I can sense it won't be popular opinion. But as it is now - it's entirely unrealistic, hardly based on stats, and is really just rock paper scissors.
I'm thinking I might be in favor of adding a boatload of ground animations, and then turning the ground game into more of an automatic struggle. By this I mean that the fighters work 1 of 2 ways.
Either they automatically struggle for position when it hits the ground, and it uses all the animations it has combined with stats to create a realistic battle, while the player works in punches, strikes, and submission attempts - or the player initiates a battle to advance (like they do now) and then an automatic struggle ensues up to a point.
I know it sounds strange, and I know people aren't big on the automated thing, but it's the only thing I can think of that doesn't make it rock paper scissors and that could add some realism to the game.
For example - Demian Maia is crazy dangerous on the ground. He's constantly pushing at the hips to push opponents downwards, and throwing his legs up and working for triangles or arm locks. Laying on top of him is a very bad idea.
Now let's look at this game. I take Maia down... From there I lay on him and just block his transitions; at some point I transition myself and punch him in the face and block attempts to push me off... I can easily reverse him if I time it, or I can transition myself by throwing attacks and mixing in a reverse when he blocks... I can do this all the way to mount no problem against most players... Why? It's unrealistic, and it completely nullifies the advantage someone like Maia has over most fighters.
So why not make some automatic struggle where perhaps the player can intervene at points to stand up, or perhaps have to time something so a specific move gets blocked? Then make him work in attacks, and if they choose them poorly they put themselves in a bad position.
I'd like to see fighters pushing off each other, trying to push a leg toward the mat so they can flip their leg over, etc, etc. I'd like to see stats come into play so that when I get taken down by GSP it's not so easy to get up as simply transition reversing, or just pushing him off with my legs. I'd like to see the guy on the bottom struggling to contain GSP in their guard, while GSP forcefully pushes his way through it, while the player throws in good elbow strikes...
I think it would be amazing to see fighters really fight on the ground; to see someone like Mir on his back fighting to control a guy's arm, while twisting his body so that he can roll them over into an advantageous position.
If I pick someone who is weak on the ground, then I'm going to accept that if it goes down, I'm at a big disadvantage because I'm probably going to get myself in a bad position.
Same as if I pick a weak stand up fighter with a poor chin, I'm going to accept getting KO'd by 2-3 shots from a big puncher.
I guess what I'm saying is that the only way I can see a realistic game happening is if they automate things on the ground to really simulate a ground struggle. Perhaps the player chooses what they'd like to do, and their fighter works for it.
Say in mount, you can choose to cover up and remain in mount, you can choose to try to buck out of it, you can choose to give up your side, you can choose to give up your back... Then your fighter automatically struggles to do that.
Perhaps the guy on top can choose if he wants to roll the fighter back over, let him roll all the way and take his back (if he's got good submissions)... At that point the game takes stats into consideration and starts to battle it out realistically.
I know the idea of automation isn't often popular, but it's honestly the most realistic thing I can think of - and as of now, it really is pretty automated. You either hold a stick down and block transitions over and over, or you just turn it and hope they aren't blocking. It's not as if the ground game is amazing as it is, or even close to real.
I'm thinking I might be in favor of adding a boatload of ground animations, and then turning the ground game into more of an automatic struggle. By this I mean that the fighters work 1 of 2 ways.
Either they automatically struggle for position when it hits the ground, and it uses all the animations it has combined with stats to create a realistic battle, while the player works in punches, strikes, and submission attempts - or the player initiates a battle to advance (like they do now) and then an automatic struggle ensues up to a point.
I know it sounds strange, and I know people aren't big on the automated thing, but it's the only thing I can think of that doesn't make it rock paper scissors and that could add some realism to the game.
For example - Demian Maia is crazy dangerous on the ground. He's constantly pushing at the hips to push opponents downwards, and throwing his legs up and working for triangles or arm locks. Laying on top of him is a very bad idea.
Now let's look at this game. I take Maia down... From there I lay on him and just block his transitions; at some point I transition myself and punch him in the face and block attempts to push me off... I can easily reverse him if I time it, or I can transition myself by throwing attacks and mixing in a reverse when he blocks... I can do this all the way to mount no problem against most players... Why? It's unrealistic, and it completely nullifies the advantage someone like Maia has over most fighters.
So why not make some automatic struggle where perhaps the player can intervene at points to stand up, or perhaps have to time something so a specific move gets blocked? Then make him work in attacks, and if they choose them poorly they put themselves in a bad position.
I'd like to see fighters pushing off each other, trying to push a leg toward the mat so they can flip their leg over, etc, etc. I'd like to see stats come into play so that when I get taken down by GSP it's not so easy to get up as simply transition reversing, or just pushing him off with my legs. I'd like to see the guy on the bottom struggling to contain GSP in their guard, while GSP forcefully pushes his way through it, while the player throws in good elbow strikes...
I think it would be amazing to see fighters really fight on the ground; to see someone like Mir on his back fighting to control a guy's arm, while twisting his body so that he can roll them over into an advantageous position.
If I pick someone who is weak on the ground, then I'm going to accept that if it goes down, I'm at a big disadvantage because I'm probably going to get myself in a bad position.
Same as if I pick a weak stand up fighter with a poor chin, I'm going to accept getting KO'd by 2-3 shots from a big puncher.
I guess what I'm saying is that the only way I can see a realistic game happening is if they automate things on the ground to really simulate a ground struggle. Perhaps the player chooses what they'd like to do, and their fighter works for it.
Say in mount, you can choose to cover up and remain in mount, you can choose to try to buck out of it, you can choose to give up your side, you can choose to give up your back... Then your fighter automatically struggles to do that.
Perhaps the guy on top can choose if he wants to roll the fighter back over, let him roll all the way and take his back (if he's got good submissions)... At that point the game takes stats into consideration and starts to battle it out realistically.
I know the idea of automation isn't often popular, but it's honestly the most realistic thing I can think of - and as of now, it really is pretty automated. You either hold a stick down and block transitions over and over, or you just turn it and hope they aren't blocking. It's not as if the ground game is amazing as it is, or even close to real.
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