The Virtua Figher 5 thread: just 6 months before the end of the world

[KarnF91]

Watch for the pokes Jinx mentioned.  Most are really safe even on block.  For me against Eileen's Pai's and that jerk Lion, I play highly defensive.  Once you do something unsafe I go for my punishing moves.  Of the Sarah's I've faced, same with Jacky, that flip kick seems to be the noob special.

[Running Wild]

Anyone got any Bradly tips? I mainly just poke/jab til I can get an opening, and I harass the opponent with I think it was df+P and b+PK, then just start pressuring them with ducking/slipping strings and feint. I don't really have any particularly damaging combo's down yet.

[KarnF91]

Sadly I've only encountered one Brad player so far who felt like he was trying.  The rest I've faced were nothing more than PPPP spam with the duck and weave stuff he has.  All I can say is go to virtuafighter.com  you'll find some tips there for sure.

[DarKaoZ]

Man, my only problems are Pai and Vanessa, they are so annoying. Got demoted thanks to a Vanessa, but got my rank up back, but still, fighting those 2 is a trouble.

A good Jacky can be a pain too, but is rare to encounter someone good with him.

Still is fun to play the game, I just need to buy the Complete Edition to get all the outfits and have fun customizing my characters.

[Diavle]

Don't use PPP2K. It's -18 on block, so you will be punished...

Sarah's gonna basically poke with P, 2P, 6PP, and moves that go into flamingo like 3PK. In flamingo, most Sarah player's will either attempt to stun you for a combo, or beat you in a frame game to do something strong (i.e. flash kick). You're gonna want to see what their patterns and habits are to truly make a good decision on what to do against them. Sometimes a simple evade is the best option. She has decent circular moves so you wanna be on the lookout for them also.

Moves that Sarah's shouldn't do because you can punish:
PPPK - you'll mostly see noobs use this. launch punishable I believe.
1K - this is that nice looking launcher. I don't know Eileen's best 15f punish, check VFDC for that.
6P+K3PK - you can and should PK punish this
3K+G - this is that sweep that Nina has in Tekken I think it's her ss+4?. Anyway, it's -18 on block. Launch that hoe!!!
flamingo~P2K - PK punish. The 2K is low. If you don't block it, there's jf followups that she can do.

Somersault kick is -27 on block and when done from flamingo -28 on block. If you can't sidestep it, just block. They'll regret it...

I can't think of anything else off the bat. If you've played Tekken and know how to punish in that game, it's pretty much the same. Look out for moves you can PK punish, launch punish, and mid attack punish (sometimes elbow/knee attacks or strings). Here's some links to help:

http://virtuafighter.com/commands/index.php?ver=5fsa&chara=eileen - Eileen's move list in full effect!!! Frames, and other info that the game doesn't necessarily show.

http://virtuafighter.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/forums/74/1/Eileen -  Eileen section of VFDC. If you've played the older VF5, or if you just started on VF5FS, this section will help you out. There's quite a few good Eileen players there, Tricky and Xzyx987X are 2 that come to mind. They'll hook you up!!!

Thanks for the write up man, I still got my teeth kicked in by another Sarah again though lol.

Haven't played a 3D fighter competitively since Tekken 2 probably, my only real contact with VF before this was some single player VF4evo on PS2.

The big issue is of course that I don't really know what these characters can do for the most part so have no idea what to expect or how to punish. Like I'll try jabbing her but she does a flamingo kick thing or something that auto-parries my punch. I block stuff and expect an advantage but they still hit me before I can punish (I'm looked at you Lei Fei, friggin baldy).

And who the eff thought it was a great idea to give some characters jab etc. auto parry when they aren't pressing anything? Probably the same genius that thought it was a great idea to have Jacky's raw Somersault do almost 50% on counter hit.

The lack of a low game in this game is kind of disappointing me, my opponent's low guard is often so weak but I can't even capitalize properly since a lot of the low hitting moves don't combo (like Eileen's 2K+G, K) and most leave you at disadvantage even on hit. So instead of a high/mid/low/throw game you just mostly have a mid/throw game going.

[jinxhand]

Anyone got any Bradly tips? I mainly just poke/jab til I can get an opening, and I harass the opponent with I think it was df+P and b+PK, then just start pressuring them with ducking/slipping strings and feint. I don't really have any particularly damaging combo's down yet.

I used him a bit back in 4 and 4EVO-- not too much in 5, but I was able to hold it down kinda... Anyway, you're best tool aside from P imo is 6P. This opens people up for alot of things, and beats out 2P attempts. You can go into sway/step with this move. If you're good at hit checking, you can follow through with k and knockdown, which you should take advantage of oki at that point. Brad also has 3K, which can go into clinch if it's a counter hit I believe.

There's also 66P+KP, or the other version which I can't remember, but if you can hit check the other one and cause a sideturn. 66P+KP is also safe I believe, and can go into sway. Double check the notation, because I'm not sure if it's changed since 5. I will say this though, with Brad, you're gonna want to pay attention to your stance (open/close stance). This can boost your game overall, from offense to defense, and you'll know what your options are.

@Diavle - Jacky's parry is the only thing he has in terms of reversals. Other than that, he's straight up mixup and rushdown. It's not bad, seeing as he has to do nothing for it to work, which leaves him open to everything else (elbow, knee, throw, etc). You don't want to abuse P just like 2P. It's a great tool, but it's high. It can open up for a 6P hit confirm. On block, elbow attacks are generally safe. You're gonna wanna play it safe vs Jacky until you get the feel of his overall "flow of motion". Basic punch to elbow, and move/attack accordingly while finding a pattern.

Low guard isn't weak at all. There are a ton of lows that lead to NH combos. Both Pai and Lau share 1KK, which is a low to high, and it combos. Pai has a ton of lows, and she even has a great tool that can allow her to go into her low stance (Bokutai). Shun has sweeps in which I believe the first 2 hits combo on NH. Lion was basically built to be a low to mid hitting annoyance, with tons of tricks up his sleeve. Actually, there's so much to the low game, that you can use that to your advantage if you have a character with a low throw, especially if you're good at either training, or using moves that force crouch for a free low throw.

If you want to punish properly (in this case punishing lows), you have several options. You can sidestep and attack accordingly, since some people will still have the urge to attack even after you successfully evaded their initial attack. You could do a basic elbow attack (or a move similar to it i.e. Pai's 6P), or a safe knee attack, in this situation, Eileen's 6P should do the trick. You could also check the frame data out, and depending on the low, find the best punish for that. I'll tell you this though, VF has come along way in letting you know just how unsafe certain moves are. In the past, you had to just know or assume it was unsafe and find out the hard way. Now, you can see with the animation that some moves are unsafe, like Lau's low sweep in his PPP2K string. Keep an eye out for those specific blocked move animations.

[Diavle]

Thanks man.

Guess I'll try out some more characters to see who else fits me. The issue I'm having with Eileen is mashers, if I try to incorporate her cancels into my strings they don't work because whether they are blocking or getting hit ppl are mashing stuff so she gets hit out of them. Any idea if her reversal (4P+K+G) counters all attacks or just high/mid?

Also, how long do you have to wait before you can attack when you sidestep a string? I know that if you attack the moment you sidestep then the opponent will autocorrect and you will get hit by the string.

What exactly is an EX High attack? Is it anti low attacks?

Played KOFXIII again after a few days of just VF5 and damn it felt good, its nice when you know what you're doing lol.

[jinxhand]

Also, how long do you have to wait before you can attack when you sidestep a string? I know that if you attack the moment you sidestep then the opponent will autocorrect and you will get hit by the string.

It's almost instant. If I time it right, I can sidestep, and 6K and combo depending on the move I evaded.

What exactly is an EX High attack? Is it anti low attacks?

Here's what an EX High is (a.k.a. Special High):

Special high
Most high attacks do not hit crouching opponents, which makes them very vulnerable to being stopped by low attacks. Special high attacks, however, can hit opponents who are performing a low attack, or an attack that begins from a lower position.

Played KOFXIII again after a few days of just VF5 and damn it felt good, its nice when you know what you're doing lol.

Don't worry. You'll be applying some concepts from VF into KOF and vice versa.

[Delta]

Got the game, and i'm totally in love with Vanessa moves, same with Eileen.
These 2 are the only characters i liked so far (only tried 3 characters, Vanessa, Eileen and Wolf, but didn't like him).

Planning to try Goh and Brad next. So, any other character you recommend to someone playing VF seriously for the first time?

[Diavle]

Thanks for all the help jinx.

[Diavle]

Really appreciate all the help jinx.

Planning to try Goh and Brad next. So, any other character you recommend to someone playing VF seriously for the first time?

Try Jean, he is regarded as a good starting point for getting a hang of the game since his play revolves around  good fundamentals. That and he's a very cool character with great animation :p

I've decided to stick to Eileen and Jean for now personally, maybe with a touch of Pai.

[jinxhand]

Thanks for all the help jinx.

You're very welcome. I gotta lend a hand out and help us all get stronger in any game. I don't keep shit from nobody!!!

Planning to try Goh and Brad next. So, any other character you recommend to someone playing VF seriously for the first time?

Honestly, picking a character can all depend on your general playstyle and archetype preference (and in some cases dexterity level or how quick you get level that up). Starting characters I recommend are Jacky, Jean, Goh, Sarah, and Jeffry. Taka might work for some people, too... Goh is basically "Akira-lite", with a slightly different approach in terms of attacking. Jeffry while is easy to use, and does massive damage, can be hard to win with only because he lacks a really good low (his 2K doesn't give many good options, and his 2K+G is good, but slow). He can help you fine tune your fundamentals in the game though.

Strangely enough, I have an alternate perspective as well. Just take this lightly though:

If you mained 2D fighters, learn Eileen, or Sarah
If you mained DOA, learn Aoi, or Akira.
If you mained SC, learn Sarah, Vanessa, Lei Fei, or Jeffry
If you heavily rely on "management characters", learn Shun.
If you mained Tekken, learn Jacky, Jean, Taka, or Brad. There's probably a few other characters that can fall into this here.
If you're good at FRC combos with any character in GGXX, learn Akira (learn the greatness that is his jf knee).

[solidshark]

If you mained 2D fighters, learn Eileen, or Sarah
If you mained DOA, learn Aoi, or Akira.
If you mained SC, learn Sarah, Vanessa, Lei Fei, or Jeffry
If you heavily rely on "management characters", learn Shun.
If you mained Tekken, learn Jacky, Jean, Taka, or Brad. There's probably a few other characters that can fall into this here.
If you're good at FRC combos with any character in GGXX, learn Akira (learn the greatness that is his jf knee).

And if you're a straight bad-ass, KAGE-MARU (Dose stances). Soon, I will show my Kage to the world, win a few, get my ass beat, come back, surprise the victors and perfect them. Someday.

Never been this deep with a VF before, but I love how far I think I'll take this. Someone on NeoGaf even said that VF experience can help with your KOF execution somewhat. Though any other fighter could help somehow, can't wait to prove this true.

[Delta]

Thanks for the tips Jinx.

In other point, what is the best online place/community for VF?

[jinxhand]

If you mained 2D fighters, learn Eileen, or Sarah
If you mained DOA, learn Aoi, or Akira.
If you mained SC, learn Sarah, Vanessa, Lei Fei, or Jeffry
If you heavily rely on "management characters", learn Shun.
If you mained Tekken, learn Jacky, Jean, Taka, or Brad. There's probably a few other characters that can fall into this here.
If you're good at FRC combos with any character in GGXX, learn Akira (learn the greatness that is his jf knee).

And if you're a straight bad-ass, KAGE-MARU (Dose stances). Soon, I will show my Kage to the world, win a few, get my ass beat, come back, surprise the victors and perfect them. Someday.

Never been this deep with a VF before, but I love how far I think I'll take this. Someone on NeoGaf even said that VF experience can help with your KOF execution somewhat. Though any other fighter could help somehow, can't wait to prove this true.

I can't wait to see that Kage in action!!!

VF skills helping out in KOF and vice versa is so true!!! Just one aspect that this applies to is hit checking. Knowing when something hits and if its a CH or NH and what benefits are available is so essential in VF and KOF, not so much in other aspects because of option-selects and canceling systems i.e. - FADC, FRC, etc. That isn't to say games like SF and GGXX help out, I personally feel they help out in other ways like execution and knowing your range when poking and mixing up.

Thanks for the tips Jinx.

In other point, what is the best online place/community for VF?

virtuafighter.com or VFDC for short.