DOA6 New Gameplay Mechanics Revealed

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Try to keep an open mind as the footage is an early build of Dead or Alive 6, and we are slowly piecing the mechanics together the best we can with the information we have available to us. DOA6 will be available for us to play at EVO this year so observation is clearly welcomed by Team NINJA.

At 3:30 PM Pacific Time a stream from IGN is expected to help us make some sense of today's Famitsu interview with Shimbori that revealed several new mechanics to the DOA formula. Most developers copy and paste the predecessor, but the sixth installment of our game will have plenty of new mechanics, coupled with the elements we loved most from DOA5LR. Let's take a quick peep at what's new:

Critical Bursts, Power Blows and Power Launchers are gone!

When it came to the hand to hand combat, with no environmental damage in the picture, the critical bursts felt like a really special part of DOA. Hopefully this new system will blow our minds. How do you feel about this change?

New Mechanic: Side Attack

The side-step will not be taken out, but replaced with something else. You must release and follow up with the new Special button (H+P+K) which is detailed to some degree in the Famitsu Interview. The S button will be conducive to several new mechanics in the game. You can attack while avoiding a straight hit, but it always forces you to commit, so there is risk for the person side-stepping. A successful hit at close range will result in major damage. The stage will also be dependent on how damage is dealt. Seems like timing will mean everything.

New Mechanic: Break Gauge

If you watched the trailer, you may have noticed an additional bar under the HP. That's the break gauge and it fills up as you deal damage according to the Japanese translation of the interview. It also accumulates or freezes depending on your success with hold game duing the fight. When the bar fills up you will have access to "Break Hold" and "Break Blow." How they handle the holds will probably be one of the more complex topics of this new Break Gauge mechanic.

New System: Fatal Rush/ Auto Combo ( S, S, S, S )

Pressing that Special button continuously is an activity all characters can trigger.... the first hit will initiate a Fatal Stun, which puts the opponent in an unprotected state, and the normal hold can not be performed. If your gauge bar is filled you can use "Break Blow" on the last hit. Another interesting tidbit of information is that this auto combo will not cost from the break gauge, thankfully these moves are expected to be highly unsafe on block and are not invincible.

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New System: Break Blow ( + S )

As mentioned this works by filling up the break gauge and spending it all. This is the special cinematic punch that breaks the face of your opponent and is also confirmed by Shimbori to tear clothes. This can beat high and medium attacks, and can even break throws! A technique Shimbori calls the "invincible attack." This move can also be incorporated with an air juggle and the environment. Though it's a strong move, Break Holds can beat it, and lows can too.

New System: Break Hold ( + S )

It sounds like this mechanic will let you hold anything from any stage! This could be absolutely wonderful for dealing with people that love spamming the same moves over and over. This will make even the fastest characters think twice. You move behind the opponent, and do damage to them as you do it, hopefully they are all unique animations for all characters.

Famitsu was able to let us in on a lot of new information this early on, so to me this game will have little chance of delay and will be changing our lives in 2019. Sometime after the IGN stream I will edit this story with new details of the mechanics and also include a new write-up pertaining to the returning characters and how they will play differently from their DOA5 counterparts.

Please look no further than FSD for high quality content, tournament write-ups, news updates and an active forum that has been the most trusted source for DOA competitive play. Let's get hype!

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Since CBs will no longer be in DOA does that mean finding max damage combo set ups will be any easier or harder?

I imagine it wont vary much from how it is now. The overall stun system looks to be mostly unchanged.

 

I'm not happy that they're changing up the side step system. What's wrong with having a conventional, functional side step mechanic in a 3D Fighter?

 

I imagine it wont vary much from how it is now. The overall stun system looks to be mostly unchanged.

Oh good I ask that since in DOA5 it was like set up, then CB and then use the best launcher and then do a combo that was for that specific weight class. I guess now tho you just launch as max thresh hold and rattle off whatever is the best combo for that weight category

 

No it was definitely broken. Sidesteps should be beaten by tracking moves but nothing I had could track her meaning you could only punish with a throw on recovery.

Really? I'd just always use Koko's tracking 5P+K and that would shut it down everytime. That was my main tool against Marie players

 

Really? I'd just always use Koko's tracking 5P+K and that would shut it down everytime. That was my main tool against Marie players

nothing Bayman had could stop it

 

Oh good I ask that since in DOA5 it was like set up, then CB and then use the best launcher and then do a combo that was for that specific weight class. I guess now tho you just launch as max thresh hold and rattle off whatever is the best combo for that weight category

You don't have to do a CB to get max height. That mechanic was really just designed for PB's. It also rarely got used which is probably why they made a decision to move away from it.

 

Since CBs will no longer be in DOA does that mean finding max damage combo set ups will be any easier or harder?

Depends on how much health characters have. DOA5 had higher health since CBs and PLs allows for some long combos. With those gone, they might be changing the health values again.

 

Depends on how much health characters have. DOA5 had higher health since CBs and PLs allows for some long combos. With those gone, they might be changing the health values again.

I'm fine with that, I did notice the damage was a bit heavier than usual but then again I dont know if they were using traditional health value or maybe a smaller one for showcasing. Either way Kasumi definitely seems to be a bigger threat damage wise this time around which I'm applauding!

 

As with the CB's case, can the same be said for the new sidestep? That people always did the attack after the sidestep so they just made it automatically attack now? I didn't always use the sidestepping attack but I'm also not a pro.

 

Okay, I'm sorry but to call this promising is a little insulting. Are we seriously getting hype for one button holds and auto combos? Guys....what is going on? Did the new age of fighters has turn everyone into a pussy that doing things the require thought are too hard now? Sigh...okay le me slow down and explain these mechanics.

"No CBs, PLs, and PBs."

Okay this isn't all bad.PBs were flashy but not really something that made the game better. PLs were fucking overly gimmicky bullshit no one asked for or rarely used besides wanting to show off their E-penis in a combo video. Lastly, the Cbs.....well this kind of sucks as I like them a lot. It makes me wonder about sit down stuns and bounds. Are they gone too? Cbs were finally a way to guaranteed damage. We are losing gateways to free damage. This fucking sucks! Are we back to DOA 4 stun game where it is 2 to 4 guesses to get a full combo?

"sidestep isn't good, but replace side attack!"

This reeks of being unnecessary. Why not just give us a sidestep that is better than it was 5? We also already had a "side attack" as nearly every character had an attack out of sidestep. So what is the point of this? Is this them wanting to be unique for no reason?

"Break Gauge"

What are we now? Are we Street fighter 4 Ultra system? Are we rewarding people for getting their ass kicked for a round? Wow....can we stop rewarding poor play? This is becoming a dumb fighting game trend.

"Auto combo"

Once again, what the fuck is the point of this? We have one of the easiest combo system on the planet. Why do we need this? It's so unnecessary. Espeically when the first hit is unholdable. I mean, it's great they are punishable on block. (Get hype for punishing this for 50 points with throws.).

"Break blow"

Uh...okay? This is a good way to punish mashes. This may be super strong as long as you don't throw it out. I think it could be okay, but man it does beat a lot of stuff.

"Break hold"

This will be super scrubby. Also, if you have a problem with a spammer then you are bad at DOA. Just hold/crush them. It's not rocket science, unless you think Kasumi mashers are now gods to you.

Overall, it's a mixed bag and I'm very concern. Espeically with how a lot of the frames will be negative on hit and block. This game could be a mess of who gets the first CH. Good to see Zack though. He looks good. I wonder if the color swaps we saw are color edits or "new costumes". I swear to god if purple trunks Zack is a recolor costume I'm going to scream.

 

Okay, I'm sorry but to call this promising is a little insulting. Are we seriously getting hype for one button holds and auto combos?

I'm pretty sure the people who believe that the "special" button features sound good are a minority here.

 

Auto Combo? Really?... This is so disappointing. Is hard to understand for me why some fighting game companies are adding this crap in fighting games today. Does anybody know anybody who recently joined a new fighting game community because it has an Auto Combo button and "is so fun to play"?? I don't. It just makes the game feels cheap and unappeling, even for beginners and newbies.

As for the rest of new mechanics I'm pretty ok with it. A bar gauge looks weird in DOA, but I think is good to have new mechanics if we are calling this DOA6, not 5.

 

hi counter damage will be doubled not 1.5 anymore?
I heard this only worked on ,as well as close hit damage

 

Okay, I'm sorry but to call this promising is a little insulting. Are we seriously getting hype for one button holds and auto combos? Guys....what is going on? Did the new age of fighters has turn everyone into a pussy that doing things the require thought are too hard now? Sigh...okay le me slow down and explain these mechanics.

"No CBs, PLs, and PBs."

Okay this isn't all bad.PBs were flashy but not really something that made the game better. PLs were fucking overly gimmicky bullshit no one asked for or rarely used besides wanting to show off their E-penis in a combo video. Lastly, the Cbs.....well this kind of sucks as I like them a lot. It makes me wonder about sit down stuns and bounds. Are they gone too? Cbs were finally a way to guaranteed damage. We are losing gateways to free damage. This fucking sucks! Are we back to DOA 4 stun game where it is 2 to 4 guesses to get a full combo?

"sidestep isn't good, but replace side attack!"

This reeks of being unnecessary. Why not jsut give us a sidestep that is better than it was 5? We also already had a "side attack" as nearly every character had an attack out of sidestep. So what is the point of this? Is this them wanting to be unique for no reason?

"Break Gauge"

What are we now? Are we Street fighter 4 Ultra system? Are we rewarding people for getting their ass kicked for a round? Wow....can we stop rewarding poor play? This is becoming a dumb fighting game trend.

"Auto combo"

Once again, what the fuck is the point of this? We have one of the easiest combo system on the planet. Why do we need this? It's so unnecessary. Espeically when the first hit is unholdable. I mean, it's great they are punishable on block. (Get hype for punishing this for 50 points with throws.).

"Break blow"

Uh...okay? This is a good way to punish mashes. This may be super strong as long as you don't throw it out. I think it could be okay, but man it does beat a lot of stuff.

"Break hold"

This will be super scrubby. Also, if you have a problem with a spammer then you are bad at DOA. Just hold/crush them. It's not rocket science, unless you think Kasumi mashers are now gods to you.

Overall, it's a mixed bag and I'm very concern. Espeically with how a lot of the frames will be negative on hit and block. This game could be a mess of who gets the first CH. Good to see Zack though. He looks good. I wonder if the color swaps we saw are color edits or "new costumes". I swear t god if purple trunks Zack is a recolor costume I'm going to scream.

I agree with all of your points. I'm not sure what the hell the direction is with this game. It feels like they really didn't put much thought into this shit and just looked at Tekken and Soul Calibur and said, "Let's put meter mechanics into our game too" without thinking of how these will work with the confines of DOA's Triangle System. The "Break Blow" seems to be pretty much a copy of Rage Arts from Tekken 7 and while it generally works well in that game, I'm not sure if DOA needed to have it. And the godlike 4-way counter hold is DUMB to me—let's say both my opponent and myself have very little health and have full meter. So if either of us decides to do any kind of attack, all we need is a simple button push to get 100% guaranteed counterhold and we'll win just like that? That sounds like some scrubby BS of the highest order.

TN's job was SIMPLE...all they had to do was to make a better version of DOA5LR, for example: keeping sidesteps while nerfing DOA5LRs insanely tight tracking and keep CBs while getting rid of PL/PB. If they just used the formula that they created through their experience with refining the DOA5 series, DOA6 would've been on its way to being a masterpiece and a very solid competitive game. But it just sounds like they've reverted everything and are starting from scratch when there's absolutely NO reason to do so.

I've never been against any of the fanservice of the previous games, but if you're going to say that you're going to tone down those elements in order to attract a more hardcore crowd and focus more on the fighting, then you'd better do a better job than what we're seeing so far.

 

I'm pretty sure the people who believe that the "special" button features sound good are a minority here.

Looking at this thread you're right dude.

Auto Combo? Really?... This is so disappointing. Is hard to understand for me why some fighting game companies are adding this crap in fighting games today. Does anybody know anybody who recently joined a new fighting game community because it has an Auto Combo button and "is so fun to play"?? I don't. It just makes the game feels cheap and unappeling, even for beginners and newbies.

As for the rest of new mechanics I'm pretty ok with it. A bar gauge looks weird in DOA, but I think is good to have new mechanics if we are calling this DOA6, not 5.

Fighting game companies are developing tunnel vision and want to get "new" players into the their games badly. They want to increase those casual sells. Look at how many casuals brought DBZF but ran away like a bitch when they got destroyed. Hell, there are some DBZ fans avoiding it because they are afraid of losing. I think BBTAG has it worse though. For the sake of making the game easier they made everyone the same. That makes a game shallow. I don't mind helping new players out, but when you make it so easier for the sake of it, you end up hurting the enjoyment of your game. It doesn't help that Arc made BBTAG saying they were tired of seeing no Americans in top 8 of their games. I wonder if they will still say that with how deep and competitive the field is for DBZF where there is only one Japanese top player.

I agree with all of your points. I'm not sure what the hell the direction is with this game. It feels like they really didn't put much thought into this shit and just looked at Tekken and Soul Calibur and said, "Let's put meter mechanics into our game too" without thinking of how these will work with the confines of DOA's Triangle System. The "Break Blow" seems to be pretty much a copy of Rage Arts from Tekken 7 and while it generally works well in that game, I'm not sure if DOA needed to have it. And the godlike 4-way counter hold is DUMB to me—let's say both my opponent and myself have very little health and have full meter. So if either of us decides to do any kind of attack, all we need is a simple button push to get 100% guaranteed counterhold and we'll win just like that? That sounds like some scrubby BS of the highest order.

TN's job was SIMPLE...all they had to do was to make a better version of DOA5LR, for example: keeping sidesteps while nerfing DOA5LRs insanely tight tracking and keep CBs while getting rid of PL/PB. If they just used the formula that they created through their experience with refining the DOA5 series, DOA6 would've been on its way to being a masterpiece and a very solid competitive game. But it just sounds like they've reverted everything and are starting from scratch when there's absolutely NO reason to do so.

I've never been against any of the fanservice of the previous games, but if you're going to say that you're going to tone down those elements in order to attract a more hardcore crowd and focus more on the fighting, then you'd better do a better job than what we're seeing so far.

I do know one thing. It's going to be a casual wet dream of fun. I bet this game will be fun, but when said casual loves Kasumi in a thong. This gameplay may not keep them around for long. I think the Break Hold and auto Combo are the worse as if you save break hold in a close match all you have to do is wait for your opponent to first and then you win. I don't know who at TN thought that casuals or anyone was struggligng with landing holds but making them one button is so dumb.

I haven't played enough DOA5 LR(I got no money). The little I have played with Hoodless. I like it a lot more than vanilla and U. Even if they took out force teches. They had a good base with 5 though. Omit the PBs and PLs. Make getting to CBs quicker and easier. Bring back force techs and more frame advantage. DOA 6 would be lit. This company is odd to me. They said with DOA 5 they want to be more serious, but ended up caving to the casuals and turn the game into fanservice. They are now doing the same thing again. This company can't seem to decide how they want to present themselves to FG fans, or how to make a game the hardcore players will love. I haven't seen this level of incompetence before. This is only rival by Capcom and Arc's level of stupidity when it comes to game balance.

 

I think you all need to just wait for when the good players get their hands on it at EVO. I don't think it will be as bad as some of you are thinking it will be.

 

Well when the good players got BBTAG, it just showed me how dumb the game is. So that doesn't always work.

 

Well when the good players got BBTAG, it just showed me how dumb the game is. So that doesn't always work.

Man, I'm the one with ptsd and anger issues, why am I the optimistic one here? lol

 

Man, I'm the one with ptsd and anger issues, why am I the optimistic one here? lol

Because TN is a different animal.

 

I use the current side step religiously so I'm a little concerned about it being changed. I'll hold out until I see more of it.



This changes everything about this mechanic......I'm all for unholdables, but this better have a huge risk to it, like the state should only work on a neutral hit and not something you can throw into mid stun. Hopefully the initial attack is slow as well. I got the impression it was just a auto combo for beginners, but if it makes the whole string unholdable without a power meter? Hooo boy, this is going to be interesting.

From what I've seen, the damage from a raw fatal combo looks on-par with something like a strong 2-in-1. So while it looks really flashy, it's not all that effective on its own unless something has been set up with it. At the same time, I'm told fatal rush is quite unsafe.

The real problem right now is the break blow. It's effectively acting like a sort of super-sabaki that beats highs, mids, and even throws while doing around 40% when it lands. That...... needs to be addressed. I don't think anyone wants the meta to devolve into doing low attacks the entire round because you're scared of the super.