Why are there no good fighting games for iOS?

Discussion in 'General Game Discussion and Questions' started by Keyeszx, Feb 1, 2012.

  1. Keyeszx

    Keyeszx Well-Known Member

    Sep 10, 2011
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    There's street fighter IV volt but it's lacking compared to the original sfiv and then there's the MK one but even then it's still lacking and the controls aren't too good. What do you guys think would be in a good fighting game for iOS?
     
  2. backtothis

    backtothis im in ur base killin ur d00dz
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    King of Fighters and SOULCALIBUR are pretty awesome..

    How is Volt lacking compared to the original SFIV? The online multiplayer more than makes up for anything missing.
     
  3. 0-FeliX-0

    0-FeliX-0 Well-Known Member

    Sep 25, 2011
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    Honestly, the online multiplayer is mostly a curse. So many spammers and such. But the TA members (like me) are great opponents. But yeah, KOF-i is a must-have.
     
  4. Red1

    Red1 Moderator
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    Fight Night Champion (Boxing) is pretty good.
     
  5. Keyeszx

    Keyeszx Well-Known Member

    Sep 10, 2011
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    I was referring to more general fighters such as Soul calibur and sf. The ones with big competitive scenes. Also SFIV Volt doesn't have juri that's how it's lacking. I main juri in case you couldn't tell.

    Also Soul Calibur has no multiplayer from what I heard. That and I'm not that good at 3D fighters. It looks like I should have ignored SFIV and got KOF-i.
     
  6. 0-FeliX-0

    0-FeliX-0 Well-Known Member

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    Just dropping Volt because of no Juri is sort of a poor reason... but who am I to judge? I'll let you know if/when Juri is put into the game. And yeah, KOF-i and Soul Calibur don't have online multiplayer.
     
  7. Keyeszx

    Keyeszx Well-Known Member

    Sep 10, 2011
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    #7 Keyeszx, Feb 1, 2012
    Last edited: Feb 1, 2012
    I'm hating on Volt because it doesn't have the same character roster. Also I think the controls are decent but it feels a little too close. I think an ipad version might have felt a little bit better button space wise.
     
  8. c0re

    c0re Well-Known Member

    Apr 15, 2009
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    #8 c0re, Feb 1, 2012
    Last edited: Feb 1, 2012
    I thought SFIV and KoF were great :)

    Anyway, if you're looking for some other title with a different approach to fighting, I'm currently finishing a very long fighting game project (started in Jan 09), targetted for iOS/Android : http://www.indiedb.com/games/kinetic-damage

    If you're interested in the project, you can check the dev blog, but I can't let myself unveil too many gameplay details (except the basic ones), as a lot of mechanics could be tweaked/changed. I don't want players to be deceived :) But be sure I'm putting tons of work into trying to make it original, fun, and different (fighting game fan myself). Basically I'm trying to insert more tactical choices into the traditional fighting game model, while keeping the "Arcade feel".

    Project is 90% finished to be precise, but I'll start to bring real infos (medias, vids, presentations, etc) once I'll reach the release milestone, so that there won't be any false promise.

    Until then, I'll continue to work hard in my cave :)
    (project is self-funded, so I litterally have to focus 300% on it if I don't want to make it vaporware)
     
  9. jjjmedia

    jjjmedia Well-Known Member

    May 27, 2009
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    You can customize the button placement and transparency.
     
  10. jjjmedia

    jjjmedia Well-Known Member

    May 27, 2009
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    Glad to see you're still working on this! I've been wondering about it. Looking forward to the release! Those level designs are pretty cool :)
     
  11. c0re

    c0re Well-Known Member

    Apr 15, 2009
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    Thank you :)
    Actually I'm not satisfied with the overall graphic quality of 2-3 levels (8 total), I'll make a second pass asap.
    Anyway, the boat is seeing the harbor :)
     
  12. dumaz1000

    dumaz1000 Well-Known Member

    Jun 5, 2010
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    It seems to me there are numerous good fighting games on the iOS. I'm not sure what the issue here is. I hate fighting games. There's no such thing as a good fighting game to me. But, from the outside looking in, I can appreciate the support. There are like 4 major fighting franchises with a presence on the AppStore. If you are questioning the amount of content in comparision to what the console counterparts to these game might offer, that is certainly a nonsensical stance to take. If the controls are an issue, well, touch controls cannot match the precise of physical controls. That limitation can be minimized, but never 100% negated.
     
  13. Keyeszx

    Keyeszx Well-Known Member

    Sep 10, 2011
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    My problem more or less is that there isn't the same content and the controls. Content can slide a little bit but the controls I can't take a back seat to. There are arcade sticks for the ipad and iphone. But I haven't seen a single fighter utilize them. Majority of FGC uses an arcade stick yet the mobile scene can never be taken to the next level if they don't allow the same control. They don't need to try to make good touch controls, the same way they don't try and make good controls for a 6 attack fighting game on a console. They expect people to use an arcade stick. Why can't we get the same luxury?

    To the person making Kinetic Damage, what engine are you using? I'll check it out regardless but I'm also a programmer and have been playing around in UDK for a while but always willing to look into another engine.
     
  14. OutSpoken

    OutSpoken Well-Known Member

    Jul 30, 2011
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    I would love to see more AAA fighting titles on iOS. However I think where most fighting games fall down on iOS is the lack of a mulitplayer, or rather ONLINE multiplayer.

    Games like KOF-I and Soul Calibur would have probably been bigger hits on iOS if they supported online multiplayer.. I love fighters, but even I get bored quickly playing against the arcade.

    As a matter of fact, with SFIV Volt I haven't played a game agaisnt the arcade in months! but I'm always picking it up to play online. I bought KOF-i because of good feedback on here when it launched, but honestly its been residing in my itunes library for a very long time because I have no intentions to play it anymore...why because imo its no fun playing against the arcade all the time.

    Oh and regarding touch controls, I think capcom got the balance right with SFIV Volt.
     
  15. c0re

    c0re Well-Known Member

    Apr 15, 2009
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    #15 c0re, Apr 27, 2012
    Last edited: Jun 11, 2013
    Using Unity3d :)
    It's a good engine, really, I've never found myself unable to produce anything.
    If you want more dev specific feedback, you can find the dev blog here, I try to share as many tips as I can about the whole development adventure (may it be technical, gamedesign, etc).

    The community is rather friendly and helpful, too. You'll be welcome.
     
  16. GeekyDad

    GeekyDad Well-Known Member

    Jan 14, 2012
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    "Why are there no good fighting games for iOS?"

    Answer: Virtual controls for a fighting game.

    There are other factors that make a lot of these games only novelty-worthy, but for me, controls are the main reason. You have a touch screen? Then, make sensible, fun touch controls. The gameplay itself also needs to be modified to suit the interface. But why do that when you can simply slap some virtual controls on there, port it straight over with minimal tweaks, and sit back and rake in the cash while your loyal fans convince themselves they're getting a good deal? People vote with their money, and there simply isn't enough demand for actual good fighting games on iOS. Broken crap is good enough for iOS gamers.
     
  17. syntheticvoid

    syntheticvoid Well-Known Member

    Jun 20, 2010
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    a[V-O-I-D]

    I'm actually a HUGE fan of virtual controls. I've gotten really really comfortable with them over the last couple of years. I do own a couple of consoles (all old-school), so it's not that I'm not use to playing with physical controllers. Over the last year, I've actually become more accustom to virtual controls with platformers. Yes... PLATFORMERS. I actually like the virtual controls in quite a few of them.

    But when it comes to fighting games, I have to completely agree. Pulling off special moves while not knowing exactly where your finger is sitting on the 'joystick' and sometimes having to look down to make sure you're hitting the right 'button' instead of actually being able to feel the buttons, and maneuver the joystick is a MAJOR reason why there are no amazing fighting games on the iOS.

    I do like having Street Fighter, KOF and MvC on my devices... but do they compare to the physical copies? No friggin way.

    The only fighting game I've come across that actually uses the touch screen as a touch screen instead of just slapping buttons on; Puncho Fighto.
     
  18. c0re

    c0re Well-Known Member

    Apr 15, 2009
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    #18 c0re, Apr 27, 2012
    Last edited: Apr 27, 2012
    I can't deny multiplayer does add an incredible amount of game experience, but may I share an opinion about why it is difficult to implement, for the precise case of mobile fighting games :

    Fighting games require a very high reflex-based gameplay. Some actions can be triggered as fast as 100 ms, with strike "launch times" that can be as short as 50 ms.
    Meanwhile, the mobile nature of handheld devices means that any online experience is totally dependent of your local network conditions. The most extreme example would be if you're playing against someone who suddenly goes inside a tunnel, your match is lost.
    Plus, the download upload rate (especially upload) is very often absolutely awful in some zones, or can vary from very consistent to sudden unexplained hickups. Finally, the average ping time (= internet "travel time" of your actions) is around 100-200 ms, sometimes up to 500-1000 ms. So you can imagine the problem when some strikes are as short as 100 ms.

    Considering the above, that means implementing Online mode, and assume a proper support of it, can put into danger nearly half of the gamedesign (unless you chose a super slow character, with lots of hitpoints, so you're not afraid of lag spikes). This doesn't mean that online for mobile fighting games is impossible, but I can understand why some studios don't want to take the risk.
    When you implement a feature, as a dev, you have the responsibility to assure its functionality. I know that tech aware people will understand that network is not under the dev's responsibility, but actually I feel they're not the majority. A lot of people will still complain directly to the dev, and point the fault at him instead of their network, just because they don't necessarly know all the different technical implications in a good online experience.
    It doesn't work = it's the dev's fault. And honestly, I can't really 100% blame that logic, because when you're unaware of technical details, you're not supposed to guess them.

    Personally, I don't know yet if I'll implement Online mode, as it also requires dedicated server renting/maintenance (so more costs, and I'm alone on the project). I'd prefer to have Online mode, as a fan of Online play myself, but I have to seize the cost and amount of work needed (and right now, after 3 years at 12h/day 7d/7, I really need some rest or I'll just die of exhaustion :p).

    So basically, putting Online for a mobile fighting game is exposing yourself as a dev to far more bad (misguided, yes, but still bad) reputation than with less twitch based genres. Capcom is a giant, and they know that SF4 is so good that the number of enthusiasts will outnumber the precise scenario described above. But for less popular games/franchises, it's a trickier decision : will you take the risk to implement a very versatile mode which experience doesn't depend on you, when all the rest of your game is top quality ? (thinking about iKOF, too)

    I hope this helps to understand why some great fighting iOS games (or any super fast paced games) can chose not to implement an Online feature.

    (of course this is a purely personal opinion that engages only myself)
     

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