Option mode

What it is

An option mode is one kind of mode in fighting game home ports, or a special menu in an arcade version that can usually only be accessed by the machine’s operator. For most older arcade games, the game settings are often dependent upon a system implementation, whereas for home ports and some (not necessarily all) newer arcade games, the menu with these settings are often implemented specially for the game.

Typical arcade options

Flash settings (sometimes epilepsy is a concern of operators)
Difficulty settings
Number of rounds per match
Credit settings
Timer countdown speed

Home options

Typical options

Button mapping
Difficulty setting
Match length setting
Game speed setting
Damage level setting (i.e., how much to scale the amount of life, or perhaps offense)
Number of rounds per match
Screen display settings (e.g., the picture position on SDTV’s, unlike arcade monitors, can only be guessed at by the developers)

Specialized settings

Command setting (i.e., change the actual commands for moves)
Background music options (aka “sound test”; choose “arcade” or “arranged” soundtracks; listen to music if you want, maybe even sound effects)
“System direction” (change very fundamental systems in the game to tweak balance)