but the cars aren't random. its a straightaway. you can see and hear the cars coming from a ways off. PPeople need to learn to pay attention to everything, from opponents to surroundings. I know in the age of twitchy easy mode spazzfests like cod and marvel, actually needing to think and pay attention is difficult, but honestly, not once did I have issues with any stage hazards except the pterodactyl. tthe cars and cheetahs have a lot of forewarning before it happens. my point is that arguing that you need to focus on the opponent is a valid point, but trying to say stage hazards detract from that, is not. its like the people trying to say "the problem is sonic runs too fast for the player to keep up", when, no, he just runs too fast for YOU to keep up, and maybe this isn't the game for you. iI have no issue keeping pace and paying attention. A truly random stage hazard, is why does every hit of Milas takedown beatdown get the damage boost on Lab, but Leons doesn't, even though its the exact same attack? That's random. ssorry, but I fly off the handle when someone tries to call something "random", when its clearly just a matter of them not being able to keep up with something that is easily predictable and adaptable. anyways, I'm against watering doa down any more than 5 already has.
Well, like I said, there really isn't a problem with hazards in themselves. I didn't quite phrase it well, but what I mean by 'randomizing factor' is something outside of player control, that can have a notable influence on the outcome of a match. I think the best way to put it is, when something that no participant has control over can decide a round, it becomes unfair.
That's something that many games played at a high level have in common, when you think about it. As much as it may seem so from looking at them, they're not random. Most things that occur are due to the actions of a player, and as such, is a predictable element that can be used to your advantage. They're things that you can plan a strategy around, and as such, again, help encourage competent play. Unless you're Chuggaaconroy or something, cars that just happen to pass by whenever they feel cannot reasonably be planned around.
Like...this really isn't a good stage either, but for example's sake, say there's a cave stage where rocks fall from the ceiling (with the classic ominous growing shadow to serve as a warning) and deal damage if they hit you. If the earthquakes occur at random, even though you have notable warning, it's still simply not fair. It's not something that can be planned around, and as such, being able to benefit from it basically takes dumb luck. If there's a specific area in the stage, however, that you can hit your opponent into and cause them to fall after a delay, that's considerably more fair. You
know that they're going to fall after that area gets hit. It happens every time, and as such, is a predictable element that can be planned around.
That said, all this really only applies to how
fair something is. I've said before, just because something is unfair, doesn't necessarily make it unenjoyable. Nintendo, for example, is a
master at this. Their multiplayer games, in general, are not made to be played at a high level; they're made to be enjoyable with a group of friends. As such, most of them contain randomizing elements that can change the course of a match, making the games basically unfair. However, they're simply made to be fun with friends that can easily be picked up and played. Their random nature can help make up for potential gaps in skill between players, making it exceedingly difficult to predict the outcome of a game and giving it a very "on the edge of your seat" feel.
...So, tl;dr, randomizing factors are unfair, unfair is not necessarily unenjoyable. I'm not even sure if I'm disagreeing with you now.
This ran way longer than I really wanted it to, but oh well...
