How would you approach a competitive MLP video game?

[KillerKingBakudan 702]

Let's say a big-budget MLP game came out, and one of its main features was the choice to play as any pony from the show. It could be any competitive genre: fighting, FPS, racing, RTS, etc.

As any analytical gamer would know, a character's gameplay doesn't completely represent what they're capable of in the source material, nor is it meant to. Things like balance and design take top priority. This means that even alicorns like Twilight and Luna could end up sucking.

As with games like Overwatch or Smash Bros., people spend months exploring all the tech, coming up with new strategies, and inevitably figuring out which characters are viable. The ponies you like have just as much of a chance at being regarded as top-tier, garbage, or just okay at best. 

So if you're a fan of Rainbow Dash, for instance, would you pick her no matter what? Or would you drop her for a pony that could give you better chances at winning?

[Hazard Time 1,127]

I'll get to the elephant in the room after I've answered the main question.

 

I personally would pick whichever one I was best at.  Using TF2 as an example, while it's always satisfying to backstab an engineer and then sap his entire level 3 nest while the rest of his team stands and impotently punches his slowly dying sentry because the three people who could have gone pybro are sniping instead, not everyone has the skill to pull that off.  I absolutely suck at spy, and while I could certainly improve, it's important to play as the class that matches the play style you like to play.  I like playing aggressively while also supporting my team; as such, I usually pick engineer, medic, or heavy.

 

As for the question that immediately pops into my mind: what makes you think that Hasbro would give a game developer a license to produce video games for an older audience?  As Big Jim has explicitly stated on numerous occasions, the prime demographic is little girls.  Plus, let's face it, developing a competitive game with My Little Pony characters would go completely against what the show stands for: Honesty, Kindness, Generosity, Loyalty, Laughter, and Friendship.

[KillerKingBakudan 702]

  On 2016-10-25 at 4:12 AM, Hazard Time said:

I'll get to the elephant in the room after I've answered the main question.

 

I personally would pick whichever one I was best at.  Using TF2 as an example, while it's always satisfying to backstab an engineer and then sap his entire level 3 nest while the rest of his team stands and impotently punches his slowly dying sentry because the three people who could have gone pybro are sniping instead, not everyone has the skill to pull that off.  I absolutely suck at spy, and while I could certainly improve, it's important to play as the class that matches the play style you like to play.  I like playing aggressively while also supporting my team; as such, I usually pick engineer, medic, or heavy.

 

As for the question that immediately pops into my mind: what makes you think that Hasbro would give a game developer a license to produce video games for an older audience?  As Big Jim has explicitly stated on numerous occasions, the prime demographic is little girls.  Plus, let's face it, developing a competitive game with My Little Pony characters would go completely against what the show stands for: Honesty, Kindness, Generosity, Loyalty, Laughter, and Friendship.

You're taking a hypothetical question way too seriously, but I'll bite. How would the show's theme automatically rule out any competitive game? MLP characters compete at different things all the time. Did Big Jim throw a fit over Fall Weather Friends when it first aired? Yeah, that's really how little girls ought to race each other in a marathon.

 

Regardless if the game appeals to us or not, the ponies don't have to be hurting each other, even if it's for a genre that typically showcases that kind of behavior. Just look at Splatoon. It's a non-violent shooter. People your age can get hooked on it, and it's still accessible to kids. All that matters is that it's fun and satisfies the E-rating. I don't care what Big Jim says. If he thinks it's so inappropriate to make something competitive out of a license meant for little girls, he doesn't know a damned thing about this medium.

Edited October 25, 2016 by Lord-Pomegranate

[Hazard Time 1,127]

  On 2016-10-25 at 5:18 AM, Lord-Pomegranate said:

You're taking a hypothetical question way too seriously, but I'll bite. How would the show's theme automatically rule out any competitive game? MLP characters compete at different things all the time. The ponies don't have to be hurting each other to attract an older audience, even if it's for a genre that typically showcases that kind of behavior. Just look at Splatoon. It's a non-violent shooter. People your age can get hooked on it, and it's still accessible to kids. If it's fun and it satisfies the E-rating, that's all that matters. 

 

Looking back on it, you didn't express any intention of seeing it be a reality and my comments were uncalled for.  I'll step off, my apologies.

Edited October 25, 2016 by Hazard Time

[RealityPublishing 323]

A competitive MLP game? Hmm. . . I'd probably play it like competitive Smash. All day, everyday, only stopping between meals for a rest. No doubt I'd be pulling my dead weight up the leaderboard!

 

Considering I've actually participated in competitive Smash, I'd still be going with my main. It's what makes a player who they are; it's like an identity. During Brawl, if everyone just spammed Meta Knight, everyone would be indistinguishable and would render the competition pointless. 

Edited October 25, 2016 by RealityPublishing

[GrimGrimoire 4,973]

I don't bother with picking games apart anymore or playing only with the intent to win and be the best, so I would just pick characters I like to play and worry about having fun. As long as I am doing that, I am golden.

[KillerKingBakudan 702]

  On 2016-10-25 at 3:18 PM, RealityPublishing said:

A competitive MLP game? Hmm. . . I'd probably play it like competitive Smash. All day, everyday, only stopping between meals for a rest. No doubt I'd be pulling my dead weight up the leaderboard!

 

Considering I've actually participated in competitive Smash, I'd still be going with my main. It's what makes a player who they are; it's like an identity. During Brawl, if everyone just spammed Meta Knight, everyone would be indistinguishable and would render the competition pointless. 

That sums up how I feel about Street Fighter and all the dickheads spamming Ryu online. As if the other 40 or so characters weren't there. Lol.

 

Honestly though, I think the casual end of the player spectrum can be just as efficient at sucking the enjoyment out of games as the hardcore end. Twilight's unarguably the most popular pony, so I know I'd hate to see 90% of newbs picking her in an MLP game; in fact, I could probably end up hating Twilight herself in the show if that happened. But I also wouldn't want to see too many "top-tier" ponies either. I feel that anyone who goes too far in either extreme is just showing how ungrateful they are for all the work developers are putting into it. It's like they give you all these choices and make the game as strategic as possible, and "fans" will jump on just one or two characters, give the devs the finger and say the rest of the game isn't worth exploring. That's a major slap in the face.

 

I can totally get behind being a character loyalist as long as you can make them work. For all I know, people could be whoring out Zecora in an MLP game just because some guy won a major tourney with her. But if I could get comfortable with someone like Trixie or Daring Do, and my wins were consistent, I'd stick with them even if they weren't the best.

[silvadel 1,393]

I'd probably look to games like Stardew Valley for an example of how an MLP game could be.

[RealityPublishing 323]

  On 2016-10-26 at 2:14 AM, Lord-Pomegranate said:

That sums up how I feel about Street Fighter and all the dickheads spamming Ryu online. As if the other 40 or so characters weren't there. Lol.

 

Honestly though, I think the casual end of the player spectrum can be just as efficient at sucking the enjoyment out of games as the hardcore end. Twilight's unarguably the most popular pony, so I know I'd hate to see 90% of newbs picking her in an MLP game; in fact, I could probably end up hating Twilight herself in the show if that happened. But I also wouldn't want to see too many "top-tier" ponies either. I feel that anyone who goes too far in either extreme is just showing how ungrateful they are for all the work developers are putting into it. It's like they give you all these choices and make the game as strategic as possible, and "fans" will jump on just one or two characters, give the devs the finger and say the rest of the game isn't worth exploring. That's a major slap in the face.

 

I can totally get behind being a character loyalist as long as you can make them work. For all I know, people could be whoring out Zecora in an MLP game just because some guy won a major tourney with her. But if I could get comfortable with someone like Trixie or Daring Do, and my wins were consistent, I'd stick with them even if they weren't the best.

True, true. Though, I doubt noobs would be picking Twilight. I knew Rainbow Dash existed 2 years before I became a brony. I didn't even know who the rest of the Mane 6 were. 

[Hazard Time 1,127]

I don't know if there server's still up, but ponyville.net used to run a few VSH servers that used all pony models for the bosses.  While most of them were balanced, a few of them were obviously underpowered, obviously overpowered, and some that contextually broke the game.  For example, one of the bosses, Dovashy, had the "Fus-Ro-Yay" rage ability, which propelled everyone into the air and off to the furthest edges of the map.  You can see how annoying this ability is when you have maps with insta-death cliffs on them.

[greenflare 154]

I'd just practice using my favorite pony, I don't go to competitive tournaments anyway, so while I would look up all of the strategies for my main, I'd do it just so I could know all the tricks for the fun of it.

[gamecubeguy214 2,512]

I would love a Smash Bros style MLP game. Being able to move freely across the stage, having a set of specials, aerials, tilts, and other moves making it like Smash. I would main Dashie and spend "I have bad grades" time practicing her combos.

[EmeraldStar04 250]

I'd pick Twilight, or Rainbow Dash. I'd only use the "Best" character in tournies... Then again, I like playing my favs.

[KiraTakahashi 748]

I usually just pick my favorites and don't really care about the stats. Though I usually win anyway.

[Ganondorf8 11,417]

I'd like to see the characters balanced by having them be given strengths and weaknesses that were a representation of their personalities, and nothing completely out there otherwise it would go against what the show stands for.

[EmeraldStar04 250]

I'd approach it with a smile, that's how.

[KillerKingBakudan 702]

  On 2016-11-01 at 7:53 PM, Ganondorf8 said:

I'd like to see the characters balanced by having them be given strengths and weaknesses that were a representation of their personalities, and nothing completely out there otherwise it would go against what the show stands for.

 

I'm actually neutral on this. It would be interesting to see how faithful each character's gameplay was to who they are from the source material. On the other hand, people often develop strategies that are completely divorced from how the characters were intended to be played, and that in itself can give them a bigger following. 

 

The Marvel characters are a good example. Magneto's always been known in the comics for levitating, creating force fields, and using his magnetic powers to turn industrialized objects and environments against people. He could still do those things in Marvel vs. Capcom 2, but within years, players were making him rush in like a psychopath and combo people to death. Could you imagine how intimidating he would be if he fought like that in the X-Men movies? 

 

In the context of an MLP game, something like that would make sense for a speedy character like Rainbow Dash. But if it became common at high-level play for someone like Maud to do that, who's as much of a polar opposite from Dash as you can get, I would be laughing my ass off. It's not accurate, but it'd be entertaining as hell.

[Merrypaws 71]

I play games to have fun, not to win. If I liked a character enough I would play as them, even if I came in last every time, as long as I was having good time while I was at it.

[Ganondorf8 11,417]

  On 2016-11-02 at 11:24 AM, Lord-Pomegranate said:

I'm actually neutral on this. It would be interesting to see how faithful each character's gameplay was to who they are from the source material. On the other hand, people often develop strategies that are completely divorced from how the characters were intended to be played, and that in itself can give them a bigger following. 

 

The Marvel characters are a good example. Magneto's always been known in the comics for levitating, creating force fields, and using his magnetic powers to turn industrialized objects and environments against people. He could still do those things in Marvel vs. Capcom 2, but within years, players were making him rush in like a psychopath and combo people to death. Could you imagine how intimidating he would be if he fought like that in the X-Men movies? 

 

In the context of an MLP game, something like that would make sense for a speedy character like Rainbow Dash. But if it became common at high-level play for someone like Maud to do that, who's as much of a polar opposite from Dash as you can get, I would be laughing my ass off. It's not accurate, but it'd be entertaining as hell.

 

And that's why characters end up getting nerfed through patches so that any exploits players discover are removed before they can be abused too much and ruin the overall experience for others.

[KillerKingBakudan 702]

  On 2016-11-02 at 8:26 PM, Ganondorf8 said:

And that's why characters end up getting nerfed through patches so that any exploits players discover are removed before they can be abused too much and ruin the overall experience for others.

Other characters could get buffed instead. Nerf someone too hard, and it takes all the fun out of playing them.

[Ganondorf8 11,417]

  On 2016-11-03 at 2:13 AM, Lord-Pomegranate said:

Other characters could get buffed instead. Nerf someone too hard, and it takes all the fun out of playing them.

 

Sometimes doing that is necessary if they ended up being broken beyond belief. Other characters deserve to be buffed if it means they can compete with the more unbalanced characters, but not too much otherwise people would complain.

[Cyandashie 128]

Honestly, we need a game similar to Forza Motorsport with ponies driving cars. That's just my opinion.

 

 

I also thought of that because I thought it would be rather funny to see Pinkie Pie trying to drive a Hennessey Venom GT.

[KatonRyu 1,033]

I'd play single player only, and then probably with the pony that suits my style the best. Mostly fast movement and reactions, so Rainbow Dash might very well be my main choice in such a game.

[Ninjaed 526]

Hmm I'm thinking such a game for MLP would have a tag system, if only to partly avoid the "omg all them noobs picking Twilight, I hate her!". Since we're on fighting games, Twilight would be rather weak to speedy characters like Rainbow Dash, needing a bit of time to cast spells. With the tag system though, you could bait with her and trick RD into taking massive damage. Then it becomes mind-game because RD can try and provoke the switch, then switching herself into the other character who'd be better suited to face Twilight's tag partner.

 

Tons of possibilities with this, though a fighting game may not be the better option in the first place. Racing or completing an objective/s might be more suited, and the tag system would this time simply bring buffs or something. Or it could be like Trine and you'd try and choose 2 characters to deal with what your opponents may try to throw at you.

 

A simple "capture the flag" kind of game could have a lot of complexity that way: Maud creating new passageways for her team, Pinkie sensing traps and danger, Daring Do disarming traps, AJ ensnaring somepony with her lasso, Rarity...err, being absolutely divine?

[KillerKingBakudan 702]

  On 2016-11-04 at 1:52 PM, Ninjaed said:

Hmm I'm thinking such a game for MLP would have a tag system, if only to partly avoid the "omg all them noobs picking Twilight, I hate her!". Since we're on fighting games, Twilight would be rather weak to speedy characters like Rainbow Dash, needing a bit of time to cast spells. With the tag system though, you could bait with her and trick RD into taking massive damage. Then it becomes mind-game because RD can try and provoke the switch, then switching herself into the other character who'd be better suited to face Twilight's tag partner.

 

Tons of possibilities with this, though a fighting game may not be the better option in the first place. Racing or completing an objective/s might be more suited, and the tag system would this time simply bring buffs or something. Or it could be like Trine and you'd try and choose 2 characters to deal with what your opponents may try to throw at you.

 

A simple "capture the flag" kind of game could have a lot of complexity that way: Maud creating new passageways for her team, Pinkie sensing traps and danger, Daring Do disarming traps, AJ ensnaring somepony with her lasso, Rarity...err, being absolutely divine?

A tag system would do little to promote character variety, especially if the game was based on an IP. You'd just be getting more of the same match-ups in bigger numbers. The only thing that could really circumvent this issue is the matchmaking system. There could be online filters that weed out the people using characters you don't want to see. Or if the game had a ranking system, some kind of point multiplier that favored characters that aren't used often: like if Cadence had the lowest usage online, you could get the highest number of points possible winning with her, whereas Twilight, having the highest usage, would give you the lowest and thus a better reason to pick someone else. It's so simple, yet companies don't want to implement these ideas for some stupid reason.

 

In any case, my preferred genre for MLP would actually be a 3D shooter like Splatoon, in that doesn't contain gun violence but an appropriate substitute.