🚀 go-pugleaf

On Mon, 3 Oct 2016 09:36:22 -0700, Justisaur <just...@gmail.com>
wrote:

>Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
>
>>
>> * Injustice: Gods Among Us (new)
>> There are certain genres of games for which I am just not suited.
>> MOBAs are one; so too are realistic driving simulators. For all that I
>> can admire the craftsmanship that goes into designing such games - and
>> have an earnest desire to appreciate them - I just do not find them
>> that compelling to play. Punch-n-kick brawlers are another example;
>> they are colorful, fantastical, and frenetic, often with rewarding and
>> challenging gameplay, but I have neither the temperament to master or
>> even long endure their game-play.
>>
>> Still, Injustice: Gods Among Us looked as if it might have been the
>> sort of game to keep me playing through to the end, if only for its
>> over-the-top combat and action-packed (if somewhat predictable)
>> comic-book storyline. I mean, who /wouldn't/ want to play as Superman
>> and punch an opponent into outer-space? I mean, that's the sort of
>> thing a lot of us have probably wanted to do ever since we read our
>> first issue of Action Comics!
>>
>> Alas, it wasn't to be, and I'm not sure I'm to say whether it was
>> because of my own failure or the game's. When it comes to brawlers, I
>> tend towards button-mashing anyway, but even given my primitive grasp
>> of brawler mechanics, I didn't think Injustice's combat was
>> particularly well done. There were just too many options and powers,
>> and rather than  super-powered I felt overloaded with options. Even
>> were I not, the game felt gimmicky, too overloaded with action
>> cut-scenes, weird mini-games and quick-time events. I never felt as if
>> I were given an opportunity to hone my skills because every other
>> fight it seemed that the game changed everything on me.
>>
>> Ultimately, I gave up on actually playing the game and just watched a
>> let's play of the cut-scenes, which was okay. It certainly didn't
>> encourage me to keep playing, or try other brawlers. On the other
>> hand, that got me into reading the comic prequels, which I found far
>> more enjoyable than either game or video, so I guess something
>> worthwhile came from the experiment.
>>
>
>I think I mentioned the control issue with it on the PC, any of the 
>combos that have you going a direction (i.e. left/right etc.) after 
>pressing a button, and then pressing another button don't work or are 
>extremely difficult in timing especially with the xbox controller of 
>kb/mouse.  I've got a logitech gamepad on order as supposedly it works 
>better with that one - also wanted one I could use with MAME.  Not that 
>you actually need any of the combos.

These games are mostly designed for folks with fight sticks (they can
be played with gamepads up to a point, but it's a little like
participating in a sport with one leg in a cast).

The reason is these exist not because of the button mashing punching
and kicking, but because the learning and tactical execution of the
combos (i.e. executing the right combo in the right situation is the
key to winning when playing against skilled players).

Combos are nearly impossible to execute consistently with an analog
control of any type, because for example if the move you need is:

D, D, L, U, L while pressing some buttons, (d=down, l=left etc), the
actual analog x and y coordinates must be mapped to zones to determine
what is down or left.  This can be fine in certain games but not so
much for the speed and timing requirement of some moves in fighting
games.  Yes the D-Pad can be used for true digital inputs, but I doubt
many fighting games are even QA tested for use with a D-Pad, since
most folks with any interest in fighting games will use a proper
stick.  And, of course to try to match the speed of input with a D-Pad
to an arcade stick is impossible, unless the game has a built in way
to dumb-down the timing for single players who don't care about
competing online and don't have a stick.

Years back, I had a D-Pad controller (I think it was made by Gravis)
that let you screw a tiny (and unfortunately too fragile) plastic
joystick down into the middle of the D-Pad.  You could then rest your
thumb on the top and flick it in the direction you wanted to go with
minimal thumb movement (compared to regular D-Pads).  That was
probably the closest thing I've seen to providing a D-Pad that was
suitably responsive for fighting games.

I don't know to what extent more recent fighting games have addressed
this -- it could be done by allowing redefining of the specific stick
+ button movements required for a given combo, but I think if they
made that user-definable it would basically be considered cheating.

Speaking of which, if anyone really wanted to do that on the PC, it
could potentially be done with a macro programmable keyboard.  I'm
using a Razer Blackwidow Chroma TE (mechanical keyboard) these days,
and it will allow programmable shortcut keys complete with specified
delays between keypresses if needed, although being a reduced size
keyboard (no number pad on the right), there are not dedicated macro
keys like on the Logitech I replaced with it.  Same could be done with
something like the Logitech G13 though, which I still have.