I'm very happy that you finished the recording for the series of audio clips you've put up. It's great to hear you bring up the issues that people like me addressed. You bring up quite a few good ideas yourself. I think it's a little bit easier for me to intake the ideas you bring up through audio as opposed to typing them, namely because I get a bit overwhelmed sometimes, lol.

Regarding the close combat idea you suggested along with the video example, that looks good. I think that those who have a greater strength in the close range should obviously have the advantage. This particularly applies to grapplers and those who use techniques from martial arts styles like Muay Thai, Wing Chun, and Xing Yi Quan.

Well, now I feel like a jackass.

lol, why's that?

Absolutely man. I'm not a soft personality, so I'll take any pros and cons they got. Mainly though, a simple "To the fans, we gotcha loud and clear" would be fine with me.

"Recognition//Reassurance//Compliance" basically. This isn't to say that they don't do this though. I fully recognize that they do...., but much like the issues we bring up, I think it's more an issue of method, or execution, rather than neglect. To where, yea, they are doing it, they just may not be doing it in the most effective way.

I like the Noob.com approach, and obviously, I really like the Mkast approach. From there, video of the games' content that has a rare appearance by one or two of the MkTeam members is the best methods imO. I don't mind reading an article when they come along, because now those articles are the mainstay for the mystique that hearing from the MkTeam adds to getting excited about a coming game. I like when those are rare. Gives people a 1up on others that don't bother to look in a book or magazine.

Communication has become alot easier over the years, and I know I would want to maintain at least a buffer between myself and fans if I were them. But, as one of the most interesting things about MK's producers, is that they really do let fans in.

What I'm saying is, we don't really need to be "let in" anymore than we have been in the past. Just, when they do talk to fans, what they do after that should match up better. Mostly I think it's just how in touch they are with what people are talking about, and whether or not that message is lost in translation....

Like, if I say to someone that "I'm gonna do an audio from the fans to give to the MKTeam", they will probably expect to hear other fans talking in the thing, or at least hear other folks' opinions being addressed in some obvious manner. And so, that's exactly what I should provide in the end. Only things left to question then, is: 1. How many other people besides me, and 2. How much of their content gets in the thing. From there, if I fucked it up some kind of way, they should probably tell me, and I should definitely explain.

In the MkTeams case, if they say "Darker, Grittier, Dirtier"....that's exactly what should come. Not the integrity associated with Superman. George Reeves, Christopher Reeve, Dean Cain, Tom Welling, and super smoothe faced Brandon Routh

haha...You see what I mean.




What's up with you man?

Do you not like something in particular? I made this thread for stuff like this. Mainly because over the duration of this recordings creation, things changed. Incidentally, consequently, ect....

Through all that, you'll notice that I tried to give everyone somewhere in between 5-10 mins. Where in the beggining, I thought I could do everyone justice in under just 5mins. But the thing grew, I moved to a new home, and with the new space in a "computer room" in my basement, I was able to express more of you guys' stuff (and mine) more freely.

For example, I re-did everyone's sections twice. Reason being, is because in the apt I moved from, I couldn't speak as loudly (kids, neighbors, ect). In this house now, in this basement, I could fully express things the way I wanted to. I could turn the volume up and take the headphones off so I could hear if things were leveled decently enough to tolerate.

Also, if you notice, you're two or three spots in the story section have been edited alot. Well, that's because I read yours first from memory, and because of "spikes" in my vocal pattern that I had to edit out. You also ended up like Garlador, having right around 1hr of content based on the way I talk. See, I normally talk slowly, but I think alot, but I write fast rap music....like artists known as Twista(old), or Bone Thugs n Harmony(old).

So, even though I talk slowly, if I am able to memorize what's written, I can say it alot faster than I'm supposed to. Now that I think about it, it probably sounds like I sped certain sections up for you guys I had to read. Not the case.

And as such, I read something like 35-50% of the content in that monster you sent me, lol. Even though it might not sound like it. The equilibrium came from how much people wrote to me. And in that case, people like Sub-Zero7th, GhostDragon, or TonyTheTiger were able to see their whole entry read. And folks like Pink_Ranger and Jerrod saw most of their stuff read. Mick Lucifer and I didn't write anything, and I personally rolled off specific points and improvisation from there.

Now, looking back on it, as much as I admit I talked, I probably could've gotten more of everyone's stuff in there. But like I said during the outro, most of the stuff I tried to cut was character specific stuff (Jerrod & Pink_Ranger, yourself, and Garlador suffered the most here...
Mick-Lucifer, and myself suffered less here, with Jerrod and PR suffering less than you guys, but more than me and Mick.) And you all know I can go on all day about Raiden. lol.

So anyway, if it has nothing to do with all this^^, what's up with you? Lord knows the last thing I wanted to do is make people feel bad.

fantastic fucking work guys, keep it up the fact that you guys went into so much detail and actually put forth the effort to tell the MK Team whats wrong says a lot and hopefully they'll listen.

Excellent stuff Pred. You touched on some great points and ideas that I'd love to see explored. It would have been even better if you could have included the character analyzation bit to it.

Is it possibly that you could release an extra auido recording for us, that includes all the stuff that had to be scrapped in the original?

I like that you guys addressed that most of the major characters in MK could support their own games and that Scorpion needs to act like real Ninja. My dream MK adventure game is Scorpion/Tenchu hybrid action stealth game that focuses on the life of Hanzo Hasashi.

*Stickies*

; )

It's a shame the process isn't easier -- it'd be cool to hear a podcast for each character! (Contrary to my mumbled contributions, I talked about things other than Scorpion...)

Hey Predator,
I have listed to 3 of the 4 parts. Nice job. Great insight. Wish I could have contributed a little. Later.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=KPOPCCJF
(Three character code + download button)

I have to admit, I actually think the final cut omitted a lot of my best constructed points. Here's some of my outtakes put together that will hopefully better inform people about MK and what's really needed. With all due respect to other contributors, I'm a published writer and a futurist, and I just think this clip really highlights the strength of my credentials. I am more important to Mortal Kombat than Kitana.

It's possible. I like fooling around with this sorta thing because it contributes to the gaming degree I'm after. Right now, their teaching me multimedia stuff. audio, video, 2D, more 3D...ect.

BUT

It'd be a little while though. Might even be less flamboyant too. Like one or two background tracks, and little to no special effects. ect...



LMaO @ the download! Skid-i-ly-bop Boooow!

Anyway, about the written message there, that's the kinda thing I wanna see. Don't keep that information from me.

Y'know? If I f*cked it up some kind of way, tell me that. haha...

Way I see it as far as these types of things, is that it's a "person to person" issue. To where, I'd probably omit a point that you might have emphasized. And...if that's the case, I'd need to know about the sticking points. Your sticking points.

If I do another one that has all the stuff I left out, I'm gonna need to know to put specific stuff in there.

I mean, obviously considering logical editing and so on. Like vocal spikes, or repeated words or sentences or w/e. Y'know....I was trying to get everything in there, but that was just too ambitious.

All good though Mick, I needed that feedback.

=============

Note

Also want to remind folks to still check the first post on page one. I make updates from time to time, and I have done so since this thread has been opened.

Keep the feedback comin'. I'll have another note for the MKTeam in here shortly I'm sure.

Oh, no no no!
lulz = codeword for me being silly! I was just setting up for the stupid clips. I'm not quite that pleased with myself.

Aside from sounding a little more Scorpion obsessed than I was, I'm perfectly fine. As far as I was concerned it was your discretion to cut and edit however you liked. I went pretty broad with most of my stuff and just enjoyed yakking on about MK for a while.

The overall construction of the cast probably could've flowed with a conversational tone to the editorialization, but without people supplying their voice, that's not so easy to pull off.
If you, or someone else, were interested in doing more about specific topics (ie; characters), I think it'd be great to pool together some qualified folks to contribute their voice into that kind of thing. A focused subject would probably help everyone narrow down and communicate their ideas.

But, really, I think it'd be great if feedback was directed more to the specifics of what's been discussed in the cast. I think we got a pretty good dump of information, some of which was contrary between the contributors.

Some have obviously been pleased with the sentiments of voicing fan based concerns, but I wonder how people feel about the specifics of what was discussed.

I know a subject that irked me a great deal, even though it's fairly common amongst the fanbase, was the desire to dismiss the events of Armageddon.
There's plenty of evidence to the contrary in the medium, but being a comic guy, my perception of sequential story telling is very reluctant to take the easy way out. It's a criticism lumped on certain comics events, and I think MK would be far worse off if they didn't use Armageddon - which really, as a piece of the story, wasn't that bad - and pushed off from it.

Skipping or ignoring details of such an open ended piece of work just strikes me as lazy and sophmoric. I can't remember if I did mention that in any of my clips, but it certainly would've been a pre-emptive response if I'd thought of it.


EDIT: Also, I accidentally left out an outtake that explained that you can't do crossovers with MK because MK is about fighting invade alternate universes/realms. Whooo! Street Fighter ruuulllles~!!!

Listened to the whole thing, great stuff guys.

I just have one comment, when Boon mentioned that MK8 would be more dark and gritty etc...that was the plan before DC was part of the mix. I'm sure that MK9 will be what he said MK8 was going to be. Just think of MKvDCU as a side game before our next real MK game is in the works.

Hey Predator, I would love to be a part of this. Is there anyway I can, or is it done?

Even if it's done in relaiton to the Midway MKast, you should keep it up just for general discussion among fans.

I think it's kind of funny that it almost seems like Scorpion became our poster-boy of what NOT to do in the story.


Shame the character specific stuff was lost. From a purely mercenary point of view, I'm disappointed the last word on Kitana was suggesting she should become Queen (that won't help)....and the only mention of Sareena was merely in relation to Sub-Zero.


Aside from that, and my rather inconsequential contributions, I thought this came out well.

It almost makes me wish I had focused more on the less popular characters instead of the oldest ones (I think I'm the only one who even referenced Smoke ). Still got to listen to the rest of the podcast though.

Agreed, it would have been better to hear about the less popular characters that have so much potential such as Smoke, Sareena, Ashrah, and Fujin.

Hey folks,

Spent a couple days thinking about it, and I think we're gonna do the character specific stuff. As I voiced in the recordings, I really wanted to do them too...It'll be a few weeks though, before a roster is collected and information is gathered so that we go in properly on these.

"These", means that there will probably be a multitude of these. I know I'd want to spend a decent amount of time on Raiden, and I'd like to think that I'm not absent of consideration for other folks' fav characters.

The concept right now is maybe 1hr per character recording, or 2 characters per hr recording (30min per character, 2 characters per recording). If there are more characters per recording, then multiple people will have had less to say about a multitude of characters. For instance, I don't hear a lot of people rooting for Bo Rai Cho, Stryker, Mokap, and some of these other obscure characters. But if they make the list I'm thinking about, they could be mentioned in short breathe. Dig?

So, the 1st thing I can think of is a "roster". Start thinking up your own personal roster of "top 5" characters or so. I'm thinking that if we get more than 2 or 3 supporters for a character.....then that character will be talked about somewhere in these coming character specific recordings.

Any suggestions need to be voiced now. Anything about any part of this is manipulable. Anything from "how your characters gets a spot in a recording, to which order they're talked about...anything and everything needs to be suggested now so I go through these things seamlessly once I start.

I realize I have some data already from folks that were in these recordings, but you might feel like revising these things by the time the character specific projects get started.

Just know I want everything pretty much layed out so I can churn them out in a very short amount of time.

Anyway yea, start with the characters you'd most want the MkTeam to hear about. Gimme 5 or 10 or whatever and we'll work from there.

Oh.....and be civil, but "don't hold back".

I think it'd be safe to bank on an hour per character (if not more) especially for the more popular characters (who will presumably start things off).

I don't know what you've got in mind, but for a more linear take on things, it might be fun to get everyone contributing via audio. Have everyone recount the history of the character (to cut different voices into a primer section) and then expand into an inter-cutting of brainstorming and discussion.

In other words, something that starts off by informing the uninitiated, and then expands out fluidly into discussions about pros, cons, design, story, gameplay, significance, and all of that, feeding off of throughlines.

Thinking ahead; it might even be nice if there could be a single kast for each character (maybe pairs for some of the less popular ones), making use of the eventual relevance of MK9 (or the rumored Adventure game).

Cool.

I don't really need five....just Kitana*, Sareena*, and Mileena for me.
I'll refine my thoughts on them and send/post them when apropos.

Excellent. I think Midway should ditch the whole thing of bringing characters based on favorites, and/or nostalgia. There are characters in the MK universe who don't fit in those catagoies, but their roles in subplots of main characters are interesting enough that their own potential can be expanded upon and fleshed out. Then their are those who are completely overlooked because the story behind them is bland and uninteresting, but they could set a foundation with the history of that character and follow through the character could become a potential star. My list on the characters Boon and the team should take into consideration:

Sareena*: She is a conflicted character is she not? The fact that she is trying to quell the urge to be her true self while escaping the allure of her master( Quan Chi) should be intense enough to affect everything from her levels of compassion to the stability of her human form. IMO I find characters with such a struggle to be more interesting than your typical hero or villain whose stories are in many cases predictable. Sareena on the other hand should be one of the most unpredictable and dangerous characters in the MK canon. They should explore her history as well. Was she like Drahmin a human before being killed and sent to the Netherrealm? What was Quan Chi's role in forming the trio of Netherdemons Kia, Jatakaa, and Sareena? Have there been past betrayals involving herself, Quan Chi, and possibly Reiko? Exactly what types of torture did she suffer when summoned back to the Netherrealm, and her main reason for wanting to escape? What sacrifices has she made to maintain her human form, and what are the consequences for a second or third betrayal? I think that her story is set up well enough that if they follow though, she could be a solid character in that dark and gritty game that Boon claims that we'll all see in the future.

Mileena: I Liked her Armageddon bio. Storywise I think she should continue from there. Playability wise Mileena needs to return with the very roll move Kitana has in MK vs DC. It has the speed and combo ability that was missing from her aresenal in MKD, and MKA. I thought her roll in those previous games were slow and predictble. Also give her a completely different move or two for a change.

Kitana: Indeed. As said in the assesment she is an assassin. Take it from there. Her history should be thoroughly explored.

Kai: Make a foundation and build on him. Escape this token black guy thing with Jax and build on Kai.
Fujin: He could be buit upon as well. I would like for Sareena* to be discussed no matter what. I think that fan favorites, and/or nostalgia characters always have a much higher probably of returning. I think that since Sareena doesn't really fit in either of those categories, her potential for a possible protagonist in the future games could be easily overlooked, and scrapped in favor of a new character, or fan favorite whose storyline could turn out to be arguably weaker than many. Boon said he was going to make that dark and gritty MK, and unless they could come up with some truly inspirational new characters for this amosphere, I suggest that they consider Sareena as she will fit right in.

Mick's idea rings well with me, and it will not only show that we know what we're talking about, it'll also demonstrate how some of the stories are severely lacking for so many characters.
I am a guy who likes thinking about the characters who haven't had a real solid voice since being introduced; I like to focus on characters who have little story because there are just untapped potential, so with that in mind, I know that the ones I say will probably not be brought up by anybody else... But it won't stop me from trying.
My five picks are Smoke, Khameleon, Stryker, Reiko, and Kintaro. Since last time I focused so much on Scorpion and Johnny Cage and spent too little on Smoke, I'd want to re-do my Smoke part.

Yea, I'm leaning really strongly towards your ideas for these next ones. Something I was debating with myself about, was whether story or gameplay should come first for these.

I was thinking Story should be the rounded focus of these. Mainly because story should really be the stamp on everything that happens with the characters in the game. Story should thoroughly explain how and why a character fights the way they do. Its should be the leading force for everything about every character, so that's most likely what we'll focus on most. We'll touch on gameplay too, but probably just from an aesthetic and conceptual standpoint mainly. If we get a gamplay guru in here though, I won't skimp on them when pertaining to whatever character.

I think, these last recordings were mainly really robust, really general issues of the issues. Something that they could chop up as tracks on an iPod or something, and listen to on the way to work or whatever.

For us though, it should be nice to focus in on specific stuff for one character at a time. I figure that if we tell them how we see some of these characters, they can tune in -- in the same fashion, and do whatever they want with that information. I know for a fact that I have some crazy concepts for Sub-Zeros aesthetics//gameplay, and he's not even my favorite character overall. He makes a great example for things though, so I like using him.

One thing I wanted to mention is that, it's really easy to fill up an hour just on story. I know at one point I personally spoke for about 40min alone on Kai, "soldiers", the "levels of necromancy", and Raiden. Needless to say, I cut all that stuff out though. Just keep that in mind I guess.
===

Last thing for folks here who might not know, I use a Logitech USB Desktop Mic that I got from Best Buy for about 15$ a year or so ago. That, and a free recording program called Audacity (no hardware or anything extra at all is needed, just the program. It's pretty much "dummy" friendly from there. Thanks to bleed). After you've recorded, and saved your project, you have to "export as an Mp3". Then just upload it to one of these sites.

Putting that out there because it makes things easier on the editing side if more people submit mp3's.
=================

Alright, this is what our roster looks like so far. Don't worry, this list will absolutely be cut down. There's no way (lol) in hell I'm going through them all. No particular order, just pulled them from people who've spoken them so far:

- Kitana (2)

- Sareena (2)

- Mileena (2)

- Kai (3)

- Fujin (2)

- Smoke (2)

- Khameleon (1)

- Stryker (1)

- Reiko (1)

- Kintaro (1)

- Raiden ( 1 )

- Kung Lao ( 1 )

- Shang Tsung (1 )

- Nightwolf ( 1 )

- Shinnok ( 1 )

- Havik (2)

- Baraka ( 1 )

- Nitara ( 1 )

- Jade ( 1 )

- New Character (2)

- - ( - )

- - ( - )

- - ( - )

- - ( - )

- - ( - )

- - ( - )

- - ( - )

- - ( - )

- - ( - )

- - ( - )


The characters that I'd care to talk about:

1. Raiden*
2. Kung Lao
3. Shang Tsung
4. Nightwolf
5. Shinnok
6. Kai
7. Havik
8. Baraka
9. Nitara
10. New Character

Don't know if the little red number next to the character will end up meaning anything. Right now it's just to keep count of how many people want a stab at a particular character in the recordings. If we generally agree on who to cut, we'll be using every one of them that we collectively settle on. My asterisk means that "I want Raiden in no matter what". I would encourage you all to do the same about at least one of your favs.

Here is my list:

1. Fujin*
2. Smoke
3. Kai
4. Havik
5. New Character