Monthly Archives: July 2010

Etc Spotlight: The Dogface Show – Episode 8

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For those of you who (somehow) haven’t heard of him, Victor “Dogface” Ratliff is the host of The Dogface Show which basically makes him our version of Conan O’Brien. About eighteen months ago, he began interviewing prominent fighting game community members, from top players like edma and ComboFiend to event organizers like s-kill and MrWizard. Recently he sat down with fanatiq to discuss the biggest money match in fighting game history.

The Dogface Show – Episode 8, Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6

Why does it take six full segments to cover one story? Because it’s that intense! It spans multiple tournament encounters and two escalating money matches over several months.

The reason i’m pointing this out is because i think the Marvel community is absolutely fascinating, and this interview manages to convey a part of that electric atmosphere. It was recorded on location at Family Fun Arcade, so background noise does get in the way from time to time, but otherwise it’s enjoyable the whole way through.

Combo Design Pathways

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The initial spark is always accidental. You fire up Training Mode, you pick a character, you mess around, you try something on a whim, and it happens to work. Now your real creative task is surrounding that discovery with the right pieces to refine it into something special. Choosing the right direction is the single most important step to creating a good combo. Here’s a basic roadmap of the most prominent routes.

    Build Around an Element
The direct approach is starting with one substantial breakthrough, then expanding the combo in both directions. Let’s say you notice SF4 Akuma’s c.MK xx HK Tatsumaki Zankukyaku landing in a strange manner that allows him to follow up. What’s the most impressive combo you can construct atop that foundation? Since Akuma requires lots of meter for extended juggles, how about arranging a five-bar combo and saving most of it for the end?

    Connect Multiple Elements
A slightly more complicated method is taking two or more such pieces and tying them together. The more you add, the more challenging it becomes – and thereby more rigid. Sometimes you’re left with only one viable path from one point to the next. Of course, it depends on the game engine. For instance the Versus series is considerably more accommodating than the oldschool SF2 series in this regard.

    Follow Through on a Unique Setup
Once in a while, an innovative setup can be intriguing enough on its own to warrant a combo demonstration. It’s usually impossible to add anything extra prior to such elaborate provisions, so you can only build forward in these cases. The distinct benefits provided by each individual setup tend to dictate their resultant combos. Try to utilize every advantage gained.

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CV Spotlight: KoFXII Non-Critical Combo Exhibition

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Due to various factors, King of Fighters XII videos are strikingly rare. As everyone’s attention turns to KoFXIII, the trend doesn’t look to change. Luckily, Combonauts and Dark Chaotix have teamed up to bring us one more KoFXII video to show what the game engine is capable of outside the Critical Counter system.

While Waiting for KoFXIII

It’s amazing to see some of these combos last almost as long as CCs. It would’ve been a real shame if KoFXII had come and gone without anyone showing the game’s true foundation.

They certainly don’t waste any time either. The very first Andy combo in the video is already amazing. There are high notes all over the place, but everything in the second half of the video was awesome, especially the Leona combo at 4:32.

That Ash combo at 1:52 looks ridiculously stylish with the editing filters. Speaking of which, the editing was great overall. So was the music selection. What are you waiting for? Go watch it!

Tournament Pre-Match Scouting

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With Evo2k10 less than a week away, many of you are rushing to get that last bit of practice before heading out to Vegas. First of all, good luck to all of you in reaching your personal goals for the tournament. Second, i have one last piece of advice.

As a spectator, practice analyzing your upcoming opponents’ play styles and learn to identify their habits. The fact is, everyone attending a tournament automatically does this. Everyone tries to scout ahead by peeking at the bracket and watching potential opponents square off.

The question is, how good are you at it? Do you know what to look for? Can you spot specific weaknesses? Are you searching for concrete opportunities to capitalize on? Details like these are what you need to give yourself an edge with only moments to prepare your strategy.

Focusing on dropped combos and chaotic flukes won’t help you. The noisiest moments of a match are often the least tactically significant. If you see someone repeatedly failing to anti-air jump-ins, it’s certainly a weakness worth testing – but don’t depend on it. Chances are they’ll have caught onto such a glaring problem and made a mental note to correct it. It’s better to find a subtle flaw that’s gone unpunished, and therefore unnoticed.

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Weekly Screenshot: Red Ring of Death

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Continuing with the Mega Man: The Power Battle screenshots, this one features one of the game’s two sub-bosses – mainly as an attempt to fill out more of the frame area.

megaman-proto-bass-yellowdevil-01

MMPB Protoman’s fully charged air Proto Buster narrowly evades CPU-controlled Yellow Devil’s grab attempt, while Bass fires off another fully charged Bass Buster from behind. All three playable characters’ fully charged Buster shots become flashier when their health meters are down to two bars or less, but the difference is far more subdued in Megaman’s case.

Whoever comes up with the best title wins a Mayflash Max Shooter for Xbox 360. As always, the rules are one entry per person and i’ll choose my favorite on Monday.