[P4A] News & Gameplay Discussion

[Chumaralupa]

The first iteration (abomination) of BB had one less character I believe, and...... yeah nvm that game sucks altogether.

I'd rather them keep P4A with only 13 characters and keep the game actually being good rather than pull another BB.

[Elochai]

What does "pull another BB" mean? I'd like to see like 2-3 new characters when (if) the next version comes out.

[Adam0812]

What does "pull another BB" mean? I'd like to see like 2-3 new characters when (if) the next version comes out.

Presumably add characters, not like any of FG has done that.....

As long as the game is balanced im not bothered how many chars there are.

At least the BB chars are completely individual unlike SF and its clones

[Chumaralupa]

What I meant is that I don't want Arcsys to take a good iteration of a game and then make it progressively worse. P4A is pretty damn good right now, could use a few tweaks but other than that they did an amazing job with the game.

After BBCT which I refuse to acknowledge, they made BBCS1 which was the best iteration of that game, aside from Rachel (who still seemed to rock people in Japan sometimes somehow) the cast was really well balanced and the game mechanics/damage/combos were really well done. BBCS2 and Extend afterwards just got more boring, less interesting and the balance was all over the place.

I just don't want Arcsys to ruin P4A, it's the best fighting game I've played since Guilty Gear and I don't want them to ruin it like they did BB.

[Adam0812]

The general consensus is that extend is the most balanced. Presumably the reason you find it less interesting is due to your familiarity of the game.

Just like call of duty, if any of those games existed independently (imagine modern warfare 3 was the only call of duty game in existence) people would think its the best game ever but they don't because they are very similar to each other.

For the record I still enjoy call of duty and tbh don't mind paying £40 ($60??) for what is essentially a map and gun pack each year, nothing is as slick and does like it says on the tin, even if it familiar.

On the subject of balance, with all due respect I'd have to question whether you, or me for that matter, are actually good enough at the game to notice any 'unbalances'. I always find if my opponent is doing something 'broken or unfair' there is typically a solution that is easily found in the matchups sections

[redsilversnake]

P4A is pretty damn good right now, could use a few tweaks but other than that they did an amazing job with the game.

Not really. Looking at the game as it's progressed, it needs a lot of work, because the more you look into it, the more you realize how lazily it was made.

After BBCT which I refuse to acknowledge, they made BBCS1 which was the best iteration of that game, aside from Rachel (who still seemed to rock people in Japan sometimes somehow) the cast was really well balanced and the game mechanics/damage/combos were really well done. BBCS2 and Extend afterwards just got more boring, less interesting and the balance was all over the place.

CS1 was indeed a step forward from CT, but it's far from the best iteration of the series. You say it was well balanced, but you can only say that if you forget just how strong Litchi and Bang were, as well as how weak the bottom characters were. In terms of balance, CS2 was much better, as the weaker characters became more viable, the previous top tiers didn't get hit that hard, and the new top characters weren't too bad to deal with (for the most part, anyway). Some characters didn't come out of it for the better, but that's just the nature of the genre. Extend was a step back in comparison, but even then, it's better than P4A. I won't argue that P4A is less fun than Extend (as my having fun with Labrys is the only reason I haven't dropped it), but it's weak in comparison to ASW's other big titles.

[Hecatom]

What I meant is that I don't want Arcsys to take a good iteration of a game and then make it progressively worse. P4A is pretty damn good right now, could use a few tweaks but other than that they did an amazing job with the game.

After BBCT which I refuse to acknowledge, they made BBCS1 which was the best iteration of that game, aside from Rachel (who still seemed to rock people in Japan sometimes somehow) the cast was really well balanced and the game mechanics/damage/combos were really well done. BBCS2 and Extend afterwards just got more boring, less interesting and the balance was all over the place.

I just don't want Arcsys to ruin P4A, it's the best fighting game I've played since Guilty Gear and I don't want them to ruin it like they did BB.

You think that CS is the best iteration of BB????? really? that is almost as silly to say that CT was the best BB (and believe me, there are fools out there that think that way)

BB got better with each iteration, that is a fact, and while i like P4A, i know that ASW would do good job on improving the game using what they have as a foundation

[Angry Guy of DE]

I do hope they continue working on this series since it has a good deal of potential and for a first iteration its not as bad as some other series have been. Some gameplay changes like rematch select would be nice since they already made button config. at character select a time saver for people.

Character-wise its hard to really KNOW what should be done...mostly because people (myself included) are heavily biased since the effort / reward isn't the same for most of the cast. Take Mitsuru for this case, it doesn't take much to learn her since she has good normals, strong dp, and high damage in the corner. Week 1 people wanted so many things to get nerfed until you learn to bait instead of going full CS1 ragna. I'm a shadow labrys player and for a while I believed this was a horrible matchup since she could dp any mixups I try, now its simply about being patient and baiting it since if they try it on wakeup I can airblock it and get a FC 5B into a knockdown and start it again. Nothing changed to make her easier to fight aside from learning to be patient and punish people that rely on dp instead of fundamentals, even characters like Yosuke, Kanji, and Yu are easier to fight once you learn to play smarter.

Honestly its moreover gonna be changes that help characters use the tools they have, I'm still wondering why somebody like Yukiko has to give blue health to level up agi and yet it resets to zero the next round. Remove the agi break glitch, reduce the start-up/recovery of fire boost so it can be done after a knockdown or strings safely and let her keep half the levels the following rounds like the skull counters for Naoto.

Edited November 12, 2012 by Angry Guy of DE

[Eshi]

P4A is an incredibly good game for its first iteration - that notwithstanding, it's an otherwise solid good game with lots of little flaws. Despite admitting that, I have a problem with how widely criticized the game is because the US is, as a whole, fucking terrible at it. Individual match-up knowledge is extremely important in P4A and most players lack it at a really basic level (like safely punishing DP > super). I agree with the above poster.

[A.X.I.S.]

When you can delay the super after a blocked DP or do it right after recovery it becomes nonsense sometimes.

[Eshi]

When you can delay the super after a blocked DP or do it right after recovery it becomes nonsense sometimes.

I was referring to things like. If you bait Mitsuru's DP, punish it in the air. Yu's DP, run behind him first. This is literally the most basic match-up requirement for these two and yet so many top 8 results are decided by it. It's just two specific examples but a lot of things that players complain about actually do have clear answers, or available options at the least.

I'll just stop myself here so I don't come off as ranting xP

[Circuitous]

Bear in mind that you guys aren't actually playing P4's first iteration. It got a balance patch before it ever hit consoles. Just a technicality.

(Also P4A's balance is questionable at best.)

[Angry Guy of DE]

*Laugh* It might seem like ranting when you say it but it is the truth no doubt, it was designed that everyone had a viable (relatively) reversal option. The moves have to some extent invincibility but are highly baitable, that along with the fact that you cannot OMC it for 50 meter to have safe wakeup regardless of oki. The super cancel issues is kind of a silly thing that might've caught you in the first week but now it is something that you honestly got hit because you weren't paying attention to your opponent's meter, its actually a far risker wake-up dp into a cancel in other fighters that allow meter to rapid cancel/ FADC/ whatever.

Meter management is something alot of people don't really understand, doing a super after a blocked dp is something akin to a frame trap. Characters like Yu and Mitsuru you shouldn't get greedy and try to use a slow move for FC and let them visually confirm into super in response to your action. Other times you should just run under them and guarantee the punish and if they try to super, you not only score a combo but they wasted meter instead of paying attention to your action.

Honestly alot of the mixups come down to the level of respect for your opponent, for the most part doing the obvious over and over SHOULD get you blown up and why dp's are available for everyone to stop mindless rushdown...now as for Chie with having a standing A that is +1 on block...

[AeternumSomnium]

Honestly alot of the mixups come down to the level of respect for your opponent, for the most part doing the obvious over and over SHOULD get you blown up and why dp's are available for everyone to stop mindless rushdown

Lol, if only more players acknowledged that--how many times I've encountered Yu's that lightning cycle like it's their job or Liz players that maziodyne into infinity is just mind blowing

Respect for the opponent? heh, for some--that's, that's gone somewhere else it seems

[Chumaralupa]

and let her keep half the levels the following rounds like the skull counters for Naoto.

My thoughts exactly

[bingsoo]

Hi, I'm new to P4A and I really wanted to learn this game and do well in it, but I noticed that most of the forums I've been to (Dust, MM, GFaqs) are all kinda dead in regards to P4A. I know that GG is out and BBCP is coming out, but is the interest in this game really dead? I just wanted to ask since I don't want to be learning a game that no one's playing. Thanks.

[Elochai]

This game still has a pretty decent following imo. A lot of people here on DL still play it, and there're still some randoms online (and surprisingly, new faces). Do you have a local scene? If you do, are they playing? You could always make an attempt at making a local scene, and introducing the game to some people.

Also, I think it's something to note that the game got 150~ entrants at NEC. It's doing alright imo.

[Tecta1Eastside]

Hi, I'm new to P4A and I really wanted to learn this game and do well in it, but I noticed that most of the forums I've been to (Dust, MM, GFaqs) are all kinda dead in regards to P4A. I know that GG is out and BBCP is coming out, but is the interest in this game really dead? I just wanted to ask since I don't want to be learning a game that no one's playing. Thanks.

XBL community is smaller than psn.

More ppl play on Psn so you should be able to find matches easy.

you can also talk with ppl on here and schedule matches.

The game isnt dead but the community isnt huge as other fighters

[godofwar7]

Deadest game to have over 150 entrants in a tourney.

There are definitely less people than before though. And the 360 suffers from some dead times in the afternoon.(Having players in Europe really would have helped with that(not just the few that have imported consoles)).

Still plenty of people playing at night though. And you can always try and face those gdlk japanese players in the morning.

[bingsoo]

Cool. Thanks for letting me know. I've had the game for a while, but couldn't play regularly because of school, but now that I have some time, I just saw that most of the forums were dead. Thanks for the info, guys

[Beat_By-X]

Add me i'm a french player with Yu : vs BEAT BY X

[bingsoo]

Oh, I'm on PSN. I'll add you though my PSN is bingsoo

[suna19]

alright, I've had a weird experience twice now. I tried to pick my normal character Mitsuru. then for some reason, when the rounds starts, i'm suddenly playing as Yu. not only that, but the voice track is switched back to english. Has this happened to anyone else?

[Chumaralupa]

alright, I've had a weird experience twice now. I tried to pick my normal character Mitsuru. then for some reason, when the rounds starts, i'm suddenly playing as Yu. not only that, but the voice track is switched back to english. Has this happened to anyone else?

The game is trying to tell you to play fair against your opponent.

No but seriously that's weird and pretty funny. Is it when playing online? I've never heard this before.

[suna19]

Yes, I was playing online. I have yet to see exactly when the switch happens, because both times it did, i was looking elsewhere until the round started. so I don't know if it showed Yu on the versus screen or not