I’d also like to extend a heartfelt thanks to all who’ve contributed to this thread and have helped to keep the topic relevant and visible on the list of threads. Of all the aspects of this game I’ve posted about - this is the one topic I am the most passionate about.
Seriously, thank you KI fam 
I’ve never finished the dojo as of the time of this post. Just because I haven’t though, doesn’t mean I’m not relatively skilled at the game. Just because youc an’t finish dojo doesn’t mean you’ll miss out on that much according to a recent thread on here basically stating that a large amount of things they teach you in dojo are situational anyway.
but on topic, character specific lessons would be good but the one thing above all else that Ki could do well with I believe, is an online training mode. It would be great if we could test out setups, show off tricks etc without having to worry how close you are to dying during a combo for example.
Thanks for chiming in, Mr. Kombat!
Hey - with online training mode, you could do blindfolded training sessions with sighted players!
I’d actually not really considered that when I was writing the post, but it’s very true. You could even have an option where it removes the hud and when you pause it the pause menu returns etc (to make it as if the hud isn’t there etc)
The more I train with Mira and Hisako for CEO, the more I really really really wish training mode was expanded/improved.
I know this isn’t really a “money maker” in terms of things to earmark for the game’s budget - but I honestly think we’d see a great response from the competitive community, which would spike interest in the game.
Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease let someone be listening.
These, to me, are the high level of polish extras that would take the game from Kia to Cadillac. I think the core game for KI is the best there is. Even if people disagree they can’t legitimately claim that the fighting engine and the character roster are not legit competitors for stardom.
But when you start looking at game features there’s a lot missing. I don’t think the game has suffered terribly from its “budget title” status anywhere but here. Because with a small budget seasonal model they just never seem to have time to kind of park someone in the corner and let them implement these nice to have features. Every second is devoted to mission critical features.
SNK, who is also trying to build its KOF community in the same way KI is building its own, saw the benefit of online training mode - it will be included with KOFXIV.
I share this opinion. I simply don’t have anywhere near as much fun in other games.
I support this fully, everything listed in the OP.
Those additions (even over time, baby steps) would place KI leagues ahead of its competitors in terms of the accessibility of competitive-level play. Heck, even just the wakeup and reversal recordings.
Forget about characters or stages, The Lab should be the next community fund (unless y’all at IG have some budget nest-egg set aside for such quality of life improvements).
I’m telling y’all now - I would personally contribute $100 or more if the fund were geared for training optimization.
I might even put on a girl-scouts outfit and go door to door selling cookies for more cash.
I spent some time in SFV training mode this weekend - let me tell ya, the record guard-break actions feature is a SERIOUS boon. Not only is this good for finding/practicing frame traps, but you can set up scenarios to punish pokes made reaction to your pokes that were blocked. I ended up getting just as much use out of this, if not more, as I did the wake-up function feature.
That’s the truth. I don’t really have anything to add, but dear lord how much these functions could serve KI is just astronomical. Frame traps, meaties, flipout setups, et cetera. Umph, it’d be the bees knees.
I often find myself going back to SFV, despite enjoying KI so much more, mostly just because I feel like the rate of improvement is both much quicker (thanks largely to its lab) and more apparent (probably due to its much simpler mechanics and overall gameplay/meta).
EDIT: It’s also much easier to teach youngsters (13yr. old and his friends) the basic intricacies of the genre with such a tool. Safe vs. unsafe, pressure, hit/CH confirms, commitment vs. reactivity, what-have-you. You can practice anti-airs and other stuff via the record feature in KI, but it’s not so super noob-friendly. I do really appreciate the breaker training though. Great forethought. Times would be tough without it.
Yes indeed - this feature was an amazing addition.
The pros, and the devs, preach a lot of “do your homework”. It’s an absolutely valid sentiment in my option - but providing even a few of these options would make that homework more effective and the answers more accessible.
I’m glad to see so many people want online training mode. I have a friend that is just starting to learn KI and this would be so much more beneficial to show him what I know than to have to do it in exhibition and worry about life bar.
Exactly, especially when it comes to involving the new generation of gamers. An extra X hours of algebra homework and fiddling with a less-than-ideal set of lab functions to apply basic effective pressure is sort of an unrealistic expectation to put on newer players. They, I, we, whomever, more often than not simply won’t have that sort of time on their hands to dedicate to the idea of playing the game at a later date, for better or worse (insofar as skill level and execution improvement are concerned).
This is pretty important to consider in my opinion. Because the NetCode is so good, and improving as a player by playing online multiplayer matches is actually feasible, this game’s tournament presence is largely online - so a lot of our friends who play KI likely aren’t local - online training mode is absolutely essential because of this particular aspect of KI.
You make an extremely good point. As much as us old timers feel that the youngin’s should put in the time and effort we had to, it’s simply not going to happen. This new generation has a SHOCKINGLY short attention span - so if we want them to learn, we really ought to give them every shortcut possible.
Thanks so much for taking part in this discussion, really. It makes me seem less like “that one guy who won’t shut up about training mode”.
Very true. I’m sure there is more to it than it seems but it seems like this would be very easy to implement. But I am not a developer so I have no clue.
Yeah I try not to make any presumptions on what may be easy to do or not in terms of executing it on the dev side. All I can really do is stress how important I think this is for the future of the game.
Look at the life cycle of SF4/USF4. That game was slowly “solved” over the course of years, by dedicated players with access to one another in training mode.
I really do think that this game has the potential to carry on in the same fashion, if we are given the same means with which to share our passion with one another.
I want to tag a dev in this thread so badly - but after seeing these poor folks being tagged in absolute mindless drivel and selfish demands day in and day out, I absolutely abhor the thought of throwing another notification onto their browser. Even though I am positive that Keits, in his heart of hearts, wants most if not all of the same things (and probably some even BETTER ideas, because he’s good at what he does) to be possible in Practice Mode.
For anyone just reading this thread in passing - maybe out of curiosity, or just to get it off of your unread thread list - please listen:
The time you spend posting about KI, talking about KI - on this forum, on twitter, or otherwise - you have to make a decision on how you will spend that time. You are in a RARE position in which you have a direct soundboard to the creators of this game - something that, mind you most of us would have absolutely died to have growing up but never did because LOL SNES/Genesis - and you should absolutely think hard about what you REALLY want out of this game.
You have their ears. Err… eyes.
You may choose to champion the cause of MOAR ULTIMATES, you can cry to the heavens for Orchid’s Booty to get buffed, you can be pissed about not having a stage for each character, you can complain that the retros aren’t exact copies of the old models, you can demand that Tusk does 10% of current damage because you’re salty about one loss that occurred in 1 minute of your time or less, you can theorize about lore and pick apart the back stories… all of these things may or may not go somewhere meaningful. Who knows? I certainly don’t.
However - if you want to continue to have people to play this game with for the next 5 or more years - I know I certainly do - you may want to consider reading this thread carefully and perhaps getting behind me. Plainly put - there are things that are essential to the survival of the game, and then there are things that would be nice to have. What do you really want out of this game?
I’m trying guys. But I’m 22 of the posts in this thread, soon to be 23. I had to bump it after 21 days of crickets while everyone was screaming about teasers. Please please please help me. Especially if you know for a fact that you’re a person of influence on this forum.
Ain’t that the truth, the poor guys. If I could mail them a “It’ll be alright” cake, I would. But cakes don’t often do well in the mail.
Preach!
I’m definitely not a person of influence, but I will do everything I can short of earning a ban to keep this thread bumped and (hopefully) active.
EDIT: I should have posted this tomorrow, for that purpose. Doh!
Since I’m still about 15 hours away from being able to distribute more likes, all I can do is sincerely thank you for helping by bumping my thread again.