Again, no ping numbers.
This... really doesn't matter, in the end, though. The Bars are going off the same data as the numbers would. All the bars are, is a visual representation of the numbers. Such as 0-80 Ping = Green, 81-100 yellow, etc. Bars are used by cellphones, but ping numbers are often (sadly) misread, and misunderstood. There's a host of people out there that think BIG numbers are GOOD ping (Such as, if you're passing 200 bits of info a second, you must have a better connection, than the guy passing only 60, right?)
I WOULD like Ping + Bars. Would be a learning experience for many! Or just numbers that change the same colors as the bars would, to help show which numbers are good or bad. These little things would be nice, but I wonder if even "open to and doing everything!" Skullgirls will put in such options? Barely any company seems to flat out learn and expand these options, which is so weird. You THINK someone would have refined it by now, but most just deliver "workable", in the end.
Why not an MK9-styled lobby system? Doesn't look like it has it. That GGPO-styled lobby system solved a lot of problems playing online compared to SF4. Displays a list of players available, they're rank, ping, and you're able to easily communicate with them to get a match going.
I barely ever saw the lobby on MK9 work, so... that's not something I'd want replicated, lol. But otherwise, Chat lobbies and such in the MK9 way, probably would require SNKP to constantly run a server, which would be out of the question for them, I'm sure. Plus, once you put server-functions into your console games, unless you plan ways for them to work WITHOUT those functions (WHICH THEY ALL SHOULD, but often don't... which is really ridiculous...), you could be putting a lifespan on your games. Compare how Generally no Xbox games 360 from any publisher goes offline, yet EA turns games off on PS3 and XBL each year, because they force the games to run over their servers.
And note that KoF XII did have a bit of a chat lobby system. It was only between people entering the rooms though, so it didn't require any additional server side stuff, just consoles talking to consoles. I'd like for those options to come back, but I rarely saw them USED in XII... I tried to use it to greet people, or to tell people "don't enter if your ping is too low!" but people ignored it and just ran RIGHT in...
I presume bigger hitbox for Iori's df+C means he can active HD after the hcf+P throw easier, which is pretty scary. I guess it's fair since his command throw is relatively slow compared to others, still a great option for him.
Didn't even think of the HD mode part, haha. Thought about it for Liz... blah. Another thing that makes him more well-rounded.
Japanese developers are very stubborn. It's simple fact. You can see it when Capcom Japan releases a game and when Capcom USA does. When Capcom USA releases crap, you get stupid shit that makes you pissed off...but at the very least, they TRY things that fans call out (Ping Numbers in MvC2, Button Config for 3SOE), Capcom Japan does not do that. Same old button config, same old no Ping numbers, same old crap.
I'd rather have a company come out and straight fail for trying something new than just halfass a game doing the same old crap. I can't really say anything for SNKP because they keep changing publishers lol. You know, but hey, as long as you're trying to actively make a difference in your game (not even so much gameplay wise, but how it functions on and offline for gamers of all types) then I can't really hate too much.
Yeah, Japan can be really stubborn, the way it seems. It's a bit annoying though, that even when the USA arms get to try something... they often don't turn out right, and those products become annoying to deal with. If it's a game you love a lot, and are willing to deal with the junk with, then wonderful. But if not, it just makes a poor game, that you'd rather have "old and working", rather than "new and busted".
SNKP at least DID try some things with XII (Lobbies, spectating, various arcade modes, random play while waiting for a game, clan / team battles...), but the online failed along with it.
Seems we have to wait for them to get "basic" right, before they start experimenting again. But at least it sounds like, from "On the Spot", that we can practice while waiting for fights here... that'll help a lot.