Post by sniperworm on Jun 25, 2010 10:53:00 GMT -6
Maximizing the Gay – A TMNT Smash Up Guide to Tech Chasing
by: sniperworm
Introduction
Welcome to my guide to tech chasing in TMNT Smash Up. In Smash Up, tech chasing is a really important part of game play. It sets apart the good characters from the bad and, perhaps even more importantly, it separates the good players from the great ones. In this guide I’ll be going over the basics of what a tech chase is and the different kinds of tech chase setups that are available in TMNT Smash Up.
Tech Chasing 101 – What is a Tech Chase?
So to those that are new to fighting games, you’re probably wondering what a tech chase is and why it’s so important. A tech chase, simply put, is a situation where your opponent is at an extreme disadvantage and their only options consist of either to tech (do some sort of defensive escape move) or to do nothing. The tech chase is simply how you follow up against your opponent when they’re in this disadvantaged position.
Tech Chasing 101 – Why is Tech Chasing so Important?
In all fighting games (but especially in Smash Up), defensive options are extremely limited during the tech chase. This means that your opponent’s actions are highly predictable and predictable means punishable. Getting free, essentially guaranteed damage is important in any fighting game and tech chasing is a great opportunity to do so. It’s especially important in Smash Up because combo damage reduction is severe, so combos (the other source of guaranteed damage) don’t result in a large amount of damage.
Tech Chasing and TMNT Smash Up – General Info
Tech chasing in Smash Up is more effective than in many other games because all get-up options (stand up, getup attack, roll, and do nothing) have a brief moment of vulnerability at the startup (which coincide with each other). This means that if your opponent chooses not to tech roll in any tech chase situation, you can hit them during the vulnerable frames of their getup option.
That means that in any situation where the opponent is forced to fall to the ground, you should theoretically get another free hit on them (because if they tech roll it’s a free grab).
It’s also important to remember that when you hit the ground, the combo counter resets (if they bounce off the ground they take 10 damage (which counts as the first hit of a combo) and if they tech roll it completely resets). So tech chases are a huge source of damage in Smash Up.
Tech Chasing and TMNT Smash Up – How is it Done?
In TMNT Smash Up there are a few different kinds of tech chases (aka tech chase situations). I will name and describe each type of situation so that you can easily recognize the different tech chase situations and how to handle them.
1) Hit Stun Tech Chase = Hit stun tech chases occur when you hit the opponent with a move (typically a launcher type move) that has enough stun where the opponent can’t recover in the air. They are forced to fall to the ground, at which time the opponent will either tech roll or land on the ground. If they don’t tech roll, you can hit them during the vulnerable frames of their getup option.
2) Throw Tech Chase = Throw tech chases are tech chases from throws. Many throws in Smash Up put your opponent on the ground in a techable state (aka they can tech roll when they hit the ground) with enough frame advantage for you to chase them if they tech roll. If they don’t tech roll, then you can hit them during the vulnerable frames of their getup option.
3) Floor Reset Tech Chase = Floor reset tech chases occur when you hit an opponent that is lying on the ground with a non-launcher type move. This typically occurs when you hit the opponent during the vulnerable frames of their getup option. The opponent will hit into the ground and has the option to tech roll immediately. If they don’t tech roll, you can hit them during the vulnerable frames of their getup option.
4) Floor Bounce Tech Chase = Floor bounce tech chases occur when you use a move that slams the opponent into the ground. When they hit the ground, they can either tech roll or bounce off of the ground into the air. If they don’t tech roll, you can hit the opponent while they’re bouncing in the air to setup a hit stun tech chase or just hit them for extra damage (depends on what move you use). If you don’t hit them, they will land on the ground and they will be able to do a getup option immediately (with no vulnerability). If not, they will be invincible for a little while (the same as someone who landed on the ground) and then you can hit them during the vulnerable frames of the getup option.
5) Combo Escape Tech Chase = Combo escape tech chases are unique to Smash Up and only occur when your opponent executes a combo escape. While the combo escape itself is lagless, it takes a certain amount of time to finish the animation (the opponent is invincible during the combo escape). Therefore, if you time an aerial attack to hit them as soon as the invincibility wears off, you get a free hit on the opponent.
6) True Tech Chase = A true tech chase is a situation where the opponent is lying on the ground (cannot tech roll and you don’t get a guaranteed hit). This usually occurs from untechable throws that don’t have enough frame advantage to guarantee a follow-up. There are no guaranteed follow-ups here, but you’re still at the advantage.
Tech Chasing and TMNT Smash Up – How Should I Punish in Tech Chases?
Smash Up is unique in that it is very difficult to deal significant damage from a single hit or combo. Therefore, the focus of your attacks should not be to obtain the absolute maximum amount of damage. Rather, it should be to punish your opponent in a way where it keeps them at a disadvantage (sets up for another tech chase) while still doing as much damage as possible. Of course, if the most damaging combo you can execute will kill your opponent, then by all means go for that instead of a tech chase.
Tech Chasing and TMNT Smash Up – Defender’s Tech Roll Options
In order to punish your opponent’s tech roll, it’s important to know what they can do after it (since the tech roll itself has complete invincibility). There are three main options out of a tech roll:
1) Guard Option
This includes actions that can be performed out of a guard like rolling, spot dodging, or pointer in addition to guarding. The premise behind these is that guarding (or a guard action) has invincibility against all moves except grabs and therefore has the greatest utility. If you suspect that the opponent will go for a guard option, grabbing them and throwing them immediately is the best way to go (as they can’t throw reverse if they are pressing the guard or pointer buttons).
2) Anti-Throw Option
This includes doing nothing (aka going for the throw reversal) and jumping (includes empty jump, aerials, IFF (instant fast fall), and IAD (instant air dodge)). The premise behind these options is that your opponent is expecting you to grab, so they are performing some action that either allows them to not be grabbed (jumping actions) or allows them to reverse an immediate throw (do nothing). Obviously, attacking beats these options because they are not blocking.
3) Attack Option
This includes any attack action. The idea behind this strategy is to use a fast attack to hit you before you can do anything to them. This strategy is based on the assumption that you will incorrectly time your punish (or delay it) such that their attack will have time to come out. Generally speaking, any correctly executed tech chase will beat this.
Tech Chasing and TMNT Smash Up – Optimal Strategy in True Tech Chase Situations
The True Tech Chase is unique because it is not guaranteed that you can punish the opponent. Therefore, a strategy is required to handle this.
Your opponent has 5 options during the True Tech Chase: roll away from you, roll towards you, stand up, getup attack, and do nothing. The “do nothing” option is generally a mute point because eventually they will have to do something (after a set period of time, you stand up automatically). So we will focus on countering the other 4 options.
The best way to cover these options is to move right next to your opponent and block. This covers 3 of the 4 options. If they stand up, you can simply stop blocking and attack/grab them. If they use their getup attack, you will block it and then you are guaranteed to hit them with your attack/grab. If they roll behind you, you can stop blocking, turn around, and attack/grab them. So their only real option that defeats this is to roll away (you would need to stop blocking, run after them, and then try to attack/grab). However, you can handle this as well by anticipating that they will roll away. This way, you will react the fastest to the situation that requires the most time.
So in summary, the optimal strategy is to get close to the opponent and block while anticipating that they will roll away from you. You then wait for them to do something and react accordingly.
Closing
So what now? Go out and experiment with your character. Look for easy ways to setup tech chases and think about how you can best punish each option your opponent has. Learn to recognize which options are the best against each character and figure out how your character can best escape from tech chases. Integrating tech chasing into your game will greatly increase your effectiveness in Smash Up and put you well on your way to becoming a better player. Good luck and happy chasing!
