Absolutely agree, and I think the team mentioned they were thinking about adding that kind of option

Surely there will be at least one arena without those arena gimmicks? Therefore all of them should be adjustable to that, which is likely. You've got to cater the game by the consumers' needs.

I don't have a problem with the stage interactions anymore, I like the fact that you must now be fully aware where you position yourself, they actually add more depth to the game, just because it doesn't feel the same as MK doesn't mean that it can't be played on a competitive level. The clash system is the only thing that annoys me a little right now.

Here is an interview with gamespot that Ed did where the interviewer asks about enviroment toggling on or off.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwYYVp27WUg

Its at about 10:14 the guy asks the question.

I'm sure the game will have its very own "Final Destination".

Oh good, glad someone directly asked him that, I hope the team really keeps that in mind. I can kinda sleep easy now (hahaha), now I just need more people to keep beating that idea into their heads until it's confirmed

While i do like the idea of being able to toggle "gimmicks" on and off, it is unfortunate that so many fighting game enthusiasts need their games to all fit into some rigid structure. It really reduces the amount of creativity and advancements made in the fighting game genre. As long as the background interactions are consistent in their damage and hit boxing, why do they need to be disabled for competitive play?

I rather for my opponent to beat me with the character they are using and not the environment doing the work for them. From the looks of the game, it's looks like all a player has to do is bait their opponent into traps that will attack the opponent, all this which will take no effort.
Like the trap in the BatCave where you have to run into a corner and hit a button to active the environment to attack the opponent. Get real. Learn to FIGHT.
Then there's environment attacks that easily set up combos, no just no.

The developers can put all the creativity into the game all they want, just as long as they cater to both demographics, the noobs and the people who want a straight up fighter with no helpful gimmicks.

I don't see it as a "gimmick" as much as an evolution (although stage traps aren't "unique" they're at least done to an extent that makes them different, and it's not a concept done too often). It makes things different, changes it up. The reason why fighting games' second renaissance is growing stale is because people are fearing change. On the surface all the games are different, but dig deep enough, and it's all the same. What's worse are the communities that cry because everything's the same, then go into a fit when something new and different is announced (X-Factor, Gems, Stage Traps). I'm not arguing how well or not these things are implemented, but they're a start, a step in the right direction for once. Going along with theme of evolution, the motto of the community is "adapt or die" but so many people that say that are unwilling to truly adapt. In a world where people wank over DoA4 and TTT2 with their stupid floaty unstoppable air juggles, why is actual innovation shot down?

I'm not saying that having this option would be a bad thing or that I'd refuse to play if it were there were one (since I'd never have it off) but to have this a point of contention is silly. Using your environment wisely shows just as much of your skill as anything else, just as a real fight would. In an actual fight to the death, or even to a knockout, you wouldn't hesitate to use that tree or wall or garbage dumpster to your advantage, right? This should be no different. Even in tournaments, if someone cleverly sets up his or her foe for damage using stage elements, this should be just as celebrated as someone pulling out a decent combo. Sitting in a corner waiting for someone to move close to fire off a stage trap is no different than sitting in the corner whiffing moves to build meter or playing a baiting game to wait for your opponent to make a mistake, then punishing it with a high-damage move/combo/super.

I don't know about Tournament Scene, but as a Single player only feature...there's nothing wrong in it.
I'm still not interested in the game itself, although I'm watching it just to see how Ed Boon works on a different fighting game than MK.
The problem is solved simpy by putting an ON & OFF option.

I completely agree, IAMTHES. There are quite a few Tournament level fighting games, and there should be some more variety in the strategies, instead of trying to boil every single game down to footsies and pokes. Remember when you didn't have to meter-manage?