Hey guys....hope you'll use this place!

I know I would... Basically, I bought DOA2 for the Dreamcast and I'm really, really liking this game. It's a lot like VF, but with definitive differences. I wrote a little something about it in Shock City, but some of it's inaccurate (I've been playing the game for less than two weeks). You can check it out here: <a href=http://nurb.com/shock/Forum1/HTML/000347.html>http://nurb.com/shock/Forum1/HTML/000347.html</a>

There is a pretty good DOA2 board at fighters.net, but I feel a little bit uncomfortable posting there as I don't know any of the folks there. Since some of the New York guys play, and you Chicago players are already pretty well known (Chi Crew? What kind of gay name is that? Ha ha, just kidding), and since spotlite is a DOA2 guru, I thought why not...all the ingredients are here to make this place work. I'm not really expecting this place to become a hotbed of DOA2 talk or anything, but I just want to have good conversation with folks that I've met and played with. Cool? Cool. /images/icons/wink.gif

Anyway, I've been playing with Lei Fang, Hayabusa, Gen Fu, Ein, and Jann Lee. I picked Lei Fang because it was a character I had accidentally picked way back when I was in Japan and the game first came out and I did pretty well with her. Lei Fang seems really strong (the Pai of DOA2?), and it's really easy to mix up attacks and throws with her. She also has great holds.

I tried Jann Lee out as a second character, as he is Lei Fang's primary partner. Jann Lee reminded me a lot about VF3ob Taka, a high risk and high reward character. To me, however, he seemed kinda weak, but that's because I suspect I don't really know how his combos work. For all his mainstream appeal, Jann Lee seemed quite unorthodox to me.

I picked Ein because he just looked so damn cool when the CPU played him and he reminded me a LOT of Akira. This guy seems quite flexible...almost like a Jacky in that sense. He can be played with basics or he could be played with a lot of mix ups. He seems like a character that bends to your style, a scrub and expert friendly character.

As for Gen Fu...damn, this guy is strong. His holds take a lot of damage, and his strings are perfect for throw/strike/hold guessing game. His only problem is that most of his strings are punch based, which kinda sucks against Hayabusa, heh heh heh.

And finally...Hayabusa. Is there any question I would pick this guy eventually? This guy is so similar to Kage, it's bloody scary. Even the way I learned Kage is similar to how I learned Hayabusa. At first, I thought he was so pathetically weak it wasn't even funny. I certainly had the most trouble defeating the CPU with him than the other characters (I had the easiest time with Lei Fang and Gen Fu). This, however, reminded me a lot about how I started off with Kage...because I had also thought Kage was a really weak character when I started off with him...a character that is incredibly dependent on the TFT / Izuna Drop. So I stuck with Hayabusa, and I've now specialized in him...I'm determined to make my Hayabusa really strong before moving onto someone else (Gen Fu or Lei Fang, probably). I mean, Jeesus, check this out... Toss -> CD b+K -> P,P,b+P -> u/b+K. You could practically equate that with TFT -> CD f+K -> P,P,b+P,K! The only thing I don't really like with Hayabusa is his character design...I really hate his first two costumes (the ninja one is a bit better, but not much).

Anyway, I hope you VFers will come out of the wood work and chat some DOA2 along with me. I'm really liking this game, and I'm already making plans to hook up with some Singaporean players.

ice-9

 

Anyway, I've been asking spotlite some questions, and he's responded with a lot of really juicy info. I'm sure he wouldn't mind if I reposted here...right spotlite? /images/icons/smile.gif

here are some quick answers:

-command throws cannot be escaped; although I'm not as positive about crouching and back throws.

-yeah, link throws can be broken pretty easily, actually. this aspect was better in the original, where you could enter the commands at breakneck speed and the links would come out faster, making it harder to escape; or slow it down to throw the opp. off. now, you have to enter it slow, almost once the first throw is totally complete, whereas before you could buffer it. For example, the second part of leon's leg lock chain has to be entered around when their back hits the ground, too soon won't cut it; although it seems you can still slow them down just a little. the arcade cabinet says escape with FPK (ala DOA 1) but I think the DC manual says just FP (could be a difference in the settings). anyhow, the timing seems to be you should try to enter the escape command BEFORE they finish the next link. I'm not sure if this is accurate, but that's how it feels. It's a little looser than VF, but not as loose as tekken.

-I don't know about minimizing the damage (i doubt it). Here's the command: HCF +FP, roll from D to U+F+P, roll from B past U and F to D+F+P (270 deg.). THe last one is the opposite direction. The same last two commands for the reversal versions, except in the opposite direction, and only F, so it's high or low reversal, roll down to up+f(passing Back), roll f to down 270 deg.+f (passing Up and Back). the timing is this: the second part when he points in the air, the last part finish the command just as the flying leaves reach the airborne opp. (wuuuaaaaaa!) it seems strange, but it definately has a "feeling" that you'll pick up on.

-okay, reversals. the commands can be altered like so:
first off, they can be rolled, you don't have to pass neutral.

next,all commands starting with F variations (High, middle P., low) can start with ANY forward command, UF,F,or DF. so you can reverse low attacks with DF,D,DB+f, instead of the wacky commands on the cabinet.

or, if you use the above command anticipating a low attack, but see a middle punch coming, just keep rolling to B and tap F. or keep going from back to forward+F for middle kicks. cool, huh? the same goes for the middle kick reversal.

so let's say you're blocking Ein's low kick to (i think it's) middle punch string (where he puts his fist in the air like a rock star, the whole string starts with some other move, I can't remember). block low with D/F+hold F, roll to back and release and tap F to reverse. or if another low comes out, stop at D/b and F. you get the idea.

I used to anticipate rising attacks with B,For+F,D/F,D,D/B+F if I thought the middle was coming, D/F,D,D/B+F,B,For+F for the low, leaving out the first Button if I saw the other coming. If only you could reverse in the missed rev. animation .

btw, I like what you wrote, but you got one thing a little off. the damage variations for reversals go like this:

quickest: high counter (about the first 10% of the available time frame)
11% to about 45%: counter
45% to 100%: normal hold

this info comes from a chart in a jap. mag, and doesn't provide frames, so sorry I can't be more precise, but the faster the better. beating throws with attack and revs. with throws have no such modifiers, and are always high counter.

try landing HI COUNTER tag team throws (or chain throws) with wall modifiers for huge (over 50%) flashy damage (like tagging to leons choke to smash their head into the wall). I'll never forget one guy squealing "no move takes that much damage!!"

Have fun, and let me know what else you come up with. Do you know about parries (like aoi). Oh, and try kasumi's special F+K rising attack.

bryan

ice-9

 

I started playing this game recently too. the process of learning a new game is really interesting. at first everything is like "they're punching each other." then it begins to make more sense.

I posted some questions about the fight engine, specifically throws, over at DoAOnline in the Strategry Forum. Here's the link: http://doaonline.fighters.net/ubb/Forum6/HTML/000095.html.

I'm still trying to figure out why, design wise, tecmo didn't include command throw escapes (including low throws). any ideas anyone?

 

Yeah, I got the game the day it came out and have been playing it ever sence!

TripleRaid
Give me an e-mail at, crich200@gulftel.com

 

I too was a little bit surprised to find that command throws were unescapable, but it's not that bad. It's already quite difficult to throw--unlike VF3, there are not as many guaranteed opportunities in DOA2. Most of the attacks in DOA2 recover quite quickly, thus requiring players to use reversals in their defensive repetoire. I only go for throws when I think the opponent is reversing or just guarding, and in that situation, they wouldn't be trying to escape a throw, even if an escape was available.

I actually had this long thing where I was writing about how throw escaped de-emphasize reversals, but God dang it, it was clear in my mind but as I wrote it out it all became jumbled up. /images/icons/frown.gif In my mind, I can sense the reason Tecmo made throws unescapable, but I can't seem to articulate it.

ice-9