Meta-games
What are meta-games in Super Street Fighter 4?
Responses (2 total)
I think there are a number of different definitions of meta-game, and you might have to be more specific about which one you are referring to.
According to Giant Bomb, a metagame is a game within a game. Their definition is further enhanced to include only games which exist outside the game and do not have an impact on the game itself.
For Super Street Fighter 4, examples of this would be the bonus stages where you destroy the barrels or the car. This is the "game within a game" and has no impact on the outcome of your matches or anything that you would measure within the game.
IMO, meta-game can also refer to the thinking game that occurs in Super Street Fighter 4 (or any competitive play). It's thinking a number of moves ahead in an attempt to limit your opponent's options while maximizing your own. In this context, things like overheads, untechable knockdowns, frame traps, super meter/ultra meter building and vortexes is all part of the meta-game.
For example, with Sagat, one might opt for a number of Focus Attacks to absorb damage in an attempt to build Ultra and EX meter at the same time. Once he has two EX bars and Ultra, you limit the air game of your opponent, as you could easily TU -> FADC -> F + HK -> Ultra. This would lead to aggressive play in the beginning, with a possible option to become more defensive once you are stocked with Ultra and EX meter.
What it comes down to is that in this context, the meta-game is about having an awareness of as many of the variables as you can, as well as the options available on both sides, and taking the one that will lead to long-term success, not just short-term gain (yeah, you might get chip damage from that random Ultra someone blocked, but it has greater value in the long run).
Casper has somewhat got it right. If you look up "meta" it's a prefix to denote a change, metamorphosis, evolution, another stage of devolopement. So, it's how the game changes over the course of a match, or it's lifetime.
Using Caspers example of Sagat building ultra, after Sagat has two bars and ultra, the game changes and it becomes much more risky to jump in on him. Another example would be two players adapting to eachother over the course of a few matches. It may begin with a lot of throws, but once they start getting teched, they have to move on to frame traps or footsies to punish the throws/crouch techs. Watch a couple people play a first to five and the final match usually looks a lot different than the first one did.
The game can also change over the course of it's lifetime. Characters moving up and down the teir lists could be considered meta game. What's strong in the beginning can become weaker as people learn how to defend/counter it. A new tactic can be found that totally changes how a character is played. Can find something like plinking, and all of a sudden all the characters with a bunch of 1 frame links aren't so horrible anymore.
