This is the issue I have. I'd love to have the roster 50/50 unlockable but making the game more attractive to the FGC should be one of the most important goals of NRS

No thank you, at least not more than a couple of characters. The real replay value/longevity for me is jumping into practice, learning my chosen character and taking them online and learning match ups, beating other players etc. That's what keeps me coming back. I don't much like the idea of being forced to play game modes I may not like just to unlock some characters.

Yes, if prefer them more if there was a conquest mode tho

So what? What makes them a priority?

I don't want the game to lose replay value because everything's out in the open. A code would be a good solution; an option at the boot of the game would be better. Nevertheless, I'm tired of dealing with full-roster fighting games. They get boring easily.

Also, having to unlock a character increases curiosity, for me at least. I ended up playing with every character in Deception because I figured if I'm going to spend all this time collecting them, I might as well check them out. Can't say the same for Tekken 6 or MK9.

I wouldn't shed a tear if the concept were done away with. What I'd really like to see would be olden-time hidden bosses. Like Reptile in MK1 or Smoke & Jade in 2.

I have to say the best option would be to have the choice of having the content unlockable or not right at the start menu. That would appease both parties. But there are some surprisingly good counter arguments.

Specifically, that unlocking characters isn't where the real replay value is. That learning match-ups, learning the mechanics, learning the meta, and learning the characters is the real meat of the game. Even if MK9 had half the cast unlockable (And let's face it: Half the roster is too damn much.) after I unlocked everybody I'd play for the mechanics themselves. Unlocking characters wouldn't bring me back to the game 8 months later, but a rewarding fighting engine would.

Exactly, unlocking characters would take, what, 4-6 hours at most depending on the game mode they are unlocked in. A good fighting engine and online mode can give you months, even years of enjoyment. Look at Super/Ultra Street Fighter IV, it has tons of players still playing it to this day, and I believe that game had every character unlocked from the start.

I wouldn't mind. Instead of having DLC, they can use those characters to be unlockable instead of us having to waste money on the DLC. Not to forget, the Komplete Edition comes out a little bit after all DLC are available
To unlock stuff such as characters, art work, alt costumes, etc. NRS should implement a Funeral Home/Morgue instead of the Krypt like in MK9.

A good fighting engine is to be expected.

Unlockable characters increases the replay value. Also, if you're unlocking rosters in 4-6 hours, you should probablytake a break. lol

I'd like half of the cast to be unlocked. 2 to be stupid hard to unlock, to bring the roster to 30/32, while the others are unlocked after their chapter in story is completed.

YES!

Tekken2 format worked the best. 50% locked. Every character you beat Arcade with unlocks a character. Beating Arcade with all characters unlocks one awesome character.

How's this? That, but add one character you unlock after beating story mode, perhaps a new hero or something, IDK, giving us 2 New Unlockables as well, the Hero, and another for winning arcade as said hero.

Plus, Unlockable characters only start to show up on the select screen to even out rows, so it LOOKS like you have everyone from the start, but when you end up unlocking a new character, a New row is made, with ?'s on screen, maybe even have the ?'s NOT show up, just showing a new character on the screen, a little like Injustice did with DLC.

Unlocking characters was coolest when it was just one or two guys. Cyber-Smoke is still the most interesting thing about the MK3 select screen.

I really didn't like the way DA and Deception handled it, making you buy literally half the cast in the Krypt. You don't even have to complete a special challenge or put in a code, you just spent koins.

When everybody's special, no one is.

Oh memories...I remember the thrill of beating Arcade and then going to practice and checking out the new character....

This quote rationalizes full starting rosters being a problem.

The main roster's not supposed to be special, though.
I mean none of them is supposed to be any more or less special than any other. They shouldn't be mundane or boring, but they should be equals.
A hidden character is not an equal. It is not meant to be.

But what about after you unlock everybody? What would bring people back? Why the fighting engine of course.

A hidden character should be looked as to a reward or something.

Tournament organizers shouldn't have an issue of copying a save to some USBs/SD Cards (for Wii) and popping one into each console being used to have everything unlocked.

Again, that is to be expected.

For me, unlocking a character gives me the desire to play with them. By unlocking them, I notice characters I would've otherwise ignored.

that may cause someone to delete everything and beat the game over again just to unlock everybody. i did it like 5 times in mkD. I played mk 9's story and challenge tower once and didnt' see the need to do them over as it was giving me nothing to look forward to.

Unlocking characters does NOT increase replay value.

Replay value is what keeps you coming back to the game in the long term. Unlocking characters is a short term challenge that most, with a full time job, will complete in 1-2 weeks. And those without jobs will complete it within days.

With things like the story mode and the challenge tower, the days of limiting access to the roster to artificially increase replay value have passed.

Let me ask this: if you have to create external goals to make a mode worth doing (like konquest), how fun is that mode really? Did anyone ever leave their memory card in another city and therefore had to play konquest over again in MKD? If so, did you enjoy that? I sure as hell didn't.

I'm not against unlockables, but let's stick to costumes. They have value, but restricting them doesn't fuck over the FGC. Everyone wins. EDIT: Even costumes are a hesitant choice because earning them in the stars missions of Injustice was awful.

I love a couple of hidden characters as much as the next guy, but NRS HAVE to make it tournament-friendly. Boot options? Bad idea. Codes? Kinda passable. Id rather NRS come up with a more elegant alternative though.

But gotta make it tournament-friendly, whatever they do.

Yes, I love it when you have to beat the game with another character to unlock a new one.

Unlocked characters are so much fun! And it gives you satisfaction.