What makes a good combo video?

[Slartibartfast]

I'm hoping you all can give me some help answering this question. I'm doing some research into the parallels between combo videos and demoscene. I've just started really digging into combo videos and have yet to find a good coherent source for criteria. The combovideos.com forums seem broken (links to threads don't go to the right thread), and I don't want to pay to access their subscription forums.

From what I've watched so far, here are some of the factors that I think make for a good vid:

Combos that are newish / push the limit I don't watch these to see Ken's 3S cross up yet again

Unbroken combos Breaking the combo and then continuing to beat on the opponent is boring

Know your audience! Some vids transition out when it becomes obvious that the combo is infinite, or they dizzy the opponent. We don't need to see you continue after the dizzy unless you have something else / new to show. (I think Fun with CFE does a good job here.

Editing Nifty transitions and effects can be cool / add flavor.

Music I keep finding vids that have crappy speed metal or some sort of somber ballad. Music can really set the tone, or in the case of Fun with CFE work as commentary on the game.

Health I prefer vids that start with the opponent at 100% health so I can gauge how much damage was done.

So those are my preliminary thoughts. If you disagree please tell me! I want to know what the scene likes and wants. I also want to know your opinions on the following:

• Tool-assisted / programmable input
• Bugs / Glitches / Exploits
• Altering damage / invulnerable opponent (allows for more hits)
• Infinite super gauge

(most of these are about increasing spectacle at the cost of applicability.)

LMK what you think / like to see!

And if anyone knows of other resources where people discuss these things please point me there!

[Silmerion]

In general, I think that you're correct, but there are situations where it's okay to break combos. Take Anji's Shitsu set-ups, Johnny's Mist unblockables, etc.

Anything blatantly goofy (witness any of Kusoru's combo videos, especially his legendary Eddie video) is always very entertaining.

[bucklemyshoe]

This is my favorite combo video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rj2cgnqyfqA

take from it what you will. combos aren't insanely difficult or anything.

[rtl42]

imho you basically nailed it, except for:

Editing Nifty transitions and effects can be cool / add flavor.

It's fairly subjective, but i think it's safest to say that so long as the editing doesn't interfere with the ability to clearly see the combos on display, it's probably okay.

as for the other stuff you were wondering about:

• Tool-assisted / programmable input
• Bugs / Glitches / Exploits
• Altering damage / invulnerable opponent (allows for more hits)
• Infinite super gauge

(most of these are about increasing spectacle at the cost of applicability.)

the first one is usually applied for creating "clash" vids. there are lots of clash vids in the GG series, but here's one that i saw today on youtube, in case you don't know what i mean:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQNrwX1yjMM

at least, to my knowledge, the "clashes"/offset sequences are created by using programmable joysticks, probably for both players, and using the Record/Playback function in Training Mode.

when it comes to bugs/glitches/exploits, some people are fairly pedantic in their presentation style (i.e. they'll show a few situations where a glitch works and perhaps doesn't work, to show how the glitch is set up, and maybe even why it happens); others are more secretive about it, and will only show you the results of the glitch by intentionally obscuring/omitting the set-up.

then again, some glitches are probably hard to explain without text, but anyways, those are the two streams of presentation that i've seen, so far.

... well, if you just wanted to know whether bugs/glitches/exploits are acceptable material for CMs, then "yes, as long as it's something we're not already intimately familiar with" (e.g. no one wants to see you show off a combo that uses Jump Installing).

leaving the training dummy on health regen is pretty standard, so "invulnerable opponent" is fine in that sense. if you really want to see the SLASH splash across the screen, that's fine, too.

there isn't a direct "altering damage" option in training mode, but there's the guard bar option. sometimes that can be interesting, but it's kinda situational. usually, people jack the dummy's guard gauge to max, and then make ridiculous 100% combos for fun.

infinite super gauge is a no-no unless you're making clash vids (or a VERY VERY unusual joke combo, but that's pretty rare imo).

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just my thoughts :china:

also sorry if i'm over-explaining to you, but since you're a new forum member i have no way of gauging how much of GG you already know.

[Slartibartfast]

^Thanks for all the input so far. I actually joined a few years ago intending to dig deeper into the series, but life and school intervened (I don't think I ever posted before this). Also I kinda suck at it; am much better at Capcom fighters so I tend to focus on them, having played SF my whole life. Anyways thanks for the info, I'd never heard of a clash video before but that one you linked is really cool.