Ichipoo

It's funny because I don't find Mitsuru that bad at all while Labrys seems like Hell to me now. Probably because Mitsuru's normals and pressure looks more straightforward to me. Just before I went to bed, I fought a couple of Mitsurus on Ranked and it was pretty obvious when they were going for a grab, etc.

Most of Naoto's SMP loops aren't 100%, few exceptions are the ones that can KO Elizabeth though. XD Anyway, they make nice Burst baits.

You're starting to make me wish I saved all those replays so I can study them.

Labrys' j.B is beatable? I'm sorry but I don't believe you at the moment. j/k, maybe j.A might beat it, looks like I have something to do tomorrow.

Mitsuru huh? Well I need to experience a variety of matchups anyway. Gonna put myself on blast right now, I just went 0-26 with TsukiBaka's Labrys. I mean Christ, it's like nothing I do ever works lol, even if I try to play Naoto "correctly." If you watch our matches, it's a perfect example of a player getting perfectly read. Tsuki, sorry if you were expecting a better Naoto player, I'm sure you could've done something more productive with your time lol. I guess if there's one redeeming thing about how I play is that I'm persistent? haki knows hahaha. But I'm impressed though, you play like you've been playing this game for months. :

They could always easily pull off what CC2 do with their Naruto games and put dead/non-existing characters even if they don't appear in the story at all. If this turns out to be true, I hope they give them some new moves and animations at least.

Lmao, I'm trying to do everything in my power to play "legit." Can't rely on these netplay shenanigans forever.

I'll be watching the Olympics til 10 pm, and I can play til 1 am or later, like what me and Wallice did last night. And Donnie, feel free to add me, I don't mind helping people get used to the game. Oh and if I can barely hold my own against Wallice's Yu, I wonder how shtkn's must be like.

Yeah sorry about that, needed to help my dad with something really quick but forgot to log off. Anyway yeah Naoto's j.C is good, but remember that there is some start up to it so just throw out a quick j.A or j.B to tag her. And I think I'm starting to get used to Yu, just need to break off some habits. And glod, we need to play 1 on 1 for a long period of time sometime tonight if you're down, I need to familiarize myself with the Kanji matchup. Also guys, install the game, it helps cut down the lag a bit.

http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/641697-persona-4-arena/63661383 Someone on GameFAQs said that installing the game helps out with the connection.

This I agree with. Naoto is one of the game's fastest characters (besides Chie and Yosuke?) so use that to your advantage. Even though she has good pressure, especially if used with traps, that's only possible if the opponent fears Naoto, so for now, I suppose it's okay to resort to hit and run tactics in the form of shooting bullets, setting up traps, using her Persona to start pressure, rush in as fast as possible to continue the pressure that her Persona started, blah blah. If you're able to land a hit, back off at moderate distance and repeat the same thing. Also, don't forget that for 25 SP, she can use SB Aim as a Reversal to get out of trouble in the case that your opponent knocked you down and is in your face. And about j.C. Even though hitbox and the fact that it can lead to Naoto's damaging combos makes you want to abuse it, the start up time is pretty noticeable and her Persona can get outpoked if the opponent uses a faster air attack or AAs you in time. Couldn't imagine how many times I got Persona broken due to my over tendency of her j.C. There are other normals such as her quick j.A for quick downward sky jabs, j.B for vertical air pokes, and j.D for mid to close range vertical spacing so use them to effectively.

Big question for us Naoto players. How can we get people to respect us? Everywhere I go, I encounter players who simply ignore Naoto's pressure and press buttons, and by some ungodly miracle, it goes through everything I try to setup. For example, I first condition them with airtight pressure, then the next time I have them blocking, I go for a [2C] frametrap and they somehow they outpoke me. I suppose an important answer to this question is to be aware of the game's mechanics and matchups. Naoto most definitely seems like she's NOT the kind of character where you can learn a few combos and expect to win. The reason being is that a good amount of the cast simply have better normals than she does and it's not surprising to lose to someone who's simply mashing and they hope to land a hit in order to convert into a combo. Also, when you're starting out playing as Naoto it's better to simply play her the way she's designed to be played and not try to emulate everything you see in Japanese Naoto vids from the start such as rushdown Naotos, technical IAD combos, etc. as they require you to be skilled, so just keep it simple. And just recently I just played a friend of mine who plays Yu and went about 10-25 with him. Of the matches I won, I played Naoto the "optimal" way, which is keeping my distance with bullets and traps and rushing down only when I have her Persona pressure the opponent. However, of the matches I lost, I tried to beat Yu at his own game, which is face to face, which is not the best way to fight this matchup, simply because he has better normals than Naoto and even a masher could beat me if I tried to beat him at his own game. To cut to the chase, if we want players to start respecting and fearing Naoto, then we have our work cut out for us. Learn and integrate the game's mechanics, learn those matchups and what the other characters can do, be able to use Naoto's tools effectively, etc. Your thoughts?

Shoutouts to Wallice for making me consider switching mains. Can't get anybody to respect Naoto, must be netplay? Anyway I guess this shows I need to stop playing an "in your face" Naoto and just play "hit and run" with me scattering traps all over the place, shooting bullets and having her Persona start pressure. And don't sweeps have hard knockdown? At least that's what I think. Also, fuck main character... j/k GGs though. Sucks that you're moving, I wouldn't mind helping as well if I have time.

Are all 3 hits of [2C] actually landing? Are you slow to cancel Naoto's Aim Stance? Are you performing another 236B right away? etc. In any case, this is something you're just going to have to grind it out. If you prefer to wait for Mudoon's mist to stop, then that's fine too, didn't know that waiting actually worked, but anyway I like jumping forward right after Mudoon for that extra "assurance" that Naoto can immediately place a trap, but at the end of the day, do whatever works for you. And thank you for sharing that. Had no idea you could do [2C] > 2B > 5C. 300 damage is a measly cost if it means making the loop a bit easier now. However I must say that when I perform it on Aigis, she techs out before getting hit by the 5C, so I resort back to [2C] > delay > 2B, which isn't a big deal to me personally since I'm aware of how long the delay is but it'd be nice to know if this fix you posted can be done on everybody or not, and if so, what am I doing wrong. This is something we should try to find, rather than just try to discover what combos she can do. As for burst safe options, I figured 5C and the second of hit of 236B~D can be used to bait bursts? Happened to me a couple of times. Oh and I think we should start posting some blockstrings here as well, or maybe start a pressure thread?

That sounds about right. Performed SMP combos on an Awakened training dummy and the redux the damage dealt was somewhere between 50-60 percent.

Fuck Ara.

Did a bit of testing and when you're performing SMP combos without backdashing into [2C], you perform [2C] right when the opponent is at peak height after setting off 214D. Also, someone from Mayonaka Midnight called Tempered said that when you're performing [2C] > 2B, you need to delay the 2B so that you won't hit them high in the air, or else they'll be able to air tech. Also, just to let you guys know, when I was practicing it, I underestimated how long the delay needed to be and as a result, they were able to tech. Anyway while I mentioned these before, here are the two basic SMP loops that I think are important to learn due to their starter, their practicality of them, and how easy they are to perform. 1. 5AA > 5B > 2C > Mudoon > jump forward > 214D > 2A+B > 236A~D > trap hits > [2C] > 5C > [236B~D]xN Note: For me personally, it's easier if you backdash into [2C], just so you won't have to time [2C]. Plus there's no delay required for the 5C afterward. 2. 5B > 5C > 2C > Mudoon > jump forward > 214D > 5AA > 236A~D > trap hits > [2C] > delay > 2B > [236B~D]xN Note: For when you're too far for 5A and able to confirm off of a well spaced 5B. Kamohito's version of this uses a backdash into [2C] followed by a dash in 2B. Honestly, I could never get the dash in 5B to come out consistently nor able to have the dash in 2B hit the opponent before they recovered so I just took Tempered's advice and omitted the backdash, learned the timing for when I perform [2C], and the 2B delay and now I'm able to perform the loop more consistently now. Now the loop that I'm about to post below is more difficult than the first two, but it's just as important IMO since it's not uncommon to land a sweep due to footsies and spacing, or in a blockstring where you've exhausted almost all of your normals. I've only performed this a few times as I was able to perform it with some consistency after figuring out the timing of it, but was unable to replicate the same result after a few hours later. Perhaps it's character specific? 3. Sweep > 236A~Bx5 > Mudoon > jump forward > 214C > 214D > first trap hits > 236A~D > second trap hits > [2C] > slight delay > 5B > 5C > [236B~D]xN While this may be obvious for some of you guys, another note on the loops in general is that it's possible to perform these loops even if your opponent does not completely have their back up against the corner, however, instead of jumping forward, you would air dash forward in order to be near your opponent when you set the trap(s). Feel free to correct or add anything to this.

Okay so I think I got performing FC AoAs down. I think the trick is to listen and to know exactly when you're about to reach 15 hits and to press C/D for the final 16th hit. It's somewhat hard to explain but you have to develop a "feel" for it.

Oh wow I just noticed that. Dunno if this has been discussed or not and I don't feel like searching through 20+ pages of posts, but what are your thoughts on the HUD? It probably doesn't matter in terms of gameplay but I did like how CS's HUD looked and when comparing it to what CP's looks so far, it makes the latter's look a bit "bare." Of course the HUD can change since the game's still in development

We're supposedly meeting up at Jigoku_Roa's place this Friday.

When's the last day you're gonna be staying in your apartment? It would be kind of cool if you hosted a going away session. Also I should be able to go this Friday, and do you want to try out P4A online with me? I just played against a few Japanese players and the netcode is really good. If I can get decent connections with the Japanese, then playing with you guys should feel more "fluid."

Starting to get the hang of the IAD combos more. The trick is to NOT overestimate 5C's range and after stuff > 5C > IAD > j.A/j.B > j.C, delay your 5C just a tiny bit right when you land. For now, I'm just doing stuff like 214D > trap hits > 5C > IAD > j.A > j.C > land > 5C > 236B~D > 66 > 5C > 236A and (j.C) > 5A > 5C > 236B~D > 5C > 236A~D when I know my opponent will end up in the corner just to keep it safe.

Practiced the IAD combos some more a bit and the trick is know exactly when it's possible to JC 5C at the first possible frame. Yes you can JC 5C on hit, but you can't just JC it normally right away, you have to wait a bit before you jump.

Just got back home about an hour and a half ago with a copy of the game. 5 SB's traffic hell is no laughing matter at all but it's worth it. Don't think I can come over and bring my copy unfortunately since I don't feel like driving anymore for the day and I'm going to walk to the movie theater with some friends... plus I want to get some alone time in the lab. /scumbagIchi

Okay so after playing Naoto for a few minutes, she definitely is a bit more technical than I thought, but it's nothing that we can't handle. One of the things you need to get used to is to press D everytime you're done using Aim, it doesn't cancel by itself as Ginseng mentioned a while back. Also it's easy to mess up an Aim combo if you're fingers aren't fast, and the window for "correctly" Super Cancelling after Aim bullets is pretty small, as it's easy to "Yellow Beat." As for IAD twin Double Fangs, I was only able to successfully perform it twice, but with a little grinding, it's doable. Haven't done any SMP combos though. Anyway that's all I can say for now. Back to the lab!