« SFxT: Keits on the Potential Hurdles of the Gem System »

There's been a ton of speculation (and some vitriol) about Street Fighter X Tekken's new gem system. SRK's Keits, however, presents a well-reasoned argument about why gems will be a problem for tournaments. The article recognizes that we still have yet to fully see how gems will be implemented, but that it is important to voice these concerns while there is still time for the developers to incorporate feedback from the community.

Keits doesn't attack the gameplay effect of the gems, but rather the cost (in both time and money) that the gems will have for tournaments. Since he argues that an outright ban of the gems is probably unfounded (or at least premature), tournament organizers will have to have all gems available at all stations. Also, players will have to take the time to select multiple gems per character before each match. Without a doubt, there is a potential for gems to negatively affect both tournament organizers and viewers.

Check out the entire article at SRK, and read on for some of my worries about the gem system.

While many fighting game fans have had no problem writing off the gem system from the moment it was announced, I've been reserving judgement. Sure, some gems may be designed to give new players a little help, but the auto-guard gem is, without a doubt, a terrible gem for competitive play. There's no way anyone would want to sacrifice meter to block. Once we actually have the completed game, with the gem system intact, we can decide if we like what gems add to the game (not that the following image inspires any confidence).

My concern lies with how gems are earned. In UMVC3's Heroes and Heralds mode, all of the cards you can earn are apparently on the disc, and you unlock them by playing the game. When I asked if SFxT gems were unlocked by playing the game, Seth said that that was TBD. My fear is that gems will be unlocked only by spending cold, hard cash. As Keits mentioned, pre-orders and the special edition provide different sets of gems. But what about those who just buy the game normally? And what about any gems released in the future?

I'm afraid of these costs due to something Capcom said at the NYCC announcement of the gem system. They said that the gem system is essentially "Magic: The Gathering meets Street Fighter." While some people might have taken this to mean that there was customization (along the lines of deck-building), I immediately worried that it might indicate a Magic-like business model.

Competitive Magic players invest a lot of money into their decks. To remain competitive, players often have to buy highly sought-after cards that could cost up to $100 each (or much, much more for certain older cards). Since you can have four of any one card in a deck, you can imagine how rapidly that adds up. It may quickly be discovered that certain gems in SFxT are basically required to be competitive. On top of that, you may be able to use those gems in multiples. Will we have to buy a gem pack more than once to have the desired set of gems? Will fighting game players be as eager to part with their money as Magic players? At least physical Magic cards can be lent and borrowed between friends. With SFxT gems likely digitally locked to a console, such trading would be impossible.

Then there's the issue of something being so powerful that it gets banned. In Magic, cards can become suddenly banned if they are deemed to powerful. Somehow, Magic players don't riot when this happens. They mostly just carry on, even having spent a few hundred dollars on a play-set of the now-banned card. Actually, when a couple of pricey Magic cards were recently banned, most players seemed relieved. It was analagous to Yun and Yang getting smacked with the nerf hammer. What would happen if SFxT players spent a bunch of money on a set of gems that were considered game-breaking and subsequently banned from tournaments? What if some expensive gems got patched so that they became essentially worthless?

While this is mostly speculation — Capcom hasn't announced how gems are earned — paying for gems might actually happen. How would you feel about investing money into gems?