Online Multi for Street Fighter Game: Good or Bad Idea?

I am going to be building a Street Fighter - sequel game. One of the first design questions that has come up is, "should it have online multi player?".

So my concerns are if yes, what engine? How serious is the issue of general complications due to multi? I am considering hiring an expert to implement? So, if expertly installed, can the experience for the user be largely glitch free? Or is the nature of the game, to fast and furious to consider realistic online multi player as an option?

 

Yes, it certainly should. All modern fighters have online multiplayer, and this is a huge component of what keeps those communities interested.

As for engine, I personally would probably use Hazel, which I find to be just the right level for high-performance work. (That's assuming you're talking about desktop; consoles have their own networking libraries.)

The complications are rather serious. You have to really put some effort into reducing latency as much as possible, and then compensating for what latency remains using netframe rollback (sometimes called a GGPO algorithm). I have some experience in this area; PM me if you want to discuss in more detail.