This Guide was made with the intention of being viewed with 77 chars per line *********1*********2*********3*********4*********5*********6*********7******* It is best viewed with a monospaced font, such as Courier, at size 10, with 1 inch margins on all sides (using Microsoft Word, I am able to view this Guide properly with Courier at size 10 with all four margins set to 1 inch. If you do not know how to change the margins, click on the "File" button in the menu bar and then select "Page Setup". In there, you can adjust the margins for a document such as this one). The asterisks above should fit perfectly on only one line and any additional characters added to the line will be moved to the next line below it. If the above, suggested setup causes the above asterisks to NOT fit on one line, try decreasing the left and right margin so that they are less than 1 inch. It should fit on 1 line that way, just not perfectly!!
STREET FIGHTER ALPHA 3: COMBO AND SYSTEMS GUIDE version 1.0 Applicable to the Arcade, Playstation, Saturn Import, and Dreamcast versions of Street Fighter Alpha 3. All references to Fei Long, Dee Jay, T.Hawk, Guile, and Evil Ryu apply only to the three home versions of Street Fighter Alpha 3. Some references to Balrog may not apply to the Arcade version, as Balrog was slightly altered in his transition from Arcade to home. written by James Chen
Unpublished work Copyright 1999 James Chen
PLEASE READ THIS SECTION BEFORE READING THE REST OF THE GUIDE: This Guide is written and thus owned by me, James Chen. Any attempt to reproduce this Guide in any way, whether it be on paper or on computer or through any other known method, is prohibited. The information in this Guide cannot be used IN ANY WAY for profit. It cannot be sold to anyone or traded in any sort of commercial transaction. The information in this Guide cannot be used and printed as your own information in any magazine, fanzine, Web Site, or other unmentioned form of publication. It cannot be used as a bonus or gift to a purchase as an encouragement for people to buy your product. This Guide may only be distributed freely. Any desire to reprint or reuse any information that you have learned from this Guide is allowed ONLY if: 1) Proper credit is given to me as the original author. 2) You have contacted me through e-mail and requested permission to use any information you learned specifically from this Guide and have received my consent.
"To continue, this FAQ and everything included herein is protected by International Copyright Law. Failure to adhere to any of the above will result in violation of the aformentioned [sic] law, and consquently [sic], may be the cause of legal action against prepetrators [sic]. Remember that breach of copyright (not to mention plagiarism) is a crime. If you disagree with any part of this disclaimer, you must promptly delete / destroy this FAQ. To put it simply, don't try and make a living off of my work, since I have every right to take legal action against you if you do so. FAQ ripping, plagiarism and misuse is sadly blatant in today's world. However, if it happens to you, remember that anything you create is automatically protected by copyright, and that gives you the right to take legal action, assert your rights, and punish transgressors to the fullest extent of the law." -- taken from Kao Megura's Street Fighter Alpha 3 FAQ
And to set an example of how I myself obey these copyright laws, I hereby give full credit to Kao Megura for writing the above paragraph regarding the International Copyright Law. It was very well stated, so I have used it in my Guide rather than paraphrasing it and writing my own. I have not tried in any way to make a profit by quoting his paragraph in this Guide and have given full credit to him for writing it. Although the above paragraph uses the word "FAQ" and was written for Kao's own Alpha 3 FAQ, its content and meaning still applies to this Guide.
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The Street Fighter game series, the Final Fight series, the DarkStalker series (specifically NightWarriors and Vampire Savior), and the Marvel Vs. Games series are (c) Capcom of Japan and (c) Capcom of America. Marvel is (c) Marvel Comics. All other copyrights and trademarks that I have failed to mention are also acknowledged.
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===================================================== This Guide can be found at GameFAQs: www.gamefaqs.com =====================================================
This Guide is deceptively named. It, in fact, deals very little with Combos; i.e. it is not designed to give you Combos for each character, like most Combo FAQs do. More accurately, this is JUST a Street Fighter Alpha 3 SYSTEMS Guide. It mainly deals with the different systems that SFA3 employs: Counter Hits, Juggles, Flipping, etc. However, who would want to read something just entitled: The Street Fighter Alpha 3 Systems Guide? So forgive me for the misleading name (of course, to make up for it, I will include a Basic Combo Techniques section :-). However, I think that this will be a valuable Guide to all Street Fighter Alpha 3 players. Capcom has used a lot of strange new systems with a lot of strange rules, many of which have sparked various debates on the likes of alt.games.sf2 (especially the Juggling System). Through many labored experiments and the valuable aid of many other Street Fighter players out there, I think I have pinpointed the rules and regulations that govern most of the systems of SFA3. This Guide will hopefully provide you with a clear, accurate explanation of why things work the way they do and how knowing these facts can help you take advantage of them in your gameplay.
Please keep in mind this is a supplemental Guide for SFA3 players. This Guide will NOT list the codes for special moves, it will NOT tell you about the differences between X, A, and V-ism. For all of the technical information, please refer to Kao Megura's _excellent_ SFA3 FAQ. The information provided in that FAQ is more than adequate to satisfy those wanting to know the difference between Isms, codes for special modes, etc. This Guide is actually takes the technical concepts mentioned in the FAQ (such as Flipping and Juggling) and expands on them in great detail. Before reading this Guide, it might be a good idea to get yourself a copy of Kao's wonderful FAQ, because I will be using the same names for all the special moves that Kao uses in his FAQ. You can find Kao's FAQ at various sites, but try these two first and foremost:
I have extensively played the Arcade, PlayStation, and Saturn versions of this game. I have tried to note when something only applies to one version and not the others in this Guide, if it ever applies. However, I cannot be held accountable for differences between versions I was not aware of that could affect some of the specifics about a character that I mention. Also, because I have never played the Dreamcast version of the game (except for a few little things here and there), I cannot say what differences applies to it and what doesn't. So far, though, it seems more similar to the PlayStation version while the Saturn and Arcade seem to be nearly identical. erhaps if I have more time, one of these days I'll write a section detailing the differences between the four version (IF I ever get my hands on a Dreamcast version, which won't be anytime soon...).
There are going to be a lot of terms I'll use in this Guide that are either only familiar to Street Fighter veterans or words that I personally made up to describe certain things. Whichever the case, you may run into a term that you have NO clue as to what I am talking about. Thus, I've created this Glossary for the terms that I believe need a definition or terms that I just think should be in here. So if you are reading this Guide and run into a word or term you may not understand, look it up in the Glossary. You'll know if the word is in the Glossary for sure because any word that I've defined here will be capitalized.
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Alpha Counter - n. - The ability for A-ism and V-ism characters to perform a counter attack immediately after blocking an attack at the expense of part of their Super Meter and a chunk of their Guard Meter.
Animation Frame - n. - All of a characters actions are portrayed through Animation Frames. For example, a Crouching Short Kick from Ryu is composed of three Animation Frames: one where Ryu is starting to kick, one where Ryu has his leg extended, kicking at the enemy, and the last one with Ryu retracting his leg.
Anti-Air - adj. - Describes any attack that is designed or used for attacking enemies who are airborne. There are different levels of effectiveness, from nearly invincible Anti-Air moves (such as a ShouRyuKen), really effective but strange-looking Anti-Air moves (such as Guy's Crouching Strong, which doesn't hit upwards at all!), and really very ineffective Anti-Air moves (such as Dan's KouRyuKen, which barely beats any Jumping attacks).
Block Stun - n. - After blocking an attack, characters go into what is known as "Block Stun." During Block Stun, they are stuck in blocking animation and cannot do anything except block again (or Alpha Counter). The length of Block Stun depends on the attack that was blocked.
Buffer - v. - Buffering is the name given to a Street Fighter's ability to cancel certain Normal Moves' animation into a Special Move or a Super at certain Animation Frames of the attack (only if the Normal Move makes contact with the enemy).
Chain - v. - Used to generically describe the cancellation of any move into any other move. - n. - The act of Chaining one move to another.
Chain Combo - n. - The ability for certain characters to cancel a Normal Move into another Normal Move.
Close Up - adj. - Used to describe the type of Normal Move that can only be performed if you are within a certain distance of the enemy (usually a very small distance) in A-ism or X-ism. In V-ism, Close Up attacks are performed by holding Back on the controller.
Combometer - n. - The counter on the side of the screen that tells you how many hits your combo was.
Controls - Here is a diagram of the controls of a typical Street Fighter Alpha 3 machine. The names used in this Guide to describe the joystick positions and buttons label the diagram. The diagram is labeled as if your character is facing right.
JOYSTICK POSITIONS | BUTTONS ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ | ^^^^^^^ | Jump | o | Back Jump o | o Forward Jump | \ | / | o o o \ | / | JAB STRONG FIERCE Back o ----- o ----- o Towards | Neutral | o o o / | \ | SHORT FORWARD ROUNDHOUSE Defensive Crouch o | o Offensive Crouch | o | Crouch |
Corner - n. - The ends of the playing field, where the screens stop scrolling. The corner is the furthest to the side you can go.
Counter Hit - n. - This is when you connect an attack against an opponent in the middle of their attack. The game rewards you with a Counter Hit. - v. - To hit the enemy with a Counter Hit.
Cross-Up - n. - The type of attack that can hit the opponent behind you when you jump over them. An example of this is Zangief's Down + Fierce in the air, which can hit behind him when he jumps over the opponent. - v. - To land such a hit on an opponent.
Crouch - adj. - The condition your character is in if you hold any of the three down positions on the joystick. Describes attacks done from this position. - v. - To press one of the down positions to cause your character to be in a crouching position.
Custom Combos - n. - The name of the special attack method in Street Fighter Alpha 2 that allowed you to Chain any attack into any other attack at the expense of your entire Super Meter. - n. - Also the name of the special attack method available to V-ism characters in Street Fighter Alpha 3. However, to avoid confusion, I will call Custom Combos performed by characters in Alpha 3 by an alternate name: Variable Combos (VCs), named after the V-ism character mode (Variable Mode). Note that the game itself DOES call the VCs by the name of Custom Combos (or Original Combos in the Japanese version). Variable Combos is not their official name, but I will use it to distinguish it from Alpha 2's Custom Combos.
Damage Scaling - n. - The system in almost every Capcom fighting game where combos do less and less damage as the number of hits increases.
Delay Period - n. - The period in a Special Move where your character can no longer hit the opponent and is still stuck in recovery time. For example, in R.Mika's Shooting Peach (reverse Fireball + Kick), when she lands on the floor, she is in Delay Period, because the attack cannot hit the enemy anymore and she is stuck in delay.
Directional Moves - n. - The name of Normal Moves that require you to hold a specific direction on the joystick. Ryu's Hop Kick is an example of this because you have to hold Towards on the controller and hit Forward Kick in order to do the move. Leaving the joystick at Neutral or Back will not result in the Hop Kick.
Exhibition Combos - n. - This is what I call combos that have no practicality whatsoever, but are really funny, cool, or amazing to see. Combos that are really cool but give the enemy about 8 chances to Flip and end the combo can be considered an Exhibition Combo. A combo that wastes a Level 3 for one measly hit, but looks cool or is used to do something weird is an Exhibition combos. Basically, they are just for show.
Far Away - adj. - Used to describe the type of Normal Move that is NOT a Close Up move. In A-ism and X-ism, this usually means the Normal Move is performed at a distance away from the opponent. In V-ism, Far Away moves are normally done by leaving the controller at Neutral or by holding Towards on the controller.
Fierce - n. - One of the attack buttons. See CONTROLS.
Flip - n. - The ability to cancel out your own Reel in the air by hitting two punch buttons at the same time. Your character will recover and land on his/her feet. Note, however, that the official technical term for Flipping is "Breakfalls." - v. - To perform a Flip.
Forward - n. - One of the attack buttons. See CONTROLS.
Guard Meter - n. - This is the meter underneath a character's energy bar. It drains after blocking attacks and recovers its energy slowly. If it is completely drained, the character will go into a small period of stun where they are vulnerable to any incoming attacks.
Hard Attack - n. - One of the three Normal Move attack strengths. Hard Attacks refer to the Fierce and Roundhouse buttons.
Hit Frame - n. - An Animation Frame of your character that actually can register a hit. For example, Ryu's Crouching Fierce has multiple Hit Frames. He can hit with the Animation Frame with his fist still at chest level as well as the Animation Frame with his hand up in the air. The Animation Frame where he is retracting his arm, however, is NOT a Hit Frame because it cannot hit anyone in the particular frame.
Hit Freeze - n. - Name I use to describe the slight delay that occurs whenever a move makes contact. Whenever a move connects, the game freezes for half a second normally.
Hit Throw - n. - Describes one class of Throws. Hit Throws generally register on the Combometer (for more details, please read the section regarding Hit Throws). What classifies Hit Throws mainly is the fact that all characters can be Juggled after a Hit Throw.
Hitting Potential - n. - The portion of your move's animation that contains nothing but Hit Frames.
Jab - n. - One of the attack buttons. See CONTROLS.
Juggle - n. - Any hit that occurs against an opponent in the middle of a Reel in the air. - v. - To hit the opponent with a Juggle.
Juggle Limit - n. - The restriction that the game implements when a character is Juggled into a corner. Once the Juggle Limit is activated, you are only allowed one more Juggle.
Jump - v. - To hit one of the three up positions on the controller, which causes your character to jump into the air. - adj. - Used to describe attacks done while in a Jump.
Knock-Down - n. - A move that, when landed on an opponent, causes the opponent to fall on their backs (as opposed to landing on their feet). - adj. - Used to describe a move that causes a Knock-Down.
Link - n. - A combo method where you combo two moves in a row not based on any special combo method. The first move simply recovers right away and the second move simply comes out really quickly.
Meaty - adj. - Describes attacks that are timed so that the enemy gets up into it when they get up after being knocked down.
Medium Attack - n. - One of the three Normal Move attack strengths. Medium Attacks refer to the Strong and Forward buttons.
Meter - n. - When using the word Meter, I am referring to the secondary Meter at the bottom of the screen that tells you how much Super energy you have (in A-ism and X-ism) or how much Variable Combo energy you have (in V-ism).
Neutral - n. - Describes the position of the joystick when you are not holding it at all. See CONTROLS.
Neutral State - n. - The period of time when your character is NOT in the middle of any move or jump. A Neutral State is when you character is on the ground and has the freedom to choose any action, including walk, Crouch, Jump, attack, and block.
Non-Throw Jugglable - adj. - Describes one class of characters that cannot be Juggled after a Normal Throw.
Normal Move - n. - This is used to describe any attack performed by a character that does not require a joystick motion. Normal Moves do not cause block damage and are done by simple, single button presses. Directional Moves count as Normal Moves because they only require a joystick position, not a motion.
Normal Throw - n. - One of the two classes of Throws. A Normal Throw is a Throw that does just that: Throws the opponent. A Normal Throw is distinguishable from a Hit Throw in the fact that Non-Throw Jugglable characters cannot be Juggled after a Normal Throw.
Offensive Crouch - n. - Describes a position of the joystick. See CONTROLS.
Overheads - n. - Describes the name of an attack performed from the ground that must be blocked while Standing. If the enemy Crouch blocks, they will get hit by Overheads.
Projectile - n. - The generic name applied to all Special Moves where the character attacks the opponent with a Fireball. Ryu's Hadouken, Charlie's Sonic Boom, Sagat's Tiger Shot, and Chun Li's Kikoken are all examples.
Rapid Fire Weak Attack - n. - The type of Weak Attack that can Chain into any other Weak Attack.
Reel - n. - This is the action of a character when they are hit by a move.
Reel Arc - n. - The Reel Arc is what I call the path that a character falls in after being hit by a Knock Down move. When hit by a Knock Down, the character usually flies upwards a little and then falls back down in an arc.
Reel Stun - n. - Describes the period of animation when the character is in the process of getting hit. The character remains in Reel until he/she returns to a Neutral State and can block, attack, etc.
Repeated Button Tapping Special Move - n. - The name I use that refers to they type of Special Move that requires you to repeatedly tap on a button in order to activate it. Gen's Hyakurenkou, Honda's Hyakuretsu Harite, and Chun Li's Hyakuretsu Kyaku are the only Special Moves in the game that fall into this category.
Reversal - adj. - This describes the ability for a character to go from one a "non-hittable" state straight into a Special Move instantly with nothing happening in between. There are three situations that a player is able to perform a Reversal attack: 1) Going straight from getting up off the floor (during which you are invincible) into a Special Move (the INSTANT you are done getting up, the first Animation Frame you go into is your Special Move). 2) Going straight from Block Stun into a Special Move (the INSTANT your Block Stun ends, the first Animation Frame you go into is your Special Move). 3) If you are hit out of the air by a non-Knock Down move and can no longer be Juggled, you can go straight from your landing animation (during which you are invincible) into a Special Move the INSTANT you land (right when you land, the first Animation Frame you will go into will be your Special Move). This is most useful in conjunction will moves that are invincible when they start (Ryu or Ken's Shouryuken, Cammy's Cannon Spike, most Level 3 Super Combos, a Variable Combo, etc.), as they will beat any attack or Throw that is attempted on you at that first instant when you become vulnerable again.
Roll - n. - This is the ability for a character, after getting hit by a Knock Down attack or getting hit out of the air, to roll forward the instant they hit the ground. The distance you roll can be controlled depending on how long you hold Towards on the controller (there is a min and a max distance, however). - v. - To perform a Roll.
Roundhouse - n. - One of the attack buttons. See CONTROLS.
Shadow - n. - This is the name for the clone of yourself that also can attack the enemy produced by the activation of a Variable Combo.
Short - n. - One of the attack buttons. See CONTROLS.
Slide - n. - This is the classification of moves that cause the character performing the slide to travel forward with an attack that must be Crouch blocked. Bison's Crouching Roundhouse kick, Cody's Crouching Forward kick, and R.Mika's Crouching Roundhouse kick are examples of this type of move. - v. - To perform a slide.
Special Move - n. - This is used to describe the type of attack that requires a joystick motion or a combination of buttons to perform. One of the main properties of a Special Move is their ability to do damage even if the attack is blocked. Another property of a Special Move is the ability to be canceled into from a Bufferable Normal Move.
Spinning Pile Drivers - n. - This is the generic name given to all the Special Move Throws that require the Spinning Pile Drive motion: 5/8 of a circle on the joystick plus a button. Moves like Cammy's Hooligan Throw (not a Spinning Pile Driver motion to perform) and Sodom's Daikyou Burning (not an unblockable Throw) do not count.
Standing - adj. - The condition your character is in if the joystick is in any of the middle positions: Back, Towards, and Neutral. Describes attacks done from this position.
Straight Throws - n. - Describes one class of Throws. The best way to recognize Straight Throws is that, usually, your character just takes the enemy and literally Throws them (no form of hitting occurs at all). What distinguishes Straight Throws is the fact that Non-Throw Jugglable characters cannot be Juggled after this type of Throw.
Strong - n. - One of the attack buttons. See CONTROLS.
Supers - n. - Only in X-ism or A-ism, these are the attacks that, when performed, consume energy from your Meter.
Sweep - n. - An attack that must be Crouch blocked, including Slides. If you are performing a Stand block, you will be hit. - v. - To hit your enemy with a Sweep.
Throw - n. - Describes the form of attack, whether performed from the ground or in the air, that cannot be blocked at all. This can be a regular Throw (performed by holding a direction on the joystick and pressing 2 punches or two kicks, depending on the character), or a Special Move Throw, such as a Spinning Pile Driver. - v. - To perform a Throw.
Throw Jugglable - adj. - Describes one class of character that can be Juggled after any Throw, whether it be a Hit Throw or a regular Throw.
Towards - n. - Describes a position of the joystick. See CONTROLS.
Variable Combos - n. - Only in V-ism, the name of the special attack method that consumes energy from your Meter. See CUSTOM COMBOS.
Weak Attack - n. - One of the three Normal Move attack strengths. Weak Attacks refer to the Jab and Short buttons.
In keeping with the concept that this IS, in sorts, a "Combo" Guide, I will start of with an explanation of the basic, simple Combo techniques. Since the majority of Street Fighter experts will know most of this, this section can pretty much be skipped by such experts.
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-=BUFFERING/TWO-IN-ONES=- The most practiced and useful form of comboing in the Street Fighter series, since the days of Classic, through Super Turbo, the Alpha Series, and the Street Fighter Three series, is Buffering, also known as "Two-in-ones." The concept of Buffering is the ability for Street Fighters to be able to cancel the animation of certain Normal Moves into one of their Special Moves. Normally, the Normal Move causes the enemy to Reel long enough for the Special Move to hit them out of their Reel Stun, rewarding the attacker with a combo. An example of this is the ability for Ryu to cancel Crouching Forward Kick into a Hadouken for his most infamous two-hit combo. It is also key to note that since different moves put the enemy into different Reel Stun lengths, certain moves are better to be buffered from than others. All Jabs and Shorts (Weak Attacks) done from the ground cause the same Reel Stun length, the shortest Reel Stun length in the game. All Strongs and Forwards (Medium Attacks) cause the same Reel Stun length, which is longer than the Weak Attacks. And finally, all Fierces and Roundhouses (Hard Attacks) cause the same Reel Stun length, which are the longest Reel Stun lengths that can be caused by a Normal Move. Since Special Moves have varying distances and different speeds at which they come out, it becomes imperative to learn, for your character, which moves are Bufferable and which Special Moves combo from these moves. For instance, a move such as Rose's Soul Spiral is too slow to combo if you Buffer it from any Weak Attack. Crouch Jab Buffered into a Short Soul Spiral will not combo, because the Soul Spiral takes too long to come out, and the enemy will have recovered from their Reel Stun before it connects. However, since a Crouching Strong is Bufferable and causes a longer Reel Stun, a Short Soul Spiral will combo after it. However, a Roundhouse Soul Spiral is even SLOWER to come out than a Short Soul Spiral, so a Crouching Strong isn't even sufficient enough to Buffer from. Thus, a Crouching Fierce is in order for Rose. Crouching Fierce puts the enemy in a long enough Reel Stun that a Roundhouse Soul Spiral will combo afterwards. It is good to note that if a Special Move combos after being buffered from an attack, it is guaranteed to also Combo after any Normal Move of the same and stronger strengths. So for example, if Guy's Jab-Houzantou (Elbow Attack: Reverse Fireball + Punch) combos after being Buffered from Close Up Standing Strong, then it will also combo after being Buffered from Close Up Standing Forward (same strength Normal Move) AND Close Up Standing Fierce (Stronger Normal Move). Another quick example: since Ryu's Hadouken combos after being Buffered from a Crouching Jab, it is safe to assume that it will combo after ALL of Ryu's Bufferable moves, since they are all of equal or higher strength. Distancing can also affect the ability of Buffered Special Moves to combo or not. Guy's Jab-Houzantou can be comboed after a Close Up Standing Strong, but it won't combo after being Buffered from a Far Away Standing Strong because the Houzantou can't reach the enemy with the early Hit Frames that occur before the move has traveled a longer distance. By the time the move reaches the enemy, it is already in the later Hit Frames and the enemy has already recovered from their Reel Stun by that time.
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-=CHAIN COMBOS=- Chain Combos are the ability for a character to cancel the animation of a Normal Move into another Normal Move, much like Buffering is the ability to cancel Normal Moves into Special Moves. The sequence of Normal Moves cancel into each other so quickly that the opponent cannot recover from their Reel Stun quick enough to block. The reason why this is particularly useful is that, in most cases, the last move of a Chain Combo is Bufferable. Thus, after performing a Chain Combo, you can THEN buffer the last move in the chain into a Special Move to end the combo, giving you more hits than if you only used one Normal Move. In most cases, this also increases the damage you perform, so it's a useful technique. There are three different types of Chain Combos: the Rapid Fire Weak Attacks, The Classic CPSI Chain (the Doujioshi SP), and the Regular Chain Combos.
-Rapid Fire Weak Attacks- Rapid Fire Weak Attacks are basically the quick Jabs and Shorts that can be chained into themselves. The most well-known of these moves is Ryu and Ken's Crouching Short. If one is Crouching and hits Short as fast as possible when right next to the opponent, you can easily be rewarded with three successive Crouching Shorts for a three-hit combo (usually, the next Crouching Short misses, as the enemy has been pushed too far away). Thus, in essence, the Crouch Short is chaining into itself repeatedly. Thus, the Crouching Short of Ryu and Ken can be called a "Rapid Fire Weak Attack" in that it can chain into itself. That is a good, simple way to describe it. However, the actual technical way in which a Rapid Fire Weak Attack works in SFA3 is that it has the ability to Chain into ANY Weak Attack. If the Weak Attack it chains into happens to be ANOTHER Rapid Fire Weak Attack, you can then Chain from that one again. However, the restriction must be stated once again: you can only Chain a Rapid Fire Weak Attack into another Weak Attack, i.e. any other form of Jab or Short (Crouching or Standing). Most every character has at least one Jab or Short that counts as a Rapid Fire Weak Attack. Some characters have more than one. Let's look at Sakura for example. Her Standing Jab, Crouching Jab, and Crouching Short are all considered Rapid Fire Weak Attacks. Thus, you can chain any of those three moves into each other, such as Standing Jab into Crouching Jab into Crouching Short. You can also Chain them into the Standing Short kick, which provides us with Sakura's most heavily relied-on combo: Crouching Short into Crouching Short into Standing Short. However, since Standing Short is NOT a Rapid Fire Weak Attack, the Chain Combo ends there. Fortunately, Sakura's Standing Short is Bufferable and a Fierce Shou Ou Ken combos from a Standing Short, so tacking that at the end of the Chain Combo gives Sakura her most highly used combo. Some characters, such as Dee Jay, have all four Weak Attacks as Rapid Fire Weak Attacks. Thus, he can conceivably Chain any of the attacks into any other of the Weak Attacks. Of course, he normally can't get more than three or four of them off in one combo. Other characters, such as Adon, have only ONE Rapid Fire Weak attack. Thus, Adon can only Chain from Standing Jab, his only one. Some characters, like Cammy, can have Rapid Fire Close Up Weak Attacks, but the Far Away version is NOT a Rapid Fire Weak Attack. Cammy's Close Up Short is a Rapid Fire Weak Attack but her Far Away Short is not.
-The X-Mode Classic CPSI Chain (Doujioshi SP)- The Classic CPSI Chain is actually an extension of the Rapid Fire Weak Attacks. Basically, this can be considered a "Rapid Fire Weak Attack Chain Combo Ender" since you can now end any Rapid Fire Weak Attack Chain Combo with a Fierce attack, rather than another Weak Attack. However, since it is only usable by X-ism, I will count it as it's own Chain Combo type. It seems Capcom decided to implement a little inside joke. Back in the original three Street Fighter II's (Street Fighter II, Street Fighter II Champion Edition, and Street Fighter II Turbo Classic CPSI), any character with a Rapid Fire Weak Attack had a strange ability to Chain their Rapid Fire Weak attack into a Standing Strong or Standing Fierce (or their Standing Rapid Fire Weak Attack into a Crouching Strong or Crouching Fierce). This was largely believed to be a glitch, but it was a glitch that could easily be used for devastating combos, especially with Ryu and Ken. However, to perform this glitch, you had to, with good timing, hit Short + Fierce (or Short + Strong) at the exact same time in order for the Strong/Fierce to Chain from the Rapid Fire Weak Attack. In other words, say with Ryu, you hit the enemy with a Crouching Short and then hit Standing Short + Fierce. If timed correctly, this will cause the Crouching Short to be chained into the Standing Fierce for a quick hitting Crouching Short into Standing Fierce two-hit combo. This technique was discovered late in Hyper Fighting's career, but still worked on all three of the Street Fighter II games that utitlized Capcom's CPSI board (thus, it's called the Classic CPSI Chain). It particularly gave Ryu and Ken some nasty combos, and became heavily used in very late Hyper Fighting competitions. Apparently, Capcom seemed to like that technique for Chaining, because they decided to bring it back! All X-ism characters with a Rapid Fire Weak Attack can Chain any of their Rapid Fire Weak Attacks into a Fierce attack utilizing the exact same method used in those early CPSI Street Fighters. Note that although you could Chain a Rapid Fire Weak Attack into Strong in the old games, you can ONLY Chain it into Fierce in Alpha 3. Basically, with the same timing you would Chain the Rapid Fire Weak Attack into another Weak Attack, hit Short + Fierce at the same time instead. Then, rather than having your Rapid Fire Weak Attack Chain into another Weak Attack, it'll Chain into a Fierce! And you can do any version of Fierce you want: Standing, Crouching, OR anything else (such as Towards + Fierce with X-Ryu). So basically, the Chain Combo sequence is:
Rapid Fire Weak Attack -> Short + Fierce
Of course, for certain characters this is more useful than with other characters. The most useful implementation of the Classic CPSI Chain (it is called the "Doujioshi SP" in Kao Megura's FAQ) seems to be with X-Sakura, whose Close Up Standing Fierce is Bufferable. Thus, instead of doing Crouching Short -> Crouching Short -> Standing Short and then Buffering that into a Fierce Shou Ou Ken, X-Sakura can do Crouching Short -> Crouching Short -> Standing FIERCE and cancel THAT into the Shou Ou Ken. Needless to say, in X-Mode, this combo does a LOT of damage, especially since you're getting in an extra Fierce attack after landing a Crouching Short! Other examples? X-Gen can simulate A-Gen's Chain Combo ability (see next section for more details on Gen's Chain Combos): he can do Crouching Jab into Crouching Short into Crouching Short into Crouching Fierce now, just like he can in A-ism. Cody can do Crouching Jab into Crouching Jab into Crouching Fierce into a Short Ruffian Kick, a particularly useful combo for X-Cody. Cody can even hit a Standing opponent, while holding his Knife, with a Standing Jab into Standing Jab into Standing Fierce, for a painful three-hit Knife combo. Of course, some of these won't combo, simply because the Fierce takes too long to come out. For example, X-Zangief can Chain Crouching Jab into Crouching Fierce, but it won't connect as a two-hit combo. Thus, you can use it as a pressure tactic, but not as an actual combo.
-Regular Chain Combos- Regular Chain Combos are different than the Rapid Fire Weak Attacks because they can actually Chain moves other than Jab or Short into a sequence. However, most Regular Chain Combos are very restrictive, in that the sequence is fixed, so there isn't much variety you can do. There are actually only two characters with Chain Combos: Guy and Gen. Both characters' Chain Combos behave very differently from each other, so I will explain each separately.
1) Guy: Guy has what has come to be known as the "Final Fight Chain" (called Bushin Goukusa Ken in Kao's FAQ), the exact Chain Combo he possessed in Final Fight many, many years ago. In SFA3, however, he actually has to use different buttons to perform the whole thing :-). The Chain Combo Sequence is as follows:
Jab -> Strong -> Fierce -> Roundhouse
All four must be done while Standing (in other words, Crouching moves do not work). The timing is also very picky, unlike Chain Combos in Street Fighter Alpha 1 or in any of the Versus Games (e.g. X-Men Vs. Street Fighter). Ramming on the buttons as fast as possible, hoping that the Chain Combo comes out will only work rarely. In order to become an expert at this Chain Combo, you'll need to learn and practice the timing. A general description of the timing is to hit the next button in the sequence about half a second AFTER it connects (if you try to hit the button the INSTANT it connects, as in NightWarriors or Vampire Savior, it usually won't work). To make matters even worse, between certain buttons, you cannot hold certain directions on the controller, or it will simply prevent the Chain from continuing. So if you try to do the whole Chain Combo while holding Back on the joystick, you won't even begin the Chain, as Jab cannot be Chained into Strong if you are holding Back on the controller! If you hold Towards on the controller, you'll only get as far as Jab -> Strong, as Strong cannot chain into Fierce if you are holding _Towards_ on the controller. Plus, NOTHING will Chain if you are holding Down on the controller (except for X-Guy... more to be explained). In other words, to make it as easy as possible, just do the whole Chain with the joystick at Neutral :-). You can't miss that way. Since Jab is a Rapid Fire Weak Attack, he can do two or three or even four before going into the Chain Combo. You can even start the Chain Combo with a Standing Close Up Short, since that, too, is a Rapid Fire Weak Attack. There is an alternate, acceptable Chain Combo Guy can use with his sequence. Guy can leave out the Jab and simply do a two-hit Chain:
Strong -> Fierce
The Fierce cannot Chain into Roundhouse afterwards because, if Guy doesn't Chain the Jab into the Strong, the Strong will only chain into his normal Standing Fierce (Close Up, the Fierce will come out as an Uppercut-like punch. Far Away, it will be just a straight armed punch), not the Final Fight Chain Fierce (in the middle of the Final Fight Chain, the Fierce comes out as a an elbow attack to the head). However, Close Up, that normal Standing Fierce is Bufferable! So the Strong -> Fierce chain can be useful for Corner traps and combos that require a Buffered Fierce, such as Strong -> Fierce -> Jab Houzantou (Guy's Elbow Attack). Oh, and it might be useful to point out that in X-ism, Guy can do the following Chain as another alternate version:
Jab -> Strong -> Fierce -> Down + Roundhouse
The Down + Roundhouse will cause Guy to throw the opponent over his head, setting up for a Juggle.
There are two small "glitches" concerning Guy's Chain Combo. The first one, which is of practically no use, allows Guy to do a Strong -> Fierce -> Roundhouse chain, without the Standing Jab at the beginning. Simply do a Jab into Strong Chain and then buffer that Strong into any Special Move. Then, ONLY IF THE VERY NEXT THING YOU DO is a Standing Strong that hits the enemy, you can Chain that into a Fierce which, oddly enough, comes out as the Final Fight Chain Fierce (the elbow), not the normal Standing Fierce. Thus, it's not Bufferable, but it CAN be chained into Roundhouse. The second glitch, something that was very recently described to me by Marco Alvarez, is the ability to perform a Special Move after doing the first three hits of the Final Fight Chain (Jab -> Strong -> Fierce), even though the Fierce in the Final Fight Chain isn't Bufferable. Basically, you have to time the button press for whatever Special Move you want to do with the same timing you would push the button to Chain into the Roundhouse at the end of the Final Fight Chain. However, for the Special Move to come out, you have to hit the Roundhouse button a SPLIT SECOND RIGHT BEFORE YOU HIT THE BUTTON FOR THE SPECIAL MOVE. So for example, say you want to do the first three hits of the Final Fight Chain into the Bushin Hassou Ken (the Punch Super). You would do Jab -> Strong -> Fierce at first. In the middle of pressing Fierce, you begin the motion for the Super. You finish the motion right when you would hit Roundhouse for the normal Chain. Then, you hit Roundhouse followed by an IMMEDIATE Fierce (basically you're hitting the two buttons almost at the exact same time! That's how little time you must put between the two button presses). If performed just right, the Roundhouse kick won't come out and the Super will come out instead. This technique is VERY hard to pull off and has yet to be fully tested and exploited. An update to this will come as events warrant.
2) Gen: Gen, in Sou-ryuu Mode (Punch Mode, or Mourning Style), Gen can chain all of his Normal Moves together in one order:
Gen can start at any button in the sequence and chain into any other button, so long as it is later in the sequence. So in other words, Gen can do a Jab -> Short -> Strong -> Fierce, skipping Forward and choosing to leave out Roundhouse. He can also do Jab -> Strong -> Forward -> Roundhouse, skipping Short and Fierce. However, he CANNOT Chain backwards in the sequence. Thus, Fierce can never Chain into Jab, Short, Strong, or Forward, Forward can never Chain into Jab, Short, or Strong, and so on (this IS different than in Street Fighter Alpha 2, where Gen could Chain into anything of the same strength. For example, he used to be able to Chain Roundhouse into Fierce, since they are of the same strength button-wise. Capcom changed it in Alpha 3 so that he can ONLY follow the above sequence). When doing the Chain Combo, Gen can Chain into any version of the move. That is, he can Chain into a Standing or Crouching version of the attack. For example, Gen can do a Crouching Short Chained into a Crouching Forward, or he can do a Crouching Short Chained into a Standing Forward. He can also start with a Standing Short instead. The only exception to this rule is that NO move can be Chained into a Crouching Roundhouse. It just simply isn't allowed. Since all of Gen's Weak Attacks, except Standing Short, are Rapid Fire Weak Attacks, Gen can Chain the other three Weak Attacks into themselves. Standing Short, however, can only be chained into moves later in the sequence. It can also, for some reason, be chained ONLY into Crouching Short, but no other Weak Attack.
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-=LINKS=- In the olden days of Street Fighter, Links were very useful in doing longer combos if you had no Chain Combos. A Link is not a special form of combo, whereas Chain Combos and Buffering are both built-in forms of comboing. Basically, a Link is when you combo two moves in a row using no special methods. Usually, a Link occurs if the first move ends fast enough so that a second move, which typically comes out really quickly, can hit the enemy before he/she finishes recovering from his/her Reel Stun, thus registering the two hits as a Combo. For example, Guy can do a Crouching Jab and, with good timing, throw out a Standing Jab right afterwards before the enemy recovered from the Crouching Jab. Ken can perform a Close Up Standing Roundhouse on wider characters and, before the enemy recovers, catch them with a Crouch Roundhouse for a two-hit combo. R.Mika can do a Standing Fierce right next to the enemy and link a Crouching kick (any one of them: Short, Forward, or Roundhouse) afterwards, before the enemy recovers. Fei Long can do a Standing Close-Up Forward kick and Link that into a Crouching Strong, the Rekka Ken, and others. Gen can Link a Crouching Fierce into a Fierce Hyakurenkou (Hundred Hand-Slap). Unfortunately, Links (without any assistance... this will be explained later) have gone the way of the dinosaur in Alpha 3! If you play Training Mode in Alpha 3 on any of the home versions, it is virtually IMPOSSIBLE to find two moves that can Link into each other, other than the few I've already listed (anyone know of any more out there?). I have used a Turbo Controller and even with the Turbo function, I am having GREAT difficulties finding two moves that actually link into each other! I haven't sat there and tried every combination possible (that would probably take DAYS to do, and I'm sure TZW will do it one day... I'll let him do the work :-). If you don't know who TZW is, I apologize about the obscure reference. Just simply ignore my comment!!). So far, I have not found any new combinations of two moves that actually link into each other. So why the hell am I listing Links as a form of comboing when I'm claiming they're so rare in Alpha 3? I'm listing them because Links are there, and they can happen a lot more, but they have to have some help: Counter Hits. Using Counter Hits, you can actually Link moves together. However, since I have not discussed what Counter Hits are yet, I will simply skip the issue for now and talk about Links once again when I reach the Counter Hits section.
/========================\ | SECTION 5: KNOCK-DOWNS | \========================/ Knock-Downs play a HUGE role in Street Fighter Alpha 3, more so than in previous games. The reason for this is the huge impact they play in the Juggling System, as Knock-Downs can be used to set up some very easy Juggles. However, in order to fully understand the Juggling System, one must get an understanding of the Knock-Down system first, and this section will do just that. So what exactly classifies as a Knock-Down? A Knock-Down is any move that, when hitting the enemy, causes them to land on the floor on their backs. There are many different forms of Knock-Downs. In the following sections, I will classify the different types of Knock-Downs.
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-=Special Moves As Knock-Downs=- Many Special Moves are Knock-Downs: The Shotokans' Jab Shouryukens are Knock-Downs. The third hit of Dan's Dankuu Kyaku is a Knock-Down. Sodom's Fierce Jigoku Scrape is a Knock-Down. However, certain Special Moves are not Knock-Downs, like Sodom's Jab Jigoku Scrape and any Projectile (Hadouken, Sonic Boom, etc.). However, ALL Special Moves are considered Knock-Downs if they hit the enemy out of the air. Every Special Move that hits an enemy out of the air, even projectiles, cause the enemy to land on their backs (except for the attacks that come after Rolento's Mekong Delta Escape, but those technically count as Normal Moves).
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-=Super Combos As Knock-Downs=- Unlike Special Moves, almost ALL of the Super Combos (maybe 99% of them) are Knock-Downs, so Supers that do not cause the enemy to land on their back when they connect are very rare. Charlie's Sonic Break, Guile's Sonic Hurricane, and Rolento's Steel Rain (Knife Super) do not count as Knock-Downs because they do not cause the enemy to fall on their backs when they connect. However, once again, 100% of the Supers are Knock-Downs when they hit the enemy out of the air.
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-=Normal Moves As Knock-Downs=- The most rare are Normal Moves that count as Knock-Downs. They exist, but are very, very rare. Examples are R.Mika's Crouching Fierce and Standing Roundhouse, Gen's Crouching Short in Ki-ryuu Style (Kick Style, or Hateful/Detestable Mode), Birdie's Close Up Fierce, Chun Li's Offensive Crouch + Roundhouse, and Cody's Towards + Roundhouse Kick (actually, other than those, I can't currently think of any other!!!). All of these Normal Moves cause the enemy to be knocked to the floor. Normal Moves can also be Knock-Downs in two more ways: all Normal Moves that Counter Hit the enemy out of the air classify as Knock-Downs (this is because enemies that are Counter Hit out of the air will fall on their backs). Also, Counter Hit Fierce and Roundhouse moves that hit the enemy while they are on the ground also count as Knock-Downs, as they will lift the enemy out off of the ground and make them land on their backs. More detail regarding Counter Hits will be described in the next section.
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-=Throws/Air Throws As Knock-Downs=- All Throws generally count as Knock-Downs, and I realize that I am being completely vague when I say "generally." The reason for being vague is that one of my rules for being a Knock-Down is that the Knock-Downs ALWAYS allow the enemy to be Juggled all the way up to the point at which they hit the ground. This is where the ambiguity steps in. For _certain_ characters, all Throws allow them to be Juggled before they hit the ground. But for others, certain types of Throws do NOT allow them to be Juggled. There is a strange inconsistency that I'm suspecting is due to some programming error, but it exists in all versions of Alpha 3! However, since they do put the enemy on the floor, I have to consider all Throws Knock-Downs. More explanations regarding the Juggling after Throws will be discussed in the Juggling section.
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-=Sweeps=- Contrary to what may seem logical, Sweeps do NOT count as Knock-Downs. They have to be classified in their own category: Sweeps (duh :-). Sweeps can be distinguished from Knock-Downs by the fact that they knock the enemy to the floor but HAVE TO BE CROUCH BLOCKED. This covers all Normal Move sweeps (Crouching Roundhouses for most of the characters) and Special Move Sweeps, such as Guy's Hayagake: Kage Sukui (The Forward Bushin Run), Cammy's Razor Edge Slicer (the sliding kick at the end of the Hooligan Combination if you do not press a button), Akuma's Hyakki Gou Zan (the sliding kick at the end of the "Demon Flip", as Julien Beasely calls it, if you do not press a button), and Karin's Kourenken: Daisoku Barai (Down + Kick in the middle of Karin's Fireball + Punch move). The reason why these have to be classified differently than Knock-Downs will be explained in more detail the Juggle Section, but it is sufficient enough for now to say that Sweeps do not allow enemies to be Juggled before they hit the ground, whereas ALL Knock-Downs (except the weird exception from the Throws) allow for a Juggle.
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-=Post Knock-Down Hits=- After an enemy is hit by a move that is a Knock-Down, ANYTHING THAT HITS THE ENEMY AFTERWARDS as a Juggle is automatically a Knock-Down, NO MATTER WHAT. For example, if Akuma does a Short Tatsumaki Zankuu Kyaku (Hurricane Kick) and hits the enemy, the enemy will be expected to fall on the floor on their backs. However, Akuma can still hit the enemy before they hit the ground and Juggle them with anything he chooses, pretty much. However, no matter what he chooses to hit the enemy with, IT WILL BE A KNOCK-DOWN, whether it be a Standing Jab, a Standing Fierce, another Short Tatsumaki Zankuu Kyaku, a Gou Hadouken... ANYTHING that connects will still send the enemy falling onto their backs. Even if the enemy Flips (see Flipping Section), anything that hits the enemy afterwards will count as a Knock-Down. The only time when the moves will stop acting as Knock-Downs is the next time the enemy is standing on their feet (whether it be landing after Flipping or just getting up after landing on the ground). But until then, there is NO MOVE that does not act as a Knock-Down after the enemy has already been hit by a Knock-Down.
/=========================\ | SECTION 6: COUNTER HITS | \=========================/ Counter Hits add a lot of new elements to Street Fighter, so it is important to deal with them as well, especially since they open new doors on landing and doing combos. A Counter Hit is basically anything that hits the enemy while the enemy is just starting a move. For example, say you are using Sakura and are Crouching next to Sodom who does a Standing Fierce that goes over your head. Right when Sodom's move starts, you hit Short and hit Sodom with a Crouching Short. Sodom will then flash white very quickly, the words "Counter Hit" will appear on the screen, and you'll be rewarded with a Counter Hit. Basically, all you have to do is hit the enemy while whatever attack it is they are doing is coming out. Some moves can be Counter Hit even if the move has already come out or is in the process of "finishing." For example, ANYTIME you hit an enemy out of Fireball delay (the period of time after the projectile has already been thrown, and the character is stuck in delay), you are rewarded with a Counter Hit. This applies to Ryu, Ken, Cody, Dhalsim, and all other projectile throwers. Another example is R.Mika's Flying Peach (Reverse Fireball + Punch). Right when she lands, if you hit her with a move, you are rewarded with a Counter Hit, even though the move is technically finished. There are more Special Moves that behave like this as well, but I won't list them (mainly because I don't know what all of them are! :-). So what is the significance of a Counter Hit? The most obvious benefit is that Counter Hits do more damage than if they were just regular hits. However, Counter Hits also do one of two important things: put the enemy into a Reel Stun longer than normal or cause a Knock-Down. To describe these results in more detail, I will classify four different types of Counter Hits, determined by the location of the enemy: Ground to Ground, Air to Ground, Ground to Air, and Air to Air.
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-=Ground to Ground Counter Hits=- In the situation where an enemy is Counter Hit while they are on the ground (whether Crouching or Standing), they will be put into a Reel Stun longer than normal. For example, if you Counter hit the enemy with a Weak Attack, you'll put them into a Reel Stun equal to a non-Counter Hit Medium Attack Reel Stun. If you Counter Hit someone with a Medium Attack, it'll put the enemy into a Reel Stun equal to that of a non-Counter Hit Hard Attack Reel Stun. Notice the hit sound it makes reflects this as well. For example, if you land a Counter Hit Strong Punch, the sound it makes is identical to the sound you hear when you connect a Fierce normally. Thus, you can do combos that aren't normally possible. For example, R.Mika's Level 1 Thirteen's Peach Special Strong Hashiro: Dageki (what the HELL am I babbling about?!? Well, it's simply this: activate R.Mika's Kick Super and press Strong, which causes her to Slide) is relatively slow and cannot combo if Buffered after a Crouching Short no matter how quickly you press Strong after the Super starts: the enemy simply does not Reel long enough. However, if you manage to get a Counter Hit Crouch Short and THEN Buffer into the Level 1 Kick Super and then hit Strong, the Slide WILL combo if you hit the button quickly enough after the Super starts up. This combo is not possible without Counter Hits. Also, any other combo that worked only with Buffered Strongs and Forwards will work after Buffered Counter Hit Jabs and Shorts. Also, anything that only comboed after Buffered Fierces and Roundhouse will also combo after Buffered Counter Hit Strongs and Forwards. For example, you can do a Counter Hit Crouching Strong Buffered into a Roundhouse Soul Spiral with Rose. If the Crouch Strong was NOT a Counter Hit, the Strong and the Soul Spiral would not combo! The Roundhouse Soul Spiral only combos after a Crouch Fierce. But since the Counter Hit Crouch Strong puts the enemy in a Reel Stun equal to the length of a non-Counter Hit Fierce, the Roundhouse Soul Spiral will connect. Another important help that Counter Hits can provide is the ability to finally use Links in combos! Since the Counter Hit causes a Reel Stun longer than normal, you can now Link Normal Moves together if the first hit was a Counter Hit. For example, a Crouching Short as a Counter Hit from Sakura will put the enemy in a Reel Stun as long as a Medium Attack would. However, since it recovers much quicker than any of her Medium Attacks, she can then throw out a Crouch Roundhouse before the enemy recovers. So Crouch Short (Counter Hit), Crouch Roundhouse is a two-hit combo. Another really useful example is with Guy. He can throw out a Meaty Crouch Short to an enemy getting up off the ground. If he lands a Counter Hit and the enemy is standing up, he can link a Standing Jab off of the Short, and then go into his Final Fight Chain, which is a great rewards for landing a Counter Hit Crouch Short.
Up until this point, I haven't mentioned what happens when you Ground to Ground Counter Hit someone with a Fierce or Roundhouse attack. If you Counter Hit someone with a Hard Attack, you are rewarded with a Knock-Down. The game pauses for a second in a longer-than-normal Hit Freeze, you hear a loud "hit sound," and the enemy gets lifted off of the floor in a high arc and then falls back to the ground onto their backs. Before they hit the ground, however, you can hit them for a Juggle with anything, since it is a Knock-Down. This is VERY important to know, because this Knock-Down factor can cause some combos to go bad. For example, say you are Sodom against Ryu. Ryu Shouryukens you out of the air and you do a Roll when you land. Ryu throws a Hadouken, and so you end up Rolling right next to him. If you try a Crouch Fierce Buffered into a Daikyou Burning, which normally works, the Crouch Fierce will connect as a Counter Hit and lift Ryu off the ground! Thus the Daikyou Burning will hit Ryu out of the air, and do no damage whatsoever. What a waste! So if you are aware of this problem, you can do a Standing Forward instead of a Crouching Fierce. Thus, Ryu won't be lifted off the floor and the Daikyou Burning will combo for its maximum damage. Also, you can try to take advantage of the Knock-Down factor. Although this starts delving into the realm of Juggling (so it will be discussed more in detail later), you can Buffer a Counter Hit Fierce or Roundhouse (if they are Bufferable) into a move that can catch the enemy out of the air. See "Using Juggles" for an example of this. Note that the only exception to this rule are Sweeps. Sweeps that are Counter Hits simply do more damage. There is, otherwise, no other way that a Counter Hit Sweep can be taken advantage of. They are not Knock-Downs, so no one can be Juggled afterwards.
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-=Air to Ground Counter Hits=- Air to Ground Counter Hits behave pretty much exactly like Ground to Ground, with the one exception that Hard Attacks are not Knock-Downs. Jumping Fierces and Roundhouses simply put the enemy in a longer Reel Stun than normal, giving you lots of time to land and combo the enemy in their Reel Stun. However, the only thing of importance to note: if your Jumping Attack is a Counter Hit, your character will stay in Hit Freeze in the air a tiny bit longer than normal. This can throw off the timing of a Jump-In to a ground attack combo. It becomes quite easy to accidentally hit your intended ground move too early (before your character lands because of the slightly longer Hit Freeze due to the Counter Hit) so that the move doesn't come out at all, causing your combo to fail. Other than that, there is nothing else noteworthy about Air to Ground Counter Hits.
* * *
-=Ground to Air/Air to Air Counter Hits=- The reason I lump both of these classifications of Counter Hits into one explanation is because they both do essentially the exact same thing. If an enemy is Counter hit out of the air, the move that hit the opponent will count as a Knock-Down. This is true for ALL moves, Normal, Special, Super, or otherwise. Again, you can take advantage of this by Buffering moves from the ground that are Counter Hits into Special Moves that can take advantage of the fact that the enemy is in the air. Using Sakura's Sakura Otoshi as an example again, Sakura can Counter Hit the enemy out of the air with a Standing Strong and Buffer that into the Sakura Otoshi and get off all three hits of the move against the enemy Reeling in the air. It is interesting to note that whenever a character is Counter Hit out of the air, they are always put into an animation where they are knocked more upwards than normal. In a normal Knock-Down Reel Arc, they would fall more outwards (almost at a 45 degree angle away from the attacker). In the Counter Hit Reel Arc, however, the character that was hit gets knocked almost straight up and follows a thin arc up and then down and then hits the ground. This is actually important to note when attempting certain Juggles. The best example of this is with Birdie's X-ism Super Combo. Let's say the enemy Jumps at you and as an Anti-Air, you activate the Super Combo. If the enemy doesn't do a move, the Super will hit them out of the air, and the enemy will follow the normal Knock-Down Reel Arc. This allows for the next two hits of Birdie's Super to also connect, the last of which knocks the enemy dizzy (and sets up for the last two hits to connect). HOWEVER, if the enemy tried a move and is COUNTER HIT out of the air, the enemy will be sent into the higher Counter Hit Reel Arc, which will cause the next two hits to MISS, making the Super only connect for one hit, making it go essentially to waste. Remember, this happens ANYTIME the enemy is Counter Hit out of the air, even after a Flip. Another strange thing about this Higher Reel Arc will be discussed in the Juggles section.
/=====================\ | SECTION 7: FLIPPING | \=====================/ There are two types of combos in Alpha 3: True Combos and Pseudo-Combos. The reason for this distinction is the introduction of Flipping, the ability to cancel your own Reel Stun in the air and recover, ready to do whatever move you can do while in the air. Thus, players can escape your combos by Flipping out of a lot Juggle Combos that you attempt. In order to avoid this, it is best to use combos that do not allow the enemy to Flip out of; i.e. utilize True Combos rather than Pseudo-Combos. But the problem is this: exactly when CAN the enemy Flip and when is the enemy UNABLE to Flip? This, at first, seems highly inconsistent. If Cody does Crouching Short Buffered into the Jab-Criminal Upper (Tornado Move), and follows it up with a Jumping Fierce, it seems impossible to escape because the Jumping Fierce follows the Criminal Upper so quickly. However, this combo IS avoidable by Flipping in between the two moves. And then there is the time when you Jump at Bison and he Head Presses (the Head Stomp move) you out of the air and gets a Counter Hit. You are knocked back in the air and he swings back around with the Somersault Skull Diver (the diving attack that follows up the Head Press if you press Punch) and nails you out of the air again for a two-hit combo. Even though it seems like eons before the Skull Diver actually hits you, try as you may, you cannot Flip between the two attacks. So what is the deal? Why is there this inconsistency in the way Flipping works? The reason is simple, and once the rule is given, it all becomes very clear: you can only Flip out of your air Reel Stun when the opponent has reached a Neutral State. What exactly is a Neutral State, you ask? A Neutral State is just the period of time when a character is able to do anything he/she wants. Essentially, it means the period when a character is just Standing or Crouching, essentially doing nothing. This is the period of time when the character has the decision to do whatever is desired: Jump, attack, Crouch, Stand, walk forward, do a Special Move, Throw, etc. Once your enemy has reached a Neutral State, you are able to Flip. So in the above examples: Cody does a Crouch Short into Jab Criminal Upper. After the Criminal Upper ends, Cody is now in a Neutral State: able to do whatever he wants. In this case, he wants to do a Jumping Fierce. However, since he has reached that Neutral State, you are allowed to Flip in between the two attacks. Even though the Criminal Upper and the Jumping Fierce leave very little time in between them to Flip, you are still allowed to Flip no matter what. And how about the Bison example? When he Head Presses you out of the air for a Counter Hit and swings around for the Skull Diver, that's all one move! He never reaches a Neutral State until he lands from the move. Thus, since no Neutral State was ever reached, you are forced to float in the air at the mercy of Bison. He can swing around and nail you (FOR FREE!!!) and there is nothing you can do about it. Also note that you don't have to be hit by a Knock-Down to be able to Flip. You can be hit by anything that makes you air-borne and about to land on the ground. So if the enemy Jabs you out of the air (and it's not a Counter Hit), even though you'll land on your feet, you can Flip. If the enemy Major Counters you off the ground with a Stand Fierce, as soon as they reach their Neutral State, you can Flip. If Ryu does a Jab Shouryuken and hits you out of the air, you can Flip once he lands from the Dragon Punch. Anytime you are in the air after being hit and the enemy is in Neutral State, you can Flip. Do note that you cannot Flip if the opponent is still in the air after a Jump Attack. If you Jump at, say, Dhalsim and Dhalsim does an immediate Jumping Strong and Counter Hits you out of the air, you cannot Flip until he lands from his Jump (and since his Jump is so slow, odds are you'll hit the ground before Dhalsim lands)! Technically, Dhalsim isn't in a Neutral State since he's still Jumping. Thus, you can't Flip. There are two more thing that needs to be considered. The first thing is Reel Stun. When your character is in Reel Stun, that actually counts as a Neutral State. So, for example, if two characters Jump at each other and trade Counter Hits in the air, both of the characters are allowed to Flip! That's how the CPU does the weird thing where you two Jump at each other, trade hits, the computer instantly Flips and attacks, and gets a two-hit combo. This applies even to getting swept. If two characters trade Sweeps, you'll both be in Reel. Thus, you are allowed to Flip. Oddly enough, though, it seems like only one character is allowed to Flip at this point because, after the first person Flips, the other character isn't allowed to Flip anymore! I'm not sure why this is, but it only happens with Sweeps. More experimenting needs to be done on this. The other thing that needs mention is that when the enemy has reached a Neutral State and you are allowed to Flip, your freedom isn't permanent. You are only allowed to Flip until the NEXT TIME the enemy hits you again. Once the enemy hits you again, all conditions reset and you aren't allowed to Flip until the next Neutral State! For example, if Sakura nails you in the Corner with a Jab Shou Ou Ken, you can Flip when she lands. But if you don't Flip and Sakura nails you with a Standing Strong and Buffers it into the Sakura Otoshi, you cannot Flip out of it anymore after the Strong connects until she returns to her Neutral State.
/=====================\ | SECTION 8: JUGGLING | \=====================/ Ah, and so we're finally here... the Juggling Section... the main meat of this Combo Guide. Every section so far has alluded to this one section, claiming that some aspect or another will be explained in much greater detail. Well, it's finally here, and so here we go. There are many parts to the Juggling System utilized by Capcom for this game. I'm going to do this part by part, to the best of my abilities, and I hope it will be clear and easily understandable, while still being thorough and complete. Here is a brief outline of what will be discussed:
1) Juggle Opportunities 2) Defining a Juggle 3) The Corner Juggle Limit 4) The Rapid Fire Corner Exception 5) Using Juggles a) Counter Hits and Juggles b) Juggle Combos Using Major Counter Hits c) Juggling Traps d) Juggling Behavior In Throws e) The Stored High Reel Arc
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-=Juggle Opportunities=- You cannot always Juggle the opponent no matter what as you could in, say, the Marvel Vs. Games series or in the Mortal Kombat series. In those games, pretty much if you could hit them while they are in the air, you could Juggle them... there was never a point of invulnerability if they were in the air. However, in Alpha 3, the Juggling is a bit more limited (though not by much, considering it is MUCH more liberal than in Alpha 2!). In Alpha 3, there are only two Juggle Opportunities where you can actually start Juggling the enemy: after any Knock-Down and anytime during a particular Reel Animation Frame.
The first opportunity is the easiest: anytime after a Knock-Down. If the enemy gets hit by a Knock-Down, you are allowed to Juggle him/her with ANYTHING provided it can reach the enemy! So basically, anytime the enemy is in a state where they are about to land on their backs, they can be Juggled. Remember, though, the exception to this is the Sweep. Enemies cannot be Juggled after a Sweep, no matter what. Since any move you hit the enemy with while they are being knocked down is also a Knock-Down, you can keep Juggling the enemy for as long as you can reach them! That is why Akuma can Short Tatsumaki Zankuu Kyaku (Hurricane Kick) you all the way across the screen. The Short Hurricane Kick knocks the enemy slightly upwards and not too far away. Thus, you can Juggle them pretty much forever (until we reach the Corner... read on to learn why). So why can't lots of characters do this? Well, most moves that hit an enemy out of the Knock-Down Reel knock the enemy far away! For example, if you Counter Hit the enemy out of the air with a Jab Dragon Punch with Ken, the enemy will be knocked high into the air in their Reel Arc. If you hit the enemy out of the air again with another Jab Dragon Punch, it'll knock the enemy sideways and out of range for anything you try next. Most moves exhibit this behavior of knocking enemies far away rather than upwards. Certain moves just keep the enemy bouncing straight up rather than outwards so you can repeat them over and over again, like Akuma's Short Hurricane Kick and Sakura's Shou Ou Ken.
The second opportunity for Juggling comes from one particular Animation Frame that all characters display when NOT being Knocked-Down after getting hit out of the air. Whenever you strike an opponent out of the air with a non- Counter Hitting Normal Move (that's not already a natural Knock-Down), the enemy will Reel in the air for a second. They will fly back just a tiny bit before automatically doing a small somersault in the air that makes it so that they will land on their feet. Right at the moment they are struck, they go into one particular frame of Reel animation. They remain in this frame for that half a second before they do the small somersault that will allow them to land standing on their feet. This is the Animation Frame that allows the enemy to be Juggled by whatever can hit them while they REMAIN in that frame. As long as ANYTHING hits the enemy in that one frame, that move will Juggle the enemy. This is a little hard to understand, but I can go through a few examples of what works and what doesn't work to help clarify this concept. Let's look at R.Mika for an example that doesn't work. Let's say the enemy Jumps at you. You catch them with a Standing Jab as an Anti-Air and Buffer that into a Fierce Flying Peach. The Jab did not Counter Hit the enemy out of the air so the enemy flies up a little and then does the little somersault in the air. The Flying Peach then continues and passes RIGHT through the enemy, failing to Juggle him/her. This doesn't Juggle the enemy because the enemy has already passed that first Animation Frame. Let's change the above R.Mika example to a Crouch Fierce Buffered into the Flying Peach this time. This time, the Flying Peach connects after the Crouch Fierce nails the enemy out of the air. Why? Because the Crouch Fierce is a Knock-Down, and Knock-Downs allow for Juggles at ANY point after the Knock-Down connects (and before the enemy hits the ground). Also, Jab into Fierce Flying Peach will also combo if the Standing Jab WAS a Counter Hit, because it would then count as a Knock-Down as well. Now let's look at Adon. Let's say the enemy Jumps at you. You do a Standing Strong as an Anti-Air and Buffer that into a Roundhouse Jaguar Knee. The Strong does not Counter Hit the enemy out of the air. However, the Jaguar Knee travels up fast enough that it reaches the enemy before they leave that first, Reel Animation Frame! Thus, even though the Strong was not a Knock-Down, the Jaguar Knee connects anyhow and Juggles the enemy. Let's look at one last example. Let's say you are using R.Mika once again and the enemy Jumps at you and does not attack. You hit the enemy out of the air with a deep Crouching Jab. Since R.Mika's Crouching Jab is a Rapid Fire Weak Attack, she can chain that into a Standing Jab. The Crouching Jab will hit the enemy out of the air and Mika will then stand up with an immediate Standing Jab. This Jab will hit the enemy before he/she leaves that first Animation Frame, thus allowing it to Juggle the enemy. Thus, R.Mika can get two-hits with the Crouch Jab, Stand Jab combo even though none of those hits count as a Knock- Down.
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-=Defining a Juggle=- A Juggle is a series of moves in between two Neutral States that continually hit the enemy out of the air. The defining characteristic about a Juggle is that the enemy CANNOT FLIP OUT OF A JUGGLE anywhere in the middle. They can only Flip BEFORE the Juggle, or AFTER the Juggle, because there are no Neutral States in the middle of the Juggle to give the enemy a chance to Flip. There are six different things that can officially count as a Juggle. They are:
1. A single Normal Move 2. A single Special Move or Super Combo 3. A Buffered sequence 4. A Chain Combo 5. A Jump attack followed by an IMMEDIATE attack upon landing 6. Any combination of the five Juggles above
All six of these (except for number 5) do NOT have Neutral States anywhere in the middle of them, thus making them an official Juggle of which the enemy CANNOT flip out of. Number 5, however, needs more discussion: even though in number 5 there is technically a Neutral State right when you land, the game won't register it if you do a move the INSTANT you land (almost like doing a "Reversal" move when you land, so that you go from Jumping straight into the Normal move, with no Neutral State anywhere). This move can be a Special Move or a Normal Move. If you wait even half a second, the enemy can Flip and get away. But, as with everything, there is some inconsistency with this. I have done this type of Juggle with various characters ranging from Adon to Karin to Cody to Birdie, but for some characters, like R.Mika and Zangief, I can't seem to get this type of Juggle to work even though there are situations where this type of combo should work. I do think, however, that it is safe to assume that this type of Juggle is legitimate, since it definitely DOES work with numerous characters.
Here are some examples of each type of Juggle. Each example will give a Set-up (which knocks the enemy into the air) and then the Juggle (note that the enemy can Flip out between the set-up and the Juggle, but let's pretend they don't, okay? :-).
1. After a Short Tatsumaki Zankuu Kyaku, Akuma Juggles you with a Standing Fierce.
2. After Sakura does a Jab Shou Ou Ken (Uppercut), she does a Strong Shou Ou Ken and Juggles you out of the air.
3. R.Mika does a Crouch Fierce to you while you are in the Corner. Before you land, she does a Stand Jab Buffered into a Roundhouse Shooting Peach, which Juggle you for two more hits.
4. Guy does a Short Hurricane Kick while you are in the Corner. Before you hit the ground, Guy catches you out of the air with the whole Final Fight Chain (Jab -> Strong -> Fierce -> Roundhouse), all of which hit you out of the air for a four-hit Juggle.
5. Adon catches you on the ground while you are near the Corner with a Level 3 Jaguar Varied Assault and ends it with the Jaguar Thousand (the Lightning Punch you can do if you tap Punch repeatedly during his Punch Super). He then Jumps up and nails you out of the air with a Jumping Fierce and right when he lands, he does a Roundhouse Rising Jaguar which catches the enemy for two more Juggle hits, making a total of three.
6a - Example 1: Cody hits you while you are in the Corner with a Jab Criminal Upper (the Tornado). When he recovers, he follows up with a Jumping Fierce and, right when he lands, hits you out of the air before you land with a Crouching Strong and Buffers that into a Roundhouse Ruffian Kick for three hits in one Juggle after the Criminal Upper.
6b - Example 2: Guy hits you with a Final Fight Chain while you are in the Corner. Before you land, he Juggles you with his Strong -> Fierce chain and then Buffers the Fierce into a Level 3 Bushin Hassou Ken (his Punch Super) for a grand total of 8 hits for the one Juggle.
All of these examples have Juggles that can't be Flipped out of once the first hit of the Juggle connects. Learning what is a good Juggle with no Neutral States in the middle is important in order to maximize the few Juggle opportunities you get. If you try to create a Juggle with Neutral States, the enemy can easily Flip out of it after seeing it once or twice. A true Juggle, the enemy cannot do anything about once hit.
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-=The Corner Juggle Limit=- So far, Juggling has sounded pretty free-form, with no limitations. I've said earlier that Akuma can repeatedly Short Hurricane Kick someone over and over again. So if the enemy doesn't Flip, can Akuma do this pretty much forever? Why can't someone just Jab Dragon Punch you in the Corner forever, since the corner will prevent you from flying away from the opponent after getting hit? Even if you Flip, they can still DP you... wouldn't that go on forever? Fortunately, Capcom was wise enough to implement a safety mechanism into Alpha 3 that would prevent such situations. Basically, Capcom implemented what I call the "Juggle Limit" in the Corners. Basically, the way it works is this: the instant a character, while being Juggled, touches one of the Corner walls, the game automatically initiates the Juggle Limit. Once the Juggle Limit is initiated, the game will allow ONLY ONE MORE JUGGLE once the next Neutral State is reached. In other words, once the current Juggle that knocks the enemy into the corner has ended (a Neutral State has been reached), the attacker is only allowed one more Juggle. After the next full Juggle, the character being Juggled then becomes completely invincible until they land on the floor. Thus, the next time you can hit them is after they get up. Also, once the Juggle Limit has been initiated and the attacker gets in one more complete Juggle, the Juggled player is not allowed to Flip anymore (with one exception... read on). If you try to Flip after you have been hit by one Juggle once after the Juggle Limit has been initiated, nothing will happen. So let's look at the repeated Short Hurricane Kick Juggle with Akuma we mentioned earlier. If Akuma starts doing repeated Short Hurricane Kicks against an opponent, he can Juggle them all the way across a playing field (remember, at any point in between Hurricane Kicks, the enemy can Flip and get away). However, once Akuma reaches the Corner, the Juggle Limit will cause it to stop! Basically, what happens is this: the enemy continually gets bounced by the Hurricane Kicks. Finally, when Akuma gets near the Corner, the enemy, being hit by one of the Hurricane Kicks, gets knocked into the Corner. As soon as the enemy hits the Corner, the Juggle Limit gets activated. Once the Juggle Limit gets activated, the game only allows one more Juggle. Akuma then ends the Hurricane Kick that knocks the enemy into the Corner (ending that Juggle) and then does one more Hurricane Kick (starting a new Juggle). Once Akuma finishes that Hurricane Kick and reaches the next Neutral State (thus ending that current Juggle), the enemy instantly becomes invincible and falls to the floor onto their back. Thus, if Akuma tries another Hurricane Kick, it will completely whiff. As mentioned earlier, the Juggle Limit also eliminates a player's ability to Flip. For an example of how this works, let's say we're fighting against Gen. You are Jumping straight up in the Corner and Gen, in Kick Mode, Counter Hits you out of the air with his double Jumping Roundhouse kicks. That Juggle (both kicks count as one Juggle) knocks you into the Corner, initiating the Juggle Limit. Once Gen lands and reaches his Neutral State, you Flip. Gen then Jumps up and catches you out of the air AGAIN with the double Jumping Roundhouse kicks. This Juggle will be the last Juggle possible because the Juggle Limit was activated. Once Gen lands, you can try to Flip again, but since the Juggle Limit was activated, you are no longer allowed to Flip. Thus, try as you may to Flip, your character will do nothing but fall to the floor. There is one exception, though, to the Flipping rule: a player is GUARANTEED at least one Flip. Thus, even if you are Juggled after the Juggle Limit has been initiated, the player being Juggled is allowed to Flip if he hasn't Flipped AT ALL during that sequence. For example, let's say that Gen, in Kick Mode, hits you into the Corner with a Crouch Short, which knocks you into the air. Since you were hit into the Corner, the Juggle Limit has been activated. Gen then follows that up with the double Jumping Roundhouse kicks before you Flip. That counts as the final Juggle, since it was after the Juggle Limit was activated. Your character is now invincible and falling to the floor, and Gen will not be able to hit you with any of his attacks anymore. However, YOU ARE STILL ALLOWED TO FLIP despite the final Juggle being completed after the Juggle Limit's activation!! This is ONLY because you have not Flipped in this sequence yet, and YOU ARE GUARANTEED ONE FLIP. So after Gen lands, you can Flip if you so desire. Had you Flipped earlier (in between the Crouch Short and the double Jumping Roundhouse kicks), you would NOT be able to Flip after Gen lands because you had Flipped once already.
I have attempted to try and make a flow chart so you can try and visualize the patterns. Basically, follow the chart from top to bottom to get an idea of how it works. This flow chart, however, can easily be more confusing than my text, so I'm only offering it in case it does help SOMEONE out there!!! ^_^
=========START========= [] [] [] HIT BY KNOCK-DOWN [] [] AND INTO AIR! [] [] [] =========START========= V V Yes +++++++++++++++ No-+++++++++++++-Yes ======================= V<<<<<+ Invincible? +<<<<<<<<| Flip? |>>>>>>>>| In air, not Reeling | V +++++++++++++++ +++++++++++++ ======================= V V-No V V V V V V V V =========== +++++++++++++ +++++++++++++ V V | In air, |>>>>>>>>>>>+ Juggled?? + + Juggled?? +<<<<<<<<< V | Reeling | +++++++++++++ +++++++++++++ V =========== No-V Yes-V V-Yes V-No V V V V V V V<<<<<<<<<<<<<< V V V V V V V ++++++++++++++++++++ V V =======END======= + Knocked Into + V =====END===== V [] [] + Corner 1st time? + V [] [] V>>>[] HIT GROUND [] ++++++++++++++++++++ V>>>>[] LAND ON [] [] [] No-V V-Yes [] FEET! [] =======END======= V V [] [] A V ============ =====END===== A V | Activate | A V | Juggle | A V | Limit! |>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>V A>>>>>>>>>A V ============ V A V V A V V A ============== Yes +++++++++++++++++++++++++ No V A | Become |<<<<<<<+ Is the Juggle Limit +>>>>>>>>>V V A | Invincible | + Currently Activated?? + V V A ============== +++++++++++++++++++++++++ V V A V V V A V ============================ No ................ A V>>>>| Have You Flipped Before? |>>>>>>>>>>>: GOTO 'FLIP?' : A ============================ '''''''''''''''' A V-Yes A<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< =============================================================================
Thus, Capcom was able to implement, in sorts, a protection against Juggling someone in the Corner forever. By utilizing the concept of Neutral States surrounding a Juggle, Capcom thought of a way to prevent endless Juggles in the Corner.
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-=The Rapid Fire Corner Exception=- There are certain moves that, when used in the Corner, automatically prevent the enemy from being Juggled anymore. These are the moves that can continue essentially forever, with no Neutral States: Rapid Fire Weak Attacks and Repeated Button Tapping Special Moves.
Basically, if all the rules we've learned so far were implemented with no further limitations, the ability for a character to continually chain a Rapid Fire Weak Attack into itself would be able to cause some infinite Juggles. If you stand there with, say, Guy and keep hitting Jab, Guy technically cancels his Jab into another Jab over and over again, skipping any Neutral States. Let's say you hit an enemy with a Knock-Down move in the corner and Juggle them by repeatedly hitting Jab. Since you never reach a Neutral State, the Juggle never really ends so the enemy should just keep bouncing on your hand up and down forever. However, wisely, Capcom caught this and put in an exception for Rapid Fire Weak Attacks. Even though you are canceling one Rapid Fire Weak Attack into another, the computer officially ends a Juggle if a Rapid Fire Weak Attack chains into itself in the Corner, thus preventing the infinite Juggle. So, let's say Guy does a Short Bushin Senpuu Kyaku (Hurricane Kick) to you in the corner, and then lands and Juggles you with a Standing Jab. If he chains that Jab into another Standing Jab, the computer automatically ends the Juggle and the second Standing Jab will whiff harmlessly and the enemy will hit the ground invincible. However, if Guy cancels that Jab into a Roundhouse Hurricane Kick, it will still combo. The Juggle only officially ends the INSTANT a Rapid Fire Weak Attack is chained into another Rapid Fire Weak Attack. This even applies to the Classic CPSI Chain. So for example, let's say X- Karin catches you in the Corner with a Mujin Kyaku (uppercut motion + Kick). After that, she Juggles you with a Crouching Jab and, using the Classic CPSI Chain, Chains that into a Standing Fierce. Even though you are completely within range to get Juggled by the Standing Fierce, it will whiff. This happens because the computer automatically ends the Juggle after a Rapid Fire Weak Attack chains into another Rapid Fire Weak Attack (including the Classic CPSI Chain, which counts). Thus, the Crouch Jab counts as a Juggle by itself and the Stand Fierce counts as a new Juggle. Since the Juggle Limit was activated, only one Juggle is now allowed: the Crouching Jab.
The other exception to the Corner Juggling is the Repeated Button Tapping Special Moves. These moves are Gen's Hyakurenkou (tap Punch rapidly in Punch Mode) and Chun Li's Hyakuretsu Kyaku (tap kick rapidly). Basically, these moves can continue forever and keep hitting, which then prevents any Neutral States coming in between attacks. Thus, technically, they should be able to Juggle the enemy in the Corner forever, since it doesn't reach a Neutral State and can hit the enemy indefinitely. Thus, Capcom decided to implement a safety against these moves: as SOON as they hit the enemy in the air against a Corner, all Juggles are OFF!!! Thus, they can only hit the enemy out of the air in the Corner ONCE, and then NOTHING at all can hit the enemy. For example, if X-Chun Li does the SenRetsu Kyaku (her X-Super) against an enemy in the Corner and rams repeatedly on the Kick buttons, her Hyakuretsu Kyaku (the Lightning Kick) will come out after the Super and Juggle the enemy. However, it will only hit once, and no other hits from the Lightning Kick will connect. Let's look now at Gen: let's say you are using Gen against a Ryu who just whiffed a Fierce Dragon Punch in front of you in the middle of the playing field away from the Corner. If you can manage to start up the Fierce Hyakurenkou (the Hand Slap) and hit Ryu RIGHT before Ryu lands, the Fierce Hand Slap will connect against Ryu for multiple hits (around 4 or 5), all Juggling him in the air. However, let's say Ryu Jumped backward in the Corner. You are right next to where he'll land and start up the Fierce Hand Slap again. This time, you'll only get one hit against Ryu, because as soon as the first Hand Slap hit knocks Ryu into the Corner, he becomes invincible because of the Repeated Button Tapping Special Move restriction. Even though its the first Juggle, Repeated Button Tapping Special Moves instantly terminate all Juggling possibilities. You may be wondering why I haven't mentioned E.Honda's Hyakuretsu Harite (his Hundred Hand Slap). Since E.Honda's Hand Slap automatically stops after a short while, Capcom felt it wasn't necessary to put the restriction on this move, since a Neutral State is guaranteed to be reached. Thus, it can Juggle the enemy in the Corner normally. However, oddly enough, they decided to tack the restriction onto Zangief's Double Lariat (and Quick Double Lariat)! If Zangief hits an enemy into the Corner with any hit of either Lariat after the first initial hit frame, the enemy can no longer be Juggled. So if Zangief stands right next to the enemy in the Corner and hits all three Punches, the first initial hit frame will connect (the one where Zangief has JUST started the Lariat). Then, Zangief will swing around a bit and nail the enemy again, for a Juggle, with his extended arm. THIS hit, however, causes the restriction to kick in. Thus, the rest of the Lariat will harmlessly miss the enemy and the enemy will fall to the floor as Zangief's Lariat ends.
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-=Using Juggles=- Juggling is pretty much one of the more important elements in Street Fighter Alpha 3, which is much different than any other Street Fighter before. With all of the new systems implemented, there are tons of places you can take advantage of Juggles, as well as strange occurrences involving Juggles. This section will help you learn where and when to try using Juggles.
-Counter Hits and Juggles- 1) Juggle Combos Using Anti-Air Counter Hits - What's the real purpose of a Combo? Simple: to get as much damage as possible from landing just one hit. Why land one Jumping Roundhouse against a character who leaves themselves open when you can land a Jumping Roundhouse, Crouching Forward, Hadouken combo with Ryu instead for much more damage?!? This simple rule of thumb has transgressed all the Street Fighter games, so it is definitely important to take advantage of each single hit, and try and turn it into a multiple hit combo. This is where Counter Hits can fall in with Juggles. Whenever you Counter Hit the enemy out of the air, you will cause a Knock-Down which provides you with easy Juggles (if you did not Counter Hit them, your chances of Juggling them after your hit is slim). So if you know you can Counter Hit the enemy out of the air with a move that is Bufferable, you can then cancel that Normal Move into a Special Move or Super Combo. Since there is no Neutral State in there, the enemy has no choice but to get hit by the move you are Juggling them with. If you just Counter Hit the enemy out of the air, and then attempt to Juggle them with a follow-up after reaching a Neutral State, the enemy can easily Flip and escape your follow-up attack. For example, R.Mika's Standing Jab can actually be used as a semi-decent Anti-Air attack. So if, say, Ryu jumps on top of you, you can hit Standing Jab and beat out Ryu's Jumping Roundhouse. Then, if you Buffer that into her Fierce Flying Peach, the enemy cannot Flip between the two moves and will get hit by the Flying Peach, and you get extra damage for the one Counter Hit. However, you do have to be careful when trying to take advantage of Counter Hits. If your enemy does NOT get Counter Hit, then they will simply drop down invincible and your attempt to Juggle them will whiff. And if you picked a bad move like R.Mika's Flying Peach, chances are, you'll be in a situation where you can get hit because you are in delay. However, there are moves that will Juggle regardless of a Counter Hit or not. For example, Guy can do a Crouching Strong as an Anti-Air and Buffer that into the Bushin Hassou Ken (Punch Super), and regardless if the enemy was Counter Hit or not, it will Combo and Juggle for every hit.
2) Juggle Combos Using Major Counter Hits - This was mentioned in the Counter Hits section of this Guide. Earlier, I said that you can take advantage of the fact that Standing or Crouching Fierces and Roundhouses that hit an enemy on the ground cause a "Major Counter" hit. The screen pauses for a second and then the enemy flies up into the air, lifted off the ground. So how can you take advantage of this? An example is with Sakura. Let's say you find yourself fighting a Sagat who throws a High Tiger Shot which right next to you (though one would have to hope the enemy did that on accident, as you would definitely have to question the intent of such a moronic move). While he is in his delay, you can hit him with a Standing Fierce. Since this will count as a Counter Hit, it will lift Sagat off of the floor. If you try and Buffer that into something like a Haru Ichiban (her Spin Kick Super), it will whiff because Sagat was lifted into the air. However, since you KNOW Sagat is going to be lifted into the air, you can Buffer the Fierce into Sakura's Sakura Otoshi (Uppercut + Kick). You'll go up into the air along with Sagat and will be able to catch him with all hits of the Sakura Otoshi, which normally cannot hit people for all three hits when used against a Standing opponent. But since you know the enemy is getting lifted into the air by the Major Counter, you can Buffer into the Sakura Otoshi knowing you can land all three hits. So there IS a way to take advantage of the Hard Attack Counter Hit Knock-Down. Of course, no one is ever going to throw a High Tiger Shot right next to you, so when else can you use this? If you just hope that your Standing Fierce connects against the enemy and Buffer that into a Sakura Otoshi, you can be in serious trouble if the enemy blocks it or is not Counter Hit by it. You'll fly up into the air and be fodder for a Counter Attack from the enemy. So how useful is this? There is an actual trick you can use to land the Sakura Otoshi everytime you Counter Hit the enemy and if the enemy was not Counter Hit, you'll be safe. How does this work? Simply like this: take advantage of the long freeze that occurs if you land a Counter Hit. Because your Standing Close-up Fierce will connect on the Animation Frame that is Bufferable, the long freeze in the action will occur during that Frame. You can cancel the move in it's Bufferable Animation Frame at ANY TIME as long as she is still in that Frame. Thus, you can actually hit the enemy with a Counter Hitting Fierce, wait a second, and THEN do the code for the Special Move and still be able to Buffer it because Sakura is currently frozen in her Bufferable Frame. Knowing this, you can actually do this everytime, no matter what. If you think you might land a Counter Hitting Fierce, tap Fierce once, wait a second, and the finish the code for the Sakura Otoshi. If the enemy blocks it or does not get Counter Hit, what will happen is that you animation will continue quickly, and by the time you press the Kick Button for the Sakura Otoshi, you will have passed the Bufferable Frame of Animation. Thus, you will not perform the move and will be perfectly safe, because your Fierce will just end and that's all that will happen. However, if the enemy DOES get Counter Hit, the screen will freeze long enough so that your Kick button press WILL register during the Bufferable Animation Frame, causing Sakura to start the Sakura Otoshi. Then, you can finish the combo. Using this method of delaying the button press makes it so that you will only do the Sakura Otoshi IF you land the Counter Hit, but never if it doesn't. It's a tricky skill to learn, but it can be very useful. Also, it can be applied to other characters as well, not just Sakura.
3) Juggling Traps - Juggling is useful for combos, but it can also be really useful for just putting the enemy into a position where it is hard for them to escape further punishment. Because of the new addition of Flipping and Juggling to the gameplay of Street Fighter Alpha 3, a whole new elemnet of gameplay has been introduced: trapping people in the air. << section deals more with strategy rather than systems and rules regarding Alpha 3. If I ever have the time to update this Guide, I may go back and write this section out. But for now, please do not expect it, because I do have very little time these days, and getting this out even before the Dreamcast's release here in America was a stretch for me... I originally planned to put this Guide out for the PlayStation's release of Alpha 3!! That's how far delayed I have been due to no time. Anyhow, enough of my personal rant here about lack of free time... just understand that I am very busy and this section may, in fact, never come into existence.>>>
4) Juggling Behavior In Throws - Throws and Air Throws behave very strangely in Alpha 3. All Throws generally count as Knock-Downs as they do put the enemy on their backs on the floor. However, due to some sort of programming glitch or error of some sort, there is a HUGE inconsistency in the way that Throws work as Knock-Downs. This section will be kind of confusing, because of the strange inconsistency. Please bare with me :-).
To start off, there are two things that I need to establish. First, there are two different types of Throws: Straight Throws and Hit Throws. Secondly, there are two types of characters: Throw Jugglable and Non-Throw Jugglable. The difference between Hit Throws and Straight Throws is simple: any Throw where the enemy actually hits the opponent counts as a Hit Throw. This can easily be detected by the presence of a Hit Spark. Examples of this are Birdie's Punch Throw, Guy's Kick Throw, Fei Long's Punch Throw, and Gen's Kick Throw. A Straight Throw, on the other hand, is just that: a Throw that's just a throw. Examples of this are Sodom's Kick Throw, Guile's Punch Throw, and Dan's Punch Air Throw. The significance of these two types of Throws is that, after a Hit Throw, BOTH TYPES OF CHARACTERS (Throw Jugglabe and Non-Throw Jugglable) can be Juggled. For example, after Guy does his Kick Throw, he can then activate his Punch Super immediately upon release of the opponent and he is guaranteed the Juggle, no matter whom the enemy is. After Straight Throws, however, you can ONLY JUGGLE THROW JUGGLABLE CHARACTERS, whereas Non-Throw Jugglable characters are completely safe. For example, if Sodom does a Kick Throw, he throws the enemy right in front of him. Against Throw Jugglable characters, he can immediately activate a Level 1 Meido no Miyage (Jitte Rush Super) and Juggle the enemy for three hits. However, against Non-Throw Jugglable characters, the Super will completely whiff, making his Kick Throw almost useless against them (especially since it does NO damage!)!!! Knowing which characters are Throw Jugglable and which are Non-Throw Jugglable can be important so that you don't waste Supers or try to Juggle people who can't be Juggled. Also, if you are using a Non-Throw Jugglable character, you will know that you don't have to Flip after Straight Throws and you'll be totally safe because there is no way you can be Juggled! Here is a list of which character is Throw Jugglable and which character is not. Quite obviously, there are far more Non-Throw Jugglable characters than Non-Throw Jugglable characters. ___________________________________________ | | | | Throw Jugglable | Non-Throw Jugglable | |___________________|_______________________| | | | | Blanka | Adon Guile | | Chun Li | Akuma Guy | | Cody | Balrog Ken | | Dhalsim | Birdie Juli | | Gen | Bison Juni | | Honda | Cammy Rolento | | Karin | Charlie Rose | | R.Mika | Dan Ryu | | Sakura | Dee Jay Sagat | | Sodom | E.Ryu T.Hawk | | Vega | Fei Long Zangief | |___________________|_______________________|
5) The Stored High Reel Arc - This occurs in very, very few situations, but is still interesting to note. As I said earlier, if you Counter Hit someone out of the air, they will actually bounce up into a higher Reel Arc thank normal, right? Well, the higher Reel Arc seems to get stored during the span of one Juggle. In other words, if the first hit you perform is a Counter Hit and would bounce the enemy higher than normal, then anything afterwards you hit them with in one Juggle will also make them bounce higher. This area is very foggy and vague to me, and I cannot be sure if this applies to all situations. But the one combo that has brought this to my attention is an anti-air combo that can be performed by Guy. Normally, if Guy catches you with the Bushin Izuna Otoshi (the Bushin Throw - Fireball + Punch), your body only bounces very low after Guy slams you into the ground (as opposed to previous versions of Street Fighter Alpha... in Alphas 1 and 2, you could do the Bushin Throw into the corner and then catch the enemy before they fell too far with a Bushin Hassou Ken (The Punch Super) because they bounced so high up). Because the body bounces so low, Guy recovers much too late to try and Juggle you with anything. However, let's say you Jump at Guy this time and try to hit him with your Jumping Attack. Guy does a Crouching Strong and Counter Hits you out of the air. Guy then Buffers that Crouching Strong into a Strong Bushin Throw and catches you out of the air for a two-hit Juggle Combo. After he slams you into the ground, for some odd reason you'll now notice that you bounce MUCH higher than before. In fact, now Guy has free reign to do whatever it is he wants to you (doing a Punch Super, a Final Fight Imprisoning Chain, a normal Juggle combo, etc.). Of course, you can Flip at this point to escape any attempts. Regardless of what happens after he slams you to the floor, the main point is this: you bounce higher than normal only because you were Counter Hit first. The first initial Counter Hit is supposed to bounce you up higher, and somehow, that higher bounce gets stored until even after the Bushin Throw. And it has nothing to do with the fact that Guy grabs you out of the air... if you grab the enemy out of the air without an Initial Counter Hit, it will not cause the higher bounce. If you the enemy Flips after a Counter Hit and you grab them out of the air, it will not count. It seems to only be stored throughout one Juggle. I do recall seeing other instances of this occurring, other than the Guy example. Unfortunately, those situations currently escape my mind, so as for now, this is the only situation where I know this occurs. So it is a very isolated case, and may only be useful to know FOR Guy in the end, but it is in there nonetheless so I feel that it needs to be mentioned.
/==================================\ | SECTION 9: VARIABLE COMBOS (VCs) | \==================================/ In Street Fighter Alpha 2, Custom Combos were about as basic as could be. It took very little creativity to come up with a good Custom Combo, because the rules were so non-restrictive. Anything and everything worked... there were very few restrictions. You could cancel anything into anything else at almost any given moment! Not only that, but the Customs in Alpha 2 also gave your character an automatic "forward momentum," letting a player toss all worries about distancing and timing aside, pretty much. Capcom obviously felt that the original design of the Custom Combo (or Original Combo, as it is known in Japan) was too simple. Not only was it simple, it's simplicity and lack of restrictions also gave it the ability to become too powerful and over dominating, as any expert Street Fighter player would gladly tell you. Simply put, Custom Combos RUINED Alpha 2. They were the main focus of gameplay at many of the late Alpha 2 tournaments. At a professional level, Street Fighter Alpha 2 could easily be called "Custom Fighter Alpha 2" because Custom Combos were so widely abused. And so Capcom has revamped the ENTIRE system of Custom Combos. They've added rules upon rules and thought of many ways in which they could limit and restrict Customs. And so what are the results? Alpha 3's Variable Combos, the VCs. The VCs definitely take a MUCH greater amount of skill to use than the CCs of A2, and the ability to make up a good VC for your character isn't as easy as it was in A2. The result? Are VCs pretty much worthless? Have they weakened them to the point of uselessness? Not remotely. VCs are every bit as deadly as CCs, maybe even MORE so, but not even CLOSE as easily used as in A2. Thus, I've included this section in the Guide to go over all the rules of the Variable Combos. This section will help you learn why certain VCs work and how to come up with your own, as well as detail all of the extra little "benefits" a VC gives you.
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-=The Rules=- Variable Combos, when put in the simplest form possible, give your character two abilities: 1) The ability to cancel Normal Moves and certain Special Moves into other Normals and Specials. 2) A "Shadow" that follows your character and mimics your attacks. You need at least 50% of your meter to activate a VC. Once it is activated, your meter turns into a timer gauge, which drains quickly. The amount of time in the gauge depends on how much of your meter you possessed when you activated the VC. After activation, you continue to gain the two new abilities until one of two things happen: 1) Your VC meter runs out, in which case the Shadow instantly disappears and your VC ends, leaving you with an empty meter. 2) Your actual controlled character gets hit or Thrown. When this happens, the Shadow instantly disappears and the VC ends (you also lose half a full meter's worth of charge, subtracted from however much meter you had left in your timer gauge at the time the VC ended).
-Chain Ability- This is the BIG part of Variable Combos: the ability to cancel one move into another. The reason why this is so important is that, by canceling one move into another move, you are completely bypassing any NEUTRAL STATES. Thus, if you manage to knock the enemy into the air and go for a continuous Variable Combo Juggle, canceling one move into the next into the next into the next etc. COMPLETELY prevents the enemy from Flipping anywhere in the middle and escaping your combo. Learning how to properly utilize this aspect of VCs can make or break a good looking and damaging VC. Of course, the rules aren't as simple as, say, in A2. In A2, you could cancel pretty much anything into anything at ANY point, whether the first move was a Normal Move or a Special Move, whether the second move was a Normal Move or a Special Move, whether it whiffed or hit, etc. etc. etc. In Alpha 3, they created many more limitations, which has made VCs a little more confusing and technical. For each type of canceling, there are specific rules that apply ONLY to that type of canceling. So I will go over all four types, indicated by this chart: ________ _________ | | (2) | | | NORMAL | ---------> | SPECIAL | | MOVE | | MOVE | |________| |_________| /|\ | (5) VC Behavior While | (1) | (3) Jumping (In the Air) | | ____|___ ___\|/___ | | | | | NORMAL | <--------- | SPECIAL | | MOVE | (4) | MOVE | |________| |_________|
(1) Normal Moves Canceled Into Normal Moves Once a VC is activated, the player is given the ability to Chain any Normal Move into any other Normal Move. The only restriction to this ability is that the Normal Move has to CONNECT, whether scoring a hit or being blocked. In other words, if the Normal Move whiffs, you cannot Chain it into another Normal Move. Once the Normal Move connects, you can Chain it into another Normal Move at any given point. Let's use Sakura as an example. If you use Back + Fierce, Sakura can hit with a very early Animation Frame, the one where her hands are at torso level. Afterwards, she finishes the Fierce's animation by swinging her arms upwards above her head and pulls them slightly back down. If you connect with that first attack frame, you can Chain that Fierce into any other Normal Move at ANY Animation Frame from that point on. In other words, you can Chain it RIGHT when it connects, or you can wait until later in it's animation before Chaining it. But the caveat is that is DOES have to connect in order for it to be Chained. If you whiff it, you cannot Chain it into another Normal Move no matter what. Capcom was pretty careful not letting this Chain ability get easily abused by putting restrictions on certain Normal Moves. One Normal Move restriction has been placed on Slides. Slides cannot be Chained into another Normal Move during a VC. This includes Dhalsim's Crouching Slide Kicks, Cody's Crouching Forward, R.Mika's Crouching Roundhouse, Guy's Crouching Roundhouse, Dee Jay's Crouching Roundhouse, and Rose's Offensive Crouching Forward. These Slides canNOT be Chained into any other Normal Move no matter what, so that you cannot do repeated slides over and over again for a mindless VC. There is an exception to the Slide rule, however, and I personally think this is just an oversight on Capcom's part. Vega's Crouching Roundhouse Slide CAN be Chained into anything it wants, including itself!! So if the enemy is Crouch Blocking, you can literally take them from one end of the playing field to the other by repeatedly doing his Crouching Roundhouse Slide. Outside of an Alpha Counter, the enemy cannot do anything to escape this (except stand up, take the hit, and get swept... but then, they're not escaping it, are they?). This is the only exception to the Slide rule. Another form of Normal Move that cannot be Chained into other Normal Moves are Overheads. You can Chain a move INTO an Overhead, but it cannot be used to Chain into another move. This includes Ryu's Towards + Strong, Ken's Towards + Forward, Juni and Juli's Towards + Forward, Akuma's Towards + Strong, and so on and so forth. If you connect with an Overhead in a VC, you cannot Chain them into any other Normal Move. You just have to wait until they finish to get another Normal Move attack. The last form of Normal Move that cannot be Chained is just whichever move Capcom felt shouldn't be Chainable. The logical ones are moves that take you into the air, such as Ryu's Hop Kick (Towards + Forward). You cannot Chain out of these moves. However, for some moves, Capcom just decided, "Let's just not let them Chain out of this move!" for almost no apparent reason. V-Birdie's Back + Fierce cannot be Chained out of. V-R.Mika's Standing Fierce, Crouching Fierce, and Standing Roundhouse all cannot be Chained out of. There are more instances of this, but I don't know them all. Maybe in a future version of this Guide, I'll find out what they are and list them all.
(2) Normal Moves Canceled Into Special Moves This is the simplest form of Chaining during a VC. Basically, you can cancel ANY Normal Move into ANY Special Move at ANY GIVEN MOMENT your character is on the floor. It doesn't matter whether the Normal Move whiffed, landed, was blocked... anything works! Not only that, but it doesn't matter what Normal Move is used. There is not a single restriction in the game. Overheads, Directional Moves, Slides, Sweeps... as long as you are on the ground, you can cancel it into any Special Move. Moves like Ryu's Hop Kick cannot be Chained into a Special Move while in the air, but the INSTANT Ryu lands, you have freedom to cancel it into any Special Move.
(3) & (4) Special Moves Canceled into Special Moves / Normal Moves I include the last two together because they are essentially identical. Basically, the only real concern is: When can a Special Move be canceled? This is because the rules are the same for canceling Special Moves into Special Moves and for canceling Special Moves into Normal Moves. So what is the rule? The GENERAL rule is that a Special Move can be Chained out of at any point in its DELAY Period. By Delay Period, I am referring to the point where the move has ended its "Hitting Potential" and is still in the process of recovering. A move's Hitting Potential is the period of time when the move CAN hit, when whiffed. Let's use Cammy's Spiral Arrow as the example. Once Cammy does the Spiral Arrow, the move can hit right away, starting its Hitting Potential. Once she lands on the ground, she still has the potential to hit the enemy, if one happens to be there. However, at the end of the move, the Hitting Potnetial will end and Cammy will enter the Delay Period. In the Delay Period, Cammy cannot hit the enemy at ALL and she cannot do anything else: she's still recovering from the Special Move. It is only in the Delay Period that Cammy can Chain OUT of the Spiral Arrow. Thus, no matter how early you hit someone in the animation of the Spiral Arrow, it is ONLY Chainable in the Delay Period. So if you hit the enemy out of the air with the Spiral Arrow early on in its animation, you can only Chain it into another move after Cammy has ended her Hitting Potential. You cannot cancel it any earlier. This description is a general rule and works for most Special Moves. The Shotokans can only Chain the Uppercut right when it lands. Birdie can cancel the Bull Head in his Delay Period after he stops sliding forward. R.Mika can cancel the Shooting Peach into anything she wants in her Delay Period where she sits on the floor, rubbing her behind. Of course, we only wish that it is all so simple. There are a lot of discrepancies with this description of the rule. Although it can be safely applied to most of the Special Moves in the game, there will always be those exceptions that do not follow the rule. Some Special Moves cannot be Chained out of, period. Capcom just felt it would be too useful, I guess. Sakura's Otoshi is an example. Once she lands from the move, she cannot do anything until the move completely ends on its own, even though (if she lands all three hits) she lands on the floor with a slight Delay Period. Most Projectile Special Moves can cancel their Delays almost instantly, even though their Projectile is still on the screen. Pretty much everyone with a Projectile (such as Ryu, Ken, Sagat, Dan, Sakura, and Chun Li) can cancel that move after the Projectile leaves their hand! So Ryu can pretty much throw a Fireball in his V-ism and cancel that immediately into a Dragon Punch or a Hop Kick or a Crouch Roundhouse or whatever he wants while in Delay. The same goes for Chun Li, Sakura, Dan, and the others. Oddly enough, however, Charlie and Guile canNOT cancel the delay of their Sonic Booms!! I actually believe DeeJay cannot cancel his delay as well, but since he HAS no delay on his Projectile ANYHOW, it's a moot point. So Guile and Charlie do not benefit from the Projectile Delay canceling. Finally, some Special Moves can be Chained out of even BEFORE they reach the Delay Period! Actually, there is actually only one such Special Move: Vega's Rolling Crystal Flash. For some reason, you can cancel this into whatever you want right BEFORE Vega ends the rolling with his claw thrust. You can technically, in the Corner, keep canceling the Rolling Crystal Flash into itself right at the moment before Vega does his claw stab again and again. The result? Vega just stays rolling in the Corner forever, until the VC runs out. So if you want to know when the Special Move of your favorite character can be canceled, it's best to just experiment and find out. As said earlier, the general rule given SHOULD be applicable to most Special Moves, but since there are so many exceptions, you should always test your moves just to be sure.
(5) VC Behavior While Jumping (In the Air) If you are Jumping during a VC, the only extra ability you gain is the ability to perform multiple attacks in one Jump. You cannot cancel or Chain anything into anything else, but after you finish a move, you can do any other move you want. Thus, during a VC, you can Jump with an immediate attack. Once it finishes, you can perform another attack on your way down. Ryu, for example, can do an immediate Jumping Roundhouse, and then do an air Hurricane Kick on his way down, or simply just choose to use any other normal Jumping attack. Remember, you cannot CANCEL an attack into another on while Jumping in a VC. You have to wait until the move finishes and THEN you can do another attack. Other than that, you don't gain any other special benefits from a VC during a Jump.
-The Shadow- After activating the VC, basically the character you control suddenly has 4 or 5 "Shadows" following him/her. The Shadows are just darker versions of your character (and slightly transparent, I think), and they mimic everything you do at the exact spot that you did it. If you notice, however, the very last Shadow to mimic your moves is brighter and more defined than the others are. This particular Shadow is the Shadow that actually can register hits and attacks, along with your main character. Pretty much what that means is that all the other Shadows are useless: they're only there for cosmetic purposes. The time it takes for this last Shadow to actually mimic your attack is dependent on which buttons you use to activate the VC. As you most likely already know, a VC is activated with the press of two buttons of the same strength: Jab + Short, Strong + Forward, and Fierce + Roundhouse. If you activate it with Fierce + Roundhouse, the Shadow will mimic your attack about 1 second later (about the time it takes for you to slowly say "one one-thousand, two!"). If you activate it with Strong + Forward, the Shadow will mimic your attack about half a second later (actually, it's more like 3/5 of a second later, but I don't need to get that picky). If you activate it with Jab + Short, it will basically mimic your attack right away. Derek Daniels was kind enough to give me the exact delays of the VC Shadows as listed by a book he got from Japan. It lists the Shadow delays as:
Derek Daniels assumes that it is the number of frames, if you take into account that there are 60 frames per second. If you think of it that way, it seems to work out just about right. Remember that your Shadow mimics your attacks EXACTLY where you performed them. In other words, if you do an attack that pushes the enemy away, your Shadow will then miss, because it will attack the EXACT same place you yourself actually attacked. Thus, when trying to make up VCs which utilize your Shadow, keep that in mind. Also note that the Reel Stuns that your Shadow cause are only a fraction of the length of the same attack done personally by the character you control! Confused by what that means? Try this: activate a VC with the two Hard Attack buttons (Fierce and Roundhouse) with, say, Ryu. Have the enemy in the Corner and walk up to him/her and hit the enemy with a Crouching Short canceled into a Standing Fierce Punch at a normal, casual timing. Notice your two hits will produce a 2 hit combo. Wait a bit for your Shadow to do its follow-up attack. Notice that, even though the enemy will get hit by both hits from the Shadow, the two hits will not count as a combo (in other words, after your Shadow hit with the Crouching Short Kick, the enemy could block the Standing Fierce)! This happens because your Shadow simply does NOT cause a very long Reel Stun (note that if you Chain the Short into the Fierce REALLY fast, the Shadow's mimics WILL combo. This, however, is beside the point. The point is that the Reel Stuns caused by the Shadow ARE shorter than normal Reel Stuns, and that can be proven by the above experiment). Fierces and Roundhouses from the Shadow still cause Reel Stuns longer than Reel Stuns caused by weaker attacks, such as Jabs and Shorts. However, a Reel caused by a Fierce punch from your Shadow is still shorter than a Reel caused by a Short from your actual character! Needless to say, that means Jabs and Short from the Shadow cause VERY VERY VERY short Reel Stuns. Apparently, Capcom was trying to prevent having the Shadow be too easily used for big, damaging "Infinite"-type combos (trivia note: this trick was first implemented by the creators of Vampire Savior. Lilith's Dark Force shadow also displayed this property, in which the Shadow that followed Lilith caused shorter Reel Stuns that Lilith herself. Just goes to show that most of the good ideas are always taken from Vampire Savior! :-). Please note that although your Shadow mimics EVERYTHING you do, it can't actually DO everything you can. In other words, your Shadow cannot Throw the enemy if it mimics your Throw. The Shadow will NOT pull off the entire Daikyo Burning for Sodom if the Shadow hits with the initial charge. Blanka's Shadow cannot hit the enemy with the electricity. It'll basically just go right through the enemy, without harming him/her. The Shadow is only capable of landing single, normal hits. One last thing: although this is probably a really stupid thing to point out, I'm trying to be real thorough here and cater to all people, even those who have NEVER played the game before in their life and finally JUST got it for the home systems. Your Shadow cannot be hit and cannot take damage. It is pretty much invincible.
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-=Momentary Invincibility=- One of the most powerful things about VCs is the fact that, upon activation, your character is rendered invincible for a short period (the length of the invincibility depends on how full your Meter is. If it's at 50% full, your invincibility period is practically not there. If it's full at 100%, your invincibility period is pretty noticeable). You can use this special ability to get out of many scrapes, override enemy attacks, or avoid an attack all together. This feature was considered really cheap by a good amount of SFA3 players. Also, it is my belief that this extra ability of the VC was fully taken advantage of by the players in Japan... almost to the point where it WAS cheap. This might not be true, but at least it would be able to explain Capcom's apparent decision to SEVERELY shorten the invincibility period of VCs in the PlayStation version of Alpha 3. I may be incorrect on this (please offer your opinions if you have some solid evidence), but a 100% full Meter in the PlayStation version of Alpha 3 gives you about the same invincibility time as a ~65% full Meter did in the arcade version. Even though the invincibility is there, it seems much shorter. Thus, it is a LOT harder to land a VC against an enemy on the home version of Alpha 3. A lot of the opportunities that were there before are completely gone. This can be a good change or a bad change. It's good in the fact that the invincibility period of a VC did allow for some easy victories and escapes, which was always disappointing to lose to. Also adding to this fact is that VCs can be activated at the push of a button, so it's easy to react with a VC. For example, let's say you have a small block of energy left and are trying to mount a comeback. You jump at, say, Blanka, who was currently walking at you. As a reaction, he activates his VC while you are JUST about to land your Jump Kick and he presses Fierce. His invincibility period easily lets the Fierce hit you out of the air and drain the rest of your energy. And worst of all, he didn't even predict your jump... he was just able to react with a quick button press. And this technique obviously does more damage than a single hit of an Alpha Counter. In terms of using VCs as an easy escape, this weakening of the VCs is a good thing. The bad aspect of this, however, is that now some characters have great difficulty landing a VC, making what once used to be a VERY potent VC a lot weaker. For example, V-ism Sodom has a very good VC that starts off with a Crouching Forward Kick. In the arcade, you could lure the enemy into an attack and activate your VC and override their attack with your Crouching Forward and go straight into your VC sequence. In the PlayStation version, there is a good chance your VC will just get stuffed upon activation by the move you are trying to override, leaving Sodom with very little opportunities of landing the VC outside of a whiffed Dragon Punch or something like that. It takes a LOT more timing to override attacks now. However you interpret this change in VCs, just be sure to note that a lot of the invincibility in VCs has been removed from the PlayStation version of Alpha 3. As for the Saturn version, it seems to be more similar to the Arcade's length of invincibility. However, experiemtns seem to show that the Saturn and PlayStation version have the exact SAME lengths of invincibility. TO be honest with you, I can't really tell right now. If I do some more experimentation with this, I may update the Guide and correct the Invincibility times. And I have no clue about the Dreamcast version, as I haven't played it much at all.
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-=Spinning Pile Drivers In VCs=- Spinning Pile Drivers (SPDs) is my generic name for a Special Move Throw that you need to rotate the controller 360 degrees and then hit a button. Eight characters in Alpha 3 possess an SPD: Zangief, Birdie, Sodom, R.Mika, E.Honda, Karin, Juni, and T.Hawk. An SPD move, when executed during a VC, has MANY more properties than normal. Outside a VC, it's pretty obvious you can only grab the enemy when they are Standing/Crouching and not in the middle of a Reel Stun or a Block Stun. However, things change when you activate a VC. During a VC, SPDs have total freedom. If the enemy is in your SPD's range, you can grab them pretty much no matter what. You can SPD them if they are just Standing or Crouching there, you can SPD them out of Reel Stun, and you can SPD them out of Block Stun! Thus, you can create situations where the enemy cannot escape! Examples of this will be given later on.
Another new ability that SPDs gain within a VC is the ability to Throw people off of the ground!!! Although this requires great timing, if you are in the middle of a VC and you have knocked the enemy to the ground, you can perform your SPD and actually grab the enemy off of the floor, even though they are lying on their backs. As just mentioned, the timing of this is VERY difficult (especially for Sodom, since the delay at the beginning of his Butsumetsu Buster (Punch SPD) really does wonders at screwing up your timing to grab people off of the floor. Really, for Sodom, grabbing people off the floor isn't an option... his non-SPD VCs are VASTLY more useful anyhow). Basically, the enemy, after being knocked down, is only vulnerable to the SPDs the INSTANT they hit the floor and stop bouncing. If you hit an enemy with a Knock Down or a Sweep, in general, they will fall onto the floor and hit the ground and bounce off once. Then, they fall back down after the short bounce to hit the floor again to stay there. At that very instant, where they hit the ground and stop bouncing, you can perform an SPD during a VC and grab the enemy. It is not easy to land this trick for the majority of the SPD characters (except for Zangief's Flying Powerbomb (the moving Kick SPD), which will basically run at the falling opponent and grab them the instant he is allowed to). Normally, the Knock-Down move is done during a VC. Basically, you can activate your VC, knock the enemy down with a Knock-Down move during the VC, and then, before you VC runs out, SPD the enemy off of the floor if you're right next to them. However, the Knock-Down move doesn't HAVE to be done during the VC. You can knock the enemy down, and THEN activate the VC and grab the enemy, if you're close enough. For example, R.Mika can actually catch the enemy with her sliding Crouch Roundhouse. From a close enough distance, she stops right next to where the enemy stops bouncing. Thus, she can actually Slide, THEN activate her VC, and perform the Daydream Headlock (her Kick SPD). If she timed it right, she'll grab the enemy right off the ground. More examples of using SPDs to grab people off the ground will be given in the next section.
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-=The High Reel Arc=- Normally, when a player is knocked into the air, they follow a pretty small, short Reel Arc in the air. However, if you hit someone out of the air during a VC, the Reel Arc followed by the struck player will always be slightly higher than normal. For example, if you Juggle someone out of their Reel Arc with a Standing Jab, normally the enemy will fly backwards really far and fast, giving you no chances of adding extra hits. If you do the same thing while in a VC, the enemy will bounce much higher. This higher Reel Arc applies to almost ALL moves done in a VC. My favorite example is with Charlie's Punch Air Throw. If you grab someone out of the air with Charlie's Punch Air Throw while in a VC, the enemy will bounce MUCH higher off of your shoulder than normal. In fact, they bounce so high and so much longer that you can jum up and Air Throw them again! And again and again and again (provided they don't Flip). Another strange thing about the higher reel arc: it lasts beyond the VC. So long as they were knocked into the air by a move that occurred during the VC, until they hit the floor and get up again, all moves will cause this higher Reel Arc. So even after your VC runs out, you can continue to Air Throw the enemy with Charlie. If they don't Flip, you can Air Throw them forever and ever and ever and rack up 99 hits if you so desire (in Training Mode, of course, where the enemy has Infinite energy). Of course, this really isn't too useful to know. It's almost exclusively used for Exhibition combos.
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-=Creating a Good VC=- Okay, so now you know the rules of how VCs work. So what counts as a high quality VC? Well, if you asked many different people what makes a good VC, you'll probably get many different answers. So in this section, I've narrowed it down to 7 different kinds of practical VCs. Each one of them has their own use, but not all of them apply to all characters (for example, one of the categories is having a good Spinning Pile Driver VC, and of course, not every character has an SPD code!). The seven types of useful VCs are:
1) Corner Juggle - The corner Juggle is probably the most prevalent type of Variable Combo. Basically, this is the type of VC where you knock the enemy into the air with a Knock Down and then repeatedly Juggle the enemy in the Corner. Pushing the enemy too far away is not a concern, obviously, because you are in the Corner. Basically, the keys to creating a good Corner Juggle Variable Combo are as follows: 1) Find a way to keep your character from moving too far forward into the corner (and under your opponent). 2) Make sure there are no Neutral States anywhere in your Corner Juggle. 3) Try to make whatever move you are hitting the enemy with hit as "deep" as possible (this will be explained later). 4) Find out when your Shadow likes to strike, and choose an appropriate VC strength to either make your Shadow whiff and get out of the way or to add to your hits. 1. When trying to make a good Corner Juggle, you tend to try the simple approach: repeat a Special Move until your VC runs out. However, you'll find in a lot of cases, this causes your character to fall under the opponent being Juggled, and this causes your VC to end. One example is R.Mika: if you knock, say, Ryu into the air in the corner and then do repeated Shooting Peaches, you'll find that sometimes R.Mika will hit Ryu but land too far in the corner so that the next Shooting Peach flies under Ryu and Ryu falls to the floor, escaping the rest of the VC. If Sodom tries repeating his Fierce Jigoku Scrape, he'll find himself running right under the opponent, and the rest of the Custom will fail. The way to prevent this is simply to find moves that don't propel your character as far forward, or try to hit the enemy with your move while they are low to the floor. If you do that, the opponent's body will push you back out away from the corner a little bit to make room for him/herself and that will prevent you from going too far forward. 2. Obviously, if there are Neutral States in the combo, even if your opponent doesn't take that opportunity to Flip, your VC will fail because of the Corner Juggle Limit. Thus, it is important to find a way to eliminate any Neutral States. This entails the task of finding Special Moves with cancelable delays and using what I've heard known as the "Whiff Factor." Basically, you can cancel Special Moves with Normal Moves without the intention of having the Normal Move connecting... you are doing it solely for the purpose of preventing the enemy from Flipping. Normally, your Special Move ends and you reach a Neutral State so that the next time you try a Special Move, the enemy can Flip or the Corner Juggle Limit kicks in. So cancel the delay of the Special Move into a whiffing Normal Move and then cancel the whiffed Normal Move into a Special Move again. It's a way to manually create longer delay on your Special Moves in order to accomplish the next section. You can even reverse this around, using the Special Moves as the delay and the Normal Moves as the Juggling hits. If your character has a Special Move that has a long enough delay. Characters who have long, cancelable Projectile Delays can all almost hit an airborne enemy out of the air with an upward hitting Normal Move and then cancel that Normal Move into their Projectile. The delay is so long, the enemy can't Flip. Once the enemy falls back closer to the ground, do that same upward hitting Normal Move to Juggle the enemy and then cancel that into the Projectile again!! Repeat this over and over again until the VC runs out! 3. Sakura has a VC where she basically just does repeated Jab Shou Ou Kens in the corner. This will continue to combo and there will be no Neutral States in it. However, if you watch the damage, each hit from the Shou Ou Ken does a pixel worth of damage, so for a 100% full meter, you'll get VERY little damage. The reason this happens is because the enemy ends up bouncing off the top of the Shou Ou Ken, rather than taking the full hit low at ground level. Most Street Fighter players are already aware of the fact that hitting enemies "deep" causes more damage than sideswipes. For example, if you jump at Ken and he nails you with a Jab ShouRyuKen right before you land, you will take a good chunk of damage. However, if he does a Jab ShouRyuKen early in your jump, and grazes you with the end of the attack, you'll take very little damage. Thus, it is importnat to create your VC so that you are hitting "deep" with your Special Moves. 4. Sometimes the Shadow becomes a nuisance in Corner Juggles. For example, if you activate the Fierce + Roundhouse VC with Birdie, and try to repeatedly Juggle the enemy with the Jab Bull Head, you'll find that you'll start missing because your Shadow will hit the opponent and throw all your timing off (if the Shadow wasn't there, you could easily just do repeated Jab Bull Heads for a Corner Juggle). If you experiment with this VC further, though, you can find out that if you activate the Strong + Forward VC, your Shadow will practically match the timing of the next Jab Bull Head you perform. Thus, if timed right, you can charge at the same time as your Shadow and get two hits with every Charge you do (one from you, one from your Shadow) and maintain the Corner Juggle.
Examples: The simplest example is with Akuma. You can activate a Jab + Short VC and, in the corner, do repeated Strong GouShouRyuKens. The ShouRyuKens will all hit very deep and you'll land RIGHT when the enemy is about to hit the ground. Cancel the delay of the GouShouRyuKen into another Strong GouShouRyuKen and you can repeatedly Juggle the enemy in the corner with just one move. If you activate a Jab + Short VC with Sagat and try repeated Fierce Tiger Blows, you'll find that Sagat lands just a tad bit too early, making each successive Tiger Blow hit less deep and less deep, creating a horrible VC. However, you can cancel the delay of your Tiger Blow into a whiffed Normal Move... ANY Normal Move (I use Crouching Forward) and then cancel that into another Fierce Tiger Blow right before the opponent lands, hitting them deep. You can then repeat that sequence for a high powered, high damaging, and very demoralizing VC. One last example of extended whiffing and an errant Shadow is again with Sagat. If you activate his Strong + Forward VC and do a Fierce Tiger Blow to an opponent, you'll find that as the enemy starts falling back down, your Shadow will knock the enemy back up into the air just a bit! Thus, if you want to hit the opponent with another deep Fierce Tiger Blow, you'll need some extended whiffing! So you can do a Crouch Forward the instant you land, cancel that into a Roundhouse Tiger Shot, and then, while in delay of the fireball, the opponent will fall back down and you can cancel the delay of the Tiger Shot into the Fierce Tiger Blow right before they land. You are using the long delay of the Tiger Shot to prevent Neutral States and to ensure you are getting good, deep hits with the Tiger Blow.
There is one more type of Corner Juggle VC, but only two characters have it: the SUPER SLOW Normal Move Corner Juggle. Basically, the rule is this: if a Normal Move connects, it can be canceled into any other Normal Move, right? Well, if the Normal Move is REALLY slow, you can conceivably cancel a Normal Move into itself over and over again and have it combo, right? There are only two moves slow enough to be capable of this: Zangief's Standing Roundhouse and Gen's Crouching Fierce in Ki-ryuu (Kick) Mode. If you can hit the enemy with a Knock-Down move (so that they can be Juggled), you can repeatedly bounce the enemy in the corner with the same move over and over again, but it requires careful timing. Zangief's Standing Roundhouse has a nice, long delay, and after it connects, you have to cancel it into itself RIGHT before it finishes (rather than canceling it right when it connects). Then, it'll come out slowly, hit the enemy, have its delay, you cancel it late, and it hits the enemy as they are falling back down. This works similarly with Gen's Crouching Fierce in Kick Mode. Both take VERY careful timing, and a lot of practice.
2) Anywhere Juggle - The Anywhere Juggle is just that: the type of VC that can repeatedly Juggle the enemy ANYWHERE in the playing field, corner or not. In every case so far, the Anywhere Juggles will eventually push the enemy into the corner, so it is vital that, if you have a good Anywhere Juggle, you are able to easily transition from your Anywhere Juggle into your Corner Juggle, if your character has one. This is perhaps one of the most useful types of VCs, yet the hardest to come by. The main keys to creating a good Anywhere Juggle are: 1) Finding a move that keeps you moving forward or pops the enemy UP rather than out. 2) Having a set-up for the VC. 3) The ability to transition into a Corner Juggle. 1. A lot of characters do NOT have Anywhere Juggles. This is mainly because they do not have any good moves to keep them moving forward, so the enemy will eventually end up too far away. Ryu is a good example of this. Even though he has his Tatsumaki Senpuu Kyaku, it's simply too slow. Not only that, it tends to knock the enemy OUTWARDS rather than keeping the enemy close to you. The Shouryuken knocks the enemy upwards, yes, but Ryu has no ability to keep moving forward after an uppercut, so that after he lands from the uppercut, he can only hit the enemy with one more move before the enemy falls too far away. Characters like Akuma, however, do have means of forward travel. Akuma can use his Hyakki Shuu (the Demon Flip - Tiger Knee motion + Punch) to keep moving forward. So even though the fireball or uppercut might knock the enemy outwards, his Hyakki Shuu can allow him to catch up to the opponent before they fly too far away. 2. Of course, what good is Akuma's above VC if he can't find a way to set it up? Fortunately for Akuma, there is a set-up: Activate the Jab + Short VC, do a Jab GouShouryuken, cancel that into a Fierce GouHadouken the instant he lands, and then cancel that into the Demon Flip. After you land, cancel the Demon Flip into a Fierce Shakunetsu Hadouken (Red Fireball), cancel that into a Demon Flip, etc. etc. etc. This VC will take the enemy clear across the screen and is a very effective VC. Thus, this Anywhere VC has a good set-up works well for Akuma but there are characters with Anywhere Juggles with no set-up! Such a character is Adon. He can repeatedly Juggle an enemy across the screen with repeated Roundhouse Jaguar Kicks, but, specifically in the PlayStation version, there is no way to set the enemy up so that you can Juggle them in this situation AT ALL (there is a set-up in Arcade and in Saturn, but not sure about Dreamcast). The Jaguar Knee in the PlayStation version has no delay (the delay is there in the Arcade and Saturn versions, however) so there is always a Neutral State right when you land, allowing the enemy to Flip. Adon has no other Knock-Down Special Moves, so there is no way to set it up. One more important aspect of Anywhere Juggles is finding a way to set it up against airborne opponents and finding a way to set it up against grounded opponents. Since the initial hit will hit the enemy at different heights, it is important to know of a way to set up the VC at either height. For example, in the Arcade and Saturn versions, he has a set-up for it, but only in a situation where he and the enemy are both on the ground standing RIGHT next to each other. If the enemy is Jumping at him, Adon has no set-up for the VC, making it much less effective than Akuma's. See the examples for, what else, examples of other types of Ground Vs. Anti-Air VC Set-ups. 3. Almost all Anywhere Juggles will eventually put you in the corner. If you do not have a good Corner Juggle, this can cause problems. Also, if you do not have a good way of changing from your Anywhere Juggle into the Corner Juggle, that could give you problems as well. It is very important to design your Anywhere Juggles so that they can be easily transitioned into Corner Juggles for maximum effectiveness.
Examples: The simplest example is with E.Honda. If you activate your Fierce + Roundhouse VC next to the enemy, you can do a Standing Strong and cancel that into a Fierce Super Zutsuki (his Headbutt... "Dosukoi!!!"). Then, you can do repeated Fierce Super Zutsukis with small delays between each one. You can take the enemy clear across the playing field that way. A good example of the different set-ups is with Charlie. Charlie has an Anywhere Juggle where he can, with a Fierce + Roundhouse activated VC, do a Roundhouse Razor Kick, cancelled right when he lands into a Standing Roundhouse (which will Juggle the enemy) and cancel that into a Dash. Do the Knee Bazooka as late in the Dash as possible (it will whiff) and cancel the whiffed Knee into another Razor Kick. Repeat the sequence. However, to get this Anywhere Juggle going requires a good set-up. If the enemy jumps at you, you can activate a VC and do a Standing Strong to hit them out of the air and quickly cancel that into a Roundhouse Razor Kick. From there, you can just do the Bazooka Knee when you land and then do the repated pattern. However, if you want to hit the enemy while they are standing, you need a different set-up. In this case, it's best for Charlie to do activate the VC right next to the enemy and do a Crouching Short canceled into a Roundhouse Razor Kick. Either set-up will lead into a successful Anywhere Juggle. It is necessary to have both set-ups to make the AnyWhere Juggle VC as useful as possible. Zangief makes a good example of a different kind of Anywhere Juggle. He can activate his VC and hit the enemy (out of the air or while they are next to him) with a Quick Double Lariat (hit all three Kicks). Cancel that into a Standing Fierce, which will hit the enemy out of the air. Cancel the Fierce immediately with a Fierce Banishing Flat, which will whiff but move Zangief forward. Cancel the end of the Banishing Flat with another Standing Fierce, which will catch the enemy out of the air again. Cancel the Fierce into the Banishing Flat etc. etc. etc. The concept behind this kind of VC is that the Normal Move is what you hit the enemy with and the Special Move is simply a "mode of transporation" to keep you moving forward. The Special Move is done with no intention of actually hitting the enemy, but because Special Moves can be cancelled whether they hit or whiff into a Normal or a Special Move, this type of VC can be really effective. What makes the above VCs even better is that they all can be easily transitioned into a Corner Juggle. Once Honda reaches the corner, he can switch to repeated Jab Super Zutsukis and keep the VC going until it runs out. Charlie can then start doing repeated Razor Kicks, with a quick whiffed Crouching Forward in between the Razor Kicks to get deeper hits. Zangeif can switch to the repeated Standing Roundhouses to continue the VC. The VCs above are great examples of high quality Anywhere Juggle VCs.
3) Corner Ground - This type of VC is basically where you can continually combo the enemy in the corner WITHOUT knocking them down. Basically, the enemy remains standing the entire time, getting hit by a barrage of move that hit continually. So far, this type of VC is mainly relegated to the "Projectile VC", as 90% of the Corner Ground VC utilize Projectiles. There really is only one key to these types of VCs: find a move you can do that either ends quick enough or is perfectly synced with your Shadow so that it can continually hit the enemy in the corner with no chance for them to escape. Most of the time, this involves using a Projectile. Since you can cancel the delay of throwing a Projectile any time after the first thrown Projectile has disappeared (hitting the opponent or going off screen), it is easy to produce Corner Ground VCs. Simply activate a VC using Jab + Short with the enemy in the corner and start throwing Projectiles in a steady fashion. Your first Projectile will hit, freeing you up to do another move. The second Projectile (thrown by your Shadow) will then connect as you throw a new Projectile, which hits as the enemy is still reeling from the hit of the Shadow's Projectile. This pattern keeps repeating until your VC runs out. Almost everyone with a Projectile can do this... even Dan!! The only ones who can't are Sakura (her Hadouken is too slow to come out) and Charlie and Guile (for some reason, they won't let Charlie and Guile cancel their Sonic Boom delays with another Sonic Boom!!). Bison can do it, except for some reason, he needs to activate the Strong + Forward VC for it to work. There are other types of Corner Ground VCs, but they are almost impossible to come by. The most significant one is Ken's Hurricane Kick VC. If you activate the Strong + Forward VC against a cornered enemy and start doing repeated Roundhouse Tatsumaki Senpuu Kyakus, it's PERFECTLY timed so that you end your Hurricane Kick after the Shadow has already started his. Thus, right before the Shadow's Hurricane Kick ends, you start yours up and the cycle repeats. Unfortunately, other than the above Ken VC, there are practically no other Corner Ground VCs.
4) Guard Break - You're not guaranteed to hit the enemy every time you activate your VC. So what happens if you activate your VC and the enemy blocks? Go into your Guard Break VC. This type of VC is a constant attack with as many moves as possible that, most of the time, your enemy is forced to block. A good Guard Break VC usually can take your opponent from a full Guard Meter down to an almost empty Guard Meter. If they start with half a Guard Meter, you can normally break their Guard in the middle of a 100% full Guard Break VC. Breaking their Guard will give you a good advantage the rest of the fight. The key to a good Guard Break VC is the ability to force the enemy to block, where the Alpha Counter is their only escape. Also, is is key to either make sure it involves landing as many Fierce and Roundhouses as possible early on (as they drain the most Guard Meter), or to get as many hits as possible (Guard Meter drainage eventually starts scaling down, so landing lots of small hits will equal about as much Guard Damage as landing a few big early hits).
Examples: One example of getting hard hits in is with Ken. You have the enemy cornered and you activate your Strong + Forward VC. The enemy is blocking, so you cannot start hitting him/her with your repeated Hurricane Kick VC (as described in the Corner Ground VC section). Thus, you do a Crouching Forward Kick canceled into a Hadouken against the blocking opponent. Then, you can cancel the Hadouken into a Standing Towards + Roundhouse (which will do a good chunk of Guard Meter damage), cancel that into another Hadouken which in turn is canceled into another Towards + Roundhouse, etc. etc. etc. and repeat this sequence. Eventually, this sequence will push you too far away, but by that time, your VC is pretty much over and you've drained a good 90% of the enemy's Guard Meter. Another example of a good Guard Break VC is any of the Corner Ground Projectile VCs from the previous section. Not only do they do a lot of Guard Meter damage, but they do a lot of block damage as well!!! Thus, Corner Ground Projectile VCs are useful whether connected or blocked... in fact, against No- ism characters, who take higher Block Damage than normal, will lose almost the same amount of enery getting hit by or blocking the VC!!! One last example of a good Guard Break VC is with Sakura. This example involves many small hits. Activate a Strong + Forward VC right next to the opponent. Start with a Standing Back + Fierce canceled into a Fierce Hadouken. Cancel the Hadouken into a Strong Shou Ou Ken. As you Strong Shou Ou Ken ends, the Shadow will begin hitting with her Standing Fierce. Right when you land, cancel the delay of the Shou Ou Ken into a Crouching Short and cancel the Short into another Fierce Hadouken. As your Short is canceling into the Hadouken, your Shadow is performing her Shou Ou Ken, keeping the opponent pinned to the ground. Cancel that Hadouken into another Strong Shou Ou Ken into another Crouch Short etc. etc. etc. and repeat the sequence. This gives you MANY hits, most of them coming from the Shou Ou Ken, but all these tiny hits combined make a very effective Guard Break VC. You can easily break someone's Guard Meter if you start this while they have half a Guard Meter full. Warning, though, there are holes in this Guard Break VC where the opponent CAN sneak in a Super, but the holes are so small, the opponent normally ends up taking hits when trying to attempt as escape.
5) Pressure / Confusion - This type of VC is basically designed to confuse the enemy, and hopefully cause them to get hit eventually. This either requires a lot of Cross-Ups, Overheads, or Special Moves with good recovery. The goal of this type of VC is to hope that the enemy eventually gets hit by one of your moves in the process of trying to block the entire VC or in their attempt to hit you out of your VC. If you can transition a Pressure VC into an Anywhere Juggle or Corner Juggle VC, that's even better. Another good thing about a Confusion VC is that they are generally not affected by Damage Scaling. Since Confusion VCs base their usefulness on landing a few hits here and there while the enemy futilely tries to block all the hits, Damage Scaling does not affect them. Each hit that lands is a singular hit not in a combo, so they do full damage. Thus, the full damage added together between all of those hits can sometimes equal more damage than a full, 100% VC combo!!! The keys to a good Confusion VC is throwing in lots of Cross-ups or Overheads, as well as moves that must be Crouch or Stand blocked. This, combined with your Shadow repeating your moves, can cause a lot of blocking difficulties for your enemy. There are two mentalities present when performing a Pressure / Confusion VC: one mentality is that your goal is to eventually hit the enemy into the air with your consufion tactics, and then transition into an Anywhere or Corner Juggle VC. The other mentiality is that your goal is to keep them on the ground as much as possible, thus forcing them to have to try and block everything that you do, taking random hits here and there. The biggest weakness of this type of VC, however, is the fact that there ARE holes in the VC, and if your opponent gets lucky or has good timing, he CAN break out of the trap with a well-placed Dragon Punch, Super, a simple Jab, etc. This will cause you to waste a good full meter. But it can be used effectively to the ponit where you will definitely do some damage to your opponent. If you think they are gathering up for a good counter hit, back off and run away and try and let your meter run itself out while you are safely far away.
Examples: A good example of the first mentality is with E.Honda. If you activate your VC (either Strong + Forward or Fierce + Roundhouse) and just begin doing repeated Forward Super Hyakkan Otoshis (the move where he goes up and then drops down on you butt first), enemies usually try and hit you right after you land. This is normally a wasted attempt, because you can cancel the delay of one Hyakkan Otoshi into the next, and stuff any counter attack they try. Either that, or they block the first Hyakkan Otoshi, and then Crouch block. They are attempting to block any move you do from the ground, completely forgetting that your Shadow is repeating the Hyakkan Otoshi and must also be Stand blocked. In either case, the Hyakkan Otoshi connects, and right when you land from your current or next Hyakkan Otoshi, you can change into the appropriately strengthed Super Zutsuki ("Dosukoi!!") and then transition into your Anywhere or Corner Juggle. An example of the mentality of keeping the enemy on the ground is with Guy. If you corner the enemy, you can activate your Strong + Forward or Fierce + Roundhouse VC and just start going mad. Throw in Crouching Shorts canceled into Standing Forwards canceled into the Kubikara (the Bushin Run with Roundhouse), more Crouching Shorts, canceled into the Bushin Izuna Otoshi (Fireball + Punch), etc. etc. Mixing it up between all of those will continually hit high and low, and the Bushin Izuna Drop has the potential of crossing up sometimes, forcing the opponent to turn and block the other way unexpectedly. Mixing between all these moves can potentially drain a TON of the opponent's energy, because every hit is singular and not comboed, so there is no Damage Scaling. If the enemy does not escape this trap successfully, he can take a lot of damage.
6) Spinning Pile Driver - Obviously from it's name, the Spinning Pile Driver VCs involve using the many special powers that SPDs gain during a VC. A lot of the characters that concentrate their game on landing SPDs have to utilize this type of VC (I'm thinking mostly of Zangief, Birdie, R.Mika, and T.Hawk) if you use their V-ism mode because using SPDs in the middle of a VC can warrant you a lot of free and easy grabs. There are three main ways to use SPDs in the middle of a VC: 1) Using it to grab people in the middle of Reel Stun, thus being a combo. 2) Using it to grab people stuck in Block Stun. 3) Using it to grab people off of the ground. 1. Grabbing people out of Reel Stun won't warrant you anything particularly great in VCs. The best you can do to take advantage of this property is, say, when an enemy misses an Uppercut type move and leaves themselves vulnerable. For example, let's say you are using Zangief and you block a Wake-Up Razor Kick attempt, and Charlie is now about to land next to you. Rather than timing a well-timed SPD when he lands, you can actually activate a VC and then, right when Charlie lands, you can nail him with a Crouching Forward Kick and then immediately cancel that into an SPD, which will connect and grab Charlie for a two hit combo even though Charlie is still in Reel Stun. This adds a bit of extra damage as well as makes landing the SPD that much easier, since you have no fear of missing or jumping when you try and do the SPD. This isn't really worth the usage of a full VC, but it may be worth it if you have just 50% full. 2. Using the VC to grab people in the middle of Block Stun is much more useful than grabbing people out of Reel Stun. This technique can be a huge deterrent to players who play very defensively. It's also good to just get a good, free SPD. One of the best ways to land this, for example, is during a Jump Attack. If you Jump at the enemy and activate your VC in the air, you can do a Jump attack and then do an SPD right when you land. If the enemy blocks your Jump attack, you'll land and grab them anyhow, even though they are in the middle of Block Stun. This works particularly well with Cross-Ups. A good example is with R.Mika. Let's say R.Mika connects a Slide (Crouch Roundhouse) on you. As you get up, she jumps over you and activates her Jab + Short VC. Before she lands, she does her Down + Fierce move in the air, which is a Cross-Up. You get up and block the Cross-Up. Right when she lands, her shadow ALSO makes you block the Cross-Up, so you are now in Block Stun the instant she lands. She can do her Daydream Headlock (Kick SPD) RIGHT when she lands and it will grab you OUT of your Block Stun! In other words, you could not have done anything about it outside of Alpha Countering. But here's the catch: even if you get HIT by the Cross-Up, R.Mika will grab you anyhow, because you can also grab the enemy out of Reel Stun (this is where grabbing people out of Reel Stun is most significant)! Basically, her Down + Fierce will hit you and her Shadow's mimic will also hit you right when she lands. If she does the Daydream Headlock the instant she lands, she'll grab you right out of your Reel Stun caused by the Shadow. So whether you block or get hit, you're getting SPDed! All of the characters with SPDs can utilize this Cross-Up, SPD trick (except Sodom, whose SPD is a lot slower than other characters). 3. Finding set-ups to grab the enemy off of the ground with an SPD is fairly difficult... there are only a few good situations that this can happen. But it can be a very good technique, especially for ending a good, long Corner or Anywhere Juggle VC. SPDs are not affected by Damage Scaling in VCs, so if you end a VC with an SPD, you can get a lot of damage for it. For an example of a good sequence that sets you up for a good off the ground SPD, we can look at Juni: Juni can activate her VC and hit the enemy with a Crouching Roundhouse and Chain that into a Forward Mach Slide (the teleport). The Sweep pushes Juni out of SPD range, but the Mach Slide will bring her right into range. Not only that, right when she recovers from the Mach Slide, the enemy will have just finished bouncing. Thus, right when she recovers from the Mach Slide, you can perform the Earth Direct (her SPD) and snag the enemy right off of the floor! An example of using the VC after a Knock-Down can be seen with Birdie. If you catch the enemy in the corner and land Jumping Roundhouse, Crouching Fierce Buffered into a Jab Bull Head, the enemy will fall onto the ground in the corner. You'll recover RIGHT before the enemy stops bouncing. Activate your VC and then, with VERY good timing, do your Punch SPD. It will grab the enemy off of the floor and after it finishes, you're still close enough to go for another VC SPD (so you can, for example, time a Meaty Low Short into the enemy as they get up and then do another Punch SPD... if the enemy does not successfully Reverse your Meaty Attack, you'll get your free SPD). For an example of using this to end a VC, let's look at Honda. Previously, I described Honda's repeated Super Zutsuki VC. From a full meter, after 7 Super Zutsuki's, you will end up in the corner eventually (remember, if you get into the corner, change from Fierce Zutsukis to Jab Zutsuki's). After the seventh Zutsuki, cancel that into a Roundhouse Super Hyakkan Otoshi (the Razor Kick), RIGHT when Honda lands from it will PERFECTLY match the timing of when the enemy stops bouncing after landing from getting hit by the seventh Zutsuki. So right when you land, cancel that into a Ooichou Nage (his SPD) and you'll grab the enemy right off of the floor, and the SPD will do full damage.
7) Special Situation - Anything that doesn't qualify as any of the above VCs qualifies as a Special Situation VC. These are VCs that are usually useful only in certain, special situations (hence it's name!). One example of this is with Gen in Sou-ryuu Mode (Punch Mode). If you get the enemy in the corner and activate your Fierce + Roundhouse VC. Perform a Crouching Roundhouse to sweep the enemy off the floor and IMMEDIATELY start tapping Fierce as fast as possible. If you manage to cancel the Crouch Roundhouse instantly into the Hyakurenkou (the Hand Slap), the Shadows will mimic you at lightning speed (because it'll mimic the move whiffing, and there's no Block Stun to slow the Shadow's mimic down). Once the enemy gets up and blocks, they'll block EVERY hit of the Shadow's whiffing Hyakurenkou, and since it goes so fast, they will take a ton of block damage. Also, if you keep your Hyakurenkou going, the combination of your Hand Slap and the Shadow's Hand Slaps will cuase you to actually be pushed away from the opponent SLOWER (because so many are hitting). Thus, the total Block Damage the opponent can take is upwards to a FIFTH of their energy! Because there are no specifics to the Special Situation VCs, nothing more will be said about them.
* * *
In the end, VCs are quite broken... they definitely take the most creativity to use and the most skill, but their potential is incredible. If you learn how to use VCs well and your character has a good VC, V-ism definitely becomes the most deadly Ism in the game! But, keep in mind that it DOES take a lot of practice... so break out that Training Mode!!
/===============================\ | SECTION 10: The Guy Exception | \===============================/ What is the Guy Exception?!? Well, we've already established the rule that when you reach a Neutral State, the enemy is allowed to Flip. So anytime you hit the enemy after a Neutral State, it's not technically a combo because the enemy can flip out of it. There is one Exception to this rule. Although more than one person can create the exception, only one character can take ADVANTAGE of it: Guy (of course... why else would it be called the Guy Exception?!?). Basically, there is one particular Reel that causes the enemy, after they hit the floor, to roll backwards. Examples of these kind of moves are Ryu's Shinkuu Tatsumaki Senpuu Kyaku, Cody's Bad Spray, Guy's Bushin Gokusa Ken (the Final Fight Chain), and Guy's Bushin Gourai Kyaku (kick Super). After these moves connect, the enemy will be thrown backwards into the air, and when they land, they'll end up rolling backwards for a fixed distance and end up Standing up. The only thing about this type of Reel... when an enemy is knocked into this kind of Reel, they CANNOT Flip out of the part where they are knocked into the air. However, they ARE still Jugglable!! This pretty much means that the Juggle is for free, and that the enemy cannot escape it. This also means that anytime you Juggle someone out of this particular kind of Reel, it IS in fact a true combo! The biggest catch, though, is that ONLY Guy has opportunities to Juggle people out of this Reel. After his Bushin Gokusa Ken and the Bushin Gourai Kyaku, Guy recovers quickly enough to hit the enemy before they begin to roll on the ground (at which point, the enemy becomes invincible). So, for example, let's say Guy has his enemy in the corner and he lands the Bushin Gokusa Ken (all four hits of the Final Fight Chain). The last kick usually knocks the enemy into the air, and the enemy will hit the ground with a backwards roll. Guy recovers before the enemy hits the floor, however, and so he can thus hit the falling Body with any move he wants, say a Standing Close-Up Fierce. Guy can then cancel that Fierce into any special move he wants and continue the Juggle. After the Bushin Gourai Kyaku, Guy recovers quickly after the final kick, and can catch the enemy out of the air before they hit the floor with a move such as Standing Jab, Standing Strong, or Standing Fierce. He can then Chain or Buffer these moves into anything else that will combo or reach. Because the enemy was put into that special kind of Reel, they could NOT Flip away from the follow-up attack, EVEN THOUGH Guy had reached a Neutral State!! Thus, the sequence is a true combo and there is nothing you can do about the combo. This inability to Flip after being knocked into the air because of this special kind of Reel is what I call the "Guy Exception," mainly because Guy is the only character that can utilize it.
/===============================\ | SECTION 11: The Gen Exception | \===============================/ Then Gen Exception, like the Guy Exception, is a situation where a rule is broken for an unexplainable reason. Normally, as said earlier in this Guide, the enemy can no longer be Juggled after they have been Juggled once after having the Corner Juggle Limit has been implemented. So let's say Gen uses a Crouch Short kick in Ki-ryuu mode and knocks the enemy into the corner. When the enemy hits the corner, the Corner Juggle Limit takes affect and Gen is only allowed one more Juggle. Let's say Gen follows up the Crouch Short with his Jumping Double Roundhouse Kick. After Gen lands, none of his moves will Juggle the enemy anymore because the Double Roundhouse kick counted as one whole Juggle, and since the Corner Juggle Limit had been initiated, one more Juggle is all Gen gets. Or is it?!? For some strange reason, Gen can break all Juggling limitations with his Jakouha (the Kick Super where he jumps up and grabs enemies out of the air). This move will grab people out of the air NO MATTER WHAT as long as the enemy is there to be thrown! So after the Double Roundhouse kick, Gen can land and immediately do the Jakouha before the enemy hits the ground. Even though the Corner Juggle Limit has been initiated and Gen had gotten his one last Juggle in, the Jakouha will connect anyhow and grab the enemy out of the air!!! So the Jakouha breaks all Corner Juggle Limit rules. It all breaks one other rule... previously, I had said that when an enemy is hit out of the air by a NON-Knock-Down move (such as most normal moves that do not Counter Hit), they can not be Juggled out of the air. The enemy normally comes down and lands safely on their feet. However, Gen's Jakouha can also grab people when they are in THIS condition. So, for example, let's say the enemy jumps at you and you kick them out of the air with Gen's Crouching Roundhouse in Ki-Ryuu mode. The enemy didn't do anything, so your hit was not a Counter Hit. After you hit them, they start to fall back to the ground. The enemy cannot do any moves or anything, but they should land on their feet and be free to do anything they want the instant they land. They are also temporarily invincible until they land, so they cannot be Juggled. However, if you follow up his Crouch Roundhouse with the Jakouha, it WIL grab them regardless of the fact that they SHOULD be invincible. So to sum it up in the simplest way possible: if Gen does the Jakouha and the enemy is in the air where it can reach them, they WILL be grabbed, no matter WHAT situation it is and what regulations have been imposed.
/================================\ | SECTION 12: Closing and Thanks | \================================/ If I get enough requests for it, I may go ahead and put in a "Combo Section", listing all of my favorite Exhibition Combos (in other words, combos that ARE escapable with Flips, but cool anyhow). Once you understand how the Juggling rules and restrictions work, you can create some pretty awesome combos!!! Please, send me your e-mails! Tell me what you think of this Guide, and tell me what you liked and what you didn't like. I designed this Guide especially for those people who enjoy understanding everything at their deepest level possible, and for those who love a good detailed read about one of their favorite video games. Let me know if you enjoy the detailed information provided in the Guide. If you liked the Guide and think it is a good read, let others who enjoy the game know about its existence. Spread the word for me! ^_^ I simply do not have the time these days to try and publicize this Guide outside of placing it on www.gamefaqs.com. I would love to try and make a Web Page for this Guide, like I have for my X-Men Vs. Street Fighter Combo Guide, but time is tight, and chances of that happening is slim.
In closing, there are many people out there I would like to thank. First of all, I would like to thank Kao Megura, again, for his incredible Street Fighter Alpha 3 FAQ. I live for Kao's FAQs, and I love his formatting and presentation and detail... truly a gift to the Internet Street Fighting world. I would like to thank Gamefaqs.com for even existing, so that there is a universal place to place all of these FAQs. I REALLY want to thank John Choi, for telling me about TONS of nasty Custom Combos that I didn't know about, and I hope he doesn't mind that I mention a lot of those in this Guide. I also want to thank him for beating me down in Alpha 3 at the E3, as a reminder that I always have far to go before I become truly a great player like he is. ^_^ I also want to give a huge thank you to Derek Daniels, who continues to relay Alpha 3 information to me despite the fact that I'm an ingrateful e-mail corresponder, and it takes me 3 months before I actually reply to him! ^_^ Thanks for sending me all of those Gamest combos (all of which I have to to replicate!!) and for keeping me up to date with all the latest Alpha 3 strangeness, especially the VC SPD OTGs (if you can understand all those acronyms without a beat, you've been playing too many Capcom games! ^_^)!! Thanks also for taking a look at early versions of my Guide and correcting me on some things, and convincing me to change the name from Juggle Ender to Juggle Limit. ^_^ I also wanted to thank the small crew of UCLA players that challenged me all the time before I finally graduated... this loyal SF group of Alpha players always provided great competition, lots of laughs, and plenty of trash talking! The group includes Mike Chu (who I have accidentally abandoned at UCLA... sorry!!!), Giovanni (you bastard Akuma turtle!!! I swear I'll get you one of these days!!! ^_^), Chih-Hao (I hope I spelled that right... didn't mean to butcher your name), that one guy (that now that I think of it, I NEVER learned the name of!!!) with the long hair and the REALLY nasty Sakura (stupid $#%^@! Jumping Short!!!!), and those other few people who played on and off. I know I've forgotten to list a bunch of people!! I also want to thank the crew at Southern Hills Golfland, for ALWAYS throwing the best tournaments in Southern California. And thankfully, there are those FEW players there who DO enjoy using characters OTHER Than Ryu and Ken there... Oh, and thanks to Alex Valle, who ALWAYS has a new trick up his sleeve and NEVER EVER loses! Thanks for always raising the level of quality of competition, because everyone is always too busy trying to catch up to you while you're already moving on to new tricks and tactics and skills. One day, Alex, you'll HAVE to pick Dan in a tournament to finally prove all the theories that you pretty much CAN win with anyone and can make ANY character look like the "cheapest character in the game." ^_^ Of course, I want to thank Calvin Lin and Kevin Anderson, for always telling me how much I really do suck at Alpha 3. ^_^ Everybody in the world who loves Street Fighter needs to have solid SF playing buddies like these two guys!! Thanks to Alan Sentman and Jason Villarreal (the inventor of the Villarreal Low Strong!!!!! Want to know what the Villarreal Low Strong is?!? Here's a hint: use Crouching attacks that don't look like Anti-Air attacks as Anti-Air. Try Dan's Crouching Strong, for example!!!), for always, ALWAYS making me laugh. And even in THIS Alpha 3 Guide, I've continued the tradition of the Combometer (pronounced "com-BOH-me-ter"!!!). Thank you to my brother Jeff, who puts up with me every single day and played me almost every single day in Alpha 3. I perfected all of my strategies on you!! ^_^
And one last thank you to you, for bothering to read this Guide (and if you've even read up to this point, you're completely insane and deserve some serious thank yous for going even THIS far!!!).
Please send all comments to: jchensor@earthlink.net
