Why Fighting Games Still Use Motion Inputs

Why Fighting Games Still Use Motion Inputs

Contents

Motion inputs have been a mechanic since the early days of fighting games, but many players find them outdated. Still, developers keep them around.

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Why Fighting Games Still Use Motion Inputs

One of the largest barriers to entry in Fighting Games is mastering motion inputs. Many people consider this traditional mechanic an outdated method of adding challenge, but fighting game purists insist they add depth to the genre.

The idea of requiring motion inputs to execute special moves is almost as old as fighting games themselves. The mechanic originated from the very first Street Fighter in the late 1980s. At the time, special moves were even more difficult to pull of than in modern fighters. A simple Hadouken motion (moving the joystick from down to forward in a half-circle motion) was almost impossible to execute. On the flip side, however, that near-impossible Hadouken would do an absurd amount of damage. As time went on, Street Fighter and its ilk continued to use motion inputs, but developers continually added leniency and scaled down the damage. Despite this being the case, some still see motion inputs as an unnecessary challenge.

The fighting game YouTube channel Core-A Gaming analyzes this dispute in a short video. As he explains, fighting games are meticulously balanced around motion inputs, and even games that lack them, like Fantasy Strike and Rising Thunder, are forced to balance special moves in other ways. In the end, removing motion inputs from the genre won’t make fighting games any easier in the long run. Likewise, it would only take variety away from the genre overall, as developers would have less mechanical options at their disposal.

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Why Removing Motion Inputs From Fighters Solves Nothing

Regardless of difficulty or variety, removing motion inputs from the genre entirely sends new players the wrong message. One of fighting games’ biggest attractions is challenge. This could be the challenge of overcoming an opponent at a tournament or the challenge of pulling off a tight combo. Making it easier to perform certain fundamental actions, like special moves, teaches new players that the game will be there to hold their hand every step of the way. At the highest levels of mastery, nothing is easy. Things as simple as walking back and forth are so purposeful that a few steps can mean the difference between life and death. It’s better that new players learn how to practice early.

That being said, games without motion inputs aren’t inherently wrong for omitting them. The more variety in a genre, the better. Games like Fantasy Strike, Divekick, and Rising Thunder are great games for beginners to learn and practice other fundamental fighting game skills. Concepts such as spacing and movement are just as simple and just as important as execution. Learning those skills might make it easier, or at least more fun, to try other games in the genre with higher barriers for entry. It’s also always nice to be able to see one’s character do their more astonishing attacks every now and then.

Even then, there will always be a certain number of people who are put off by fighting games. Motion inputs or not, the genre is not perfect and is usually difficult for beginners to find success in. Learning special moves, combos, and setups won’t make the game fun if players don’t enjoy learning those things in the first, and especially if they can’t accept that those things won’t always ensure victory. In the end, removing motion inputs solves nothing because they aren’t the real problem. The real “problem” is that Fighting Games simply aren’t for everyone, and that’s okay.

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Link Source : https://screenrant.com/fighting-games-motion-inputs-balance-variety-combo-training/

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