Found Character 7: How Data makes the Game Go Forward

Analyzing a Fighting Game

I wanted to look at fighting games as soon as I read the concept for this assignment, as fighting games have been a recent interest of mine and something I want to get better at playing during my time on Club E-Sports. Fighting Games look simple on the surface, but just as same as playing the game, there are many unique mechanics that players and game developers include into their games that allow such unique ways to perform certain moves and interact in one-on-one battles.

Parameters, Rules, and Content

The game I decided to focus on was BlazBlue: Central Fiction, a game that I have recently been exposed to because of my time on E-Sports. The game has some very complicated and intricate mechanics to play at a higher level, and it is very interesting to see how people are able to play the game to the fullest, all based on mechanics built and implemented over the series' lifetime.

The Parameters of the game can include basic attributes of fighting games, the Health Bar, Round/Match Point System, and a Special Move Meter, known in BlazBlue as the Heat Gauge.

An example of Rules that I found in my search were the Overdrive Time Limit, a special mechanic that boosts a character over time. The time limit indicates that the OD/Burst Gauge is refilled after 10 seconds, whether or not the attack connects. Frame data also played a part into findings, based on how the moves can be executed within a certain time frame.

My Spreadsheet Findings

Starting off with Light Attacks, I focused on general combat in neutral and the main variations of an attack. Surprisingly, the attacks for light all had the same damage output, despite being used in different circumstances. I'm guessing that because these moves use light pressure to approach the opponent, they are not meant to be combo-enders, but light combo starters.

Medium attacks start to vary in attack damage, between 500-660 points of damage. Being used for dealing general damage, it only makes sense that these moves deal a lot more. On the other hand, these moves may be more committal as they take a while to come out, albeit tend to be faster, more reliable options than the heavy attacks, which I will cover next.

Ragna's heavy attacks are more committal, but deal plenty of damage if a skilled player is able to land one at the end of a combo. These attacks deal a lot, but if missed or a player is able to recover faster, it can leave Ragna vulnerable to attacks that could easily be blocked or dodged.

Drive attacks are different in that they have a special attribute attached. Ragna's "Lifesteal" mechanic enables all attacks linked to his Drive moves to replenish some of his health the more he attacks an opponent with a Drive move. This places some pressure on the player to be more aggressive in their playstyle and to note when the want to go for moves to aid Ragna long term or to end a battle faster.

The research from the spreadsheet helped me think about how fighting game developers balance health in relation to how much an attack deals damage. No two fighting games are completely alike, so developers really need to think about how the game is balanced for a fair experience. If I wanted to elaborate on more data, I would want to look at special moves, the duration of activation, how much meter it consumes, and other types of data dealing with character interaction. Spreadsheets have its uses to help balance and organize characters and gameplay functionality.