Why Is Everyone Dooming About ExA Arcadia? [FGC Talk]

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Why Is Everyone Dooming About ExA Arcadia? [FGC Talk]

Рет қаралды 1,445

Күн бұрын

The last week has been full of the FGC being down about new game releases. Whats the ExA Arcadia? Whats coming out? and why is that frustrating a lot of players?

Пікірлер: 32

@miasuke 16 күн бұрын

As an Asuka 120%, it broken my heart to see a new game of the series is locked on a platform I'll never be able to access.

@pacsonic9000 2 ай бұрын

To tell you the truth, they should get in talks with US arcade chains like Round 1, Dave and Busters, and Chuck E Cheese to have them have an exa machine per location.

@nightssega4260 3 ай бұрын

for old releases with minor updates on exa, they're probably "done" and perma exclusive as being on exa gives them more attention (and gives exa more value). also keep in mind no one cared about axel city until axel city 2 exa exclusivity. this is going to lock more games to the platform. if you're an indie dev or a small team making a fighting game in japan, exa is very appealing. for everyone else though we're screwed and possibly will have to go the piracy route in a couple years.

@DuvJones 3 ай бұрын

Here is the thing, I don't think that NA and/or Japan/Korea are in the cards for a platform like this. To me, that is fine... I get that. If their are arcades out in the world to serve, I am more than ok with them developing a social dynamic with the platform. It will keep them going and users of that will have fun. What bugs me right now is this knee-jerk reaction to an arcade platform that remains in the negative because it is not on X-platform of choice (namely PC's and Steam). That catches me as reductive and honestly, as the old arcade rat you know me to be, makes me angry.

@MrMKL 3 ай бұрын

I feel it. There's a little bit of port begging vibe. Which I understand. We want to play these games. But yea, there's still a very lucrative coin op market out there that needs to be served. And these deals are clearly appealing to a lot of small devs

@DuvJones 3 ай бұрын

@@MrMKL I feel as if this tackles something that folks haven't noticed. When you have a popular platform, you get alot of.... I don't have another word for it, so will call it 'cruft'. Eshop has to deal with this, it's not been going well as the Switch has gotten more popular. PSN has dealt with it a number of times, it's never something that SIE can handle... because they had alot of it in the PS1/PS2 era's as well. Same with Xbox Live.... But honestly, the three markets that have the lion share of this is.... Valve's Steam, Google's Play Store and Apple's AppStore. Why? They have libraries so huge that it make maintenance impossible. You know what exA can offer right now that those of the other shops can't? An uncluttered marketplace.

@gc3k 3 ай бұрын

The hardware is more expensive than a console or even a beefy gaming PC, it's not something that anyone would buy for personal use. The price is pretty good for arcade operators, or FGC tournament organizers, who have a plan to recoup the investment through credits or admission fees. I think the hardware could really take off if it had original exclusives instead of enhanced ports of existing games. If they want to be the new NeoGeo MVS, then they should make their own "King of Fighters" and "Metal Slug" system-sellers

@thelastgogeta 17 күн бұрын

@@DuvJonesBeing an uncluttered marketplace isn't a problem for Steam or other decent digital platforms. I agree that having only 50 games to sort through is easier than thousands right off the bat, but thousands are only a problem without reviews, community curators, tags, an algorithm to sort titles you don't want to see, a manual option to hide games you don't want to see, decent search options, gifting options or a massive wishlist. In other words, Steam makes it possible to find your next favourite very easily while Nintendo and some others even with far fewer games can make it difficult. The PS1 and PS2 sometimes did this by accident when games we plastered with Platinum or Best Seller, but a bulk of second hand games will eventually be shovelware and old sports titles.

@DuvJones 17 күн бұрын

@@thelastgogeta It that's a load of BS, the marketplace has slowly been constricting itself with the volume of games that are on it. Several Indie developers have commented on it at various times to this day. It happens to all marketplaces eventually, the oversaturation of the marketplace. What makes it even more infuriating is the collection of steam apologists that are out there that think that simply because their platform of choice is dominant, nothing should replace it. Yeah I get it, you don't want Epic Game Store handing out money just to get product onto their distribution platform but how else do you fight a platform that is so entrenched. As much as gamers talk about GOG, it was never a competitor. It's never been trying to be a competitor. and I think that's part of the problem that all avenues lead to one very specific platform.... To the point where another completely different platform seems to bother the users.

@n314l 3 ай бұрын

If it's for those 2DFM games, being ExA exclusive or not doesn't matter that much. ExA is the only modern platform that actually supports this old engine. Even Windows doesn't fully support it anymore. You even need a 3rd party app to play with controllers properly. Not to mention there's no online feature for the engine, heavily limiting the spread of these games. Right now, ExA is the only path for these games to expand to. I think this also applies to other old titles being revived by ExA because nobody else care to support these games.

@MrMKL 3 ай бұрын

2dfm games going exclusive when they already have limited accessibility seems worse unless exa us providing some genuine value. Cus the install base isn't it. It's why I'm so curious about what they're providing in exchange. As for old games, there's a big appetite for collections and curated editions as it is. Exa is a totally valid and viable platform , but it's hard to see how the price of exclusivity is worth it. I will exa is obviously a big booster of indie FGs, in a way many publishers aren't. So kudos on that front. But their work won't be seen by the vast majority of players

@n314l 3 ай бұрын

@@MrMKLWhile ExA is so limited to Japan AND arcade right now, it's still providing a much wider spread than putting 2DFM games out in the wild (due to the troublesome engine). The other option to spread the game would be to remake it in a different engine, one that actually comes with online support. Get away from 2DFM. So ExA by itself is already a pretty good incentive for 2DFM devs, not to mention the money from the contracts. The only bargain is that the games have to be exclusive. It's unfortunate, but I don't think the devs have many other choices. ExA is the only publisher who's buying.

@thelastgogeta 17 күн бұрын

I concede that it is premature given the NDAs, so I'll try to remain a bit hopeful as it enables devs to eventually make future works but still can't help going Dr. Doom over Vanguard Princess R and these other titles at the same time. I respect how this enables the artists in some obvious and non-obvious ways, but as someone who doesn't live anywhere remotely near one of these machines - I should not need to go to a Discord to find out if London won the lottery and somewhere an hour away MIGHT have a new game assuming the machine isn't under maintenance... It kinda sucks as a consumer in the short term unless they happen to have the resources to create an arcade environment. In the long term, people will find a way to distribute it even if and it is at least distributed worldwide (Eng/JPN) officially so it isn't in the Gundam Vs space where we're begging Bamco for a port that's outdated by two releases.

@strippinheat Ай бұрын

I know an arcade operator that also knows people in the US that have exA-Arcadia. I was thinking about getting one and letting him use it in the arcade since I don't have room for it right now. But there's one HUGE problem with it and that's how you can't service the unit. If the ROM battery dies, or to just update the firmware, you need to mail it to their service center. That type of DRM is a deal breaker, and here I am willing to drop $2.5k on the unit and $1.5k per game. They are apparently working on a until that you can at least swap the battery that I'm keeping an eye out for.

@MrMKL Ай бұрын

Oh interesting. Hadn't heard about this from the operator side. Appreciate the insight

@bluecypher9847 19 күн бұрын

That’s misinformation. There are no batteries in any of the games and the battery on the system is only for calendar data.

@ace0135 3 ай бұрын

The main benefit from this might actually be game preservation I learned so much about this I never thought that the DLsite issue would affect indie pc devs

@thelastgogeta 17 күн бұрын

We probably have different definitions of game preservation. Digital platforms like Steam (banned in Vietnam) or DLSite (non-JP users jump through hoops to buy stuff but otherwise the site is fine and getting more international) can arbitrarily have restrictions on your region, but the ability to gift games, have infinite copies on any hardware with that account or in the case of DRM free DLsite releases share endlessly outweighs incredibly expensive hardware and software for me even if it is physically distributed. DLSite is also just another option for most indie developers. Steam, Fakku, Humble Bundle, JAST, GoG, Mangagamer, Itch are all alternatives which I'm pretty fond of.

@TokyoJuul8008 3 ай бұрын

I'm honestly wondering if the model is up-front compensation plus a better cut of games sold with an exclusivity deal.

@MrMKL 3 ай бұрын

I think that's likely the case. Admittedly, I don't have any real proof, but there's clearly a sweet incentive on offer. And I can't really figure what else exa has that's so appealing. (Outside of some kind of prestige from being in arcades. )

@KFGC 3 ай бұрын

in korea, fighting game arcade is done. No more new machines coming in. many people want to practice combo or learning system at there home with free. Arcade is a memory game console, but I don't think it's unsuitable for investment for the future platform. (fighting game arcade machine is too expensive 7200$~, There aren't many customers who can recoup their investment costs) even if it was released as a console or PC, some games online match is not possible (in game online mod, exception steam play together mod or parsec) These cases are often difficult to hold online tournament or compete against each other with online. I'm glad the new games are coming out, but it's just a shame that they're only coming out in arcade. (I'm sorry that I'm not good at English)

@kitestar 16 күн бұрын

number one: expensive for the average consumer Number two: games on offer are rather niche Number Three: _several_ of the games on offer feel like they should get ports on other systems Number 4, and a point that makes certain _sorts_ salty: they were at one point litigious, caused MAMEdev to nix support for Dodonpachi SaiDaiouJou from its builds

@oronoarcade Ай бұрын

Mike, first of all Exa Arcadia cabinets are nowhere near as rare in North America as you think they are. Some of the better local video game arcades have picked one up as well as some bar-arcades and FECs. Most people in the US live within a few hours of a Round1 FEC and that chain has purchased Exa Arcadia cabinets and put them on the floor. Not sure if every location has done so but the ones I've visited have. So these are by no means super rare and most people can find one within driving distance if they want to. I understand that requires players to get off the couch and go out into the world to game in an arcade environment, but that's not a bad thing because it can be a lot of fun and it's a good way to meet people with similar interests. We've even had some of our player couples meet at our arcade and start dating due to their shared passion for gaming. Also, I think you should have a phone conversation with the CEO of Exa Arcadia. I've spoken with him personally and he is a huge fighting game fan/player, has a lot of respect for Indie developers, and is passionate about the arcade industry that his company serves - both the operators and their players. I think you would come away from that conversation with a lot more understanding and respect for what Exa Arcadia is trying to accomplish and the industry niche they want to serve. There are tens of thousands of arcades, FECs and street operators worldwide and their players will get to discover the magic of Indie games by coming across Exa Arcadia cabinets in the wild. Don't underestimate the positive impact for Indie developers of having huge cabinets showcasing their games 7 days a week to millions of players worldwide every day. And instead of paying for that advertising, they get paid for it! If that helps keep the lights on for some of these small Indie studios so they can release their next game then it's not a bad thing. If Nintendo can have exclusive content on their platform then Exa Arcadia can (and should) have it on theirs. My arcade is about to buy 3-4 of the Exa Arcadia systems and load them up with all these awesome arcade exclusive titles for our players to enjoy and I think there are many other arcades out there that will do the same in the future. So go out and play these games and enjoy them and support the Indie developers who made them and the arcade operators who took a chance and spent a lot of money to bring this Indie content to their local players.

@MrMKL Ай бұрын

I'd love to have a more in depth Conversation with the Exa folks. I'm admittedly skeptical but I'm not like, ideologically opposed to exclusivity or modern arcades I will say though, you're overselling how easy it is to access barcades. Ability to drive, 2 hours of transit, can function well in that environment. Those are all big asks for people. Plus, as a Canadian, there are no round 1s unless I want to cross borders. Not easy to access. I'd love to find out what the install base of the platform is. Many of my questions would be answered if i knew. But i understand it may not be easy to get. Especially important if we are gonna be comparing exclusivity on exa to a Nintendo platform. Like I said, I appreciate the fact that someone is out there helping indie devs Get their games published, especially fighting game devs. And fwiw, the 1 dev i have spoken to about their experience with exa had a great experience. Even still, many questions remain about the ecosystem being built here

@oronoarcade Ай бұрын

I can't speak to Canada but in the US there are now over 600 bar arcades and several thousand FECs and route operated street locations (small arcades in movie theatre's, bowling alleys, etc). Exa did share with me their estimated machine count but that was a private conversation and they may consider it sensitive information so I'm not comfortable sharing that. But I will say the figure is far higher than your estimate in the video. But please contact them to confirm that yourself. So if you are a Indie developer creating games for niche fighting communities do you want to sell a $10 game to thousands of people who will play it or sell a $1,500 game to thousands of arcade operators who have Exas and potentially have your game played by millions of people? Fighting games started in the arcade and Exa Arcadia is trying to bring them back into the arcade with games that are better than what can be played at home in terms of lower input lag, better artwork, voice work done by famous anime voice actors, and specialized arcade only content. With all the high quality and arcade exclusive content they are releasing their machine sales are only going to increase making the Exa increasingly accessible for gamers everywhere. I don't think there is a gaming company CEO on the planet as passionate and excited about making awesome fighting games as Exa's CEO Eric Chung. We are super excited that they are bringing this level of energy and passion into the arcade industry and I can't wait to give our players access to all the great bullet hell games, schmups, and fighters in Exa's game catalog. When our Exa's arrive come to Maine as my guest and I will let you play all the games for free and I think you will leave a huge Exa fan. I know I am.