FindMyFarms said:
Capcom's balancing the game for the average, outspoken player because that's the audience that has gotten them the success they currently have. Thats why the "annoying" things that kill scrubs (like seth jump fierce, gief vortex, etc.) have been taking out of the game. This is also by no means my own personal opinion, no further comment.
Eh, I'm not seeing this. I think most people would agree that there are 2 groups responsible for SF4's success, at least in America. The people who bought SF4 due to the hype and promise of a return to SF2 form and the communities who are keeping interest in local gatherings, organizing tournaments, and streaming events. With regards to the former group, I think the ship has sailed on making money from them. A good number of them lost interest in SF4 and didn't make the jump to SSF4 and I'm sure the same thing will happen with the jump to AE. As annoying as Seth's j.Fierce might have been for some of those players, I really doubt nerfing it (Combined with nerfing the other "annoying" things) is going to get them back on board. Those people were done as soon as people started expecting/dealing with flowchart Ken, for example. With regards to the latter group, I think I've seen more dislike of the changes since they will undoubtedly make the game even more defensive (Plus virtually everybody's main caught a head-scratching nerf :lol). At this point in time, disappointing these people is the last thing Capcom wants since they are the ones who will keep the SF name out there, buy accessories, hype the next game, etc... I think I'd buy the catering to "scrubs" thing more if these were the changes from SF4 to SSF4 and there was still a chance at salvaging some of the people who bought SF4 due to nostalgia but were turned off by things they couldn't deal with.
And let's not forget that this is an arcade release. Unless the same "scrub" complaints are taking place on 2ch or somewhere among arcade goers then I doubt Capcom balanced AE for that. Then you have to take into account the eventual delivery method to console gamers. Who knows what will happen, but a lot of people think (hope?) Capcom will release the AE changes as a free update and then charge for the new characters. And if they end up releasing the changes free of charge then there was no need to cater to the complainers. Unless Capcom thinks these changes will satisfy the "scrubs" enough that they'll pay for the new characters or new costumes. Seems kinda shortsighted IMO.
My two cents, even as a person who feels their main was hit with a nerf that wasn't needed, Capcom wants to eliminate autopilot as much as possible. And while players will always find and overuse a character's best tools, I'm sure Capcom hated seeing so many things forgone by players in order to get in and TKCS pressure/mixups, for example. Or watching a Seth j.Fierce 3 times in a row against a charge character. Regardless of how easy that stuff may be to deal with.
Who knows how it will turn out. Could be good or could be bad. I just think this "Capcom balances to the scrubs" mentality that has grown in popularity since AE changes started leaking out is wrong. Doesn't make sense from a game quality or business standpoint (At this point in SF4's lifespan). But I don't have dat insider info.
