The online exposure to fighting games have drastically impacted the fighting game community. Introducing fighting game competitors to a global audience. As a whole fighting games are still niche when compared to Call of Duty, Starcraft, or even Angry Birds, but the success of Iplaywinner, Team Sp00ky, and Level|Up series has set a standard that many more people want to recreate.
The motives vary from person to person and from community to community, but there is no doubt that we are not in the Dark Ages anymore. So what caused this dramatic push, this Renaissance if you will. What is the formula for success?
Without a doubt the introduction and success of Street Fighter 4 has contributed to this Renaissance movement. However, Street Fighter 4 can not claim all glory for itself. It is blatantly obvious that the internet is the major artery where as Street Fighter 4 was the catalyst, but I want to talk about the "Brain". The creative minds behind this movement and an analysis of their Cinderella stories.
Of course the biggest Cinderella story of them all: Ryan "Gootecks" Gutieraz. Going from a broke, unemployed, competitive fighting game player. To a successful internet personality, media producer, and event promoter. If you have no idea who Gootecks is then take some time off and watch the indie documentary I Got Next. Gootecks' hasn't been performing as well as he used to in the competitive department but his talent of acquiring interest, talent and promoting events around the world has proven to be invaluable. Leading the entertainment aspect of competitive street fighter.
Alex Valle, the face of Level|Up series and probably the most decorated competitive fighting game player that still participates in tournaments today. He places very well in tournaments and is constantly bombarded with inquiries of professional development. A very grounded individual that always has the communities interests at heart. Always willing to take chances and looking for brand new innovations.
Lastly we have iplaywinner's Haunts and Sp00ky. Having the most dynamic cohesion with the East Coast grassroots commentary style coupled with the more analytic commentary from Northern California. They are forever moving in new uncharted directions for the fighting game community and spreading the competitive bug.
So why is it that the "Big Three" have these success stories and is it possible to recreate this success. The factors that are involved are as follows. The community interest, financial capital, technical resources, steady locations, schedules and times, and lastly personalities.
Fighting games are niche even now, with that being said, community interest is the hardest to create and the hardest to maintain.
Locations, like community involvement, can also be very difficult to acquire. Arcades are pretty much dead and these are the ancient temple Ruins of fighting gamers past. Computer LAN centers have tried to rise and take its place. Hybrid entertainment establishments and family/restaurant arcades have higher revenues and the business model that most modern American arcades have chosen to become. One thing is for certain. Having casuals at a private home is a necessary stepping stone but the public will seriously respect a legitimate business establishment as a stable atmosphere than a private home.
After the location is secure the schedule needs to be in place. Will you have Ranking Battles? How long will they be? What games will you sponsor? Will there be bi-weekly, or monthly open tournaments? Will there be challenges of any kind? All these questions and many more need to be asked and improved as a community. The innovations that spark from this community interaction can be a necessary tool to constant national and international participation. This combined with media exposure are a potent combination that start small and continue to rise as success increases.
Media exposure is solely dependent on the technical ingenuity and financial access a fighting game scene has. Like any business it takes alot of time and investment to have this crucial ingredient especially if you want to reach the top of the success ladder.
All of these points are purely an outside observation of how and why these communities are perceived as successful and for all there struggles it is should right fully be so.
~Joshua "Leafman" Kaneakalau
Friday, February 3, 2012
Thursday, December 1, 2011
The linguistics of fighting games.
I have always had the personality of a red mage. The jack of all trades and master of none. It's probably because I love to learn and absorb knowledge from various sources and apply them to everything I do in life and so this trait finds its way into my play style and my choice in fighting games, playing everything under the sun. Taking a little a piece of a game and applying it to other games. Upon spending my times with other games I have noticed that learning a new fighting game is like learning a new language.
Lets take these three games for example: Street Fighter, Tekken, and Blazblue.
Now lets start with simple notation. Street Fighter has 6 buttons where as Tekken and Blazblue are mostly 4 button fighters. Jab Strong Fierce (LP,MP,HP) and Short Forward Roundhouse (LK,MK,HK) in Street Fighter versus 1 / 2 (Left punch/Right punch), 3 / 4 (Left kick/Right kick). Tekken and A,B,C,D in Blazblue. The directions in Street Fighter and Tekken are interchangable where as in Blazblue directions are annotated by numbers:. Special characters like, (+) is common for simaltaneous, but (~) is used in Tekken is means rapid succession. Then even more complex game mechanics are notated differently in games like RC (Rapid canel) (BB), FADC (Foucs attack dash cacnel) (SF), and WS (While standing) (T). Confused yet? This is just concerning simple notation. Not to mention that Tekken is a 3D game where you have to account for an additional axis.
You see other factors like timing for combos, spacial recognition, muscle memory, system engine and combo mechanics are different in other fighting games. Street Fighter being the most consistent of the fighting game tree.
Compared to SNKPlaymore games that change or tweaked quite often.
Players often engrave these aspects into their minds transitioning from one fighting game to the other is very tasking and in many cases difficult. A fighting game player doesn't have to start from scratch for every new game they play, however the learning curve for a completely new player can be considerably less steep because there is nothing to re-learn. Take this funny, yet relevant, video comparing Rosetta stone and Fighting games hosted by the creative minds at Screwattack.
Which is why a person that places well in tournaments across the board is a rare quality. Tokido would be the best example of this. Evolution 2K11 where he makes it to top 8 in BBCS2, Tekken 6, and Super Street Fighter 4. In contrast Ryry, a competitive player from the east coast, plays multiple fighting games but doesn't place as well as Tokido. Of course this is a topic for another time when we jump out of the small realm of notation and linguistics and the much deeper psychological realm of Playing to WIN vs Playing for perfection.
Lets take these three games for example: Street Fighter, Tekken, and Blazblue.
Now lets start with simple notation. Street Fighter has 6 buttons where as Tekken and Blazblue are mostly 4 button fighters. Jab Strong Fierce (LP,MP,HP) and Short Forward Roundhouse (LK,MK,HK) in Street Fighter versus 1 / 2 (Left punch/Right punch), 3 / 4 (Left kick/Right kick). Tekken and A,B,C,D in Blazblue. The directions in Street Fighter and Tekken are interchangable where as in Blazblue directions are annotated by numbers:. Special characters like, (+) is common for simaltaneous, but (~) is used in Tekken is means rapid succession. Then even more complex game mechanics are notated differently in games like RC (Rapid canel) (BB), FADC (Foucs attack dash cacnel) (SF), and WS (While standing) (T). Confused yet? This is just concerning simple notation. Not to mention that Tekken is a 3D game where you have to account for an additional axis.
You see other factors like timing for combos, spacial recognition, muscle memory, system engine and combo mechanics are different in other fighting games. Street Fighter being the most consistent of the fighting game tree.
CLASSIC Layout its almost timeless...
Players often engrave these aspects into their minds transitioning from one fighting game to the other is very tasking and in many cases difficult. A fighting game player doesn't have to start from scratch for every new game they play, however the learning curve for a completely new player can be considerably less steep because there is nothing to re-learn. Take this funny, yet relevant, video comparing Rosetta stone and Fighting games hosted by the creative minds at Screwattack.
Which is why a person that places well in tournaments across the board is a rare quality. Tokido would be the best example of this. Evolution 2K11 where he makes it to top 8 in BBCS2, Tekken 6, and Super Street Fighter 4. In contrast Ryry, a competitive player from the east coast, plays multiple fighting games but doesn't place as well as Tokido. Of course this is a topic for another time when we jump out of the small realm of notation and linguistics and the much deeper psychological realm of Playing to WIN vs Playing for perfection.
Saturday, October 29, 2011
A scrubs buyers guide to HD monitors.
Recently I have been thinking about our little homemade arcades cabinets we call in the competitive fighting game scene as “setups”. With all these advances in technology today there is so much more to consider when purchasing a display device, because even televisions have become more than just that in recent years.
It is quite overwhelming to traverse across a sea of products and companies without a boat or a navigator. Luckily today you have a guide or at least a starting point. I will first narrow it down to a target audience. This article is intended to direct the weary tireless world warrior to finding the ideal monitor to deal massive amounts of pain and shatter dreams, through fighting games of course.
Before we delve into this subject let’s cover some background information and shed some light on misinterpreted facts.
Response time is the rate in which a single pixel changes from black to grey then back to black. It is in no way shape or form related to the Latency issue we feel when playing our time sensitive games. However it does go hand in hand with ghosting. Ghosting is the after image effect that occurs during the motion of objects on screen which happens when the pixels transition from black to grey then back to black.
Fortunately for the rhythm game players out there, there is calibration tests built in to these games to help offset this latency for more accurate game play. However, for all the fighting game players out there we have to rely solely on the hardware we are gaming on.
Investigating the cause of this bandit called latency would lead you down two paths. Scaling and Processing.
·
Scaling, either up or down, is caused when a console sends a signal to the display device that is not its native resolution. This is most common when playing retro consoles on a HD display device. Processing is a much broader range of issues. Which vary with options equipped on specific display devices, like OPC, general image enhancing processes and signal encryption protocols such as HDCP.
The goal is to minimize latency as much as possible without sacrificing visual appeal and functionality. For those of you who are thinking, Why does it matter? I’ll just play on a 50 lb. 32 in. CRT that has no lag. Well that answer is actually very logical and totally acceptable if you enjoy playing the newest generation of games with fuzzy pixels. It totally rejects the premise of our search for equilibrium.
Some basic steps that should be implemented are:
· Playing games at their native resolutions. This helps minimize the Scaling process.
· Turning off optional processing resources that your display device has active. Some of these cannot be come inactive without the aid of third party products such as HD Fury II.
· Using the VGA analog signal output is more optimal for gaming. If your console does not inherently support VGA output you would have to purchase a third party converter box, HD Pro Box and other devices like it.
From here on you have eliminated most of the factors that you as the user can control. Now it’s all up to the display device, which is the hardest part for the consumer to decide on because it is not advertised at all. Testing methods have been discovered and implemented which is what these listings are based off of, which is an article for another time.
After researching various sites I have located two reliable sources of information.
For HDTV tests:
For LCD PC monitor tests:
For those of you that don’t want to delve into the politics of a decision making process and just want to be told what to buy skip on ahead to "Here's the verdict". For the rest of you let us ask ourselves, what are we looking for?
- Price- The wallet is the first driving force to our purchasing decision. Although this fact, for the most part, will be ignored until the final decision it is definitely a very strong decision making factor.
- Audio- Built-in speakers are essential for portability and a must for tournaments. Carrying all your gear with you is a hassle even without worrying about a sound bar that runs on batteries or on a DC power source.
- Input options- HDMI is very convenient but also a headache to deal with sometimes. Its functionality is over the top but HDCP is an unnecessary pain to deal with and within the age of updating dashboards and firmware makes this security protocol more convoluted and cumbersome but so much easier to stream and record content. VGA is a stable and the best way to display “lag less” game play. DVI, the HD replacement for VGA D-sub connections. A lot of untapped potential concerning console games.
- The Stand- Totally superficial. This subject is totally up for discretion.
- Display size and resolution- 1360 x 768 is the resolution setting we will be using most of the time. The higher the resolution the more pixels can be displayed at a time which adds to the detail of the image. Screen size is also subjective. 27” seems to be the standard for cinematic viewing while max HD resolution is, 2560 x 1440.
- Power consumption- Right alongside price point this is the next subject that will be considered. It affects the consumer in the long run. If you are an avid gamer that plays more than 4 hours consider this as a selling point.
- Outstanding features- New technologies in displaying prowess and even USB ports for increased functionality should be considered especially if you game on your PC as well.
After looking at the entire spectrum, I have compiled a list of monitors with estimated 10 ms input latency or less. Feel free to use this document for research purposes only and not for any profit what so ever.
Here’s the verdict:
a. Pros:
i. Below average input latency.
ii. VGA/DVI-D/HDMI.
iii. Relatively light.
iv. Integrated stereo speakers.
v. Price point.
b. Cons:
i. Limited Ergonomics.
ii. Average power consumption.
iii. Limited Features.
a. Pros:
i. Integrated stereo speakers.
ii. Price point.
iii. Ergonomic.
iv. Good input latency and response time scores.
b. Cons:
i. Limited display inputs.
ii. Limited features.
a. Pros:
i. Great resolution and display features.
ii. LED backlighting.
iii. Feature rich.
b. Cons:
i. Relatively high latency and response time issues.
ii. High price point.
iii. No integrated stereo speakers.
iv. Little display input options.
v. Heaviest of the bunch.
a. Pros:
i. Virtually no input latency.
ii. Wide variety of display inputs.
iii. Very ergonomic.
iv. Low power consumption.
v. Feature Rich
b. Cons:
i. No integrated stereo speakers.
ii. Everything else is average.
V. Honorable Mentions:
i. Pros:
1. 120 Hz refresh rate.
2. 3D compatible.
3. Variety of display inputs.
4. Below average input latency and response time.
ii. Cons:
1. High price point.
I hope this article helps shed some light on the problematic relationships between the competitive gamer and high definition displays. As technology grows so does this shady region of input latency and ghosting. Hopefully as long as we test our equipment, spread information about what we want from manufactures and make smarter financial decisions can we really expect this relationship to find fruit like we once did in our Cathode Ray Tube days of the past.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Grand finals and investments.
In case you missed the grand finals match for the tournament here it is:
http://youtu.be/FBp87vhrb5U
Due to some technical difficulties and headaches I will not be touching this file anymore. It will forever be a stain and a reminder of what not to do.
However the recording setup has been refined to a stable point as of late, but as far as actually streaming goes I still need lots of practice.
In the future I would like to stream other non-fighting games like Arkham city, Bastion, etc. both for practice and for recreation, but sometimes the inconvenience of meeting outside Thursdays proves to be a hassle. Nevertheless, in the future it is something I would like to do.
So for everyone who missed it I added a donation button to the blog. Maximum donations are $5.00 so feel free to donate to help buy equipment and any miscellaneous items we might need.
Are palaver at Denny's last night was not only very productive but hilariously entertaining. Its definitely frighting what pancakes can do to a man.
Along those lines I have purchased another year of Xbox Live 12 Months of Gold status. Our current subscription ends 3/2011. So that purchase is taken care of. $52 left to spend.
I feel that we should use that account more effectively and create only lobbies sometimes on the weekend and invite other players from the Northwest forums to look for us and play. Depending on the connection speed I can either stream and/or record the sets. The purpose of this online battle log is just to broaden our match up and player experiences. The local winner stays on to play. Upon losing next local player in line moves up.
I am always welcome to more expansive ideas and suggestions so voice your opinion on any social media and I'll listen.
Northwest Majors is coming up. I know that many of us cannot make it to that event. My attendance is up in the air. I would like to spectate if anything. So many things to look forward too. Til next time!
- Joshua "Leafman" Kaneakalau.
http://youtu.be/FBp87vhrb5U
Due to some technical difficulties and headaches I will not be touching this file anymore. It will forever be a stain and a reminder of what not to do.
However the recording setup has been refined to a stable point as of late, but as far as actually streaming goes I still need lots of practice.
In the future I would like to stream other non-fighting games like Arkham city, Bastion, etc. both for practice and for recreation, but sometimes the inconvenience of meeting outside Thursdays proves to be a hassle. Nevertheless, in the future it is something I would like to do.
So for everyone who missed it I added a donation button to the blog. Maximum donations are $5.00 so feel free to donate to help buy equipment and any miscellaneous items we might need.
Are palaver at Denny's last night was not only very productive but hilariously entertaining. Its definitely frighting what pancakes can do to a man.
Along those lines I have purchased another year of Xbox Live 12 Months of Gold status. Our current subscription ends 3/2011. So that purchase is taken care of. $52 left to spend.
I feel that we should use that account more effectively and create only lobbies sometimes on the weekend and invite other players from the Northwest forums to look for us and play. Depending on the connection speed I can either stream and/or record the sets. The purpose of this online battle log is just to broaden our match up and player experiences. The local winner stays on to play. Upon losing next local player in line moves up.
I am always welcome to more expansive ideas and suggestions so voice your opinion on any social media and I'll listen.
Northwest Majors is coming up. I know that many of us cannot make it to that event. My attendance is up in the air. I would like to spectate if anything. So many things to look forward too. Til next time!
- Joshua "Leafman" Kaneakalau.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
OCC Tournament 10/16:
Just finished uploading all the tournament matches last night. Here is a playlist for anyone that wants to watch it all in one go. No Grand Finals yet though. Due to time constraints the final match will be held at the Gabi's Olympic Cards and Comics, this Thursday, October 13, 2011.
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL337D62AF8E8E803A
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL337D62AF8E8E803A
Monday, October 10, 2011
The Editing Process...
Damn its been a busy week. I am slowly learning the process of editing, rendering and uploading YouTube videos. I can see why streaming is more optimal. The video conversion and rendering process alone can take hours and for inexperienced folks, like myself, almost all day.
Problems can pile on each other when trying to coordinate my actions with members of Olympia Fightclub and sometimes when I am not satisfied with the certain aspects of the video. I tend to wonder off and try something new which doesn't always work out as planned, like this for example. However the bright side to this is that the experience points accumulate and I gradually level up.
In the course of two days I have uploaded 5 match videos, 1 small video introduction clip, and created a new logo and template for OFC. I think I have put in sufficient work today.
My overall goal is to be able to edit 2 hrs of video, render and upload it in 24-36 hours time.
After all this editing is done I have a few bigger projects on the way.
The "unsafe" safe jumps!
The Latverian manifesto!
Being a NOOB!
When time permits probably some match analysis transcripts and continuing the move translations for Tekken Tag Tournament 2.
Whew! All this food on my plate and its not even Thanksgiving yet! ;)
Leafman signing out!
Problems can pile on each other when trying to coordinate my actions with members of Olympia Fightclub and sometimes when I am not satisfied with the certain aspects of the video. I tend to wonder off and try something new which doesn't always work out as planned, like this for example. However the bright side to this is that the experience points accumulate and I gradually level up.
In the course of two days I have uploaded 5 match videos, 1 small video introduction clip, and created a new logo and template for OFC. I think I have put in sufficient work today.
My overall goal is to be able to edit 2 hrs of video, render and upload it in 24-36 hours time.
After all this editing is done I have a few bigger projects on the way.
The "unsafe" safe jumps!
The Latverian manifesto!
Being a NOOB!
When time permits probably some match analysis transcripts and continuing the move translations for Tekken Tag Tournament 2.
Whew! All this food on my plate and its not even Thanksgiving yet! ;)
Leafman signing out!
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Press Start...
It's Josh "Leafman" Kaneakalau here!
I'm new to this "blogging" concept so forgive me for any virgin mistakes or concepts that don't quite fly off the handle and turn to gold. I have never successfully maintained a journal of any kind, however I think what I lacked in dedication and determination as a child I make up for now as an adult. I can only hope that with time this experiment proves fruitful.
Despite my elegant literature I often find my spoken words to fumble out my mouth in a not so clear manner, most of the time. The insides are of my mouth are quite soft indeed and not totally accustomed to the pace of debate and even less to fighting game commentary. This could be because of my nurturing. Growing up in Hawaii, living a very easy going life. Where the need for complicated and speedy conversation was few and far between but never the less I am off tangent. Lets get back on topic.
The purpose of this blog is to house transcripts to combo videos and tutorials, tournament announcements and experiences, and lastly to update people regarding the fighting game community in the Northwestern United States region to both local and national news.
I always remain open to constructive criticism so please feel free to say your piece and you can bet that I will say mine.
I am at work with editing the tournament matches we had Gabi's Olympic Cards and Comics in Lacey, WA. So look forward to them shortly.
I'm new to this "blogging" concept so forgive me for any virgin mistakes or concepts that don't quite fly off the handle and turn to gold. I have never successfully maintained a journal of any kind, however I think what I lacked in dedication and determination as a child I make up for now as an adult. I can only hope that with time this experiment proves fruitful.
Despite my elegant literature I often find my spoken words to fumble out my mouth in a not so clear manner, most of the time. The insides are of my mouth are quite soft indeed and not totally accustomed to the pace of debate and even less to fighting game commentary. This could be because of my nurturing. Growing up in Hawaii, living a very easy going life. Where the need for complicated and speedy conversation was few and far between but never the less I am off tangent. Lets get back on topic.
The purpose of this blog is to house transcripts to combo videos and tutorials, tournament announcements and experiences, and lastly to update people regarding the fighting game community in the Northwestern United States region to both local and national news.
I always remain open to constructive criticism so please feel free to say your piece and you can bet that I will say mine.
I am at work with editing the tournament matches we had Gabi's Olympic Cards and Comics in Lacey, WA. So look forward to them shortly.
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