As we all know, DOA6 is not coming out for another year or two. DOA5's lifespan has been very good if I'm going to be completely honest, but let's be real. With all these other fighting games dropping like hot shit, it's only natural for DOA5 to fall back and fade into the background. DOA6 in my opinion has gotta be the best they can bring out, not necessarily content-wise as when it comes down to it, all fighting games need is a decent netcode (Which DOA5 does not have) and a good training mode (Which DOA does have - just needs minor improvements), but rather mechanically. I have a huge ass wishlist that for me would make DOA6 a sick ass game.
1. Remove the way Open and Closed stances affect attacks:
The concept behind Open and Closed stances is a decent one. However, it doesn't really serve much purpose besides changing the properties of your attacks or (Using Akira as a reference) negatively effecting how you play our character because one move might whiff if you hit one depending in what foot stance you're in. Open and Closed stances were viable in VF, as depending on your footing the direction in which your moves would go would change, and your opponent would need to sidestep your attack in the direction your attack is moving at in order to dodge it and it was crucial to to the system. But as sidestepping dodges moves no matter the direction in DOA, there is no reason to have different move properties on footing. Unless in DOA6, they make the sidestepping as "complex" as VF, no matter what footing you and your opponent are in, the properties of the attack you do should not change.
2. BRING BACK DOA4'S OKIZEME
I cannot stress this enough. As trashy DOA4 was, the Oki in the game was really, surprisingly good. It made staying on the ground more of a scary position to be in and disadvantageous. From memory, there was no invisibility on the ground until force-tech, tech rolls or the roll leading to a wake-up kick and you could be force-teched from moves that had ground hit properties. And they were viable. You could only be hit on the ground twice and after two attacks, your opponent would've been FT'd. You couldn't tech if a psuedo-FT connected on you, so the second hit could connect and complete the FT. If an attack slammed you on the ground from a combo (e.g. Kasumi's ), you wouldn't be able to tech right away. You'd be hit by the second and forced-teched. This created multiple setups, and it kept good offense. It really added a danger factor to being knocked on the ground compared to what the Oki is in DOA5LR.
3. Include a maximum amount of times you can fail hold during stun:
DOA's triangle system is amazing. However it is tainted by those pricks who spam hold directions after every single hit when being an a stun position. As easy to read as it is with HiC Throws, it's just boring I suppose. I know at high-level play it isn't like this but the fact it's abusable like the way it is is simply jarring. All that needs to be done to stop the horseshit is to add a Critical Hold Limit into the next DOA. Like what the subtitle suggests, there would be a set maximum amount of times you can attempt to hold if stunned. I would say 3 times would be the perfect amount. After failing 3 times, you are open to a Critical Burst setup, HiC throws, or anything else. This enforces the player to think more about HOW they hold, and not to use it as a fallback mechanic in a panic. Holds would be more of a read system than a typical combo breaker.
4. Enable dash cancelling of sidesteps:
Do it like VF, and not like Tekken where characters frantically are moving on the screen (I love Tekken for this but it wouldn't work in DOA lmaoooo). After a few frames of a sidestep, I wish we could cancel it into a dash (Standing Forward or Standing Back. Crouch dashing would be disabled.) so that we aren't forced to either wait until the full animation is over to do a move that isn't a From Sidestep or do a sidestep attack. Imagine sidestepping an attack you predicted, then dash cancelling it to do a throw for punish? Shiiiiiiit my g.
5. Bring Character's attacks back in a new way:
In DOA3 and 4, a lot of characters had moves with a motion, which sidestepped the opponent's attack, and countered them. Some of these moves actually put enemies off-axis when performed. As / is now an option for sidestepping, these moves aren't possible to bring back like that. So it would be easier to include them as their own attacks with different buttons. These moves were quite viable. Just make em unsafe (Over -7) when blocked. I know Tina got hers, so why not the rest xD
6. Offensive Sidestepping:
This is borrowed from VF5:FS but it's a lit mechanic.
Press whilst sidestepping to quickly dash to the side towards your opponent to do offensive sidesteps. Offensive sidesteps are very good against people who tech roll to either side as you can continue your KD pressure. OSs would not get sidestep attacks, and any attack the enemy does after the OS would track to you and get CH effect if used incorrectly. This would be to make the movement less cheap and actually punishable. However they have decent recovery but cannot be dash cancelled. Basically, you don't want to do this in neutral or if the enemy knows how to download that shit.
7. Include Crouching Recovery;
Let me get up and put myself in a crouching state instantly, dammit. xD
The consequence for it is getting hit by mids, but dodging highs and throws is good.
8. Make Blocking transition from Back-Turned Instant:
When back turned, it's already a disadvantage. If I am in a safe BT position () and I know that the enemy is going to an attack me, and I press , I should turn around and block it instantly. As in, there is no interval frames to show my character turning around to block. They will be front facing and blocking on impact.
9. Make Stand Block > Crouch Blocking & vice-versa against attacks instantaneous, and increase general speed in Neutral Stand Block > Crouch Block:
I'mma use this quote because I know WAZAAAAA would be able to explain this better than I could lmaoooo
10. Take out Power Blows entirely or fix when you can do them and how they work:
As fun as they were in DOA5, its just another comeback mechanic. They look cool, but again, it's a comeback mechanic. You'd be able to do them at 50% health. If PBs stay, it would be better for the player to be at 30% or 25% so that it really is a last-ditch effort. Also let's not make them sidestep cancellable. Only because of the new sidestep mechanics, they would become broken. PB'ing in DOA6 would be a risky commitment and not something you charge up and cancel constantly in neutral game. They also need to be really really really unsafe. As in really unsafe. As in the "At risk of being hit by a PB or free launched if blocked" kinda unsafe. The guard break on PBs will be removed. The pro to PBs in DOA6 is that they absorb only one attack when charging, like an armour. I know I know I know I know that's very scrubby, but with all the other scrubby shit we tryna get rid of in DOA6 we gotta give the scrubs one thing. However, the armour is only in effect when the move is charging, after the wind effect has indicated ability to release and does not absorb lows, or throws. If you throw a person who is charging a PB, they will get Hi-Counter thrown, and now with the bar being red at 30 or 25%, they will most likely die. Before the wind effect comes out they will not get any armour at all and will get hit like a regular CH. As soon as you start charging the PB, the health bar stops glowing red, meaning you can't do it again. Even if you get countered when charging, there is no opportunity to attempt again. High-Risk-High-Reward, you know?
(I've got more. I'll update later xD. Feel free to roast me on these mechanic changes)
Don't get me wrong, DOA what it is now is still solid and dope. I'm not complaining at all.
1. Remove the way Open and Closed stances affect attacks:
The concept behind Open and Closed stances is a decent one. However, it doesn't really serve much purpose besides changing the properties of your attacks or (Using Akira as a reference) negatively effecting how you play our character because one move might whiff if you hit one depending in what foot stance you're in. Open and Closed stances were viable in VF, as depending on your footing the direction in which your moves would go would change, and your opponent would need to sidestep your attack in the direction your attack is moving at in order to dodge it and it was crucial to to the system. But as sidestepping dodges moves no matter the direction in DOA, there is no reason to have different move properties on footing. Unless in DOA6, they make the sidestepping as "complex" as VF, no matter what footing you and your opponent are in, the properties of the attack you do should not change.
2. BRING BACK DOA4'S OKIZEME
I cannot stress this enough. As trashy DOA4 was, the Oki in the game was really, surprisingly good. It made staying on the ground more of a scary position to be in and disadvantageous. From memory, there was no invisibility on the ground until force-tech, tech rolls or the roll leading to a wake-up kick and you could be force-teched from moves that had ground hit properties. And they were viable. You could only be hit on the ground twice and after two attacks, your opponent would've been FT'd. You couldn't tech if a psuedo-FT connected on you, so the second hit could connect and complete the FT. If an attack slammed you on the ground from a combo (e.g. Kasumi's ), you wouldn't be able to tech right away. You'd be hit by the second and forced-teched. This created multiple setups, and it kept good offense. It really added a danger factor to being knocked on the ground compared to what the Oki is in DOA5LR.
3. Include a maximum amount of times you can fail hold during stun:
DOA's triangle system is amazing. However it is tainted by those pricks who spam hold directions after every single hit when being an a stun position. As easy to read as it is with HiC Throws, it's just boring I suppose. I know at high-level play it isn't like this but the fact it's abusable like the way it is is simply jarring. All that needs to be done to stop the horseshit is to add a Critical Hold Limit into the next DOA. Like what the subtitle suggests, there would be a set maximum amount of times you can attempt to hold if stunned. I would say 3 times would be the perfect amount. After failing 3 times, you are open to a Critical Burst setup, HiC throws, or anything else. This enforces the player to think more about HOW they hold, and not to use it as a fallback mechanic in a panic. Holds would be more of a read system than a typical combo breaker.
4. Enable dash cancelling of sidesteps:
Do it like VF, and not like Tekken where characters frantically are moving on the screen (I love Tekken for this but it wouldn't work in DOA lmaoooo). After a few frames of a sidestep, I wish we could cancel it into a dash (Standing Forward or Standing Back. Crouch dashing would be disabled.) so that we aren't forced to either wait until the full animation is over to do a move that isn't a From Sidestep or do a sidestep attack. Imagine sidestepping an attack you predicted, then dash cancelling it to do a throw for punish? Shiiiiiiit my g.
5. Bring Character's attacks back in a new way:
In DOA3 and 4, a lot of characters had moves with a motion, which sidestepped the opponent's attack, and countered them. Some of these moves actually put enemies off-axis when performed. As / is now an option for sidestepping, these moves aren't possible to bring back like that. So it would be easier to include them as their own attacks with different buttons. These moves were quite viable. Just make em unsafe (Over -7) when blocked. I know Tina got hers, so why not the rest xD
6. Offensive Sidestepping:
This is borrowed from VF5:FS but it's a lit mechanic.
Press whilst sidestepping to quickly dash to the side towards your opponent to do offensive sidesteps. Offensive sidesteps are very good against people who tech roll to either side as you can continue your KD pressure. OSs would not get sidestep attacks, and any attack the enemy does after the OS would track to you and get CH effect if used incorrectly. This would be to make the movement less cheap and actually punishable. However they have decent recovery but cannot be dash cancelled. Basically, you don't want to do this in neutral or if the enemy knows how to download that shit.
7. Include Crouching Recovery;
Let me get up and put myself in a crouching state instantly, dammit. xD
The consequence for it is getting hit by mids, but dodging highs and throws is good.
8. Make Blocking transition from Back-Turned Instant:
When back turned, it's already a disadvantage. If I am in a safe BT position () and I know that the enemy is going to an attack me, and I press , I should turn around and block it instantly. As in, there is no interval frames to show my character turning around to block. They will be front facing and blocking on impact.
9. Make Stand Block > Crouch Blocking & vice-versa against attacks instantaneous, and increase general speed in Neutral Stand Block > Crouch Block:
I'mma use this quote because I know WAZAAAAA would be able to explain this better than I could lmaoooo
Blocking from standing to crouching (and viceversa) takes several frames. This artificial delay makes the game more guess based, punishes good reflexes and makes the controls feel slow. Bass has the best example to show how problematic this can get. Try Blocking Bass' 3P+KT and then crouch the throw by holding DownBack: you can't. The throw will hit you because the blockstun and the standing to crouching transition are too long.
The game is subject to a wide range of unavoidable delays already: online latency, TV/monitor lag, controller/converter delays, the in-game 1 frame move delay while not lying on the floor (to properly detect multi inputs move such as 2H+P+K), and more.
SOLUTION: we don't need an artificial delay to the blocking action. All StandBlock>CrouchBlock and CrouchBlock>StandBlock switch frames transitions should be reduced to 1 frame (instantaneous). This would also remove the need to Fuzzy Guard through the awkward "334" input to bypass the transition
10. Take out Power Blows entirely or fix when you can do them and how they work:
As fun as they were in DOA5, its just another comeback mechanic. They look cool, but again, it's a comeback mechanic. You'd be able to do them at 50% health. If PBs stay, it would be better for the player to be at 30% or 25% so that it really is a last-ditch effort. Also let's not make them sidestep cancellable. Only because of the new sidestep mechanics, they would become broken. PB'ing in DOA6 would be a risky commitment and not something you charge up and cancel constantly in neutral game. They also need to be really really really unsafe. As in really unsafe. As in the "At risk of being hit by a PB or free launched if blocked" kinda unsafe. The guard break on PBs will be removed. The pro to PBs in DOA6 is that they absorb only one attack when charging, like an armour. I know I know I know I know that's very scrubby, but with all the other scrubby shit we tryna get rid of in DOA6 we gotta give the scrubs one thing. However, the armour is only in effect when the move is charging, after the wind effect has indicated ability to release and does not absorb lows, or throws. If you throw a person who is charging a PB, they will get Hi-Counter thrown, and now with the bar being red at 30 or 25%, they will most likely die. Before the wind effect comes out they will not get any armour at all and will get hit like a regular CH. As soon as you start charging the PB, the health bar stops glowing red, meaning you can't do it again. Even if you get countered when charging, there is no opportunity to attempt again. High-Risk-High-Reward, you know?
(I've got more. I'll update later xD. Feel free to roast me on these mechanic changes)
Don't get me wrong, DOA what it is now is still solid and dope. I'm not complaining at all.
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