DOA6 New Gameplay Mechanics Revealed

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Try to keep an open mind as the footage is an early build of Dead or Alive 6, and we are slowly piecing the mechanics together the best we can with the information we have available to us. DOA6 will be available for us to play at EVO this year so observation is clearly welcomed by Team NINJA.

At 3:30 PM Pacific Time a stream from IGN is expected to help us make some sense of today's Famitsu interview with Shimbori that revealed several new mechanics to the DOA formula. Most developers copy and paste the predecessor, but the sixth installment of our game will have plenty of new mechanics, coupled with the elements we loved most from DOA5LR. Let's take a quick peep at what's new:

Critical Bursts, Power Blows and Power Launchers are gone!

When it came to the hand to hand combat, with no environmental damage in the picture, the critical bursts felt like a really special part of DOA. Hopefully this new system will blow our minds. How do you feel about this change?

New Mechanic: Side Attack

The side-step will not be taken out, but replaced with something else. You must release and follow up with the new Special button (H+P+K) which is detailed to some degree in the Famitsu Interview. The S button will be conducive to several new mechanics in the game. You can attack while avoiding a straight hit, but it always forces you to commit, so there is risk for the person side-stepping. A successful hit at close range will result in major damage. The stage will also be dependent on how damage is dealt. Seems like timing will mean everything.

New Mechanic: Break Gauge

If you watched the trailer, you may have noticed an additional bar under the HP. That's the break gauge and it fills up as you deal damage according to the Japanese translation of the interview. It also accumulates or freezes depending on your success with hold game duing the fight. When the bar fills up you will have access to "Break Hold" and "Break Blow." How they handle the holds will probably be one of the more complex topics of this new Break Gauge mechanic.

New System: Fatal Rush/ Auto Combo ( S, S, S, S )

Pressing that Special button continuously is an activity all characters can trigger.... the first hit will initiate a Fatal Stun, which puts the opponent in an unprotected state, and the normal hold can not be performed. If your gauge bar is filled you can use "Break Blow" on the last hit. Another interesting tidbit of information is that this auto combo will not cost from the break gauge, thankfully these moves are expected to be highly unsafe on block and are not invincible.

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New System: Break Blow ( + S )

As mentioned this works by filling up the break gauge and spending it all. This is the special cinematic punch that breaks the face of your opponent and is also confirmed by Shimbori to tear clothes. This can beat high and medium attacks, and can even break throws! A technique Shimbori calls the "invincible attack." This move can also be incorporated with an air juggle and the environment. Though it's a strong move, Break Holds can beat it, and lows can too.

New System: Break Hold ( + S )

It sounds like this mechanic will let you hold anything from any stage! This could be absolutely wonderful for dealing with people that love spamming the same moves over and over. This will make even the fastest characters think twice. You move behind the opponent, and do damage to them as you do it, hopefully they are all unique animations for all characters.

Famitsu was able to let us in on a lot of new information this early on, so to me this game will have little chance of delay and will be changing our lives in 2019. Sometime after the IGN stream I will edit this story with new details of the mechanics and also include a new write-up pertaining to the returning characters and how they will play differently from their DOA5 counterparts.

Please look no further than FSD for high quality content, tournament write-ups, news updates and an active forum that has been the most trusted source for DOA competitive play. Let's get hype!

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That's a really weird way of looking at it.

The sidestep itself, fundamentally does not do what you describe. The attack afterwards would.

An offensive hold is slow, however, and would have to be started BEFORE the enemies attack in most cases. A sidestep, on the other hand, would typically have to start after the attack had begun, less there would be a re-track. Different situations would call for it which is why one is considered an offensive move and the other defensive.

 

The super meter is also something that’s very disappointing to me, I don’t really see DOA as a game where supermeters belong. I like the breakblow but I hate the fact that it’s basically an invincible attack that can you not be beat by lows and the special hold. Talking about holds I really do not see the use of regular holds anymore now they’ve introduced the S hold.

This misses the fact that they're meter powered. Any time meter is added to a fighting game, meter management becomes a thing - especially when said meter has to be used to power different things, as is the case here. At the very least, players will have to think about whether they should use a Break Hold to get out of a combo, or if they should save the meter for a Break Blow

At the very least, this is a better choice than what we got with 5, where you're choice was of damage vs more damage, from the exact same situation (where the answer was obvious, if you did get a CB, then usually the correct answer was to go for a PL to get more damage).

The auto combo is probably the thing I hate the most about 6. DOA is already a game that’s easy to pick up for new players and is fun to learn. so why add a special button that they can just mash. This gives them more reason to not learn the game at all. Why would casual players even put effort into improving when they can just spam the auto combo. It might not be all that useful and unsafe but it’s still one of the most stupidest things I’ve heard. It’s so easy to do combo’s in DOA already so why they added a auto combo goes beyond me.

Missing the important thing that Fatal Rush adds -- Fatal Stun. This means you now have a tool to for players to try to Break Hold, wherein you can now bait them out. Baiting out meter powered options is an important part of games with meter, and meter management. In any system where you continue to give defending players option, even after situations where they've lost out on neutral, it's important to be able to give attacking players ways to limit those options.

They’re removing all the good things and replace them with something shitty.

Meter is a way better implementation than what they did in 5. That game's PB/PL system was tied to a pure comeback system. You only gained access to those options once you hit 50% life - conversely, you were rewarded for getting hit, but not attacking. Meter is a way better implementation (notice how 2D games mostly dropped health based "desperation move" systems in favor of meter) since it actually rewards offense as well (on top of actually giving a meaningful choice between Break Blow and Break Hold, over the non-choice of Power Launcher over Power Blow).

 

The question I have is if you bait out a Break hold and get a HCT will it reset their bar because if it doesn't then... baiting it is kind of pointless in a way. I also wonder if the hold animation is any different so that you can distinguish from if they're going to regular hold or Break hold.

 

At the very least, this is a better choice than what we got with 5, where you're choice was of damage vs more damage, from the exact same situation (where the answer was obvious, if you did get a CB, then usually the correct answer was to go for a PL to get more damage).

That's an unfair simplification. For example, I had a choice to use a PB/PL after a crit burst for max damage, but I also had the option to save it for neutral. Ryu's PL could crush mids, and was actually a fairly useful surprise attack that way.

 

The concept is that offensive holds can interrupt an opponent before the beginning of a string or during a string which is the same concept of side-steps except it prevents excess hi-counter damage.

They can... but this is highly impractical... for two reasons actually...

Offensive Holds are extremely slow... twice as slow as normal Throws if I remember correctly... if you wanted to interupt a string with one... there would need to be a pretty big gap in there... so big that you would need to know exactly what string it is... and if you new that you could just hold it instead... Better Reward.

2ndly, the standard Input for most Character's Offensive Hold (Except for Bayman) is . Its not as compex as an SRK but still takes a few split seconds to whip out... especially if your thumb isn't already on the button.

Its just not pracrical or even beneficial to try to and use Offensive Holds interchangeably with Sidesteps.

 

The question I have is if you bait out a Break hold and get a HCT will it reset their bar because if it doesn't then... baiting it is kind of pointless in a way. I also wonder if the hold animation is any different so that you can distinguish from if they're going to regular hold or Break hold.

Everything that uses meter, consumes that meter whether or not it hits, whiffs, or gets blocked.

That's an unfair simplification. For example, I had a choice to use a PB/PL after a crit burst for max damage, but I also had the option to save it for neutral. Ryu's PL could crush mids, and was actually a fairly useful surprise attack that way.

But that's still nowhere near as meaningful as having to save meter because it powers different options used for different situations. There's having a powerful meter powered option that has multiple uses. Then there's having said useful meter powered option, tempered by having meter also power other options that you may want to use instead of said first option.

Take for example, SA2 Chun-Li in 3rd Strike. SA2 is a very powerful option that it not only good in combos/confirms, but also enables option selects, and negates projectiles, on top of allowing players to combo into a reset (which can lead back into it) afterwards. It's to the point where it's said that the matchup against her becomes harder (most going from 6:4 to 7:3) when she has meter However, Chun-Li's only reversal is EX SBK which, as an EX move, also needs meter. In fact, it's been said that the way to balance Chun would be to just take out one stock of her meter, partly so she can't just reversal with EX SBK and still have meter for SA2.

 

You misread. I know other games have it but it's more a VF thing than DOA thing.

We don't really need it, DOA1-4 didn't have sidesteps. Plus DOA6 has that new side attack mechanic anyway

DOA does need it or do you like races of who gets the first CH? You saying DOA doesn't need a basic a mechanic that can be found in other 3D fighting games is crazy. We need to stop thinking we are so special when the game has fundamental flaws with it. Unless you think everyone having negative frames on hit on their jab is great game design. Having a side attack is so unnecessary when you could add in a regular sidestep. All the top players have said this, not only Rikuto. TN is trying to play levels of 4D chess similar to Nintendo of where they think they know more than everyone when they don't.

Besides adding an SS makes the game more interest than just blocking linear moves and then punishing with a throw.

 

Speaking of sidesteps, @MrWah pointed out on the FB group that, in the Japanese video, Zack's side step attack evaded Helena's 66PK. He's speculating that this means that, even if strings retrack, sidesteps will be invulnerable as long as they're linear attacks.

 

But that's still nowhere near as meaningful as having to save meter because it powers different options used for different situations.

Well, yeah, sure. I mean you can make meter used for everything, including walking, blocking, attacking, etc. Then it'd be really "meaningful."
It would also be shit. Because meters are shit.

 

Well, yeah, sure. I mean you can make meter used for everything, including walking, blocking, attacking, etc. Then it'd be really "meaningful."
It would also be shit. Because meters are shit.

Brute... we talked about this.... theres got to be a better way of phrasing that in a less condescending tone...

And yeah I agree...

 

The function of the offensive hold (catch grab) is so you can 'catch' the timing of your opponents strikes if they delay their strings. Delayed strings are how you open an opponent up because the opponent has to judge whether you free cancelled or delayed the string of your move thus provoking the player to either grab which the delayed string would win, Strike which also the delayed string would win, counter which a delayed string would win even Side-Step which a delayed string would win. If a player reads the timing of the delayed string they can Offensive Hold (catch grab) them before the next move in a string without having to speculate which counter to hit. In contrast if the player reads the Offensive Hold they can grab the opponent without waiting for them to counter

Yeah... remember I said Offensive Holds were slow... If one wants to punish delays then Strikes work significantly way better in that area...

Don't get me wrong... back when I mained Tina I ceased every opportunity to get a grab instead of a Strike... other wise why bother with a grappler.... but Strikes are still the better option in that area.

 

Everything that uses meter, consumes that meter whether or not it hits, whiffs, or gets blocked.

That's how it works in other games yeah but I saw no implications of that in the gameplay / trailer vids we were given as to why I asked / thought of the question. Considering it's a hold and not an attack it's still a bit of a gray area on whether we know or not. Hopefully it does consume meter like you said but atm no clue. Like using it out in the open would meter just be gone? Makes me wonder. TN has never implemented something like this so I'm honestly skeptical

I think people are getting confused on how OH worked... You could only and I repeat, only use them during windows of advantage if you wanted to free cancel a string and go into it as a mixup. Otherwise OH get beaten out by strikes cleanly everytime. This is due to how slow the active frames of an OH comes out as opposed to a hold. It's why character's like Leifang, Tina, Bass etc had to set up "pseudo frame traps" throughly mainly guard breaks + conditioning in order to OH and have it connect. Otherwise you'd just be hit on NH for trying it.

In some cases using it as a means to force a NH weren't too bad provided you knew who you tried using that on as some characters had deep stuns on NH still while other's didn't. All in all It's still a gamble of a move.

 

DOA does need it or do you like races of who gets the first CH? You saying DOA doesn't need a basic a mechanic that can be found in other 3D fighting games is crazy. We need to stop thinking we are so special when the game has fundamental flaws with it. Unless you think everyone having negative frames on hit on their jab is great game design. Having a side attack is so unnecessary when you could add in a regular sidestep. All the top players have said this, not only Rikuto. TN is trying to play levels of 4D chess similar to Nintendo of where they think they know more than everyone when they don't.

Besides adding an SS makes the game more interest than just blocking linear moves and then punishing with a throw.

You completely missed the point of what I was getting at so I'm moving on

 

That's how it works in other games yeah but I saw no implications of that in the gameplay / trailer vids we were given as to why I asked / thought of the question. Considering it's a hold and not an attack it's still a bit of a gray area on whether we know or not. Hopefully it does consume meter like you said but atm no clue. Like using it out in the open would meter just be gone? Makes me wonder. TN has never implemented something like this so I'm honestly skeptical

It was already mentioned here.

http://www.freestepdodge.com/threads/doa6-trailer-and-gameplay-breakdown.7063/page-2#post-369121

 

The OH allows a grab in neutral because otherwise the only way to achieve a grab would be to rely on blocking an opponents strings (which in some cases is safe & cannot be grab punished) & waiting for them to counter.

Or... you know.... just throw them if you think they're on the defensive...

The OH contains properties which use is to beat strikes. By using it in a combo it would be impossible for an opponent to mash afterwards & by using it before a combo you have an opportunity to beat an opponents strikes before they begin-without having to rely on which counter to hold
Every character deserves at least one

Yeah and if an opponent knows this... They can just Retaliate with a Throw instead of a Strike...

For the most part... the Holds, Strikes & Throws are more or less in equilibrium. Right now its standard for people to mash out strikes while they are stunned just in case their opponent tries to throw them... this might give them a Hi Counter Strike... so its natural to use an Offensive Hold instead... just like you said.... but if they know this then they can just mash out Throw while they're stunned and Hi Counter Throw the Offensive Hold if they try it...

This is the cyclical nature of the Triangle System at work.... Offensive Holds are only good because the current meta has conditioned people to expect a throw..... if this catches on then the meta will evolve and Then throws will be good because people will have been conditioned to expect Offensive Holds...

In reality... they're all good and they're all terrible... this is determined by which ever tactic is currently dominating the current meta.


This also applies to how Team Ninja setup the Wake Up kicks... on the surface... the Mid Wake Up Kick seems stronger because they're safe and lead to a possible follow up if they land on counter hit. Of course your opponent knows this and rather than Blocking or Avoiding the mid Wake Up Kick... they may walk up and try to Hold it...

This makes the much crappier, Highly Punishable Low Wake up Kick stronger in the Meta Game.

thats what I love about DoA... its a psychological experiment designed to test how well you can determine what your opponent is thinking using information you both possess... turning dumb decisions into Great Decisions... like throwing on Wake Up.

 

This makes OH valid mechanic because it contains a practical use in the neutral while also serving a use in the meta where a player is rewarded for its proper use & punished for its improper use.

I'm still not clear on what you mean by "Proper Use".

Both players can achieve (relatively low damage) Offensive Holds which is more fair than giving too ease of access to combos that do excessive damage.

Here I just got lost... don't know what this means.

Players have discredited the use of auto-combos but essentially a SS attached with a command stun is an auto-combo. That doesn't mean it should be removed but that the damage output would have to be reduced in contrast with ease of access; or else we might as well have a command "press start to win".

This depends on what you mean by "Ease Of Access"... something things are difficult to access because of execution and other things are difficult to access because of Resources.

The damage scaling is much more fair in circumstances where an OH can be used compared to a SS stun. This is why Side-steps require a blow-back mechanic now; to prevent excess damage & put players back in neutral where the rewards are earned by recognizing the timing/patterns of an opponents moves compared to letting a player do a string so that an easy side-step can be achieved.

This is unnecessary because DoA has always had a method to prevent excessive damage in almost any method of getting a stun...

Also it seems like you're implying Side Steps & Offensive Holds can be used in the same situations.... they are way too different for that in my opinion. Given how slow Offensive Holds are... you need a considerable amount of advantage before you consider using one... essentially making them unfit for defensive purposes....

Side Steps (with ir without being forced to commit to an attack) on the Other hand, are similar to regular Holds... They evade linear Strikes instantaneously... making them valuable in disadvantaged situations... making them more or less appropriate for use in a defensive situation.

Analysis: The Consequences of Reducing the Skill Gap

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https://www.youtube.com/w

I've watched these Videos a bunch of times... and if there's on thing I'm sure of... Gerald doesn't get DoA... very few other FG players do...

 

So why would counters be necessary in a game of side-steps?

Because stuns....

You are way over thinking these things man. A side step is a side step and an OH is an OH. I don't get why you're trying to weave in these weird thought processes for two mechanics that are in no way shape or form even remotely similar.

 

Well...if you give OHs to everyone, that pretty much throws away the uniqueness of those certain characters to an extent (Ex: Leifang, etc.).

 

There is something to be said for flattening unique mechanics in favor of just having unique movesets instead. Easier to balance too. I do prefer characters have unique hooks though. Advanced holds for only a few, sabakis for a few, et al.

 

My main argument is that Offensive Holds are exclusive to certain characters. Offensive holds are a part of the system of DoA much like side-steps & everything else being introduced; every character should have access to one

I'll admit that I missed having one for Hitomi. It gave me stronger options in doa4 after a parry and when they removed the unblockable from 6f+p on hi-counter throw in 5 I would have loved to have had the OH mix up there as well.

With that being said, I don't agree with the idea of every one having an OH. It should remain unique to certain characters, primarily being a tool for slower characters (grapplers.) In no way should faster characters ever have them imo. Instead of standardizing a tool, they should focus on giving everyone unique tool sets like giving Hitomi her unblockable back for example.