So here we have another issue: if the cool factor introduced by Focus is so great, why are we limiting its usage? Rather, what reason does the player have to use basic fighting techniques aside from building Focus?
Thing is, for most beat-em-ups, the combos and finishers are "payoff" for responsible "button-mashing", and are in fact extensions of that gameplay. What I want to know is how the Focus combat will parallel the non-Focus combat, because having Focus as the climax to basic mashing is certainly doable (it's been done to an extent), but I feel the ultimate goal would be to have seamless, streaming combat. Can we extend the involvement and freedom presented in Focus into the normal gameplay?
Probably not. As mentioned much earlier in the thread, there's a very low limit to how much waggling one should do, and the Wii-chuk setup is not optimal for the complex button combinations required by the complex fighting system we are imagining here.
I think this would be a good place to use the pointer system previously proposed, actually. Rather than being the mechanic for selecting Focus targets, the pointer can be used for the run-of-the-mill mass combat. I think the primary issues in beat-em-ups, especially one like this, are precise and reliable targeting methods. Assuming a sensibly designed field of vision and number of enemies, the pointer would make a great way to quickly select individual enemies off the screen without:
- fumbling through an invisible queue of targets
- accidentally losing sight of your other target
- muddling use of the control stick with both movement and gestural input
Imagine a scenario where the player is faced with several enemies. In the midst of attacking one enemy, the player wants to switch to another target. Rather than pushing and shoving the control stick or some fickle targeting reticule, he can simply move his pointer to the desired target and immediately begin attacking. This all happens in real time, outside of Focus.
The best part about such an immediacy is that it deals away with my biggest gripe about beat-em-ups: the mooks in the background, the guys who walk around looking stupid while waiting for "their turn". It's a staple of old action movies when fight choreography and cinematography weren't as advanced; it irks me to see this come up in modern video games. It's so prevalent, in fact, that
you can do some more-or-less formal research on it. The main reason beat-em-up games have this setup is because of limited player awareness; I contend that it is not the player's awareness that is limited, it is game design that is unable to account for a human's full scope of awareness and cunning.
With that said, how does non-Focus combat do this with the pointer? As I said, it removes a player's concern about the control scheme, letting them freely select targets as they come into sight. In fact, this pointer-based scheme could deal away with manual movement altogether: given good pathfinding algorithms, a player could chart his path around a group of enemies by point-click-attacking a series of different enemies, bouncing around a mob with intelligent ferocity, rather than leaning in some direction and praying it works. The speed and precision of the pointer allows a player to quickly react to counterattacks, sneak attacks, and opportunities without having to go into Focus mode, which is tailored for more specific situations such as when dealing with a single, constant target or enemy.
Imagine this: the player has five enemies to deal with, A, B, C, D, and E. The Player decides to kill E first, who is covered by the others. Player lays into A, but is approached from behind with a sneak attack by B. A quick point and click, while A is still reeling, sends out a backhand to B. The player decides to leave A alone, because his real target is E, and he wants to get there. In a split-second, the player can point and click to C and D to incapacitate them or push them aside, and finally click on E. The player establishes contact with E, initiates Focus, and before A or B can get back up, E's cervical vertebrae are beyond a chiropractor's help.
From start to finish, there is only attack, attack, attack, never an awkward moment where the player pauses to look around to see who's coming, or to realign their character's facing direction.
A number of martial arts emphasize awareness: at any given moment, an attack can come from any direction, and a fighter is prepared to move, block or counter appropriately. Fighting is a multifaceted affair that goes in all directions, and I think a game about fighting should reflect this.
Topic: My New(ish) Wii Gameplay Idea (Read 10289 times)
