Guilty Gear FAQ Thread - Ask your questions here!

[neojammerzx]

Hi guys...I'm new to GG and with the upcoming PSN/XBL release, I've been thinking of playing this game. I wanted another game developed by Arksystem aside from Blazblue. Question is, how do I get started? I wanna start somewhere in the intermediate level -- I feel confident that I know the general mechanics of the 2D fighting genre and how similar the gameplay of GG is to BB. Any tips here?

I'm thinking of the following steps:

1.) Practice tutorial /missioin mode -- is there even one?

2.) Check out CMV's

3.) Practice a specific character mechanic (i.e. which one's are cancelable to which move)

[reaVer]

Ok, first off, GG is not similar to BB. Yes, the majority of the mechanics from GG made it to BB, but they are still completely different games.

1. There is no tutorial for GG in the game and I don't think that besides some instructional videos no effort has been made.

2. Don't check out CMVs, check out match videos; they contain the simplest combos that will net you the most damage.

3. Well yeah, this should be basic knowledge of the character you play (or face). Alternatively you can also look at the framedata found in the wiki :D

The best advice anyone could give you is really: just play the game.

[Digital Watches]

That last thing Reaver said: If you want to be good, play the game.

And more importantly: Play against a wide variety of people at a wide variety of skill levels.

Guilty Gear is what most people would describe as a pretty hard game. You're going to lose a few matches for dropping your combos or not knowing about some obscure thing some character can do or whatever, but way more often, you're going to lose because you were outplayed. There are enough tactics to keep in mind and enough of them can be happening at the same time or in rapid succession that if you're not playing people who are at least roughly as good at the game as you are (I'd argue that it's even better to play against a lot of people who are just strictly better than you), you'll stop improving and become a big fish in a small pond. I'm sure you've heard this advice in some form or another.

What you may not have heard is that it's also important to play people who are worse than you. First of all, it helps them improve. You want new blood in your local scene, because paying for gas is a bitch and it's great to have competition. If they stick with it and care at all, they'll probably be decent competition eventually, or at least be someone who knows your game and will punish you for bullshit you'd get away with against people you don't play as often. It may seem like it gets old playing people you're going to beat every time, but don't be a douche, you were in that boat once too. And it helps your play, too, believe it or not. It gives you a match situation in which to practice some stuff in "easy mode." Still a real match, but with less pressure not to make mistakes. I've certainly pulled out some new thing I'm working on, like a better combo or a crazy headgame against the guy in the semis or finals of some tournament, but 99% of the time, that's not going to work out well. Trying crazy new shit against people you know you'll probably beat is a great way to step up your game for the harder matches in which you'll need all the tricks you can get.

[neojammerzx]

Great advice guys. Will do.

Is it advisable to get a character who has the same style and gameplay from the game you are used to playing? Sort of like how Valkenhayn's play and appearance is a bit similar to GG's Slayer and Potemkim to Tager.

I play Noel Vermillion in BB...who's the best simulate of her in GG?

I dont know if it happens to most players but usually, starting off another character takes time and to bring out your A game, you'd really have to practice and devote time and effort to it. Also, given that there are no practice/tutorial modes and vids (would they MAYBE put one in the console release?) it would DEFINITELY take more time -- i.e. watching match vids, developing your combos, tweaking to get max possible damage, matchups, practice timing, etc.

TIMING: which has stricter combo timing in your opinion? 1.) KOF; 2.) BB; 3.) GG

And unless you have a solid community that really gets together like every week, it would definitely be a long exp grind to get that level up.

Which is why I have this small voice in my head to "just tier whore". But from what I've been reading, GGAC's tier list is established and those on the top tier can be really mouth watering to use but the drool just falls right in your face 'cos of their difficulty.

Just to get the general idea...do you think there would be more players for GG than BB once it gets released on PSN and XBL. Problem now is, in the current situation, I'm seeing my self plateau after beating the CPU @ the hardest level.

[Star-Demon]

Guilty Gear Characters do not map to GG characters. You really should approach this game from the ground up. There are some tutorial series' and a few specific forum or wiki posts you should look at to learn the game and learn the basics. From there picking a main will require some work and play on each.

[Circuitous]

I dont know if it happens to most players but usually, starting off another character takes time and to bring out your A game, you'd really have to practice and devote time and effort to it. Also, given that there are no practice/tutorial modes and vids (would they MAYBE put one in the console release?) it would DEFINITELY take more time -- i.e. watching match vids, developing your combos, tweaking to get max possible damage, matchups, practice timing, etc.

Except that changing games always has this problem. GG and BB share some similarities, but for the most part the characters are as different between the two as between, say, BB and KOF. You're going to be learning a new character no matter how you play. Even with the "obvious" similarities -- Ragna/Sol, Potemkin/Tager -- you're dealing with characters who actually play nothing alike.

It's also worth noting that before BB, no game had missions or tutorials in the game to teach you how to play, and an entire generation of gamers got along just fine. There's information out there, including a pretty good beginner tutorial that was featured right here on DL.

TIMING: which has stricter combo timing in your opinion? 1.) KOF; 2.) BB; 3.) GG

KOF > GG > BB.

And unless you have a solid community that really gets together like every week, it would definitely be a long exp grind to get that level up.

Which is why I have this small voice in my head to "just tier whore". But from what I've been reading, GGAC's tier list is established and those on the top tier can be really mouth watering to use but the drool just falls right in your face 'cos of their difficulty.

Tier whoring is useless if you're not at a level to compete. (Except maybe Potemkin. He's good even if you're bad.)

Just to get the general idea...do you think there would be more players for GG than BB once it gets released on PSN and XBL. Problem now is, in the current situation, I'm seeing my self plateau after beating the CPU @ the hardest level.

You won't get good playing the CPU, because most of what you learn will only apply to them. You need to play other people, that's all there is to it.

[neojammerzx]

Except that changing games always has this problem. GG and BB share some similarities, but for the most part the characters are as different between the two as between, say, BB and KOF. You're going to be learning a new character no matter how you play. Even with the "obvious" similarities -- Ragna/Sol, Potemkin/Tager -- you're dealing with characters who actually play nothing alike.

It's also worth noting that before BB, no game had missions or tutorials in the game to teach you how to play, and an entire generation of gamers got along just fine. There's information out there, including a pretty good beginner tutorial that was featured right here on DL.

Guess I got my work cut out for me.

KOF > GG > BB..

Not bad.

You won't get good playing the CPU, because most of what you learn will only apply to them. You need to play other people, that's all there is to it.

Totally agree, which is why I was hesitant before to adopt the game since 1.) there is no local gaming scene; 2.) there is no online play to compensate for the lack of #1 (or at least in terms of PSP and PS2 [?] ). But now that the port to PS3 is coming, new doors will soon open...hopefully.

[Blade]

I still don't get what you mean by Mapping...and no amount of deleting my posts will change my confusion. :/

[Circuitous]

He clearly meant to type Blazblue or BB in one of those instances. Use your head for a second.

[reaVer]

Great advice guys. Will do.

Is it advisable to get a character who has the same style and gameplay from the game you are used to playing? Sort of like how Valkenhayn's play and appearance is a bit similar to GG's Slayer and Potemkim to Tager.

I play Noel Vermillion in BB...who's the best simulate of her in GG?

I dont know if it happens to most players but usually, starting off another character takes time and to bring out your A game, you'd really have to practice and devote time and effort to it. Also, given that there are no practice/tutorial modes and vids (would they MAYBE put one in the console release?) it would DEFINITELY take more time -- i.e. watching match vids, developing your combos, tweaking to get max possible damage, matchups, practice timing, etc.

Meh, tutorials wouldn't really help you with GG. The way you can play the game is completely different from BB, SF and others simply because there aren't any real rules. It really is a game where players can do whatever they want and be good (Kusoru being the shiny example here). This is why you have to play the game rather than just theorize about it or have yourself dictated what to do.

TIMING: which has stricter combo timing in your opinion? 1.) KOF; 2.) BB; 3.) GG

I'd say it depends on the character you play, some characters don't really have restricted timing and can get anything to work. I expect that to be in all games...

And unless you have a solid community that really gets together like every week, it would definitely be a long exp grind to get that level up.

Yes, quite frankly, it took me a year of playing with another person to get basic understanding about the game and build some game sense. Now it's 4 years further and I got kinda decent, so... good luck :D

Which is why I have this small voice in my head to "just tier whore". But from what I've been reading, GGAC's tier list is established and those on the top tier can be really mouth watering to use but the drool just falls right in your face 'cos of their difficulty.

In GGXXAC tierwhoring is the most useless effort you can engage in. Especially because the metagame is developed to the extend it is today, there isn't really that much effect from the tierlist anymore. Some match ups will simply be harder, but it's not impossible to push for that 5-5 matchup ratio.

Just to get the general idea...do you think there would be more players for GG than BB once it gets released on PSN and XBL. Problem now is, in the current situation, I'm seeing my self plateau after beating the CPU @ the hardest level.

Simply put, no. I think GG will be a 1-3 month hype across the globe, then people will realize that the game does require work(a lot of it) and then they go back to their respective games(SF4).

Though how can you be surprised about gas prices? Aren't you filthy rich of there?:D

[neojammerzx]

In GGXXAC tierwhoring is the most useless effort you can engage in. Especially because the metagame is developed to the extend it is today, there isn't really that much effect from the tierlist anymore. Some match ups will simply be harder, but it's not impossible to push for that 5-5 matchup ratio.

Could this be said for BB and let's say...tekken tag 2?

So could you get away with an easy / mashy-type character (i.e. Noel in BB) and capitalize on that character's strengths and you could still pull off a 50-50 bet against Eddie? On a side note, I prefer those character types that make opponents go "Why the fudge cant I beat this guy when he's just spamming D" or "I cant beat this noob" -- simply put: I like it if the "hate-mail-to-character-difficulty" ratio increases :D

Simply put, no. I think GG will be a 1-3 month hype across the globe, then people will realize that the game does require work(a lot of it) and then they go back to their respective games(SF4).

Work in terms of what?

Though how can you be surprised about gas prices? Aren't you filthy rich of there?:D

LOL -- gas price here is @ 0.45SR (saudi riyals) per Liter (for the premium its 0.65SR)...and $1 = 3.75 SR -- Do the math

Even the gas dispensers here aren't electronic...instead of LED displays, you'll see those slot machine types. The price is so cheap that there'd be no point to spend so much on advertising etc. And yeah my camel runs on a Ferrari engine. :3

Edited July 17, 2012 by neojammerzx

[excelence]

I've never think you can mash on any fighting games ... at least on what i've played ... and GG punish masher hard ... you will dai if you mash on this game.

[reaVer]

Could this be said for BB and let's say...tekken tag 2?

Not as easily sadly.

So could you get away with an easy / mashy-type character (i.e. Noel in BB) and capitalize on that character's strengths and you could still pull off a 50-50 bet against Eddie? On a side note, I prefer those character types that make opponents go "Why the fudge cant I beat this guy when he's just spamming D" or "I cant beat this noob" -- simply put: I like it if the "hate-mail-to-character-difficulty" ratio increases :D

Euhm, well, the GG skilllevel is very different from the average BB level or average SF level. Most players that you will encounter(after this predicted 3 month period) know the game and usually know how to deal with you spamming a button. Sometimes this spamming a button is what your character is supposed to do and they work on playing around it. All in all, the average GG player is far less likely to call you a noob for using stuff he can't beat and more likely to adjust to your play, no matter how good or bad it might be.

Work in terms of what?

Work in terms of getting experience, developing gamesense, learning to read the player, to respect the player, learn their character and so forth. The GG system on it's own covers 20+ pages and that's still without the framedata. Learning to apply all that knowledge is going to take time and effort and effort is what most players simply don't like.

LOL -- gas price here is @ 0.45SR (saudi riyals) per Liter (for the premium its 0.65SR)...and $1 = 3.75 SR -- Do the math

Even the gas dispensers here aren't electronic...instead of LED displays, you'll see those slot machine types. The price is so cheap that there'd be no point to spend so much on advertising etc. And yeah my camel runs on a Ferrari engine. :3

We pay 1.70 EUR (~ 2USD) per liter over here, YOU DON'T HAVE AN EXCUSE!!

[Dont_Explain]

On the subject of no effort/easy mode characters, should a beginner in GG expect to rage a bit and call a lot of stuff BS or cheap when they first start out, or is it easy to identify what happened and figure out a solution?

I mean I watched some videos, but I can't really say for certain since watching and playing are two different things.

Edited July 17, 2012 by Dont_Explain

[M.Song]

On the subject of no effort/easy mode characters, should a beginner in GG expect to rage a bit and call a lot of stuff BS or cheap when they first start out, or is it easy to identify what happened and figure out a solution?

I mean I watched a some videos, but I can't really say for certain since watching and playing are two different things.

if you fight jam, slayer, potemkin, may, testament, millia, eddie, you will call a lot of stuff BS or cheap always

[Dont_Explain]

if you fight jam, slayer, potemkin, may, testament, millia, eddie, you will call a lot of stuff BS or cheap always

So it's generic hate on A and S-Tier characters? Nothing new for me when it comes to FGs. I think only Eddie, Testament and Millia will actually make me rage. Jam and Slayer just hurt a lot if you let them in, so I'll just have to learn how to deal with them as I learn GG. Potemkin does seem like a grappler I should actually fear. More so cause I will play Chipp, but oh well. May I've never seen that much so I guess I'll just keep a note of her.

[neojammerzx]

Work in terms of getting experience, developing gamesense, learning to read the player, to respect the player, learn their character and so forth. The GG system on it's own covers 20+ pages and that's still without the framedata. Learning to apply all that knowledge is going to take time and effort and effort is what most players simply don't like.

Guilty as the game's title...I may be one of those "most players"...to think that the time and frustration of growing with the game (BB) and character (gameplay, strategy, matchups) will all be repeated, starting from scratch...*sigh*...then I guess I better get started

We pay 1.70 EUR (~ 2USD) per liter over here, YOU DON'T HAVE AN EXCUSE!!

LOL

[MacArthur Blunts]

So it's generic hate on A and S-Tier characters? Nothing new for me when it comes to FGs. I think only Eddie, Testament and Millia will actually make me rage. Jam and Slayer just hurt a lot if you let them in, so I'll just have to learn how to deal with them as I learn GG. Potemkin does seem like a grappler I should actually fear. More so cause I will play Chipp, but oh well. May I've never seen that much so I guess I'll just keep a note of her.

Slayer hurts your brain a lot. He doesn't even get damage from you "letting him in" he gets damage from you making a mistake in your movement or move decisions. He also hurts your brain because you will never be able to do a "normal" mixup against Slayer due to how awesome backdash cancel still is. His mixup game isn't even that strong.

[Digital Watches]

Yup. Slayer also gets away with some crazy shit just by virtue of his ungodly fuck-you abare, since that one hit from some weird disjointed invisible hitbox you didn't know about will net him a combo for like, a good 2/3 of your life and a solid knockdown. Scary

[reaVer]

Meh, none of those things really bother me (having a lot of experience vs Slayer). The most bothersome thing is his attackboxes, he really has the most outstanding bullshit factor where stuff like 2H can hit fullscreen, jH will hit behind him or 2S will stay out for almost a full jump arc. His priority is just idiotic in my opinion, his damage I don't really care that much for.

[MacArthur Blunts]

Meh, none of those things really bother me (having a lot of experience vs Slayer). The most bothersome thing is his attackboxes, he really has the most outstanding bullshit factor where stuff like 2H can hit fullscreen, jH will hit behind him or 2S will stay out for almost a full jump arc. His priority is just idiotic in my opinion, his damage I don't really care that much for.

I thought it was agreed that there was no such thing as "priority" and there were just hitboxes and certain invincibility factors. For instance, if potemkin does slidehead, his hittable box extends out quite a bit (hits fullscreen no matter what lol) and with slayers low invincibility on 2H, his hittable box gets CH by 2H. Works with any low invulnerable move vs. slidehead (zappa 5K). J.H will hit behind him if someone activates a move that extends into j.H's hitbox. 2S also just has a really long active time (9 frames). Hell, most 6P's can beat VV at the right time and range and VV apparently has "the most priority ever"

[Digital Watches]

Yeah, priority is an annoying term that people need to stop using.

[excelence]

Well, priority does exist on this game for OS(which command overrides other command) or a specific unblockable setup like Eddie ]D[ + FB invite hell, if they hit at exactly the same time frame on which attack hit first, so it's actually possible to block those so called unblockable ... thought it already on different context than Hitbox collision >.>

[Digital Watches]

The reasons I consider it a degenerate term are as follows:

-Due to a number of properties like the disparate hitboxes that sometimes exist between active frames of the same move, things to do with spacing, etc., saying that one move will "reliably" beat another move is ill-expressed by the concept of "priority." It's more often the case that a move can be used to beat another move, and when it is a reliable fact, it's usually due to something like "The move is fully invulnerable, it will win every time, obviously" or something like that. Priority is not just inaccurate, it's actually a bad analogy for the behavior.

-The term is inherently confusing to new fighting game players. Especially due to mechanics that are more heavy-handed, such as Blazblue's "Invulnerability to X type of hit", players who aren't familiar with fighting games at a technical level may be led to believe that priority is actually A Thing™. Any misinformation we can avoid spreading is a plus.

-If we use the term priority to (very inaccurately) describe hitbox interaction, we can't use it to describe the cases where a priority system is actually at play, such as in option selects. This ship may already have sailed, but it's roughly annoying as all fucking get-out to try to circumlocute that particular term out of an explanation of option-selects or an option-select-adjacent situation.

tl;dr: Stop saying priority to mean "Good hitbox." It's a stupid term and you should feel bad for using it.

[Circuitous]

^ Leaving that post because it's good. The rest were bad. Let's all move on now.