Realistically what do you think Skullgirls' life span is after the last DLC?

[ElementFree]

Now, how long realistically will it take for my Hot Pockets to be done?

 

[Magma442]

A couple of minutes for a quick eat, 2-3 hours for the fine dinning crowd

 

[Denizen]

Realistically, what do you think my life span is?

 

[chickenwithtie]

Now, how long realistically will it take for my Hot Pockets to be done?

How long will it take you to go to the grocery store and buy real food? :Y

 

[Magma442]

How long realistically will it take for Annie to be in the game?

 

[Ruin]

if I have 7 potatoes
realistically, how many pounds of mashed potatoes do I have?

 

[World_Peace]

My two cents as a relative new comer. The game has a reputation for being well made and having a good community that extends outside the FGC (SG is the first FG I've played in years). New beginners and casuals will continue filtering in as long as that reputation holds. No physical release hurts though, since a lot of people literally just ask the guy at Gamestop what fighting game to get. I don't know anything about the tournament scene, so I'll just predict that it lasts until the Ragnarok.

 

[DDB]

How long realistically will it take for Annie to be in the game?

too long.

 

[PKStoopKid]

Realistically if I quit my job, how long will I have till im put out my apartment?

 

[Muro]

I see players lose their shit over experimental beta changes within 2 minutes after patch notes are up.
I also see (often the very same) players predict Skullgirls will die within 2 minutes after development stops.
A man can one day land on Mars, but pleasing people is beyond our reach.

 

[PKStoopKid]

@Muro...that was out of character. However well said my dear sir, well said

 

[DDB]

Muro is a character, he cannot come out.

 

[Beuzer0]

Muro confirmed for DLC.

 

[Jimbob]

Muro before annie.

 

[Magma442]

Annie before Jimbob

 

[Slap]

What?

The game died? Shit.

 

[ElementFree]

And the sale brought so many new players too....
Too bad the games dead...

 

[Jimbob]

Why would you cruel monsters let this game die? why?
WHY!?

 

[Cybermanworf]

Just keep playing the game and invite other people to play the game and skullgirls will be fine.

 

[Witchfinder]

Why would you cruel monsters let this game die? why?
WHY!?

 

[GrunkleBarlowe]

In response to Muro, the players who do this (whine constantly about the game and say it will die in 2 minutes) will probably stop playing. Then we can move on to the next generation of players who actually care about the game.

The most toxic community members (that are actually relevant to the scene) now are the people who whine nonstop about the current state of the game, talk about how they don't practice/don't care, complain the game is/will be dead, and discourage each other from playing. Most of these people also make the biggest whines about beta changes and still constantly play the game (even stream it), even if they pretend they don't. When the game is finally finished, these people will either leave or join the people who love the game and will sustain it for as long as they can.

Don't get me wrong, Skullgirls is the single best gaming community I've ever been a part of, and I think (in terms of people who really play it and attend events) that we have a really bright future once the game is finished.

And if all of you lose your local scenes? Come to Norcal because we're going to make that game last as long as Vsav has.

 

[Jimbob]

preach

 

[sauce_fonda]

I hope it last forever. It seems like the PC crowd will be around, but (from experience) the PSN crowd will only show up when a new character is released.

I can NEVER find a match online a couple weeks after a new character is released.

 

[RemiKz]

I really really really wish lobbies were in the console version already.

I legit know a handful of people that don't play the game simply because they want to play with a group of people as opposed to continuously playing the same person.

I know lab zero is probably trying to keep a schedule with their character releases, but it really sucks that this feature we were told we would have a while back hasn't arrived yet. I'm constantly being asked by people interested in playing if the most recent update has lobbies included.

 

[Shin ATproof]

In response to Muro, the players who do this (whine constantly about the game and say it will die in 2 minutes) will probably stop playing. Then we can move on to the next generation of players who actually care about the game.

The most toxic community members (that are actually relevant to the scene) now are the people who whine nonstop about the current state of the game, talk about how they don't practice/don't care, complain the game is/will be dead, and discourage each other from playing. Most of these people also make the biggest whines about beta changes and still constantly play the game (even stream it), even if they pretend they don't. When the game is finally finished, these people will either leave or join the people who love the game and will sustain it for as long as they can.

Don't get me wrong, Skullgirls is the single best gaming community I've ever been a part of, and I think (in terms of people who really play it and attend events) that we have a really bright future once the game is finished.

I too am tired of the announcements by players that say they are "quitting" the game but fail to actually act on that declaration and the shit talk about the game because "Why should I have to relearn or adjust my playstyle for a character?" I dunno maybe because it's something that happens often in updates in games!? At least said updates come free unlike say back with games like King of Fighters or Guilty Gear in which we had to pay full price for each update regardless if we liked the change or not.

And if all of you lose your local scenes? Come to Norcal because we're going to make that game last as long as Vsav has.

lol come to SoCal as well. Vampire Savior, Guilty Gear and Skullgirls. Three "dead" fighting games that will continue to thrive so long as there's a motivated (albeit small) community of players.

I really really really wish lobbies were in the console version already.

I legit know a handful of people that don't play the game simply because they want to play with a group of people as opposed to continuously playing the same person.

I know lab zero is probably trying to keep a schedule with their character releases, but it really sucks that this feature we were told we would have a while back hasn't arrived yet. I'm constantly being asked by people interested in playing if the most recent update has lobbies included.

Those people, like most people that avoid playing this game, find any and all niggling details as a means to lobby a complaint as to why they don't play the game. If the game had lobbies, they'd likely come up with another bullshit excuse to why they don't play the game. I classify such people as "chickenshit" and people that will never play the game...and quite frankly the community doesn't need them.

 

[CaioLugon]

Those people, like most people that avoid playing this game, find any and all niggling details as a means to lobby a complaint as to why they don't play the game. If the game had lobbies, they'd likely come up with another bullshit excuse to why they don't play the game. I classify such people as "chickenshit" and people that will never play the game...and quite frankly the community doesn't need them.

That's not very fair to say, not having either a local scene or lobbies would really make it hard to stay interested in the game. Back in SDE all I had was ONE other person to play with, most of the time I would be on training mode or just watching people's streams.

If I didn't have access to the steam version I would have probably dropped the game at some point.

 

[Magma442]

I got my friend into skullgirls. I bought him a copy and made a bet. He loves touhou so i said if u play skullgirls I'll play any touhou game you give me. After the bet he said skullgirls is a lot better then he thought it would be. This shows that skullgirls is not dead is infact easy for a anyone to pick up (keep in mind my friend is also not a big fighting game lover.)

 

[erkicman]

I got my friend into skullgirls. I bought him a copy and made a bet. He loves touhou so i said if u play skullgirls I'll play any touhou game you give me. After the bet he said skullgirls is a lot better then he thought it would be. This shows that skullgirls is not dead is infact easy for a anyone to pick up (keep in mind my friend is also not a big fighting game lover.)

You got someone to play Skullgirls AND you get to play Touhou? Sounds like a win-win situation to me

 

[Hopscawtch]

Ayy, I'm actually making a post on Skullheart.

Spoiler

Late to the party here but here I go.

No game is truly dead until you have absolutely nobody to compete against in it. Throughout my time in the post PS3 SDE/XBL vanilla days this was a lesson I was taught the hard way. There has never been a time where, if I was patient enough, I couldnt find somebody on quick match in the entirety of my time with this game. This is greatly facilitated by the solid netcode which is a great asset to the game in general.

Its no secret that netplay is the first step for an upcoming competitive player in any fighting game. You learn the basics of neutral and matchups which you take with you throughout your time playing the game. Skullgirls in general is very accessible to new players by design for reasons you all know and have experienced yourselves. These concepts combined provide much sustainability in this title's ability to attract new players on several different levels of play.

What really hurts the growth of the community and will lead to the eventual death of the game stems from actions of the community itself. Several incredibly questionable actions by community members have achieved the exact opposite of the intended effect. Names will not be named but many of us are guilty of these things in one form or another. The following are major points which I have noticed over the 2 to 3 years I have played this game that are driving away new players and veteran players alike.

Be welcoming but not overbearing:
If you're really trying to introduce somebody to the game, show it to them and judge their reaction. Introduce the game, dont sell it to them. If they have no interest, dont push the game on them. If somebody doesnt want to do something you being overly enthusiastic about it wont change their mind and often makes you look like a jackass. This impression works wonders for making our community look like a bunch of creepy douchebags. Especially when imparted upon somebody who already plays fighting games.

On the other side of the coin, if somebody shows interest in learning more about the game answer any questions they may have. If you're streaming provide a welcoming atmosphere. Say hi to everybody and direct them to the best way to find what they're looking for if you cant answer their questions. Its important to stay chill. If you jump on a potential new player like a starving dog you will only push them away.

Recognize people who are never going to play and ignore them:
People who play other fighting games are probably not going to become suddenly interested in learning Skullgirls if some guy they dont know is blowing them up on twitter about it. People who are utilizing Skullgirls as the butt of a joke aren't going to change their mind if you desperately defend it. At this point the ship has sailed for changing capcom/anime player's opinion about the game. Reacting adversely to their jokes makes it funnier for them and will encourage them to go in harder and more often, making our community look worse as a whole.

Come to terms with the fact that SG will never be main stage at Evo:
Face it, its a small game with a small community. Making a lot of noise about something that will never happen reflects poorly on our community and opens the door for people to put you and the game on blast. Its not a good look.

Realize that fighting games operate on people's desire to become the next Justin Wong:
Fighting games are fun and competitive. Many people play them with the desire of earning a living wage from their play. Skullgirls is not the game for this. There is utterly no point in trying to get these people's attention and they will often use this opportunity to invoke the mob mentality of publicly ridiculing the game driving more potential players within earshot away.

Dont annoy influential people in other communities with your bullshit out of the blue:
Hitting up top anime players on twitter and giving them a hard time about Skullgirls will usually end in disaster. If you do have a burning desire to ask questions about why Skullgirls isnt as successful as other games actually listen to their answers and dont attack them about their opinion that you asked for. This shows desperation furthers the negative opinion people hold of the game while also broadcasting it to more people than normal.

Stop the elitism:
If you are very knowledgeable about the game dont act as if you are above anybody else on a personal level. In reality, you are a master of something very little people care about. We are all just people. Carrying yourself in a manner that exudes arrogance makes people not want to communicate with you and kills any desire a potential new player might have had to learn something about the game.

Dont piss off players that are trying other games:
If somebody wants to move on from Skullgirls you cant stop them. This community has a hilarious tendency to act like a girlfriend who is getting dumped when somebody decides they like another game more. Any shit talk about they game they are playing will only make them forget why they liked playing SG or being part of its community really quick. Stopping the "YOU'RE LEAVING?!" reflex and staying in contact with them on friendly terms is the best options always. A community is a group of people with a common interest first and foremost. Remember why you started communicating, realize that the game wasnt the only reason you liked them and stay chill.

TL;DR: The game will live for a long time after the last DLC with a little bit of self actualization and a relaxed atmosphere. Its fun and has a lot of things going for it.

 

[ElkyDori]

"I play it because it's fun, and I've met a bunch of friends from playing it."

Admit it, bitch.

 

[Bit_Strife]

I'm just gonna keep playing, having a good time and try to teach some people along the way.

 

[FunkyHellboy]

Ayy, I'm actually making a post on Skullheart.

Spoiler

Late to the party here but here I go.

No game is truly dead until you have absolutely nobody to compete against in it. Throughout my time in the post PS3 SDE/XBL vanilla days this was a lesson I was taught the hard way. There has never been a time where, if I was patient enough, I couldnt find somebody on quick match in the entirety of my time with this game. This is greatly facilitated by the solid netcode which is a great asset to the game in general.

Its no secret that netplay is the first step for an upcoming competitive player in any fighting game. You learn the basics of neutral and matchups which you take with you throughout your time playing the game. Skullgirls in general is very accessible to new players by design for reasons you all know and have experienced yourselves. These concepts combined provide much sustainability in this title's ability to attract new players on several different levels of play.

What really hurts the growth of the community and will lead to the eventual death of the game stems from actions of the community itself. Several incredibly questionable actions by community members have achieved the exact opposite of the intended effect. Names will not be named but many of us are guilty of these things in one form or another. The following are major points which I have noticed over the 2 to 3 years I have played this game that are driving away new players and veteran players alike.

Be welcoming but not overbearing:
If you're really trying to introduce somebody to the game, show it to them and judge their reaction. Introduce the game, dont sell it to them. If they have no interest, dont push the game on them. If somebody doesnt want to do something you being overly enthusiastic about it wont change their mind and often makes you look like a jackass. This impression works wonders for making our community look like a bunch of creepy douchebags. Especially when imparted upon somebody who already plays fighting games.

On the other side of the coin, if somebody shows interest in learning more about the game answer any questions they may have. If you're streaming provide a welcoming atmosphere. Say hi to everybody and direct them to the best way to find what they're looking for if you cant answer their questions. Its important to stay chill. If you jump on a potential new player like a starving dog you will only push them away.

Recognize people who are never going to play and ignore them:
People who play other fighting games are probably not going to become suddenly interested in learning Skullgirls if some guy they dont know is blowing them up on twitter about it. People who are utilizing Skullgirls as the butt of a joke aren't going to change their mind if you desperately defend it. At this point the ship has sailed for changing capcom/anime player's opinion about the game. Reacting adversely to their jokes makes it funnier for them and will encourage them to go in harder and more often, making our community look worse as a whole.

Come to terms with the fact that SG will never be main stage at Evo:
Face it, its a small game with a small community. Making a lot of noise about something that will never happen reflects poorly on our community and opens the door for people to put you and the game on blast. Its not a good look.

Realize that fighting games operate on people's desire to become the next Justin Wong:
Fighting games are fun and competitive. Many people play them with the desire of earning a living wage from their play. Skullgirls is not the game for this. There is utterly no point in trying to get these people's attention and they will often use this opportunity to invoke the mob mentality of publicly ridiculing the game driving more potential players within earshot away.

Dont annoy influential people in other communities with your bullshit out of the blue:
Hitting up top anime players on twitter and giving them a hard time about Skullgirls will usually end in disaster. If you do have a burning desire to ask questions about why Skullgirls isnt as successful as other games actually listen to their answers and dont attack them about their opinion that you asked for. This shows desperation furthers the negative opinion people hold of the game while also broadcasting it to more people than normal.

Stop the elitism:
If you are very knowledgeable about the game dont act as if you are above anybody else on a personal level. In reality, you are a master of something very little people care about. We are all just people. Carrying yourself in a manner that exudes arrogance makes people not want to communicate with you and kills any desire a potential new player might have had to learn something about the game.

Dont piss off players that are trying other games:
If somebody wants to move on from Skullgirls you cant stop them. This community has a hilarious tendency to act like a girlfriend who is getting dumped when somebody decides they like another game more. Any shit talk about they game they are playing will only make them forget why they liked playing SG or being part of its community really quick. Stopping the "YOU'RE LEAVING?!" reflex and staying in contact with them on friendly terms is the best options always. A community is a group of people with a common interest first and foremost. Remember why you started communicating, realize that the game wasnt the only reason you liked them and stay chill.

TL;DR: The game will live for a long time after the last DLC with a little bit of self actualization and a relaxed atmosphere. Its fun and has a lot of things going for it.

Had to say very nice points and arguments made there @Hopscawtch
This was very well written and provides great advice as well!
Good job man, You're getting what this thread is about and that is to discuss, improve, and to think about (and keep to) the topic at hand!

 

[FunkyHellboy]

I'm just gonna keep playing, having a good time and try to teach some people along the way.

That is the best thing that you can do and if you can just continue doing it man!
Its all any fighting game scene needs.

 

[erkicman]

You know, I see one very interesting parallel between this thread and Skullgirls itself. Just when you think they're dead and buried, someone ALWAYS comes by to resurrect them. Long live SG.

Ayy, I'm actually making a post on Skullheart.
(Lots of well-written and well-reasoned points and lots of things I need to work on myself)

I don't intend to give rebuttals to your points because I agree with 99% of them, but I do have genuine questions related to some of your points:

"Be welcoming but not overbearing"

In my experience, there have been people at my locals who genuinely wanted to get into SG and asked me to show them the ropes. I sparred with them with either my main team or my sub-team and answered any questions they had along the way. After we were done, I told them what they did right first, then told them about a few things that they could've improved. But the end result was the same in a majority of cases: they were beaten badly and never wanted to touch the game again. I know there is a mentality in the FGC that no matter who you play, beginner or expert, you never hold back. I played my normal set plays because I wanted to give these players a chance to feel what it's like to play a "real" game of Skullgirls (which is questionable because if any of you played me online, you know that I SUCK) and see if they're still interested, but I'm wondering if that was really the right thing to do. I wonder if there is a point where I have to "go easy" on a newer player with the goal of keeping them interested.

"Realize that fighting games operate on people's desire to become the next Justin Wong"

I'm honestly wondering how true this is. I have never personally met anyone at my locals who realistically expect to play videogames as their main source of income and there is, from what I've seen, a growing realization in the FGC that getting and holding a real job takes precedence over playing videogames. That is, unless you are one of the very, very SMALL percentage of players who can play a game well enough to win tournaments often. Am I wrong about this? But you're right: for people who DO have this expectation, Skullgirls is not the game for them.

"...they will often use this opportunity to invoke the mob mentality of publicly ridiculing the game driving more potential players within earshot away"

I honestly can't think of any examples in the last 6 months or so where well-known players have actually publicly ridiculed Skullgirls. From what I see now there's a growing acceptance that Skullgirls is a really, really good game that just doesn't have a big scene. Honestly, the best way to ridicule Skullgirls is to run a popular gaming talk show that will not be named and not mention Skullgirls when big news happened in the previous 1-2 weeks. But every time that happens, it's not really with malicious intent. I guess my question here is whether there are any prime examples of Skullgirls being tarred and feathered by a famous person/organization. This will give me a better picture of how the FGC at large views this game.

 

[Magma442]

I don't play skullgirls to get good at a fighting game I play it for the charm,story, and characters. This is why I can't get into other games like street fighter or Killer Insinct. My biggest fear is that after the funding dries up that skullgirls won't be able to update because they have no money. But then I realize that skullgirls has been selling well lately and has been getting more money to find the game. I realized this because I was shocked at how fast they finished beowulf a idle animation or how fast eliza was done. I remember big band took FOREVER. The thing is skullgirls just needs to sell, players are nice sure but they don't bring in money. I bought this game TWICE and I plan on buying it again when it comes out on PS4. The way skullgirls has been selling has made me hopeful for more fighters after Robo Fortune, and before someone comes on saying "they don't plan to add any more characters to the game" let me hope Damnit. Maybe after robo fortune they will work on Annie or Umbrella. This is what keeps me hopeful I accepted that skullgirls won't have front stage at evo but as long as it makes money to fund it I don't care.

 

[dMags]

Spoiler

"Be welcoming but not overbearing"

In my experience, there have been people at my locals who genuinely wanted to get into SG and asked me to show them the ropes. I sparred with them with either my main team or my sub-team and answered any questions they had along the way. After we were done, I told them what they did right first, then told them about a few things that they could've improved. But the end result was the same in a majority of cases: they were beaten badly and never wanted to touch the game again. I know there is a mentality in the FGC that no matter who you play, beginner or expert, you never hold back. I played my normal set plays because I wanted to give these players a chance to feel what it's like to play a "real" game of Skullgirls (which is questionable because if any of you played me online, you know that I SUCK) and see if they're still interested, but I'm wondering if that was really the right thing to do. I wonder if there is a point where I have to "go easy" on a newer player with the goal of keeping them interested.

@LordCeno - I believe this is your story, please correct me if I'm wrong anywhere

But just to touch on this subject a bit more, Ceno was telling me that he used to work in a hobby shop that has a large MTG scene. Whenever new players showed interest, the typically SOP was to explain the basics, get them set up with a starter deck, and play some games with a good player that can explain things and answer questions along the way. The thing is though, the good player would whip out their stacked deck and just destroy these guys, not trying to discourage them or anything, but rather to show them what the game is like and what a good player is capable of. Unfortunately, this ended up turning away more players rather than encouraging them to get better. So they changed things up and they started making a more even playing field, having the good player use a crappier deck and to hold back at first, allowing the beginner to actually try stuff and explore a bit, the turnout was much much better and they got more return players this way.

Honestly though, it can be tough since everybody is different, some players may respond positively to something that others would respond negatively to and vice versa. The important thing is that they are having fun though, if that player didn't have fun, they're most likely not going to return.

 

[LordCeno]

@LordCeno - I believe this is your story, please correct me if I'm wrong anywhere

Pretty close.

You're talking about the employee who was really into the Warlord ccg. The store had started a policy where anyone who was curious about a CCG could get a free starter deck in exchange for the deck's rare card (for the store to sell as a single and make up part of the price of the deck). This guy was fairly charismatic and his passion for the game resulted in a lot of people taking him up on the free starter offer.

He was the guy who would run intro games using his personal deck. His method for teaching the game was to play you, beat you into the ground, and then tell you what you did wrong. It didn't go over that great. In time the store owner, who's pet CCG was the Lord of the Rings game, suggested an approach of more carrot and less stick. When the owner was teaching LotR he used a slightly tuned starter themed around Legolas (just swapping commons and uncommons of other characters with Legolas cards of the same rarity), and had pretty good results until interest eventually subsided a few months after Return of the King hit dvd.

So, once the Warlord employee was convinced to similarly use a slightly tuned starter and not necessarily throw the starter game, but at least give the new player a fair chance, he got much better results. Interest spiked to the point it was selling almost as well as Magic, and the store ran a number of Saturday tournaments with turnouts rivaling (and in a few cases, exceeding) our weekly Sunday Magic tournaments.


dMags is right though, fun is the key thing. Some people might like having an advanced player kick their ass so they get to see the ultimate potential of the game. For others that's going to be a huge turnoff. There's nothing wrong with starting off by mashing buttons and hopefully seeing a few cool moves. Therefore I tend to err or the side of take-it-easy.

For instance, a friend of mine in Indiana picked up the game on Steam on a whim a few weeks ago (odd, cuz she tends to not like 2D fighters, being mostly a Tekken girl). She's not great, and some of the higher levels of the tutorial are giving her fits and she can't beat Marie, but she's having fun. I quickly discovered that getting totally beat down frustrates her after a while, so although I don't throw matches, I do take it a little easy on her mostly by using characters I don't know very well. Her work schedule prevents here from getting totally devoted to the game, but she's had enough fun vs me that she does want to try to get better and at least finish the tutorial and beat Marie with everyone.

 

[Notingles]

Truth be told, the international community will keep pushing SG onwards. Concidering that of every 10 players i see, only 3 or so are american. Most seem to be either Japanese, South american or west Europe. With an extremely wide-eyed and optimit view, the Japanese arcade will turn popular enough to be brought over to the west (Any part of it). With THAT, trying out the game would be much simpler in a good amount of areas, making the gamestop/phisical copy problem mentioned beforehand having some resolvability. All in all, i just wanted two more characters after robo-fortune.

 

[K.Radical]

Honestly, until a sequel comes out in the far future!

For me, the game is targeting to be the ultimate fighter(at least for it's kind), and so far it's at least on par with the best(mainly arcsys games). And with the recent batch of DLC character, it solve the problem of having a low roster. So, after obtaining such height, i don't see why the game should suddenly fall dead. I consider this game as a spiritual successor to the vampires game(and yes, i know it was Marvel vs capcom 2 that was targeted, but the jazzy mood and the animation style is more like vampire), and i still play that game from time to time. So, well, as long as a game is well made and doesn't rely on filler, there's hardly such a thing as a lifespan.

 

[Mike_Z]

I know lab zero is probably trying to keep a schedule with their character releases, but it really sucks that this feature we were told we would have a while back hasn't arrived yet. I'm constantly being asked by people interested in playing if the most recent update has lobbies included.

Nah, we're not trying to keep a schedule, and lobbies is different people from characters. They just had a lot to do. But eventually you'll be able to say YES!