I am having trouble with staying a committed "fan" of UFS. I got into this game around the 3rd release (The Next Level) and was instantly addicted by the fast paced, arcade style fighting that it had. Over the past few years, i have attempted to remain a devout UFS fanboy. However, currently i am having trouble keeping myself interested in playing the game. Notice the word choices that i made for that last statement, "...i am having trouble KEEPING MYSELF INTERESTED in PLAYING the game". To me, the fact that i need to convince myself that this game is still fun is abhorent.

Now, i understand the whole paradigm of controll vs. aggro, and that this balance naturally fluctuates back and forth in a cycle to keep the game fresh and interesting. And that all things must evolve and adapt in order to survive. But when a game evolves to a point where players are having to ask themselves if they really are playing the game because it is fun, or because they have invested so much money into it, that they must play in order to validate their investment in the game, one must ask what brought us to this point?

I can't escape the feeling that this game has strayed too far away from it's roots (i.e. classic arcade style fighting). There really appears (to me at least) to be less and less of a reason to make or play a deck that is based around attacks and inflicting damage via attacking, much less even playing an attack card. Don't get me wrong, there are some solid attacks out there (Feline Spike, Darkness Blade, Dark Force Mirage...), but there are too few of them in the current and upcoming block and there are too many ways to negate them or penalize the player for playing them. Most decks that see play now in the current block must all deal with this problem, and as such are forced to "Spam" foundations inorder to protect themselves from the inevitable penalty that the opponent will impose on them when they play an attack.

What i am getting at, is that UFS is still a solid game, hopefully a fun game for people, but one that is losing touch with it's past and original inspiration. I do not like writing this post, but I could not in good consience continue playing this game without expressing my misgivings and feelings to the community regarding what the game has become.

I want to say in closing, that i have never seen myself as a "glass half empty" kind of guy or a "doomsayer", I want to continue playing UFS because i love the concept and inspiration behind it (fast paced, arcade style, one-on-one fighting) but it is becoming very hard to remain optimistic about the future of this game and that it will retain the feel of an arcade style fighting video game.

For those players who enjoy the current format, please, please, PLEASE!!! do not let my opinion sour your love of the game. I am glad that you are able to find the joy and fun in UFS that i once experienced. For those people who find my logic or argument faulty or weak, please respond with your critique . I want to re-discover the love i once had for this game, and your opinions and ideas may provide just that. For those readers who think that i have gone off the deep end and that this opinion is damaging the game, please do not respond on this post. My intent in to provide a thought provoking discussion on the current "vibe" of the game, and have a rational discourse regarding this. If you feel that you must express your disgust, PM me and we can continue our conversation there.

Thank you all for your interest in my plight and your time.

~blankadude

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and I can understand where you're coming from. I think you know what the answer to your own questin is though. Don't play something that you don't find fun anymore, put it to the side do something else for a while. Maybe sometime later you'll see the cards and decide you might want to just try the game again, or you can just sell or get rid of the cards. No one is going to hate on your choice so just do what you feel like, find something better to do; it's only a game after all.

P.S. You won't get a single PM on this forum buhahaha.

So, here's the lowdown. We, the consumer, only get to vote one way. With our wallets.

I could go into a tirade about how to fix UFS, like I normally do, but I'm done with that. People dont want to listen to my opinions on how to fix things. So from this moment forward I will not buy any more UFS, or I will actually do one better, I will not buy any FFG product, until I see the game get back to its actual roots.

So I will be lurking, watching, waiting, and playing legacy with my stupidly huge collection and having fun with the OLD UFS.

The new hotness is old and busted, whereas the old and busted is the new hotness.... huh.... thats definatly funny.

I reccommend the OP to follow my lead, lets stop wasting our breath and our cash on games that dont listen to the fan base.

We've already got a player who went that route.

Me? We'll see. I'd like the old sense of camaraderie to return (even though it was never really there to begin with) before old school UFS.

EDIT: lol @ free sporadic double posts

If it wasn't for the potential of playing and having roadtrip(s) with hatman and friends, i would have stopped collecting/playing a while ago

Captain Ren said:

Which is why I'd want the sense of camaraderie of the community to recover. Honestly, more I interact with some people here, the less I actually want to travel.

blankadude ~~ Well thought out and well written. I understand the concern, and I've heard a few others say the same thing.

Something that I did for the earth event (I only won one match up, so that really says how bad the idea was) - I ran a "Machine Gun Mina" deck. It had 24 attacks, none with a difficulty above 4, 4 copies of Better K, and the rest were foundations. Including using Binary (00101.yadda yadda yadda). It either won or lost in a couple of turns, and got massive props from the other players because I was the only person who brought an aggro deck to what became a life gain fest.

While I lost, the games themselves were smash-tastic, and harkened back to old school UFS. We had fun with it, and even though the deck lost, people were actually coming over to watch my games because they wanted to see the deck do well.

Look at the stuff that's been spoiled so far for set 11. Yeah, it's only two cards. Let me know if that gives you any hope, I'm crossing my fingers that we'll start seeing more spoilers over the next few weeks.

Having spoken with James, from what he's shared with me, I get the distinct feeling that he agrees with you about UFS having lost a little bit of that special something over the last few sets. I know he's working hard to try and bring back that flavor with block 3.

Part of me wonders if people are so focused on winning right now, that they're not taking the time to try and build and play for fun?

Antigoth said:

That'd be my problem. I don't like a deck that can't win, but at the same time the winning decks just take the fun out of the game. Closest thing I've to a fun deck is ::Siegfried:: I built in like 30 minutes that tosses out stuff like a way too much damage Mega Spike only to finish with a 36 damage 125 Rapids.

I wont say much but that myself i will play the lowest tier deck i currently have built in tournament to give the other players a sense of accomplishment . I will only play my top tier decks when testing with my team .

I wont say much but that myself i will play the lowest tier deck i currently have built in tournament to give the other players a sense of accomplishment . I will only play my top tier decks when testing with my team .

Scuba: I think your double post broke my internet for a few minutes.

Fruits of the below: (to the OP) adapt to your environment or subject yourself to further doldrums, risking disappointment at the end of hope. I don't think that your situation can be further simplified. Should you discontinue your involvement with this game to whatever extent, pursue something else that makes you happy and take a backwards glance at UFS when you've almost forgotten it.

Antigoth said:

Heh. Do you remember my Death Mr. Karate at the Death Event? It was the same thing. 13 2 checks and I played Metal Dancer as a finisher (granted every attack was finisher-esque). Why should a 4 difficulty, 2 check, 2Mid, 2 damage, Multiple:2 attack with no other worthwhile text ever be a finisher? The best moments in UFS are the ones born of pure insanity. Quote me!!!!!

You didn't see it, but Tri-Symbol Q' mill, Broken Legs and Arms, Revitalize, MRank, Contemplation, Antisocial, Vast Resources, 70-80 cards, MULTIPLAYER at Maxxx and what kept it together? Secret Project . Knocked out everyone until it was just Scott A. and I. Being at 10 HS, Absurd Strength and The Ways of the Mightiest really hurts, especially when my survival necessitates giving him attacks with Contemplation. I lost on about our 6th turn of back and forth "lol no". That was absolute insanity.

What about the time I played Legacy Anakaris Mill with Size Matters against Trev's 12 symbol Dhalsim? Very insane.

The point is I built those decks on a whim and disregarded the consequences, an uncommon practice for me, and the games were really rewarding for someone. Disregarding consequences (+ a good idea) = fun in UFS.

Antigoth said:

I've had this thought too. It seems that the people who have the most fun actually make a conscious effort to do it all the time. Gone are the times when something spontaneously becomes fun.

I dunno about "winning". It only seems to be a worthwhile objective in a competitive meta or between rivals. Sometimes doing things your way isn't all that rewarding when you stand alone in a crowd; all that you really earn is a personal victory that is potentially made bitter by having no one with which to revel in it. Sadly, the opposite is also true because defending one's playfulness in a harsher environment becomes taxing. Alas, it would seem that conformity is often necessary to escape darkness of the soul.

Heh, sometimes, whatever i build, seems to not please my opponents. Sure i can make a complete piece of crap(picking 60 random cards and makes a deck?) But, never kill your player's fun and never kill your own fun. Its pretty hard to have both of them.

It sux when you come to this conclusion, but alas some people do. I had this experiance with Warhammer 40k. I loved the game, but it wasn't what it once used to be. Things changed and i found myself wanting it the way it used to be. It is alright to want things they way they used to be. From what I have read several times through the State of the Games, the developers of UFS are attempting to return things back to the way they were. I belive that they will suceed. As for how you feel, don't be ashamed or worried or anything. Just sit back and chill for a bit and if you ever find yourself wanting to come back, than do so when and if that moment ever comes.

Peace and Happy Gaming.

I unfortunately am also in this state of boredom with the game. I don't like the flow of the game currently as it is way to control heavy to the point where attacks don't even matter and am waiting till set 11 to come out, as I am getting bored with my "fun" decks ( i don't like wasting my time with such trivial decks). If I am not satisfied with the product, as I am getting increasingly agitated with the way the game is handled, product distribution among other things, i'll be most likely resigning as a scout for my store and hanging up my UFS cap for a long while, as I don't believe in "hanging tough" or some other bs, if the product is defective or subpar quality, then I'm not spending my hard earned money onit. I'll still try to set up the regionals I had planned for southern ontario as I owe my fellow players at least that, but I can deferr the work to another local scout if need be.

Crossing my fingers... and hoping the next set is great, otherwise I wish you all goodluck. and Keep on fighing in the arena.

I would expect that James is going to be looking to find ways to bring the game back to attacking more, but it's doubtful that set 11 will be anything more than one step in a positive direction. Firstly because he didn't design it from scratch but rather went in and modified a bunch of stuff, and secondly because it's going to take more than one set to start crawling out of the shadow of all the overpowered control pieces & enablers printed in sets 8-10. It may not be a bad idea for groups where it's feasible to try playing the set just within itself to see how it flows? Could also be a good time for local banlists, as I've been told they're not really going to look at bannings, etc. until regionals are underway and rotation is imminent. (unless something blatant like Quick to Anger + Air Base comes up) Just some thoughts.

Oh how I long for the days where decks ran 15-20 attacks and character blocks (remember those?). My old Promo Zangief deck that I took to my first even AoP ran:

4x Widow Maker

4x Witch Hunt

4x Close Throw

4x Maki Geri? Or something other Life throw

Either way unfortunatly the long forgotten days of yore are gone, and I place the blame squarley on the so called designers (I guess in this case former designers now that the second comin- er James Hata is in charge). They wanted to slow the game down and get it away from OTK decks like ye old Fire Adon or crazy To the Bone- Triple Bo Rush or whatever. I can respect that. However what I cannot respect is the majority of decks running eight attacks and not being punished for it. Contemplation was a GREAT card in that regard, but at the same time it was fair because it gave the victim the attack (and in some cases, drawing a Shin Shoryuken or whatever was always fun). What do we have in block three that punishes folks for running a sea of grey and green and four Spikes, or four Tiger Fury? Well? Anyone? Anything?

...

That's what I thought. Really, what character short of Zi Mei is a semi competatant and competative aggro character? Leona? I tried building her and she sucks. Talim/Raphael? Ridiculously speeded attacks are funny, Strife's Patronage pretty much made speed pump obsolete, and stuff such as Holding Ground, Healer, Rejection, Spiritual Centre, and About Face (highly underrated imo) kinda giggle at 45 speed Spikes. Adon? Read Talim/Raphael. Anyone else? Alex? He may work, but he has no built in good damage/speed pumps, and the whole route of runnning All Control and fire attacks kinda went down the pooper with the loss of Chain Throw/Widow Maker and Absurd. He's still got Mercurious and Tiger Fury, but again it falls into the see of grey and green as he waits to draw into said Fury.

I, too, got on board this wonderful game around The Next Level and have had to adapt to how the games has changed from the Universal Fighting System to the Unlimited Foundation Spamming system. I think the clearest evidence of how this game has changed is reflected in my own playing style and tendancies, as well as my building preferences and tendancies.

When i got into this game i was a heavy heavy Aggro-centric player. I built a Promo Yun deck off Earth that, while it had some Control elements, was more interested in boosting the speed of a kill attack: Knee Toss for 10 or 12 damage...and that was sufficient kill because over the course of two turns i'd been whittling away at my opponent's health. The first 'serious' deck i took with me to a Regional (read: AoP) was Fireball Matt Kohls.

Fast forward to now...i'm the most Control-centric player in my play group, and that includes Blankadude and Brynsul, and the other players in my group snicker whenever i tell them that i brought with me an 'Aggro' deck to play. Invariably, my Aggro-ness is merely an Aggressive Control bent to lock down my opponent and then kill them, usually by taking the first 2 (or 3 turns) of playing out heavy Control foundations/assets (read: Chesters, Owlface, etc...).

If i'm being honest with myself, i have to admit that i, too, really miss the 'old' me and wonder if i'll ever see him again in this game. The current Meta simply doesn't allow for a Pure Aggro deck, or player to be successful except for in the occasional 'pick-up' game of UFS.

Looking back on what made B1 so awesome, and i realize that even B1 had massive Control (Void) elements, was the following:

1) The coolest effects were on Attacks, not foundations. Anyone remember how awesome Shadow Banishment, Tiamat's Rampage, Shoulder Rush, etc was? Spiral D was perhaps the first 7/1 attack that was worth its weight and cost: Stun 4 that hit for a printed 11 damage; ridiculous!!!

2) Foundations had to synergize to truly be awesome. Sure, Yoga Mastery gave the middle finger to E-heavy decks, but what made Void uber was the combination of cards that synergized like crazy: YM + Lost Mems + Ring Vet was the combo of Control choice. Charisma + Ancient Insights (or Awakens + AI) was the discard combo that eventually led to Dodge Step and Chinese Sword Style and Pure of Heart.

3) There were different win conditions other than vitality loss and mill. Remember 'Ring Out'?

Having said that, i do see a glimmer of hope...Action Cards that play E's and R's are starting to become the norm, and I do believe that they should really be brought even further to the forefront of having the best effects that compliment attacks, not foundations. I think foundations need to be returned to having 'mediocre' (by current standards anyway) effects, and are best used when needed to pass checks.

Anyway...it's late/early and i'm waaay past my bedtime. I'm sorry if this post rubs folk the wrong way, and/or seems if i'm just gettin on the UFS IS DYING bandwagon. Truly, i love this game still and will continue to play the cards that we're given. I would just love to see this game return to play like the actual Arcade Fighter Games really do; two players throwin' down and FIghtin'! Not powering up for 2 or 3 turns a la a DBZ episode, y'know.

Anyway...thoughts? Comments? All are welcome...

Sadly, I think that was the problem when my group stopped playing a year ago was that they were bored with the game. Even though I tried to help them with getting cards (as they didn't want to spend money on the cards), and try to convince them to go with different ideas (though one ALWAYS used Order Guile***/* >.>), they just got bored. I even kept collecting a long while afterwards, but stopped even that due to not having any reason to. Sure, I'd LOVE to get my hands on my favorite characters' stuff, but without anyone to play with (and no money NOW to do this anymore), makes me sad.

They were also not happy about the block rotation when it first happened. So we stuck with Legacy, and well......I don't know what happened. We all just fell out of the game I guess. =/

RockStar said:

This has been quoted for the insane amount of truth it contains. I have noticed the same things. I used to run vega who would turn 2 challenge the master into a fully multipled jaguar assault. Now I run Alex and spam foundations everyturn while making sure I have more chester's backings out than my opponent and on about turn 17 discard my opponents hand and hit them with a Ryu's shin shoryuken. Thank you for expressing in words what I could not.

I agree 100% on you with you on this. About once a week I think is is worth it to keep playing. I keep holding out for set 11, but I don't know if it is worth it. I feel that I am just better off selling my collection right now.

Hey thanks, guys. It's nice to know that i'm not alone in my sentiments on where this game has come from, where it's currently at, and where, in my humble humble opinion anyway, it needs to move toward to recapture the excitement of a true arcade fighting game; something this game has definitely strayed from the past couple of sets.

I'm not a game designer by any stretch of the means, so i don't know the mathmatics that would be, or are involved in making sure there weren't/aren't too many broken aspects to the new cards being designed. I'm merely posting my thoughts and what i've observed the past two years, and it really can be summed up like this: The most powerful effects of cards have shifted from being printed on Attacks to Foundations, so of course there will be less of a desire to play Attacks. The easiest way to remedy this is a return to the ideology of what initially made this game truly great, and fast paced: Tone down the power on foundations, and print more attacks that have the kind of abilities people want to play on them.

For example, i think having BRT's ability on a low spd/low dmg attack is more balanced than having access to it every turn as it sits in your staging area. For example, on the attack: E "When your opponent attempts to block this attack...BRT Text Here...". Just a thought...in this way, the ability is negatable, and it's being used as a one time use only on a specific attack. I don't know about you, but an attack with that ability is one i just might be encouraged to play, and with great frequency.

Again...just my opinion and observations, not gospel truth. Agree or disagree at your descretion.

my advice is take a break, its what most of the glasgow players did and now some of us are thinking of trying block 3 as it looks more fun and these new forums seem much friendlier. With the new forums and block 3 the game is looking fresh again for me so ill give it a try, although i think not having a street fighter set fdor a whole year is a big mistake especially with the film coming out and the 4th game coming to consoles.

However if you feel this way then i recommend having a short break and then seeing how you feel as you may miss the game and hopefully by then the game will be less control heavy.

killer mouse said:

Wait WHAT?

killer mouse said:

Emphasis mine.