Head Movement:
The first change I'm going to cover is head movement, using the image below as an example.
<embed src="https://thumbs.gfycat.com/AngelicGreedyBluegill-mobile.mp4"/>
Anderson Silva avoids a Straight > Lead Spinning Backfist by performing a weave, a HALF MOON SHAPED motion of moving his head.
How I think head movement could be implemented to emulate movement like this is for it to be tied to the motion of the right stick, moving
THE MOMENT the stick is beyond it's 'neutral' position.
Allowing for a full 360 degree of motion creates a more true to life experience.
<img src="https://66.media.tumblr.com/10828922fe78fab26d551d0fc669fe38/tumblr_mr5p552aCy1ryruxqo1_400.gif"/>
<img src="https://thumbs.gfycat.com/SlowComfortableGelding-small.gif"/>
Currently in UFC 3, you have 4 directions Left, Right, Back, Down. While stationary you can hold position
(BTW maintaining a ducking position shouldn't constantly drain stamina) but usually you will be pre-emptively flicking one of the directions based on your abiltity to read your opponents patterns.
The issue I have with this is particularly when playing online under a moderate or heavy delay, where you may have to commit before you can
actually read the animation, you are getting caught in a guessing game if your opponent doesn't have a pattern.
And particularly in heavy lag you can become afraid to commit to moving your head due to making a wrong move.
Introducing a more fluid and responsive system which also provides more freedom of motion for the player would benefit by reducing the burden of having to make a correct read before you can commit. Being able to move your head once you see that uppercut/hook/straight etc, as opposed to predicting your opponent is going to throw a 1,2 - 1,6,3 - 1,1,3 or 1,3,2 etc.
More Free Flow on Punching/combos:
The next thing I'd like to address is the limitations of the current combo system (though I'm more concerned with the ability to string punches together); which is also contributing to a more robotic experience with the game.
With certain fighters, your options to be creative with your strikes and combinations are severely limited. Using Yoel Romero as an example; who has only LVL 1 combos in his arsenal, you can't even throw a 5,2,3 or a
2,3,b2 combination, or even the 'old meta' 1,6,3.
As a result you can fall into repetitive/predictable patterns; allowing a reasonable level of free flow can help to make the striking more dynamic.
What the combo system could do instead is, making fighters less proficient in certain areas to lack finesse and precision. Someone who is less proficient in boxing is bound to be more 'wild' and 'sloppy' with their punches as opposed to an elite boxer.
The stamina and damage system alone should suffice in preventing the game from becoming a combo spamming fest, as whiffs drain a hell of alot of stamina against an aggressive/reckless striker and countering while they're vulnerable can result in that KO blow.
<img src="https://i.makeagif.com/media/9-01-2015/5ra75j.gif"/>
In this image we have Chuck Liddell throwing a barrage of punches as he has his opponent (Tito Ortiz) hurt and is looking to get him out of there.
It is literally a nonstop barrage of punches and seamlessly flows into the 'finish the fight' position, which the game fails to accurately replicate.
<img src="https://thumbs.gfycat.com/DesertedGlumCoelacanth-size_restricted.gif" />
The combo Donald Cerrone finished Rick Story with, Jab, Body Straight, Jab/Left hook?, Rear High Kick. Which btw, he cannot throw in UFC 3.
Reduced Input delay:
This issue has been posted in the past, for example you can find a thread by TheUFCVeteran here:
https://forums.operationsports.com/f...-fighters.html
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mciYxusplTU" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
In his video, you can also see just how long the delay is between inputting a jab and then seeing it take motion on screen. This can make tall fighters particularly awkward to use, especially at heavier weights
where everything is slowed down. But it's not just making taller fighters more awkward, it's often making them less feasible overall (This is especially true in ULTIMATE TEAM, where shorter, lower weight fighters are the meta).
For example, avoiding a haymaker from a short fighter (e.g, if your fighter is 6'6 and you're fighting someone who is 5'11) can be made to be more difficult then it needs to be; if it's not entirely impossible to duck, timing the pull counter or side sway can be iffy.
Vulnerability Issues:
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vqVgtnvAAcc" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
As shown in the clip above; BLUE Costa lands a Haymaker on RED Costa, from the Neutral position it damages roughly 40% of his chin health. But only results in a rock while he is leaning to the side, bearing in mind he is stationary while in that position.
Vulnerability seems to behave as though you're moving towards the point of impact simply based on whether it deems your current position vulnerable.
Perhaps a better approach would be to increase the BASE damage of strikes to allow for more damage and stun/KO potential while in a neutral position but toning down the damage of vulnerability to counteract that while also being more influenced by momentum.
Stat Categories:
This is pretty straight forward, bringing back separate Power categories for Left Leg/Right Leg and Left Arm/Right Arm etc would be a step towards a more authentic experience.
Directional Block Break v Arm Damage:
The final thing I'd like to address in this post is the block breaking aspect of the game. In this scenario; let's say I have my opponent my opponent rocked, I throw a 2,1,2 (to bring their guard to the front) and then throw a rear high kick. Depending on their stamina and overall health at the given time this can result in a GUARANTEED KO.
My opponent has no choice but to duck the high kick (well they could always slip the straights but then there's that risk of moving into a round strike), but I then could instead anticipate the duck and throw a lead uppercut instead. Again if they duck into the lead uppercut that could also be a GAURANTEED KO. This is just one example of a 50/50 scenario with the blocking system.
It can be pretty easy to break an opponents block by just simply throwing enough forward strikes to bring their guard to the front before committing on your round strikes.
Maybe bringing back the Arm damage system or combining elements of both systems could reduce scenarios like this.
This can be made worse in ULTIMATE TEAM where you could have all your strikes lvl 4/5 with 100 SSTA and END, while Ranked delivers a more authentic MMA experiece. How the game mechanics function within UT should also be taken into account.
The first change I'm going to cover is head movement, using the image below as an example.
<embed src="https://thumbs.gfycat.com/AngelicGreedyBluegill-mobile.mp4"/>
Anderson Silva avoids a Straight > Lead Spinning Backfist by performing a weave, a HALF MOON SHAPED motion of moving his head.
How I think head movement could be implemented to emulate movement like this is for it to be tied to the motion of the right stick, moving
THE MOMENT the stick is beyond it's 'neutral' position.
Allowing for a full 360 degree of motion creates a more true to life experience.
<img src="https://66.media.tumblr.com/10828922fe78fab26d551d0fc669fe38/tumblr_mr5p552aCy1ryruxqo1_400.gif"/>
<img src="https://thumbs.gfycat.com/SlowComfortableGelding-small.gif"/>
Currently in UFC 3, you have 4 directions Left, Right, Back, Down. While stationary you can hold position
(BTW maintaining a ducking position shouldn't constantly drain stamina) but usually you will be pre-emptively flicking one of the directions based on your abiltity to read your opponents patterns.
The issue I have with this is particularly when playing online under a moderate or heavy delay, where you may have to commit before you can
actually read the animation, you are getting caught in a guessing game if your opponent doesn't have a pattern.
And particularly in heavy lag you can become afraid to commit to moving your head due to making a wrong move.
Introducing a more fluid and responsive system which also provides more freedom of motion for the player would benefit by reducing the burden of having to make a correct read before you can commit. Being able to move your head once you see that uppercut/hook/straight etc, as opposed to predicting your opponent is going to throw a 1,2 - 1,6,3 - 1,1,3 or 1,3,2 etc.
More Free Flow on Punching/combos:
The next thing I'd like to address is the limitations of the current combo system (though I'm more concerned with the ability to string punches together); which is also contributing to a more robotic experience with the game.
With certain fighters, your options to be creative with your strikes and combinations are severely limited. Using Yoel Romero as an example; who has only LVL 1 combos in his arsenal, you can't even throw a 5,2,3 or a
2,3,b2 combination, or even the 'old meta' 1,6,3.
As a result you can fall into repetitive/predictable patterns; allowing a reasonable level of free flow can help to make the striking more dynamic.
What the combo system could do instead is, making fighters less proficient in certain areas to lack finesse and precision. Someone who is less proficient in boxing is bound to be more 'wild' and 'sloppy' with their punches as opposed to an elite boxer.
The stamina and damage system alone should suffice in preventing the game from becoming a combo spamming fest, as whiffs drain a hell of alot of stamina against an aggressive/reckless striker and countering while they're vulnerable can result in that KO blow.
<img src="https://i.makeagif.com/media/9-01-2015/5ra75j.gif"/>
In this image we have Chuck Liddell throwing a barrage of punches as he has his opponent (Tito Ortiz) hurt and is looking to get him out of there.
It is literally a nonstop barrage of punches and seamlessly flows into the 'finish the fight' position, which the game fails to accurately replicate.
<img src="https://thumbs.gfycat.com/DesertedGlumCoelacanth-size_restricted.gif" />
The combo Donald Cerrone finished Rick Story with, Jab, Body Straight, Jab/Left hook?, Rear High Kick. Which btw, he cannot throw in UFC 3.
Reduced Input delay:
This issue has been posted in the past, for example you can find a thread by TheUFCVeteran here:
https://forums.operationsports.com/f...-fighters.html
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mciYxusplTU" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
In his video, you can also see just how long the delay is between inputting a jab and then seeing it take motion on screen. This can make tall fighters particularly awkward to use, especially at heavier weights
where everything is slowed down. But it's not just making taller fighters more awkward, it's often making them less feasible overall (This is especially true in ULTIMATE TEAM, where shorter, lower weight fighters are the meta).
For example, avoiding a haymaker from a short fighter (e.g, if your fighter is 6'6 and you're fighting someone who is 5'11) can be made to be more difficult then it needs to be; if it's not entirely impossible to duck, timing the pull counter or side sway can be iffy.
Vulnerability Issues:
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vqVgtnvAAcc" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
As shown in the clip above; BLUE Costa lands a Haymaker on RED Costa, from the Neutral position it damages roughly 40% of his chin health. But only results in a rock while he is leaning to the side, bearing in mind he is stationary while in that position.
Vulnerability seems to behave as though you're moving towards the point of impact simply based on whether it deems your current position vulnerable.
Perhaps a better approach would be to increase the BASE damage of strikes to allow for more damage and stun/KO potential while in a neutral position but toning down the damage of vulnerability to counteract that while also being more influenced by momentum.
Stat Categories:
This is pretty straight forward, bringing back separate Power categories for Left Leg/Right Leg and Left Arm/Right Arm etc would be a step towards a more authentic experience.
Directional Block Break v Arm Damage:
The final thing I'd like to address in this post is the block breaking aspect of the game. In this scenario; let's say I have my opponent my opponent rocked, I throw a 2,1,2 (to bring their guard to the front) and then throw a rear high kick. Depending on their stamina and overall health at the given time this can result in a GUARANTEED KO.
My opponent has no choice but to duck the high kick (well they could always slip the straights but then there's that risk of moving into a round strike), but I then could instead anticipate the duck and throw a lead uppercut instead. Again if they duck into the lead uppercut that could also be a GAURANTEED KO. This is just one example of a 50/50 scenario with the blocking system.
It can be pretty easy to break an opponents block by just simply throwing enough forward strikes to bring their guard to the front before committing on your round strikes.
Maybe bringing back the Arm damage system or combining elements of both systems could reduce scenarios like this.
This can be made worse in ULTIMATE TEAM where you could have all your strikes lvl 4/5 with 100 SSTA and END, while Ranked delivers a more authentic MMA experiece. How the game mechanics function within UT should also be taken into account.
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