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My trip to NetherRealm Studios last February

First off, just wanted to say thanks to everyone for the past 10 years of support on Youtube (well, 6 if you don't count my account i closed or my first few years of videos on NukesGoBoom's page). It has been a hell of a ride, and i still have a few things MK-related to post sometime down the road.

10 years ago, it was my dream to one day help NetherRealm Studios out with one of their games, and last february, i got the chance to. It was me, Konqrr, Tom Brady, Shock and Krayzie Bone (along with DreamTR and Moe/Throwerr) that got invited by NRS to come try out the game, and let me tell you, this was an experience that could last a lifetime. Even though it was only a week, i still had a lot of fun doing it and talking to them about their game. I'm glad to have played a small part in the making of Mortal Kombat. To see this game win Fighting game of the year was very special to me. Going to CEO and watching the game being played was also very special to me.

When i first got there, i met Hector, Shaun and a few other members of team, then we sat down and did some paperwork to solidify the deal.

After that was done, we walked through the studio and got a quick tour etc etc.

From there, it wasn't time to play the game yet. It was time for our first meeting.

In this meeting, we were given a piece of paper, which was kind of like a tutorial of "What they know already" and "What they want us to look for". I remember one of them being "1 frame links".

After examining that piece of paper, Hector, Jon, Rigo, and a few others came in, and we had our first meeting. Went over the piece of paper, asked if we had any questions, then Hector went around the table and asked us each what we were gonna be looking for. Of course, i said "The blocking."

We finally sat at our cubicles and got ready to play MK for the first time! Very exciting. I sat at the first cubicle. Konqrr sat next to me, and Shock all the way at the end. Other side was noone at first cubicle, Bone in the middle and Tom Brady all the way in the back. My console was a XBOX360, so that presented a problem. Hector was nice enough to let me use his ps3 pad until they got a PS3 system set up.

From there, we all dove in. Tom Brady stayed with Sub Zero the whole time we were there. Bone messed around with Jade mostly and a little bit of Stryker. Shock used Sonya mainly, but also messed around with other things. Konqrr did Kitana, Mileena, Ermac, Shang Tsung, Baraka and also messed around with other characters as tested with Shock. Bone tested with Tom, and i was by myself. I sort of oversaw what everyone else was doing, like a Lead Tester. The characters i broke down were Scorpion, Sub Zero, Kung Lao, Reptile, Nightwolf, Smoke, Sektor, Liu Kang and Noob Saibot. Mind you, this was in 4 days.

My 3rd character i picked, was indeed Reptile, and it wasn't before long that i noticed the block jab infinites. Let's just say, from that point on, the next few days were mostly just the other 4 guys finding the rest of them. There were a lot. I was glad they did that because i didn't want to spend my whole trip there having to go through the rest myself. The blocking was by far, the biggest problem with the game while we were there.

But it got a little out of hand on the 3rd day, and Hector had a meeting with us. He wasn't too happy at all. He wanted us to stop looking for the block jab infinites and start trying to find other problems with the game.

I admit, at first i was upset, but afterwards, i thought about what he said, and he was right. And so, i went through the entire cast for the next day and a half, went through all their moves, wrote down each input and gave my opinion on them.

Most of my comments were "this hits too high" or "this should hit low/mid" or "increase the speed of the animation once blockstun is improved". Well... the blockstun thing didn't end up going my way, but i'm glad to have helped anyway. It took me about 2 to 3 hours to write up a single character, and i got all the way up to Sheeva as i was walking out the door (the last day we were there was only a half a day). It was exhausting. We worked from 8 in the morning till 1 am. We were given the choice to leave at 5pm or stay till 2am. And without hesistation, we all wanted to stay as late as possible.

On that last day, we had a meeting with Ed Boon. They went through every character with us and whichever one of us worked on the character we spoke about. I also talked to Ed about the blocking and explained to him how moves can still be safe with less blockstun like how Hapkido was in Deadly Alliance. He was convinced and wrote it down on his piece of paper (victory!). That was my main gripe with the game.

After the meeting was over, i pulled Ed aside and talked to him about a future testing job. I let him know how i was currently going to college for a game testing a degree and have every intention of coming back when im done, in which he replied "OK!" very excitingly. I also talked to pretty much every developer while i was there about my future job and received a confirmation from them as well.

My dream finally achieved... After all these years. It was almost a year ago to this day that we went out there. I'm glad to see everyone here enjoying the game and moving the scene. It's a great feeling to have been a part of it.

Other notable events from my trip:

1) Ed walking past my cubicle on the 2nd day checking out my TV a little bit. I got up and introduced myself then. I was the only person there this happened to. ^_^

2) NBA All Star stuff (slam dunk contest, 3 point shootout etc) was going on. I remember asking Hector if i could watch it and he said yes. I wound up not watching it because i was so swamped with work, but it was cool to walk by the lounge room and see Hec, Brian, Jon, Shaun etc all watching the dunk contest together. Really cool to see them enjoying it. Wish i would went in there.

3) Goro's Lair - The arcade room with every Midway machine... right next to the lounge room... right next to kitchen. Can you say heaven? Got to play Moe in UMK3, which was special. Shock was showing everyone glitch jabs etc.

4) Days Inn - This hotel was great. When we got there, we explained to the guy behind the counter why we were there (to an extent). Of course, when he asked "What's it for?". I replied very tiredly (which sounded very villainous) "The day will come.... when you will know...." In which he replied "Ok, just wait for me to get off my shift before you blow up the hotel"... not gonna lie, i sounded very like a terrorist when i said it.

5) Watched ESPN every night after getting home from work. All i was watching was for Carmelo to finally sign with the Knicks (which wound up happening after our flight home).

6) One night, i hung out with a couple of locals in Chicago, and boy, let me tell you, the people of Chicago are the BEST. It was the most fun i had in a long time. We walked around Chicago signing Cypress Hill and drinking etc. Later on went up to their hotel room and chilled out till 4am (this was after working from 8am-1am) knowing i had to get up in 3 hours for another 15 hour day. I didn't care. I lived off adrenaline while i was there, because it was that intense

7) Flying over the living forest as we were about to land in Chicago.

8) Getting stuck at the airport on our way home and having to take a flight instead the next morning. boooo

9) Doing the Scorpion 4 jumpkick teleport combo in front of Hector and him replying afterwards "Why you always gotta be the hero for, Jason" I was sooo nervous doing that combo in front of him. Knew he was busy and that i had to land the combo quick.

10) "Jax is just a black dude with a gun" "Liu Kang is just a chinese dude with a headband"

11) Rigo giving us each another interview on the 3rd day asking about how we liked the game and what surprised us most. Maybe someday you'll see those interviews! He also filmed us at our cubicle. Of course, i did the Scorpion 4 jumpkick teleport combo while i was filmed. It was what i was most known for while i was there.

12) The developer i talked to most out there was none other than Brian Lebaron. This guy was great. He made you feel comfortable being there. He told me about his history back in NY. This guy deserved to be there. A true MK addict.

13) Carlos Pesina was extremly humble and very appreciative of us being there. I couldn't help but go "This is the life, man. This is the life!" which is from MK:Unseen. An unbelievable guy. Can't wait to see him again.

14) Lastly, it was great to finally meet Konqrr after 9 long years. He's been there since my beginning in this community. He gave me the strength to keep posting combos in his thread during MKD. And of course, getting to meet Bone was also great, a guy i've shared many games with and whom i inspired as a player when he first started taking MKA pretty serious.


Overall, it was a great experience and something that should be done again. I hope to be a part seeing as now that i've gone through it i'll know what to expect next time. Thanks NetherRealm for a chance to live my dream.

Thanks to everyone who read this and i hope it can be of some inspiration towards you.

-Jason
 

UsedForGlue

"Strength isn't everything"
Damm. Sounds awesome man. You do deserve stuff like this after all your time showing all your findings on YouTube with no hesitation. I think every combo I have ever used from MKvsDC was from your Youtube...

I think the only job I could for NRS would be ascetics consultant...(basically, thinking of ways a character could be utilised, in a cool as fuck way) But I couldn't program for shit son!
 

GamerBlake90

Blue Blurs for Life!
Man...sounds like an experience of a lifetime.

I've also got a dream to be a game tester. To see someone else living out that dream just gives me more inspiration to go after my own! It must have been quite unnerving getting to meet the legends behind the making of the MK franchise.

I look forward to hearing about more of your experiences. Check.
 
UsedForGlue - Ever since i met you back in MKDC i've always thought of you as my equal. It's a shame we'll never cross paths, but i STILL urge you after all these years to keep pursuing your dream at NetherRealm. You already know you're one of the people i wanted over. Thanks for the nice post. The Superman db3~4 freehit online was all you!

N0rdicNinja - That's very kind of you to read all that. I haven't wrote anything like that in a long time, so im glad it was a good read for you! Thank you!
 

UsedForGlue

"Strength isn't everything"
My 3rd character i picked, was indeed Reptile
Can you tell me two things?

In the Beta versions, was Reptile able to combo straight into :ex Dash after a 321 on hit? Because I remember seeing Pax footate where it combo'd, obviously, that would too OP if he could still do that, as it would be a Flash MKvsDC type AA, who's idea was it to scrap that? Because it was a great catch.

Secondly, how many differences did Beta CSZ have? or was he playable at the time?

Also man, all I can do is hope NRS know about me from the internet exposure and ask my opinion on the game or changes sometime, like Bone and what not. Iv'e had ideas for so long too man, as soon as I see a move, I immediately have 6000 ways of improving the move or finding a use for what it could do.
 
GamerBlake90 - Nice post, and thanks. Maybe there's others out there pursuing this dream as well. Don't know what to tell you other than to be patient. It took me almost 10 years. That's something i told you a long time ago. "The question is, 15 years from now, will you still be here?" And your answer was yes. Well, good luck to you in your journey as a game tester. Be prepared for 20 hour days testing. I can only pass it along in this thread. Thanks again for the post.
 

STRYKIE

Are ya' ready for MK11 kids?!
Great stuff Check, purely out of curiosity, is this what's been keeping you and Shock from competing in majors? Either way, keep doing your thing and I too hope you're on board for future MK game testing. :)
 
Can you tell me two things?

In the Beta versions, was Reptile able to combo straight into :ex Dash after a 321 on hit? Because I remember seeing Pax footate where it combo'd, obviously, that would too OP if he could still do that, as it would be a Flash MKvsDC type AA, who's idea was it to scrap that? Because it was a great catch.

Secondly, how many differences did Beta CSZ have? or was he playable at the time?

Also man, all I can do is hope NRS know about me from the internet exposure and ask my opinion on the game or changes sometime, like Bone and what not. Iv'e had ideas for so long too man, as soon as I see a move, I immediately have 6000 ways of improving the move or finding a use for what it could do.
That's funny that you mention that, because the answer is no (to my recollection). My combo starter out there with Reptile was 32~enhanced forceball.

The PS3 versions did not have Cyber Sub unlocked. Only the XBOX versions had him. I only tested PS3. CyberSub was pretty much the same as now from what i remember. When we went in there, it was late February, and the final build had to be in by mid March.

You've done a great job, Glue. You have gone to levels that noone else has. It would be hard not to notice you. As far as what NRS does is their choice. I think ultimately the 2 lessons learned out there was 1) Do it for more than a week and 2) Bring in more than 5 players. And me personally, i feel it shouldn't be done so close to the release of the game either. It was a learning experience for everyone, and just the fact it happened should tell you in your heart that they ARE listening and DO care. You've made the right moves this time around and made your name more known than it was in MKDC. There are just so many talented players out there in MK9 that all deserve a chance to go out there. Hopefully next time, like i said, it's more than just 5 people.
 

GamerBlake90

Blue Blurs for Life!
GamerBlake90 - Nice post, and thanks. Maybe there's others out there pursuing this dream as well. Don't know what to tell you other than to be patient. It took me almost 10 years. That's something i told you a long time ago. "The question is, 15 years from now, will you still be here?" And your answer was yes. Well, good luck to you in your journey as a game tester. Be prepared for 20 hour days testing. I can only pass it along in this thread. Thanks again for the post.
I do remember. That was during our PSN conversations back in like the first half of 2010. I'm willing to endure whatever trials are necessary to maximize my chances of success.

As we speak, I'm attending the Art Institute of Pittsburgh through the Internet so as to work for a degree in Game Art and Design. So far the program is turning out great. From the looks of things, I might not be graduating till Fall 2018, but I feel it will be worth it. I was fortunate to have found out about the place.

And when I first decided on my ambitions to be a game tester, guess which company I turned my eye towards? I believe you know which one.

Thanks for the encouragement you've offered. We share a common aim to support this community and I know we will succeed with flying colors.
 
ribbz22 - Glad you enjoyed it! It's something that i've wanted to post on these forums for 10 years! I hope everyone takes a look at it too.

STRYKIE - Thanks brother! Glad you enjoyed it! That's an interesting question that me and Shock have actually discussed recently. It's sort of like a curse from being out there. It's the game you remember and the game you wanted by the time you left, so for us, it wasn't exactly what we wanted in the end. In other words, it's hard for us having worked on the game because we envisioned it a certain way by the end of our trip, played it a certain way while we were there, and when it finally came out wasn't exactly how we thought it'd be We just kind of remember the game in a certain way. That's pretty much it.

metzos13 - Thanks a lot. Yea, it was real exhausting. The hardest part was having to do this when i just started my spring semester in college a few weeks prior. First and foremost, it was incredibly hard for me to accept, because it was what i was going to school for, and working towards someday, so for it to just be handed to me was EXTREMELY hard to accept. Even to this day, it's not something i wanted till i was done with school, but i wasn't going to pass up this opportunity that i've been waiting for before i ever started college. Then, the second hardest part was coming home from the trip and trying to get used to life the way it was before, getting focused back on my spring semester again was insanely hard. My heart was still out in Chicago, and school was the farthest thing from my mind. Pretty much everything was.
 

Metzos

You will BOW to me!
Heh i feel you man i feel you. I really think that anyone who really loves this game would have felt the same way. And its the love of this game (and Ermac ofc :p) that made it possible for me to still play competively and at the same time enjoy playing the game too.
 
Check, I was curious: What's your opinion of MK9 now? Do you feel it's competitive? Is it a let down from other MK games? Great write-up by the way.
 

UsedForGlue

"Strength isn't everything"
That's funny that you mention that, because the answer is no (to my recollection).
They must have removed it in the version you guys played on.


At 2:09, Reptile Does Slow Ball, Fast Ball, 12 :ex Elbow Dash :ex Slide.

So the dash used to be a combo-able move, had Anti Air properties and Air to Air Properites, so Reptile could end combos with :ex Elbow dash. I don't see why he still can't do that, or why the won't allow it. Maybe it's too difficult to program so that It isn't active unless its in a juggle.

If the :ex dash could be active in (only) Juggles, I personally would love that.
 
I do remember. That was during our PSN conversations back in like the first half of 2010. I'm willing to endure whatever trials are necessary to maximize my chances of success.

As we speak, I'm attending the Art Institute of Pittsburgh through the Internet so as to work for a degree in Game Art and Design. So far the program is turning out great. From the looks of things, I might not be graduating till Fall 2018, but I feel it will be worth it. I was fortunate to have found out about the place.

And when I first decided on my ambitions to be a game tester, guess which company I turned my eye towards? I believe you know which one.

Thanks for the encouragement you've offered. We share a common aim to support this community and I know we will succeed with flying colors.
That's cool. I'm glad you remember those conversations. I remember you hit me up about FF13. That was the first time we talked. Which you still need to play damnit. It won't ruin your ps3!

Good school. Dedicated especially for gaming. That's what you want. Game testing and Game Design are generally the same classes, so you can carry them over anytime you like. I still find it silly as a game tester to have learned all these different things that are DEFINITELY geared toward game design and not game testing. But... its all part of the "trials neccesary to succeed". You gotta have heart before anything to make it. Let that be my best advice to you.

Maybe someday i'll be able to do a podcast or something and talk more about my experiences while i was there. The best part has been watching this community enjoy the game for the past 10 months. I care more about the game as a tester than i do a player. I'd rather sit back and watch others play it. One day, you will get to this point, and when you do, you will look at life differently. It's a blessing. Take care.
 
They must have removed it in the version you guys played on.


At 2:09, Reptile Does Slow Ball, Fast Ball, 12 :ex Elbow Dash :ex Slide.

So the dash used to be a combo-able move, had Anti Air properties and Air to Air Properites, so Reptile could end combos with :ex Elbow dash. I don't see why he still can't do that, or why the won't allow it. Maybe it's too difficult to program so that It isn't active unless its in a juggle.

If the :ex dash could be active in (only) Juggles, I personally would love that.
Cool video! It's great to look back at stuff like that. I'm almost positive that was gone. There was no 321 to my recollection. Just 32.
 

GamerBlake90

Blue Blurs for Life!
That's cool. I'm glad you remember those conversations. I remember you hit me up about FF13. That was the first time we talked. Which you still need to play damnit. It won't ruin your ps3!

Good school. Dedicated especially for gaming. That's what you want. Game testing and Game Design are generally the same classes, so you can carry them over anytime you like. I still find it silly as a game tester to have learned all these different things that are DEFINITELY geared toward game design and not game testing. But... its all part of the "trials neccesary to succeed". You gotta have heart before anything to make it. Let that be my best advice to you.

Maybe someday i'll be able to do a podcast or something and talk more about my experiences while i was there. The best part has been watching this community enjoy the game for the past 10 months. I care more about the game as a tester than i do a player. I'd rather sit back and watch others play it. One day, you will get to this point, and when you do, you will look at life differently. It's a blessing. Take care.
Haha, I AM starting to take an interest in Final Fantasy 13-2. I've gotta buy that game. I haven't beat the demo yet, but from what I've gleaned of it, the game's starting to win me over.

I vote that you do up a podcast! There's not a doubt that TYM wants to hear you out on what you've experienced.

I will be mindful of what you've said here. Thanks again! :)
 

RiverHB

Noob
It's great to hear about your success Check. Your are an inspiration to those of us who have followed you. Even if it's not game testing, it's important to follow our dreams no matter what. Good story and congrats!
 
Check, I was curious: What's your opinion of MK9 now? Do you feel it's competitive? Is it a let down from other MK games? Great write-up by the way.
Glad you enjoyed the write up, nBe ... Means a lot, thank you!

My opinion of MK9 is very similar to my opinion of MKDC. It's more of a game that should be played for fun, but it's as intense as any competitive game i've played. It's so fast that you just have this constant adrenaline while playing. To me, it will always be the best MK out there, but as far as competitive goes, you would only have to make a few changes for it to be the most competitive too.

It's competitive, and such a good game, that you want it to be more competitive, because its so good. Bottom line, you can't tell someone how to make their game. It's their choice. You can only offer your opinion, and if they listen, they listen. The only other factor of this game is that it's 2D, which makes the game more limited than a 3D fighter. Only being able to roll one way, not being able to sidestep projectiles, or normals etc/having to resort to jumps. That's what happens with 2D unfortunately.

In closing, i feel as though what this MK did was try to bring it back to its roots in every way imaginable, to give the fans everything that they have been asking for. I will always look at MK9 as a fan tribute game more than anything. The guys at NRS care so much about their fans that i think they wanted to give us everything we asked for, INCLUDING bringing known MK players in for testing. It's just the fact that it uses the same engine as MKDC that makes it hard to look at it any differently from it.

It's definitely not a let down. It's the game that fans have been asking for.

Hope this answers your questions nBe. Take care! And thanks again for the post.
 
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