NOOB at VF using a ps2 pad :(

hi. im a noob at vf. for those of you who are advance player of vf, i need some help with using a ps2 pad. my first character is jacky bryant, and i use a pad for him. i can do all of his command and combo in the practice mode. but it just seems that i just cant play play him effectively with a pad, maybe because im still new at vf. also, i really like to use akira more than anything..but damn is he HARD. is it even possible to use a pad for him? i am having trouble with the spod and the double palm. i can never get the second punch right.
for the VF4 game as a whole, is it possible to be really good at the game by using a control pad? do any of you advance player still use a pad for vf4? give me some suggestion with the pad!

 

The difficulties in inputting certain commands only comes at the highest level of play, so don't think using a pad is going to prevent you from becoming a great player.

Being able to do all of jacky's moves is great, but learning the mechanics of the game is the most important part.

Akira is arguably one of the best characters in the game for learning the mechanics with due to his relatively small movelist, so you'll learn to pick your attacks instead of going for random PPP combos.

Also, go through the trianing modes, they help, even though you'll forget everything after you finish them. Eventually you'll understand what they're trying to tell you.

 

i did went through with the training mode..mostly with teh command part. anyway, i am trying to "escape throw". i went through the training mode for that, but i still dont get it. do you press "punch-guard" when the oppoenent trhows your? i tried that, it didnt work. in the training mode, it said taht to inout in "direction button" if i recall exactly. what does that means? do you press the direction of which ever you opponent throws you along with punch-guard?

 

First off:
At the top of the page, right above all the characters' names is a button "Virtua Fighter 4". That'll get you to a load of info on the whats and whatnots of the game. There's a throw escape guide in there somewhere. I'd suggest you wreak through that.

As for a direct answer + (at the same time) is the general throw button. When trying to escape throws you've got to input throw escape commands before the throw actually connects. The direction you need to enter depends on the exact throw move the opponent uses and is equal to the last direction entered in their command. As such throws input as: + are escaped with: +. The exact timing is tight however, once the throw animation has started you're practically too late (there are exceptions, but not a lot). The escape commands need to be inputted (or rather buffered) during a dodge or execution of a move (yes, also during the grab animation of a failed throw attempt).

Addition: Throws on crouching opponents are performed with ++ plus a direction and are also escaped with that triple button combination.

And if you're playing on the PS2, note that:
L1 is +, L2 is ++, R1 is +, R2 is +
Playing with a stick gives you the advantages of the buttons beneath your fingers instead of under your thumb. Playing with a pad on the other hand requires use of these critters.

 

so that means in order to do the "mutiple throw escape" i have to know my opponent's throw command? cant i just guess which direction he is inputting.

 

Guessing is exactly what you are doing, you will just be putting a bit of thought into it first.
For arguements sake, let's say your opponent can use 4 different throws: ++, ++, ++ and +. Now, there is no way that you are going to be able to escape all directions everytime, so what most people do is use Double Throw Escape Guard (DTEG) or Triple Throw Escape Guard (TTEG), either way you will have to choose to leave out 1 or 2 directions. This is where the thought process comes in. Most of the time, people like to try and escape the two/three throw directions that have the most powerful throws assigned to them (for example, with Jacky, most people will like to cover , and if they do another one then they will pick ). This is so that you don't end up eating the most powerful throw your opponent has, each time you are throw counterable. Obviously, if you ALWAYS choose to escape the same directions, then your opponent will notice this, and will just keep using a throw that you aren't escaping, so you will always be taking damage, so you either have to switch which directions you escape, to prevent yourself from becoming predictable, or just decide that you would rather always eat a smaller throw for less damage, than risk leaving out a more powerful direction and getting hit with a 70/80 damage throw.
I would rather always cover the main throw directions, and end up taking 30/40 points of damage from a lesser throw, but that is my own opinion and I am sure many other people will advise you to mix up the escapes.

As for the mission in the practice mode, it will actually tell you which directions it is going to use.

 

just a quick question? for those advance vf player here, when u fisrt pick your ur copy of VF4, how long did it took you to be really good at this game?

 

3 years

 

Actually Dandy_J is exaggerating b/c realistically 3 yrs really means you're just decent @ best in NA. Since sone of us here have been playing VF for 10 yrs now and they are slightly above average.

 

1 year before you can consider yourself good.

you'll know when.

 

To be good at this game you must play a shit lot. There is no time expectation. Know frames, know your opponent, know stance, no which way to/not to evade, etc.

The more often you practice these principles, the better you become at this game.

 

There are only two ways to be good IMO:

1. Know the game, i.e. frame data, moves, etc., as you said.

2. Performance; actually being able to pull them off, inputs, etc. This means training and constant playing with good opponents.

This isn't brain surgery. Learn and Play.

 

in my case, i can never be good at VF then. I cant find anybody to play against.

 

[ QUOTE ]
kungfusmurf said:

Actually Dandy_J is exaggerating b/c realistically 3 yrs really means you're just decent @ best in NA. Since sone of us here have been playing VF for 10 yrs now and they are slightly above average.

[/ QUOTE ]

thats a lot of time!!!i dont know if i have the patient for that. i mean to spend 3 years on one game???

 

I think #2 falls under "play a shit lot"

 

While knowing the frame data comes in handy for knowing what type of move too counter against another I dont think its a nesscessity to become an above average player. So dont go filling your head with all the frame stats of all moves unless you truly decide to go hardcore into the game

 

[ QUOTE ]
So dont go filling your head with all the frame stats of all moves unless you truly decide to go hardcore into the game

[/ QUOTE ]

I AM A VETERAN PLAYER FROM BOSTON.

 

happy_GOH_lucky:
As far as fighting games go, you can get a lot better at VF by playing just the AI than you can get at, say, Tekken by playing just the AI. In my experience, and it seems to be a general opinion, the best fighting game AI out there is in VF4E... However, if you want to enter the competitive circuit you will need experience with other players.

I myself have yet to play against any kind of real competition besides the AI. But I still enjoy the game after playing it for years, simply because you can still learn things after all that time. The best thing is actually that even when you lose a game against the AI you don't have the feeling that the AI is ridiculously powerful (like in SC3), you can usually see what or where things went wrong instead of that you were simply owned by some machine which will always have better reflexes and better decision making than a human has. And the lack of a truly ridiculous end-boss *cough* Jinpachi *cough* in VF is a definite plus.

And as for whether I would call myself good, well probably not. But then, I know I haven't invested as much time in the game as some people have. And with no other real players around it doesn't matter all that much.

ps. I would love to face off against someone in VF1 though, got 8 years of experience with that one...

 

It's not entirely necessary to know the exact frame stats of every move (although it can't hurt), however it is ridiculously important to know which moves are throw counterable, punch counterable, and overall which moves are "safe" in certain situations. And knowing a move is safe in a certain situation produces the same result as knowing the exact frames would.

 

Yeah, I have to agree with Vanity on this. I don't know the exact frames for every single move, but through constant play it is usually possible to tell whether a move is throw counterable/safe/hit counterable etc. As long as you can tell roughly what the frame adv/disadv is after a move, you can usually follow up with a justifiable response.

I would recommend that you learn the exact frame data for the character/s that you use, so that you can always use the correct follow up after anything you do. I only use three characters, but I know the frames for all of the moves for each of those characters, so that, after I have judged what the frame adv/disadv is after my opponent's move (Safe/Throw Counterable/Hit Counterable) I am able to use the correct response. For example, I usually judge hit counterable moves in two catagories; light and heavy. If my opponent does a move and I judge it to be light hit counterable after I guard it, then I will use the most damaging 12/13/14 frame move that my character has (or maybe try a punch-throw mix up). If I judge a move to be heavy hit counterable, then I will use a more powerful move, 15 or 16 frames, maybe more if the move is known to be extremely counterable.

The point is, as long as you know your own moves, and can usually judge how counterable a move is, you will be able to become more than adequate at the game. Learning all the other characters move's frames will come slowly, because you will notice a certain move be used alot by everyone who uses each character (for example, + with Jacky) and so you will want to know exactly how to deal with it, and so you will do some research, either looking at the move's frames in this site's database, or maybe using practice mode, and so you will then know exactly what to do when someone uses that move. The more you play, the more you will do this, and so the greater your understanding of the game....