DOA6 Version 1.18 Patch Notes & Season Pass 4 Released

Team NINJA is starting this year off with a promise to the community to make Dead or Alive 6 the fighting game you want, but unfortunately they have held off with Version 1.18 to begin this conversion to that. To accompany the few balance changes & bug fixes made in 1.18 is the Season 4 Pass that launched on the 21st of January. Before release, Team NINJA previewed some of the new Cyber costumes on Twitter to launch the new pass, and there is no questioning that these are among the coolest looking DLC outfits in the game. The string of revival costume DLC will also continue separately sold from the season pass owners on the 21st starting with maid outfits.

While the season passes can get pricey keep in mind that it helps the developers make a better game and unlike some games all of the frame data in DOA6 is free and always has been, Core Fighters gives you four free fighters and the entire game save the story mode. You can stay in touch with DOA6 for free with regular updates and this includes: news moves, balance adjustments, victory & defeat pose animations plus the occasional free costume.

Coming with Season Pass 4 are additional costumes, with some being collaborations & design contest winners as shown at Dead or Alive Festival. The most notable release will be the Dead or Alive Xtreme: Venus Vacation character making her debut to Dead or Alive 6. There is a lot of speculation in the community as to who it is, but everyone will find out this March!

What are your hopes for Version 1.19, and what are your thoughts with this week's release? Please feel free to share you opinions in the comments below. Big thanks to Kasumi Lover for handling the header image photography for this news post.

 

The problem is that sidesteps and free steps are two completely different mechanics, when as a matter of fact they should be integrated to be one in the same. The meter for sidesteps is good in a sense, to regulate that ridiculous looking sidestep animation, but the sidestep animation as a whole should be completely reworked.

And I think it should be based around moves that end in an open and close stances, open stance signifying a right sidestep, and a close stance for a left sidestep. Because the sidesteps would end in a parallel position to the stances. It makes sense that way.

However I also think that the sidesteps should be completely removed and the free step speed should just be made faster, because that way you can just step away from someone who is dedicated into a chained command, which looks much more fluid and better. To me, that's what I call a real sidestep.

 

From what I noticed, the problem some players have with the sidestep is that it doesn't completely evade linear strings and works just for single linear strikes; they would like to evade full strings with the sidestep but the game realigns the players after one of them does a successful sidestep on a linear strike.

Does the side dash in VF evade full linear strings or just single linear strikes within a string?

 

The meter for sidesteps is good in a sense

No, quite the opposite. No meter should ever be attached to evasive 3D mechanics whatsoever. It is the go-to option to avoid strings that do not track. The issue with DOA is that it's neutral step is literally abysmal. It's utter trash. So TN (for whatever reason) resorted to add invulnerability to a SSA so that it avoids linear strikes but in the form of an attack to make people commit. But this also fails because players shouldn't commit to an attack just to avoid linear commands. TN just choose not to improve it's neutral step (which is the SS without the attack).

And I think it should be based around moves that end in an open and close stances, open stance signifying a right sidestep, and a close stance for a left sidestep. Because the sidesteps would end in a parallel position to the stances. It makes sense that way.

This is similar to Tekken's SSL and SSR which I also do not agree with on a game where everything will auto-align for DOA's case. Adding it would just add another layer of guessing just to avoid strings, it's literally a nerf. This only worked out for Tekken because of it's limb system.

the free step speed should just be made faster, because that way you can just step away from someone who is dedicated into a chained command, which looks much more fluid and better.

I approve of the free step movement increase to avoid moves, or just simply improve free step overall since the one in 6 actually has reduced movement.

Does the side dash in VF evade full linear strings or just single linear strikes within a string?

Yes. There is also some form of retracking in VF however (such as half circular attacks for balance) even in Defensive Manuever/move, but it's not heavy with moves on the realigns. If an opponent continues a string, you even have access to get a free BT situation on an opponent when you step them in VF because the game forces the opponent to stick in one trajectory/one way. You can condition someone to actually stop a string while expecting you to step, which can also punish people for stepping too much, which is actually pretty good.

I'd honestly prefer they just ditch the meter system entirely. All it does is drag down the game.

Yes I agree.

 

DOA6 is pumping out so much more content than every other game that people must be flocking to it!! Those new costumes will definitely draw new people in!! Just like all the other costume sets!!

 

Movement | Virtua Fighter dot com

Virtua Fighter Dot Com

virtuafighter.com

If you input the DM after your opponent has initiated an attack (and provided you can evade the attack) then the DM will be successful, and you will avoid taking damage from the attack and often gain some advantage while in a favourable position.

If you successfully evade one move in a canned string of attacks, you can still be hit by the following attacks if you enter additional inputs after the DM. Pressing a button or a direction re-orients you with your opponent; leaving the buttons and joystick neutral will make the rest of the string stay off-axis from you.

A successful DM recovers slightly faster than an unsuccessful DM. Hence the reward for a successful DM is some advantage over your opponent, the amount of which depends on how soon you recover compared to your opponent. It's possible for this advantage to be large enough to guarantee an attack for you to counter with! In addition to the advantage, the other huge benefit from a successful DM is exposing your opponent's side, or even their back.

 

Movement | Virtua Fighter dot com

Virtua Fighter Dot Com

virtuafighter.com

If you input the DM after your opponent has initiated an attack (and provided you can evade the attack) then the DM will be successful, and you will avoid taking damage from the attack and often gain some advantage while in a favourable position.

It's going a bit off topic but yes.

If you successfully evade one move in a canned string of attacks, you can still be hit by the following attacks if you enter additional inputs after the DM. Pressing a button or a direction re-orients you with your opponent; leaving the buttons and joystick neutral will make the rest of the string stay off-axis from you.

Yep. though mentioned before, you can still get hit by moves such as half circular attacks and so on. It's not entirely heavy on it, but it is there even for Defensive Manuevers/Move (aka DMs).

A successful DM recovers slightly faster than an unsuccessful DM. Hence the reward for a successful DM is some advantage over your opponent, the amount of which depends on how soon you recover compared to your opponent. It's possible for this advantage to be large enough to guarantee an attack for you to counter with! In addition to the advantage, the other huge benefit from a successful DM is exposing your opponent's side, or even their back.

Yep.

Though this is going off topic, but some of that idea yes.

 

So, anything in the "big" update aside from costumes?

Allegedly now that the WC is over we're supposed to see dramatic changes to balance/gameplay, and TN vowed that they were going to do right by the fans (or something akin to that) in 2020. So what's here, aside from a season pass with less costume than before?

 

People being able to just spam sidestep was the dumbest thing ever. It forced people to just spam tracking moves and characters with bad tracking were fucked. People can still side step attacks, but now they have to be strategic with their sidesteps.

SSA with 1.04 was perfectly fine. You could throw punish it all the way up to the inital attack frame. Only people getting spammed by SSA were people who mashed out of every situation. Adding meter to SSA was stupid as hell.

And while they're at this can they nerf throw damage on holds? Some of them literally do more damage then actual combos which kind of makes it pointless to even hold and making it safer to actually get juggled which is so backwards to me.

As they should. Its bad enough you can hold out of damn near every single stun in the game. There should come massive consequence to it. Hell, I'd rather they take it a step further and leave you in the standing position if you low hold out of critical stun. Nothing more idiotic than just frame low holding and magically recovering before the opponent.

Holds are literally one of the biggest flaws of DoA and one of the main things that holds the game back. Making more situations where you can't hold and making them risky to use is the best way to treat them and improve on the game.

 

As they should. Its bad enough you can hold out of damn near every single stun in the game. There should come massive consequence to it. Hell, I'd rather they take it a step further and leave you in the standing position if you low hold out of critical stun. Nothing more idiotic than just frame low holding and magically recovering before the opponent.

Holds are literally one of the biggest flaws of DoA and one of the main things that holds the game back. Making more situations where you can't hold and making them risky to use is the best way to treat them and improve on the game.

that's not the point, the point is it's safer to get LAUNCHED then it is to even attempt to hold attack which is backwards and on top of that you get better defensive options after getting launched then grabbed which makes no sense.

 

DOA 6 steam version keeps crashing on this patch. I blame the cybersuit costume!

 

I don't give a fuck what anyone says. Zack's red tellytubby is awesome.

 

While the season passes can get pricey keep in mind that it helps the developers and all of the frame data in DOA6 is free and always has been

Seriously? Frame data of all things? That SHOULD be free. The day Team Ninja starts charging for access to frame data, I will literally never ever buy any game from them ever again. Take note Team Ninja. I'm not joking.

And let me clarify here. I have no issues with giving the option of paying for aesthetics in a game. The main issue for me is the price of aesthetics. I'm not paying $25 or $35 for aesthetics. COME ON. I can buy the whole of the Halo Master Chief Collection on Xbox for that price. I can buy at least 5 characters in Dragon Ball FighterZ for that price And all you're giving me is a bunch of costumes? Get real.

And not only that, but the lack of the option of unlocking things through gameplay is also an issue. A game that does this very well is For Honor. You will never ever be able to unlock everything by just playing, but if you play enough, you can unlock most of what you want for at least your favorite character. There is no issue with having a few exclusively paid ones, but, when the forcefully paid ones exceed the free ones, to me, that is a problem. Which is exactly why I invest zero in these costumes, no matter how much I like them. If Team Ninja wants to make money, they need to actually make a good game that many people want to play.

At least the character prices are reasonable.

 

A lot of the season pass content is not even new so I don't understand the excitement. We're really paying for a zack costume (and all of the colors) that were free in previous DoA games?? It feels like the game is dying and TN is trying to get every last penny they can out of it by using old material. It's not cool that the guys have two base costumes and the rest of it as DLC, it's not cool that only a handful of stages have been tournament viable since launch, it's not cool that players are buying NEW full priced season passes for old characters/costumes, and it's not cool that we're not getting proper patches that we've been asking for for more than 6 months.

 

that's not the point, the point is it's safer to get LAUNCHED then it is to even attempt to hold attack which is backwards and on top of that you get better defensive options after getting launched then grabbed which makes no sense.

I can take nearly 80% of your health with Hitomi given the right environment setup. I aint getting that with a throw. Her 33T is strong, but its not doing more than a juggle.

You are acting like this is some kind of universal thing when its really entirely character based, and that's perfectly fine. I love doing Bass while rising throw. Catching you with that 50% throw is the most satisfying thing ever. If you don't hold, well have fun with my bound setup cuz its gonna do close to the same damage if not more if I'm near a wall.

That said, I'd prefer you have that mindset of thinking its safer to get launched than thrown. I'd rather you didn't hold anyways since I despise that mechanic.

 

No, quite the opposite. No meter should ever be attached to evasive 3D mechanics whatsoever.


This is similar to Tekken's SSL and SSR which I also do not agree with on a game where everything will auto-align for DOA's case. Adding it would just add another layer of guessing just to avoid strings, it's literally a nerf.

Of course it would add another layer, for an in-depth understanding of how to sidestep, that's the whole point. You want players to be journeying through constantly understanding the game mechanics. That's also part of the fun that makes fighting games so interesting to play. Or else you would have a broken mess, like the one that's put in front of you. It is because the sidestep is simple that makes it hard to balance. And my suggestion for open and close stance sidesteps is far more simplistic, and far less complicated than Tekken's limbs sidestep.

I'm not a fan of the meter either. I was just trying to say that:
'Because the meter is already there, it's good to use it to balance out that broken sidestep. Even though I don't like the meter or the sidestep.'

 

Of course it would add another layer, for an in-depth understanding of how to sidestep, that's the whole point.

If it adds a point of constant screw ups to play the game properly, then you might as well not add it at all. The neutral sidesteps as of now, and especially DOA5LR is a botched down version, simply because the game is trying to push a player to play constant abare with a false sense of neutral. Sidesteps are often used to avoid raw moves in a frame trap situation where you don't have to respect an opponents options, as well as a key portion to condition someone to think about their linear strings or to expect an opponent to sidestep and to punish someone for stepping too much, that's literally two factors of added proper layers that's both advantageous and disadvantageous. A +1 move on block can be stepped to make the opponent -12 and punish it in return, a string that gets followed up will make someone go off axis and put them to the side while still having some window of opportunity to either block or get blown up due to move recovery. There's a lot of situations in there that makes things expansive.

You want players to be journeying through constantly understanding the game mechanics. That's also part of the fun that makes fighting games so interesting to play.

And that's precisely why they must improve on it. You can create new back turned combo situations that is never done before possible for someone whiffing out the blue up close. You can position yourself out the wall and condition someone to think about their next move etc. I rather have the freestep movement from the past ones if it conditions people to think about their moves rather than having the game auto align for them when it comes to any forms of linear strings.

A journey is worth going for if the reward for it is worth getting. If the reward is more risk then why should you even go for it? if it's something for someone to be "adventurous", then it has nothing to do with fighting games period. There is nothing to gain for understanding if it does nothing but do the opposite of what it's suppose to do. Trying out entry mechanics is always fine and dandy because you add it and see how it works out, but completely changing core mechanics that's universal to most 3D fighters is not something you should just upright change unless the game is going through a massive overhaul (which DOA has not because why would they? they still retain holds). Improvement on the general SS can still keep the game at a basis.

It is because the sidestep is simple that makes it hard to balance. And my suggestion for open and close stance sidesteps is far more simplistic, and far less complicated than Tekken's limbs sidestep.

The problem with what you are asking is that you are making sidesteps become a guess rather than being used as a read. If you mess up a SS and you get slapped for it, that's on "you", which is how it's suppose to be. If you get slapped for it based off mechanic conditions then you are not exactly learning anything other than "you guessed a step wrong here due to stance". If it was a topic of half circular attacks then this would be a different discussion entirely. If people want to guess at exams to get a passing score and actually do pass, congratulations. You successfully lucked out.

'Because the meter is already there, it's good to use it to balance out that broken sidestep. Even though I don't like the meter or the sidestep.'

The meter was merely an excuse for TN to find a way to make SS do what it's suppose to do in such a terrible way, which solved most cases where it actually avoided linear strings in the form of an attack unfortunately to which you have to commit. The neutral step was one of the key things that needed to be improved on for years since DOA5 vanilla and has been on high request ever since, and that shit still needs to be improved on. All TN did was "we heard you loud and clear on the SS, but we are sorta drunk at the moment so we are going to do something rather bonkers with it instead". Drum roll, DOA6's SSA. I mean hell, it knocks people back for trying to commit to strings in such a caveman way, so I'll take it. Sadly it was done with meter usage but I guess that's sorta alright.

 

Of course it would add another layer, for an in-depth understanding of how to sidestep, that's the whole point. You want players to be journeying through constantly understanding the game mechanics. That's also part of the fun that makes fighting games so interesting to play. Or else you would have a broken mess, like the one that's put in front of you. It is because the sidestep is simple that makes it hard to balance. And my suggestion for open and close stance sidesteps is far more simplistic, and far less complicated than Tekken's limbs sidestep.

I'm not a fan of the meter either. I was just trying to say that:
'Because the meter is already there, it's good to use it to balance out that broken sidestep. Even though I don't like the meter or the sidestep.'

SSA was balanced in 1.04. No more changes were needed for it and it wasn't even broken before that. People just needed time to get used to it. Throwing meter on it just turned doa back into a 2D game where everyone mashes linear strings.

 

Fun bit of information regarding new update I hear, there's increased hitbox on certain characters.

Kinda feel bad for Brad Wong lol.

 

@DestructionBomb

To be honest with you, I didn't even understand most of what you just said in your last reply. I was trying to piece together your context, but it doesn't make sense to me. Hopefully the devs can understand you in a better light and follow up with your absolute opinions.

 

@DestructionBomb

To be honest with you, I didn't even understand most of what you just said in your last reply. I was trying to piece together your context, but it doesn't make sense to me. Hopefully the devs can understand you in a better light and follow up with your absolute opinions.

I think the clearest disagreement with DOA6 that I agree with is that combo creativity is pretty much out the window, especially since Close Hits are so damn easy to pull off as a combo ender, why would people study to create combos if doing a small one negates any possible risk of dropping with an equal reward?

Didn't see this at first because I play Tina primarily, but since I have started using Kasumi for average tier purposes and my Queen Rachel, I am starting to see why it's easy for people to get bored.

As far as tournaments go, I'm still seeing things that impress me, but with most players I'm seeing their typical setups where as in DOA5 there was always something new to unravel, and even with Christie and Genfu being OP we still saw a bigger variety of characters winning tournaments, than DOA6 where everyone picks Kasumi.

I'm not hating on Kasumi, she's in a good place for the DOA6 engine, I'm hating on the probabilities of seeing her launch throw/ ceiling setups every time I spectate a tournament.

Team NINJA could do a few things to negate this, and so far they have not followed up on their promises to make the game truly better than what it is. Now that we have seen them hold off, it's safe to say that they will save the big update that pros would like for their Venus Vacation character release which might end up pissing pros off and they will want a balance in that.