FIRST THINGS FIRST: Let’s not start yet another fucking smash vs street fighter argument. I play both, I enjoy both and I know what I’m doing in both. so STFU I’m tired of people derailing threads instantly over this shit.:karate:
Directional Influence, here on referred to as DI, is present in Super Smash Bros Melee/Brawl (64 did NOT have DI, hence all combos were guaranteed in that game) and to a lesser extent in the Soul Calibur series.
Directional influence is as simple as holding a direction while you are being hit to influence which direction you fly from the attack. Smash DI is a step further, offering greater influence if you hit the control stick at the exact moment you are being hit. Here’s a example of it in action:
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DI is used to escape combos and survive longer than normal. However even the best DI can read by top players, and thus amazing combos can and do still happen.
That’s how it works in Smash. In Soul Calibur, it’s as simple as holding a direction so you are not juggled by the same B launcher over and over again.
While a number of players would laugh at the idea that combos aren’t guaranteed, think about it the next time you are juggled indefinitely in the corner by Magneto for example. While I know Marvel players love their infinites, and it is what makes Marvel Marvel.
Imagine if he had to work at it to keep it going? You made try to DI your way out of the corner, maybe shake the stick to recover, and attempt a counter attack? He reads it, and has to intercept you to keep you in the corner. Or you escape?
Now I know what you are thinking: “Dude, they already have air techs in fighting games, your opponent can read them and continue to corner rape you, wtf are you getting at?”
What I’m getting at is something like this: Think of a typical strategy RPG. They pretty much all use a grid system exactly like a chess board. Everyone is confined to move within those spaces, in straight lines of some fashion.
Now what if you got rid of the grid?
Suddenly any kind of movement is possible, and you are not confined to straight lines anymore.
This is a much simpler and less gimmicky idea than other ideas that have emerged over the years, such as the burst from Guilty Gear or the infamous Combo breaker from Killer Instinct.
Discuss.