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Fighting Game Spec

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Ezra Weller edited this page Dec 30, 2018 · 1 revision

Specific Designs

Rules

"cancelling" mechanic - if a move has "cancelable X," it can be played together with a move of type X. If the move with type X hits, the cancelable move also hits (cancelable moves can link into other cancelable moves).

"reset" mechanic - like a knockdown, shuffles all the cards in your line back into your deck (for a card like "backdash — dodges all non-ranged moves, startup probably like 2, reset"

Deckbuilding

Players start the deckbuilding process by creating a "character." This means choosing a stat distribution between a few stats:

  • Strength
  • Speed
  • Reflex
  • Magic
  • Technique

Players can distribute 10 points among these stats in any way they'd like.

They play as this "character" when they play this deck—maybe they also give the character a name and an avatar (unique avatars anyone?? maybe each possible unique combination of stats eventually gets a canon named character?).

With the character, the player now builds a deck of 60(?) cards. They can put any cards in their deck, but they should take their character's attributes into account, because cards require certain attributes to play (at least 2 strength, etc.).

Cards

Cards come in 2 general types:

  • Moves - punches, kicks, blocks
    • Moves all have:
      • Start up time (how long the move takes to start)
      • Hitstun time (if it's an offensive move, how long the opponent has to recover if hit)
      • Recovery time (how long you have to recover after using the move)
    • Moves can have:
      • Damage or damage block (damage forces draws from the resource deck)
      • Dodge certain other moves
      • Type: attack, block, or grapple (attack > throw, throw > block, block > attack)
      • Armor rating (can absorb some moves and still work)
      • potentially infinite other mechanics ("disjoint" letting an attack beat other attacks even with a speed tie? etc.)
  • Moves can have sub-types:
    • Modifiers - jumping, crouching, teleporting, etc.
      • Modifiers can be played on their own or with a move, in which case they modify the move in some way, either changing the move's given attributes, adding new ones, or adding some other mechanic
        • e.g. "Leap," on it's own, does something like "dodge unless the enemy does an 'anti-air' move," and played as a modifier, it adds that quality to the move it's modifying (without adding to the move's startup/recovery? or adding them together?)
    • Specials - fireballs, poison clouds, power ups
      • Specials can't be modified, but they can be modifiers
      • Specials have the same qualities as moves, but tend to be stronger and require more resources
  • Resources - super meter, ammunition, smoke bombs (non-renewables)
    • Resources are required to played along with some moves
    • Resources are always visible

Playing

Players split their decks in two: their "move" deck and their "resource" deck. The resource deck is the player's health pool — if they are forced to draw from it and no cards are left, they lose.

At the start of the game, players draw 5 moves.

Turns are played simultaneously: Both players choose a move to play, reveal their moves at the same time, then draw a replacement move. Players repeat this loop, attempting to link moves into each other by navigating startup, hitstun, and recovery well.

  • 2 startup move vs. 3 startup move: 2 startup wins, so the 2 startup move hits
  • The hit has 6 hitstun and only 3 recovery, giving that player +3
  • Next they play a 3 (-3 for the advantage) startup move and 1 startup move: 3 startup wins because of the +3, so it hits
  • etc.
  • Players can pass without playing a move if they want

If one player is able to deal 10 or more damage straight, without being damaged by the other player, they score a "knockdown": the board is cleared of moves (into the discard pile), and the next pair of moves resets to 0 frame advantage. Whenever a player is damaged, they draw 1 resource for each point of damage. Drawn resources are revealed, while unplayed moves are hidden. If a player's entire move deck is in play or in the discard pile, they shuffle all their moves back into their move deck.

Cards

Character: Ryu (2/2/2/2/2 stats)

Jab

type: move

stat requirements: 1 speed

startup/hitstun/recovery: 2/6/3

damage: 1

Straight

type: move

stat requirements: 1 speed, 2 strength

startup/hitstun/recovery: 3/8/4

damage: 5

Uppercut

type: move

stat requirements: 1 speed, 1 strength

startup/hitstun/recovery: 3/6/10

damage: 7

anti-air

Low Kick

type: move

stat requirements: 2 strength, 1 technique

startup/hitstun/recovery: 4/4/9

damage: 6

sweep

Hip Throw

type: grapple move (beats shield moves)

stat requirements: 1 strength

startup/hitstun/recovery: 4/4/6

damage: 8

Arm Block

type: shield move (fails against grapple moves)

stat requirements: 1 strength

startup/recovery: 1/5

block: 8 (no hitstun or damage from moves totaling less than 8 damage, lasts until your next move or until >8 damage is dealt)

Leap

type: modifier move

stat requirements: 1 speed

startup/recovery: 1/4

dodge all moves except for anti-airs

modify: dodge all moves except for anti-airs, anti-air (can't modify sweeps) (if modifying, add this to next move) (can only modify regular moves)

Crouch

type: modifier move

stat requirements: 1 speed

startup/recovery: 1/4

dodge all moves except for sweeps

modify: dodge all moves except for sweeps, sweep (can't modify anti-airs) (if modifying, add this to next move) (can only modify regular moves)

Hadouken

type: special move

stat requirements: 2 magic, 2 technique

startup/hitstun/recovery: 5/8/5

damage: 5

resources: 3 super

disjoint (beats moves when start up is tied)

ranged 3 (-3 startup when played as a first move, such as after knocking the opponent down or after shuffling all moves into the deck)

Shouryuken

type: special move

stat requirements: 2 strength, 1 reflex, 1 magic, 1 technique

startup/hitstun/recovery: 4/9/10

damage: 10

resources: 5 super

armor 1 (can be hit once during startup without being beaten. If hit twice, it is beaten.)

anti-air

Super

type: resource

Fighting Game Feel

  • Health represented by a deck, put cards from that deck into your hand when you take damage

    • Players lose when they are forced to draw from their health deck but can't

  • Simultaneous turn taking

    • Players choose stacks of cards as combos they are committing to
    • those stacks are "evaluated" like a game of War

  • Players may build decks with as many "normals" as they want

    • Normals, each optionally crouching, standing, jumping:
      • Block, Throw
      • light, med, strong punch
      • light, med, strong kick

  • Players may put a limited number of any given "special"

  • Moves have optional positioning

    • "Normals" can all be performed either standing still, approaching, retreating, jumping or crouching
    • "Specials" each specify what positioning options they have if any

  • Moves have "frame data", a frame is a single simultaneous turn

    • Startup frames are how long they must be revealed before they take effect
    • Active frames is how many frames the effect of the move lasts
    • Recovery frames is how long the player must wait until their next action

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmO7K_n6n5o&index=5&list=PLj34EySs1IeZLdaLTIoMvkoMkxUk2l74A

    • Hit stun
      • We'll need rules for hit stun, how much recovery time is induced by being hit
      • Lower if the receiving character is blocking
        • a move is "safe on block" if the block stun is longer than the recovery time
        • heavier moves should be less safe on block
    • The recovery time of an attack will usually (always?) be longer than the hit stun it produces (without some other synergy?)
    • Canceling allows the next move to occur at the end of the active frames rather than the end of the recovery frames
      • every move has a weight on a scale, does it's weight in damage on hit
      • heavier moves can cancel lighter ones
      • the whole cancel chain must be committed to at once
    • Combo breakers and extenders?
    • Super meter?
    • Mechanics from TCGs?
      • Permenants
      • Hand disruption
      • Healing
      • Deck manipulation
      • Direct damage
      • Card draw
      • Resource escalation (do we need it?)
        • "Crowd support/excitement" could be the narrative excuse for resource escalation
          • Crowd support could increase your damage, reduce the damage you take, reduce startup or recovery frames leading to easier combos,

Playtest notes

drawing 7 and playing all of them before drawing again felt better than drawing 1 every time you play 1

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