Kikirin

While I haven't experienced an online training mode myself, I see it as something that'd be amazing for fluid learning in a no-pressure situation for trial-and-error type learners, particularly ones without local friends or specialists of particular characters to turn to for that sort of stuff. The players can treat it as a versus mode where either is free to ask the other to repeat particular scenarios, to find possible solutions for them. Particularly for more-nebulous things that can't be done with the single-player training tools, such as "do everything you can to keep me in the corner so I can see practice trying to get out of corner pressure" and "I want to practice burst baiting during combo (x)".

Crowdfunding for an update (new characters, re-balance, etc.): http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/yatagarasu-attack-on-cataclysm

1.04 patch is up. TL'd changelog courtesy of shrinemaiden.org: <System> Fixed a bug related to Random Select of Stages and BGMs. You can now cancel into various actions after getting stunned in a standing position. I don't have anyone who can play against me, so I don't know how it exactly works. You can now return to the Character Select screen if you press Esc during Network matches <Items> You can't use the 'Broom' item as a one-time use. For now. Reduced damage reduction of the 'Force Field' item. (i.e. It was nerfed) <Hakurei Reimu> Fixed a bug where Ying Yang Orbs were sometimes ungrazable. <Hijiri Byakuren> Fixed a bug where KOing with Byakuren's Last Word will cause, well, problems. (Too lazy to find good enough English for this) Fixed a bug where the location of the hitbox was incorrect for a moment while dashing forward. Byakuren now has slightly extended graze frames after long-distance dashing. (Holding until a blue burst appears.) Byakuren can guard while doing the 'stop backdash' motion. <Mononobe no Futo> Fixed a bug where the 'ground fire' effect in Futo's Last Word had a canceling hitbox. <Toyosatomimi no Miko> Miko can guard while doing the 'stop backdash' motion. Fixed a bug where Miko's X projectile had different properties depending on direction. (By properties, it could be something as simple as damage) <Kawashiro Nitori> Nitori now has slightly extended graze frames after dashing forward. <Futatsuiwa Mamizou> Mamizou can guard while doing the 'stop backdash' motion. Mamizou's Chicken Guard is now changed. (To match the change in 1.03b, I think) Fixed a bug where getting hit after using Mamizou's boiling pot spellcard causes you to lose a leaf. Mamizou now has slightly extended graze frames after dashing forward. Mamizou's X projectiles and Lute Priest projectiles are more visible.

1.03b patch is up: http://www.tasofro.net/touhou135/

That's true. I'd mentally conflated "roster 'fully' revealed", "no DLC characters", and the list of new characters in the article to mean "all playable characters are revealed by now and there won't be more." So optimistically we could take this to mean: - There aren't additional (noteworthy) characters (NPCs or otherwise?) that we haven't seen yet. - #26 is among the characters we've seen up to this point. - #26 can be unlocked in-game(?)

I think it was an Aksys announcement that mentioned the 26 characters, whereas this recent article with ASW is reporting that there aren't more. Whether it's due to confusion with the DLC and/or incorrect math on Aksys' part or trolling on ASW's part is up for debate~

Gonna tackle the combo-learning front. A few helpful reads: http://shoryuken.com/2011/11/29/six-psychological-tips-to-help-you-level-up-your-game-faster-part-1/ http://shoryuken.com/2011/12/22/six-psychological-tips-to-help-you-level-up-your-game-faster-part-2/ http://shoryuken.com/2012/01/16/six-psychological-tips-to-help-you-level-up-your-game-faster-part-3/ For combos in particular, the idea of "chunking" is particularly valuable. Rather than thinking of combos as consisting of "20 different moves" you can think of them more as "multiple strings of moves done one after another." As an analogy, looking at the sentence "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog", you probably don't look at it thinking that it is made with 26 different letters. Rather, you process it as words (a sequence of letters) and phrases (a sequence of words). Combos are similarly made of sequences of moves, multiple of which make the entire combo. Repetition will help you with this as you get more familiar with particular sequences. Assuming you're on CS2, here's an example using (the first part of) Challenge 4 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kB2QgtBFx6k: Combo: 5a > 5a > 6a > 6c > jump > j.b > j.c > j.b > double jump > j.b > j.236c I see this as three chunks: 5a > 5a > 6a > 6c - ground launching string jump > j.b > j.c > j.b - air string (part 1) double jump > j.b > j.236c - air string finisher Practicing the first chunk is straightforward, as it starts with both characters on the ground. To practice the other two, you have to do them on an airborne opponent. You can simplify the transition to them by simply doing 6a > jump > (air chunk). The second and third chunks can be melded together into one larger chunk when they become second-nature with repetition. When it comes to learning new ones, you can similarly break down new combos into such chunks and practice each one separately. Some chunks may be trickier to set up for practice than others, but there are usually simplified ways to get to them. As you become more familiar with Noel (or any other character), you'll start noticing particular chunks (or variations of it) being reused across combos. From there, it's a matter of recognizing which situations allow particular chunks to connect. Hope this helps!

Perhaps the close placement between movement and attack buttons might be ergonomics-related? Similar to how the stick and buttons are still compacted to a small-ish center area for longer-length arcade controllers. The closeness also allows for reaching over and hitting some directions with the right hand, e.g. hitting 8 and an attack simultaneously with RH for TK'd specials. The guy in the 'How to HitBox' videos seems to favor right thumb rather than left for 8: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmTRLoa0_dg&list=PLB913C5D5DDAECA63&index=3

I have a HitBox and quite like it overall. I haven't used it with Guilty Gear specifically though, so its appropriateness for it may be up for debate. Overall, it's somewhere between an arcade stick and pad, and the placement of the 8 button takes some getting used to, as it is "lower than"/"below" the 2 button. Even after about 4 months, I still have some problem processing a midair 8d, haha. And processing particular motions that use 7/8/9, like Soul Calibur's Ivy's old Calamity Symphony input (376231), can also be pretty awkward at first. It also feels like I have to piano 4~8 or 6~8 a bit to get 7 and 9 jumps to come out. The HitBox feels great for getting very clean and fast dashes, IADs, 236s (x2), 214s (x2), and 623s. TK'd specials are a bit different in that they are easier when ended on 8 (e.g. 2368). Charge motions also feel great, although [2]8 can feel somewhat awkward at first. It may be personal execution problems, but I have some trouble with half-circles (getting 4136 when going too fast) and 360s/720s, probably due to the fact that P4A and Tsubaki rarely use those, if ever. The buttons feel relatively small (smaller than typical arcade stick size) and relatively sensitive to touch (can trigger when slightly brushed by the side of the hand), and the layout feels a bit tight. So it can be a bit uncomfortable and cramped for those with bigger hands. Luckily mine are small. =P I'm not sure if it's the perfect controller, but it certainly has its advantages. Keyboard users would feel right at home on this.

Is it my imagination, or can Dlanor already link 623a/b into her command throw without SP cancel? When done after 2b > 2c > 623a/b, she'll grab the opponent out of the mid-air recovery roll. The link seems easier with the SP version.