Looking And Waiting For Something Special?

Update: Dec 25 - Patience finally pays off?

SC is back! Get ready, fans! http://twitpic.com/3j16ui

Well I'm sure most of you were worried, as all the surprises we've seen so far have been Tekken related! But you were promised something spectacular, and now you finally get what you've been waiting for... Daishi Odashima, Lead designer for the Soulcalibur series has just opened up his own twitter!

Odashima-san used to be a tournament player in Japan back in the Soulcalibur 1 days! Since he's the new director of all things Soulcalibur at Namco, and by his own admission, has the final say on his team; you should follow him on twitter. Merry Christmas everyone?

I say again!! The day has finally come when I can tell you all about it. Soul Calibur is BACK !!

Update: Dec 23 - Katsuhiro Harada recently unveiled a new trailer and character for Tekken Tag Tournament 2. He also promises that more surprises are on the way:

Thanks for tons of comment !! OK next !!
I have something new to tweet about tomorrow night. so get ready!
(Not a footage. But important)

Update: Dec 21 - from Katsuhiro Harada's twitter:

Sorry guys I'm so busy now.
However, I want to show you something within the course of a few days...

Original Post - Namco-Bandai's Katsuhiro Harada has been having a lot of fun with his twitter account lately; their community manager FilthieRich is no different:

Looking and waiting for something special?
Make sure to continue following and tell your friends to stay tuned ....

What could this cryptic message possibly mean? Well that I couldn't really tell you. All I can say is that Namco-Bandai is probably planning some big surprises for the holiday, and you should pay attention to the twitter feeds. Just look at that face... you know he's up to no good!

We'll do our best to keep you updated with any relevant information here on 8WayRun.

 

1. If you release it direct to console and want to patch, get ready for mass spam emails on how to improve the game.
(i.e. Can you give (insert character) a tracking mid that's safe and breaks the gauge in 4?)

2. Closed beta would be good but a true observation of the arcade in Japan (they do have stuff like VF.Net, why not SoulCalibur.net) would help determine what's hot, what's not, what's messed up.

3. It would be wise to tap on the ideas of the community. But it's really hard to dig up a diamond from a beach so it would be wiser to enlist the Japan SC community for suggestions. And they don't really favor playing SC on console due to the space constraints of their homes.

4. If I'm not wrong, Asian countries prefer arcade. So unless they are catering strictly to American and European audience, they should release Arcade version.

So yeah, don't just think about your own country, think about the big picture.

Personally, I'm fine with it either way as long as they got good training mode and patch accordingly.

 

The arcades should be used primarily to beta-test for the console version. On consoles you are limited to two patches, so it would be better to get the balance right first. Having a good arcade port will also generate buzz for console sales, like what happened with SF4. Arcades are in a decline, even in Japan though, so they shouldn't be the main focus. You can also make money through DLC on console with costume parts like you did with SC4. I was sort of disappointed that they didn't make more outfits.

I think the important thing with SCV gameplay is to make it good without making it like every other fighter. Soul Calibur's core features are manuevering, guard impact, and simple execution for the most part. I don't think everyone will agree with this- but I think a large part of SC's appeal, is that you don't really have a large memorization or execution component (outside of just frames and a couple of overhard moves such as Summon Suffering) before you get to the strategic side of the game.

I know Namco isn't going to listen to a random scrub, but if I was going to direct a Soul Calibur game, this approach is how I'd do it.

- Single player would have its main focus be on customizations. I would keep how it was done with SC4, but I would make more, much more, and that would be my DLC focus. I would make sure that the custom souls would be IDENTICAL to the real characters, so they would be tourney legal without problems.

- Instead of guest characters, I would have guest artists designing costumes/characters. Those would be DLC. Costume DLC that can be used on all characters should sell well, and doesn't offend DLC-haters. I wouldn't put it on the disk though, even if it was designed beforehand.

- Gameplay: I would go on the general principles of manuevering (8WR would be good), balance, GI (make it more effective), and simplicity (I'd ease the execution on the hardest moves such as Summon Suffering, balancing them out in different ways). With 8WR and GI being good, I could see turtling becoming an issue , so I'd buff throws slightly by giving them some tracking, having more delayable moves, and by giving grappler chars like Rock G+K throws that need a K break.
Balance would be the tricky part, and the public beta test that is an arcade version is how I'd handle that if I was designing things. The arcade version would have none of the single-player stuff though

- I'd make netcode the best I could. SF4 quality at worst, VF5 quality would be my goal. I'd try to have longish input buffers to help the netcode out, as some of the problem SC4 had with netcode was short input buffers.

 

Super SF4 was released directly to console and was a huge success... I bought the game but just for one thing: excellent online play. If you want to improve in a game you have to be a genius or have a lot of people to play with, and a lot of players doesn't have the chance to use their houses to make gatherings; so focus SC5 in improve the netcode will be very important. I hope they release patches to improve online play in SC4 (and a Broken Destiny for PS3)

 

see above post...arcade release necessary? *points at SSF4*

there is a ton of delusion in this thread. first of all, this is all VERY EARLY speculation.

arcades are dying or dead everywhere in the USA. i can't speak for europe or asia, but i suspect i'd find similar decline worldwide. there is absolutely no way to justify saying that releasing a game to 1/100th of possible buyers/players/investors is a wise decision. financially it is retarded.

as far as beta testing...well like i said, nothing against japanese players, but they have all but abandoned this series. is it because of the lack of release? maybe. but they refuse to adapt to the current climate of gaming worldwide. i do not want them to be the sole testers looking for balance. i want americans and europeans doing it...you know, the people who play and understand the game the best.

how can releasing the game only to people who have long since abandoned the series...exclusively for months or perhaps a year...be a good thing? it can't. simultaneous release? sure, but please oh please stop pushing for arcade as the primary medium for beta testing.

and there WAS a closed sc4 beta and it was hugely helpful and many people from here were part of it. get informed please before spouting off against something.

of course we cannot shrug off tournaments such as SBO and others, but we should not hope for a game adapted to fit them either. i do not know the numbers but i doubt SBO is even bigger than evo, and if it is i KNOW it gets less viewers. hell...do they even stream it at all?

i could go on and on about game features that i would like to see, modes i'd like to see implemented, characters i want etc. etc., but there is no point at this juncture. all we can hope for at this point is that they look only at the volume of support and not at the details or requests of fans.

oh, and.....

HWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANG

 

With me, it's not about just thinking about my own country, but suggestions need to make business sense. Everybody has things that they want to see happen, and I'm not opposed to an arcade release, I just don't see what sense it makes when Calibur is not as popular in Japan and when the largest markets for Soul Calibur are in America and Europe. There's a reason why they went directly to console with the last two games.

I would love the Japanese to be all up on Calibur, but it would have to be exclusive to arcades for a while so operators could turn a profit. You would also need to convince arcade operators to actually buy it. For a game that hasn't seen an arcade release in a long time, that's going to be difficult. You couldn't do something like release the game on console in America and Europe and release in arcades for Asia because people would just go get the console game. And both versions would need to be identical or else people would just play the console version.

If the only reason to release the game for arcades is to patch it, then you can just do that for the console. But what sense does it make to conform an entire game for a market that's not interested in it?

And in the end, it's not up to me. It's up to those who are making and trying to market the game. But the important thing right now is that the next project is a go!

 

We/they are playin SCIV. They've even set up a site were we chat (IM) and stream the online games.
Unless someone's visited or lived in a country I think it's difficult for them to make a comment about it.

Don't think SBO is streamed but they do sell DVDs of em.

SBO 2010 site (now has English) says 28,000 playas were in the comps (includin all the preliminaries they had all over Japan and around the world) and there were 6,000 spectators (over the 3 days they do the finals in Tokyo):
http://www.tougeki.com/main_english
The site also says "Tougeki is the only game competition and event held only in Japan, that people can find enjoyment of competing in dramatic and exciting games. Each one with his own skill, technique, power, and most of all strategy."

Arcades are declining here but not as bad/fast as in the US (I think).

I'm sure arcades would buy a cabinet (cause it's new) or more, the question would be how long will it be popular and remain in the arcade.

Ya, just glad they are makin SCV, Namco will make their choices.
I can have my dreams and and mine is for an arcade release. ; )

 

We don't know everything that goes on in Japan which is why I'm glad that you post here Talim_JP. Plus we don't know what will end up happening, but I am glad to see all this talk about Soul Calibur for a change on here, on other sites, and on Facebook.

http://www.facebook.com/SoulCalibur

Let's all build on it.

 

Ya hype it up, keep up the prac and savor the moment, haha.

I do think that Reno (who is in the Osaka area) is a better person to make comments on Japan cause he knows more about the gamin industry.
HeartNana is also down there and so knows what's up as well.
Unfortunately they don't post much or play much SC (anymore) though.

Thanks though, I try to call em as I see em (and will continue to do so). ; )

 

So quoted for truth. Stop living in the 80s guys. You know the internet got invented and all that. People can PATCH their games if they only want to. Look at Starcraft 2, gets patched all the time to get a balanced game. Its not that hard.

Doc, what has an arcade release whish to do with the 80´s? lol, don´t exaggerate it. ;)

I still want an arcade relase ´cause even nowadays beat um ups based on arcade releases still have the upper hand in the scenes no matter if we live in the time of the "interwebz" or not.

And while you are right that patches could do the same like upgraded arcade-versions, it´s still not! common in japan!

Tekken 6 got multiple patches(arcade) SCIV just one! lol, so even if it is not a technical problem, developers, especially from japan, are not using that method like developers from the west(like blizzard). So it must be a mental thing for japan developers, and that has nothing to do with the time we live in.


History tells you that. The truth is i am aboslutly tired of unbalanced SC games... I really like the SC series, without a doubt, but damn it I! want a balanced game after all those years!! Last chance Namco... bring it.

An arcade first seems to me very important for the future a fighting game. Tekken has one, BlazBlue, SSF4 and so on and so forth. A good number of the Asian countries not just Japan play these games on Arcades, most notably SKorea...the center of esports or televised gaming. Because of this T6 was at WCG this year...the World Cyber Games beat out any other Gaming Tournament on the planet, they're the world cup of gaming.

I agree with this.

 

How much of an upper hand did Tekken 4 had?

BlazBlue started on console and the balance was straight ass, then they released an arcade version and it was a notch above ass but still bad, now they are releasing another arcade version and it's still not great. Street Fighter 4 started out in the arcade, but then they made a major update for the console version which pretty much killed the arcade version. Even with that game the balance wasn't great. It wasn't until releasing SSF4 on the console which was a much better game and where you see all these people playing it and people being sponsored and the like. Now they've taken that console game and update it for the arcade. Releasing a game in the arcade first is not the necessity that it once was.

I see people complain about balance in SC4, but if you take out Hilde and Algol, the balance is like any other fighting game out there. You have your characters that are godlike, those that are great, good, ok, and ass. I don't know why it's always such an issue when Soul Calibur is discussed besides people making it one to serve their argument about how terrible this game is when it's not.

But the key is not whether there's an arcade release or not, the key is whether the game gets the support that it needs regardless of platform. As long as Namco supports the game, it will do well.

 

Uh. BB started on arcade. But whatever. Moving on.

Anyway whether it makes money or not, if you want this shit to be competitive, it needs to be on arcade so Asia can get their game on. I can state for a fact I would likely still be maining this game if it were in arcades. The scene here in Singapore has tapered off immensely because of the difficulty in organising sessions. Fuck. Singapore suffered in SSF4 because it wasn't in arcades and we don't have godlike netplay like Japan. Luckily AE is here now. I'm sure it's the same for Hong Kong.

Right now, I'm instead playing one of the many good games that are in arcade because it's simply easier for us. I get the hunger for 3D a lot though. I've flirted with Tekken so many times now. But I can't stand the controls in that game. So it's pretty much 2D all the way for me right now.

Don't be selfish. "Waaa waa only Europe and America are competitive in this game anyway." Last I checked we were still able to body a lot of you fools even without an arcade edition just out of pure love for the game.

 

BB isn't ass and you all are silly. Hoorah for Sc5. Here's to more Sexy Sets, improvements, updates, and hopefully a beautiful new female character for me. =D

 

I'm wrong about BB starting on console, by CT was ass competitively.

But anyway, the thing I want most is for the most people to play it. It's not about which region is competitive. I just question how popular an arcade release will be when most in that region rather play games like Tekken which is the most popular arcade game by far.

But if having a new arcade game will get Asia to play it, then I am not opposed to it.

 

Shen Yu: Lol, get your ass over here. I'm trying to host weekly sessions now.

I just hope that if they release it for the arcade, the training mode will be as kick ass as (or better than) the current SC4 one.

Btw, according to Arcadia ranking as posted by TalimJP in Japan thread.

Top 10 arcade games from arcadiamagazine.com (Jan):

1. Gundam Extreme / 270.9 pts.
2 Gundam VS. Gundam NEXT / 256.5 pts.
3 Tekken6 BLOODLINE REBELLION / 227.4 pts.
4 BLAZBLUE CONTINUUM SHIFT / 161.3 pts.
5 THE KING OF FIGHTERS XIII / 132.6 pts.
6 Arcana Heart3 / 104.5 pts.
7 THE KING OF FIGHTERS2002 UNLIMITED MATCH / 96.8 pts.
8 STREET FIGHTER IV / 73.1 pts.
9 Virtua Fighter5 FINAL SHOWDOWN / 65.6 pts.
10 BASARA X / 59.0 pts.

 

Blushes. ; )

 

OK, well the arcade debate isn't going anywhere since you all are arguing the same things over and over again and you're not going any furtther than what you've done now.

Pros:
Helps beta test the game
Other games show confirmation that games can be balanced

Cons:
Financially isn't the brightest idea
USA arcade scene is dead

Let's all acknowledge those KEY facts and move on.

For starters, if you want namco to notice what things that should be fixed, why don't you open a thread (in the respective characters Forum of course) on what needs to be improved AND nerfed. Yes, i understand that you want the best for your character, however if you respect the fact that you have things that need to be nerfed then it'll make other players understand that you know your characters and exploits.

Also, Now that we know that SC5 is in the making, everyone should start building our communities back up that way (myself included i am guilty by not providing to our dead TX scene) by the time SC5 comes rolling around, we'd have a (hopefully) a decent sizeable community to prepare and enjoy SC5. And before everyone starts jumping on the bandwagon...

play the game before before you start trying to ban shit. If it's painfully obvious that also gamebreaking, then bring it up, otherwise play the game.

 

OK, well the arcade debate isn't going anywhere since you all are arguing the same things over and over again and you're not going any furtther than what you've done now.



For starters, if you want namco to notice what things that should be fixed, why don't you open a thread (in the respective characters Forum of course) on what needs to be improved AND nerfed. Yes, i understand that you want the best for your character, however if you respect the fact that you have things that need to be nerfed then it'll make other players understand that you know your characters and exploits.

Beautiful Idea....Im on it!!

HRD

 

Aren't we forgetting something else, as we prepare for SC5? Something that single-handedly destroyed the SC4 competitive scene?

Banning protocol anyone?

 

I probably should clarify that I am not against an arcade release by any means. I am however against this notion that the next iteration of my beloved series would be a failure without one. It just seems like, to a lot of people IN THE U.S. that an arcade release is the end all be all of whether this series would be successful/balanced/playable at all. I disagree with this line of thought and actually find it harmful. As far as this new game on a global scale, I understand that it may be needed in an arcade format for it to be succesful so I'm not against that at all. I love the thought of international play and have shown that on a couple of occasions. But these folks here, in the States that keep DEMANDING an arcade release and going on and on about how that is what is making this series fail are delusional.

 

Banning protocol did not destroy this game competitively. Plus this community was split 50/50, so no matter what was decided, the decision would be doomed and hated on.

And regardless of what's decided, organizers will do what they want anyway. Could things have been done better? Maybe. But again, we're getting way too ahead of ourselves talking about bans in a game that hasn't even materialized yet.

Here's what I am going to do: I am going to play the game and have fun. The end.