Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Monster Ancient Cline News and updates

Yes, It has been a really long time since ive updated this. So lets just get down to business. For a really long while now, ive been testing and helping ShoK with Monster's game system to ensure it is a very strong and solid system. Right now, The fruits of labor are finally coming together because we have a REALLY solid thing going right now. Lets get to some of the changes. Ill go into katze changes as well.

*more hits = higher launch more pushback
Damage proration does not occur during shift activation
Yuukoi backdash window change from 2f-5 f on okizeme
Air dash (96) Is VERY easy to execute(DO NOT CHANGE)
Backdash has ALOT of start up(Able to stuff/punish backdashes
Attack to build meter?(Current is self charging)
Bash combos no longer allows for Normal/Dash cancels
Normal moves to dash cancel normal is no longer an option
Dash attacks now can combo into standing normals
All air normals are now jump cancellable
Combos in general will be a bit harder to execute but alot shorter than before(no 10 second long combos)
No current infs in test version of Monster Ancient cline
Animations are MUCH smoother than before
Shifts no longer have the "different move" property for each special move(Except for SOME monster moves
Siely, orju , possibly rail will have IAD(96)

Katze changes

236a and 236b are completely new moves
214a is now a new move with 214b as an extender(old 214a)
J.b has a larger cross up hitbox
New Crouching C(now hits downed opponents as well)
623a now combos into 236b/214b/623b
623a/b has more invinc
66c is a tad faster than before
All new basic and advanced combos(not the same as before, a completely new character for sure.)

Sunday, October 7, 2007

Monster 1.11b: Tier List and Discussion

Well Monster 1.11b has been out for about a week now and of course like with any game, There will be speculation about who is good, Who is not good etc. But I have a strong feeling now that everyone is very much playable. I Might have to excuse aleksander from that previous statement because he completely garbage. In contrast to my last post about tiers This is what i believe tiers are after experimenting and playing against various people.

Tier list:

Unknown Tier:

Ryougen???: Now there are things that make me believe that ryougen is still the top character in the game, And there are things that make me disagree. Ryougen still has the range and the raw power that he had in the previous versions of the game. Insane poking speed despite his huge size and the ability to control all ranges with realitive ease. Now while he still has these things, My personal main problem with ryougen is his ability to combo. His ability to combo and do massive ammounts of damage at will has been completely taken from ryougen. He no longer has the "Easy mode" combos. While this is a good thing, The new system changes didnt allow for ryougen to come up with newer combos, it limited his combo ability alot more than i believe that it should have. I agree with the nerf in ryougen damage, But i wouldnt say remove his combos completely. His parry was even altered to not being as good as before. That change is also fine but it makes me wonder how good ryougen really is now. Even his 623a Catch doesnt have the same combo ability as before. I really dont know where to place him at this point in time, Though i am positive that alot of people will disagree with me, I have a right to my own opinion.

S tier

Othello

Yup this guy hasnt changed a huge bit. His 662a is much slower than before and is now punishable. However, his rushdown is just as good as it always has been. His damage isnt as great as it used to be but with a rushdown like his, i dont think you will have many problems doing damage. His poking game is still as strong as ever. Dominating almost all ranges with extremely long ranged and deceptive pokes. This guy is STILL a top character in Monster.

A tier

Siely

Woah, Did Siely improve or what? Her damage(like with everyone else) was severely toned down. But her Pressure and mix up game are what make her a VERY strong character now. Not to mention she can actually run away from you due to the fact that she has an air dash. Her air to air game is top notch. There arent many attacks that will be beating her out in the air. and to top it all off she is rather simple to play. A great starter character for anyone just getting into the game. If your interested in learning Monster? Learn Siely.

Right now These are the certain character placements. Everyone below them are actually currently still in discussion. Hopefully next time i can come to some sort of placement for ryougen.


Tuesday, October 2, 2007

Monster 1.11b: First thoughts and Speculation

Well now that the new patch has finally been released, I can finally rest easy knowing that now I have people to play with instead of consistantly testing things on my own all of the time. With that in mind I now have a chance to be able to tell what each and every character is capable of doing in a vs environment. I have only been able to test combos and tactics for 2 characters lately and i probably will only go indepth about those 2 characters. Monster's game system has also greatly changed since version 1.01 and Now requires a good amount of skill and understanding to completely use the system to its maximum potential.

Monster now has a "reset" system. This system resets your opponent at the point of contact when you hit them with an normal anti air or air to air attack(meaning any move that isnt a special move or a "C" move.) Upon the removal of the bursting system and the addition of this system, Monster took a really huge turn in the style of play that it had before. Where alot of the characters in monster were very offensive heavy, now Because of alot of the changes can actually be defensive and not have much worry about the burst system resetting the pressure situation for both players. Though before you could not combo after bursting Bursting still left the attacker at somewhat of an advantage if properly used with the point system. The bursting system could have been refined all together. But the Monster staff felt that the system should be removed all together to create a more technical turn. At least in my opinion.

Specific character changes in monster leave me to wonder what turn will the game actually make. Will the game actually take more of a traditional turn or will it stay on the beaten path of "Different game" I like difference. The same shit to me makes it really boring and unexciting to play. Monster however constantly(both good and bad thing) changing things up to keep me wondering what will be next. Alot of the characters got needed changes and some got unneeded changes. Overall i personally believe that monster right now is still very much good and is still very much alive. Its just a matter of keeping it that way.

With some of the more recent changes i believe i can still tier the characters based on the information that has been gathered

S tier
Ryougen/Othello(maybe)

A tier
Siely
Othello

B
Katze
Maya
Rail

C tier

Orju
Delga

Trash tier
Aleksander

*will finish updating when i am not so lazy*

Monday, August 27, 2007

Monster update

少数の月に更新するためにこのblogを残念なAM。 私はモンスターおよび私の自身の個人的なビデオゲームのずっと養育の現在の生産との助力と同様、他の事のalotととても忙しい。 しかし私は別の時にそのゲームの進歩を話し、示す。 適用がモンスターに変わる間、ここ数か月間の間モンスターの新版をテストするIve、私は相当数の事を渡ってつまずき。 日本の聴衆はモンスターが遊び幾分にくい信じる。 アメリカおよびカナダプレーヤーはこの事実に同意しない。 モンスターのテストは理解し実際に複雑またはにくいことができるゲームについての多くの事があると証明した。 ここ数か月間ののモンスターに作ったそれらのプロセス大いにより容易におよびよりバランスをとられるalotを行なわれていた変更は湧き出る。 それらの病気のリストのalotはこれを読んでいる人々のために変わる。

*Monsterに今現在円形のタイマーがある。 これは複数の理由のために必要だった:
1: より速いgameplay励ますため
2: 現在モンスターを演じているアーケードがお金の規則のためのそれを必要とするので。
everyonesの意見でタイマーはマッチが適切な遊び、区分と終わる実際に長い時間を取ることができるので非常に大いに必要だった。

モ ンスターのための*Theのごまかすシステムはあるのに使用したものをと非常に異なっている。 進水移動を行った後前にモンスターに、衝突のよい数のためのあなたの反対者をごまかせた、それからそれらは地面に説得力があ当る。 今ゲームは何衝突土地かへあなたの行くことあなたの発射筒の高さが言うと言う。 更に多くは、そこにこの新しいコンボシステムに基づくこれ以上の再開のcombosでない。 かなり興味深い変更のための作り

*すべてまたはほとんどすべての特性のspritesはredrawnおよび点のレンダリングによって生き返らせてである。 要するに。 特性は写実的な分解検査を得ている。 そして正直なところ、約時間のhahaha。

*転位システムはわずかに異なっている。 転移の技術は今極度の在庫を使うように要求する。 これは行われないもはやゲームの前のバージョンで前もって形成されたcombosことをのそのalot意味する。 どんなに新しいコンボの可能性のためのドアを開ける。

非常にすぐに上がるパッチを回転させる少数の推測されたうわさはここにある。

オンライン演劇システムを*updated
新しい特性または移動の*possibility
*new GUIおよびaは分解検査を与えた
段階を*updated

すべての上記は創作者によって確認されなくてところで述べられた。 おそらく病気の更新はそれについて後でこれまたは完全に忘れている。

This is for the japanese readers. it is a translated version of the below post

Whoa?? Remastery? About time son!

I am sorry for not having updated this blog in a few months. I've been so busy with alot of other things as well as helping with the current production of monster and My own personal video game, The Upbringing. But I will speak and show progress on that game at another time. Ive been testing the new version of monster for the last few months and while applying changes to Monster, I have stumbled across quite a few things. The japanese audiences believe that monster is rather hard to play. American and canadian players disagree with this fact. The testing of Monster has proven that there are many things about the game that could actually be confusing or hard to understand. well the changes that have been made to monster with in the last few months have made those processes MUCH easier and alot more balanced. Ill list alot of those changes for the people reading this.

*Monster NOW currently has a round timer. This was needed for several reasons:
1: to encourage faster gameplay
2: because the arcades that are currently playing monster will need it for regulation of money.
In everyones opinion the timer was very much needed as matches could take a REALLY long time to finish with proper playing and zoning.

*The Juggling system for monster is very different from what it used to be. Before in monster after you performed a launching move, you would be able to juggle your opponent for a good number of hits and then they would hit the ground forcefully. NOW the game says that the height of your launcher says how many hits your going to land. Further more, There will be NO more relaunch combos based on this new combo system. Makes for quite the interesting change

* All or almost all the character sprites will be redrawn and reanimated by dot rendering. In other words. The characters are getting a graphic overhaul. And to be honest, Its about time hahaha.

* the shift system is slightly different. The shifting technique now requires that you spend super stock. This means that alot of combos that were able to be preformed in the previous version of the game are no longer able to be performed. However opens the doors for new combo possibilities.

Here are a few speculated rumors revolving the patch coming up very soon.

*updated online play system
*possibility of new character/moves
*new GUI and a gave overhaul
*updated stages

All of the above were mentioned by the creator but where not confirmed. Ill probably update this later or completely forget about it.

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Interview with the creator

Man its been a while since i have posted on this blog. But I figure i may as well get back to it and start busting out these babies. Anyway, today i got to interview the creator of monster in relations to his games ideas and thoughts on his game, other games, and his company. Mind you his native tounge is NOT english so anything that he may state that seems confusing just pass it by. This post is a personal one on one with the creator

AyaImmortal says:
Alright
AyaImmortal says:
My first question is what inspired you to create monster?
ShoK says:
Many games .
ShoK says:
Especially KOF98,VanpireSavior,TekkenSeries,StreetFighter ZERO3.
AyaImmortal says:
What about these games gave you ideas to create monster?
ShoK says:
These games didn't give me ideas mach, But these games supported me to make my ideas became to real .
AyaImmortal says:
Alright How much did they support you?
ShoK says:
These games are very good at ragulating .So They supported me to do regulate MONSTER with its system and gameplay .
AyaImmortal says:
Personally, I am playing Vampire Saviour, My character in vampire saviour is Gallon.
AyaImmortal says:
I love the tekken series, And i played alot of Street fighter zero3 Growing up
ShoK says:
I see .
ShoK says:
You could see the same things between these games and MONSTER .
For example, The combotation of MONSTER look like Tekken .
AyaImmortal says:
Yes, On that topic. It seems you are using 3d animations in a 2d playing feild.
AyaImmortal says:
Is this correct?
ShoK says:
It's different .
The Tekken Combotation is that ,
The character who is doing combo is staying on the ground but the opponents is on the air .
AyaImmortal says:
So you used tekkens Combo Juggling system in a matter of words?
ShoK says:
I don't sure about that because I didn't know tekkenn combotation system very much .
ShoK says:
But I think it is very good at looking and gameplay .
AyaImmortal says:
Who is your favorate character in tekken?
ShoK says:
If the character on the air both, it must do anything so fast and very difficult .
ShoK says:
I like ArmorKing .
AyaImmortal says:
Thats cool, I am a Jin and Baek player
AyaImmortal says:
But getting back on to the monster topic, How many characters are currently in monster(I am asking for those who do not currently know)
ShoK says:
Sorry I don't get it what you mean .
AyaImmortal says:
I was asking What the number of characters that are in monster at the moment
ShoK says:
You can use 10 character .
AyaImmortal says:
From personal playing, Each character is very different from the rest.
AyaImmortal says:
Which is really good because alot of games tend to have characters you can play alike in many respects
ShoK says:
I don't want same to the other game.
AyaImmortal says:
Currently, monster has plans of several modes of play. The more notable mode being Network mode.
AyaImmortal says:
Which allows players to play online against each other who normally would not be able to play.
AyaImmortal says:
What gave you the idea to include a network mode?
ShoK says:
It came from arcade game style .
ShoK says:
The most player didn't want communicate each other.

ShoK says:
That is one of the prpblem of that why many player didn't play online .
AyaImmortal says:
Currently in the USA, As vast of a country as we are. There is not much offline competition except for very few areas
AyaImmortal says:
And each are very seperated from one another.
ShoK says:
I see .USA is very huge (^^
AyaImmortal says:
Hehe, yeah It is.
AyaImmortal says:
Fighting games as a whole here are the least liked of all video games genre's
ShoK says:
Japanese player has that problem as you. But not too much .
AyaImmortal says:
Hmm
ShoK says:
I don't know about that but I am sure about that .
AyaImmortal says:
So Online play, is what alot of people look forward to in alot of fighting games because offline competition isnt avialable at all times.
ShoK says:
USA player has very high talent and they need more and more hard games .
AyaImmortal says:
I agree with you completely
AyaImmortal says:
So I personally believe that adding online play to Monster was a great idea
ShoK says:
Yes, I do the same .
AyaImmortal says:
Hopefully, Someone will create the magical netcode that will allow japanese and american players to play against each other
ShoK says:
That's very interest .
AyaImmortal says:
I know of quite a few americans who would love to play against the japanese players to get better and to have an overall different experience
AyaImmortal says:
How many people are currently working with you on Monster?
ShoK says:
No one currently and direct .
AyaImmortal says:
So as far as Monster programming is concerned you do all of the work?
ShoK says:
The most staff is my friends, and they are authrize to use their character on the MONSTER .Also I want them to send me some configurations .
AyaImmortal says:
Oh... It is really good to work with people who care close to you.
ShoK says:
The all data and system in the MONSTER were made by me .
AyaImmortal says:
Very Impressive work so far
ShoK says:
Thanks .
AyaImmortal says:
What is your friends opinions of your work in relation to monster?
ShoK says:
But out of the game, there are so many corporations from many people .
AyaImmortal says:
lets speak on that for a second.
AyaImmortal says:
8105Graphics was created by whom?
ShoK says:
By me .
ShoK says:
The people who is in 8105graphics. is only me .
ShoK says:
Other staff has own site or group much like yourself.
AyaImmortal says:
Yeah and im pretty glad you allowed us to be a part of your monster project
AyaImmortal says:
Do you intend on making 8105graphics a major corparation?
ShoK says:
I want to major but I don't think about that so real .
AyaImmortal says:
So you want to see how everything turns out?
AyaImmortal says:
Only time, work, and dedication, will tell in the end
AyaImmortal says:
What are your major plans for Monster?
ShoK@シェリーのエフェクト思いつかん says:
I have no idea for that .
AyaImmortal says:
What can players expect to happen in the future as far as monster is concerned? New characters, Story, modes of play, updates?
AyaImmortal says:
Also, if you could, Could you give me a little back ground of each character?
ShoK@シェリーのエフェクト思いつかん says:
Background? you mean, The storyline >
ShoK@シェリーのエフェクト思いつかん says:
?
AyaImmortal says:
Yes
ShoK@シェリーのエフェクト思いつかん says:
Each character has different world and storyline so I don't that is not sure about for real artist who create them .
AyaImmortal says:
Will a senerio mode be completed in the near future?
AyaImmortal says:
I personally Am interested in Orju Ryougen and Rail's story
ShoK@シェリーのエフェクト思いつかん says:
Yes, I hope (^^
AyaImmortal says:
alright
ShoK@シェリーのエフェクト思いつかん says:
Now I have something to do so I leave a few hours .
AyaImmortal says:
oh alright
AyaImmortal says:
Thank you very much

Saturday, March 24, 2007

Part one: Standard gameplay tactics and Strategies

Upon learning a new game, people tend to develop new habits, Comeup with new ideas and strats that may or may not work depending. The same is true for Monster. The more i play this game the more freedom i realize I have to come up with sooo many different things. I am sure that the japanese players and other american plays feel the same way. The ability to customize and develop your OWN style of play to me is priceless and monster gives that to you for free.

This section is going to focus on general things all Monster players should do. The things in this post could apply to all games in general.

1. Blocking

Now this might sound a bit retarded to even bother putting on this list. But Through several experiences I believe people take Blocking for granted or dont block at all. In monster blocking is alot different that other fighting games. In Monster you develop points(will be discussed later) The more points you have in monster you are at a type of advantage on your opponent(If your points are higher then theirs) This puts your opponent in a "powerbreak situation" Powerbreak occurs when 2 moves clash on the same frame. The person with the lower points will be powerbroken and whatever points they had will be added to the person who performed the powerbreak. This is why blocking In monster is important. When you have more points than your opponent you kind of keep them in a confined attacking state. Meaning that They have to be very careful with attacking so much or they are going to lose alot of life thus putting you back in control of the match up. You can be guardbroken of course due to high low mix ups. Ryougen, othello, and Siely have the best "high/low" mix ups in the game. Blocking the "mix ups" is not an easy thing to do especially if your opponent keeps mixing up(I will go into mix ups a bit later) Blocking your opponents attacks puts pressure on you but also puts pressure on your opponenet in Monster. Attacking has to be mindful and intellegent in order for you or your opponent to be successful.

2. Points

This will probably be one of the most important things to remember in regards to monster, The point system. You generate points by doing several things

*Blocking
*Landing hits or combos on your opponent
*Throwing your opponent(only throws with actual"hits" do this)

As explained in the last section, Points are very important with in gameplay. They can net you attacking advantage OR defensive advantage depending on your situation.

*Ex: Attacking advantage
Player One: Monster Othello
Player Two: Tranquility Orju

Othello is known for being the most offensively based character with in the game of Monster. His combos generate alot of points, giving him attack advantage over his opponent. IN this example othello with have generated14 points through a combo. Orju will have generated 4 points through blocking. Now Orju is at a heavy disadvantage because Othello has higher points, Orju Will be risking being powerbroken if one of his moves clash with Othello on the same active frame. So if Orju was to try shifting out of an attack string and othello decides he wants to use a move that will connect on him at the same time that Orju attempts to shift, Orju will be powerbroken for 18 points because his points will be lower than Othello's points.

*Ex: Defensive advantage
Same characters as above

Now we are going to take the above situation and just change the point value and the outcome. Orju has 14 points from blocking now and othello has 4 points from landing a 4 hit combo on Orju. Both of them use an attack on the same active frame(for the sake of arguement we will say the shift at the same time) and Orju breaks othello for 18 points due to his points being higher.

Points are reset through out the round when a new combo is started or a new block string occurs. You can also use the pointsystem as a way of baiting your opponent into resetting their own points hehe. Alot of tricks you can use With the point system. In another post I will go into detail as to how to take advantage of your opponent having higher points.

3. Mixups and Movement

This is EXTREMELY important when attacking your opponenet. Mixups arent really to easy to explain with out going into alot of detail. The best way to discribe a mixup is as an attack pattern that breaks your opponents defensive options. If you are successful you have just"mixed up" your opponent. There are several types of mix ups:

*Throw Mixup
*High/low mixup
*Repetition (aka the same shit) Mixup
*Crossup mixup

Throw mix ups and high/low mix ups are very commonly found in alot of match ups. Throws are great for opponents who love to block all of the time while high/low mix up are good for confusing an opponents gaurd. Repetition mix ups arent really mix ups. Instead they lead your opponent to believe you are going to mix them up and then you continue to do the same thing. Thus setting them up for later potential mixups. Remember that repetition often becomes very predictable and easy to counter( as with all mix ups) so be sure to be careful using mixups. Cross up mixups. Confuse your opponents gaurd by changing the direction in which they block Freedom Orju and Freedom Ryougen are famous for these types of "mixups". Not all characters are going to have the same mix up options. So it is up to you as the player to figure out what options work best for each character in a specific situation.

Movement is also very important. Knowing where to be and how to get there is very important. Using movements such as forward dash(66) and backdash(44) are key components to movement and overall attacking and defense. Movement also allows you to properly space your moves(Spacing will be explained in part 2) Jumping is also very important when you want to escape certain situations however jumping for certain characters isnt as safe as others. So jumping must be used in a very intellegent fashion.

Key things to remember about movement:
* You never want to put yourself in the corner for the most part. some characters who's mix ups involve you to be in the middle of the screen(ex: Freedom maya) Are often very useless in the corner. But The majority of the time you do not want to put yourself in the corner. It makes escaping pressure situations VERY HARD on you and very easy for your opponent to keep you there.

* Backdashing is good to use everyonce in a while. Using backdash on a repetitive basis is now punishable so if you are thinking of doing it over and over, Think again. That will get you nothing but failure and a lot of pain the come with it. Be smart about how and when you backdash.

Part2 will cover more advanced gameplay tactics such as Combos, Spacing, and situation escapes.