A3 Alpha Counter question

#1

Okay, been playing A3 over Kaillera with a buddy last night, and we noticed something weird.

On 4 separate occasions, my friend would perform an Alpha Counter and stop a normal I would do. However, before his character could do the follow up attack, I would do a special (in all the cases, Akuma’s HP Shoryuken) that ended up counterattacking and beating the hell out of my friend anyway.

My question is: what’s up with that? Did the Alpha Counter get nerfed that badly in the transition from A2 to A3? Is this bug as a result of A3’s shoddy hit detection? Or was this a fluke that may have been caused by lag from Kaillera (even though almost all of the matches we were having were relatively lag free)? I’m not exactly aware of all the nuances of A3, so I could use an explanation, or at least an educated guess.

#2

There was always a method to bait out and beat Alpha counters, which is what it sounds like you’re doing, although the lag may be helping here. Sticking out a normal you intend to be AC’d and cancelling it into a high priority special or super has worked since A1. The advanced way of doing it, from what I’ve been able to gather, is to do the motion for the special/super very slowly so that if the attack is not AC’d the normal won’t be cancelled and leave you open.

#3

Yeah, cancelling into a special that is faster then the AC will beat it. The late-cancelling option select is called a Choiversal.

From sonichurricane.com:

Choiversal - intentionally delayed method of buffering a normal attack into special move so that the special executes only if the normal is Alpha Countered; also referred to in technical terms as automatic Alpha Counter reversal; developed by John Choi for SFA2

#4

Since this thread is already opened; my buddy Rik was able to cancel a sweep (cr. HK) MID ANIMATION into a hurricane kick with Ryu in Alpha 3 yesterday.

Can anyone explain how this was possible?

#5

cancelling c.rh with ryu. musta been ps1 version x-ism. i think that was the version that allowed it. which it shouldnt btw

#6

It was the Alpha 3 on the PS2 Anthology. And it was A-ISM Ryu. Basically, it was like one or two frames of his sweep, then went directly into Hurricane Kick. I had to stop for a second and ask him WTF just happened, and he said it was indeed a cr. HK that was cancelled.

#7

Ryu’s C.Hk was kara-cancellable in SF2, though in SF2 you need to be stupid fast. I’ve never seen it in A3, but I know some moves in A3 just simply CAN be kara-cancelled (like R.Mika’s Kara S.Hp into a 360 throw).

#8

Most (maybe all?) moves in SF are kara-cancellable. This is done to make special moves more forgiving.

There is no point to kara-cancelling most moves because it doesn’t do anything. Moves that are good to kara-cancel are moves that move you in some direction, or if you want to ground yourself for an SPD or something like that.

You can kara-cancel Guile’s standing fierce and standing roundhouse into a sonic boom in WW, but what’s the point? (Although in some games this might help you build meter faster)

I would guess that all normal moves are kara-cancellable, although I have no evidence of that.

Cancelling a sweep in A3 when the sweep hits or is blocked is quite different from kara-cancelling it. Typically you only have a few frames to kara-cancel a move, way before it actually starts hitting.

#9

Kara Canceling a move gives you meter for the whiffed move, as well as the special .

#10

Already noted.

#11

always keep a distance if you are trying to bait alpha counters. but you dont need to cuz alpha 3 isnt really about alpha counters…its just waste of meter unlike a2 where you do some damage.

#12

whoops, missed that. I knew that you KNEW that… just maybe not everyone else in the thread.
I do it all the time w/ Juni whiff FP kara SPD. Builds hella meter.

#13

Kara’ing the roundhouse into fierce boom in WW gives you magic throw. :stuck_out_tongue: