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My only reason for utilizing this is that it compliments another odd technique I am attempting to use in play.

Duo Lon Stupid Stuff [3DS Record Feature Test]

Here ya go. A low quality video which vaguely demonstrates what I am trying to display.
Read the description.

So I now declare Duo's cr.B special cancellable by utilizing that gatling-kara-cancel (New Fighting game term!)
Idk how much use this will be to other Duo players, but I personally will not play Duo unless I master this.

In the earlier years of the competitive fighting game community, games which were balanced in terms of tournament-viable characters were somewhat scarce. However, due to a few fighting games in recent years, many players have asked for balanced character casts. Some of the demands for balance may be reasonable, other may not.

Namco is known for releasing a balance update for their Tekken series after the intitial title is released. Namco pays attention to the demands of the community, and watches closely for what characters may have distinct advantages over other characters. In response, Namco will either tone-down, alter, or completely remove whatever techniques the character possessed which were deemed too powerful or unfair.

Another example being the Street Fighter 4 series. The initial release of Street Fighter 4 introduced an entirely new game, which of course could not come without any potential balance issues. Some issues included the tools which were universal to all characters being very poor to some, many characters doing much more damage and stun for significantly less effort, and unfair and definitive advantages in terms of matchups. Capcom then releases Super Street Fighter 4 which added 10 more characters, and balanced the cast greatly. By the end of its lifetime, Super Street Fighter 4 was considered a very balanced game. Capcom then releases Super Street Fighter 4 Arcade Edition, which contrasts Capcom's efforts in balance in the previous release. Some characters received unnecessary or excessive buffs, 2 new characters who possess incredibly strong tools were added, and some characters who needed small buffs to be stronger were either ignored or received buffs which did not benefit the character strongly in terms of matchups and competitive play. Due to such, many players have cried to Capcom for nerfs in a patch or update, as these players feel such strengths these characters possess are difficult to overcome. Capcom, being a company which directly listens to its fanbase, will most likely do something to address the balance issues of Arcade Edition.

However, with Namco and Capcom taking some effort in keeping the game enjoyable to the player of any character, the same players who are used to such treatment are not offered such hospitality in other fighting games. One example being The King of Fighters series.
In the latest installment, King of Fighters XIII, the game for the most part boasts a relatively balanced and reasonable cast of characters, until 2 particular characters are put into the equation. One of them boasts a powerful, invincible, and very fast attack which possesses an excessively high damage output, and is capable of putting any match into his favor instantly, along with strong attacks right off. The second possesses tools which hold a heavy presence in both the ground and the air, and generally has few to no apparent weaknesses. Characters as strong as those two in a fighting game are often dismissed under one of two titles: broken or overpowered.

Because the technology is readily available, many players will cry out for nerfs to the strongest characters in the game, and buffs for whatever characters said player plays. Such demands are merely ignorant cries from a player who: 1.) Does not understand the game at a technical level, and 2.) Does not wish to understand the game at a technical level. When a player demands a nerf or a buff to existing characters, the player displays a lack of knowledge of the characters' strengths and weaknesses, and instead of putting in the effort to determine a counter to such strengths, will dismiss any and all matchups, as the player honestly believes there is no apparent counter strategy. Due to such ethics, the players who complain about nerfs to top tier characters are generally the weaker players, or those who have a very difficult time winning against an opponent who has a level of understanding of the overall game mechanics. In many fighting games, top name players are less-likely to complain about an overly-apparent strength of a character, and will instead work towards determining a weakness or counter to those very strengths. The very mindset of the top player is to understand the game at some of its deepest levels, and at such levels, one must understand his opponents' choice in characters and playstyles, regardless of tier lists.
When it comes to demands for character buffs, there must be a level of respect and compromise. Once again, the weaker player will demand "Over-the-top" buffs, or changes which are heavily unwarranted, so the player can obtain wins easier. Instead, one should be respecting both the strengths and weaknesses of a character, and understand how one characters attributes compares to another's. Once a strong understanding of a character and the game's mechanics arises, one would learn how to maximize the use of the character's strengths, and minimize any weaknesses from being exploited. Only then can desired wins be found in any character, regardless of tier list placement.

In high level play, there is no meaning as to whether a fighting game is balanced or not. The thoughts of a balanced fighting game are merely myths created by weaker players. The general consensus of a balanced fighting game is where every character is viable in a competitive environment. Such ideas are passive, and are contradicted when the idea of character specific matchups are involved. With the laws of matchups, it all depends on how one character's attributes compare and contrast to another's, and because of such, it is very possible for a lower tier character to beat a higher tier character. A character which is placed in high tiers is placed there because said character is very strong against the bulk of the cast, while being governed by in-game mechanics. However, no character is void of any counterpicks, or direct counters which may come in the form of any character or playstyle. So, theoretically, a competitive player may or may not obtain more wins by picking a character whose strengths are more apparent at shallow levels of gameplay, than a character whose strengths become more apparent in deeper levels of gameplay. Such a theory is why some characters possess an "Un-tapped Potential" which can only be found in the deeper and wiser levels of gameplay and understanding.

Essentially, play the characters you choose. Understand their strengths and weaknesses well, and capitalize them when it comes to matchups. The sky will never rain skill and wins down on you. You must work for them yourself. Stop looking at tier lists as definitive titles, and view them as a list of characters who will produce more wins in the lower levels of player, rather than top levels, where the lists are somewhat null and void.

Note: This is generalized as hell, so cut me some slack.

Not sure how on topic this is, but it is kinda relevant to my previous thoughts on Ash's LDM, and the Juarez stuff (which isn't particularly new).
One thing I've noticed in this particular KOF, is that players tend to be very conservative with their damage possibilities and options in terms of Meter and Skill Points. An example, for the longest, I believed that Ash's LDM potential only came into play in the corner, where he can easily take 65% of a lifebar. When I revisit the potential of Ash's LDM (in reference to DG's latest vid, I no longer possess the game), I realize that by dropping the combo midscreen, he can go for more mixup opportunities which lead to more overall damage, and possibly better positioning.
For a long time, Skill Points and Meter were often saved for high damage combos, stun combos, or Saving Shift. Then Poongko started using QS's as a form of offensive high/low mixups, which at the time seemed new.
What I'm trying to say is, until the recent matches I've seen on SMOAI2010's youtube channel, I noticed the past of KOF XI had a lot of players sticking to what Alex Valle would call "Textbook" form of offense and combos. Where there was an absence in "Dirty Tricks" which are commonly found in other KOF's. It almost seems like the game's potential was not tapped until later years. The furthest you saw in Dirty Tricks were Gato's bizarre mixups on incoming characters in the corner, or 2P Duck's infamous cr.A xx slide into grab super, or more pokes.

One clear example being this match clip: 2011-07-23 KOF XI ET VS Rockpon
With that particular combo, if he went for the guaranteed stun, he would not have killed Shen. But by dropping the combo for a mixup, he increased his damage output enough to kill the Shen, and later went for a somewhat risky and disrespectful super against the incoming Kim player, which grabbed him a win.
I've been watching match vids of XI game for over 5 years now. And I will say that stuff like that was not seen.

Eff that game. Plus I have no means of practicing it anymore.
More so for the UM's and XIII.

lol at me wandering around a lot of Sunday hoping to find someone.

I will probably repeat a bunch of ?'s already asked. Some of these features may have been in XII or other KOF's, but I am just gonna state them for the hell of it.

Offline Stuff:
1. Hate to say this, but Capcom and Arc System Works have very strong features implemented into their training modes. Such features only help players simulate situations, further understand their opponents' options at a given time, and develop a richer understanding of the game. These features include: Record/Play option for at least 10 seconds, random option for blocking and counterhits (allows players to test hit-confirms), quick restart, walk dummy out of corner, and other features.
2. Offline (and possibly Online) Multiplayer features promoting ease on extended play. Examples being: Quick Rematch button, a way to change team order after a match without needing to return to CSS, and controller mapping in the CSS (somewhat novelty).

Online Stuff:
1. Netcode is obviously important. It determines whether one may choose to play the game avidly, or not because he feels he cannot get competition in acceptable playing conditions online.
2. Replays and the ability to watch matches of others is somewhat novelty, but enhances the overall online experience.
3. Full-featured online Leaderboard. Actually, I am quite touchy on this one. I do not wish to see hackers and cheaters polluting the top names of the online leaderboard. Maybe even multiple leaderboards for things such as: All-Time rankings, Seasonal Rankings, Win-Percentage, Friends Rankings, and Individual Characters.
4. An accurate Ping number rather than the traditional 1-4 bar color system. Allows players to more accurately understand how much latency there is between one player and another.
5. Unlockable medals and other bs. I personally do not care for this, but some feel a sense of accomplishment from unlocking visual rewards for their achievements online. These rewards cannot simply be character portraits and stuff one does not notice online. They want titles and emblems which they can brandish and brag about online. I guess it makes one feel better for playing continuously.
6. Browsing available matches. With the ability to see the number of players in a room, and the estimated Ping of the room. This feature has become almost mandatory in fighting games.

Some of the features I mentioned will not only enhance the experience of both the long-time devoted KOF players, but also newer players looking to play XIII for either leisure or competitive ambition.

Well, I decided to pick up a PDP Versus Pad at gamestop to get more time with one. I'll admit, it is actually not a bad fightpad, just not exceptional. The buttons being very low on the face make the 3 finger grip shown in the Hori Pad video above not work so well. All the microswitches on the pad are very easy to actuate. One annoyance of the dpad on it is that it is very difficult to consistently perform command motions without accidentally hitting Up-Forward or Up-Back. This is because the Pad gives you absolutely no cues as to where you may have the dpad positioned, because the restriction gate is a perfect Circle.
If you were to try this pad, I would highly recommend learning how to determine which directions you have the dpad orientated when you input a specific direction.
In terms of improvements, they should have just kept the legs of the controller symmetrical, part of the reason I am uncomfortable with most grips on it. An Octagonal restriction gate would have been better for those who can't keep a consistent sense of what direction they are inputting. And in terms of the asymmetrical grips, the face buttons on the right could be about 1/4 inch higher to place your thumbs in a symmetrical position and effectively fixing the initial comfort issue of the shorter grip.

Overall, I give a 6/10. Would not recommend it.

Battlefield 3 and XIII on the same day? This will definitely be a good year for me in video games.

PDP pad is a definite learning curve, but a good pad (only had maybe 45 mins with one).
I imagine certain things like hyper hops and Rage of the 8 Maidens kind of motions are kinda easier on the PDP pad.
My personal fav pad is a simple PS1 pad w/ converters (non-dualshock version). But I have just racked plenty of hours on that pad, so I am attached to it.
In terms of recent pads, only one I really like is the Hori Fighting Commander 3.

Well, Jinxhand, that idea is kind of a "What if" thing.
Even if Socal and Minnesota were to become considerably good, it doesn't properly personify the skill the United States as a whole possesses. Instead you are catering to a small cult. Part of the reason we are not necessarily worthy of a specific qualifier.
I mean how often do you see the same names across DC? That should be a somewhat clear indicator.

I am going off the assumption that there may be one or two setups. If there are three or more, than I can understand focusing primarily on XIII. Otherwise, I would like to have one station on the side with an older KOF. Main thing I'm hoping for is to catch others' attention, which is why I will be very loud.

[WILL]

Assuming this is $15, I will be attempting to make this.
We WILL have a 98um set up correct? I don't care if I need to provide the setup, but I cannot not have 98um played there. Though it would be 360.

I'm just gonna leave my input, though I will say I am no where close to an experienced player, or even know how to play the game well, so take this with a grain of salt.

First, you should consider KOF as a game where pressure and rush can be constant, with your options of escaping being either risky, or cost you meter. With that in mind, you want to obtain some form of training mode, and understand your characters best offense and defensive options. So much as learning the max range of a normal will help at interrupting the opponent's often random attempts of rushing in. So you wanna clarify which characters you wish to pursue, learn their optimal combos, along with the speed and hitboxes of their normals and special attacks.
Now you will need to play a lot and watch some videos (both Dark Geese and Emil's channels being good starting points). Take note of how someone may attack or defend in a situation, and think of a counterattack for either, while not necessarily spamming and hoping something works (like I did). If you and your opponent are at somewhat of a standoff, and no fireballs are being thrown, you should consider that the opponent may just dash at your, or jump in on you. You gotta be ready for this, because at times, if you did not prevent the rush from happening, your chances of getting out are only slimmer. Eventually, you will learn of these ways, and will have counterattacks for predictable rush patterns, and even a rush and pressure game of your own to employ on the opponent. Basically, it takes work, so prepare for the lumps.

Also, keep in mind that if the game in particular is 2002, you must do these things much faster. Being that damage is fairly high in 2002, and the timer is only 45 seconds in real time. So you have a lot less time to spare in terms of defending, where you could have spent that time attacking.

Whenever this SoCal event happens, let me know.