forums.marpirc.net

OK, now that beta 16 is available, it's probably time mention the extra modes in SFZ3, and whether or not it should be split for these modes.
The difficulty with these modes is that they are time released after some weeks of use. There are codes to speed this up (can be found at CPS-2 Shock, in the game list), but these require F3 to be used for resetting, which is not recorded in an inp. But it is stored in NVRAM, either by using the access codes beforehand, or by hex-editing sfz3jr1.nv (offset 0x75 should be set to 0x04 to activate all the extra codes). The codes also allow the selection of Juni, Juli, and M. Bison/Balrog.

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Briefly looking at the extra modes (hold the listed keys after inserting a coin and push start):

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Classic mode (LP+LK): Similar style to SF2 - no air recovery, no ground recovery, no missed throw animations, no taunts (except Dan), no air blocking, no super meter, no alpha counters, no guard meter and maybe some others I've missed.

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Mazi mode / LO mode / Serious mode (MP+MK): moves do double damage as well as taking double damage, game over when you lose a round, although you still have to win two rounds per battle.

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Saikyo mode / Strongest mode (HP+HK): attacks do a little bit less damage, really short guard power, no chaining normal moves into specail moves or super combos, twice as easy to become dizzy. There are some glaring bugs in this mode too...

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Dramatic Battle (all kick buttons): Two on one, 1P controls one character, 2P takes the other (the other player is CPU controlled if only one player is playing). Six stages.

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Survival mode (all punch buttons): One round battles, energy carries over from battle to battle. 27 stages.

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Final Battle (LP+MK+HP): One stage, against Shin Vega.

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Well, I've rambled on too much already. Let's discuss this.

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bsr@hnpl.net

Using the time-release NVRAM to split up new modes seems kinda
strange... but anyway, what I think:

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Classic Mode / Mazi Mode / Saikyo Mode - these are all just different
modes for the main game. If it's not going to be split into X-ISM,
A-ISM/Z-ISM, and V-ISM, it's not necessary to split into these.
Personally I think there should be only one category for the main
game.

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Dramatic Battle - I dunno... probably.

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Survival - Yes, this should be split.

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Final Battle - no. A one-battle recording? That's kinda lame IMO.
Especially since Shin Bison is hella easy when you know what to do.

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And let's take into consideration that the game's already got 3
clones, only 1 of the 4 romsets work now but later on down the line
the others will have XOR tables. So there'll be plenty to play.

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-BBH

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lordbbh@aol.com

Barry, my initial reaction is NOT to split these up as you describe.
These are really "hidden" features of the game and people would need
to know the key sequences without looking them up. What I mean, is if
another game mode is readily apparent (e.g. VS), then of course the
game should be split up. This is not unlike Bubble Bobble with the
use of Power Ups to start the game. We don't have a split for each of
these possibilities. It just doesn't make sense to split them for
this reason. Also, as BBH points out it would 4x the splits. Ugh!

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FYI, hexediting any type of MAME file is a BIG RED FLAG in my book!!

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laffaye@mail.com

Pat, I am not terribly concerned if the various modes aren't split,
with the exception of Dramatic Battle and Survival Mode, which are
very separate and distinct ways of playing the game.

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As for the NVRAM, there are codes to activate the time releases (you
can find them in the game list at CPS2Shock) but these involve
resetting which MAME inps don't record. And watching 6 week long
inps wouldn't be fun either. And, of course, there would be no
way of telling if a .nv has been hex-edited anyway (not that I would
advocate that sort of thing anyway, it's just the end result for
either method is the same).

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bsr@hnpl.net

The only mode I think should be split with normal mode is Survival
Mode (both in SFZ3 and SFZ2A). This is a main feature of the game, is
challenging and has a score, unlike Dramatic Battle which has a few
stages, no score and is easily beaten. Is it really a hidden feature?
Sure it's not readily accessible, but it isn't that difficult to go
to gamefaqs or a similar website to find out how the codes are
accessed. And I'm sure anyone who cared enough about the game to
submit or view a recording would know the codes anyway. Also on most
of the arcade machines I played (moreso on SFZ2A than SFZ3) the
control panel overlays had instructions on how to access Survival or
Dramatic Battle mode- it was more a part of the game than a hidden
feature.

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usagi@dingoblue.net.au

Dramatic Battle has no score only in SFZ2A. Scoring is the same in
Dramatic Battle in SFZ3 as it is for regular play.

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bsr@hnpl.net

Here's my opinions(according to the fact that I've played all the
various modes on PSX and DC and not arcade/MAME):<br>
classic/mazi/saikyo modes:no,because they aren't an important
variation of the game<br>
dramatic:1p+2com vs. 3com =NO(Because it's a 2-player related
mode,and can be slighty lame sending cpu character to the battle
while you stand behind and throwing fireballs);1p vs. 2com+3com =YES
(Can be really fun I think).Besides I don't know if in the arcade
version can be played a "1-player versus the world" match!:)<br>
survival:YES<br>
final:NO<br>
<br>
Bye,<br>
<br>
-Kale

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angelo.salese@tin.it