------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ============================= CAPCOM VS SNK 2 SYSTEMS GUIDE ============================= (or more accurately, listing of random stuff that people might find interesting or useful) v1.7, keeping the public informed as of 12/20/03 by Buktooth88 This guide is meant to be viewed in Notepad. THIS IS IMPORTANT. This guide is mostly comprised of charts and graphs, and it'll be a LOT harder to read if the format isn't shown as intended! Select all, copy and paste to Notepad. You'll thank me later. Unpublished work Copyright 2003 Campbell Tran This document is protected by US Copyright Law, and the Berne Copyright Convention of 1976. It is for private and personal use only--it cannot be reprinted in part or in whole, or reproduced in any way or in any form (written or otherwise). It is a free document that cannot be used in any sort of commercial transaction, including selling it or giving it away as a gift. This FAQ cannot be referenced, altered, or used by anybody (including webmasters, publishers, and magazine staff) without my express written permission. This FAQ was created and is owned by me, Campbell Tran. It can be found exclusively at (www.GameFAQs.com, and www.top-players.com). All copyrights and trademarks are acknowledged and respected that are not specifically mentioned herein. Plagiarism is a crime and is punishable by law. I'll git you sucka! The CvS series and all of its characters are (c) Capcom of Japan and (c) SNK/Playmore of Japan. BIG DISCLAIMER: -------------- 90% of the info contained herein is actually a translation of Famitsu's incredible Capcom Vs SNK 2 Millionaire Fighting 2001 Official Guidebook (AKA The Bible. And if you haven't heard me say it already, E-Bay it! Import it! It's a must have!) and for the most part, isn't my own work. So there. Nice big credit to the the actual source of most of this info to cover my ass. I'm not making any sort of money off of this, so my ass is covered now right? RIGHT? If I'm STILL violating some kind of plagiarism thingie, somebody please message me at either campbell_tran@hotmail.com or on AIM user name Buktooth88. Anyway, on with the guide! =========== FAQ HISTORY =========== v1.0, 7/10/03 - What started as a simple "what moves Iori can crouch" section for my N-Iori guide eventually blew up into all of this. I get side-tracked easily. :P Anyway, some of this is old news, a lot of it is totally new to Americans. Worst part is, this is all translated from a guide that's TWO YEARS OLD in Japan! Charts and lists right now are pretty unintuitve and require the reader to read an explanation before looking at them, so hopefully I'll have a better format for the next update. Also left out a few things from the book (because either I couldn't translate it or I thought it was really mundane) that might get added later. Also, a complete list of "exceptions to the rule" will probably make the next update. v1.3, 7/15/03 - Fixed all of the errors in the v1.0 (I hope) and as promised, added all of the "exceptions to the rule" to the applicable sections. Also added a few mundane things here and there like taunt information and damage settings info. Added one major piece of information: how many frames you are immune to throws after waking up/leaving guard or hit stun, etc. See "throw data" section. Most of importantly of all, attempted to make the guide more read-able for the more casual gamer who doesn't take perverse pleasure in dissecting Japanese strategy guides. YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE. -_- Since I can't put any visual aids in a guide written in Notepad (and I'm NOT going to do ASCII drawings), I attempted to make things more lucid by explaining each individual chart/list in plainer English. Also added a short preface explaining frame data. v1.7, 12/20/03 - Added quite a few things this update: a dizzy chart, an addendum to the mysterious properties of CC activation, a halfway finished list of juggle potentials (those things take forever!), a number of old glitches, the formula for life regeneration between rounds that I completely forgot to add until now, and a list of command shortcuts that CvS2 lets you do. Last but not least, a more detailed look at the exact effects of Just Defending that I came up with myself with a bit of experimentation. Be sure to check that one out, since I spent a few hours re-checking and verifying my results with different characters and moves to be absolutely sure. If I'm gonna spend that much time on something SOMEBODY better read it. >:B Oh, last minute addition, just added some insight into how P/K grooves can parry/JD before they can even block in certain situations. Oh yeah, you might notice the date for this update is really off. I've been sitting on this update forever, and already changed all the dates once. Don't feel like going through all the trouble to change a little inconsequential detail again. ================= TABLE OF CONTENTS ================= 0. PREFACE 1. ASSORTED CHARTS -height chart -health chart -stun chart -roll chart -dash chart (updated 12/20/03) -run chart -dizzy chart (added 12/20/03) 2. GUARD BAR RECHARGE RATES 3. DAMAGE MODIFIERS -combo damage scaling formulas -counter hits -low health scaling 4. GROOVE DATA -c-groove -a-groove -p-groove -s-groove -n-groove -k-groove 5. ASSORTED FRAME DATA -super time freeze effect -throw data (MAJOR update 7/15/03) -counter hits -jumping attacks -guard crush -reversals -just defend modified frame advantage formula (MAJOR addition 12/20/03) -groove specific stuff (updated 12/20/03) 6. RANDOM STUFF -life regeneration formula (added 12/20/03) -guard damage formula (updated 7/15/03) -irregular parry moves (added 7/15/03) -taunts (added 7/15/03) -meter building chart -stun damage formula (updated 12/20/03) -chip damage formula -actions during which you cannot break throws -alpha counter/counter roll penalties -air block penalty -Parry/Just Defending weirdness (added 12/20/03) -juggle potential list (added 12/20/03) -command shortcuts (added 12/20/03) -ratio bonuses -speed settings -damage settings (added 7/15/03) 7. GLITCHES (added 12/20/03) -the 2P cross up glitch (added 12/20/03) -the "low juggle" glitch (added 12/20/03) -the OTG grab glitch (added 12/20/03) -the Dan CC activation glitch (added 12/20/03) -the left corner glitch (added 12/20/03) -the roll cancel glitch (added 12/20/03) -the Xerocrew glitch (added 12/20/03) -potential glitches (added 12/20/03) 8. CREDITS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ========== 0. PREFACE ========== There's a lot of really technical info contained in this guide. The word "frame" will be tossed around about bazillion times, so I should probably take the time to explain what a frame is. What is a frame? Well, the easiest way to explain it would be to say that CvS2 runs at 60 frames per second (FPS). If you do the math, 1 frame = 1/60th of a second. So when I say there's a 2 frame window to get a reversal-timed attack, that means that the window is exactly 1/30th of a second long (2/60). To any non-Street Fighter player, that kind of precision might seem pretty ludicrous for anybody to get consistently. But as most CvS2 players know, getting reversals is really quite easy in this game. Go figure. Oh, and to avoid confusion, frame advantage/disadvantage should always be in relation to the attacker. Even though it makes sense, avoid saying the defender has a +5 frame advantage... just say the attacker has a -5 frame disadvantage instead to avoid confusion. Now that's out of the way, you're going to see a number of charts and lists with an overwhelming amount of numbers (and sometimes letters!). If you don't understand what any of it means, you didn't read the explanation directly above the list. If you read the explanation and STILL don't understand the following list/chart, mail me at campbell_tran@hotmail.com and list your grievances there. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ================== 1. ASSORTED CHARTS ================== Stats lovers like me eat up this sort of thing; big charts where you can compare all the vital stats of different characters together and see who has the best/worst whatever. ------------ HEIGHT CHART ------------ Each character has a height value shown in the chart below. The higher the number, the taller the character is while crouching. The list of moves below refers to all the moves in the game that are crouchable only by certain characters. Each move has a height number assigned to it as well. If the character's height number is lower than the move's height number, he can crouch it. If the character's height value is equal to or higher than the move's height value, he cannot. If a move is not on the list below it's either because everybody can crouch it. Or, more likely, NOBODY can crouch it. Moves denoted by a star (*) indicate that I found their heights by myself through experimentation. Most of the moves I entered were jumping overheads, but I also added a few special moves and supers that the Famitsu guide left out. If a character has a number of jumping overheads and I didn't list the extras it was because I felt it was redundant (not to mention a waste of my time). Also, the height listed for the jumping overheads is the bare minimum required to get the overhead to work; the timing may be very strict to get it to connect. Jumping overheads naturally work more consistently against bigger characters, as opposed to ground-based moves that only care about whether they can crouch it or not. added 7/15/03 - a lot of people are telling me that they aren't understanding what I'm trying to convey here. Let me give a simple example. Ryu's height while crouching is 64. A move like, say, Sagat's standing fierce has a height of 77. Ryu's crouching height of 64 is lower than Sagat's fierce height of 77, so naturally Ryu can crouch it. Chun Li's standing jab slap is 64. That's the same height as Ryu, so it's not high enough to go over him. Therefore Ryu can't crouch Chun Li's standing jab. Kyo's standing roundhouse is 61. That's LOWER than Ryu's crouching height at 64. Ryu cannot crouch that either. Is that better? As an added note, since this is a list of moves that are only crouchable by certain characters you can make a few quick deductions before reading it. The moves below are all crouchable by somebody, therefore anybody that possesses a height of 60 can crouch EVERY move on the following list. Conversely, Raiden is the tallest character on the list so he can't crouch ANY of the moves on the list. CHARACTERS ---------- 79 - Raiden 78 - Geese, Chang 77 - Zangief, Sagat 72 - Eagle 71 - Rugal, Yamazaki, Benimaru 70 - E.Honda 69 - Dhalsim, Terry 68 - Kyo, Joe 67 - Guile, Balrog 66 - Blanka, M.Bison, Kyosuke, Todo 65 - Ryo 64 - Ryu, Ken, Akuma, King, Dan, Rolento, Haohmaru 63 - Vega, Cammy 62 - Morrigan, Yun 61 - Chun Li, Sakura, Mai, Kim, Vice, Yuri, Nakoruru, Rock, Hibiki 60 - Maki, Iori, Athena MOVES ----- Ryu 77 - standing far jab 72 - standing far roundhouse 64 - hop kick *65 - overhead straight up low jump roundhouse Ken 77 - standing far jab 71 - standing far fierce 70 - hcf+k funky kick *65 - overhead straight up low jump roundhouse Chun Li 64 - standing jab 66 - close standing strong *65 - Spinning Bird Kick 70 - the second hit of Lightning Legs (free hit!) 70 - f+forward Guile 66 - standing far strong 77 - f+fierce backfist 64 - standing jab 72 - standing far fierce *77 - low jump forward overhead Zangief 64 - standing forward 63 - standing strong 77 - standing fierce *77 - straight up low jump overhead fierce *68 - overhead low jump d+forward (knees) Dhalsim 69 - standing jab Blanka 63 - standing strong Balrog 64 - standing fierce 77 - standing jab 78 - standing short 68 - rush punch *63 - overhead low jump roundhouse Vega 77 - standing jab 64 - standing strong 67 - Red Impact (the level 3 only super) Sagat 66 - standing jab 77 - standing fierce *69 - flying portion of Tiger Raid super (hotfoot) *77 - second hit of roundhouse Tiger Knee *72 - second hit of short Tiger Knee M.Bison 71 - standing jab 65 - standing far strong Sakura 62 - standing far fierce 66 - standing jab 64 - standing far strong 77 - second hit of roundhouse hurricane kick *77 - overhead normal jump roundhouse Cammy 69 - standing far strong 71 - standing far jab Morrigan 71 - standing far jab 66 - standing close jab *77 - overhead normal jumping jab *77 - err... a quick "triangle jump" doesn't fly over these chars. Dan 77 - standing jab 77 - standing roundhouse *70 - second hit of roundhouse dankuu kyaku ("gale kicks") *77 - second hit of forward dankuu kyaku Eagle 61 - standing far fierce 77 - Manchester Gold (spinny move) *71 - overhead jumping roundhouse Maki 64 - standing jab 68 - standing close fierce 68 - standing close roundhouse 78 - standing far roundhouse *61 - overhead low jump fierce *63 - overhead low jump roundhouse *70 - overhead low jump jab/strong Kyosuke 68 - standing close jab 68 - standing far strong 77 - qcf+k "flash kick" Rolento 69 - standing far roundhouse 67 - overhead normal jumping strong Akuma 77 - standing far jab 72 - standing far roundhouse *65 - straight up low jump roundhouse overhead Kyo 63 - standing far short 72 - standing far jab 70 - standing far fierce 61 - standing far roundhouse *77 - overhead low jump d+fierce Iori 66 - standing roundhouse *69 - crouching fierce Terry 64 - standing far strong 79 - standing far jab 68 - standing far fierce Ryo 61 - standing far strong 70 - standing far jab 70 - standing far roundhouse *67 - ZanRetsuKen (crazy hands) Mai 68 - standing far fierce *61 - overhead low jump roundhouse Kim 65 - standing far fierce 62 - KuuSaJin (triple kick move) 68 - first hit of forward HanGetsuZan (half moon kick thingie) 77 - first hit of roundhouse HanGetsuZan 68 - standing far strong 68 - HoouHiTenKyaku (launcher super) *63 - overhead low jump fierce *77 - overhead normal jump fierce/jab (into super!)(11/10 EDIT) Geese 77 - standing jab 67 - standing far fierce Yamazaki 77 - standing far strong Raiden 64 - poison breath (far) 79 - poison breath (near) 72 - standing close fierce 69 - standing far strong Rugal 62 - standing close fierce 77 - standing far jab 79 - standing far roundhouse 62 - second hit of low fierce (the part that goes really far) *77 - overhead low jump roundhouse Vice 64 - standing far strong 77 - standing far jab Benimaru 66 - standing fierce 77 - standing far strong 77 - standing far jab Yuri 65 - standing far jab 65 - Saifa (reflector) King 77 - standing far jab 62 - standing far forward 69 - standing far fierce 77 - standing far roundhouse Nakoruru 62 - standing close jab Joe 77 - standing far jab 66 - standing far fierce Todo 64 - standing close strong 62 - standing far strong Athena 72 - standing far forward Rock 77 - standing close roundhouse 79 - standing far roundhouse *69 - overhead low jump roundhouse Haohmaru 63 - standing far jab 64 - standing far forward 73 - standing close roundhouse Chang 77 - standing fierce ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------ HEALTH CHART ------------ All health readings are assuming the character is ratio 2. 15600 - Zangief, Raiden, Chang 15200 - Geese, Rugal 14800 - Honda, Blanka, Balrog, Sagat, Dan, Yamazaki, Todo 14400 - Ryu, Ken, Guile, Bison, Eagle, Kyo, Terry, Ryo, Kim, Joe, Rock 14000 - Chun Li, Dhalsim, Maki, Rolento, Iori, Haohmaru, Hibiki 13600 - Vega, Sakura, Cammy, Kyosuke, Mai, Vice, Benimaru, Yuri, King, Nakoruru, Athena 13200 - Morrigan, Yun 12800 - Akuma added 7/15/03 - In an effort to make this guide more readable by the common player, explanations will be added to the simplest of things. Even this! The number reading corresponding to each character simply refers to the exact amount of life units that the character has. Zangief, Raiden and Chang have 15600 life, or about 10 Sagat standing fierces worth (a Sagat standing fierce does 1600 without counter hit). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------- STUN CHART ---------- A character's stun value represents how many stun points they can take before they get dizzied. For more information on stun damage, see the 'stun damage formula' section under chapter 6. 80 - Zangief, Honda, Raiden, Chang 70 - Ryu, Ken, Chun Li, Guile, Blanka, Balrog, Sagat, Bison, Dan, Eagle, Maki, Kyo, Iori, Terry, Ryo, Kim, Geese, Yamazaki, Rugal, Vice, King, Joe, Todo, Rock, Haohmaru 60 - Dhalsim, Vega, Sakura, Cammy, Morrigan, Kyosuke, Yun, Rolento, Akuma, Mai, Benimaru, Yuri, Nakoruru, Athena, Hibiki ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------- ROLL CHART ---------- Format for the roll chart is as follows: (1) (2) [(3)/(4)U/(5)R] (1) is the name of the character. (2) is the horizontal length of the character's roll in pixels. (3) is the number of fully invincible frames in the roll. Remember that rolls are vulnerable to throws at any time. (4) the "U" stands for "upper-body invincibility". Upper-body invincibility is exactly what it sounds like: your character is only invincible from the waist up. Not all characters have a portion of their rolls which have only upper-body invincibility; if there is no number preceded by a "U" then the character's roll goes directly from (3) to (5). (5) the "R" stands for "recovery time". The recovery time is the number of frames at the end of a roll that are fully vulnerable. - 11/10/03 EDIT: Changed some of the wording on (4) and (5), and also added that rolls can be thrown at any time. added 7/15/03 - Getting a number of questions about the 'U' portion of the roll. As it says above, during that portion of the roll the character is invincible from the waist up; if you try to punch him in the head it'll go right through him... he's INVINCIBLE! However, he's only invulnerable from the waist up so low moves work perfectly fine. Quick example for those who still don't get this whole chart. Ryu's roll is: Ryu 120 [27/2U/4R] His roll travels a distance of 120 pixels. The first 27 pixels of it are fully invincible, the next 2 frames after that (the 28th and 29th frames) are only invincible from the waist up; low-hitting attacks will still hit him. The following 4 frames after that (the 30th-34th frame) are fully vulnerable to anything and everything. Ryu 120 [27/2U/4R] Ken 120 [27/2u/4R] Chun Li 132 [27/2U/4R] Guile 167 [27/4U/4R] Zangief 120 [27/4U/4R] Dhalsim 135 [27/4U/4R] E.Honda 116 [27/4U/3R] Blanka 135 [27/4U/4R] Balrog 112 [27/3R] Vega 102 [27/2U/4R] Sagat 112 [27/3R] Bison 116 [27/1U/3R] Sakura 112 [27/4R] Cammy 112 [27/8U/4R] Morrigan 135 [27/4U/5R] Dan 120 [27/2U/4R] Eagle 120 [27/2U/4R] Maki 120 [27/2U/4R] Kyosuke 117 [27/2U/3R] Yun 120 [27/2U/4R] Rolento 118 [27/5R] Akuma 120 [27/2U/4R] Kyo 136 [27/4U/4R] Iori 132 [27/2R] Terry 112 [27/4R] Ryo 120 [27/2U/4R] Mai 113 [27/4R] Kim 98 [27/2R] Geese 135 [27/4U/4R] Yamazaki 113 [27/3R] Raiden 116 [27/3U/5R] Rugal 120 [27/2U/4R] Vice 84 [27/4R] Benimaru 113 [27/3R] Yuri 112 [27/3R] King 102 [27/2R] Joe 120 [27/2U/4R] Nakoruru 120 [27/2U/4R] Todo 120 [27/2U/4R] Athena 102 [27/2R] Rock 112 [27/7U/4R] Haohmaru 120 [27/2U/4R] Hibiki 120 [27/6U/4R] Chang 120 [27/13U/3R] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------- DASH CHART ---------- Format for the dash chart is as follows: (1) (2)/(3) (4)/(5) (1) is the name of the character. (2) is the horizontal range on his/her forward dash (in pixels). (3) is the vertical range on his/her forward dash (in pixels). Translation: how high the "hop" is during the dash. Even dashes with a 0 vertical range are considered airborne, though; if you hit the character out of the dash they'll flip into the air instead of taking the hit on the ground. (4) is the horizontal range of the character's back dash (in pixels). (5) is the vertical range of the character's back dash (in pixels). added 7/15/03 - Example time! Here's a simple walkthrough for those who can't decipher all the numbers below: Blanka's dash has stats of: Blanka 113/22.5 113/22.5 So what does this mean? The first number, 113, means his forward dash moves forward 113 pixels. The number adjacent to that, 22.5, means that his forward dash has a little hop in it that's 22.5 pixels higher than the ground. It'll go over moves that are shorter than 22.5 pixels high, such as a ground fireball. The second set of numbers are the exact same thing, but for Blanka's backdash. 113 pixels back, 22.5 pixels high. Ryu 97/0 65/0 Ken 97/0 65/0 Chun Li 98/0 133/22.5 Guile 101/14 85/14 Zangief 66/22.5 65/22.5 Dhalsim 69/22.5 58/22.5 E.Honda 85/19.6 85/19.6 Blanka 113/22.5 113/22.5 Balrog 113/22.5 113/22.5 Vega 112/22.5 113/22.5 Sagat 64/0 85/0 M.Bison 102/23.9 89/0 Sakura 88/11.3 88/11.3 Cammy 113/22.5 104/0 Morrigan 118/22.5 117/22.5 Dan 102/15.8 98/37.4 Eagle 113/22.5 132/18 Maki 113/22.5 113/22.5 Kyosuke 97/0 65/0 Yun 113/22.5 102/0 Rolento 99/0 100/0 Akuma 80/0 81/0 Kyo 101/11.7 118/11.7 Iori 102/0 119/22.5 Terry 102/15 95/15 Ryo 88/11.3 88/22.5 Mai 101/9.6 102/22.5 Kim 88/22.5 98/22.5 Geese 65/0 72/0 Yamazaki 71/0 72/0 Raiden 96/22.5 96/22.5 Rugal 65/0 85/11.3 Vice 113/22.5 113/22.5 Benimaru 113/22.5 113/22.5 Yuri 113/22.5 113/22.5 King 88/22.5 96/22.5 Nakoruru 113/22.5 113/22.5 Joe 97/0 64/0 Todo 112/22.5 69/22.5 Athena 112/22.5 113/22.5 Rock 102/18 102/18 Haohmaru 96/0 64/0 Hibiki 81/0 88/22.5 Chang 57/16.9 40/16.9 12/20/03 EDIT: The minimum dash height that lets you "corpse hop" opponents is apparently 14. The minimum dash height to hop over ground fireballs is apparently 22.5. E.Honda's 19.6 height dash looks like he might be able to make it over, but since his dash doesn't go anywhere he just ends up landing on top of it. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------- RUN CHART --------- The following chart shows a speed rating for each character while running. The speed rating is the measure of how many horizontal pixels the character covers in a single frame of running. added 7/15/03 - I really don't know how to make this any simpler except to say the higher the number, the faster the character runs. Ryu 8.2 Ken 8.5 Chun Li 9.0 Guile 8.0 Zangief 5.6 Dhalsim 6.4 E.Honda 6.9 Blanka 7.2 Balrog 8.8 Vega 10.1 Sagat 7.2 M.Bison 9.2 Sakura 8.0 Cammy 9.8 Morrigan 8.0 Dan 8.0 Eagle 8.2 Maki 9.0 Kyosuke 8.5 Yun 9.0 Rolento 9.0 Akuma 8.5 Kyo 8.2 Iori 7.4 Terry 8.8 Ryo 7.4 Mai 9.6 Kim 8.5 Geese 7.2 Yamazaki 7.2 Raiden 5.6 Rugal 8.5 Vice 8.0 Benimaru 8.8 Yuri 8.5 King 8.0 Nakoruru 9.2 Joe 8.0 Todo 7.4 Athena 8.5 Rock 8.5 Haohmaru 7.4 Hibiki 7.2 Chang 5.6 ----------- DIZZY CHART ----------- (added 12/20/03) As most people already know, most characters get dizzy for different amounts of time. What people might NOT know, is that every time somebody gets dizzy there's a base "dizzy time" that is completely randomized. Every time a character gets dizzy the base dizzy time is a randomized number that is either 2, 3, or 5 seconds. Of course, mashing reduces time from the base dizzy time. Pressing a button removes 1/60th of a second (1 frame) from the base time, while hitting a direction on the joystick removes 2 frames from the base time. Lastly, many characters in the game have a built-in modifier that adds/subtracts time from the base dizzy time. Here's a a list of modifiers and the characters that have them: -60/60 secs: Dhalsim, Dan, Geese -30/60 secs: Zangief, Joe, Chang -0/60 secs: Ryu, Ken, Chun Li, Guile, E.Honda, Blanka, Sagat, Sakura, Cammy, Eagle, Maki, Rolento, Akuma, Kyo, Terry, Mai, Yamazaki, Raiden, Rugal, Vice, Yuri, Todo, Athena, Rock, Haohmaru, Hibiki +30/60 secs: Balrog, Kyosuke, Yun, King +60/60 secs: Vega, M.Bison, Morrigan, Evil Ryu, Shin Akuma, Iori, Ryo, Kim, Benimaru, Nakoruru, Orochi Iori, God Rugal I think we've all seen this happen: You get Geese dizzy, you jump in for a free combo, and he's out of dizzy before you even hit the apex of your jump. What happened is Geese must have got the 2 second base dizzy time, which gets a full second reduced from it because of Geese's -60/60 sec modifier... making the base dizzy time a single measly second. Add in some furious mashing, Geese gets out of dizzy like right after he gets up. =========================== 2. GUARD BAR RECHARGE RATES =========================== Not all guard bars are created equal. Not only do P and K grooves have shorter guard bars than the rest, they also recharge MUCH slower than the other guard bars do when they're low. P and K bars recharge at a constant rate of 1 unit every 30/60 seconds. For the mathematically uninclined, that's 1 unit every half second. The other bars charge at that rate also, but only when they're at 50% capacity or more. When they drop below that... things get a little complicated. The lower the guard bar, the faster it recharges. Not only that, but there's three different speeds of guard bar recharge rate which are character dependant. The complete breakdown is below. Format for the following lists is as follows: (1) (2) (1) is the number of guard bar units left in the bar. (2) is the rate of guard bar regeneration for that number of units. For example, 6/60 would mean that the guard bar would recharge one unit every 6/60 seconds (1 tenth of a second) as opposed to the normal one unit every 30/60 seconds (half second). Simple, right? :P added 7/15/03 - Let me try to explain this in layman's terms. See the 'FAST TYPE' chart below? See the '6/60' next to the '0,1,2'? What this means is that if you have 0, 1, or 2 units left in your guard bar, your bar will recharge at a rate of 1 unit per 6/60 seconds. Once your bar fills up to 3 units it fills at the rate of 1 unit per 7/60 seconds until you have 4 units in your guard bar. It then charges at 1 unit per 8/60 seconds until you have 6 units, and so forth. If you STILL don't understand these, then just remember that the fast type guard bar charges faster than the normal type which charges faster than the slow type which charges faster than K and P groove guard bars. Heh. FAST TYPE: 0,1,2 6/60 3 7/60 4,5 8/60 6 10/60 7 12/60 8 14/60 9 16/60 10 17/60 11 18/60 12 19/60 13 20/60 14,15 21/60 16,17 22/60 18,19 23/60 20 24/60 21,22 25/60 23 26/60 Fast Type characters: Ryu, Ken, Guile, Dhalsim, E.Honda, Blanka, Balrog, Sagat, Morrigan, Dan, Eagle, Maki, Kyosuke, Yun, Rolento, Akuma, Kyo, Iori, Benimaru, Yuri, King, Nakoruru, Joe, Todo, Athena, Rock, Haohmaru, Hibiki, Chang NORMAL TYPE: 0 6/60 1 7/60 2 8/60 3 10/60 4 12/60 5 14/60 6 16/60 7 18/60 8 19/60 9 20/60 10,11 21/60 12,13 22/60 14,15 23/60 16 24/60 17 25/60 18 26/60 19 27/60 20 28/60 21,22 29/60 23 30/60 Normal Type characters: Chun Li, Bison, Sakura, Cammy, Terry, Ryo, Mai, Kim, Geese, Yamazaki, Rugal, Vice SLOW TYPE: 0 6/60 1 11/60 2 14/60 3 16/60 4 18/60 5 19/60 6 20/60 7 21/60 8 22/60 9 23/60 10 24/60 11 25/60 12 26/60 13 27/60 14 28/60 15 29/60 16 and up 30/60 Slow Type characters: Zangief, Vega, Raiden ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- =================== 3. DAMAGE MODIFIERS =================== COMBO DAMAGE SCALING FORMULAS ----------------------------- In the following formulas, 'C' represents the current hit number in the combo. For example, if I want to find out how much scaling occurs on the 13th hit in the combo, substitute 'C' in the formula with 13. Math is fun! - For each hit after the sixth hit of a combo: attack power X (24-(C-5)) _________________________ 24 - For Custom Combos: (attack power X (10-C) ____________________ X 72% 10 - For supers during a Custom Combo: (attack power X (10-C) ____________________ X 80% 10 COUNTER HITS ------------ Counter hit attack power is represented by (attack power X 1.2). That means counter hits get a 20% damage bonus. LOW HEALTH SCALING ------------------ When a character has a life total that is between 16~30%, each hit he takes from then on suffers a -10% penalty. When a character has a life total that is 15% or lower, each hit he takes from then on suffers a -25% penalty. ============== 4. GROOVE DATA ============== C-Groove -------- Meter Length: 168 units (56x3 levels) Guard Bar Length: 48 units Damage Bonuses: lv1: 101% lv2: 102% lv3: 105% A-Groove -------- Meter Length: 144 units (72x2 levels) Guard Bar Length: 48 units Damage Bonuses: none Custom Combo Length: 72 units on the timer, roughly 7.2 seconds (442/60 secs) P-Groove -------- Meter Length: 192 units Guard Bar Length: 38 units Damage Bonuses: none S-Groove -------- Meter Length: 100 units Guard Bar Length: 48 units Damage Bonuses: Full Meter: 115% Red Life: 5% Full Meter Duration: 166 units on the timer (996/60 secs) N-Groove -------- Meter Length: 216 units (72x3 stocks) Guard Bar Length: 48 units Damage Bonuses: Power MAX: 120% Power MAX Duration: 150 units on the timer (900/60 secs) K-Groove -------- Meter Length: 72 units Guard Bar Length: 43 units Damage Bonuses: Full Bar - Normal attacks : 135% Special attacks : 130% Super attacks : 110% Full Meter Duration: 180 units on the timer (1080/60 secs) (random note:) Just Defending gives you 6 units of meter and 100 units of life. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ====================== 5. ASSORTED FRAME DATA ====================== ------------------------ SUPER TIME FREEZE EFFECT ------------------------ Ever wonder why you can't block Sagat's level 3 hotfoot super if you weren't already blocking low when the super flash happened? Popular belief says it's because blocking and crouching aren't instant; they have start up times that are too slow to stop Sagat's hotfoot in time. That's only partly true. All supers have a small amount of time after the super flash where all inputs by the opponent are invalid. This explains why you can never jump out of Yamazaki's level 2 grab super on reaction, even though the grab has 4 frames of start up and it only takes 2 frames to jump. added 7/15/03 - In case anybody was wondering, Sagat's hotfoot super comes out in 4 frames after the super flash, at any level. The following chart shows how many frames each level of super "stops time" for. level 1 - 3 frames level 2 - 5 frames level 3 - 7 frames ---------- THROW DATA ---------- Punch throws - [3/1/13], 52 pixel horizontal range Kick throws - [5/1/13], 52 pixel horizontal range To clarify, the punch throw has 3 frames of start up, has an active "hitting box" that's out for only the fourth frame, and if that whiffs the next 13 frames are recovery time. Most standard throws have the stated 52 pixel range, but there are a few exceptions: Rolento's punch and kick throw: 60 pixels Maki's punch throw: 60 pixels Yun's punch and kick throw: 44 pixels Hibiki's punch and kick throw: 44 pixels Raiden's punch throw: 85 pixels Chang's punch and kick throw: 64 pixels Although many players would swear otherwise, all throws have the same windows in which the opponent can break them. The window to break a throw begins after the throw has been initiated, and if you try to break the throw even a single frame before you'll probably end up getting thrown out of your own throw animation instead. For example, each '|' below refers to a single frame in a throw, and the '-'s differentiate the different stages of the grab (activation time, point where it grabs, recovery if it whiffs). Directly under those "frames" I'll put '*'s, referring to the frame window in which you can break the throw. added 7/15/03 - Whoops! In v1.0 the above paragraph I accidentally wrote "pixel" every time I meant "frame". Fixed now, hope I didn't confuse too many people. ^_^; punch throw: |||-|-||||||||||||| ******* kick throw: |||||-|-||||||||||||| *** Punch throws - 7 frames Kick throws - 3 frames Air throws - cannot break added 7/15/03 - Don't know how I missed this before, this is important! In any situation where a character can get a reversal (on wake up, leaving guard stun or hit stun, landing from getting hit out of the air) that character cannot be thrown for a full 6 frames. 6 frames! That's quite a long time. That's theoretically long enough for you to interrupt any attempt at a tick throw (non super/roll cancel) with a quick jab or short, even beat them to the punch with a throw of your own while you're still in "can't be thrown" mode. EVERY throw attempt can be pre-emptively jumped out of. For example, Iori's close jab gives him +7 advantage on block or hit. His Scum Gale grab comes out in 8 frames. If this were Super Turbo or Alpha 2/3 that would be a nearly inescapable tick since Iori's grab would connect the first frame that the opponent left guard stun. However, since you can't grab your opponent in CvS2 for a full 6 frames after they leave guard stun, Iori simply gets a whiffed grab animation. ------------ COUNTER HITS ------------ In addition to the 20% damage bonus that counter hits give, you also get an additional frame advantage tacked onto whatever frame advantage/disadvantage the move already had, represented below: Counter Hit Jabs/shorts: additional +2 Counter Hit Strongs/forwards: +3 Counter Hit Fierces/roundhouses: +4 added 7/15/03 - So what does this mean? Let's take Ryu's low jab. The jab normally gives Ryu a good +7 frame advantage whether the opponent got hit by it or blocked it. However, if Ryu lands a COUNTER HIT jab he gets an additional +2 per the chart above, making his advantage +9 frames instead of the usual +7. --------------- JUMPING ATTACKS --------------- Jumping attacks all have a universal amount of hit stun and block stun, regardless of which character is doing them. Jumping moves all do more block stun than hit stun, which harkens back to the SF2 days where "taking the hit and throwing 'em" was a good strategy. The following chart shows how many frames of hit stun and guard stun each different strength of jumping attack does: --------------------------- ATTACK | HIT | BLOCKED | --------------------------- weak | 13F | 15F | --------------------------- medium | 15F | 20F | --------------------------- heavy | 15F | 24F | --------------------------- ----------- GUARD CRUSH ----------- After blocking/eating attacks, it takes an uninterrupted time of 107 frames for your guard bar to start recharging. If you block/eat any attacks during that period of time, the "wait time" resets again. The state of being guard crushed lasts for 60 frames, or exactly one second. You can only be thrown after the 8th frame of being guard crushed. --------- REVERSALS --------- The window for reversals in CvS2 is 2 frames long; the first frame where you can move, and the frame directly preceding it. -------------------------------------------- JUST DEFEND MODIFIED FRAME ADVANTAGE FORMULA -------------------------------------------- (added 12/20/03) Yes, it's a mouthful. I'm not known for making up good names for anything. I'll change the name when I think of a better one. I've been meaning to get exact JD frame numbers (they're not in the book) for quite some time. After a bit of experimentation in training mode, here's what I found: Fierce/Roundhouse JDs: 18-20 frames guard stun Strong/Forward JDs: 14-16 frames guard stun Jab/Short JDs: 10 frames guard stun Special Move JDs: 19-21 frames guard stun These varying numbers for modified JD guard stun tell me that one of two things is possible: the first one being that some of the frame numbers in the official CvS2 guide book might me off by a frame or two. While that's very possible, I'll give the book the benefit of the doubt and assume the other possible reason for varying numbers is true: Much like different fierces have different amounts of guard stun, the same applies for JDs; there is no set amount of JD stun for a set of moves. This makes it a huge pain to tell what the resulting frame advantage/disadvantage is with a JDed move, since there is no basic formula to follow. However, here's a simple formula for getting a rough estimate on the the resulting frame advantage/disadvantage: Just Defend Modified Frame Advantage Formula: -------------------------------------------- Frame Advantage/Disadvantage = JD stun - (active frames + recovery frames) Let's take Sagat's low fierce as an example: Sagat's low fierce is 7/8/14 +2F. Plug the relevant numbers into the formula and: Frame Advantage/Disadvantage = 18~20F - (8F + 14F) = 18~20F - 22F = -4~-2F So, Sagat's low fierce (normally a +2F move) gets a disadvantage somewhere between -4F and -2F when JDed. With some testing, you'll find that it's actually exactly -3F, but since JD stun is slightly different for every move we can use the formula for a good estimate. Here's a more extreme example of JD effects: Benimaru's qcf+roundhouse is 12/4/29 +5. Plug the relevant numbers into the formula and you'll end up with: Frame Advantage/Disadvantage = -19~21F - (4F + 29F) = -19~21F - 33F = -14~12F Ouch. From +5 all the way down to -14ish. JDing really hurts the moves that are safe or give advantage due to putting a ton of block/hitstun on the opponent. Oh, and to avoid confusion, frame advantage/disadvantage should always be in relation to the attacker. Even though it makes sense, avoid saying the defender has a +5 frame advantage... just say the attacker has a -5 frame disadvantage instead to avoid confusion. --------------------- GROOVE SPECIFIC STUFF --------------------- - Tactical Recovery (delayed get ups) add 15 frames to your rising animation. - Safe Falls (tech rolls) are all 28 frames long, the first 17 of which are fully invincible. - Breaking a stock in N-Groove (to enter MAX mode) takes 20 frames from start to finish. However, you can cancel into a special move or super at any time after the first 8 frames of the move. - Normal jumps have 2 frames of start up and leave the ground on the 3rd frame. 360 characters like Raiden, Zangief and E.Honda have 5 frame start ups on their jumps to facilitate the use of their moves. Attacking in the middle of your jump gives you a 2 frame recovery time when you land (disabling your trip guard to all you old people). Low jump grooves have 6 frames of start up in their jumps to make low jumping easier. - Running has 4 frames of start up and 14 frames of recovery (skidding) if you don't cancel it into something. The recovery time, as well as the run, can be cancelled at any time. - Low jumps have the same start up time as regular jumps (6 frames in a low jump groove) but have 8 frames of recovery when a move is performed in the air. The recovery can be cancelled at any time after the first 2 frames with a special move or a super. - S-Groove Dodges are 35 frames long, represented by: [18/13/4] All 35 frames are invincible, and the middle 13 frames can be cancelled into a dodge move. - Custom Combo activation is not instant, which explains why most characters cannot do difficult links with a CC activation in between. For example, good luck trying to get Ryu's low strong, activate, low forward to combo. Like all conventional supers, CCs have 5 invincible frames of start up BEFORE the "custom flash". After the flash, there's an additional 1 frame where no inputs are valid. Whether or not CCs "freeze time" or not like normal supers is currently unknown. Including the 5 frames of start up, the first 19 frames of a CC are totally invincible. 12/20/03 EDIT: After receiving many emails and also being a witness myself, I've come to the conclusion that the complete properties of CC activation are yet to be discovered. On one hand, you have 1~2 frame links that are seemingly impossible to stick a CC in there... like trying to do Rolento's standing jab, activate CC, then link low forward. It cannot be done conventionally, even with a frame-programmable stick mashing forward at every possible instant after the CC activation. However, the link HAS been done before (without counter hit). Several times. Even stranger, links that are normally IMPOSSIBLE have been done with a CC activation in between: such as Sagat's standing jab x2, activate, link far fierce. Likewise with Sakura: standing jab x2, activate, link far roundhouse. On a related note, there does seem to be a short "time freeze effect" on CCs similar to supers: characters like Rolento activating CC against a standing opponent can SOMETIMES do a low forward which the opponent cannot block low in time. It's nowhere near consistent, though. This still doesn't explain the linking into CCs phenomena, unfortunately. If CCs did indeed "freeze time" for 4~5 frames, then shouldn't those 1 frame links with a CC in between become brain-dead easy? Shrug. - Forward and down parries both have the same stats: They have a 5 frame parry window if you HOLD the direction on the stick, and a 10 frame parry window if you let the stick go back to neutral after tapping a direction. This is obviously designed to help prevent accidental parries. Air parries have the same 5 frame window for holding the direction on the stick, but also have a less forgiving 8 frame window if you let the stick go back to neutral. All parries attempts have a 23 frame "lag time" afterwards where the game won't accept another parry input in the same direction. This can be circumvented by quickly tapping in a different direction, then back to your original desired parry direction. For example, after tapping down, the 23 frame "lag time" can be bypassed by quickly going back to neutral, tapping forward, going back to neutral, and then finally going back to down again. Doing all that in under 23 frames isn't the easiest thing though, so I wouldn't really recommend putting a lot of time into practicing this. - All Just Defends have the same stats, airborne or ground based, high or low. When tapping OR holding back, the game accepts the first 7 frames after doing so as an active Just Defend input. All Just Defend attempts have a 8 frame "lag time" similar to P-Groove's, but I don't see how that can be taken advantage of without back dashing. =============== 6. RANDOM STUFF =============== ------------------------- LIFE REGENERATION FORMULA ------------------------- (added 12/20/03) Most of us should know that the amount of life you gain back between rounds is directly related to how fast you finished off the opponent. Well, here's the exact formula that I forgot to put in the original FAQ release: (time left on the clock + 1) * 300 life gained = ( __________________________________ ) * 10 (total time in a round + 1) The resulting number is always rounded down to the nearest 100. So lets say I beat my opponent with 500 ticks left on the timer. Here's what happens: (500 +1) * 300 life gained = ( ______________ ) * 10 (999+1) 501 * 300 = ( _________ ) * 10 1000 150300 = ______ * 10 1000 = 1503, rounded down gives us 1500... about a fierce worth of life. Note that the life regained is NOT a percentage of the total bar. Ratio 4 characters get the exact same amount of life back as a ratio 1 for the same given time specifics. -------------------- GUARD DAMAGE FORMULA -------------------- An attack's inflicted guard damage = (Attack Power)/200 -Added 7/15/03: There's a small number of exceptions to his rule: (I really don't want to list how much damage each and every move here does, so just take my word for it when I say these are irregular -_-) -Blanka's strong electricity does 4 units per hit (as opposed to 7) and his fierce electricity does 2 units per hit (instead of 8) -Sakura's strong uppercut does 5+(1x3) units, her fierce uppercut does 3+(1x5) units -M.Bison's Psycho Crusher does 3 units per hit -Eagle's Manchester Black (spinny move) does 2 units per hit -Each rep of Rolento's Patriot Circles does 3 units -Shin Akuma's TenMaShuRetTou (counter) does 11 units -Kyo's NiHyakuJuuNiShiki-KotoTsuki You (running grab) does 1+9 units -Iori's NiHyakuJuuNiShiki-KotoTsuki In (running grab) does 1+9 units -Ryo's ZanRetsuKen (crazy hands) does 1 unit each hit (first hit of crazy hands should always do 0 damage, hence 0 guard bar) -Raiden's Super Drop Kick does 20 units when charged up to the 4th level -Haohmaru's jab KoGetsuZan (uppercut) does 7+5 units -Chang's TekKyuuDaiKaiTen (spinny ball) does 2 units each hit -Orochi Iori's Running Grab does 2+8 units --------------------- IRREGULAR PARRY MOVES --------------------- (added 7/15/03) Just what it sounds like, I guess. High or Low refers to which direction(s) you have to parry the move in. Chun Li low roundhouse - High/Low Shin Akuma's TenMaShuRetTou (counter) - unparryable Shin AKuma's Misogi (super chop) - unparryable Terry's Rising Upper (df+fierce) - High/Low Nakoruru's ChiTenZan (df+fierce) - High/Low Todo's far standing forward - High/Low Hibiki's close standing roundhouse - Low God Rugal's G-End (crazy grabby super) - unparryable ------ TAUNTS ------ (added 7/15/03) Taunts give the opponent 8 units of meter. Here's a pretty random chart showing how many taunts each groove needs to completely fill its meter: C-Groove: 21 A-Groove: 18 P-Groove: 24 S-Groove: 12 N-Groove: 27 K-Groove: 9 -------------------- METER BUILDING CHART -------------------- If an attack makes contact with the opponent in any way, you get the meter bonus for connecting the attack in ADDITION to however much you would have got by whiffing the move. For example, hitting your opponent with a fierce gives you 12 units of meter, and also the 2 units of meter you get by whiffing the move (or more accurately, just doing the move at all). --------------------------------------------------------------- ATTACK | WHIFF | OPP. BLOCK | YOU BLOCK | HIT OPP. | HIT YOU | --------------------------------------------------------------- weak | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | --------------------------------------------------------------- medium | 1 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 2 | --------------------------------------------------------------- heavy | 2 | 2 | 2 | 12 | 2 | --------------------------------------------------------------- special | 4 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 2 | --------------------------------------------------------------- supers | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | --------------------------------------------------------------- Of course, K-Groove and S-Groove are the exceptions to these rules. K-Groove only gets meter for getting hit and Just Defending, S-Groove gets meter by blocking, getting hit, and "charging Ki" (holding fierce and roundhouse). ------------------- STUN DAMAGE FORMULA ------------------- (Attack Power)/100 12/20/03 EDIT: Every time somebody suffers some stun damage, an invisible counter starts counting to 180 frames (exactly 3 seconds). If the character who incurred the stun damage manages not to get hit OR block anything for the full 180 frames, his stun gauge resets back to zero. If he does get hit or block something before the counter reaches 180 frames, the counter will reset back to zero and start the counter over, and all the stun damage will continue to accumulate on the character. Simple, right? Well, there's a large number of moves that don't follow this formula for balance purposes: -added 7/15/03 - These moves do NO stun damage: -Kyo's Running Grab -Iori's Running Grab -King's Trap Shot -Rugal's God Press (wall grab) -Yuri's HyakuRetsu Pinta (slaps) -Ryo's KyokuGenRyuRenbuKen (hcb+p) -Chang's spinny ball These moves simply have irregular stun damage that don't follow the above formula: -Rolento's Patriot Circles do 1 stun point per hit -Evil Ryu's Denjin does 80 stun points -First 2 hits of Iori's Aoi Hana (rekka kens) do 2 points each, the third hit does 3,4,5 for the jab, strong and fierce versions, respectively. -Kyo's Aragami (first hit of his jab/strong rekkas) does 2 points -Kyo's KonoKizu (end hit) does 2 points -Kyo's YanoSabi (overhead 2nd hit) does 4 points -Kyo's NanaSe (kick finisher) does 2 points -Kyo's MigiriUgachi (ground punch) does 5 points -Kyo's Dokugami chain (the fierce rekkas) does 3,2, then 2+1 for the first, second, and third parts repectively. -Ryo's crazy hands do 10,11,12 for the jab, strong and fierce versions, respectively. -Ryo's TenChiHaouKen (super punch) does 80 points -King's short Surprise Rose does 2 points on the way up and 1 point for each hit afterwards. -King's Mirage Kick (crazy kicks) do one point each hit ------------------- CHIP DAMAGE FORMULA ------------------- (Attack Power)/800 This is a big departure from most other Capcom games, where chip damage for EVERY move was static. -------------------------------------------- ACTIONS DURING WHICH YOU CANNOT BREAK THROWS -------------------------------------------- -any attacks/specials/supers -rolls -running -dodges -charging ki (building meter in S-Groove) -while in a guard crush state -breaking a stock in N-Groove -while in a dizzy state Hrm.... interestingly enough, whiffed normal grabs aren't listed in there. I'll have to test that out. ------------------------------------ ALPHA COUNTER/COUNTER ROLL PENALTIES ------------------------------------ Alpha Counters deduct 15 points off of your guard bar. Counter rolls deduct 10 points off of your guard bar. Neither can reduce your guard bar to below 0. Alpha Counters do 600 damage, but can never kill. added 7/15/03 - Alpha Counters are almost always counter hits, so add 20% more damage in most cases. Alpha Counters do no stun damage or chip damage. ----------------- AIR BLOCK PENALTY ----------------- Any move blocked in the air does 50% more guard crush damage than usual. (should be at least 100% more if you ask me.) ------------------------------ PARRY/JUST DEFENDING WEIRDNESS ------------------------------ (added 12/20/03) It's somewhat well known that P/K Groove are able to parry/JD before they can even block. Certain punishable situations are able to get parried/JDed out of. After some experimentation, this is what I've found: Parrying/Jding is exactly 1 frame faster than blocking, but ONLY if you are currently in the recovery of a move. What does that mean? Well, Sagat's level 3 hotfoot super has a -4 disadvantage. This means another Sagat can uppercut him for free (3 frame uppercut) after blocking it. However, if the other Sagat is K-Groove Sagat, then he can JD one frame before his recovery is finished, meaning he can JD the "free" Sagat uppercut afterwards. 2 frame moves are still free, however. Again, this ONLY applies to when you're recovering from a move. It does not apply to hit stun, blockstun, or a neutral state. For instance, you cannot parry your way out of a 1 frame link, nor can you parry your way out of a block combo held together with a 1 frame link. The early parry/JD only applies to when you're recovering from a move. --------------------- JUGGLE POTENTIAL LIST --------------------- (added 12/20/03) The term "Juggle Potential" was coined by James Chen. The CvS2 official book has a list of moves with Juggle potentials, but if you're really interested in the topic check JChensor's own CvS2 guide instead. A lot more thorough and it explains the whole thing a lot better than I can. That said, a move's Juggle Potential is its... err... potential to juggle? Ok wait. If a move has a juggle potential of 5, it can juggle an opponent UNLESS the combo counter is currently higher than 5. For example, let's take M.Bison's jumping double strongs (the second strong is called the "Hell Attack). The Hell Attack has a juggle potential of 1. If you air-to-air an opponent with Bison's jumping strong, since the combo is currently at 1 hit you can juggle with the Hell Attack easily, every time. If you somehow manage to get the Hell Attack into a juggle combo with 2 hits or more, the Hell Attack will go right through the opponent since it exceeded its Juggle Potential. There's a number of exceptions to this rule, like moves specifically designed to launch opponents for juggles, etc. Bleh. Just go read JChensor's guide instead. -_- Oh, and another note, the CvS2 book doesn't indicate whether juggle potentials are on the 1st hit of the move or not (and they often aren't). Well anyway, I'm just including this for the sake of completeness. Ryu: Shinkuu TatsuMakiSenpuuKyaku - Lv1: 4, Lv2: 9, Lv3: 13 Shin ShoRyuKen - 4 (shitty version) Ken: ShinRyuKen - Lv1: 6, Lv2: 10, Lv3: 14 Chun Li: YoushiKen - (jumping double fierce): 1 Kikosho - Lv1: 4, Lv2: 7, Lv3: 10 Guile: Somersault Strike - Lv1: 6, Lv2: 7, Lv3: 9 (there's a note under this that I can't understand... translate later) Sonic Hurricane - 12 Dhalsim: Yoga Volcano - Lv1: 3, Lv2: 4, Lv3: 5 Yoga Tempest - 5 E.Honda: Oni Musou (head butt super) - Lv1: 3, Lv2: 5, Lv3: 9 Blanka: Shout of Earth - Lv1: 5, Lv2: 9, Lv3: 13 (another note here I can't understand -_-) Ground Shave Rolling - Lv1: 2, Lv2: 3, Lv3: 4 Balrog: Gigaton Blow - 9 Vega: Scarlet Terror (flip kick) - fwd,rh versions: 1 (2nd hit only) Scarlet Mirage (flip kick super) - Lv1: 5, Lv2: 6, Lv3: 9 Flying Barcelona Special (super wall dive) - Lv1: 2, Lv2: 3, Lv3: 4 Sakura: Dive Kick - 2 (really??) Shinkuu Hadouken - Lv1: 2, Lv2: 3, Lv3: 4 (all versions have 0 Juggle Potential on the 1st hit) Cammy: Reverse Shaft Breaker - Lv1: 6, Lv2: 10, Lv3: 14 Morrigan: Mid-air Darkness Illusion - 1 Dan: Hisshou BuraiKen (crazy super) - Lv1: 5, Lv2: 7, Lv3: 11 Eagle: Manchester Gold (spinny super) - Lv1: 6, Lv2: 8, Lv3: 8 Kyosuke: Double Genei Kick (kick super) - Lv1: 0, Lv2: 1, Lv3: 2 Mid-air Double Genei Kick - Lv1: 8, Lv2: 10, Lv3: 12 Yun: Sourai Rengeki - Lv1: 1,1,2 (from the 2nd hit), Lv2: 3, Lv3: 5 You Hou - 1,2 (from the 2nd hit) Rolento: Mine Sweeper - Lv1: 1, Lv2: 2, Lv3: 3 Akuma: GouShoRyuKen - 2 TatsuMakiZankuuKyaku (mid-air version also) - 2 Messatsu GoushoRyuKen - Lv1: 4, Lv2: 6, Lv3: 7 Evil Ryu: ShoRyuKen - 2 TatsuMakiSenpuuKyaku (mid-air version also) - 2 Messatsu ShoRyuKen - Lv1: 4, Lv2: 6, Lv3: 7 Shin Akuma: GouShoRyuKen - 2 TatsuMakiZankuuKyaku (mid-air version also) - 2 Messatsu GoushoRyuKen - Lv1: 4, Lv2: 6, Lv3: 7 Juggle potentials for the SNK characters coming in the next update. ----------------- COMMAND SHORTCUTS ----------------- (added 12/20/03) A lot of the command inputs for a special move/super in CvS2 allow you to leave out a direction and still get the move. Here's a list, with the direction(s) you can omit being enclosed in parentheses (). db,d,df,(F),uf *1 d,df,f,d,df,(F) *2 d,db,b,d,db,(B) d,df,f,df,d,db,(B) d,db,b,db,d,df,(F) d,(DB),b,db,f f,df,d,db,b,(F),df,d,db,b b,db,d,df,(F) *3 (B),db,(D),(DF),f *4 f,(DF),d,(DB),b,(UB),u,(UF) *5 *1: In case you were wondering, the only move that needs to be tigerkneed in this game is Cammy's Hooligan Combination. Tigerkneed air moves cannot use this shortcut. *2: This shortcut doesn't apply to Dan's ChouHatsu DenSetsu (super taunt). *3: This shortcut only applies to the following moves: Ryu's Red Fireball, Evil Ryu's Red Fireball, Vice's Nail Bomb, Joe's Hurricane Upper, Maki's Tengu Taoshi (command air grab), and Athena's Super Psychic Throw. *4: This shortcut only applies to Joe's Slash Kick (sexy kick!). *5: Weird as it may sound, this actually works. It doesn't make it any more convenient (at least not for me anyway), but I guess it gives extra leeway to shitty sticks that miss the diagonals a lot when moved quickly. The same directions can be omitted in a 720 motion. As far as I know, most of this can't really be exploited in any way, nor does it really affect the way CvS2 is played... with the exception of the HCF motion. For the characters that the shortcut applies to, this makes Roll Cancelling the HCF move in question much more awkward. Many of you may have heard me wondering out loud why Athena's and Vice's command grabs were so much harder to RC than other HCF moves. Here's your answer. You just have to hit roll even EARLIER than you are already and you should avoid getting normal jab grabs. ------------- RATIO BONUSES ------------- Ratio 2 is the default groove. Other ratios are compared to Ratio 2. Ratio 1: Health: -20% Damage: -18% Ratio 2: Health: +0% Damage: +0% Ratio 3: Health: +17% Damage: +17% Ratio 4: Health: +40% Damage: +30% While definitely an improvement over the CvS1 ratio system, it still needs to be tweaked quite a bit. Ratio 1's are still too strong, and there's not enough benefit to using ratio 3's and 4's. There isn't a single tourney winning player out there who doesn't use the 1/1/2 format for his team. -------------- SPEED SETTINGS -------------- Speed 3 is default, so everything will compared to that. Speed 1 = 80% of speed 3's speed. Speed 2 = 93.6% Speed 3 = 100% Speed 4 = 106.4% Speed 5 = 120% Interesting. It's pretty amazing how sensitive we are to a little 6.4% difference in speed. When I went to an arcade who had all its machines on speed 4, most of us NorCal players were like, "DAYUUUUM!!! That's HELLLLLLA fast!" ...or had a similar reaction. -_- --------------- DAMAGE SETTINGS --------------- Damage setting 2 is default, all other settings are compared to setting 2. Setting 1 = 80% Setting 2 = 100% Setting 3 = 120% Setting 4 = 140% ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- =========== 7. GLITCHES =========== ---------------------- THE 2P CROSS UP GLITCH ---------------------- (added 12/20/03) Probably the first glitch found in CvS2, this allows allows the 2P character to switch sides with his opponent in the corner when it would normally be impossible otherwise. Leads to a lot of confusion, mix ups and generally trickery even to this day. The 2P cross up glitch is generally performed by knocking the opponent down in the corner somehow, then jumping over the opponent as he still on the ground. The glitch isn't limited to jumping over the opponent, however. Any airborne means of movement can work; such as Cammy's dash and Blanka's Ball. With a few exceptions, ground based movement like rolls won't work. The book includes a small list of moves that set up the 2P cross up glitch. This may or may not be comprehensive, but if it isn't I might finish it up in a future update. Ryu: P or K throw Ken: P or K throw Guile: P throw Dhalsim: K throw Blanka: K throw Sagat: P throw M.Bison: K throw Cammy: K throw Yun: K throw Rolento: P throw Akuma: P or K throw Demon Flip Kick grab Evil Ryu: P or K throw Kyo: K throw (small jump only) Terry: K throw Mai: K throw Kim: P throw Geese: P or K throw High Counter Yamazaki: P throw Vice: (when in the corner) Deicide (arm whip) King: K throw Joe: P throw Athena: P throw Chang: K throw Dai Hakai Nage (command grab) Level 3 Tekkyu Dai Bousou (rush super) Todo: P throw Rock: P throw (when in corner) Shinkuu Nage (360 grab) Haohmaru: P throw God Rugal: K throw ----------------------- THE "LOW JUGGLE" GLITCH ----------------------- (added 12/20/03) I couldn't think of anything better to name it. =P Certain characters can be juggled at a much lower height than other characters. As long as those characters are in a juggle-able state (during a CC, after a level 2 C-Groove cancel, etc) moves like a Shoto sweep or a Bison slide can juggle these characters. Naturally, these lead to extended combo options on these characters. The book states that Chun Li, Guile and Cammy are all much more succeptible to the Low Juggle Glitch than other characters (all top tiers, how nice!). However, most people have only been able to reproduce any meaningful results on Chun Li. Shrug. ------------------- THE OTG GRAB GLITCH ------------------- (added 12/20/03) In case you didn't know, "OTG" stands for "Off The Ground". A move that can OTG connect with a fully grounded opponent, which is normally impossible in CvS2. 2 characters in the game are succeptible to the OTG Glitch: Rolento and Dan. These 2 characters can be picked up off the ground by pretty much all special grabs and most normal grabs. The catch is, their opponent must be in the middle of Custom Combo mode. This makes a huge number of extended combos possible: Iori can rekka ken Rolento into the corner, activate CC, pick Rolento up off the ground with his Scum Gale, and proceed to do the generic ground CC. ---------------------------- THE DAN CC ACTIVATION GLITCH ---------------------------- (added 12/20/03) This is completely new to me. Dan can be thrown out of the start up frames of his CC activation (before the actual CC flash). For every other character the few frames before the CC flash are completely invincible, but Dan can be thrown easily. Poor Dan :( Even weirder, Dan has a trick to make his CC activation invincible to throws. Since every throw can be jumped out of, Dan needs to hit up on the stick to jump, then IMMEDIATELY (like within 1~2 frames) cancel the initial jumping frames into the CC activation before Dan leaves the ground. Weird. I wonder if this little trick can apply to other moves? ---------------------- THE LEFT CORNER GLITCH ---------------------- (added 12/20/03) Also known as the "Tom Cannon A-Terry Glitch", this glitch isn't really understood yet. The only thing that is known is that juggled opponents have a much higher rate of popping out of the corner in the left corner. This phenomenon happens especially often during CCs. ---------------------- THE ROLL CANCEL GLITCH ---------------------- (added 12/20/03) Easily the most controversial thing about CvS2; many stopped playing the game because of this very glitch, while many think it makes the game much better. It's a topic that has been argued to death WAY too many times, so I won't get into it. The glitch is performed by cancelling the first 1~3 frames of a roll into a special move. Hence, "roll cancelling". Some people find roll cancelling very difficult to do consistently, and have to practice for months to be able to do it with even a decent margin of success. Some can just do it easily right after learning about it. The effect? Well, it makes the roll cancelled ("RCed") special move invincible to everything except throws for a short period of time: about 15 frames, in addition to about 1~3 frames of additional start up time (the few frames of the roll that come out before getting cancelled). There's a big, persistent myth floating around that an RCed move has as much invincibility time as a character's roll. Don't believe it. It's not true. Otherwise, Chang's and Guile's RCs would be invincible for an inordinate amount of time and normal RCs would be beating level 3 supers... neither of which are the case. ------------------- THE XEROCREW GLITCH ------------------- (added 12/20/03) Accidentally found by Xerocrew, this glitch is largely useless due to requiring the cooperation of the opponent, but is highly entertaining nonetheless. The glitch is performed by a character successfully breaking a throw, then either character (or both!) performing a "reversal" timed special move or super immediately afterwards. For the most part, nothing will happen at all when the glitch is performed. You'll get the "reversal" message on the screen and your character won't be doing anything. If you did a reversal SUPER, for the most part you just lose your meter without anything happening (which was how the glitch was found). Certain moves do produce some weird effects though. Many special grabs instantly warp your character right next to your opponent, which might be useful. Raiden's 720+K move will warp him right next to his opponent AND switch sides with them, which has potential also. The most game-affecting variation of the Xerocrew glitch (which doesn't require any cooperation from the opponent) would have to be what we termed "The Underworld Glitch": after a successful throw break, Raiden performs a reversal dp+P. His opponent's sprite immediately disappears! Of course, they can still hit each other normally, but the opponent's sprite is totally MIA with the exception of his shadow on the ground (which is facing in the opposite direction for some reason). The opponent will stay that way for the rest of the round until one throws the other. Oh, and why do we call it The Underworld Glitch? Because if the glitched character superjumps high enough they'll pop up upside down from the bottom of the screen for a second, then go back down. Fun! When BOTH players perform a reversal special/super after a tech throw is when the REAL fun stuff happens. Weird things can be seen, like both characters getting into a breakdance battle, Rolento's knife super multiplying into like a billion knives, Dhalsim flying in the air while doing his Yoga Inferno super, Zangief abducting Rugal into outer space, and so on. Here's a few fun ones for you to try, remember that these must be performed as a REVERSAL after a tech throw by both opponents: -Kim rush super and Rolento Grenade Super -Iori running grab and Geese Double Reppuken -Rolento Knife Super and Yamazaki Anti-Air Super -Zangief 720 and Rugal wall grab -Vice jumping super and Dhalsim Yoga Inferno -Two Raidens both doing dp+P There's a tons of funny things that have yet to be uncovered using this glitch. Try some combinations for yourself! ------------------ POTENTIAL GLITCHES ------------------ (added 12/20/03) Here's a couple of glitches that I've seen myself, but don't know how to reproduce. -I've only seen this in the arcade version, but I've seen it SEVERAL times: right after the FIGHT! in the beginning of the round, both players cannot move at all. Even if time runs out and somebody wins, the players still cannot move until the machine is resetted. A major bummer when it happens in a tournament, obviously. The theory is that the glitch happens when both players superjump back at the first possible moment of the round, but nobody has been able to prove that yet. -In training mode on the Dreamcast, Kyo jumps at Athena in the corner, and she anti-airs him with her crystal bit super. Kyo couldn't do any supers OR any special moves afterward until we switched characters. Never could reproduce this glitch, but it's a potential game breaker. Imagine being able to neuter Bison and Sakura by taking out all their special moves! No more CC for YOU! ========== 8. CREDITS ========== Inkblot -For creating shoryuken.com, and in doing so, keeping the spirit of Street Fighter alive. Ponder -For thanklessly running the B/Evolution series of tournaments every year, which give us players a common goal to strive for. Kao Megura -For (unwittingly) providing this newbie FAQ writer with a template to go off of. Famitsu -For creating the excellent Official Guidebook for CvS2 that I got all of my frame data from (and is the source data for 90% of the info in this guide!). Gunter -For translating the stuff that I had problems with, which is a lot since my Japanese is horrible. Choi -For pointing out that I should add standard throw data. Box -For pointing out a few grammatical errors and characters I left out of certain charts in my v1.0. HeaT -For reminding me that I should of added taunt information. Maj -For pointing out a typo in my roll section. Also for proofreading many of my other guides. GameFAQS -For being THE FAQ/guide archive on the net! (and hosting my various crap) Jackie -For being the coolest and somewhat understanding/putting up with me and my gaming habit. <3. Peace. Campbell_Tran@hotmail.com - If you need to contact me, make the subject of your mail something that will catch my eye, lest it gets thrown away with my junk mail. You can also reach me on AIM . My handle is Buktooth88, which is also my handle on shoryuken.com if you want to message me there.