KOF XIII 11th General Thread: China On Top (@EVO2014), Full Steam Ahead

[solidshark]

Yeah, I have already re-installed it. Coudl anyone show me what files they have in their kof XII userdata for steam? It would be much appreciated!

The files I've seen in my 'kofxiii' directory are
-replays folder
-input.config
-profile.dat
-progress

Progress is probably the save file, but that's a guess right now.

- How did you get into KOF13?

As a KOF fan since '95, quickly.

- How many people locally were interested?

In the area (really small) I moved to once it came out, very few.

- What characters did you try at first? Which ones you play with now?

I sampled half the roster, but my main team of Kim/Andy/Ryo has always been my main. I've adopted several teams after though, like Chin/Takuma/Terry and Elizabeth/Mai/Leona.

- Do you play on Steam?

Yes, it's the main platform I play it on now.

- What have you learned gameplay-wise from 2013 to 2014?

Most of what I've learned are smaller details that can make big differences in execution and overall playing. A lot of this is things I should've been paying attention to since XIII's release, for example backdashing having aerial properties (like backdashing with Kim and quickly following up with qcb.B/D in the air) can make an effective trap. In this last year though, most of what I've learned is how a lot of players will tackle a commonly or lesser used character, and form strategies around that, looking for openings in defense, habits, seeing if there might be characters they're not used to facing. I don't like to counterpick often, but it can help.

- What gameplay aspects do you like & dislike? What aspects grew or still dont like?

I love the balance they gave most characters in it, as it feels like everyone has at least one tool that can make a win possible, and long-time KOF abilities like mobility, evasion, and guard-cancelling support that. I love the inclusion of EX specials and DMs and the HD meter. Looking at other recent fighters though, I do see the point some argue when they say it might be beneficial to have some way to break the long HD combos sometimes. I don't totally rely on HD combos or feel it's terrible if I get caught in one. They just make me sharper when it comes to the next match.

- Do you travel for competition or stay in your area?

I have traveled for competition a little bit, but RL keeps me in my area most of the time.

- How is the KOF community in your area in general?

Very small.

- Which KOF scenes inspire you and your community?

Just speaking for me, KingsofCo, SoCal, CafeID, and the Nishinippori community in Japan.

- How do you feel about the KOFXIII community in USA (or in your country etc) in general?

As someone who's watched KOF remain barely known in the US, until Capcom vs. SNK gave people a hint at its existence (in the Midwest), it's great to see how XIII has actually created KOF scenes in the US. I think it's smaller than it could be (some of which can't be helped by the community), but it is there, and I hope with more games and more interest, it becomes a good base to maintain and build off of.

- If you feel the game's hype is decreasing, what ideas do you have to inspire and motivate more hype?

In the overall FGC, probably more people producing more KOF content, highlights of matches. I've thought about more or bigger KOF-centric tournaments in the U.S. At tournaments, if possible make sure that even the side matches and such are recorded to show to the community.

- Do you feel KOF13 will return on the main stage for EVO 2015? If so, why? If not, why?

Maybe is my answer, but I wouldn't be surprised if it didn't make it. Even though 2 out of 3 showings at EVO have been really exciting to watch and has had a great international turnout, possibly a smaller roster of games being featured with new games being released soon. I could easily say 'no,' but it's been enough of a surprise for a KOF to be there 3 years in a row, so I hoping there's four.

- What things are we doing correct (in your opinion) and what mistakes are we making as a collective KOF community?

The things I think we're still doing correct as a community is not giving up on our game. At EVO 2011, SoCal got a side tournament for XIII going and I believe we would (we should) keep that going in case it's not a main game at EVO 2015. I think we're a very welcoming community always looking to help newcomers ease their way into playing something usually more complicated than they're used to. And in different areas parts of the community still occasionally hold KOF-centric ranbats or tournaments, which is nice.

Mistakes, this I'm not totally sure about, because I have suggestions for improvement but I couldn't guarantee their success. For example, I think we could try to come together more often as a whole community worldwide and doing something collectively. I talked about this earlier but, for example, the Total Eclipse tourney in Japan (KOF'98/LB2/MOTW), it would be great if there could be a North American or European version of that for XIII, a big example of our own gathering, alongside attendance at other majors. Another off-beat suggestion is somehow trying to shake up the perception of characters used. If someone was willing to use a character they main often that's considered low-tier on streams or tournaments, it could show or remind people that it's not just top-tier that can make a difference.

I'm not sure if this is a mistake, but one thing I think we should start preparing for now is to help newer players adapt to new formats to play on like PC. I've learned a lot (and still am) and made costly mistakes getting ready for the Steam Edition of XIII. With SNKP brining more games to Steam now, new and old, now is the time to help a lot of the community make that leap if necessary, posting tips, specs necessary for good playing, pricing, etc. I don't think SNKP is leaving the console space, and I hope that any big fixes or patches won't only be for PC, but it's good to keep options open and be aware of what they are.

[Coffeeling]

Hey guys, our next live podcast we will this Saturday at noon. We will be discussing the 3 year console anniversary of KOF13, the future of KOF13 and the current state and future of the USA KOF scene. Here are some questions you guys can answer here, and we might read them on air:

- How did you get into KOF13?
I started getting frustrated with SF4, LoyalSol had posted some messages on SRK about how well designed KOF was. Steam Edition came out and stole my heart. The game is amazing. It's a drug I'm gladly addicted to.

- How many people locally were interested?
We have a small but active scene in Helsinki.

- What characters did you try at first? Which ones you play with now?
King, K', EX Iori if memory serves. Maybe Benimaru. I hopped around the roster trying to find something satisfying and have settled on the standard Flame/Karate/Kim tierwhore team, with a Benimaru assist every now and then. They just feel good to play.

- Do you play on Steam?
Hell yes. A good PC release is what got me into it in the first place.
- What have you learned gameplay-wise from 2013 to 2014?

- What is your personal tier list? What match ups you have trouble with?
EX Iori
Karate
[a crapton of really damn good characters]
Robert

Kappa

- What gameplay aspects do you like & dislike? What aspects grew or still dont like?
I can't think of anything I'd especially dislike offhand. I'm pretty harsh at judging game systems and sometimes get annoyed by things that don't seem to matter to anyone else, but KOF13 is just one of the most solid system designs I've ever seen for a competitive fighting game.

- Do you travel for competition or stay in your area?
Stay. Need to be able to hold my own vs. the locals first.

- How is the KOF community in your area in general?
Small, active.



- Do you feel KOF13 will return on the main stage for EVO 2015? If so, why? If not, why?
No. We wouldn't even have had pool coverage without the Colorado group last year.

- What things are we doing correct (in your opinion) and what mistakes are we making as a collective KOF community?
I'd just focus on getting KOF side tournaments happening and recorded/streamed. People think the game is balls hard. Just a positive attitude about the game and really just selling that Steam has good netcode and the game is fun as hell. That's really the thing. Not "the game is perfect and so skillful".

But "The game is fun as hell, there is no Fuerte/Seth where you feel they're playing a different game, and no DJ where the poor sod just doesn't do what he's meant to."

Also, market to Smash players. For someone coming from a Smash background, the movement in KOF13 will just feel really really good.

People need to show up. Little else to it :P
[/quote]

[Great_Dark_Hero]

- How did you get into KOF13?
Played 98 frequently during high school and a bit on GGPO.
First KOF was 96 back in 4th grade. Nearly grew up with KOF ever since.

- How many people locally were interested?
Two of my co-workers play KOFXIII often. There are also 12 individuals I know personally who showcased a lot of interest in KOFXIII (usually due to them playing KOF in the past or I knew them back from high school). Within both Wiesbaden and Kaiserslautern on the Army installations, quite a few soldiers seem to like playing (along with other games like Black Ops or CoD... among other popular fighting games and such for obvious reasons).

- What characters did you try at first? Which ones you play with now?
First team: Duo/Mai/Terry 
Latest: Terry/Mai/Takuma  Subbing between: Kyo95, Daimon, Mr.Karate, Hwa, and Leona
(Mai is always present)

- Do you play on Steam?
Not very often

- What have you learned gameplay-wise from 2013 to 2014?
> EX Kyo being able to combo after a well timed EX Orochinagi during a juggle
> Better safe jumps on the behalf of Hwa and Takuma
> An "slightly" easier method of keeping EX Iori's rekka loops going while using the meter built from it
> Leona's neutral jump B having a different animation
> Stun for a handful of characters I was unaware of
> Practicality of Joe's stun combos (even from cr.B)
> Maxima's air EX qcb+P for corner pressure applications
> Daimon's temporary low profile against regular projectiles during DP+A (like Saiki's qcf+A)
> Athena vs a meterless King 50/50 situation in the corner
> Mai's cr.C/cr.D~Musasabi j2B mix up, which can be rendered safe/plus frames on block if the player is quick
> Mai's cr.C having low profile
> Mai's air EX qcb+P being 4 hits instead of 3 in the corner
> Mai building meter by simply jumping around at long distances (Musasabi)
> One of Ryo's combo enders being influenced by the height of which the character is launched in the air (shout outs to Juicebox)

- What is your personal tier list? What match ups you have trouble with?
http://www.mmcafe.com/tiermaker/kof13/index.html?tc=ya0-tr5l7x797x5l9k6jae7g9mm88t8d9m979n9vagal7y8x7xa09mc97xb39ldx7ye09m87agix7yl18ujl8tmy8ufo9mhc9mcr9mj29kmc9okp9np48vbjagnq9op09po18vh97xfl7x7u665k65-bk8-naGDH%20Oct%202%202014

No real MU issues.

- What gameplay aspects do you like & dislike? What aspects grew or still dont like?

I don't necessarily dislike anything about KOFXIII - rather I find the following concepts interesting: The neutral game, when compared to KOF98 or KOF02(KOF02UM) is approached differently. Short term combos may not lead to as much damage as one would unless drive or a bar is spent (partially due to the inclusion of EX moves). I don't have a real problem with this but it is just something I find peculiar.

- Do you travel for competition or stay in your area?
Usually travel around Germany within Wiesbaden, Kaiserslautern, Mannheim, Garmich and Grafenwhoer.
Traveled to both Cannes France and Milan Italy early in 2012 and to Spain in 2013.

- How is the KOF community in your area in general?
Decent yet somewhat divided

- Which KOF scenes inspire you and your community?
French KOF scenes and several from the Asian countries.

- How do you feel about the KOFXIII community in USA (or in your country etc) in general?
The community in the US is decent in some areas while non-existent in others. In Germany, there are a handful of people I meet up with during a month or two month period of time in Kaiserslatuern Germany. Some military installations periodically allow people to playing within BOSS program buildings. Over the past few years, I had managed to get quite a few soldiers curious about KOFXIII as well, which makes me feel pretty good inside.

- If you feel the game's hype is decreasing, what ideas do you have to inspire and motivate more hype?
Depends...

- Do you feel KOF13 will return on the main stage for EVO 2015? If so, why? If not, why?
I'm leaning towards it actually returning. As it is now, the majority of people seem to enjoy the sight of KOFXIII at EVO.

- What things are we doing correct (in your opinion) and what mistakes are we making as a collective KOF community?
Just continue to conduct thorough research, avoid any misinformation when possible and show up to more events overtime.

[comoesa]

Uninstalling and reinstalling steam seems to have solved the issue. Thanks to anyone that gave suggestions.

[solidshark]

Uninstalling and reinstalling steam seems to have solved the issue. Thanks to anyone that gave suggestions.

Never thought to try and reinstall Steam altogether; I'll have to keep that in mind. Glad it works for you now, and hope you enjoy it.

[Coffeeling]

I remembered one more thing we can do as a community: Stop saying 13 is not KOF.

[The Fluke]

lol, doesn't it say kof on 13s box? does anyone actually honestly claim that it's not a kof game? :D

[Ryujin]

- How did you get into KOF13?
I got exposure first to the KOF world through Capcom vs. SNK 2, and then proceeded to get '99-2001 for my PSX and PS2. While I've seen iterations since then, XIII's appearance, coupled with the excellent tutorial video are what finally got me to pursue the game seriously.

- How many people locally were interested?
I think at least two people locally were following the arcade release, and at the time of the console release our numbers got up to 10-15 at a peak, thanks to a local get-together near the game's release. Our current stable numbers are now around 6-8.

- What characters did you try at first? Which ones you play with now?
First team: King / Terry / Kyo
Latest: King / EX Kyo / Shen

I've dabbled with a number of other characters too (Ash, Leona, Athena, Vice, to name a few). I knew from the get-go I wanted to play King and Kyo, namely due to fond Bodega memories, and I got my wish with EX Kyo. My ultimate goal is to have MadKOF's experience in being competent with the entire cast.

- Do you play on Steam?
Rarely, due to having issues starting up the game.

- What have you learned gameplay-wise from 2013 to 2014?
In 2013 I was primarily focused on figuring out the maximum damage and advantage I could get from my characters' best moves. In facing people with solid defense and better game knowledge, I've been trying to improve on varying mix-ups and understand specific matchups better especially when put on defense.

- What is your personal tier list? What match ups you have trouble with?
Trouble comes down to character vs. character, but EX Iori / Mr. Karate / Kim all feel consistently solid, have good damage with and without meter, have many options to keep people on the defensive, and can fit anywhere on a team. After that, I feel like there's a second tier with (in no particular order) Shen, Hwa, Takuma, Benimaru, both Kyos, King, Yuri, and Chin.

- What gameplay aspects do you like & dislike? What aspects grew or still dont like?

The comeback potential in the game is really strong thanks to power meter and drive meter. I think sometimes this restricts options during the later rounds, where most characters have a normal that can confirm into HD, and can get 800+ damage off 3 meters and HD. So there's a significant risk factor in doing anything unsafe when both characters are stocked. I don't think this is all bad though, because it also forces players to be much more aware of how they play in neutral, and while trying to scare players into not getting opened up other normals / specials can be utilized.

- Do you travel for competition or stay in your area?
Whenever I can! You have to play against the best to become the best.

- How is the KOF community in your area in general?
We have a smaller group of about 6-8 dedicated players, and then another 3-5 who show up more sparingly.

- Which KOF scenes inspire you and your community?
Primarily the SoCal / Mexican scenes and the Korean scenes. Those two really put KOF XIII on the map in 2012 with two different playstyles. The former had a greater focus on constant unrelenting pressure, and the latter played more methodically with better screen control. Also, MadKOF's example of playing all characters in the game is an example all of us can strive for.

- How do you feel about the KOFXIII community in USA (or in your country etc) in general?
Its presence is probably strongest in the SoCal / Mexico / Asia / France regions, and certainly still has a loyal following. Outside those areas, our numbers aren't the highest compared to other fighting games, but I think KOFXIII has attracted one of the more mature, friendly, and helpful groups of players of the current fighters.

- If you feel the game's hype is decreasing, what ideas do you have to inspire and motivate more hype?
Ensure that people get a chance to see the excitement and the thrill of playing this game, as well as the reward for learning, and building communities wherever they can be built. Even something as small as a local tourney or ranbats can go a long way towards bringing in people to the fun, one person at a time.

- Do you feel KOF13 will return on the main stage for EVO 2015? If so, why? If not, why?
I think it'll still be in, although I hope for the return of a stronger SoCal / Mexican presence (particularly the return of Reynald and Romance) to re-ignite the rivalry between the US and Asian regions.

- What things are we doing correct (in your opinion) and what mistakes are we making as a collective KOF community?
The one thing that comes to mind is that we have to be firm, but approachable in welcoming players and showcasing the fun of the game. No one wants to hear how X game sucks and KOFXIII is way better - the game should stand on its own merits, and fighting games as a whole already have a tough time in gaining attendance. For any game to grow, there has to be an influx of new players.

[desmond_kof]

I remembered one more thing we can do as a community: Stop saying 13 is not KOF.

???????????

Who said that? I never heard anyone say that KOF13 is not KOF. First time I've heard a compliant like that.

[Amedø310]

I remembered one more thing we can do as a community: Stop saying 13 is not KOF.

???????????

Who said that? I never heard anyone say that KOF13 is not KOF. First time I've heard a compliant like that.

To me, it sounds like people spending too much time worrying about others' opinions on said game.

I say more focus needs to be put in the things we can control like learning the game, helping others to become comfortable, and  building a scene in one's area and online. If people can't play XIII online, then point them to play the other KOF games with better net code. There is nothing evil about playing OG 98 or 02 on GGPO and those games do not take away anything from KOF XIII when it comes to building a community.

[desmond_kof]

I say more focus needs to be put in the things we can control like learning the game, helping others to become comfortable, and  building a scene in one's area and online. If people can't play XIII online, then point them to play the other KOF games with better net code. There is nothing evil about playing OG 98 or 02 on GGPO and those games do not take away anything from KOF XIII when it comes to building a community.

Regarding learning the game, there are hundreds of hours of video tutorials, practical combos and setups, podcasts, stream archives and casual/tournament footage to help people learn how to play the game from a beginner level to an advanced level. Plus there are tons of written material that include forum posts & wiki pages here, at SRK, and other places. I think there is enough material and content online to help people learn the game.

Regarding online play, honestly in my opinion and experience, playing OG 98/02 on GGPO will only help you get better at just those games (and the UM versions). If you want to get better at KOFXIII, you need to play KOFXIII. If a player is interested in learning the KOF engine and basic gameplay, then yes, 98/02 is a good place to start but you have to acknowledge the differences between those two titles and XIII.

[solidshark]

I remembered one more thing we can do as a community: Stop saying 13 is not KOF.

???????????

Who said that? I never heard anyone say that KOF13 is not KOF. First time I've heard a compliant like that.

I've heard that sentiment once or twice. I believe the person(s) who said that also called '98 "real" KOF, which had to mean their favorite one. Some people just didn't like XIII, or only liked '98 as a KOF. I somewhat agree with Desmond saying

Regarding online play, honestly in my opinion and experience, playing OG 98/02 on GGPO will only help you get better at just those games (and the UM versions). If you want to get better at KOFXIII, you need to play KOFXIII. If a player is interested in learning the KOF engine and basic gameplay, then yes, 98/02 is a good place to start but you have to acknowledge the differences between those two titles and XIII.

All of them are worth playing to me, and hopefully most will be happy with their choice of XIII, 98UMFE, and 02UM all on Steam. Just play what you like.

[desmond_kof]

All of them are worth playing to me, and hopefully most will be happy with their choice of XIII, 98UMFE, and 02UM all on Steam. Just play what you like.

The concern was more about what should you do as an alternative to KOFXIII online, not what game is worth playing...they are all worth playing.

[Amedø310]

Yeah, I'm just giving an alternative to XIII. I just want any kof game to get played in America at this point.

There were so many factors that kinda screwed up XIII and maybe XII as well. One being that people were preparing for those games with the expectation of them being like 02 or 98, which is quite odd since those games that came after KOF XI, 11-13 years after 98 and 7-9 years after 02, which made characters' tools quite different than the standard norm. Thanks to videos like the Beginner's guide to KOF, I think more harm was done than good when getting people to play KOF XIII and that might have gave people the impression that KOF 98 was indeed the standard game of the series.

Edit: Athena is a sleeper. She can literally destroy about 91% of the cast. Ridiculous movement which allows her to switch offense and defense easily. Her set of buttons are great. cl. D, far D, cr. C, cr. D. Standard grab leads to easy cross-ups. Command grab is invincible. 

[solidshark]

http://shoryuken.com/2015/02/02/northwest-majors-returns-to-washington-in-april/

Seems that Northwest Majors could have a spot for KOF XIII there this April, but the article states that TO's would need to see a major push from communities. If anyone's going to NWM, this could be a good time to try to get something going.