to kick him, Vega can counter that with a 
standing, strong or jab punch.  Vega hits Ken and takes no damage.  However,
if Ken decides to punch as Vega uses the claw, Ken hits Vega and takes no 
damage.  If Ken punches, but Vega waits and slides, or executes any effective
counter-attack...  The point is you can use strategy and try to outguess your
opponent (much like real fighting)  While some counter-attacks can't always
get you off Scott free unless your timing is perfect and your opponent's isn't,
it's nice to have this option left open to me.  There is very little of this
observable in MK.  If someone jumps at you and kicks, what do you do: a)block;
b)teleport, hop, run away (lose ground and control); or c)jump up and hope that
you hit the button before he does.
     MOVEMENT.   MK has very fluid animation, the problem is, it's fluid ALL
THE TIME.  If you go forward, you take a full step forward.  In SFIICE, you
are given free reign to shuffle and dance to get into the correct position 


>But then, you don't get a letter from Eugene Jarvis himself for being
>a dweeb. You people know who you are...
>
>Ice	ice@skynet.uucp		cpw@watserv1.waterloo.edu
>"D-d-d-don't shoot! You're b-b-b-busted."-NARC rap.
> 
Newsgroups: rec.games.video.arcade