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Steam name: Loona
http://steamcommunity.com/id/ikariloona
Location: Netherlands

Do you have any ones that should replace those or we should add?

http://cyberfanatix.com/ comes to mind - IIRC it started as a combo-video-focused spinofff of orochinagi.com, but has been holding its own with a bit more variety since then, and one of its admins, Evil Yagami, tends to be pretty on top of SNK news, although that's sometimes a bit more visible on Twitter and at Madman's Cafe (which is also worth looking into - its real life and news is in the BBS though, since its front page is rarely updated nowadays).

These two issues come to mind:

* This topic should have been in this section: http://dreamcancel.com/forum/index.php?topic=3007.0

* The front page has affiliate link buttons to sites which are now inactive, so it might be a good idea to remove them: http://www.snk-capcom.com/ and http://www.speksnk.org/ in the very least - I'm not 100% sure if http://www.kofproject.fr/ is just momentarily or permanently down. Important as those sites were, I'm a bit worried about giving the impression of a dead scene by keeping dead links around...

I was going to suggest to unify a few of the sections, since some of them are rarely used, but as of today a few of them are looking a bit more active... let's see how that goes...

I'm afraid I don't understand the joke that last picture made. Still, it's nice to see someone post here again. I think I'll start doing these again soon. And I've also given serious thought to making a Facebook page for these pics.

Tumblr might work better nowadays for this sort of thing (and I recall someone made one for those "When boys..." pics) - FB can always link from that.

Also, Terry and Benimaru have been temporarily removed from XDZW, according to various reports I've heard (most of them in a FB group dedicated to this game). It's a shame the article in the front page forgot to mention that.

Is there a non-FB link with that info?

Her style is different enough to be worthwhile, but I suspect that story-wise she won't be nearly as important as she was in XI and XIII.

Might as well: http://steamcommunity.com/id/ikariloona
Location: Netherlands

I'm all for helping that side of the fandom - gameplay systems and tournament activity come and go, but character designs and stories tend to stick around.

Regarding the idea for artwork, people who want to make their work more visible can already resort to DeviantArt, Tumblr or Twitter, and those seem more likely to provide exposure than DreamCancel, but it's hard to be sure.
On the other hand, there's very little filtering for quality in those places, so some occasional highlight at DC might be nice to separate the great ones from the rest - and upon doing so, informing the artist in question, maybe extending an invitation to adapt the chosen illustration for a banner or stick art?

I'd be willing to help with the podcast thing, although depending on whom else might be up to it, the days or time zones could be an issue, as I'm currently in the Netherlands, and DC seems more US-centric - on the other hand, it might make it easier to have Gunsmith as a guest on occasion if he's up to it :P
It might be handy to come up with a list of possible topics to see how many possible podcasts could come from that. Then again, I've seen some last about about 3 hours or more, and I rarely listed to something that last that long in a row - it's not a medium I'm that involved or experienced with.

The idea of videos about the history of certain characters or series has crossed my mind no occasion, but I know very little about video editing and might not do the topic justice - but then again, that probably wouldn't need DC's involvement, although DC might help to promote such efforts when they come up in its news page.

Another possibility is to have occasional blog posts in the DC front page about SNK history, games, lore, etc...

There's some latent love for SNK's work out there and I try to do my part to keep it alive as I can. That's something I would gladly extend to anything DC is up for.

[EX Iori, Chin (1, 1), Mr Karate (1)]

* Front page


Would it be very hard to have separate columns to separete these different typos of information? It would really be handy for posterity.

There is a 'categories' tab on the front page, in the middle of that long column on the right. But if you mean having posts in different columns than just one, that's something I might have to ask the community on their input on if they want that format because myself and others like the blog format.

The Categoried drop-down list is so far down it's kinda of tricky to realize it's even there, which I guess is part of the issue.
Speaking of which, there are still a few things marked as Uncategorized, some of which might fit under Tournament or other existing categories - is it possible to update those after the news have been posted?

On a more specific note, it should be a bit embarrassing that SRK.com lists the characters used in the KoF finals, even if incompletely, up to top 16, but DC.com lists no characters and stops at top 8.
C'mon guys, is this how you want to be the KoF reference?...

Yeah, I'm going to be honest about that, when it comes to major tournaments, SRK beats us to the punch extremely fast when getting those stats and results from tournaments. I'm not sure how exactly they get those results so fast with the characters and everything, they must have a crew of people watching streams while getting their full results from challonge. I will try to discuss this with the moderators and front page editors on ways we can get those results faster. Most of the time, we just mirror the results from them because they get it so fast. For tournaments that aren't majors, like regionals or local tournaments, we usually get those results first (example, KOFXIII Hyper Battle in Colorado or Tijuana's KOF Challenge II).

For something big like EVO where the finals matches are broadcast, it should be viable to have one or more individuals keeping track of results, especially if those are recorded and uploaded later.

Keeping track of that sort of thing, especially with some level of detail, would be kind of cool.
In small tournaments at events I helped to run I drew tables for every match by hand that helped to reconstruct the events of a match: characters used, in which order, which beat which, and markers for perfects and time outs - the notation looked clearer by hand than something I could pull off with a standard digital system, but let me try:

Tokido:	EX Iori, Chin (1, 1), Mr Karate (1)
Xiaohai:	EX Iori (1), Mr Karate, Kim (1)

(well dammit, forum tables don't actually appear as tables with outlines... just imagine each player in his own cell, and each trio of character in its own cell too)

So, this is based on the 1st match here: King of Fighters XIII - Evo 2014 Grand Finals
Tokido's 1st character is KOed without beating anyone, so he's struck. Same for Xiaohai's Mr Karate.
Xiaohai's 1st character beat a single character, so here he's marked with a (1). Looking at Tokido's character order, clearly it was Iori who was taken down.
Then Tokido's Chin beat Xiaohai's Iori and Mr Karate, so he's marked with "(1, 1)" - I'm not using "(2)", because separating the matches allows for some clarity - had Tokido beated any of those rounds by Perfect or Timeout, I could use a P or T instead of the 1, or even expand the notation with markers like N for NeoMAX or H for Hyper Drive combo, but it's best to keep this simple for now IMO. The 1 could technically be replaced with something like a V for victory, but this isn't set in stone - on paper I have each character in his own table cell, and strike the defeated character with a line coming from the direction of the cell of the character that him him, but this is harder here.
Tokido took the 1st match, so his team for it gets bolded, for the same of clarity - you could add more cells with similar information, and that would allow you to understand the progress of the whole thing, perhaps with a final cell at the end adding it all up, and ultimately the winner of the whole set could get his name bolded too.
Then again, this case involved a reset, so after that there should probably be a separate table.

* Community
I can't really comment on the FB situation - I'm not in the group, as my expectation is that everything there is quite US-centric.
Finding out about that When Boys Meet KoF topic here was great though, and the Tumblr mentioned there to point people to was great as well (despite the background pic making it hard to read).
Above I mentioned separate main page columns for actual SNKP news and tournament stuff - maybe that's unlikely to implement, but if it turned out to be doable (each filtered by some tag-based system, for example?...), a 3rd, smaller column for fun stuff like that that also linked to corresponding forum topics would be great.

If you have an example of that format, link it up for I can see what you mean.

Off the top of my head, the closest I can find is the HG101 front page, which keeps a few highlight on its right side: http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/

Something like a short list of linked titles to articled under the "SNK" category closer to the top might help, for a brief overview of more official news, I guess.

Thanks for your feedback bro!

No problem, let me know if there's anything I can help with.

The topic isn't new, but since it was created after a successful EVO, might as well pick up it again.

On my own reason not to hang out here as much: I'm in Europe, and a lot of info seems USA-centric.
Orochinagi was supposed to cover that, but as of late it has felt a bit off:
* when nothingxs asked for opinions on players here and there, the difference in response was quote in DC's favor.
* The site seems to be losing focus, covering such a variety of games beyond KoF that perhaps neither of them gets covered as well as it could
* the news posts there are getting pretty mixed, covering very different topic under a single title - as if the front page there wasn't turning into a mess lately, finding older stuff isn't very intuitive
* Twitter-wise, there's no distinction between Gunsmith the individual and ON.com the site, so you get a bit of unrelated silliness if you follow that, which would be fine if there was more and better stuff to be found there.

And it pains me to see and state this, because a site and forum that contains topic like thi translation effort and this critical bit of lore should live and thrive.

I'd rather not see DC go through similar troubles - the SNK/KoF scene is already pretty spread out as it is, and if it won't unify in some way, at least it's hubs should aim to be the best they can be.


Taking on the issues covered in the OP:

* Front page

My pet issue with practically every FG site is that it usually has only one blog-like news feed that treats actual news about the games and companies that make them the same way it does community-geneated stuff like tournaments, videos, poscasts, fanart, etc... So you you want to know when something was announced or released, you usually have to dig around the archives under piles of news about tournaments too far away from your area to be relevant to you.
Would it be very hard to have separate columns to separete these different typos of information? It would really be handy for posterity.
I found myself having to create something of the sort on Reddit mostly with plain news, as just about everywhere else it got buried under other stuff or entirely ignored: http://www.reddit.com/r/SNKplaymore

On a more specific note, it should be a bit embarrassing that SRK.com lists the characters used in the KoF finals, even if incompletely, up to top 16, but DC.com lists no characters and stops at top 8.
C'mon guys, is this how you want to be the KoF reference?...


* Other pages
When I check the site, I tend to stick with the front page and forum, but looking about a bit, you guys might want to revise the podcast page to put some dates on those shows - looking at it there's no way to tell how old or recent they are, which may be relevant to put the information in context (post-Climax/Steam? before or after collision box information was revealed?).


* Wiki
Now that collision box information is more accessible, that would be a good adition to the character pages - especially if it start with less-used characters, at least as far as tournament-visibility is concerned. That could encourage a bit more variety, as the predominance of Kim, EX Iori and Mr Karate at EVO does not give a good impression to the outside world.
Also, the wiki's front page's link to Mr Karate says "EX Mr Karate", when technically there's no such thing.


* Forums
There might be more sections than those the forum actually needs or uses - it might not be a bad idea to merge less-used section into more active ones. For example, the whole Tournaments section (which surprisingly contains no updated EVO topic...) into Offline Matchmaking.
That way you spend less time clicking around to find info, and from the outside everything looks a bit more active.


* Community
I can't really comment on the FB situation - I'm not in the group, as my expectation is that everything there is quite US-centric.
Finding out about that When Boys Meet KoF topic here was great though, and the Tumblr mentioned there to point people to was great as well (despite the background pic making it hard to read).
Above I mentioned separate main page columns for actual SNKP news and tournament stuff - maybe that's unlikely to implement, but if it turned out to be doable (each filtered by some tag-based system, for example?...), a 3rd, smaller column for fun stuff like that that also linked to corresponding forum topics would be great.


* Chat
I don't really use that, managing my Twitter feed is already tricky enough (I read everything and everyone I follow, so the volume gets kinda big some times).


I hope this helps, or at least encourages further discussion... I'm far from a good player, but I do love the games, and tend to carry around a stubborn "SNK(P) must live" mantra in my psyche, wondering what to do about that and occasionally putting effort into little things like the Reddit I mentioned above or this topic at NeoGAF, neither of which require deep game knowledge or execution, which others already seem to cover decently.If the tournament scene is what gets them attention, I try and keep up, but there's only so much time and attention I can put into that when so much of it seems to happen so far away.

Not quite a question, but this is too handy a piece of knowledge not to sneak in somewhere: while throws are performed with the hard attack buttons and a direct direction, they won't be activated while you're running - this is actually a good thing, since a common combo starter is a close hard attack into a command normal, so if you manage to run into an opponent and land a hard attack, you've got yourself a more reliable combo starter than a jumping attack (which in this game needs to be landed rather close to the ground to reliably start combos, to encourage the use of hops).


Might as well toss in an issue of my own as a question:

From other games I've gotten into the habit of using throws when blocking certain attacks that leave the opponent really close, using the fact that I'm holding a direction to block, and from there just pressing a hard attack button. I'd probably get more damage out of a combo starting with a close hard attack, but in the head of battle I'm having a hard time letting go of the blocking direction in time to use a standing close hit instead of a throw, while still taking advantage of the opponent's few vulnerable frames.
Any tips on how to handle this, in battle or training mode?


Commenting on a few other for completion:

Q: "I hail from CVS2. Does KOFXIII possess Custom Combo's like CVS2 does in it's A groove system?"
A: Yes, in a manner of speaking. The "custom combos" of KOFXIII consist of making use of the drive meter and HD mode. The drive meter has two segments and the player can cancel special moves into other special moves or super moves at the cost of one segment. If the drive meter is full, the player can enter HD mode and conduct customizable combos that way, as it allows you to freely cancel special moves into other special for a limited time. 

One thing worth noting here for those used to the CvS2 A-groove - you can't (hyper)drive cancel a special into itself, at least not the same version - you can cancel the strong version into the weak or EX version, for example, but not strong into strong, so there's no "paint the fence" or "shoshosho" here, unless you change between the versions of the special everytime one connects.
This makes execution a bit more interesting and less boring to watch IMO.

Q: "I'm a CVS2 player, new to KOFXIII! I use the P and K groove a lot in CVS2. Does this game have the Just Defend mechanic like the K groove does? The P groove replicates the mechanics of 3S while the K groove is designed to imitate the mechanics of Garou: MOTW and Samurai Showdown BTW..."
A: There isn't. But, KOFXIII does have multiple defensive options that relate to making use of meter to conduct Guard Cancel Rolls and Guard Cancel Blowback. There are some character with autoguard that allow them to attack without worrying about getting hurt in the process. Ryo is also a character who can replicate the P and K groove mechanics of CVS2 to an extent.

Worth noting: Ryo's parries are done with (down)forward + weak kick.

Q: "Is it possible to play this solo or does it have to be played with 3 team characters?"
A: There are options for playing solo characters. However, by arcade, online, or offline tournament game play standards, it is necessary to learn at least three characters as it is a part of KOF's tradition of 3v3 matches.

If you're worried about using characters you're unfamiliar with, havem be first in line in your team, and use the ones you know best for last, that way you can get some practice with the new ones, while keeping your "weapon of choice" for last to bail you out if the new character doesn't quite work out.

Q: "Hello. I play CVS2 competitive and I use C groove a lot because it gives me access to multiple Super moves and other standardized mechanics. Does KOFXIII, have multiple versions of super moves and options?"
A:Yes. The characters in this game will always have two versions of a super move and one Neo Max. A regular super move will cost one meter. A EX Super Move will cost two meters and is usually far powerful than a regular Super Move. A Neo Max is the characters most damaging move, which will cost three meters and a full drive meter. However, if the character is in HD mode, they can use Neo Max moves for two meters instead, making it a very useful mechanic. 

Note: Not all specials or supers have EX versions, make sure to check that in the in-game move list. In some cases the EX versions will change a move's properties significantly, although most often they'll add to the move's priority and damage, so make sure to research those differences for characters you're particularly interested in.

If you guys are open to suggestions for future discussions, how about interesting ways to cheer during KoF games at events like EVO?

Because one case from the KoF XIII finals at EVO 2012 is starting to get adopted by another game for this year's donation drive: http://i.imgur.com/qfRpwsY.jpg

So maybe it's not too early to step up KoF's crowd support tactics to become even more memorable, maybe something that involves a coordinated effort between more people - shouldn't be hard if many that compete prepare for the occasion, since most won't make it to the finals anyway.

I attended this event but I couldn't check this out because I had a match. I'm just starting to watch through this. Anyone think this is a good way to help SF players into KOF?

An hour-long tutorial might be too long for an SF player with a passing interest in KoF to sit through though... the way some may see is, at least half that time could be spent in SF's training mode getting better at that game.


Maybe something to appeal to CvS2 players, as that may feel like more of a "bridge" game from SF to KoF principles?
(especially with rolls being in 2 of the Capcom grooves in that...)
I don't know, showing how a SF character would do things in his own game, showing what other KoF-ish options it had in CvS2, showing a KoF character that's in XIII putting them to use in CvS2, then having that character making even better use of them in XIII?...

The one thing that first impressed me about Reynald was how quickly he had gotten the hang of Mr Karate days after the character was released, and was breaking people right and left with him in tournaments.

I'd like to know what drew him to the character adn what kind of training regime he put himself through to make such an effective use of him that early on.

Sure, there was the fact that his opponents might not be that familiar with the character's abilities in those early days (thus he getting away with things like landing 2 teleporting EX Shoran Kyakus in a row on a guy), but it was still interesting to see.

So when doing tutorials or when doing Q&As taking an approach of teaching KOF to players that already know fighting games, specifically SF, therefore try and draw parallels between the two, or teaching KOF techniques by comparing them to homologous techniques in Street Fighter 4. I think that would attract more people because many Capcom fans feel rejection from the SNK camp, IMO.

This reminded me of how some Capcom FG fans have some fondness for the Jojo's Bizarre Adventure FG by Capcom (general comment about it being fun and every character being broken ends up making the whole thing fair are common when the game comes up in conversation) - I checked out a system tutorial for that recently, and it was interesting to see that a lot of movement options are actually quite similar to KoF's, so it's a point of familiarity some players can use as a reference.


One little thing I try to do, which may not sit well with some, is that nowadays, when I sign up for a tournament that covers several games with when of them being KoF, i sign up only for KoF - I may have other games at home and dabble on them, but if there's an entry fee per game, I'd rather make sure only KoF is rewarded with cash for being part of the lineup, instead of encouraging the TOs to think that SF4 or whatever is the safe bet, with entries for less famous games like Kof being considered a result of people entering for Capcom's bahamoths and everything else being a "why not". I'd rahter try and keep my KoF bleeps in the radar strong on their own.

[MINIMUM]

James Chen talking on the MLG KOF turnout & community

Chen's take on the reason for the low turnout kind of match what Desmond and David have said in the latest DriveCancel ep, but part of me wants to make a bigger deal out of the entry fee or it starting for Friday instead of Saturday, but that might not deter me either from going.

I think the Friday start cannot be stressed enough.  Let's say you get paid hourly at your job, and let's say you make minimum wage (I'm low balling it) and you normally work 8 hours a day.  You're talking about $64 that you're not making PLUS the $50 and now we're talking about a MINIMUM of $114 that you're really investing.

I felt inspired to comment on the whole thing, originally intending to reply to Gunsmith's rant at orochinagi.com, but it seems the post was too big for that - if you have the patience for a wall-of-text thinking the whole issue over after a few days with a cooler head, here goes: http://orochinagi.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=78&t=2922&start=720#p80559