Story Mode Side Topic from VF5FS Console Features

Share out of love and get fired for breaking an NDA? Get serious.

Oh, and real talk... how real is someone that never bothered to Google Virtua Fighter and see that VFDC is on the first page above the fold? People are allowed to do what they want, but if they're so unmotivated to learn, why would they read a manual?

 

fair enough, thats the last thing I would want for anybody in this world economy. I have my own share of signed NDAs so I know how that goes.

But you have to admit that other fight game producers e.g. Namco, THQ's UFC et al, market the hell out their games, there are alpha versions, beta versions, all kind of pre-release information,leaks YouTube appearances etc, look at whats out there on SC V, Tekken Tag, UFC3, Tekken 7, and look at how long its been out there! Look at the pre release detail that's been out there for about a year. then we have Sega,who barely cares enough about the console Market to even tell us whether there will ever be another version coming, who does some of the most lack luster marketing I've ever seen and to top it all off (they might have NDAs) that would take the cake

I get the NDA thing, but considering the fact that Sega has long ago conceded the entire fight game market to others.....what could the NDA be protecting them from

In terms of motivation,the Web,VFDC and new players[/size], in all honestly I personally thought it would be obvious to check out the web, thats what I did when I first got virtua fighter, (hence I found the site), but over the years I have me so man people that naturally check the web, while many others (some very devoted players) who never thought to look up virtua fighter on the Web, they never made the connection. I know some people who did hit the web and only check out stuff on wikipedia and never made it as far as VFDC. I'm still shocked to meet devoted VF players who don't know about VFDC but it still happens I mean regularly.

While most people make the connection between the game they are
playing and online either (XBL or PSN) not everyone makes the connection between the game they're playing and some third party supported Website about the game. Remember a lot of people if they do go to the web go to the publisher's site, they don't necessarily look for a third party that supports the game. If you go to Sega's site and look up Virtua Fighter ...
good luck!

Maybe we can get Sega to put the URL for www.virtuafighter.com
somewhere in the downloadable console version of VF5FS. To me that would satisfy the manual requirement, and would insure that more people actually are aware of what VFDC even is.

But Plague, don't make the assumption because a VF player doesnt know what VFDC is and has never been to site that they must not be serious or motivated or devoted to the game. I meet counterexamples all of the time. Maybe its something about Ohio but then how does that explain the cats that I met from Windsor Canada?

I'm going to go out on the proverbial limb and bet that based on sales of VF, that most of the people that bought the game has never logged on to VFDC. If for no other reason than there is no required connection between the two.

So if Sega is relying on the quality of VFDC to pick up the slack for not including a manual in VF5FS or for not putting together a print brady guide,prima guide or something, then Sega could be leaving a lot of first-timers/noobs out in the
cold, because a lot of people simply don't come to the site.

 

They care bro, it's just the console market never existed for them.

People seem to forget that VF's console life mostly existed on consoles no one ever cared about, Tekken has a strong following on consoles thanks to the Playstation brand. For SEGA though, all their consoles and brands basically disappeared into obscurity and there wasn't enough folk to support their games and keep them alive no matter how hard Sega tried.

VF 1 and 2 were massive at the time but after 10+ years on consoles no one cared for it's easy to see why the brand awareness for VF is dead, FS seems to be trying to rectify this a little with it's panty shots, easy gameplay/controls and all that stuff folk love but VF is like 16 years old now?

I don't see how it's something they will ever be able to rectify.

 

Future VF will never be as massive as VF2. It had already reached the peak.

 

Okay, that makes sense and the game is 16 years old, I understand. But I think its still a little deeper than that.

THQ put out UFC 2009 3 years ago (a fighting game) afaic, because of their commitment to the title, they put up a full blown web site, moderated by the UFC 2009 game developers, designers,etc. They sponsored tournaments, money prizes, the game was advertised at sporting events, game award shows, THQ put together youtube tutorials, pre game advertising nice fat Brady guide, posters, In short they showed significant commitment to making UFC 2009 a success. I believe its sold 10s of millions of copies.

It didn't seem like they were concerned about the fight game competition already out there. They simply made themselves a place at the table.

Granted UFC 2009 is a sports combat fighting game, not exactly the same as VF and it does have the UFC brand to help it along, but my point is the publisher showed serious commitment to game
in virtually every way they could, both in actions that cost money and in actions that cost time (like developers, and designers moderating the UFC 2009 website)

So maybe Sega doesn't have the money to duplicate what THQ did with UFC2009/2010 but there's got to be an inbetween Something less than THQ did, but more than they are doing now

On the wall in my office is a nice 2ft x 3ft Virtua Fighter 4 poster with Akira featured (every body else in background) and the tag line is Prepare for a Beating. This simple poster in my office has introduced many many players to game they knew nothing about. Are you telling me Sega couldn't have kept the poster thing going? This poster was in the back of my Virtua Fighter 4 strategy guide. A poster is a small thing, but a big deal at the same time.

The strategy guide and poster whether really useful or not show
commitment. People want to play games that look like they have a future.

When VF5FS hits consoles and the first time players download it, many of them will determine how much effort to put into it
based on how supported the game appears to be.

Sure Sega could fix some of the marketing missteps that have plagued VF. For VF5FS Sega could:

1) Dedicate a permanent website to their 16 year old flagship
VF deserves one. Sure they could contain a link to VFDC
pointing the player to the deep stuff, but maintaining a
serious web presence and youtube presence are the basics
these days

2) Long term plan for DLC

3) Come out with disc-based version of the game with collectors
editions, that have the posters, 6 to 8 inch action figures
of one or more of the VF fighters.

4) Sell a stick made just for VF on the consoles with VF5FS
artwork on the stick

5) Integrate an appropriate full blown console VF.TV

6) Sponsor an annual (online) tournament with cash prizes

These 6 thingz would put VF back in the hunt. And if Sega repeated them for the next few releases of VF, it would surpass, Tekken and SC in sales.

 

I don't see a need to go any further than this.

 

Okay, if that one is too big what about

Soul Calibur V Collectors Edition

Ahem... maybe Sega can't afford to do everything that Namco does, but there is a long way from nothing to everything

Its simple chicken-and-the-egg

Sega won't put out collectors editions of VF because it hasn't sold 2 million copies. Sega won't sell 2 million copies until they start putting out collectors editions

C'mon man, if Sega believed that VF games on the consoles were fertile ground then they would invest, but they don't! Their belief in the long term viability of VF on consoles is reflected in how much they invest in marketing VF on consoles. Obviously they believe real return will never be there. Whereas
Soul Calibur folks, the Tekken folks, the Street fighter folks, the Mortal Kombat folks, the DOA folks, the UFC folks etc do believe in the long haul of the fighting game genre and therefore they invest.

 

Even as recently as VF5 on consoles you only have to a little digging to see that they did put a decent amount of effort in with VF.

For the PS3 version, they had the Virtua Stick High Grade. Not a cheap product at all and one of the best sticks i've had the pleasure of using. They gave the fans the opportunity to get their character, name and win quote in the quest mode. Sites and magazines were hyping the game like mad, even major sites like IGN etc. seemed to have non stop articles about VF5.

If you look back around when the 360 version was announced, there's an interview with two guys from AM2 saying they really wanted to do the 360 version and an online mode but SEGA weren't willing to play ball after the PS3 version did so bad. You get the impression from the article that AM2 had to beg their ass of for the 360 port. Still, we got another VF branded stick even if it was a much cheaper product this time and we got the online mode everyone wanted. The online mode was fairly decent for it's time considering this was before fighting games became big again. Magazines and articles all over the net were still bigging VF up like it was the best thing since bread and yet still no one cared to purchase the game.

I could be wrong but I get the feeling even if they tried everything you and others are suggesting, the results would still be the same.

Everyone knows SCIV sold so well (more than the original version of SFIV from what i've read) simply because it had Yoda and Darth Vader on the case.

 

VF is put on main target for the arcade, and any other console version is a side dish. SEGA they do promote this game, but Japan only. As a fan oversea, we can only accept being treated as second customer.

Poor sell gives SEGA an excuse to not release console version or future updates like SF4. We can't change the fact...

 

Yeah, they did. Hyping it as a difficult game to get into.

It's no wonder people took no notice.

 

Sega is a shit company that makes games that i like.... go figure.VF5FS will be a nothing more than a thank you from Am2 to all the fans for supporting this game, by 2013 no one gonna care about VF. I hope im wrong but Sega just doesnt see the big picture in how to expand the fan base nor do some of u guys here(doesn't need a story mode ) u keep the fundamentals but u expand and adapt to the market and to your competition, something Sega its not willing to do.

 

Nope, read back. Barely any mention of it's difficulty, at least compared to other recent fighting games which can all be difficult to get into for new players. The overhyped difficulty mostly came from uneducated folk on the net. IGN had articles just dedicated to the customisation, quest mode and various other features leading all the way up to release, the only mention of the difficulty seemed to be in the reviews and GGs if you can find any review for a fighting game that doesn't mention how difficult the game can seem to newcomers.

Not like it matters anyway, the press mentioned nothing but the difficulty with Demon's Souls and that went on to sell millions.

EDIT: Demon's Souls barely had any story and no cutscenes as well if that helps, I don't get how you guys automatically assume a game will sell a shit ton just for having features like that.

 

Yeah I agree with a lot of that, however I really want them to retain the Quest mode + advanced AI and have a practice mode as good as Evo's was.

I expect VF5FS's release will bring about a very short lived revival and then it'll be dead but for a few extra players that stick with it. It's a download only title which is probably not gonna get pushed that much by Sega and they aren't gonna support their game competitively like many of the other companies with rival games coming out.
http://shoryuken.com/2012/01/04/namco-ba...h-bonus-prizes/
I can see it being forgotten a month or so after release however if it makes enough of a profit that is crucial when it comes to future VF games on console and the effort put behind them.

 

The same uneducated folk who didn't buy the game because of it.

VF's perceived difficulty has been part of the barrier for newcomers. That, and the lack of flash (although that's been rectified), and the inability to connect with the characters.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">IGN had articles just dedicated to the customisation, quest mode and various other features leading all the way up to release, the only mention of the difficulty seemed to be in the reviews and GGs if you can find any review for a fighting game that doesn't mention how difficult the game can seem to newcomers.</div></div>Actually, the difficulties for the popular 3D fighters (Tekken, DOA, SC) was either said to be easy to get into, or not mentioned at all.

It's only when VF i mentioned that the difficulty became an issue to people reading the review (instead of the reviewers, most of whom saw that as a plus). Thing is, VF isn't difficult to get into.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Not like it matters anyway, the press mentioned nothing but the difficulty with Demon's Souls and that went on to sell millions.</div></div>And difficulty being rewarding in fighting games wasn't the in-thing until fighting games got popular again with SF4.

And even then, the "easy to learn, hard to master" philosophy is still being applied for ALL 3D fighters.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">EDIT: Demon's Souls barely had any story and no cutscenes as well if that helps, I don't get how you guys automatically assume a game will sell a shit ton just for having features like that. </div></div>On a genre not well known for being difficult to pick up and play.

 

Right, I guess we've moved on to this being about the games difficulty now which I didn't intend to do. I'm still under the impression that adding things like a story mode and the various things suggested here will not extend the fanbase much or even at all.

It took folk ages to get into SF3 cause of the gameplay differences from SF2 and I guess they felt alienated because the cast were mostly new. I'd like to think SFIV was massive because they bought all the popular characters back but I have a strong feeling it was really because they dumbed the gameplay back down to SF2 levels.

Anyway, a story mode couldn't hurt for VF. Though it's not something that would add much to the experience for me personally I wouldn't mind it being there.

Sega would be much better off doing things like hiring a good community manager that can hype the game for them and holding official events for the western crowds, offline and online. Story mode and adding depth to the characters won't do much at all when no one cares for the VF games anyway.

 

People don't care cause they can't relate to characters they know nothing about (i.e. like why they fight) say what u want about Tekken's story but drama sells,family beef sells, revenge sells. Whats the difference between Ryu And Akira? Ryu fucked up Sagat gave him a scar Sagat whats a rematch he's salty. Him and Ken have a rivalry,and so on and so on. Akira?.........um yeah teenagers see these guys have no story they think fuck this game and its lame, they pass on it.Someone in there 30's or late 20's might not care about the story but a big part of the market does.

 

Where did you get that info CJA?

I don't know who the hell Akria is but he sounds cool.

 

From every other fighting game that sells,Akira, Akria,whatever bro if u can't get my point than your as stupid as the people running Sega, stop trolling homie.

 

You have yet to post a fighting game that has no story yet is successful, Feck. FPS and RPGs are a completely different story.