 08-29-2008, 1:51 AM
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Soulcalibur IV: MEGA Guide
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Soulcalibur IV: MEGA Guide contents
1. Generalization
2. Break down of Arcade mode scoring system
3. CHARACTER CREATION
4. Tower of Lost Souls
5. Achievement guide
6. DLC
Generalization:
Soul Calibur 4 has quite a few conventions and acronyms, and for the uninitiated, they can be overwhelming. Take a look at the diagram below of the unique 8-way run system modeled after the number pad on a keyboard. For more information on notation and key terms, read the Calibur forums for a detailed list of the many acronyms and conventions and techniques used in the Soul Calibur community.
Soul Calibur 4 uses four inputs for guarding and attacking:
A: Horizontal Attack - A high attack hitting standing opponents, but misses on crouching opponents.
B: Vertical Attack - A mid attack hitting standing or crouching opponents, but is avoided by side stepping in either direction.
K: Kick Attack - Varies from character to character, and may have either properties of A or B moves
G: Guard - Blocks a character's attack
A + G and B + G initiates a throw (a plus sign means to press the buttons and/or directional inputs simultaneously).
G + K executes a taunt at the opponent.
Other button combinations will result in different moves for each character, so be sure to study your move lists and figure out which moves works best for you.
New Mechanics
Armor Break
Armor is separated into three sections: upper, middle, and low. To break a piece of armor, repeatedly hit the section until the armor breaks off to the floor. High attacks break upper armor; mid attacks, middle armor; and low attacks, lower armor. And after the armor breaks, damage done to the section without armor increases by 10 percent.
Soul Gauge
Each character has an orb titled the Soul Gauge next to their HP Gauge. The status of the Soul Gauge is indicated by a color: blue represents a full Soul Gauge, while red represents a fully depleted Soul Gauge. When guarding an attack or being Guard Impacted, your Soul Gauge turns from blue to red, and flashes red when the gauge is less than five percent. Over time, the Soul Gauge gradually recovers, but will not recover automatically when the gauge is flashing red.
Factors increasing your Soul Gauge
* Your attacks hit an opponent, guarded or unguarded.
Factors decreasing your Soul Gauge
* The opponent GI's your attack
* You block an opponent's strong attack
Note: the status of the Soul Gauge carriers over to the next round, though with a slight increase.
Soul Crush and Critical Finish
Guarding against strong attacks or being Guard Impact by the opponent will put you at a disadvantage called Soul Crush, a conditional status when the Soul Gauge is fully depleted. During a Soul Crush, the opponent can execute a Critical Finish, an instant kill, by pressing four buttons (A+B+K+G). A Critical Finish ends the battle in a single attack.
Requirements for a Critical Finish
* One of three armor types (upper, middle, or low) must be broken
* Opponent must be Soul Crushed
Key Terms
The Soul Calibur community uses many terms, but we'll list the most common notations:
(SW) = Southwest
AC: Air Control
An opponent can launch you in the air, and perform multiple hits before you land. While you're in the air, you can change the direction of your fall, avoiding many devastating air combos. To air control, hold and commit to a directional input after being launched in the air.
CH: Counter Hit
A counter hit happens in two circumstances. If you're attacked while trying to initiate an attack, the enemy’s move will not only inflict more damage than normal, but may stun, launch, or knock you away. And a counter hit may happen if you're back-dashing. You can identify a counter hit by looking at the character animation: a normal hit flashes yellow, and a counter hit flashes red.
FC: From Crouching
A specific move can only be done from a crouching position.
Frame Trap
Frame advantage is when an offensive attack is blocked and the attacker has an advantage over the defender's next move. Frame advantages are usually associated to quick moves that recover quickly. By using a move that recovers quickly, the attacker can recovers faster than the defender, because the defender will be in the block stun, while the attacker has fully recovered from the attack. Therefore, the attacker has the absolute initiative, placing them at a very advantageous position to dominate the defender's next move.
Using the principles of frame advantage, frame trap is when the attacker hits first when executing a move of same speed as the opponent. The opponent's recovery time is a large factor in frame traps. Every move that hits or is blocked has recovery frames. Without recovery frames, the opponent could immediately counterattack and hit the attacker after the block. Also, certain moves will put the defender in a longer recovery, making the defender's next attack slower than it would be.
GI: Guard Impact
You can parry an opponent's attacks by pressing -> + G against mid and high attacks, or (SW) + G against mid and low attacks. And after a successful GI, you have a chance to hit the opponent without retaliation. But be careful: if the opponent is quick, he can Guard Impact the next attack.
A big change to Soul Calibur 4 is the new GI ( <- + G for mids and highs, (SW) + G for mids and lows) This GI knocks your opponent to the floor, forcing a great wakeup game. This is most effective when an opponent is near a wall on his right side, because a successful parry will send him into the wall, stunning him. Follow up with a free combo!
Auto-GI: Automatic Guard Impact
You can tell if an opponent has an Auto-GI by looking at the bright purple glow during a move, such as Sophitia’s <- K, or Mitsurugi’s B + K. Seeing if they work against verticals, horizontals, highs or lows depends on a character’s move, so practice learning what works and when to use them, because moves with auto-GI may add good momentum to a character’s offensive ability.
Perfect GI
Instead of a typical Guard Impact (repel) with a green flash, your GI maybe accompanied by a red flash. A perfect GI is difficult to pull off, as it requires just-frame timing, but when successful, any attack during the GI window will yield a guaranteed counter-hit.
JF: Just Frame
A notation for inputting a command on the "next" frame of animation. A Just Frame can be difficult to pull off for certain characters, so the timing may require practice. A successful Just Frame is accompanied by a flashing white light on the character.
Rolling (Ukemi)
When a player gets knocked to the ground, they have the option of rolling, useful in avoiding damage that would otherwise be dealt. A player can roll forwards, backwards, left, and right.
TC: Tech Crouch
A move attacking the opponent while evading the enemy's high attack. Some tech crouches are so good that they'll avoid some mid attack, such as Voldo's (SW) B and Mitsu's (DOWN) K.
TJ: Tech Jump
Some special moves are jumping attacks, and will automatically avoid lows.
Tech Trap
A tech trap catches people rolling on the ground. Some tech traps will only hit when someone rolls, while other tech traps will hit grounded opponents. Crouch throw is a move that can tech trap, but won't hit someone on the ground. After certain knockdown hits like Astaroth’s <- B hold and Rock's FC -> K, a crouch throw can be used to hit anyone rolling.
UB: Unblockable
An unblockable attack can't be guarded, but is usually slow and easy to avoid, and may inflict little damage depending on the character. You can't Guard Impact against an unblockable attack, unless executing a Perfect GI.
WR: While Rising
A WR move must be done in transition from crouching to standing position (letting go of guard while crouching, then quickly executing the command).
Montage Song? PM me thoughts.
[I Hate Mainstream]
The Intervention King
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