New member - Trait question

[Drumslinger]

First off, I'd like to say how much I've learned from this site. I had given up on modern fighting games. I grew up on Street Fighter II and the early Mortal Kombats, but once fighting games became more focused on combos, I had become pretty salty about the overall state of the genre, but I love comics and that really drew me to Injustice.

The amount of knowledge the people on this site share with noob scrubs like me has made me love a fighting game for the first time in a long time, so thanks everyone. Your posts really helped me get over my hatred of 10-20 hit combos, and without what I've learned from lurking around I would have traded this game in the day after beating the story mode. Now on to my question.

I see loads of videos where people are using trait activation seamlessly in the middle of the combos to increase damage. No matter how much I practice I keep dropping the combo after using my trait. In most of the notation I've seen the "xx" symbol, which I've learned stands for cancelling. I don't really understand the concept. What does it mean, and what bearing does it have on the combo? Should I be "cancelling" somewhere in the combo, making it possible for me to keep the combo going after activating the trait, or are the two completely unrelated?

I'm really wanting to start incorporating the trait in the combo, but what is it I'm missing?

 

[Joshkazkab]

For 3, trait, 3 you can just mash out the second 3 and still cancel it into w/e you want.

 

[Drumslinger]

So it's not as much about the timing as it is just mashing 3 immediately after the trait. I still don't understand the "cancel it into" terminology. From what I can gather, it refers to executing another move fast enough that the animation of the previous move doesn't quite finish. For example, in a 3, (trait), 3 xx f23 means you begin the dash before the animation for the uppercut is complete. Am I close?

Sorry for the noob questions. I refuse to let the mechanics of another fighting game beat me into trading it in. Thanks again.

 

[godlessmode]

Canceling in general is the idea that you can cancel some portion (usually the recovery, sometimes part of the active frames) of a move with another move.

In the example you are providing there are two cancels. First you cancel the 3 into the trait, this removes part of the animation for the first 3 replacing or canceling it into the animation for the trait. The second cancel is canceling part of the trait with the second 3.

It sounds like you are letting the trait finish, and not canceling it with the second 3. If done right, you shouldn't see the ending part of the animation for either the first 3, or the trait (or technically the second 3 cause you usually cancel that into a frost breath or whatever).

Mashing it (the second 3) would accomplish this... but I don't advise mashing, it can be done that way, I just generally suggest taking the time to learn the timing of it as that will enhance your overall ability to play.

 

[Beck__]

Not sure the above info is totally accurate. Let me try and explain as far as I know..

General
You can cancel normal moves into specials, i.e. press 3 then immediately input DB2 (down then back then 2, this is super breath). So you would input these all straight after the other. This would be typed up as - 3 xx DB2. What is happening is that the animation of the 3 is being interrupted by the special and it becomes a combo. To add MB (meter burn) to the breath, after DB2, hit the MB button, you can spam the MB button to guarantee it.

Trait
You can cancel a normal move into Trait, and you can cancel Trait into a special move. so hit 3 then trait immediately, wait for recovery of trait (very short pause), then hit 3 xx DB2 MB. This specific exampe is used in the corner.

A more common combo with Trait in middle (mid-screen), is the following .. F23 xx trait, F2 xx DB2 MB, B3, J3, F2 xx DF1, 3 xx DF2, DF1. When you do the initial F23, you are cancelling the 3 into trait. Then when the recovery of trait is over, you can continue the combo as F23 launches the opponent high enough so you have plenty of time to do all of this.

It really pays to learn the timing of the high % corner combos, i.e. starting with .. F23, 3 xx trait, 3 xx DB2 MB. As I said before, after you do the 3 xx trait, you have to have a slight pause whilst trait activation recovers. Then hit 3 xx DB2 spam MB to freeze them. Then you can continue into DB3, F2D1, 3 xx DF1, 3 xx DF2, DF1. It may be worth dropping the trait to start off with so you learn the basics of these sort of combos. so start with F23, 3 xx DB2 MB.


Good luck, Superman really is god like, I rarely lose online and I'm not exactly a pro player. Abuse F23!

 

[Ninj]

Another way to think of canceling is this:

Go to your move list and look at any normal (standing 1 or X on Xbox / square on PlayStation).

Look at startup and recovery frames. By canceling a normal into a special (or trait) you're avoiding the recovery frames, replacing it with the startup frames of the special or trait.

Hope that helps.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

 

[Raynex]

I've been playing Street Fighter for years as well. Hopefully I can connect the dots for you.

"Cancelling" (abbreviated "xx") is the process in which a move's animation is cut off in order to string another move in quick succession. In other words, instead of allowing your initial move to see completion, you cancel a few of it's end frames.

In Injustice, any normal move is cancellable into any special move. Take these examples, which you can try yourself:

- 11 xx DB+2 (Breath)
- F23 xx BF+3 (Flying Punch)
- B1 xx DF+1 (Scoop)

These are all instances of a normal move or string (11 / F23 / B1) being "cancelled" into a special move (i.e. any move that requires an input like DB / BF / DF). Doing any of these mini series will result in a combo.

Earlier you posted 3 xx F23. As you've likely guessed, that notation doesn't make much sense, as you cannot cancel a normal into a normal. The order is specific: Normal attack first, followed by a special move input before it completely ends. This will effectively cancel the normal attack's duration! The timing, or sound, is universally recognized as a "1,2"; which comes from the proverbial left jab, right jab in boxing. Don't wait too long before inputting the special move, otherwise you'll lose your window to cancel. Remember, the timing is "ba-da" or, "1,2"!

For Trait cancelling:

It follows the same rules as special cancelling. In Injustice a Trait is considered a special move even though it's a single button. Try this example:

1) F23 xx Trait (Hit the trait button immediately after this 2 hit string, and you will see it activate immediately. You cancelled! )
2) F23 again, quickly, while in Trait
3) F2 xx DF+1 (Cancel the F2 into Superman's special move scoop to launch them)
4) 3 xx BF+3 (Cancel the 3 into Flying Punch to carry them towards the corner)

Entire sequence:
F23 xx Trait, F23, F2 xx DF+1, 3 xx BF+3

*xx signifies a cancel
*commas signify a slight pause or break, with no cancel. Time the next move correctly

To answer your question, yes you should be "cancelling" mid-combo. Cancelling into trait mid combo allows you to power Supes and continue stringing together hits. Enjoy!

 

[Drumslinger]

Ok, so the trait is treated as a special, and only a special can be cancelled into from a normal. If I understand the notation now, whenever I do a F23 xx (MB)Breath I'm actually cancelling the F23 into the breath, or a 22 xx scooop, or 11 xx heat vision. The notation of the full combo I usually use would be 223, f23 xx (MB)breath, 22 xx scoop, air grab xx air heat vision.

I think I get it now. Thank you!

 

[Raynex]

In any combo that lists F23 xx [MB] Breath, always leave the 3 out. Just do 223, F2 xx [MB] Breath and you'll gain 2 or 3% more damage depending on the combo. For some reason, the 3 in that particular string scales combos a tad.

and no problemo man

 

[Knoterror]

In any combo that lists F23 xx [MB] Breath, always leave the 3 out. Just do 223, F2 xx [MB] Breath and you'll gain 2 or 3% more damage depending on the combo. For some reason, the 3 in that particular string scales combos a tad.

and no problemo man

Yeah this is true, but I still do F23~MB Breath. The few percent is not really worth a potential drop unless your execution is gdlk. The timing is awkward with release check off and it sucks balls when you accidentally do f2~db~MB (b3 combo cancel) waste 2 bars and it doesn't even hit.

 

[Raynex]

There are so many more difficult things out there, especially in other fighters. F2 xx Breath definitely does not require godlike execution. Just be more accurate with your inputs and you won't end up accidentally blowing the 2 bars. The pay-off = the difficulty. If it was a 1 frame link for 1%, then that's a different story. In longer combos leaving the 3 in that string removes 3-4% sometimes. But to each his own!

 

[Knoterror]

Yeah if you're good at it, go for it. Im not saying you shouldnt. For me though, I just prefer 100% consistency.

 

[Drumslinger]

From what I've seen consistency seems to trump an extra 3% damage. Especially online. I've been practicing the F2~MB Breath in practice mode, but whenever I play online it seems much more difficult. Same with the air grab~air heat vision. Playing offline I hit it every time, but due to lag (I guess) it's 50/50 as to whether or not the heat vision will go off. I have yet to pull off a F2~MB Breath online, but the F23~MB Breath seems much easier for some reason. I try to keep it as simple as possible online. I'd rather do slightly less damage than drop the combo.

 

[Knoterror]

I think it's also good to do F23~MB Breath so you have a little but more time to look at and weigh the meter situation.

"Ok, I just hit F23~trait."

*dials in next F23 while looking at both mine and opponents meter*

"Ok, I really shouldn't spend a bar. I'll just F2~Scoop after this F23 hits into an ender."

 

[Beck__]

Air grab into laser is actually very easy no matter how laggy. You have to do the motions straight after each other, no pauses. DF2, DF1.. you will never fail again.