tataki

The members of the SRK community really know their stuff when it comes to playing Street Fighter competitively. As a matter of fact, I gained most of my SF related knowledge by lurking and reading on SRK's forums. But I think that what I like to call "new-school" type of fighting games are often misunderstood among the SF players. By that I mean games like the Guilty Gear series, Melty Blood series, Arcana Heart, Blazblue etc. etc. Many SRK members look at a SF game and see the flow of the match, the gameplan, the spacing, the mind games etc. etc., but when they look at NSFGs (New School Fighting Games) all they can put their fingers on are the combos, which means they can only see the most basic and obvious part of the match. I think after a player gains deeper understanding of how NSFGs work, he will be able to transfer his SF fundamentals into this type of games as well. So this guide will help you to understand NSFG using your existing knowledge of Street Fighter. (Feel free to correct me if you see something that bothers you. I should note that I have read the MBAA guide for SF players on Melty Bread but I wanted to do something more general and less game specific, since MBAA is a unique beast of his own.) Since I love the format Maj used for his SF handbook, I'll do something similar, giving plenty of video examples. Part 1- Movement This is the 1st brick wall we encounter when switching from SF to New School. The golden rule of SF is that being in the air is worse than being on the ground, since in the air you can't block, you can't do more than one attack and you can't really move. (You are moving but you are stuck at the predetermined course you committed on 2 seconds ago when you pressed either u/b, u or u/f) Those big limitations make jumping a risky option. In NS though, it's different- You have options now! You can block most of the stuff coming at you, and you can move around the air by doing double jumps and air dashes. That said, air movement does have some limitations: Air dashes are somewhat risky (We will refer to that later), and you are still "stuck" in your new predetermined course after using all your aerial abilities until you hit the ground.(While your grounded opponent can position himself at the angles he can deal with you at ease, or even jump and interact with you from the air) You also can't block some ground moves while being airborne (Like in SF Alpha games) unless you use some form of advanced defense that requires strict timing and/or is limited by a gauge. (Be it the super bar or it's own bar) So while limitations still exist, air movement gives you enough freedom and versatility to make up for it, so you will be jumping around a lot. 1.1-Jumping and Double jumping- This is an alternative way to move around. Depending on the matchup you might want to get to your opponent from the ground, from the air, or both equally. It's really all about the angles and ranges and where you have the advantage over the opponent's character. Your character's normals are critical at controlling space while you are traveling the air. It's pretty common to see players jump and on the way up use a normal with a fast startup and a fast recovery (usually a light attack) and then do whatever they wanted to do, be it to air dash backwards or land on the opponent with their preferred normal for jump-ins. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fM2z93PVM-8#t=2m14s The weak normal at the start of the jump is a safe http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMy2auKtTYQ#t=3m06s "option select" in case the opponent did decide to come to them from the air at the same time, so it's actually a very solid anti-air. You can also see the characters using aerial normals that have long horizontal hitbox, right before they land from a jump. This is another safe way to control space. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUf7fTmMQR4#t=1m19s Landing on the ground prevents the normal from having any recovery, and it can hit opponents who try to run at you from the ground as you land. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INe5xXjMrT8#t=2m11s Double jumping is used to mix up the options you have to approach your opponent, after you already committed to a jump. Let's say both you and your opponent are jumping at each other. You can try to beat his air to air move with your air to air move, or you can quickly double jump, and while he's doing his air to air move you attack from above him with your to ground move. You win. Another good example is when you are jumping at a character that has great anti air move, but with slow recovery. Use a neutral double jump at the last moment to make him whiff the move, then land on him as he recovers, with no time to do another anti air or even to block. You can also use moves that keep you in the air for the same purpose. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_UmlLNjK7g#t=1m15s Just remember that if the opponent predicted that and did nothing, you are out of movement options and are stuck landing at him, giving him the advantage. 1.2-Air dashing- Forward air dash- IMO this is the New School equivalent to jumping forward in old school games. It's that risky option to get in someone's face and not being able to block while doing it, just like jumping forward in SF. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4qJ4rMEh8A#t=3m56s You can even consider it being a riskier option because in SF you can use your 1 aerial move at different times to counter different anti airs. For example use it late to deal with a Dictator's s.HK or use it early to prevent him from jumping at you with j.MP. But you can't do anything during the beginning of your airdash. No blocking, no attacking, nothing. You are a sitting duck. Umm, more like an airdashing duck actually.  As such, you won't see it being used much in matches, excluding specific cases where it's much safer, such as chasing an air back dashing opponent, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUf7fTmMQR4#t=1m25s or to dash high above the opponent to the other side of the screen in order to avoid the corner. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SOv52LpzvY#t=56s Backwards air dash- This is used to quickly gain some space between you and your opponent. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4qJ4rMEh8A#t=6m18s It's advised not to start it when you are really close to the opponent, since you can't block while doing it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMy2auKtTYQ#t=4m24s At range zero you have other tools such as jumping back while blocking and the ground back dash (which works exactly like back dashes in SF4, which some invincible frames on the start, and vulnerable frames at the end) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xx5_UczdEMI#t=21s As with jumping, after the aerial backdash you use your big horizontal move to catch pursuers. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMy2auKtTYQ#t=1m36s 1.3- Jump-in mixups, using all your available options- Once you have them in a situation they won't anti-air you (either they can't or they are scared to push buttons because of your high priority jump-in option), it's time for a jump-in mixup. The first option is to air dash at the last possible moment and attack from there. Unlike a regular jump-in, the timing they need to block this is exactly as if you just landed and attacked low. So it's a true mixup. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Uod1Eg5e54#t=3m30s The second option, like I had just told you, is to empty jump into a low http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27ZvzmL1Wiw#t=4m34s You can even whiff the aerial normal to hide your real plan better… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xc9Mmz2VESQ#t=1m16s The third option is to empty jump into throw http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUf7fTmMQR4#t=34s Instead of an air dash, you can also use an overhead special that leaves you airborne while normally you should have landed already. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrxFRbHrgxs#t=1m58s Or use a jump-in that is 2 hits instead of just one, and expecting you to land and do a low, the opponent will won't block the second overhead hit. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xc9Mmz2VESQ#t=1m04s How about faking a crossup using an air dash? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xc9Mmz2VESQ#t=03s Or using an air dash to mix up which direction your opponent needs to block you projectile? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUgXwUSz05k#t=3m16s Make sure to check out all the tools and options your character has to make every opportunity count. 1.4- Ground movement- When both players choose to stay on the ground, the game will look similar to SF, but only with running and some sort of a way of faking it. Arcsystem games let you cancel the running momentum with the advanced blocking mechanic so it's used a lot as a spacing tool. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMy2auKtTYQ#t=2m58s

Be specific. Which character, because they sure aren't with the characters I checked.

There's no "final" in video games. If the game makes money they'll make a P2 Grand Prix or some bullshit that continues the story.

We worked very hard on this so please spread it around your newbie friends. Hopefully it will get enough attention so we could make more and more episodes. Playlist: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLj34EySs1Ieb8Wjnj9H2Q-G4mdPXTd_xH

It's over. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYssPNLHp_Y

This week it all ends... RIP you will be missed, Guilty Bits.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqYupY43714&feature=c4-overview&list=UUL45vmk8Jx3Pa3q0xUbZWtw

For a character guide, not a system guide.

Next question: Let's say you classify the content in Guilty Bits as purely "beginner" content. Other than combos, what type of content would be added as "intermediate" content?

I still think I gave the bare minimum required. I didn't dump any info just for the sake of dumping it. Most of the content was actually cut, so that each vid won't be half hour long. With that said, I kinda get your point about not being obvious enough with showing the bigger picture at times, and it's already addressed in BlazBits, but just remember that we don't want to impose a specific playstyle "this is how the character is played" because there's enough room for somewhat different ways to play each character, at least at the nuance level.

What?

We are designing a completely new & improved format for BlazBits. Every thing you think Guilty Bits was missing please let us know ASAP.

Episode 24 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzSG6VRw_j0

You paid full price to get it one year in advance. Let's say Xrd comes out tomorrow for 60$ and you know that a year from now it will cost 20$. Are you going to wait a whole year while watching us enjoying the game and get better at it? Or maybe you'll understand that you are paying to get the game right here and now, and be glad that a year later, a lower price tag will be able to attract new people who would have been hesitant to try the game otherwise.

Because videogames evolve and get better, or maybe you want to stick with BBCT? So by giving you a discount one is being a money grubber? You guys are too cheap if you think *fighting games* are screwing you over. How about actual pay to win games like Magic the Gathering and LoL? Those models are way more successful despite shitting on the concept of fair competition, and you should be glad fighting games keep their competitive integrity.

While it won't solve your current problem, I think it's a good standard to enforce in all the future games, even Xrd and P4U2 and the next BB, should a scenario like this arise again. You can't have an excuse if you know a console exclusive will not be tournament legal before you even get your hands on a game.

IMO ban all console characters, for being console characters, until ASW puts them in the arcade version, which they will eventually, probably this year, because characters cost a lot to create so they'll be used later to attract people to the newer arcade balance patch. ASW doesn't care about releasing experimental, unpolished, beta version material for the fan service home version, which is something they have always done in GG and BB, because for them the arcade version is where the serious business and the tournaments are. I'd rather play the "standard" version of the game rather than sacrifice western tournaments on the altar of their beta test. As soon as they put them in the arcade, regardless if they changed them or not, then you can make them legal again. To me this feels like pre-GGAC+R Justice and Kliff, EX, black and gold characters. Regardless of who is too strong and who isn't, no arcade=no tournament play. Debating if a character is too strong can go on forever, but the console exclusivity rule saves everyone the headache and is the most fair. If an arcade character is too strong, it's EVERYONE's problem and ASW will fix it because it harms the JP arcade scene (which is the best authority to discover who is really strong to begin with) but if a console exclusive is too strong, ASW has no reason to give a shit about some small western tournament scene.

Cheer up guys http://oi41.tinypic.com/j0l4wy.jpg

I'll need your gmail

So umm to avoid any further problems, any additional Kliff and Justice players want to look at their scripts?

Episode 1 REMASTERED is up.

As I said, right now I'm only doing beta phase i.e. measuring the time it takes to make an episode from scratch. If you want to write about CP Rachel, PM me your email and I'll give you access to the document page.

There are no "deadlines". You just write a huge forum post with all the main important stuff one needs to know about the character, in a template we'll provide, and we make a script out of it, and when you look at it and approve it your role is done. It's only supposed to be a few hours of work in your free time overall. And I don't want people doing scripts for characters who aren't their mains unless there is no other choice.

People are willing to donate but it's in the ambiguous "can or cannot happen" area right now. At this point we need 1 BB character expert to help us create a "beta" episode, so we can test the new time saving approach for the production we were working on. Obviously if the project get funded he'll get paid for his time when the episode is published like all the rest of the people who will help.

PM with links sent.