News We Can Get There, But...

[BlankOctober]

If this needs to be moved, please don't hesitate to do so!



Want some food for thought? Okay:

There is no reason that a game like DOA can't be E-Sports. Why do I believe this? The game is easy to get into and understand, but the meta involved will bring the complexity to the title. Now, there are a couple of problems with the game/community that will prevent us, and any other game suffering from the non money making plague.

1) Koei Tecmo. Instead of fixing ACTUAL issues with the game, they focus on boobie mousepads and free DLC at FREE ENTRY tournaments. They hold Team Ninja back, I believe. I know we hear about the netcode a lot, but it is a pressing issue. We have no valid practice environment unless we live in Texas, New York, or California. Having an online component that functions enough to where real strategies can be formulated. Look at Street Fighter (hint hint)

2) Us. Simply, us. Look, money talks lol. However, no one is willing to put more money for sponsoring and such for a community full of nothing but infighting. The only other community worse than us is League of Legends. Plus, WE DON'T GO TO SHIT. Now I know not everyone has money to travel all of the time, but please guys, go to what you can! Locals, monthlys, your nearest majors. GO. GET OUT OF YOUR 1-BAR, NOT RESPECTING A DAMN THING ABOUT ADVANTAGE/DISADVANTAGE COMFORT ZONE. Stop hiding behind the computer screen talking shit on FreeStepDodge and come get your asses kicked so you can learn, because we need more people who are willing to become great at this game. We also need more professionals. By this, I mean shaking hands, being helpful even if it means that your apprentices will beat you soon, and overall becoming businessmen/businesswomen. You gotta promote a brand. Seriously, if I, someone who's average at best, can be sponsored by a startup company, you all can as well.

We need our company and our players to step up. It's not any one person's fault either, IT'S ALL OF US. We need to ALL take responsibility, and we need to ALL raise each other up.

That what it takes. And no, I'm not a high profile commentator, I just grown to love this game we call DOA. I'm ready to advance. Y'all with me?

 

[Awesmic]

So basically, you're telling us what we already know, which is show up for offline tourneys to support the scene. But at the same time, you want us casual-competitive players (for clarification, people who play the game competitively while still enjoying the casual aspects of the game, including sexy fetish costumes) to magically convert to uber-seriously-competitive, sexy-costume hating drones overnight and boycott everything sexy we see just to address a netcode issue.

That's too extremist for me, so I'll tell you what I'll do. I'll stick to being myself, buy what I like, and still support your offline scene where I can and plead for better netcode. If that's still a problem for you, you know where to find me... on a PM.

 

[RoboJoe]

While I don't really have any proof of this, I guess that DOA has a similar ratio of tournament players to competitive community to casual players as other games. I think what DOA really needs is for more exposure and more people actually playing the game. I don't mean competitively, but rather just playing; period. With more people exposed to the game and playing, the lack of tournament players will naturally correct itself as a percentage of new players transition from casual players to competitive players to players on the tournament circuit. I think trying to force the issue with the non-active competitive players will fail like every other time I've seen someone try a call to arms. I think that most people who want to play at offline events decide that early on and will find a way to do so without the need for someone to convince them. Any effort spent on trying to convince people in this community to go to events that don't already do so is instead better spent on figuring out ways to get new people interested in playing the game.

Also, no I don't think this game will ever be esports if your idea of esports is what I think it is. To be esports, you need mass appeal. Number of people playing is the most important thing, more important than the quality of the game even. Street Fighter and Tekken are the games that have a chance at becoming esports in my opinion, but even then I'm not certain enough people play them for anyone with money to throw around to care.

Sorry in advance if this post is incoherent or if I misread your original post. I'm half-asleep as I'm writing this.

 

[CyberEvil]

DoA doesn't need to go to esports in the traditional sense. DoA needs it's own thing.

 

[synce]

DOA may have a chance if TN completely retools the gameplay and netcode but I don't see it happening. I mean they're still using Itagaki's foundation, which was mostly built around pretty girls and mashing. Most of my IRL friends hate playing any fighting game against me except for DOA, because you can just mash one button and feel like you're doing something. That's really what the series is about IMO - not serious competition.

In any popular competitive fighter you have basic concepts like spacing, poking, punishing, combos etc. In DOA all that stuff serves very little purpose when your opponent can hold. It's not as satisfying to play at high level and it's not that interesting to watch either.

 

[BlankOctober]

DOA may have a chance if TN completely retools the gameplay and netcode but I don't see it happening. I mean they're still using Itagaki's foundation, which was mostly built around pretty girls and mashing. Most of my IRL friends hate playing any fighting game against me except for DOA, because you can just mash one button and feel like you're doing something. That's really what the series is about IMO - not serious competition.

In any popular competitive fighter you have basic concepts like spacing, poking, punishing, combos etc. In DOA all that stuff serves very little purpose when your opponent can hold. It's not as satisfying to play at high level and it's not that interesting to watch either.

WHAT.

 

[Tenryuga]

Blank stop dreaming. The sentiment is appreciated though.

Awesmic and CyberEvil are correct.

Robojoe has the right idea.

Synce needs to stop playing scrubs and fight people that know how to play a fighting game.

 

[BlankOctober]

Blank stop dreaming. The sentiment is appreciated though.

Awesmic and CyberEvil are correct.

Robojoe has the right idea.

Synce needs to stop playing scrubs and fight people that know how to play a fighting game.

That's mad fascist, Ten. My middle finger grows for you.

 

[Awesmic]

WHAT.

He doesn't get the point of your OP.

@synce: All the gameplay changes in the world won't matter if people don't show up and support their offline scene, and that can't be achieved unless people are welcoming and knowledgeable enough to back up their game enough to do so, regardless of how deep the gameplay is. That's the point Blank's trying to make.

If it didn't work for VF in the US scene, it isn't going to work with this. At the very least, DOA has the advantage of appealing to the casual players enough to care about its gameplay, something VF has been struggling to do since VF2 outside of Japan.

 

[BlankOctober]

Well FUCK ME for wanting better. I'll concede.

 

[Tenryuga]

Well FUCK ME for wanting better. I'll concede.

Lmao nah I just we think needa focus on more immediate things that are within our power to work on before talking about DOA becoming esports. Which is why I said your sentiment is appreciated considering you're trying to call people to action.

 

[crapoZK]

(Based on how League of Legends' community is running right now. Yes, I know the community is 100x bigger than ours, but the same rules apply)

There can still be both, I mean, why not? Balance isn't the issue with why there isn't as huge a competitive scene. Let's try and focus on building the community before we talk about having it's own E-Sports following. Team Ninja needs their own Twitch account, so they can show us some stuff, or release patch breakdown videos, with Tom Lee as the commentator, and things like that. Videos dedicated to character breakdowns, tips and tricks, videos dedicated to new moves. Like I said, there can still be the DLC costumes and things, but I feel like that shouldn't be the ONLY thing they should spend their time on.

Hell, even upload fan videos on the official DOA YouTube channel (Of course, the more professional and better presented ones) like how they do on their facebook, but not everybody has a facebook account, but everybody can get access to YouTube, without having to have an account. This also shows that TN cares about their community (Not like they don't, cause they obviously do), and also shows that it has a respectable community. Basically telling the "DOA is for neckbeards and lesbians" people to GTFO.

Also, TN should have forum representatives. That'd be nice because they could answer our questions without leaving some people out, and obviously not giving away too much. Tom Lee could jump on here today, without a penny being spent. If I was TN, I would give little teasers to the community a lot more, to generate more hype, and not just once very 3-4 months, but every time a new character, DLC costume pack, or even balance patch is going to come out.

I'd like to add that there is a DOA sub-reddit. I suggest we get on there too. There are only like 9 active members on it (Out of 403. Damn). And it also needs touching up. I don't really like how it looks at this point in terms of theme, but we can build it.
http://www.reddit.com/r/DeadOrAlive/

Just my personal opinion. Feel free to criticize.

 

[Goarmagon]

I think that people in the "FGC" just want something that they can point at and laugh at and DOA is it more or less. The biggest gripe I get when I try to promote this game in my local community is "MAN I'M NOT PLAYING THAT STUPID ROCK PAPER SCISSORS TITTY FIGHTER BULLSHIT" or something equally misinformed despite the fact that the game they are playing isn't as mechanically sound as they think it is.

I have no clue on how that stigma is going to get broken or how to break it. Team Ninja can remove the fanservice all they want but its not really going to change the opinion of the "FGC" and the holier than thou mindset they have about this game. Its going to do nothing but alienate the fans of the game who were there from day one. I am just trying to find people offline I can play with and show up to events when I can. That's pretty much all I can do and I have made my peace with it.

 

[Yurlungur]

The thing about this game is that there is literally only one scene for doa in my country and usually the people who show up for casuals is @Force_of_Nature , @Xernuht , @StrikerSashi who show up consistently. I'm currently in another city so as much as i'd like too i can't right now since i do love playing this game offline and having ayane turn me into a little salty scrub.

@RoboJoe , @HoodsXx , Angry worm, Teevo and Lost skeleton are the only other people who show up to tournaments. Also there's some little kid who plays lisa...and if i forgot anyone else sorry.

I think i've listed all the doa players in my country who have taken this game seriously enough to attend tournments but if you travel anywhere else like Montreal, Vancouver, Ottawa, Ect. You'll be able to find street fighter(marvel began to die out lately) players and everything else under the sun. This by itself should be telling.

There are a lot of reaons why people don't like doa besides i'd prefer us not doing something like capcom cup and only getting people interested in playing for the money. Most people who play games competitively enjoy it and i'd prefer that happening instead of people who just pick it up for the money and go(which according to others didn't work in the past that well).

 

[KasumiLover]

I don't understand why DOA gets so much hate for all the fanservice....When TTT2 got bikinis as DLC, no one complained. And when mortal kombat 9 sluttified the female fighter's outfits, no controversy or issues surrounding it was seen. People should look past the sexy elements, and discover that DOA is deeper than it lets on in terms of gameplay and difficulty.

 

[Yurlungur]

I don't understand why DOA gets so much hate for all the fanservice....When TTT2 got bikinis as DLC, no one complained. And when mortal kombat 9 sluttified the female fighter's outfits, no controversy or issues surrounding it was seen. People should look past the sexy elements, and discover that DOA is deeper than it lets on in terms of gameplay and difficulty.

Dlc bikini pack was free in tekken and even then the guys ended up getting swimsuits as well
and the females in any netherrealm studio game usually looks ugly as hell

 

[KasumiLover]

Dlc bikini pack was free in tekken and even then the guys ended up getting swimsuits as well
and the females in any netherrealm studio game usually looks ugly as hell

What i mean to say is that in general, all fighting games have at least a little sexualization. That's what game developers use to draw in players, and for male audiences, sexy women will usually draw them in by the dozens. DOA may overdue the sexiness, but you can still play it for the gameplay

 

[Yurlungur]

What i mean to say is that in general, all fighting games have at least a little sexualization. That's what game developers use to draw in players, and for male audiences, sexy women will usually draw them in by the dozens. DOA may overdue the sexiness, but you can still play it for the gameplay

We have a thread for this, if you're curious for the opinions of many people on this wonderful and insightful subject about titties please go here

http://www.freestepdodge.com/threads/doa5-and-sexualization-too-much.5041/

 

[Squizzo]

2) Us. Simply, us. Look, money talks lol. However, no one is willing to put more money for sponsoring and such for a community full of nothing but infighting. The only other community worse than us is League of Legends.

What infighting? This community actually seems really peaceful to me. Go take a look at how they responded to the new girl at the Tekken Zaibatsu forums if you want to see what a real dysfunctional community looks like.

As for doa ever becoming an esport, I wouldn't place that bet. Even FG's like SF, Tekken and MK that have been popular in the west for a long time still don't have enough mainstream popularity to make it in the world of esports. Doa is a million miles from becoming an esport as it stands. I agree with RoboJoe we need to grow the community, even if it is just casuals, what we need is a larger playerbase.

 

[d3v]

DOA only needs one thing to be considered a legit "eSport" - more money.

That said, this game ain't gonna get more money if people don't come out to tournaments. So, in other words, if you want that money, come out to tournaments.