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Re: Undisputed Early Access Impressions - Coming for the Belt
I really had high hopes - but I played about 25 offline matches and came away extremely disappointed.
As the guy your responded to said, the counter punching AI is so bad. The aggression you mention is also awful. Combining those 2 things makes it a bad experience.
They either inadvertently or deliberately made the whole game about counters. It feels exactly like old FN games in that regard. They should honestly just remove counters as a mechanic - you make someone miss, then hit them - great - end of story - no need to 10x the damage and make that the single most important thing in the game. I would routinely land 3 punch combinations 1-2-3 or body hook, head hook, uppercut or 1-power2 ...non of it matters. The wrong guy always ends up getting stunned. You do all this good work and it's never rewarding....add the aggression and now you have a choice of losing while playing realitically OR playing the game IT wants you to play ...
playing vs the AI makes you realize this which carries over to the online - it just shouldn't be that way.
I could go on and on about all the flaws but ultimately this is the true killer. Stamina is all short-term based and you get winded throwing a 5 punch combo - long term doesn't seem to matter. Damage is all short term as well - getting knocked down only makes it harder to get up next time, it doesn't 'change the fight' ... odd punches land while others don't.
Other weird things - what's the point in weaving? honestly unless you go back or duck - you're getting hit - the hooks will land no matter what side you lean to so the LT mechanic isnt very useful. Slips are great, but they have a dumb button assignment (L3) AND drain the stamina like crazy (why?)
I really wish the CPU tried to stay at range and land jabs - they just rush you toe to toe and wait to counter uppercut or straight to the body - you see your screen flash and know it's effective - yet your haymaker bomb of a hook did nothing, nor does you dominant combination punching and movement. It's all made irrelevant by the overly simplistic 'meta'.
I'd rather they make getting 'beat to the punch' more effective (like the beterbiev cross that was the beginning of the end for yarde on the weekend). Counters in boxing are effective for sure, but it's literally the whole game right now and giving me FN flashbacks lol. I had a match where I was Canelo and just ripping off combo's ---just didn't matter, the overmatched opponent just countered me with piddy paddy stuff and I had to start playing all fun-house mirror to win. Damage needs a massive boost overall so that you fear getting hit with 4 punch combo's...looks funny seeing everyone walk through that and get stunned w/ a weak arse 'counter'.
Honestly the game looks great right now, but unfortunately the gameplay just sucks ...really a let down after all my anticipation for this - all the things they said about having the game 'represent what you see on tv' ....it's all bs - it absolutely does not and is just FN champion 2023 - really hate to say it, but it is true.
I'm not hopeful for them to turn it around either - they made these decisions and the highly competitive and loud 'community' just cares about fairness online and it being equal - they don't want a real boxing experience. So there is no voice for the dev's to hear, I think as far as they're concerned its a hit and the way it should be.Liquor in the front, poker in the rear.Comment
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Re: Undisputed Early Access Impressions - Coming for the Belt
Two Questions:
1) Does it have a Spectator Mode (i.e. CPU vs CPU) ?
2) Does it have a Create-a-Boxer capability ?
Thanks,
DonComment
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Re: Undisputed Early Access Impressions - Coming for the Belt
I like it for what it is. which for an early access game is a pretty good solid foundation. I find the difficulty level kind of wonky. The default one, intermediate, they are a counter god. On Pro, not so much. To me anyway, Pro is a pretty fair fight. I did max out the damage slider though. Game plays better when it is maxed out, punches actually matter. Also like playing on Sim setting as well. The no HUD thing don't bother me.
Playing around also see you can change your controller layout, there are different presets available. I don't like the get up mechanic though.Comment
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Re: Undisputed Early Access Impressions - Coming for the Belt
Dang allBThere, that was a heck of a post.
But I'm glad you wrote it. You know boxing and you provided indepth analysis of what you dislike about the gameplay.
I fear that most sports games have cowtowed to online gamers. All these people want is to win, they don't care if the game is actually realistic.
And unfortunately, that mentality trickles down to the offline experience as well.
I had really high hopes for this game. I really do hope they tweak the gameplay as updates are pushed out.
allB, did you play the Beta? I'm wondering how much different it was from this early release version.Comment
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Re: Undisputed Early Access Impressions - Coming for the Belt
Wow....Every single thing said here, I have felt and/or am feeling. Yet, im still happy to have a new boxing game that may possibly spawn some sequels. If the fighters can be edited, I will find a way to get the most out of the single player experience. If not, my $30 was well worth this experience. I just won't buy it on console.Comment
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Re: Undisputed Early Access Impressions - Coming for the Belt
I been waiting, but the game is just so stiff looking.
It's almost something I can't get over. I kind of want to try it, but I feel like I have 'bad game vision,' and I can take a look at something and be like heh nah. It has that bad game feel to me. I don't usually wait on games. I see they are coming and then eventually it's like oh they are about to be out, so I saw this was coming out and then looked at the vids and it's like...
I dunno? It looks like dudes are slapping each other. I didn't really think animations would matter so much in a sports sim, but since it's in the ring, and it's so dependent on movement and hits, it just really looks like trash to me.
I bought FN champion on ps3 way after ps3 was dead. If I ever plug in my PS3, it'll be to play that game. It's not a GREAT game, but at least makes you feel like you are boxing. There isn't as much movement, but the punch animations and contact of punches lulls you into looking up higher and ignoring their weird shuffles.
In Undisputed, they have that weird chicken shuffle, too, then you can see they put in something like Ali's walk back... just a random animation trigger. Or maybe not? Dunno, at least that's what it looks like. It doesn't even have moments where it seems real. There is just something fundamentally wrong with the way fighters do everything. And I agree w/ what I saw in passing, it doesn't seem like there is proper damage either.
Maybe it 'feels really good.' I mean, legit I am disappointed enough from watching videos recently + now to not even try it, maybe someone can change my mind?
-SmakComment
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Re: Undisputed Early Access Impressions - Coming for the Belt
I'm enjoying the game a ton. Well worth the $30 for an early release game which satisfies my need for a new boxing game since FNC. I can't believe someone here said the graphics are no good but hey to each their own I guess.
undisputed.exe Screenshot 2023.02.01 - 15.15.49.11.jpg
undisputed.exe Screenshot 2023.02.01 - 15.15.44.96.jpg
undisputed.exe Screenshot 2023.02.01 - 15.16.03.07.jpg
undisputed.exe Screenshot 2023.02.01 - 15.27.29.20.jpgComment
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Re: Undisputed Early Access Impressions - Coming for the Belt
Yeah...looks outstanding. its often stunning.Comment
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Re: Undisputed Early Access Impressions - Coming for the Belt
I did NOT play the beta, just watched people streaming it - I have Mac gear and consoles so for early access I got a 1 month shadow pc subscription and bought the game on steam and play it through that service.
I will say now that I've calmed down a bit lol, playing it on 'pro' as others suggested give a much better experience - but it still has major flaws. At least the cpu throws punches now that aren't counters lol.
These 'mechanics' though are game design choices meant to overcome certain realities about playing a game vs real boxing - I get it! But those choices could have been so much different and once you go down a certain road it's hard to back out of it. I have a bunch of personal opinions about how to overcome certain things from a design perspective but they don't really want to go a new way.
Really most combat games struggle with trying to hit someone else vs the fear of getting hit. I think in real life many knockdowns happen when 2 guys are punching at the same time - to me that is the most dangerous time is during 'exchanges'. In this game as I mentioned it's all about counters. In real boxing counters ARE effective, but they aren't a guarantee and they certainly aren't so common that you get 10-20 per round. So you put that against a situation where 2 guys can throw big shots in the pocket and have a 6 landed each at the same time and then get rocked by a quick block, weak looking shot it just Forces you to play the counter game. i think if all shots mattered other than maybe the jab you'd have a better game and train the player base to avoid getting hit. If all they did was remove the counter window completely and increase damage of all shots that would be a drastic improvement. You could also increase the damage if getting hit while throwing as well (provided it lands flush or on the chin)
There are definitely good things going on with the game - but as I said - when Core design decisions don't jive with you, it's hard to overcome.
Remembering also that it's early access - they can totally improve the AI and make offline fights much more interesting. I'd love to chase someone like Leonard around the ring hunting for shots while he's dancing away and stinging me with jabs - THAT Would be a new experience, something we haven't seen before. Right now it just leaves a bad taste when this new/different promising game feels so much like FN champion.
Another thing I forgot to mention is it's a getting rocked fest. So if you up the damage the most noticeable difference is that both guys get rocked even more. So it's not like there are more knockdowns and Ko's on their own or more overall damage (these are only as a result of more rocks). That part of the game is already a little weird - they need a lot more variety there. Upping the damage should make each shot do actual more damage - the long term kind. The way the game is now you throw 7 punches and get gassed in the short term, if you get popped it's a way higher chance of getting rocked by any shot... that is another 'game mechanic' that feels a bit silly. A volume puncher doesn't get rocked after missing a bunch of shots because his short term stamina is down - that kind of meter-watching isn't good for a boxing game. I get that they want to stop people from spamming punches non-stop but this again boils down to a design decision that makes the game less representative of the sport.
Things hard to fix as well are the constant body shots-meta/controls in general are wonky (L3 slip + direction, L1 + punch for body, power body show for example would be L1+R1+x) there are a few other examples - they need to add more options or customize.
So in the interim I'm going to continue to play and try all the boxers etc, I'm just not sure it will have the staying power to keep me around. Sorry for the novel here guys I'm just a big boxing fan and was overly hyped for the game.Liquor in the front, poker in the rear.Comment
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Re: Undisputed Early Access Impressions - Coming for the Belt
It is important to remember you are not playing a finished game, this is a WORK IN PROGRESS build. Early access is paying to beta test and praying the devs don't give up on the game.
As those of us who took part in the beta noted, the game looks good but gameplay wise it is VERY ROUGH. The key here is how receptive the devs are to feedback and so far its been positive. They respond on Reddit and on the STEAM discussion board so I strongly advise yall take your feedback there.Comment
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Re: Undisputed Early Access Impressions - Coming for the Belt
Disagree here. Early access still shows design decisions.
If the complaints are bugs and lack of options okay falling back to it being early access is appropriate.
But if your complaint is about the direction of the game, it being early access doesn't mean much.
If the hope is to shift design direction due to feedback (hopefully the case), then pointing out its early access is pointless.
I don't mean to come at you with hostility if it comes off like that. I'm a predominantly pc gamer who plays plenty of early access games and the "remember its early access" bugs me. It is like you say, the point of EA is to beta test the game and provide feedback on how it can improve. So when we get people doing what they are supposed to by providing good feedback and then someone follows that up by diminishing that feedback it gets at me lol. Its like saying hey you are providing too much feedback scale it back.
On a separate but related note early access is like a godsend for sports games. I'd wager that its more of the hardline sim-style players that participate so its our best opportunity to shift a game's direction.Comment
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Re: Undisputed Early Access Impressions - Coming for the Belt
Double posting because I'm a gangster, but the roadmap worries me. Maybe I'm traumatized from Madden, but any variation of "competitive fairness/balance" is a red flag to me. Plus I don't like seeing that they put maximize fun above authenticity.Steel City also released their Early Access roadmap for planned features they want to get in the game before the end of the year:
Can't wait to get home and play this
Leads me to believe that a hyper aggressive focus on counters style of play is an intentional design choice and here to stayComment
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Re: Undisputed Early Access Impressions - Coming for the Belt
I enjoyed it for what it was. I think as they continue to add on, $30 will become a steal. Definitely need to clean up some things(I didn't play the Betas) but this to me is a nice starting point. I messed with the fatigue and damage modifiers a bit. If they can tweak the amount of punches thrown in a round to about 15-20 less, I think that will be perfect
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