Virtua Fighter 1/Virtua Fighter Remix Ranking Mode

Hello,

I could really use anyone's old school knowledge for help on Ranking Mode for these two games. I've been playing them on and off for 20 years or so, and recently I've been practicing everyday to really hone my skills and get the highest rank in Ranking Mode. The issue is...what is it??? I've read a lot about Ranking Mode in the later games which is more comprehensive than VF1/Remix.

I learned about the Kyu and Dan rankings, but I've never gotten higher than maybe 7th Dan (for VF1) or High Ranking Expert in Remix for some characters. In VF Remix, I finally earned Master rank with Akira which was mind-blowing since he was always the hardest character for me to play. Is Master the highest in Remix? What about VF1? Is the highest rank Shin? It's hard because the rank is spoken in Japanese and I'm a native English speaker. The music and number given are the only way of knowing what I got. And I always wondered about that elusive third track I've never actually heard in Ranking Mode (only in sound test).

I'm working on Kage now and am kind of struggling with what tactics are the most effective. I want to try to work on Pai and Jeffrey, too. My sister (also a long time player) earned Master with Sarah, Jacky and Wolf and is having a hard time with Lau. We've both been playing for so long, and we have a few ideas on how the ranking system works only from the "master's advice" on the rank screens.

I've been hunting online for hours for answers with little success, so if any veterans out there can help, I'd appreciate it!

 

@Sudden_Death

 

I'm hoping someone out there has some answers. Interestingly, I used a VF2 FAQ that outlines ranking mode move requisites, and style points seem to go up when I stick to that. If anyone knows anything about Ranking Mode for VF1/Remix, please respond. Thanks!

 

This is the link for the VF2 Ranking Mode FAQ:
https://www.gamefaqs.com/saturn/375831-virtua-fighter-2/faqs/1124

Of course not all of these moves are able to be used in the first game, but even so sticking to the move-set in the FAQ has improved style points in VF1 Ranking Mode (can't say the same for the overall rank).

My sister who's working on Lau keeps getting Low-Ranking Expert in Remix and 4th Dan in VF1 (she has gotten High-Ranking Expert before). It's interesting because all I've ever gotten with Pai is Low-Ranking Expert. It seems very hard to get higher because we mainly use combos and throws with them.

It can be hard to keep track of what moves you're doing (am I being throw-heavy? combo heavy? special heavy?), so when it comes to using the VF2 FAQ there is some help there. Anybody out there know the actual Ranking system for VF1? I'm hoping other people can use this info, too. Fight on!

 

Still continuing trying to get all Master ranks. Again, I always followed the "master's advice" after each attempt, like "use a throw move for surprise," "use a special move each match", "finish each opponent quickly for a better rank", "use combos."

But then I saw these from YouTube user quiquiriqui. These vids are unbelievable! It's hard to believe that even with all the repetition this user got such high ranks. Both me and my sister tried pulling off the moves the same way he/she did, and it seems to be impossible to replicate these results. I can't seem to pull off Akira's body check this quickly, either. I don't know if there's a CPU difference between the Japanese version and the US version, or if this user uses guards more effectively to fake out the CPU, but it seems like the CPU is more open to the attacks. He/she didn't get Master with Lau, but got it with Pai!

This is the playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6RnW5xoOdA&list=PLYFJHsbwqiDIynrWnGgFD1tht9ZUKfH7W

This is the video with Pai (it's a follow-up to the one in the list): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vs5GTa0UK-Q

 

I found a few strategy guide books on EBay for both Virtua Fighter and Virtua Fighter Remix! Unfortunately, they're all in Japanese. However, there is an app for Google Translate that can translate images instantly. Once I get the books, I can upload pics and get the translations. I think I'm getting warmer! Fight on!

 

I'm still trying to figure out how ranks from Remix correlate with ranks from VF1. I thought 8th Dan would be High Ranking Expert, but I'm not so sure. I got 7th Dan today with Akira and had 820 total points and 155 style points, which was not far off from Master in Remix.

I'm uploading a bunch of results pics from the ranks me and my sister got. It sure is mysterious how they calculate the ranks. Time, style points, total points: which factors the most?

 

These rankings are much older (notice the old school TV? LOL!). I did not have any pics of Pai's but I got low ranking expert as my highest. I also forgot to upload the Master rank for Jacky my sister got.

 

As both me and my sister continue earning ranks from VF1 and Remix, we're trying to take more pictures to give more clues as to how ranking mode actually ranks players. I still need many more pictures to get more of an idea about how this works (not sure there is any information provided in the manuals I bought; I'm still waiting for them to arrive).

I did take the opportunity to try and map out the ranks by making a couple of tables with Akira's and Wolf's scores. I listed the results from lowest total points to highest total points. I'm wondering how the style points factor in, because they really don't seem to do much of anything for the overall rank (although I can't tell you how many times we got High Ranking Amateur or 1st Kyu after getting past Dural and not losing a single fight). Variety of moves must factor in somehow, but I'm still not sure how.

What's really interesting is two of Wolf's total points. There was 749 pts (High Ranking Expert), and 750 pts (Master). So I generated possible ranges for scores. I'm almost 100% certain you need 750 total points to get Master with Wolf. Funnily enough, the style points were higher for the High Ranking Expert than for Master rank. See how it's confusing? With Akira, his ranges seem to be very different in that 750 total pts will only get him High Ranking Expert. I'm guessing score ranges and ranks vary for each fighter.

I'll update this once I have more data. I'd be interested in comparing these results to those videos in quiquiriqui's playlist I posted. Fight on!

 

Just looked at my other post in how I said I got 7th Dan with Akira in VF1 with 820 total points and 155 style points. Now I'm starting to believe that there is a difference in ranking systems between VF1 and Remix, since that score would have likely gotten me Master in Remix (according to my possible ranges). My sister kept thinking VF1 was harder than Remix, and I'm starting to wonder if she's right. Playability is virtually the same between the two games, although the CPU can get more hyper in VF1 (seemingly).

Unless it's like I've been thinking: VF1 may not have coded for "Master" or 1st Shin (if that's what the highest is in VF1). I mean, quiquiriqui did all those vids with a Japanese version of Remix. And it's also not unheard of that a glitch or absence of code is possible, since in the first version of VF2, it was impossible to get Master rank with Shun (that's what the manual says anyway). Maybe they fixed this in Remix and included English rank equivalents. It's possible, right?

If I knew Japanese or could rely on Google translate to translate for me, I'd love to contact Yu Suzuki and ask these questions. For now, I must continue on fighting!

 

Here's the Jacky Master rank my sister got (this was back in 2009 actually). It was the first time either of us got the rank for any player.

 

I finally got High Ranking Expert for Pai! I'm so excited I improved! The real trick with her seems to be incorporating lots of counters and varying her throws. I'm uploading the screenshot from the first time I got it (I actually got it twice!). With more scores and ranks, I'll be able to fill in ranking tables for more players.

Unfortunately, I ran into a snag in my ranking theory. My sister got High Ranking and Low Ranking numerous times with Lau, and we recently discovered that some total points were actually higher with Low Ranking than High Ranking. So confusing! I've concluded that it's obviously not that easy to determine rank by simply looking at total points. With more data, I may come up with a tentative formula that can account for time, stages cleared, style points and total points.

I wish those Japanese manuals would get here already! Fight on!

 

After many more battles in Ranking Mode, I have a lot more data to speculate about how ranking mode ranks players. This is strictly for Remix, though. My sister and I haven't played VF1 Ranking Mode as much, but we will.

After looking at the tables, it's clear to see that there are many inconsistencies with only theorizing that the more total points you earn, the better you rank. I thought this problem was only with Lau, but it's seen in other characters' ranks, too. Like how can Wolf be ranked Low Ranking Expert with 759 total points, but ranked Master with 750 total points? Even the style points were lower with Master rank! The same can be seen with Sarah, Jacky and Lau. The real weird thing with Lau is that so many total points can be earned and it'll only count as Low Ranking Expert. That's what my sister winds up getting the majority of the time. I'm almost thinking he can't earn Master like Shun couldn't in the first version of VF2. I wish I had some real answers, though.

And I never quite understood how you can earn High Ranking amateur when the points reflect intermediate at least (but this happens often, especially if you only use one type of throw and one type of combo for every fight). It's almost as though the ranks are arbitrarily given except for Master. Master basically looks like just playing exceptionally against the CPU, but even with some losses my sister and I got the rank.

So here are the tables. My possible ranges are mostly unknown at this point, but feel free to take a look.

 

The Japanese Virtua Fighter Remix strategy guide I ordered arrived! The good news: there's a TON of information on advanced techniques, damage counts, tips, and even a page on Ranking Mode! The bad news: it's still vague as to exactly how the ranks are specifically calculated. Regardless, there is some useful information. Thanks to the help of Google Translate (although the translations are not that great, and translating via camera phone is tricky), I was able to loosely translate the content featured on page 7. I won't be putting the whole thing here. Just the main pieces. Here goes:

--Knowing your enemies and knowing yourself will give you hundreds and hundreds of wins!
Player's ability is judged step by step.The computer in ranking mode is surprisingly strong, so challenge it accordingly. Win using various techniques. There are also techniques that are not scored; even if you use the same technique more than once during a set, it will not increase your score. The technique you used once will be scored half its original worth on the following stages.--

--Criteria for Ranking Mode:
1. Time to clear
2. Number of stages cleared
3. Technical points of the technique used
4. The remaining health you have for each set--

--Geki Master! What matters is the element that is not displayed on the results screen: how much you have succeeded without losing.--

So basically the amount of health remaining is factored in, which I did not know. Guess I gotta keep that guard up more and try to clear all stages without losing, But then time and technique are also huge factors. I've uploaded the page below. I may be adding more as I translate more pages. Fight on!

 

I forgot to mention that this bit of information is also featured on the Ranking Mode page. It's featured toward the end of the main paragraph on the left side (where the numbers are). The Japanese version of VFR (and I assume VF1 too) ranks as:

6th-1st Kyu
1st-8th Dan

This gives a possible total of 14 ranks. One would then assume that the rank featured in the picture (8th Dan) is the highest possible, but with those vids from quiquiriqui, it looks like there is a higher one. The page makes mention of aiming high, but it's vague in terms of stating what the highest rank actually is. "Geki Master!" is featured right next to the achieved rank photo, so is that the highest? Or is it 8th Dan???

If this is the case, then the US version of the game may have ranking equivalents thus:

6th Kyu=Low Ranking Novice
5th Kyu=Middle Ranking Novice
4th Kyu=High Ranking Novice
3rd Kyu=Low Ranking Amateur
2nd Kyu=Middle Ranking Amateur
1st Kyu=High Ranking Amateur
1st Dan=Low Ranking Intermediate
2nd Dan=Middle Ranking Intermediate
3rd Dan=High Ranking Intermediate
4th Dan=Low Ranking Expert
5th Dan=Middle Ranking Expert
6th Dan=High Ranking Expert
7th Dan=Master
8th Dan=??GRAND MASTER??

That means there's more work to be done. More fights to be won. Ugh.

 

The fighting goes on! I've been trying to get in my VFR time daily, and have some improvements to report for Ranking Mode.

I was able to snag High Ranking Expert a few times again for Kage. It seems like doing the handspring kick (ff+ABC) often helped not just with damage, but with time since it helps get the opponent out of the ring. I really have to try to get more u/b+C in, though (especially since the Japanese manual said it has high technical points).

I also earned High Ranking Expert a few times with Jeffry!!! The Toe Kick o' Doom (d+C, qfr+ABC) and Splash Mountain (d/f d/f+B+C) helped really improve my rank. It took A LOT of practice with timing and button pressing to get comfortable with using them, but they're his strongest throws, so he needs them to really get a lot of technical points.

Lastly, I earned Master again for Akira. Using the Reverse Uppercut (b, d/f B+C) and Body Check (b, b, f, f B+C) are super useful and high in technical points.

I'm really not posting these to brag, but I hope someday this info helps someone out there looking for answers for VFR Ranking Mode. Whatever improvements I make or ranks I earn will help clear up any mysteries surrounding this. Fight on!

 

Greetings, fighters.

It has been almost a year since my last post on this forum. There have been a few developments since I last posted, so here's a brief summary.

I was incredibly curious about any and all possible differences in playability between the US version of VFR and the Japanese version. I wound up purchasing a Japanese Sega Saturn and Japanese VFR disc only to discover that there are ZERO differences! I suppose the ONLY difference is that the ranking mode results screens are completely in Japanese, including the advice section. That makes it more difficult to decipher, but I'll bet money that the advice is the same in the US version depending on your performance.

It's been several months since I last played VFR/VF1. Off the top of my head, I can't remember how well I did when I last played. But I do remember my sister earning 8th Dan with Sarah on the Japanese version. It was so surreal. She was in complete zen, it was almost like watching quiquiriqui's video, except her trial seemed less repetitive. It all moved so fast, and we both felt like she was so close. Sadly, she tried sooo many times after, and could not replicate those results. It was so strange. I'll report the numbers she earned once I find them.

Finally, I received a definitive answer to VF1/VFR's highest rank, and it's all thanks to quiquiriqui. I asked the user about ranking mode on his/her Akira vid, and here is what quiquiriqui said:

"I do not know about the US version but I will tell you how I got the highest rank so try it.
-Total points get more than 925 points.
-Clear time: Win the stage 9 (DURAL) by 2'30"00.
-Style points (MAX 200 pts):
Use attacks with style points 4 times in different stages or rounds.
Use one or more attacks with style points in any round of each stage."

That's what prompted me to get the Japanese version in the first place. It appears that this user met this criteria each time he/she earned the highest rank for his/her chosen fighter. There were a few times (not all) that the user got 8th Dan, which only shows that 8th Dan and the highest rank are almost a hair apart.

It looks like my search for answers on VF1/VFR ranking mode ended there. Of course earning the rank is a completely different story. I hope to get back in the ring soon, re-hone my skills, and finally get that highest rank! Fight on!

 

Greetings, fighters.

I had taken a break from playing VF1/VFR (my sister, too). After another several months, I am proud to say that I not only improved my rank with Akira, but I have even more definitive answers for Ranking Mode!

First, I had posted a while back what the rankings may have been between the U.S. version and Japanese version of VF1/VFR. Lately, I have been asking a lot of questions from that YouTube user I posted about a while ago, quiquiriqui. Apparently, the user is happy to answer my questions, and has even left tips in the descriptions to each of his/her videos. quiquiriqui also uploaded videos of getting the highest rank in the US version of VFR too! This is the playlist again:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSBqVhm8SLCWvIUB56rAL3Q.

So here is the definitive outline for all ranks in ranking mode:
6th Kyu=Low Ranking Novice
5th Kyu=Middle Ranking Novice
4th Kyu=High Ranking Novice
3rd Kyu=Low Ranking Amateur
2nd Kyu=Middle Ranking Amateur
1st Kyu=High Ranking Amateur
1st Dan=Low Ranking Intermediate
2nd Dan=Middle Ranking Intermediate
3rd Dan=High Ranking Intermediate
4th Dan=Low Ranking Expert
5th Dan=Middle Ranking Expert
6th Dan=High Ranking Expert
7th Dan=Master
8th Dan=High Ranking Master
Mei Jin=Grand Master

quiquiriqui also included a formula for calculating your total points:

a: Stages reached (1 to 9)
b: Total time (sec)
c: Style points (0 to 200)
d: All stages cleared (170)

Total points = (60a-b) / 2 + 40a + c + d

I've tested this several times, and it seems to be spot on!

Finally, I am happy to report that I got 8th Dan with Akira! Three times so far! My sister has gotten 8th Dan several times now with Sarah, and a couple times with Jacky! Trying for the highest rank takes a lot of patience and starting over, but I am determined to get it!

I am very grateful to quiquiriqui for all of his/her assistance. Without his/her knowledge, I couldn't complete the information for ranking mode on this forum. If I get any other updates on the ranking mode system, I will post them accordingly. Fight on!