VF4 [ print friendly ] [ command view ] The System of Instant Recovery
Instant Recovery (IR) 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 IR 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 IR types -
In-Place Recovery and Side Roll Recovery.
Note:
The terminology used in this document is based on the terms used
in the US version of VF4 on the PS2. Other, and more commonly used
terms which you'll come across are: Quick Rising (QR) which is
officially known as In-Place Recovery, and Tech Rolling (TR) which
is officially known as Side Roll Recovery.
In general, IR is a technique enabling you to quickly
recover from a knock-down. IR can also eliminate (but
not always!) the portion of damage associated with the ground impact
from an attack or throw.
You cannot IR 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 IR from some
throws.
There are various timings allowed for the input of IR. In general,
you should time the input at the same time
you're hitting the ground. This can be tricky to judge, especially
with some knockdown animations. If you time the input perfect, you
will perform an Exact Recovery (ER). ER will not result in
any sound being heard from the ground impact, and is usually the
requirement to avoid damage. Without perfect timing, IR
results in a sound being heard from ground impact. While mashing
inputs is possible you will never get an ER from it.
Wolf's Giant Swing is an example of a throw from which you IR from.
You can IR but still receive full damage. However, if you ER you'll
avoid the last portion of damage from the ground impact.
Instant Recovery is also important in preventing Off The Ground
(OTG) combos. Each time you hit the ground you'll have an opportunity to
IR to avoid the rest of the combo.
Knowing what you can IR from is the first step. The next
step lies in knowing when you should and should not IR by
understanding the properties of the different IR types. This
knowledge can also be used to take advantage of an opponent who
chooses the wrong type of IR at the wrong time.
The two Instant Recovery types are In-Place Recovery (IPR) and
Side Roll Recovery (SRR), and are explained in more detail below.
In-Place Recovery
In-Place Recovery (IPR) 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 IPR 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 IPR 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.
Side Roll Recovery
Side Roll Recovery (SRR) 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 SRR are as follows:
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 SRR 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 SRR, your opponent's linear attacks
will track you. Instead, only begin to guard the moment you recover
from the roll in order to defend any attacks.
Instant Recovery Risks
Now that you've looked at the properties of IPR and SRR 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 IPR), or the Crouching phase (for SRR).
Opponent Falls Face Down with Head Away and
In-Place Recovery
|
Mid-Level Attack hits Opponent during While Standing
phase
|
Opponent is Back Staggered
|
Opponent Falls Face Down with Head Towards and
Side Roll Recovery
|
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 Face Down and Head Towards position. Your opponent cannot IR
from the crumble attack, but may IR from the
following OTG hits. This is where you look for the opponent to SRR in the
hope of producing a back stagger with a sidekick.
And don't forget, Back Staggers are strugglable, so followup accordingly.
Written by Myke |
Published 2002/03/04 | Last Updated 2005/16/04 |
|