Opinions on New Fighting Game Mechanic! Thread

Greetings all!

Currently we're working on a dream project of sorts. I've always been a fan of fighting games out there... but I always feel it never hits home anymore the way it used to back in the day.

I started taking notes from all of my favorite elements from every fighting game I enjoyed, and hated. Then, started to create my own version, with elements I haven't seen in fighting games before. Then it was time to apply a concept to the whole thing, so I chose what I love most in this world.... werewolves!

Anyways, I'm knee deep in working on this game, and trying to get an amazing demo completed... push the envelope.... and all that, but I want to hear what "OTHERS" think of the idea.

Anywho.... you can read more up on the idea on my website ... The "new" element I'm adding to the fighting game formula is dismemberment. I really haven't seen it done before and its a variable that works great because after a player has lost an arm.... his/her ability to perform combos is crazily reduced.... as well as attack speed... so the game changes and the player is forced to be more defensive in a way. We use a regenerative technique so that the player can "regrow" the lost appendage, allowing him/her to get back into the game as well. (ala werewolves. )

Whatya guys think? Just reaching out to the indie community to see what others think of the idea! Obviously if you hate fighting games... need not comment! Just looking for serious opinions, thanks.

The same effect can mechanically be implemented with a combo meter. The whole dismemberment thing would be a stylistic visual choice that forces you to spend three times more resources on the characters. Fighter fans probably won't appreciate such mechanics that impose additional XYZ situational modifiers, the current ones only give you access to a handful of additional moves but don't alter much else. The current fighter genre is filled with big brand and nostalgic legacy that you would be overly relying on the young male teen demographic that is into werewolves and excessive gore. A big market ten years ago but then Twilight happened.

Edited by: somonels

Kindle Fire HD for me.If it comes to android,I have one suggestion.Please make it inexpensive? Wish you the best of luck!8)

somonels wrote: The current fighter genre is filled with big brand and nostalgic legacy that you would be overly relying on the young male teen demographic that is into werewolves and excessive gore. A big market ten years ago but then Twilight happened.

Are you sure about that? I found Twilight repulsive but I mean, take a look at this webpage's game concept. And these characters:

TRISTAN RAZOR-CLAW - A Grey Werewolf (Canadian)
CONNOR PACK-BORN - A Brown Werewolf (American)
BLOODFANG – A Hybrid Vampire / Werewolf
RIPPER – A Maniacal Werewolf bound in a leather suit
EZEKIAL – A Zombified Werewolf
JAW-LONG – A Dragon/Werewolf Hybrid from China
VALERIA - A Succubus/Werewolf Hybrid
RICTOR – A Magical Werewolf Warlock who resides in the shadows.
CALLISTA - A Female Werewolf Fighter Halfbreed.
MOONCLAW – A Female Vampire Cladded in Armor with Claw like metallic weapons.
SNOWBEAST – An Arctic Werewolf born from a Glacier.
NOBUKA – A Samurai Werewolf

This alone convinces me you've got something there. Dismemberment will be pretty questionable mechanics (have you considered mere injuries that would prevent the character from using the limb?) but I think you can pull it off and make it fit in the game atmosphere making explicit gore one of your features. My only concern is that it might be too much content to make with all the characters and new gameplay.

Thanks for the feedback! And the kind words about my characters.
We're still in preproduction, working on a demo... etc.

So regarding dismemberment, I look at it as "OH SH!# MODE"... meaning... so you fill your rage meter up, you pull off a timed "maim" move.... then dismember your opponents limb. At the moment it would be either one arm, then the next arm.

So when the player gets dismembered... it becomes defensive. He can no longer rely on heavy offensive combos. Just simple attacks.
He must evade, and heal. Because they are werewolves / vampires/ and the like... they can all regenerate.

The way we are planning it right now is, at that moment of dismemberment.... you get the hell outta there. A 10 Second Timer initiates. One the 10 secs is up... your arm grows back. So it changes the dynamic of the fight and goes cat n mouse for 10 secs.

Whatya think? Personally I think it would be hella fun and a new dynamic.

Regarding "Twilight"... ummm. yeah no. Def not in the same league as my concept.

These are OG werewolves... big ass mutant "wolf men" (not "twilight wolves") that harken back to classic cinema where these things would tear eachother apart and are F'ing Scary! Tons of Violence..... tons of gore. Thats GOREHOUNDS!

Bad Ass werewolves are still cool.
Hopefully my game will burn a new image into the soppy twilight filled brains out there.

So how would the dismemberment work mechanically? I imagine it to either be a factor of the character's health (e.g. player A is down to 50% health and loses a limb) or it would have to be after they receive damage from a special attack combo from the opponent. Fighting games generally have multiple and very precise hitboxes around the various body parts of each character.

Do you plan on having like, the varying chances of different limbs being cut off? If you went the way of special combos yield dismemberment I think it would be cool to have varying strengths and weaknesses on certain limbs. For example, if player A chose a character with particularly strong arms but weak legs then player B could pick a character that has a very strong low kick dismemberment combo giving player B a better chance of removing one of player A's legs.

Just a thought. Good luck!

I love the idea.... BUT... man, that would be some intense programming and the variables are through the roof. I'll save it for the sequel tho!!

I'm basically limiting it to just the arms for now.

Yep, they come from a special "MAIM" move. When your rage meter fills up a third, you can pull one off, effectively maiming your opponent if timed just perfectly. You can take one off... then the other.... then... the head... if you can successfully pull off three timed MAIN moves in a row.... this would be very hard to do tho. Think of it as a timed super blow.... character winds up, then strikes.

My only suggestion since I don't have any design knowledge when it comes to the fighting genre is to not make the maim moves a button mash contest (which it doesn't seem like you are) because that would undermine the new mechanic.

You need to give the new mechanic a unique control scheme as well in order for it to be truly fresh.

Also, consider changing the combos a character can use once they are maimed. A new move set so to speak emerges upon being maimed. For one character you could make the move style change into more erratic, harder to "tell" hits. Others become faster, and others still have unique switches like now having the ability to fly or some such.

This would allow characters to be unique with the unique addition of maiming.

Edited by: Cleril

Cleril,

Absolutely! Considering they wont have the use of one arm... the moves would HAVE to be altered. Thats why I think the mechanic is so fresh. Your abilities to block and strike are severely affected, completely changing the gameplay scheme.

Its a pretty rad idea. Trying to think of clever-er ways to enhance the effect as well.

dismemberment has been done in both Time Killers and Bloodstorm. Check those games out to get an idea how it plays.

It's interesting but many players don't enjoy being hindered for a long time. Imaging playing LoL and taking damage tha permanently slows you until you die (or permanently reduced AD, AS etc..)