Link to original post: [drupal=596]To Carry On A Dream[/drupal]
This is an introductory paragraph. My name is Kyle Brockman, and I am a student at WUSTL aspiring to enter the game industry. When I attended GDC '08, I met a man who said this:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Masahiro Sakurai
As far as tailoring or trying to get more down now that it's finished, looking back on it, I could have had another year or another two years and it wouldn't have changed the fact that I never have enough time to adjust or refine -- that's just the way it is for me. Thinking about the typical development process, the trend seems to be that when you finish a game that you've been working on for so long and breaking your back over, you kind of don't want to look at it anymore. You're done with it. But seeing Smash, I really, truly feel that this is a game that I'm really not tired of yet. I'm really enjoying it. I feel relieved in knowing that this game has that kind of staying power for myself and I'm very proud of that.
Balance in a game is continuously worked on and improved right up until the last minute, and in the case of previous smash games, a few minutes more. (Both 64 and Melee offering balance alterations for later regions.) Sadly, due to online gameplay across regions, there was not a reasonable oppotunity for such in Brawl; play must be consistent, just as PAL balance changes in Melee were not added to later US discs.
Many people make a hobby of discussing the balance of the characters in Brawl, stating what they would change and fix and tweak if it was up to them. Many of these people do so because they feel somehow wronged by the game, and use it as the ultimate john: "I lost because the game is made wrong!". For this reason people who talk about how they would balance the game greatly annoy me, only to make me a giant hypocrite. As a person whose primary interest is game design and favorite game is Smash, I have spent an enormous amount of my time thinking about such things. "If there was an extra month to test and balance the game just a bit farther, what would *I* do?"
The defense I feel obligated to give is that the topic should be handled with respect instead of spite. The game we have been given is impressive enough that it is deserving of thought; a lesser game would not stand to such consideration. To dream of balancing a game further is to dream of continuing an eternal task started by the game's creators.
I will use this blog to post my thoughts on what changes I would make to Brawl and why, along with my perceptions on how the meta-game would be changed. A blog format is perfect for this, since this is information I am glad to freely provide to others and welcome discussion on, but have no need to push onto the boards, soliciting repetitive opinions and spam. I will make a couple of general posts and then discuss characters in order of the (currently accurate) SBR tier list.
Again, I welcome comments and thoughts. I am almost always available via IM for conversation.
This is an introductory paragraph. My name is Kyle Brockman, and I am a student at WUSTL aspiring to enter the game industry. When I attended GDC '08, I met a man who said this:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Masahiro Sakurai
As far as tailoring or trying to get more down now that it's finished, looking back on it, I could have had another year or another two years and it wouldn't have changed the fact that I never have enough time to adjust or refine -- that's just the way it is for me. Thinking about the typical development process, the trend seems to be that when you finish a game that you've been working on for so long and breaking your back over, you kind of don't want to look at it anymore. You're done with it. But seeing Smash, I really, truly feel that this is a game that I'm really not tired of yet. I'm really enjoying it. I feel relieved in knowing that this game has that kind of staying power for myself and I'm very proud of that.
Balance in a game is continuously worked on and improved right up until the last minute, and in the case of previous smash games, a few minutes more. (Both 64 and Melee offering balance alterations for later regions.) Sadly, due to online gameplay across regions, there was not a reasonable oppotunity for such in Brawl; play must be consistent, just as PAL balance changes in Melee were not added to later US discs.
Many people make a hobby of discussing the balance of the characters in Brawl, stating what they would change and fix and tweak if it was up to them. Many of these people do so because they feel somehow wronged by the game, and use it as the ultimate john: "I lost because the game is made wrong!". For this reason people who talk about how they would balance the game greatly annoy me, only to make me a giant hypocrite. As a person whose primary interest is game design and favorite game is Smash, I have spent an enormous amount of my time thinking about such things. "If there was an extra month to test and balance the game just a bit farther, what would *I* do?"
The defense I feel obligated to give is that the topic should be handled with respect instead of spite. The game we have been given is impressive enough that it is deserving of thought; a lesser game would not stand to such consideration. To dream of balancing a game further is to dream of continuing an eternal task started by the game's creators.
I will use this blog to post my thoughts on what changes I would make to Brawl and why, along with my perceptions on how the meta-game would be changed. A blog format is perfect for this, since this is information I am glad to freely provide to others and welcome discussion on, but have no need to push onto the boards, soliciting repetitive opinions and spam. I will make a couple of general posts and then discuss characters in order of the (currently accurate) SBR tier list.
Again, I welcome comments and thoughts. I am almost always available via IM for conversation.