On June 30, Shaun Rivera, the game director of the League of Legends fighting game "2XKO", posted a long post on his personal social platform, sharing his insights into the game.
At present, "2XKO" is opening the application channel for the first online test "Alpha Lab" overseas, and some lucky players will be the first to embark on a fighting journey this summer. Given that fighting games have historically been known for their hardcore nature, Riot set out to create a more accessible title that would ensure that 2XKO was the right entry point. Here's the game director's latest statement, full of vision for the future of gaming.
"Hello everyone! I'd like to take this opportunity to take a closer look at the gameplay changes facing League of Legends Fighting Game 2XKO, which we outlined in our recent 'Alpha Lab' video. While this article may be lengthy, I firmly believe that understanding the logic behind our decisions will facilitate effective communication between developers and players, and ultimately work together to make the game experience better.
First of all, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to everyone who has provided valuable feedback so far. We use detailed data analysis, listen to player voices, and use it to find ways to improve the overall gaming experience. While there may not be times when we take every piece of feedback directly, please be assured that we are always actively seeking and evaluating feedback, so your continued feedback is important to us.
In terms of design thinking, we have always adhered to the principle that whenever the gameplay is adjusted, it must fully consider the player's operating experience, confrontation interaction, cooperative mode and audience viewing, and take into account the needs of players of different skill levels. Based on this, we have captured some key points from player feedback who have initially experienced the demo version.
The first feedback was about the lack of influence in the early game.
Through communication with players and data feedback, we realized that in the early stages of the game, especially in the beginner stage, it is difficult for players to move the game forward effectively, resulting in games often ending in timeouts. To address this issue and speed up the pace of the game, we've increased the damage output of special abilities while ensuring that even shorter combos deal immediate and significant damage, and introduced the "Pulse Fuze" mechanic to help players quickly capture the joy of the game. We look forward to welcoming you to share your experience of the pace of the game with us after you have played the game or watched a match.
Another common piece of feedback is about lengthy combos.
Recent demo videos have featured innovative but lengthy combos, raising questions among some players about whether these game modes were designed for 2XKO and whether they're in line with aesthetic considerations. We recognise that prolonged periods of reactive coping or low engagement are not ideal stimulation experiences. In fact, the intuitive length of the combo is just as important as the actual length. Repetitive combo paths, loop structures, the number of repetitions within a single combo, and resource management can make combos seem excessively lengthy.
We are committed to preserving the creative and strategic nature of combos, encouraging players to make meaningful choices between combos. As a result, we've made adjustments to some of our overly long combos, and while work is still ongoing, we're looking forward to your feedback on your perception of combo length while playing or watching. We'll be revealing more details in the future.
All of the above adjustments will be reflected in the upcoming 'Alpha Lab', and your feedback is a valuable guide for us. In the meantime, we welcome your comments on the format of this long post, whether you prefer a short video or something else, your voice is important to us. Thank you for your patience and sincerest appreciation. ”
In short, previous initial testing with Riot Games showed that 2XKO was slow to play, so the design team increased the combo damage to facilitate faster end of play and fewer time-running matches. At the same time, the team cut some overly long combos to ensure that players can counterattack between combos and avoid one-sided passivity. The design team still encourages players to explore a variety of combo combinations, after all, the charm of fighting games lies in the clever use of combos and the precise release of special moves to reduce the opponent's HP and lead to victory.