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The System of Break Falling

Break Falling may not be a new concept to fighting games in general, but it's a feature that has found it's way into Virtua Fighter 4. The mechanics of Break Falling aren't immediately apparent and can be quite confusing at first, so it's the aim of this document to explain the properties of the different Break Falling types - Tech Rolling and Quick Rising.

In general, Break Falling is a technique enabling you to quickly recover from a knock-down by essentially falling in a safe manner. Break Falling can also eliminate (but not always!) the portion of damage associated with the ground impact from an attack or throw.

You cannot Break Fall from every knock down though. Examples of these are knock downs incurred from crumbling attacks, attacks that slam you into the ground during an air combo, and knock downs after being slammed into a wall. Also, you can only Break Fall from some throws.

Some knock downs require strict timing in order to correctly Break Fall, although it is certainly possible to mash the Break Fall input. How reliable you find this in consistently Break Falling is dependant on how accurately you can mash.

Wolf's Giant Swing is an example of a throw from which you can break the fall. A correctly timed Break Fall results in no sound being heard when you land, and you'll negate the last portion of ground impact damage. Break Falling is also important in preventing Off The Ground (OTG) combos. Each time you hit the ground you'll have an opportunity to Break Fall to avoid the rest of the combo.

Knowing what you can Break Fall from is the first step. The next step lies in knowing when you should and should not Break Fall by understanding the properties of the different Break Fall types. This knowledge can also be used to take advantage of an opponent who chooses the wrong kind of Break Fall at the wrong time.

The two Break Falling types are Quick Rising (QR) and Tech Rolling (TR), and are explained in more detail below.

Quick Rising

Quick Rising (QR) is performed by pressing ++ at the moment you hit the ground from a knock down and results in your character quickly springing up in place.

The properties of the Quick Rise are as follows:

Down

While Standing

Normal

In the first, Down phase, the opponent is able to execute Ground Attacks. Since you are getting up in place, the chances of the Ground Attack hitting you are high. But if the opponent were attempting an OTG combo, then your QR should successfully avoid it.

In the second, While Standing, phase, your character undergoes a transition from a crouching state to a fully standing state. The player has no control over this transitioning of states. It is a known constant, and so your opponent may take advantage of this by timing a mid-level attack to hit you while you're still in the crouch state, resulting in a stagger or knock down.

The final, Normal, phase is when the engine returns control of the player back to you in a full standing state.

Tech Rolling

Tech Rolling (TR) is performed by pressing (or ) ++ at the moment you hit the ground from a knock down and results in your character quickly rolling to the specified side and then getting up.

The properties of the Tech Roll are as follows:

Down

Crouching

Normal

The first, Down phase is as described above.

In the second, Crouching, phase your character is (obviously) considering crouching. Again, a well timed mid-level attack has the ability to stagger or knock you down. An important thing to note is that your character recovers from the Tech Roll whilst in the crouching state. This allows you to perform any attacks or throws that require you to be crouching first the instant you recover. On the flip side, you'll be vulnerable to mid-attacks or low throws as well.

Another important note is that if you hold during the TR, your opponent's attacks will track you.

Break Fall Risks

Now that you've looked at the properties of QRs and TRs you can probably begin to see the risks associated with each. Although the differences are subtle, they both share the same vulnerabilities inherent in the crouching position, and that is the inability to guard against a mid-level attack and also being open to low throws.

However, these vulnerabilities are amplified if you are knocked down in a prone (face down) position. Specifically, you're at the risk of being back staggered if a well timed mid-level attack hits you during the While Standing phase (for QR), or the Crouching phase (for TR).

Opponent Falls Prone with Head Away and Quick Rises

Mid-Level Attack hits Opponent during While Standing phase

Opponent is Back Staggered

Opponent Falls Prone with Head Towards and Tech Rolls

Mid-Level Attack hits Opponent during Crouching phase

Opponent is Back Staggered

Anticipation and timing are critical to success. Also important is the type of attack you use to interrupt the While Standing or Crouching phase, and for most characters their sidekicks (+) will suffice since they won't knock down and produce the stagger that you're after.

All Head and Stomach Crumble attacks will result in the opponent falling in the Prone and Head Towards position. Your opponent cannot break the fall from the crumble attack, but may break the fall from the following OTG hits. This is where you look for the opponent to TR in the hope of producing a back stagger with a sidekick.

And don't forget, Back Staggers are strugglable, so followup accordingly.