User blog:DLKnightstick/Controller Layout for New MK Game

the following includes some changes i'd like to see happen with the controls of a new MK game, or fighting games in general. it is somewhat complex, so mastering the controls would be more difficult for amateur players, but beginners would still be able to pick it up and play. keep in mind this layout is xbox 360 specific. also to follow is changes i would make in the special bar concept, furthering its importance.

every action you do in the game would cost you something, aside from basic attacks. there would be 3 separate bars, fitted below the kombatant's health bar. a special bar, used for special physical attacks, and a few other various things. a stamina bar, used mostly for movement such as dashing, jumping, etc. and a magic bar, used for special magic attacks, teleporting, invisibility; pretty much anything a normal human can't do. each bar would have six sections, and depending on your action, the appropriate section of a bar would be taken away. and another key addition would be a limit on weapon usage from kombatants. although no bar will be shown, characters will only be able to perform a special weapon attack so many times. for instance, Kano's Knife Throw would only be able to be performed two times per match, as he only possesses two butterfly knives. another example would be Scorpion's Spear. Scorpion holds two spears, but if they connect, he retains them. they must either miss or be broken for him to lose them. magic and weapon special moves will do much more damage than physical moves, as they deplete over time. other important changes would be made, such as Cage's Nut Punch doing a larger amount of damage to male opponents than female. and aspects such as Sonya's Kiss not affecting Kenshi because he is blind would be retained. if enough people show interest in this, i will post a full list of all the character's specials and the changes that would be made. but, then again, this is all hypothetical as i am not a game programmer, nor do i own any rights to MK whatsoever.

review:

Special Bar- regenerates one section each at 75% health, 50% health, 25% health, and 0% health (if there is a following round).

Stamina Bar- regenerates one section every 15 seconds.

Magic Bar- regenerates three sections after a round.

anyway, when performing single hits or kombos, X- left hand, Y- right hand, A- left foot, B- right foot. Y also controls weapon strikes, and A controls magical strikes.

review:

Left Hand Strike- X (infinite uses)

Right Hand Strike- Y (infinite uses)

Left Foot Strike- A (infinite uses)

Right Foof Strike- B (infinite uses)

which brings me to special move controls. like i said, Y- weapons, A- magic, and X- hand oriented attacks, B- foot oriented attacks. defensive oriented specials will use RT.

review:

Special Weapon Move- Y (depletion of weapons if applicable)

Special Magic Move- A (depletion of magic bar)

Special Hand Attack- X (depletion of special bar)

Special Foot Attack- B (depletion of special bar)

Special Defensive Move- RT (depletion of stamina bar)

also, special moves to me sometimes feel awkward, as if what im pressing doesn't really correspond with what my kombatant is doing. for examples, Kung Lao's Spin is down, forward, X. but in my game, i'd make it LS (full circle), X. and his Teleport is down, up. but when he performs the move, he clearly flies up, then appears on the opposite side from the ground. so the command would be up, down.

x-ray attacks, although not known as such anymore, maybe Super Specials or something, would retain the LT+RT command, with no alternatives.

review:

Super Special Move- LT+RT (depletion of various bars, depending on the move)

next, i'll explain the defensive maneuvers. i'll start with the basic kombo breaker, used in most MK games. a kombo breaker is exactly what it sounds like: it breaks a kombo. kombo breaker- RT+forward. next is a new move i'd incorporate so that players can't just lock you in a corner and rape you into oblivion. it's called the wall escape. to perform this move, you must be stuck in a corner by your opponent. once commanded, your character will turn, run up the wall, and backflip to the opposite side of your opponent. of course, everything has its price. your opponent can also do this after you have, but two times is the limit. if attempted a third time, your character will fail, and your opponent will take a few steps back allowing you to rise to your feet. wall escape- LT+back. another addition would be the axing of corner pop-up kombos. you will no longer become popped-up while in the corner. moving on to the throw reversal, already used in 2011's game, only now, instead of just shoving your opponent away, you actually reverse their move and perform a throw of your own, different from your normal forward and away throws. throw reversal- RB+forward. now, the weapon block. this move can only be performed by characters who have a weapon to block with. also, it should be noted that this only works on special weapon moves. for example, Scorpion uses his Spear in a special move, but also uses his Mugai Ryu blades in kombos. his blades cannot be broken, although their damage will be toned down, as well as any weapon of anyone's used in kombos but not specials. the weapon block works the same as a regular block, only the timing must be precise. weapon block- LB+forward.

review:

Kombo Breaker- RT+forward (depletes one section of special bar)

Wall Escape- LT+back (depletes one half section of special bar)

Throw Reversal- RB+forward (causes 10% damage and depletes one section of special bar)

Weapon Block- LB+forward (depletes three sections of stamina bar)

a few more defensive techniques would include the standard block, although in this game, there are three variations. high block- LS (Up)+RT, medium block- RT, and low block LS (Down)+RT. the game would also feature ducking/crouching, as well as dodging, although it would still be 2-dimensional. crouch- RS (Down). as for the dodging, it isn't the same as sidestepping as in the 3-dimensional games. your character's entire body does not move, only his torso and up. so in short, you can dodge a high attack, but not a low attack. dodge- RS (Left or Right). and finally, the riposte technique. a riposte is a term used primarily in fencing. its meaning is to strike after a successful deflect. so, in order to perform a riposte, you must first perform a block (and get hit). riposte- RT+forward (after block).

review:

High Block- LS (Up)+RT (depletes one half section of stamina bar, but only when hit)

Medium Block- RT (depletes one half section of stamina bar, but only when hit)

Low Block- LS (Down)+RT (depletes one half section of stamina bar, but only when hit)

Crouch- RS (Down) (depletes one half section of stamina bar)

Dodge- RS (Left or Right) (depletes one half section of stamina bar)

Riposte- RT+forward (causes 10% damage and depletes one section of stamina bar and one section of special bar)

now i will move on to the various movements. first, switch fighting stance. in this game, each kombatant would have an alternate fighting style, such as Liu Kang's or Sonya's. their primary style would include all of their kombos, but the secondary style would have a few unique moves included. switch fighting stance- LT (tap twice). next up, run. minus the ridiculous "arrrrrguuuuuawwwhhhh!!!" sound your character makes when he/she runs. run would be used to close a gap quickly. run- LT+forward. and already in the previous games, dash. a simple quick dash forward or backward to gain or create distance between yourself and your opponent. dash- LS (tap left or right twice). and then of course, we have jump. if you're wondering why such complexity in the controls thus far, it is because while thinking of this concept, i came to the conclusion that in real life martial arts, there isn't as much jumping or crouching involved as is allowed in a fighting video game. also, if you watch any adaptation of MK films, webseries, and so on, there isn't a whole lot of magic or weaponry used either. just in your face, smash mouth martial arts. and that's what i'm trying to accomplish here. anyway, jump- RS (Up). to jump forward or backward, however, you must press RS (UP)+LS (left or right).

review:

Switch Fighting Stance- LT (tap twice) (depletes one half section of stamina bar)

Run- LT+forward (depletes two sections of stamina bar)

Dash- LS (tap Left or Right twice) (depletes one section of stamina bar)

Jump- RS (Up) (depletes one section of stamina bar)

Jump Forward/Backward- RS (Up)+LS (Left or Right) (depletes two sections of stamina bar)

moving on now to the throw. every kombatant has two, one forward, one backward, all unique to them. throw forward- RB. throw backward- RB+back.

review:

Throw Forward- RB (damage caused depends on the kombatant and depletes one half section of special bar)

Throw Backward- RB+back (damage caused depends on the kombatant and depletes one half section of special bar)

finally, on to my favorite element of the game i would make. everyone loves to do fatalities, right? well, in this game, you can perform this before the match is over. and i'm not talking just about death traps. i would, however, do away with babalities, animalities, friendships, and hara-kiris. but remaining would be unique fatalities, stage fatalities, and brutalities (all of which are unique). the former four could possibly be in the krypt or something. so, in order to perform on of these finishing moves on your opponent, you must have had already won a single round, and your victim must be below 10% health. and don't worry, if you whiff your fatality, you'll get another shot at it with a stand-still opponent at the "finish him/her!".

review:

Unique Fatality- command depends on the kombatant (depletes three sections of special bar, three sections of stamina bar, and three sections of magic bar) -if all the criteria is met, your opponent will be defenseless.-

Stage Fatality- command depends on the kombatant (depletes four sections of special bar and two sections of stamina bar) -if all the criteria is met, you may attempt a stage fatality. if your opponent has a full bar of stamina, they will be able to block it.-

Brutality- command depends on the kombatant (depletes one full bar of stamina) -if all the criteria is met, your opponent will be defenseless.-

in addition to all of this, i'd also include three or four costumes for each character, unlockable, playable bosses, though not online, and a story mode that would allow you to fight as all of the kombatants. after all, the bad guys do win every now and then. i'm also adament about including some new, fresh faces. characters from the series, but never made it as a major character, such as Hydro and Tremor. cyber sub-zero should've been Hydro, in my opinion. also, the completion of the first three games' rosters at the very least. including Chameleon, Khameleon, and Motaro.

alright, well that about wraps it up. i'm eager to hear your feedback and responses, if any. i wouldn't say i've put a lot of work into this, but i've definitely thought about it for a long time. so leave any questions, concerns, or constructive criticism if you have mustered the time to read this through. and like i said, if this gets enough attention, i'll post a list of all MK9 kombatant's special moves, and how my control scheme would be incorporated with them.

DLKnightstick (talk) 13:43, March 2, 2013 (UTC)