DOA 4 Online: How It Works

Dead or Alive® 4 follows the basic tenets of any Xbox Live®-enabled game, but it does offer a lot in addition to what you would normally expect. From the fantasy-like lobbies teeming with surreal imagery to the sheer volume of game modes to the economy system, there's a lot to know and understand.

Understanding the Lobby
Many are the times where a newcomer has piped up "what the heck?" when they enter one of the unique lobbies in Dead or Alive 4. First, all you need to understand is that each is its own unique 3-D room, designed to house players who just want to hang out and chat in between matches or before entering the queue for a match. Each lobby also sports a TV where you can watch the ongoing matches live without having to join the line.

No time for posing online.

To enter a match, you need only walk to the "receptionist" in the middle of the lobby, press A to talk to them, and choose the Join Match option. Also, each lobby is hand-picked by the host, so you'll see all sorts of unique environments.

If you defeat someone ranked higher than you,
you win substantially more grade points.

There are underwater sea-themed lobbies, a dojo, a Halloween-inspired lobby, a candy land, and much more. You also get an avatar when you begin your online career. Initially, this is a ninja character, but you can purchase others as you progress.

Note: Provided you have a compatible USB keyboard, you can type messages in any lobby for all to see.

The Economy
Each time you win a match in Dead or Alive 4 online, you get a small stipend of Zack Dollars. The higher ranked the opponent you beat (relative to your own ranking), the more money you get. Eventually, you can put together enough scratch to purchase various items. You can buy:

• Accessories: The accessories help customize your avatar, so you (and others) can differentiate them from other players. There are hats, glasses, masks, ribbons, and other, more unique items.
• Lobbies: You begin with enough Zack Dollars to purchase your first lobby, but, as you earn more over time, you can purchase lots of different lobbies to suit your changing mood.
• Parts for human avatars: Provided you're using the Man, Woman, Girl, or Boy Avatars, you can purchase additional equipment for them beyond the normal accessories.
• TV: You can upgrade the TV that plays in your lobby. Whether you want to go retro with a black-and-white set or upgrade the size, options are available for the right price.
• Costumes: You can unlock all the available costumes for each character in the offline modes (Story and Time Attack), but you can side-step some offline play by purchasing costumes with Zack Dollars you earn online.

That's more like it.

Find or Create the Best Match
Like the best online games, Dead or Alive 4 excels at providing all the customization options you could want in order to let you find or create just the sort of match you want to participate in. Regarding game modes, you can search for or create a match using the following game types:

• Winner Stays: Winner of match continues on to fight the next opponent in line.
• Loser Stays: Just the opposite of Winner Stays.
• Tournament: Arrange a tournament with up to sixteen players. The winner earns extra grade points and Zack Dollars based on how many opponents they defeated to win.
• Team Battle: Players join teams and fight it out to see which group reins supreme.
• Survival: Much like the offline version, with the "champion" fending off up to sixteen enemies. Collect the prizes after each knockout to replenish your health.
• Kumite: Whether they win or lose, the player holding the "champion" title continues to fight.
• You can also augment a search or created match with the following criteria:
• Max Players: If you want a smaller or larger group, it's up to you.
• Friend Slots (Create Match only): Use this to reserve slots for your buddies.
• Round Time (Create Match only): The maximum amount of time allotted for each round.
• Match Point (Create Match only): Number of rounds needed to win a match (one, two, or three).
• Life Gauge: The length of the life bar for the combatants.
• Language: You can choose Don't Care or the language you specified in your gamer profile.

Note: While you can't use them as search variables, once a search list is populated you can see the round time and match points selected before choosing to join a match.

Watch the sweep.

Ranking
Dead or Alive 4 employs a simple grading system for ranking players. From worst to best, the grades are: F, D, C, B, A, S, and SS, with each grade also sporting a plus and minus. You earn grade points by defeating opponents, and lose them by losing matches. Against an opponent of equal rank, you win or lose a base of 100 grade points. A few factors do alter just how much you win or lose:

• Opponent's grade: If you defeat someone ranked higher than you, you win substantially more grade points. On the other hand, if a lower-ranked opponent defeats you, you lose substantially more.
• Streaks: With each successive win you gain an extra ten points, which accumulates. For example, a five-match winning streak nets you a bonus of fifty points after the fifth win.
• Quitting out: If you quit in the middle of a match, you lose a massive amount of grade points.

Dead or Alive 4 was built with online play in mind. It runs smoothly, features all the match options you could want, includes an immensely satisfying yet challenging ranking system, and helps develop the community aspect with a unique lobby feature.

See you online!

Article by Alex McLain