VF Guides for Beginners & Intermediates

I thought that it would be a great idea to have all the links to VF guides here on VFDC, to guides that I stumbled upon (or wrote myself) when I myself started to dive into the abyss of Virtua Fighter 5 (actually the idea was Deathsushi's idea ).

This thread is meant to offer a selection of links to guides, or places where information about VF's fighting engine is offered. Oftentimes, beginners don't need super concise explanations that would simply be too much and over the top. A simple, most basic step-by-step guide is mostly more helpful for the very beginning.

If you have further suggestions of what can be added here, then please let me know.

<span style='font-size: 17pt'>General Guides</span>
(The guides in this paragraph are sorted here from: simple to more complicated, top to bottom.)

IGN VF5 Guide
A good basic guide that also has some character-specific tactics. If you have problem picking a character then you can have a look at this guide. It gives a quick overview of all the characters in VF5. Beware though: some key notes and combos mentioned there are outright wrong.
"New to Virtua Fighter? We know your pain. That excellent depth that makes Virtua Fighter so competitive can be a bit of a barrier for new comers, leaving rookie players wondering what to focus on. The only way to truly master any fighting game is to play competitively with fellow players, and our in-depth guide to Virtua Fighter 5 will give you a head start in dominating your local opposition."

MyCheats VF5 SuperGuide (with videos by Srider)
A great guide with videos for beginners and intermediate players alike offering basic and intermediate explanations of the VF5 fighting engine.
"You will also find demonstration videos showing how each of the concepts appear in motion, along with commentary explaining the actions as it happens. For the hardcore players, the command display and frame based display are turned on, so you can see the exact inputs made by the players who created the demo videos. Also, you will find articles about max damage combos, key moves for each character, advanced offensive and defensive techniques, character ranking and selection guide, and specific suggestions on how to become a better VF player for every skill level."

VFDCwiki
The VFDCwiki is the most comprehensive place for VF-engine-specific as well as character-specific information. I think there's no topic that is not mentioned or explained in the VFDCwiki in one way or another. It requires a certain level of understanding of some VF basics though.
"The Virtua Fighter 5 System has it's own dedicated section. Currently split into two parts, it is quite long and detailed, which in some ways is a testament to the depth of VF5. Whether you journey through it from beginning to end, or just randomly, you'll find just about every aspect of the system explained in simple, and sometimes advanced, terms."

VFDC Dojo
This is the place where you get the most up-to-date information for the character of your choice.

Tutorial Video: Fundamentals of Defense (thx Flash for this video)
Advanced Defense plays an important role once you have mastered the basics. Knowing the in and outs of your defense will greatly reduce the damage you have to take. This tutorial deepens the practice of Fuzzy Guarding, Throw Escaping (TE), and Evade Throw Escape Guarding (ETEG).

Tutorial Video: Advanced Offense/Defense (thx Flash for this video)
Advanced Offense is the final step to fully understand the more complex system rounding off your basic knowledge of VF5. Nitaku, Delayed Fuzzy, Anti-Fuzzy Tactics, Anti-Evade, Evade-Cancel, and Offensive Movement are all the topics included in this fabulous exemplary video.

IGN: A Virtua Fighter Primer
paraphrased from the article - "The editorial staff at IGN Australia hooked up with Australian Virtua Fighter expert Mike Abdow...he's been kind enough to answer a whole host of our questions, covering everything the average player needs to know to improve their game...this is advice that's going to stand you in good stead."

<span style='font-size: 17pt'>On Stepping</span>

Guide: Stepping in VF5
"How important is stepping in Virtua Fighter 5 actually, and can it help your gameplay? Dashes, crouch-dashes, and evades - how do they fit into the picture of stepping? What about step-canceling, DM & OM? Are there any specific stepping maneuvers that are ideal for spacing? What is Box Stepping? This article is meant as guide through the yet relatively undiscovered gameplay aspect that is called “stepping” and about its goes and no-goes in Virtua Fighter 5."


<span style='font-size: 17pt'>On Throwing</span>

Guide: Throw Escapes the Quick Way
"Virtua Fighter 5 has 17 characters, and more than ten dozen throws. How are you going to remember all that? This guide provides you with a clever solution to a seemingly complicated problem: escaping three throws consistently at the same time."

Guide: Evading Throw Escape
"What is ETE and ETEG, why is it so useful? How do the mechanics behind it work, and should you really be learning all that? All this and more can be read about in this article - the only clear road map through a jungle of so-called “helpful explanations and tutorials.”"

Throw Escapes Quick Reference Chart
The Top Throw Escapes ordered by priority and character can be viewed here in one simple table only.


<span style='font-size: 17pt'>Reference Lists</span>

VFDC Command Lists
The best English command lists for Virtua Fighter (not only 5) that you can find on the web.

VFDC Combo Lists
Same goes for the combo lists that are also updated regularly.

VFDC Glossary
If you have problems with abbreviations or some VF terms, go and read in the VFDC Glossary. It really can't get easier than that.

 

This is awesome Leonard, thanks so much for doing this!

 

Added more stuff, such as Flash's videos, and my throw escape quick reference chart.

 

Awesomo! Thanks for this and all of your efforts.

 

thanks!

 

Great thread (and blog)! Thanks for this.

 

It would be indeed much better to maintain the thread at the wiki. But then again, I think that it wouldn't quite reach as many people as if it'd be here on the forums before everyone's eyes.

 

Same - I think Leonard's articles are very thorough, and break the complicated down into something understandable. I would love to see content like this on the Wiki (there's no reason why the Wiki and this thread couldn't just both link to the same single source. That way there's no need to redundantly update multiple sources either).

 

I'm already amazed by defense basics. Thanks for that.

 

Hey Leonard, check this article by our chief Myke

http://ps3.ign.com/articles/769/769145p1.html

You may want to add this to the main post I guess

 

Nice article. I wonder when the interview was conducted (PS3 version?). I'd surely like to add it to the list (and some other articles as well) but only admins can modify the starter post being too old to get edited by myself.

 

Thanks!

 

OK, ty Akai ^.^

 

Dude, the Fundementals for Defence is nuts!!! I mean I got VF4Evo that already shows me MTE and ETEG, but Multiple Evade Throw Escapes, Fuzzy Guarding, and ETEG used at specific disadvantages, I mean that is nuts!?! SERIOUSLY!!!

 

You don't need to be so anal to enjoy VF, but if you want that level of detail, the information is available.

For a new player, it's more important to know when you have the advantage (keep attacking) or when you are at disadvantage (start guarding, try to evade (DM), or attempt throw escapes.) Just playing the game, you'll get a feel for which attacks are more powerful and in general leave you at a greater disadvantage when blocked.

 

I'm a VF3tb Pad Akira at da mo, most combo's are locked, Stun's kuhl right now but DLC is non-existent, which is a shame coz with stun I'd be able to get most oppo's off....
Any Advice(Upgrade to VF4 on PS2?)(Get a Stick?)...
Let Me Know

 

Hi Boyar. /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif

I don't know if it's appropriate of me to comment here when it's dealing extensively with more technical, gameplay-related issues, but I am currently discussing Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution and a joystick for the PS2 in a post I created. Maybe you'll find something useful there? I'm sure others can give you the support you're looking for here as well; just thought you might be interested in mine too. /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif

Also, welcome to VFDC! Hope you're enjoying everything! /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif

- Airaku