System stuff

<font color=yellow>HIT TYPES:</font color=yellow>

<font color=yellow>CRITICAL HIT !</font color=yellow>

Cause: Some attacks are by default a critical hit, while others may require a counter.
Damage Mod: None, unless produced by a counter hit in which case a counter blow damage modifier of 1.25 applies.
Description: A critical hit stuns the opponent, during which they're unable to guard or attack. However, the system allows them to execute a hold, which cancels the stun or stagger. Launching type attacks usually float much higher against a stunned opponent, allowing for greater air combo potential.

<font color=yellow>COUNTER BLOW</font color=yellow>

Cause: Any attack which interrupts the opponent's attack.
Damage Mod: 1.25
Description: Counter Blows produce extra damage, stun longer, and float higher.

<font color=yellow>HI COUNTER BLOW</font color=yellow>

Cause: Any attack performed against a throw.
Damage Mod: 1.5
Description: Hi counter blows produce extra damage, stun longer, and float higher.

<font color=yellow>CLOSE HIT !</font color=yellow>

Cause: Only certain attacks exhibit this property, and they're usually the body-check type attack which are performed right up against the opponent.
Damage Mod: 1.5
Description: These attacks, obviously, hurt more the closer they're performed.

<font color=yellow>THROW TYPES:</font color=yellow>

<font color=yellow>COMBO THROW</font color=yellow>

Cause: Throws which allow continuation.
Damage Mod: None
Description: When the COMBO THROW message appears on screen, it marks the point at which the combo throw continuation input or the combo throw escape (S+P+K) input can be read. Whichever is entered first will succeed.

<font color=yellow>COUNTER THROW</font color=yellow>

Cause: Any throw which beats another throw.
Damage Mod: 1.25
Description: Generic throws (S+P) beat command throws if entered at the same time.

<font color=yellow>HI COUNTER THROW</font color=yellow>

Cause: Any throw performed against a hold.
Damage Mod: 1.5
Description: High and mid level holds are susceptible to high throws, and low level holds are susceptible to low throws since they recover in a crouching position.

<font color=yellow>HOLD TYPES:</font color=yellow>

<font color=yellow>CRITICAL HOLD</font color=yellow>

Cause: A successful hold performed out of a stagger.
Damage Mod: Normal
Description: Any hold can be used to cancel out of a stagger animation.

<font color=yellow>COMBO HOLD</font color=yellow>

Cause: Defensive holds which allow continuation.
Damage Mod: Normal
Description: When the COMBO HOLD message appears on screen, it marks the point at which the combo hold continuation input or the combo hold escape (S+P+K) input can be read. Whichever is entered first will succeed.

<font color=yellow>COUNTER HOLD</font color=yellow>

Cause: A successful hold which was executed between 4 and 10 frames.
Damage Mod: 1.25
Description: Defensive holds have a considerably large window of execution during which an attack may be successfully reversed. There is a damage bonus for holds successfully triggered early in the window of execution.

<font color=yellow>HI COUNTER HOLD</font color=yellow>

Cause: A successful hold which was executed in 3 frames or less.
Damage Mod: 1.5
Description: See description for COUNTER HOLD.

<font color=yellow>DANGER ZONE TYPES:</font color=yellow>

<font color=yellow>EXPLOSIVE</font color=yellow>

Cause: An opponent knocked against an explosive surface.
Damage Mod: Large.
Description: Vertically "charged" surfaces which produce a spectacular explosive effect when a character is knocked into it, resulting in additional damage.

<font color=yellow>FALL</font color=yellow>

Cause: An opponent being knocked off a ledge, falling down to a lower tier of the fighting stage.
Damage Mod: Large.
Description: Various stages are comprised of multiple tiers where it is possible to fall from a higher tier to a lower one. However, this is only possible by knocking over the opponent either over a ledge, or through a breakable barrier, wall or window. It is not possible to finish an opponent with the damage incurred from the fall.

<font color=yellow>SLIP</font color=yellow>

Cause: An opponent being staggered or tripped on a slippery surface.
Damage Mod: None.
Description: Terrain effects play an important role. The stages with slippery terrain, such as ice, snow, or shallow water, present an additional avenue from which combos may be started. More specifically, tripping and staggering attacks cause the opponent to lose their footing, and thus increases the amount of stagger time.

Source: Arcadia

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m y k e
how ya gonna win when ya ain't right within?

 

Re: Other stuff?

The Arcadia magazine I got all the DoA2 system information from is pretty useful and has other tidbits which some of you may find interesting. The information is quite old (considering) and I've pretty much kept it to myself simply because there was nowhere to share it, until now. In particular, they list what they consider to be quite effective flowcharts for each character. Is anyone interested in these, or would you rather discover them or make up your own?

__
m y k e
how ya gonna win when ya ain't right within?

 

Re: zero damage holds

How I hate those zero-damage holds (ZH), especially the fact that they cover both H/M Punch and Kick all in one go. Unfortunately you can't (well, I couldn't) cancel the stagger from a ZH with any kind of hold, and I'm not too sure about struggling to speed up the recovery either (again, it doesn't work when I do it).

__
m y k e
how ya gonna win when ya ain't right within?

 

ie, if you execute a DH within 3 frames after your opponent inputs his attack, you get hi counter? no?

yep.

what about when i input the DH and then my opponent attacks into it?

Well if your opponent attacked into it between 4 and 10 frames after you inputted the DH, then you get a Counter Hold. Longer than that is just a regular hold.

Question: how do the stun types behave differently? as i remember, there's the standing up head back stun, the doubled over stun, and the low crumpled stun.

Apart from the cosmetic differences (in animation), the major difference is the amount of stagger time. Critical stuns are the most common, and their stunning effects vary according to the type of hit. Critical stuns caused by counter hits usually have more dramatic and longer stun/stagger animations, and usually end with the opponent falling down. However, all of these can be cancelled out of with a DH.

Although most would have worked this out by now just through regular play, I thought it may be worth mentioning that the earlier you float a stunned opponent, the higher they'll go.

__
m y k e
how ya gonna win when ya ain't right within?