THE CHANGING FACE OF MUGEN

Hey everyone, just random thoughts about what the Steam release of UMvC3 could mean to MUGEN. It seems the PC community is getting up to speed in modding characters. Although 2D sprites will always have a place in our hearts, one can see modding next-gen mahvel games as a growing trend. The potential for mods are limitless, remakes of favorites and who wouldn't want to see Omega Red, Ruby Heart and BB Hood end the round in a hyper combination finish! While we're on the subject, WhizzyWhipitWonderful your songs are being added and to all MUGEN voice actors out there? Would you be willing add your voiceovers to the game? Something similar to the announcers in MvC1 or MSH vs SF please  ^^
    After playing the PC port I'm in ABSOLUTE awe of the creators that brought and are bringing MvC3 characters to 2D.  =D> However it very well could be a sea change in the direction of MUGEN. For example, would creators focus solely on UMvC3 or MvC INFINITE? Well, i've rambled on enough, just wanted to get that off my chest  :-SS. So what are your thoughts on the subject?

mugen is dying. it will probably never full on die, but it definitely is not as active (proven by not as many forum communities and the ones that are around have had activity drop offs) as it was a few years ago. reasons for this...

- awesome fighting games like injustice, mvc3 and the like getting people's attention ahead of mugen
- more people using internet stuff on devices that do not support mugen (ipad, phone, smart tv, video game console, etc) if doing their internet on those things, odds are moving away from mugen
- as people age, some lose interest. that number is higher than new people getting involved

probably more than that, but this is the longest post i have made in months

so modding mvc3 is just one more thing that will hurt mugen activity.

Well I won't say MUGEN is dying; it is just slowing down a bit.  And yes, online-community-wise the MUGEN people's activities are indeed dropping, yet still not to a great degree.  I think when MUGEN creators/authors keep working and releasing, MUGEN will never die.  Even no more new MUGEN releases, there are already more than enough existing MUGEN works for those who are interested in MUGEN.  Like, ask those MUGEN Collectioners, how many MUGEN stuff they actually try and play with when they are building their 10+GB of big MUGEN Collection (I myself has been collecting up to 25+GB of MUGEN stuff already... )?  If there were no more MUGEN releases, then we would finally get a chance to try and play with every single MUGEN work we have been downloading/collecting for years. 

Now on topic, UMvC3 materials (i.e. "sprites") are so hard (nearly impossible) to get from the source game, the only way is to have all the talents 2D pixel artists (spriters) to try to make sprites of UMvC3 stuff, no matter being modded or not, just like what my MUGEN Father once said, "no sprites, no [MUGEN] characters".  Hey not to mention that nowadays many newer fighting games are getting harder to mugenize, because some source game features are out of current MUGEN Engines' limit.......

>> - as people age, some lose interest. that number is higher than new people getting involved
This is very true.    And aging brings more real-life issues that can greatly affect hobbies like MUGEN'ing............

I don't know.
Modding UMvC3?
That'd be good, but I highly doubt it can replace MUGEN. Mainly because there is/was (not sure about its recent status) another fighting game that had crazy mods over the time: Super Smash Bros. Brawl. That game has had character mods, stage mods, skin mods, and even a full game mod (Project M). And yet, MUGEN communities are still alive after all those years. Plus, I think it will take a long time until we see some top quality character mods (like Ridley and the unique Ganondorf for Project M) on UMvC3.
Now, it's true that MUGEN has been slowing down, for a lot of reasons (lack of new faces and engine limitations are the main ones come to mind). But if there's anything that will replace it, it's probably another engine. Here's one Unreal Engine project that has particularly called my attention, and has made me think of MUGEN's future: https://forums.unrealengine.com/showthread.php?93255-PROJECT-Unreal-Fighter-2D

I like so much 2d sprites fighting games because the nostalgia of the past.

but i know that the interesting to mugen is decreasing everyday more.

i hope the new community are opened soon at the future.

and the passion to 2d doesn´t be over....

Sorry but mugen is dying, the activity of the forums is low.
the good creations are over. for me mugen is art.

MUGEN= sprite work+code work+original work=great character

in that order good creators are gone. i continue working on my projects and checking the forums to see if someday i can feel again that happiness of see a wonderful work a real work...

I dont think its dying but it has hit a low point. Alot of the good creators have moved on because of leeches or the Jerks (The best way i could say it without cussing). Now we are left with a handful of good creators who are frustrated that they are the only ones producing "Quality" work

Really need to uplift all these new/young guys to stop repainting and headswaps and create a quality character from the ground up

I believe many good MUGEN creators/authors are still there; my MUGEN guess is that, perhaps they don't have any more things that may interest them to mugenize....of course there must be many more different MUGEN reasons that nobody knows....

Another major MUGEN concern is that, the MUGEN Engine developer, Elecbyte, has yet again been gone for long!    I believe if Elecbyte decided to return again, and to update their MUGEN Engine(s), then it might open a new page in the MUGEN history book that can "make MUGEN great again"..........

And, about the lack of new blood for MUGEN nowadays, I think there is not much thing to help, except to try to give more positive encouragements, rather than e-bashing/e-haunting/e-trolling/e-bullying/e-pissing-you-off, to all potential new MUGEN comers (heck, when can MUGEN people learn how to try to keep their discouraging MUGEN comments to themselves only?).........

Last and not least, is that, don't forget MUGEN Engine is so flexible that not only fighting game contents fit it but also many different video game types can be made for it too!   Just look at and try out some very interesting creative MUGEN non-fighting game works!  I myself also try to make some non-fighting game MUGEN stuff, and I think this kind of MUGEN works can show the video gaming world how versatile MUGEN contents can be....awesome ideas are everywhere, just need someone to mugenize to make it playable in MUGEN.....this is the "unlimited" side of the cool MUGEN Engine! 

Yo, be it MUGEN activities/popularity slowing down or some more MUGEN Makers are/have quitting/quitted, we can do our best to keep the MUGEN ball rolling............. ............simply because MUGEN is your/my/his/her/its hobby that you/I/he/she/it are/am/is loving so much!

Look Guys and Gals, MUGEN is not dying, as long as there's 2D and Pixel Art... it's there because it's easy and available to produce, it's just depends on the right artist/author to create a memorable creation, it's just like the trends and the time...just a dry spell or suspended stasis, people are just "DISTRACTED" by the new trends of 3D Fighting game and also the normal norms of life... and maybe, just maybe researching the 3D Characters so that they could convert it the 2D platform... just like Namco-Bandai's 2D Fighting Games series... Dragonball Z and One Piece....

demunlawin wrote:

Look Guys and Gals, MUGEN is not dying, as long as there's 2D and Pixel Art... it's there because it's easy and available to produce, it's just depends on the right artist/author to create a memorable creation, it's just like the trends and the time...just a dry spell or suspended stasis, people are just "DISTRACTED" by the new trends of 3D Fighting game and also the normal norms of life... and maybe, just maybe researching the 3D Characters so that they could convert it the 2D platform... just like Namco-Bandai's 2D Fighting Games series... Dragonball Z and One Piece....

Once again: "no sprites, no [MUGEN] characters"

So, it is all up to all the talents 2D pixel artists (spriters), YOU, to turn many existing 2.5D/3D stuff and non-existing 2D stuff to pure 2D stuff for use in MUGEN.

in case servimg not working for you...: