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I would like to create a 2d fighting game that will only have characters that use swords or other melee weapons. I'm not sure if it'll be a specific time centerpiece but maybe it could have fighters that look like they are brought from different times or from the future or mystically based. I would like each fighter to have a stage that represents them as well as stages that would be fun but these stages are purely for looks. I want the game to look kind of gritty but also not afraid to get silly at times as well. It could include a bunch of different melee fighting styles like swords, daggers, bigger swords, two swords, kunai, three swords, poles, halberds, chains, the list can go on and on. The name of it can be Sword ultimate fighterz max triple R the third because i think long fighting game names are funny. It's a fighting game so the player would be fighting against another player or an ai. On the outside I want the aesthetic to look very grim and dirty and gritty but really the game can be kind of silly. The story is that some higher being has dragged them here to participate in a tournament away from time and dimensions. They are each the best warrior in their time/universe and have been chosen specifically to fight. Each fighter has their own goals and ambitions to receive the prize at the end. The prize at the end of the game is the knowledge of everything that has happened and will happen in every universe 

                        Each character in my game will have different mechanics or something that makes them special of course however let’s start with the base mechanics that everyone can use. Everyone can Kick, slash and heavy slash to attack, kick being the fastest to come out, slash being the next fastest and heavy slash being the move that universally takes the longest to come out. Each character can block, jump, double jump dash and grab. Block being able to block most things except a grab or a move that does grab in some sort of way. Each character as well has a standard super move that doesn’t do a lot of damage but can be combed after words and the ultimate super that costs the most meter and does the most damage as well. Meter can also be spent to do moves that intentionally knock the other opponent’s sword from them leaving them in a vulnerable state till the sword comes back to them in ten seconds. The sword cannot be retrieved in any way and in this state the character will not be able to perform most of their attacks and can block but at risk of taking additional chip damage than they would with blocking. They can as well punch and kick but would do less damage than they would if they had their sword. The move to take the sword away that must be performed by the opponent has a slightly slower start up to make so it is react able by the other player, landing this move or not takes away half the meter of the caster this move cannot be blocked. The last way meter can be spent is for half a bar a character can yell which knocks the opponent back doing no damage but putting both characters back in neutral. This is a good move get someone off you if they are creating too much pressure however depending on how much meter gain is I might create a limit to how many times it can be used in a round.

            Sword ultimate fighterz max triple R the third base concept is about the best warriors throughout time are brought to the place far away in time and space to fight for their freedom and ability to wish for anything that they want. They have all been brought here to fight because they are the best sword fighter in that time period or dimension. The rule is if you die in the competition you are erased from time itself, do whatever you need to win. I would like the story to follow a crusader who has been blessed by his god with immense fighting skills and holy powers who was forcibly brought to this place away from time far away in space as he is going through something like this for the first time. Reacting to the different competition as he tries to find out who has been taking people from their timelines and why they are doing it, essentially the person or being behind the curtain of this whole tournament. The person who set all this up and main antagonist is the vessel for which the universe speaks through who has been granted the powers of time and space. In reality she was a scientist who discovered what was at the end of space and because of finding out this forbidden knowledge the universe used her as a vessel. However even though she is the main antagonist she isn’t really revealed till the end. Until then the antagonist for most of the game is the best sword fighter of the 31^st century who uses his technology as an advantage against the other fighters. Itll be shown pretty quickly that he’s really just misunderstood and comes off as an asshole when in reality he isn’t. I plan at the end of them to band together to defeat the vessel for the universe essentially cheating at the game. The story is silly and basic and dumb but all fighting game stories are, I mean who even plays them unless a character is locked behind it. It’s the sad truth and should be talked about more but in reality no one is buying a fighting game for the story they are buying it for the fighting game. 

            Setting is essentially the stages in fighting games. I want my stages more so to be different skins for the background. Since I’m going for a more competitive fighter, I want the stages to be the same length and height each single time, but the background can be different and have different things going on the background. This is not to say every fighting game must be like this to be competitive but it’s easier for the balance of the game if it is. I would like to have around 10 stages at launch each one preferably in a different time period or different place in the universe. Each one would follow the characters’ theme so for my crusade character a stage with a huge medieval battle in the background happening as you fight would be cool. For my futuristic fighter a stage set in that cyberpunk future with flying cars and neon lights with advertisements plastered everywhere would also be in line for what I’m going for. Obviously as well as including a stage at the edge of the universe with a bunch of stars or galaxies in the background would be nice. I’d also enjoy a feudal japan stage, Viking stage, just a modern fencing tournament stage, maybe even two space like stages would be a fun add. I’d also like some type of stage transitions in the game, nothing like the NetherRealm games where you character takes damage, and you go to a different part of the game. I’m more so thinking something in line with an Arc Sys type where you are flung through to another stage. Perhaps in mine you go through a portal and get to a different place/time.

            To start off for ease for me I will be referring to the buttons of the controls as if it were on a PS4/5 controller (also side note, the controls will obviously be able to be remappable since people like to do it and so do I). X is for Kick, Square is your slash, Triangle is your heavy slash, Circle is your disarm attack, L1 is the yell, the dpad/left thumbstick is your movement/jump/inputs however jump and dash can be mapped to a button if wanted, R1 is your throw but it can also be inputted with slash and heavy slash button. Each character would have different moves/movesets that would require different inputs for their abilities for example the main crusader guy has holy cross which is inputted with quarter circle forward (assuming he is facing left) and slash to send out a fireball essentially. Most of the inputs would be quarter-circle movements, Z movements and half circle movements. I’ll talk about the two characters I have the clearest in my mind which are the Crusader and 31^st century man. For the crusader he has a standard moveset since he will be the front of the box easy character to play. He has a fireball type move for an easy ranged attack; he has a dp (dragon punch (invulnerable move)) which is called holy defense allowing him to do an upward slash getting off the ground slightly with a ray of ‘’holy light’’ on him. He also has ray of light which he casts the holy light above another character burning them if they aren’t blocking. His ultimate moves are level one special maximum holy fireball which is a big, ranged cross in a ball of blue fire. His level two super is might of God which is a short, ranged slash attack to start up which leads into a cutscene of him being imbued with the full might of God beefing him up as white lights protrude from his eyes almost making him monster like as he hits you with a huge sword attack. His design is that of normal crusader looking armor however his sword is an Excalibur looking type of sword maybe it just is Excalibur. His helmet never comes off. Now for the 31^st century man he has laser slice which is a projectile attack that covers the complete bottom of the screen allowing you to jump it. Laser sword grab which the sword wraps around you and at this stance he can either pull you closer to him or shock you for damage. This move is a grab so blocking will not help you here. His last special move is portal which he opens a portal with his sword and hits you as he exits it. His ultimate moves are: 31^st century technology which imbues his sword with a more chaotic glow lasting for 15 seconds in which it does more damage and allows for longer combos than able to before. His level two move is “You are no match for this type of technology” Which has his laser sword wrap around you keeping you in a bind as he calls down his mecha suit to pick you up and throw you into the closest sun. His design is someone completely decked out in future tech except his glasses which look normal, he has spiked up black hair with a blue streak and a black jacket with lasers highlighting the outline of it. He’s a bit of a mechanist so he’d have like a futuristic toolbelt as well as like maybe those clunky black pants that mechanics wear for their overalls.

            For my gameplay experience I would like it to be easy to learn but hard to master. These types of fighting games are great because people who are new to the scene can get into it fairly easily however I would like there to be a definite skill gap between people who have just picked up the game vs people who are pros at it or been playing for a while. I want people to have something to show for all their time put in and that just with a bit of training and experience newer people can get to that type of level. The FGC is a very fun community to be a part of and I would love if my game helped bring in even more people to the already big community. It is my dream to have people who have never touched a fighting game or hell even touched a video game to see a cool flashy combo on tv and be like “I wanna do that” and find it’s not as soul crushingly difficult as it may seem. I don’t want people to feel like their character that they love can’t win at all without the time put into learning that character. There is no such thing as a perfectly balanced fun game because a game that is, isn’t always that fun and having characters that are just better than others are bound to happen, but I don’t want those situations to be unwinnable.