Alpha 3: Q & A

Classic Fighting Games Street Fighter Alpha Anthology
1521

I’m pretty sure training mode is a console-only feature.

Speaking of which, I found out an interesting little quagmire with blue blocking and reducing block damage. Essentially all blocked hits do one point of block damage…so things that do moderate or heavy block damage do so because they are a large number of hits (ie Rolento Patriot Circle, various supers etc). But that’s the problem- say Chun-Li’s Roundhouse lightning kick does 6 points of block damage in one set. It does so because it’s actually 1+1+1+1+1+1…so if blue blocking does reduce block damage, it’s impractical in a lot of situations, as you can’t reduce something that’s only 1 point of damage, as it will round back up to one full point again. Maybe it nly mattes in X-ISM vs X-ISM where everyone is taking more block damage…or maybe in that case it just rounds up to two points of damage…

Anyway, couldn’t confirm counter-mashing, as I only have two arms presently. And while I do emply the OG training moe tactic of using my foot or other random objects to hold joystick/controller directions and buttons, mashing two things at once can get pretty difficult. Did seem to work with a throw though, even though mashable throws are already known to have that property. I was using Rose’s throw, which can’t be mashed for more damage, but can be mashed by the throwee for less damage, and, as far as i could tell, could also be counter-mashed to retain damage.

I was able to damage reduce most of the hits (easily more than half) of Ryu’s hurricane kick super.

Blue blocking does need to be inputted 3 frames BEFORE the block, and I was able to do it with one input. Ditto for damage reduction, though I’m not sure if you need the inpt before or as you’re being hit. I’d assume before.

Looks like you take a little more damage to the Guard meter whe crouching…

Oh, and I saw the best red flash ever…I was trying to blue block Balrog’s level 3 super with Chun Li, and I was mashing the buttons with Chun, and I accidentially did an Alpha Counter…and Balrog red flashed her out of it…

Oh, and you can damage reduce Akuma’s demon flip grab (the punch one, not the kick one). I wasn’t sure if you could, as it sorta looked like one of those throws that slams you into the ground, but not really. So yeah, that’s a good thing…

1522

[quote]
*Originally posted by TS *
snip
[/Quote]
I’m pretty sure blue-mashing was mainly intended to cut the ammount of guard meter you incur from blocking, and not really for damage? :confused:

About the rounding up to 2 points of damage, I think it would not. Since, it rounds up anyway.

Basically, lets say the lightning leg does :
1.9 block damage = rounds to 2
1.5 block damage = rounds to 2
1.3 block damage = rounds to 2

1.9 block damage x 0.9375 = 1.78125 = rounds to 2
1.6 block damage x 0.5 = 0.8 = rounds to 1

My impression was that all damage in the game rounds up no matter what. And, I had also assumed the rounding was applied to the end of the equation.

[quote]
*Originally posted by TS *
snip
Anyway, couldn’t confirm counter-mashing, as I only have two arms presently.
[/Quote]
:lol:
I was hoping you had somebody else around to help you test. You know, another human being with another pair of hands. :smiley:

Sorry, I know what you meant, but it was just funny anyway. :stuck_out_tongue:

[quote]
*Originally posted by TS *
**snip
I was able to damage reduce most of the hits (easily more than half) of Ryu’s hurricane kick super.
**
[/Quote]
Omg! My fingers must have crapped out on me the 5 or 6 times I tested this. I was able to damage reduce the whole thing this morning. Weird. >.<

Thanks for confirming.

[quote]
*Originally posted by TS *
snip
Oh, and I saw the best red flash ever…I was trying to blue block Balrog’s level 3 super with Chun Li, and I was mashing the buttons with Chun, and I accidentially did an Alpha Counter…and Balrog red flashed her out of it…
[/Quote]
Sweet. :smiley:
Too bad you didn’t record it? :frowning:

Oh, hell yes - that’s a good thing. Unless counter-mashing nullifies that (if it even exists).

I highly doubt anyone’s going to be counter-mashing during a VC just to prevent damage-reduction though. :o

Especially considering Akumas VCs are so timing sensitive.

1523

nuff talking… just mash the buttons and shutup!.. have a nice day.

1524

This level of detail is unnecessary.

1525

im sure for a v sak it is unnecessary… hides }_{

1526

i dunno bout that. eg check Balrog’s final TAP…
isn’t block damage supposed to be 10% of full damage? that’s what i remember it being in SF2:WW anyway :stuck_out_tongue:

but i had some questions for anyone who has a copy of AAA3 :slight_smile:

  • how many frames in the hopkick do Ryu and Akuma have to cancel into a special (i suspect Ryu has more frames)?
  • how many frames does Sim have to cancel into a special on his slide?

pretty please… with sugar on top… :slight_smile:

1527

You’re missing the point.

It is necessary in order to figure out weather or not it’s worth it, and when to use it. The details aren’t important, but necessary.

After all the details are worked out, then people can look at the facts and simplify it for everyne else by saying “No, it sucks” or “Yes, use it: 'here, and 'here, and 'here”.

That’s how everything works out in the end. The pro players use some special tatic or trick – other people pick it apart – then it gets simplified for everyone else who can’t understand or don’t cae about the hardcore details.

To simplify what we’re looking at here: Mashing helps, but only before the 5th-8th hit in a combo. After that, it’s a wasted effort so don’t use it vs large combos.

1528

k, why dont we talk about something more usefull?

ill suggest a topic…: LINKZ! oyeah. i had been using cammy, and now i can get c. strong, s. jab XX super fairly easy… also 2 c. strongs in a row when the oponent gets up, or when its landing from a jump… those frame cause +1 hitstun, thus allowing me to do links… but i still have problems getting c. short, c. forward without those special frames.

well, i hear ur comments, also replays r welcome…

1529

Umm… You can talk about two topics at the same time. Hell, you can talk about as many as you want. You don’t have to change the topic.

Just because you don’t like a topic doesn’t mean other people should stop discussing it.

1530

So to simplify for the slow-witted player like me; mashing is good.
Use it early on in supers and VC’s since most of the damage comes from there.

As far as I’m concerned if mashing saves even 10% of the damage in an Akuma VC it’s worth doing. Every little bit helps.

1531

To put it simply: I would just use it on the first 7 hits of a combo, and only on really big damage moves/throws.

Remember that damage scales down in big combos. Eventually the combo starts doing only 1 pixel of damage. At that point, mashing literally does nothing for you.

A-Ryu crouching Fierce does 16 pixels of damage, just to put things in perspective.

So, let’s say the combo starts doing 9 pixels of damage, and a red flash is only netting you a x0.9375 damage reduction. That reduces the damage to 8.4375, however the game rounds up on every calculation, so it puts that value back at 9 pixels. Thus, you saved nothing.

The only time mashing is really going to do much good is with moves that do huge damage, the first 8 hits of a combo or less, and with mashable throws.

Since tech-hitting doesn’t decrease the damage completely, you’re going to want to try and mash the throw down for additional damage reduction.

One thing to keep in mind about mashing is that if you mash too many buttons too often, you run the risk of an early tech. flip, which = combo reset and in most cases = death.

1532

Sorry, for the most part, the book doesn’t have that info on specific moves. It only says if it’s cancelable or not, or how many total frames it is, etc…

I think I found some reversal data, which may double as blockstun data…

1533

EVer mash, then accidentally flip and activate VC? :slight_smile: Sucks…

1534

Yup…

And in GGXX/#R, mashed into a instant kill activation. :bluu:

Saw that happen in a match vid I downloaded recently, glad I’m not the only one it happens to.

I’m starting to mash with the directions + kicks only. Just so I don’t risk accidently activating a VC. But, if you flip when you don’t mean to, it sucks just as bad.

I wounder how effective it is to just mash by doing repeated/quick 360’s + spam jab+FK.

1535

If you mean Ryu and Akuma whiff-cancelling the hopkick into a special, no it seems that they can’t.

If you mean Sim whiff-cancelling a SK slide into a special, then it’s a maximum of 6 frames (any longer and the special won’t cancel a whiff slide).

1536

I think he means the hopkick special cancel (assuming the hopkick hits either blocked or unblocked) into whatever i.e. the hopkick->dp combo

1537

Well then, Ryu can cancel his hopkick into a special 26 frames after the hopkick starts and hits/blocked. Ryu completes the hopkick animation in 27 frames, so cancelling a hopkick into a special saves 1 frame.

Akuma can’t seem to cancel his hopkick (whether the hopkick hits or not, Akuma can only DP after the hopkick animation ends at 27 frames), but the hitstun from the hopkick is long enough for Akuma to recover and combo with the DP anyway. Which leads me to wonder if Akuma’s hopkick hits as a counter hit and pops the opponent in the air if the opponent will be able to air-recover.

1538

unfortunatley i have the book, and unlike the more helpful cvs2 guide, it doesn’t list hit/blockstun. Also Akuma CAN special cancel, even a hurricane kick (only on standing chars while ryu can’t do it at all unless its on counter)

1539

hrm? Hopkick into DP is a LINK with akuma?

Or not? It only saves 1 frame?? That’s kinda tight isn’t it? What is the startup on DP?

wow… all questions. :slight_smile:

1540

Yes, my mistake. Akuma can cancel his hopkick.

Hopkick hits on 21st frame and ends on the 27th.

If the hopkick hits, and additional 11 frames is added as hitspark (I failed to take this into account). Basically, if the hopkick hits, an additional 11 frames of animation showing sparklies are added, marking his recovery time at the 38th frame.

Dragon Punch input be accepted starting the 26th, but won’t come out until the 28 if the hopkick whiffs, or the 33rd if it does (meaning that the recovery for the hopkick is shortened by 5 frames).

In Ryu’s case. Dragon Punch comes out on the 28th frame, so he saves 10 frames, not 1.

Akuma’s JP, SP, and FP Dragon punch hits Ken standing at the 7th, 5th, and 6th frame of animation, respectively.

Hitstun from the hopkick lasts 17 frames (Ken can block an attack starting from the 18th frame).

BTW I don’t have AAA3 book. I’m only basing this on frame-by-frame inputs on an emulator, so none of the numbers I mentioned come with any guarantees.