The only 1vs1 turn based fighting game that I know is The King of Fighters: Kyo. You might want to refer to that game for some design inspiration.

For your questions, I can't answer questions 1 and 2 because I never played them. However, for question 3, I would say simultaneous turn resolution where both players select one move at one time and execute them simultaneously.

Check out toribash! Insane game when the moves are pulled off correctly.

As for a turn based 1 on 1 fighting game I think a good system would be similar to a combat card game, mixed with badminton scoring rules.

For example, you cannot score in badminton unless you are serving. If this was used in a fighting game you'd get the first turn (serve) to perform you action, however if the player counters it on their turn they are now "serving" and can deal damage.

For cards, players get 20 hit points and 10 stamina points each, they also get a deck of cards based on their characters move list. Players draw 5 cards on each turn (can have no more than 8 at any time), and continue to cycle until one players runs out of hit points.

Example of cards would be:

Card 1 = Counter Left Punch / Gain an additional action on turn / Cost 3 Stamina

Card 2 = Right Hook / Damage opponent 3HP / Cost 1 Stamina

Card 3 = Hadouken / Damage opponent 5HP / Cost 5 Stamina

Card 4 = Psych Up / Increase damage on next 5 attacks by 1HP / Cost 1 Stamina

The goal would be to create a satisfying system where players feel they are rewarded for clever use of combat cards on their turn.

Thanks for all the input guys, it's certainly helping to hear different feedback. I'm gonna try to get a web based version of the battle mechanic (both real time and turn based versions) for you guys to try for those interested.

I probably should of mentioned what we're fighting with, as it's not human fist fighting, but 2 fish fighting in a tank. So think Angry Birds Epic turn based fighting, but 1on1 with 20 abilities instead of 5.

Aside from the 4 mechanics listed below, there isn't much else to the fighting which is why I originally started this thread. I just feel the fighting is lacking 1 or 2 key mechanics and some better ability balance to round it out. Like if I went Angry Birds Epic style and had 3on3 fish fights that could make things a lot more interesting like which fish should you go for first etc. but trouble is im building for mobile so quite limited to what I can have going on in these fights.

4 major mechanics to the fighting:

1. Right now each player(fish) can have up to 5 abilities, each being upgradable to level 4, and each level offering a unique variation of the original level 1 ability. So in total you would have 20 abilities at your disposal in high level fights. There is a variety of abilities from bites, fin slaps, bleeds, blinds, poison, stat buffs, heals etc...
2. Each turn you gain 1 star that you can spend on a level 2 ability, or you can save your stars by using level 1 abilities which cost no stars to use, and then use all your saved stars on a powerful level 4 ability using 3 stars.
3. When you use the bite ability for example, your fish will swim over to the other side and perform a bite animation on the other fish and swim back to his side.
4. You have 3 different stances Top -> Offense (+STR -Defense), Middle -> Neutral (No bonuses), Bottom -> Defense (+Defense - STR) which you can swipe your fish up or down into when its your turn.

I don't really play fighting games, and don't think that I've played a turn-based one, but I'd like to suggest Card Hunter as a game that might be worth looking at for inspiration.

It's not a one-on-one fighting game, but it does feature combat that is both turn-based and card-based, if I'm not much mistaken: each character has a collection of ability cards, and during each turn of play gets a random selection from those cards as their available abilities for that turn. The cards available to each character are provided by the character's class, race (in the fantasy sense: dwarf, elf, etc.) and equipment: to make up two examples, a club might provide three "simple bash" cards and two "heavy bash" cards while a sword might provide four "single strike" cards and one "parry" card.

3. If there was one feature you would like to see in a turn based fighter what would it be?

Real-time fighting.

Hey, you asked.

Look, I'm a huge fan of turn-based games. They are great ways to simulate squad-based tactical combat situations where you control multiple units. Turn-based is also great for dozens of other types of games.

But a one-on-one fighter? I've probably never seen or played one for a reason.

Edited to Add: Missed some stuff above. I get the MtG reference, but you lost me at Angry Birds with tanks.

Iam not a huge fan of turn based games, but I found combat in South Park stick of truth really interesting. They brought that reactive system just by the fact that you can reactivly block enemy attack during certain period of time of their attack animation/process which lowers the damage. So in the end despite the fact that its turn based you are forced to reactively block incoming attacks making it more engaging in my opinion.

I think something like that would really help make it more fun.

Iam not a huge fan of turn based games, but I found combat in South Park stick of truth really interesting. They brought that reactive system just by the fact that you can reactivly block enemy attack during certain period of time of their attack animation/process which lowers the damage. So in the end despite the fact that its turn based you are forced to reactively block incoming attacks making it more engaging in my opinion.

I think something like that would really help make it more fun.

I haven't played SP SoT but just watched some videos on it. The block feature could work. The fight animations are just starting to be introduced into the development so I will have a better idea of how I could implement something like this. Thanks!

Edited to Add: Missed some stuff above. I get the MtG reference, but you lost me at Angry Birds with tanks.

Angry Birds Epic (the new turn based rpg game), but think fish instead of birds fighting in a fish tank.

I don't really play fighting games, and don't think that I've played a turn-based one, but I'd like to suggest Card Hunter as a game that might be worth looking at for inspiration.

It's not a one-on-one fighting game, but it does feature combat that is both turn-based and card-based, if I'm not much mistaken: each character has a collection of ability cards, and during each turn of play gets a random selection from those cards as their available abilities for that turn. The cards available to each character are provided by the character's class, race (in the fantasy sense: dwarf, elf, etc.) and equipment: to make up two examples, a club might provide three "simple bash" cards and two "heavy bash" cards while a sword might provide four "single strike" cards and one "parry" card.

This could work! While it wouldn't make much sense to use cards with fish in a tank, it may still work with offering different types of foods that you could feed your fish during the fight which may make your fish perform a certain special ability, or stat boost etc...

I play a boardgame called Memoir '44. On your turn you get to choose a card from your hand and play it. The card often specifies in which section of the battlefield you are permitted to move your various combat units and how many of those units you can move.

Now that I understand what you are suggesting, the thought hit me that, like the sections of the battlefield, your cards could have some correspondence to either parts of the character's body or parts of the opposition's body. For instance:

"Devastating Kick: IF your character has a functioning RIGHT LEG, your character KICKS opponent with crushing damage to the TORSO."

Then you discard that "move" or "card" or "ability" (whatever you'd call it) and switch turns.

This is the best I can come up with at 5:08am. I'm just trying to make up for my uninformed "make it real-time" comment.