“We want to create new ways to experience the game” 2XKO Game Designer Manager breaks down big changes in Alpha Lab 2

Yesterday, 2xko fans got a lot of news related to the upcoming Alpha Lab 2 test. Not only did we understand what changes, but when players were able to return to 2xko, as well as some future provocations, such as the number of releases of characters that could be provided when launching.

But, of course, even though the latest video lasted for an hour, there are still many questions surrounding the changes in April this year. So to peel off the curtains a little, I sat down and talked to one of the Daniel “clockw0rk” carnivals on the development team. Below you can find a full 20-minute interview full of insights about two new fuses, i.e. anger break and more.

VG247: Let’s start with two new fuses: Juggernaut and Sidekick. Both seem to be attempts to make the onboarding process easier. First, can you talk to the design philosophy behind Sidekick?

Clocking: “Yes, we want to create new ways to experience the game. Starting partner, we want to improve the duo experience. It’s really important to us for our duo experience. So we want a fuse designed to serve a group of players, where one player doesn’t want to be the pressure of being the focus, and would rather you be able to help. So, the effort of assisting interaction. So, please call for help within the assist range, but we can be in the match, but we can choose to match. Features.”

“Sidekick also works for solo players who want to experience the game’s auxiliary mechanics, but want to focus on a single champion, so Sidekick is a simplified fuse for these players. I also want to mention the forward agent of this fuse. So, at the start of the game, it’s possible to play between characters, so you can play next to it.

VG247: One thing I like about partnering is the ability to support champions with opponent attacks on time buttons that reduce damage. Where does this idea come from? It seems to me that this is trying to make the supporting role have more agents than sit down and look.

Clocking: “That’s it. In the partners and games in general, we’re very aware of the assisted players who play duo, we don’t want to have so much downtime that they’re picky about other tags, especially after the KO. So we want to make sure they have something to do and stay different. Not only do they have to stay interactive. But they’ll keep a meaningful impact on the match.”

“It’s fun, and just when I joined the team, they had the idea, like a combination sweetener and a combination softener. It doesn’t have any gaming features, but when you join the combination, it makes a sound and the opponent is hitting you. It gives you some inspiration, which allows us to add something to Sidekick to help you.”

VG247: Given that we also have Sword Saints now, you said the team has received feedback from players who want to play solo. How does the team get close to making the Sword Saint, how do you balance the desires of these players with the reality of 2xko being fundamentally the 2v2 game?

Clocking: “So we want to offer a game for players like you said, because people who usually don’t play tag fighters and want to play easily, they don’t have tag mechanics at all, maybe in the second championship they like, maybe there’s only one player, those who don’t want Sidekick want us to offer similar experiences, but we don’t want to be able to play similar experiences, and we don’t want to play similar experiences, and we don’t want to play games, and we don’t want to play championships they don’t like.

“Obviously, in 2xko, if you don’t use the second champion, you lose a lot of power. So we want to do something similar and add some extra power to the Sword Saint. The idea is that if you focus on Sword Saint, we do want to give you some tools to use some tools to use competitiveness. We can send out additional meters.

VG247: You would say you have designed these fuses, which is introductory, and in most cases, with the familiarity of the game, most of the time can be removed from it? Or are they built to stay strong in high-end gameplay?

Clocking: “I would say it’s a mix of the two. We’re expecting a lot of players who play partner and Juggernaut, once they’re satisfied with the two champions and play their roles, they’ll continue to do other more complex tag features fuses. However, we expect some players, maybe they’ll find that these two fuses can play both players in the game, and in the game, we’ll encounter competitiveness and competitiveness and can compete with them. Do it with them.”

VG247: You and the team expect it to get out of the situation? How popular do you think they were initially compared to the tail end of the Alpha Lab?

Clocking: “I would say that fuses like fuses, freestyle and 2x assists are really powerful, and we’ve seen the ability of these fuses. Although I don’t think we’ve seen the real potential of adding some extra power, and we’ve added sidekick and juggernaut. My overall expectation is that my generality is higher, I do expect performance in any situation, which may be in any aspect. But I want people to work with these fuses.”

VG247: I want to get into Fury Break, which is especially fun, especially to talk about it with you. Clockwork, you are known for the history of the Marvel vs Capcom series and have played MVC3 for over a decade. I know you know that some people’s ambivalence about the X factor is returning to the mechanic. You mentioned that Fury Break is a return mechanic in response to the player’s feeling that it’s hard to make a comeback, but how the team balances it so that it’s not too strong and does not feel underserved when it comes back.

Clocking: “From my personal experience, this may not be bombarded like other comeback mechanics you see in fighting games, but there is definitely a lot of power out there. There is more power when you learn intricacies. For example, in the old Angry Fuse, you can use the dirt of dash to help your offense and party.

“So I think that there’s an added layer of strategy here when you get deep into it. Depending on the context you use it, you can use Fury Break still as a regular break to get out of a combo and get some benefit, or you can use it raw. When we first introduced Fury Break to internal testing, players were still using it as a combo breaker, but as players get better and find opportunities to use it offensively for combo extensions or using it raw, I’m expecting Fury stocks to go up.”

VG247: I guess the limit of anger is, was it removed from the duration of anger for five seconds using the dash cancelled by anger? Do you feel that the power of anger interruption should be sufficiently limited?

Clocking: “Yes, in fact, it has something to do with one of the overarching themes we have updated from Alpha Lab 1 to 2, and we want to improve decisions. Not only in the combination, but also in anger. So, the decisions about when to activate anger, what to do in anger, and even what to do in your anger, you have to do in anger, the decisions you have to make throughout the process to make your annoyance afflict to enable you to make more decisions. Decisions, different players will make different players, which is a separate player and game style.”

VG247: One thing mentioned in the development update is to shorten the combination, or at least the combination feels short. Is this an easy decision? I know there was a lot of discussion about this after Alpha Lab 1, but on the other hand, Big Flashy Combos is still the main attraction for fighting game fans!

Clocking: “It’s a delicate balance. You want to make sure players don’t feel like they’re stuck in long combos frequently, but you also want to ensure there are flashy combos players can aspire to learn. There were some tough decisions, but there were also some easy decisions. In AL1 we saw a lot of the top end of combos had to do with Double Down and using it multiple times in a combo, so we’ve limited that. Also, some of the easier bread-and-butter combos Ahri was doing, adjusting that.”

“But we also want juice and make the characters show their unique cool combos.”

VG247: Given your history and the history of other former players on a team like Marlinpie, how do you make sure there is still room for something really disgusting?

Clocking: “It’s a combination of many different things. One of the core principles of champion design and combination is that we want to make sure the combination you can do is very unique. So, Yasuo is a great example of how he can connect with his special attacks. But maybe there are some champions, you might win a lot, and you’ve won a lot, and you’ve been those, we’ll be those guys, we’ll come across these things. Fantasy is complete and reflecting that fantasy in a combo, rather than making these fill combinations very important.”

VG247: Now with a macro view of Alpha Lab 2, it looks like a lot of these game changes seem to be a help for newer fighting gamers, giving them more learning options, making it easier for them to see about blocking/parking, making it easier to hit some assists and hit a certain assist and do a wall bounce combination. Is this the main gain from the first Alpha lab? Does that kind of player have to do more?

Clocking: “Yes, I think we have a lot of feedback about clarity, not knowing why things are happening, or why players are hit by something. So, the gameplay is not only in the gameplay, but in the HUD, but in our focus, which is our focus. Not only is the excitement. Not only is the excitement. Not only is the excitement. Not only is the excitement. But we also make sure that those huge attention, but also make sure that those huge choices, and look at those things to do, and play those rewards, and play, and play, and play, and play, and play, and play, and play, and challenge, and make those big dramas.”

VG247: The last interesting question. Your community manager, Ben Forbes, has been talking about his performance in Iron Fist 8. Is he the best Iron Fist player in the office?

Clocking: (laughs) “So I never played his playing in the iron fist, but I believe every word that comes out of Ben’s mouth.

VG247: This is a good PR answer. Who is the best Marvel vs Capcom player in the office?

Clocking: “It’s a ridiculous question. It’s me, obviously. Ask around the office and they’ll tell you the same thing (laughs).”

2xko Alpha Lab 2 will live in the Americas from April 18 to 20. If you can play, please let us know about your most exciting test!