5 Steps to Learning Virtua Fighter

5 STEPS to Memorize: An Introduction to Virtua Fighter's Game System
Originally posted by akai

STEP 1 - Basic Rules Concerning Strikes, Throws, and Defense




A. On Offense: the basic offense revolves around the use of throws and mid strikes as a two-choice offense (more commonly known as nitaku).

• Anticipating opponent will stand and guard, use throws as your offense.
• Anticipating opponent will crouch and guard, use mid strikes as your offense.

B. On Defense:

• Anticipating opponent to strike you, use standing guard and crouching guard as your defense.
• Anticipating opponent to throw you, crouch or use strikes as your defense.
• Move away from your opponent so that their technique entirely misses you -- a good opportunity to counterattack.

STEP 2 - Advantage and Disadvantage
A. In general, you are most likely at an advantage, if 1) your attack successfully hits opponent, 2) opponent attack is successfully defended, and 3) opponent attack entirely misses you.

• When you have the advantage, it is your chance to go on the offense.

B. In general, you are most likely at a disadvantage, if 1) opponent attack successfully hits you, 2) your attack is successfully defended by opponent, and 3) your attack entirely misses your opponent.

• When you are at a disadvantage, it is your turn to focus on defense.

STEP 3 - Evading and Circular Strikes (Evading is also known as Defensive Move)
A. Evade: On the defense, aim to evade the opponent's linear strikes. Successfully evading opponent's strikes give you an opportunity to counterattack. Use evade to quickly go on the offense.

B. Circular Strikes: On the offense, anticipating opponent will evade, use throws or circular strikes. Full circular strikes will successfully hit an evading opponent, where as linear strikes will be easily avoided.

STEP 4 - Consistently Inflict Damage to Opponent
A.Use 1) combos for guaranteed damage, 2) hit confirmation (also known as hit checking) for counter hits (look for the yellow light when your hit strikes your opponent), and 3) decisive counterattacks (also known as guaranteed hits) to reliably damage your opponent.

B. Recognize the type of advantage situation you have:

• Small advantage use common 2-choice offense
• Medium advantage use counter 2-choice offense (not to be mistaken with reverse nitaku term)
• Large advantage use decisive counterattacks for guaranteed damage

Opponent's big technique is defended = you have large advantage opportunity for guaranteed damage

STEP 5 - Basic Flow of Competition
A. Relatively Even Situations, act first!
1. Use Standing Punch and Low Punch

• opponent blocks attack relatively even***
• successfully hit opponent you have advantage, use your two-choice offense.
• successfully counter hit opponent you have advantage, use your counter two-choice offense.
• opponent strike hits you instead you are at a disadvantage, focus on defense.

2. Anticipating opponent to guard or evade

• expecting opponent to guard, use two-choice offense.
• expecting opponent to evade, use full circular strikes.

3. Use low strikes to effectively disrupt opponent.

• successfully hit opponent relatively even***
• failed to hit opponent you are at a disadvantage, focus on defense.

B. Offensive Direction in Advantageous Situations

• Use decisive counterattacks in guaranteed damage situations.
• Use two-choice offense in non-guaranteed damage situations.
• Use full circular attacks to discourage opponent from evading.

C. Defensive Direction in Disadvantageous Situations

• Against opponent's two-choice offense - mid strike standing guard or evade as your defense
• Against opponent's two-choice offense - throw crouching guard or strikes as your defense

*** = Exceptions or oversimplification by the 5 steps. While it is listed as "relatively even," you will find out that your low punch on guard will put you at a small disadvantage while high punch on guard will put at a very small advantage. In addition, your low strikes successfully hitting your opponent, generally will put you at an disadvantage.

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The 5 steps or rules listed above are basic guidelines in how to approach the Virtua Fighter 5 game system. It summarizes the information from the pocket guides "Virtua Fighter Instructions" Volume 1 and 2, freely available on virtuafighter.jp website.

Do you have to follow these guidelines to be successful? Nope, but I do think it simplifies the game, that at times can be overwhelming.

These rules are meant to give a player a solid foundation on how to play Virtua Fighter. Having a good understanding and application of the fundamental aspects of Virtua Fighter, one can then effectively use and counter advanced techniques and tactics.

For advanced techniques, tactics, and "exceptions to the rules" go to the strategy forums for information and discussion.

For more organized information, look at the comprehensive command move lists and VFDC wiki pages (upper left corner of the website) that members of the VFDC community took time to translate and organize.

Finally, how much time you are willing to put into this game, physically and mentally, will be a major factor on your success in this game.

Welcome to Virtua Fighter!

 

Is this series of punches might be Lei's ?

I suggest first to identify the exact moves he was using. Once you know the exact moves, you can find information on the move or we can better help you to deal with the move.

Also, for people asking help, please try to provide specific details on the situation and/or moves being used. It would help us help you.

 

Hi Cnul, thanks for registering on the forums and welcome! Unicorn sums up what I would like to say.

Everyone learns the games differently and the basics posted here (still need to be fleshed out -_-; are meant to give new players a foundation to build on. I believe that majority of the game's system is based on these basic guidelines.

There are definitely moves and techniques that are exceptions to these basic guidelines, but those moves and techniques are the minority. The next steps after understanding the fundamentals (which can deal with majority of the moves in the games) would seem to be directed at the stuff you are asking about: what "advanced" players do to beat the "basics."

Also, I don't think the basic guidelines posted here makes the player predictable (at least that is not the intent). The guidelines give a rather simple view of a player's options in situations. Their is still the guessing game element in which the player has to anticipate what opponent will do...

1. I anticipate opponent will do Action X in Situation A.

2. Action X in Situation A will lose to Action Y

3. Thus, I will do Action Y.

 

Cnul - you make a good point about constantly trying to keep players engaged to learn the game past the beginner's stuff. I will try something out to keep players engaged in learning.

When I translated the "5 Steps" a long time ago, I hoped the new players would show the initiative and start asking the questions that followed after the basics. It never seem to have panned out.

I do want to note there will be a series of tutorials made by Sega and also UltrachenTV's episdoes with LA Akira are good sources for players also in learning the game.

 

To dobiqwolf

dobiqwolf - a note on that part of your post. It depends on if you have advantage and/or distance. At small advantage elbow class move will likely beat 2P. At even or disadvantage situation, the elbow class move will likely lose to 2P.
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To MayorMcFilthy

In the 5 Steps to Memorize - Step 2 (I bolded the text that is important to your post)
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">B. In general, you are most likely at a disadvantage, if 1) opponent attack successfully hits you, 2) your attack is successfully defended by opponent, and 3) your attack entirely misses your opponent.
- When you are at a disadvantage, it is your turn to focus on defense.</div></div>
If you are at an disadvantage, and both you and your opponent decides to strike at each other...your opponent's strike would generally beat out your strikes. In other words, to get yourself back in the offense when at a disadvantage:

1. Anticipate opponent to strike? Defend by or or evading.
2. Anticipate opponent to throw, use a striking attack.
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To RzaRectah

Not fast enough to block the low punch is likely due to the computer AI blocking a move that leaves you at a very large disadvantage where attacks are guaranteed to hit you.

In the 5 Steps to Memorize - Step 1 (I bolded the text that is important to your post)
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">B. On Defense:
- Anticipating opponent to strike you, use standing guard and crouching guard as your defense.
- Anticipating opponent to throw you, crouch or use strikes as your defense.
- Move away from your opponent so that their technique entirely misses you -- a good opportunity to counterattack.</div></div>A good way to move away from low punch is back dash or croch back dash . Avoiding low punch by these moves may depend on how small/big is the disadvantage you are in after having your move defended.

 

should not cause you to enter Brad's unique stances. It should, if correctly inputted block a low punch.