Why You Should Be Worried About Mortal Kombat

[REYTHEGREAT]

Interpreting the portents, omens flashing across the sky like bolts from Raiden the Thunder God’s hands, Mortal Kombat’s imminent release could herald something of a misstep for the evergreen franchise....

http://www.thesixthaxis.com/2011/02/02/why-you-should-be-worried-about-mortal-kombat/

what do you guys think?

 

[Krayzie]

I think that no matter how happy we are that Mortal Kombat made it to Evo. All of us are somewhat worried to an extent, and this is the reason.

I honestly don't know why they don't embrace the tournament community like Capcom does, but it would benefit them to do so. Before evolution, the game will have a lot more contestants if they at least bring Mortal Kombat to another event and have it be more accessible to the tournament player. There are those who aren't sure about entering the tournament in fear that it wont be as good as it is on paper.

But well see. All we can do from here is hope that we get a beta version. Even being able to test one character is enough to understand the mechanics of the game a bit more. I know they read this, so anything you guys say here, I'm sure it will be taken into consideration.

 

[THTB]

Idk anyone here who hasn't made this point. They're being heavily reliant on being able to tweak things post-release, and that's not exactly good since the tweaking is based on adjustable values...there may be something to arise that can't exactly be adjusted so easily. They need to let people who know what they're doing get their hands on it. We know Paulo is a tournament MK player, and that's good to have someone like that on the insides, but there's only so much he can do.

Hopefully some of us get a chance to give it a go before release.

 

[9.95]

I think that a lot of the reason has to do with the "secrecy" of Mortal Kombat's history. There were always secret characters, secret rosters...hidden things to find. I think they're being purposely quiet about this for that reason... to surprise people. However, I've also been the biggest proponent of them bringing the game to tournaments and letting seasoned tournament players and MK players have a crack at the game. It will ultimately give them the best possible feedback if they let these players try the game. Instead, it seems as if they're letting the same people who tested the 3d games and MKDC test MK9, and they simply haven't proven that they can properly test a game. This time they want to prove to their fans, and to the world that they're a contender...but based on their recent track record, they have to earn that trust...and letting seasoned players test the game would go a LONG way in earning that trust.

 

[Momotaro]

It's not NRS that decides where they go to test their game or who tests it. It's WB Interactive's decision.

A developer can only do as much as the publisher let's them do.

 

[DrDogg]

It's not NRS that decides where they go to test their game or who tests it. It's WB Interactive's decision.

A developer can only do as much as the publisher let's them do.

NRS was able to talk to Evo, so we know there's some flexibility there.

While having it at tournaments would be nice, it would only offer a limited time to look at the game (and not many events are happening between now and release). I've been trying to get contact info for WB and NRS so I can ask for a build of the game to write an in-depth series of articles. I've been a gaming journalist and/or strategy guide author for nearly 20 years. I'm hoping I can use my experience to get NRS and WB to trust me with the game. Unfortunately, I have yet to get the proper contact info, so at this point I haven't even been able to ask yet.

I've put in some inquiries to my industry contacts in an effort to get a PR contact at WB and/or NRS, but I have not heard back yet.

 

[Rabid Justice]

The thing you need to remember is they will still need patches. The quick fixes will only affect online play. Offline may be changed as long as you are connected to the live or psn.

 

[DrDogg]

The thing you need to remember is they will still need patches. The quick fixes will only affect online play. Offline may be changed as long as you are connected to the live or psn.

I don't think I'm following what you're saying. Any adjustment NRS makes post-release will change the game online and offline. The only way you would not get this change is if your console is not connected to the internet, but I don't know of any competitive MK9 player who wouldn't not either already have their console connected, or connect it as soon as an update is available.

 

[Rabid Justice]

The quick fixes don’t safe on your console. They are online changes to the server that the game loads up when you go online.

 

[Tim Static]

The thing you need to remember is they will still need patches. The quick fixes will only affect online play. Offline may be changed as long as you are connected to the live or psn.

I don't think I'm following what you're saying. Any adjustment NRS makes post-release will change the game online and offline. The only way you would not get this change is if your console is not connected to the internet, but I don't know of any competitive MK9 player who wouldn't not either already have their console connected, or connect it as soon as an update is available.

yea the consoles at these offline tourneys etc will be updated with all the latest patches, updates and hopefully but not mandatory DLC.

 

[Tim Static]

The quick fixes don’t safe on your console. They are online changes to the server that the game loads up when you go online.

yes they do, that information is stored on your harddrive, not the servers you connect too.

 

[Dark_Rob]

If the MK devs do watch this forum then they at least have some idea of what we are about. They must know that TYM is a forum dedicated to spreading competitive Mortal Kombat to tournaments nationwide.
So if they are reading here is my advice:
Get the game, (at whatever point of completion it is currently at), into the hands of top players like Shock,ded_,Reo, Tom Brady and Check. Give these people a week with your game and they will break every aspect of it. They will show you things you never thought of. This is what they do and this is why they are the best. To not avail yourselves of the talent these people possess is only doing a diservice to you, to us, and to the very goal your trying to accomplish.
You want to make Mortal Kombat a serious fighter? Then should you not get it into the hands of its most top players? For they are the ones who can give you the feedback that you need to make the game we all want.

 

[DrDogg]

If the MK devs do watch this forum then they at least have some idea of what we are about. They must know that TYM is a forum dedicated to spreading competitive Mortal Kombat to tournaments nationwide.
So if they are reading here is my advice:
Get the game, (at whatever point of completion it is currently at), into the hands of top players like Shock,ded_,Reo, Tom Brady and Check. Give these people a week with your game and they will break every aspect of it. They will show you things you never thought of. This is what they do and this is why they are the best. To not avail yourselves of the talent these people possess is only doing a diservice to you, to us, and to the very goal your trying to accomplish.
You want to make Mortal Kombat a serious fighter? Then should you not get it into the hands of its most top players? For they are the ones who can give you the feedback that you need to make the game we all want.

Your idea is great, and probably the best situation for us, but there could be big concerns and hurdles with trying to get it in the hands of all those people. You have to look at this from the point of view of NRS and WB as well as the competitive fighting scene and try to find a way to make both sides happy.

First and foremost, how many of those players live in the same area or close enough to travel multiple times over the course of a week or two? I know Brady goes between VA and TX a lot, but I don't know where the others are.

Secondly, I'm going to assume none of them live close, so they'd have to get other people to play with them. Those people would need to be under NDA, but even being under NDA, WB could still be worried that information they want kept secret might get out. Even if a few of these players live close together, it would be a stretch for WB to trust their game and an expensive Xbox 360 debug unit with a virtual unknown (to them) with no prior history of being trusted in this kind of situation.

You also have to factor in how much time each of those players has to play the game and submit detailed reports to WB/NRS. They would want to see some form of progress while you have the build of their game and there's no precedent or even incentive for you to hurry back with your findings.

It would be great to see all of those players get a build of the game, but it's much easier to suggest a smaller, more controlled environment. That's why I suggested my route since I have the history of trust that WB/NRS would require, as well as access to a 360 debug (or PS3 if need be), so WB wouldn't have to loan out one of their own.

 

[Tim Static]

Amen Rob. Well put.

Also, wanna see what SF players/causal SF people think about this story?

http://bit.ly/hR7Aap

 

[Dark_Rob]

Your idea is great, and probably the best situation for us, but there could be big concerns and hurdles with trying to get it in the hands of all those people. You have to look at this from the point of view of NRS and WB as well as the competitive fighting scene and try to find a way to make both sides happy.

First and foremost, how many of those players live in the same area or close enough to travel multiple times over the course of a week or two? I know Brady goes between VA and TX a lot, but I don't know where the others are.

Secondly, I'm going to assume none of them live close, so they'd have to get other people to play with them. Those people would need to be under NDA, but even being under NDA, WB could still be worried that information they want kept secret might get out. Even if a few of these players live close together, it would be a stretch for WB to trust their game and an expensive Xbox 360 debug unit with a virtual unknown (to them) with no prior history of being trusted in this kind of situation.

You also have to factor in how much time each of those players has to play the game and submit detailed reports to WB/NRS. They would want to see some form of progress while you have the build of their game and there's no precedent or even incentive for you to hurry back with your findings.

It would be great to see all of those players get a build of the game, but it's much easier to suggest a smaller, more controlled environment. That's why I suggested my route since I have the history of trust that WB/NRS would require, as well as access to a 360 debug (or PS3 if need be), so WB wouldn't have to loan out one of their own.

The main reason I suggested these people in particular is because they are known top players/testers/gamebreakers and have proven it repeatedly and in various different MK games. Shock and ded_ know UMK3 and its mechanics better than almost anyone else alive. Check has been breaking down every aspect of MK games since I think MKD and Tom Brady and Reo are the absolute top/best at MKDC, the most recent MK game. So you have alot of different points of view and and a good collection of some of the greatest minds in all different MK's to draw upon.
I didnt actually give it much thought as to how far apart everyone lives, but now that you mention it, with the exception of ded_ they are all within driving distance of each other. And Shock, Reo, and Check are all within 1 hour of each other.

 

[Krayzie]

I've done QA testing before, I don't see where it would hurt to request one of us to go play the game at least for even a day.

There is a written contract you sign not to disclose what you tested.

Honestly, we aren't even asking for NRS to show us any secrets. We just want to make sure dedicated tournament players get their hands on it, and give direct feedback, since its us who play it, break it, and decide whether the game will last in the tournament scene. If its not up to those standards, then certain tweaks can help them have a final build before the game is released. We want to play this game longterm. Thats all we ask.

 

[DrDogg]

I got in contact with the PR company handling MK, but they haven't been very helpful at this point. They just told me that preview builds are not available yet. I'm checking to see if I can get one when they are available though.

If I had to guess, I'd say preview builds won't go out until sometime in March or possibly not until early April (unless you're previewing the game for a print publication). By that time it wouldn't really matter since the game would have already gone gold.

I think at this point, the only way to get what we want is to contact NRS directly. Unfortunately, I don't have any way of doing that. The closest I can get is the PR company handling the release for WB and NRS.

 

[Tim Static]

I got in contact with the PR company handling MK, but they haven't been very helpful at this point. They just told me that preview builds are not available yet. I'm checking to see if I can get one when they are available though.

If I had to guess, I'd say preview builds won't go out until sometime in March or possibly not until early April (unless you're previewing the game for a print publication). By that time it wouldn't really matter since the game would have already gone gold.

I think at this point, the only way to get what we want is to contact NRS directly. Unfortunately, I don't have any way of doing that. The closest I can get is the PR company handling the release for WB and NRS.

PM me the info they need to get ahold of you. They will get it.

 

[Graveyard]

PM me the info they need to get ahold of you. They will get it.

Tim static, always the most connected guy around. :congrats:

 

[DanCock]

dr dogg ~ ever try posting on their twitter accounts?

 

[REYTHEGREAT]

how about posting or sending a message to the MKast on youtube?

 

[STORMS]

I got in contact with the PR company handling MK, but they haven't been very helpful at this point. They just told me that preview builds are not available yet. I'm checking to see if I can get one when they are available though.

If I had to guess, I'd say preview builds won't go out until sometime in March or possibly not until early April (unless you're previewing the game for a print publication). By that time it wouldn't really matter since the game would have already gone gold.

I think at this point, the only way to get what we want is to contact NRS directly. Unfortunately, I don't have any way of doing that. The closest I can get is the PR company handling the release for WB and NRS.

I forwarded your PM to a member of the MK team last night. If I hear back via my email I'll PM you.

 

[DrDogg]

I forwarded your PM to a member of the MK team last night. If I hear back via my email I'll PM you.

Thank you sir. Much appreciated!

PM me the info they need to get ahold of you. They will get it.

Storms offered before you did, but thank you. It's appreciated.

dr dogg ~ ever try posting on their twitter accounts?

I thought about that, but then I wonder how many people hit them up on twitter? I'd think my tweet would just get lost in the shuffle. Plus, I only have ~160 characters to explain myself.

 

[AC1984]

Whatever the case is, if this game turns out bad...well, too bad for all the positive hype.

 

[THTB]

You know, I am confident the game will be good. I'm still leery about it as well considering why we should be worried, but for the most part I think we'll have a good game on our hands.