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A Huge Ramble about LF2 gameplay design
#1
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Felt like rambling about LF2's gameplay, some of the common pitfalls when making LF2 mods, and why it is important to study the original game. Even better if you are lucky to have multiplayer experience in full speed in both Stage and PvP with a strong player.

#1 - Movement & Combat: (Click to View)
tl;dr - Don't neglect the basics. Characters should feel good to move around.
Each move, basic or special, should have a specific purpose and meaningful cost.

#2 - HP & MP Values: (Click to View)
tl;dr - Please balance your HP/MP cost around the LF2 exe's regeneration rates.
Make sure attacks have a sensible HP:MP efficiency and are not too safe/easily spammed, especially compared to combos.

#3 - Dash Attack: (Click to View)
tl;dr - Dash Attack(>>JA) is powerful rather than overpowered.
However, the AI/Stage needs to be better managed to use/deal with it.

#4 - HK Colosseum (aka HKC - the BG/Map): (Click to View)
tl;dr - Please keep HK Colosseum as the 2nd map in the game.

#5 - Lying, AI and Stage: (Click to View)
tl;dr - Original LF2 has a bad AI and Stage Mode that undercuts its own combat system.
Modders, please take the time to research and make the Stage Mode fit your preferred combat system.

#6 - Inputs & Combos: (Click to View)
tl;dr - Inputs must be intuitive, and combos should flow.
Don't just put in a special move in a slot just because you have the slots for it; in fact try to keep to 3-5 special moves.
Allow players to transfer legacy skills/muscle memory from original LF2 to the mod.

#7 - Injury System: (Click to View)
tl;dr - Understand LF2's "Fall" system and decide the duration of injury frames.
Otherwise, your combos won't work, or become infinites.

#8 - States: Juggling, Fire and Ice: (Click to View)
tl;dr - Fire(effect 2) use fall70 for a reason.
Take extra care when designing any moves that use fire/ice, especially Fire, and watch out for States.

#9 - Hitlag and Rest: (Click to View)
tl;dr - Besides "Fall", take into account Hitlag, and Rest.
Otherwise, your combos/multi-hit attacks will also fail or turn into a potential infinite.

#10 - Weapons:
Was gonna write something here but I kinda addressed it in previous sections.
tl;dr - Weapons don't do much in original LF2, and largely just serve as obstacles or things you can throw in PvP, or as decorations in an otherwise large but empty background.

#11 - Time/Project/Life Management: (Click to View)

This has been a very long wall of text/ramble.

LF2 has been around since 1999; a full 21 years, and its playerbase has grown up from children to working adults with their own kids who play Apex and watch Hololive.
The community has a vast collection of resources, some of which sadly lost in time, but much of it has remained and here we are, standing on the shoulders of giants before us.
Modding has a bit more options and is easier thanks to our past contributors.
What a legacy, but we can't hold on to the past forever, can we?

But I hope that being part of this LF2 community has helped everyone learn something that would prove useful in their lives moving forward, even if they are no longer going to be a part of it and leave a legacy behind.

Thank you for reading, and I hope you learned something from it as well.
[Image: uMSShyX.png]
~Spy_The_Man1993~
Steiner v3.00 (outdated), Challenge Stage v1.51
Luigi's Easier Data-Editor, A-Man's Sprite Mirrorer
Working on the LF2 Rebalance mod.
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#2
This is the second part of STM1993's documentaion book: "Everthing anyone needs to know aboult LF2 Game Design"

A good detailed analysis of the mechanics behind the game.
A lot of information.
Even taken me a while, but i find time and satisfaction enoth to read everthing. Consgratulations.

(09-27-2020, 12:14 PM)STM1993 Wrote:  #11 - Time/Project/Life Management:

This!
Yes... very true.
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