Groove System FAQ ver 1.3A

Game:            Capcom versus SNK: Millennium Fight 2000
Original Date:   17 October 2000
Revision Date:   09 November 2000
By:              Doc Holliday
E-Mail:          [email protected]

Heh! This is only my second FAQ - you know the drill, any mistakes please e-mail me & i'll sort
them out in the next revision which is planned in about a week (cos by then I normally get
enough e-mails for it to be worth it to add some new stuff!)

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CONTENTS
================================================================================================

This is the info included in the FAQ. If you want in-depth information about the grooves, then
read the whole FAQ. If you just wanna know which groove is best for you, then go straight to the
bottom.

1.1       THE GROOVE SYSTEM

1.2       INDIVIDUAL TRAITS OF THE GROOVES
             |
             |
             ----- 1.21  THE CAPCOM GROOVE
             |
             |
             ----- 1.22  THE SNK GROOVE

1.3       WHICH GROOVE IS BEST?

1.4       THE FINAL VERDICT
             |
             |
             ----- 1.41  NOT SO QUICK TIPS
             |
             |
             ----- 1.42  STUFF YOU MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT GROOVE POINTS

1.5       STUFF YOU MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT THE GROOVE SELECTION

1.6       CREDITS & REVISION HISTORY

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1.1  THE GROOVE SYSTEM
================================================================================================

Ok, I'm not a great fan of the groove system. I like the good old "advanced bar" in KOF (from
'97 onwards). I also like the Alpha/Zero style bar, so-called the 'Capcom' Groove. Extra mode
just has never appealed to me. However SNK groove does have its advantages.

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1.2  INDIVIDUAL TRAITS OF THE GROOVES
================================================================================================

This section will give you all the different things you get with each groove, from unlimited
level 1's, to not having level 2's.

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1.21  THE CAPCOM GROOVE
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

OK, the Alpha/Zero style bar. This is a level bar with a level 3 maximum. It allows you to build
your bar during the fight by doing all sorts of different stuff - invovling specials, combos,
blocking and the odd retaliatory strikes and counters. As you fight, you can store the 'energy'
you build anywhere from 1 gauge to the full level 3 max. One thing this groove has that the SNK
groove doesn't is that you can store 2 levels of super art energy, and then unleash with a level
2 super move - which just isnt possible with the SNK groove style of play. Also, to perform a
level 3, you don't have to be flashing in the RED health, you can do it as long as you have a
level 3 in your gauge bar. Finally, it allows you to pass your 'energy' over to the next player
so if you build a level 3 and forget to use it or something, then your next character will be
able to sorta yoink the energy and start with a level three instead of an empty bar (unless of
course the character that just died was your last ^o^ )

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
1.22  THE SNK GROOVE
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Extra style play from the creators of KOF! It works charging your bar, until it is maxed. In this
form, you have a certain amount of time to do a level 1 super until the bar uncharges, and then
you'll have to charge it again. If you do a super while having a max bar, then the bar is
automatically fully drained. Maxing your bar requires a little bit of time and effort on your
part. You can't just fight your way to acheiving it. You need to use the charge-up move that is
added to all the characters in your team. This will charge your bar quite quickly, but leaves
you vunerable to attack. However, recovery time after coming out of a charge is biasedly fast,
meaning that you can pretty much block anything coming your way. In this mode, you don't have
level 2's, and level 3's are only available when your health bar is flashing RED. Also, to
perform the level 3 when 'in the red', you also need a max bar! The great thing however, is that
when you are 'in the red' you have unlimited level 1's, meaning that you have unlimited
comboability potential - you can stretch the engine of the game to as far as it goes!

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
1.3  WHICH GROOVE IS THE BEST?
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

This section will detail information on tactics to build your bar and which style of play you
should use. The final verdict section after this one justs gives a kinda quicker version of this.
Read this section only if you want some in-depth detail.

Well, it depends (everyone in the room thinks "oh god, this punk is gonna give one of those its
not which groove you are, it's how you play the game kinda speechs" - well your right!). Loadsa
people complained when they found out how slowly Capcom groove builds up, and how advantegous it
is when your almost dead in SNK groove, and then you come out with about 5 million level 1
supers. Being an SNK fan, I preferred SNK groove immediately. If you want a match that has supers
coming at you left right and centre, then this is the groove for you. It allows you to go in,
do some damage, jump back, charge, go back in, do some damage, jump back, charge .....(this
continues until either one person dies, or retalitates with a level three!). Even my friends,
sworn to Capcom, decided that it was just stupid not choosing SNK groove, because it wipes the
floor with Capcom groove. But after playing for a little bit of time, I feel that the game loses
it's substance. Both characters continue with the same pattern described above. This slows down
the game play to a crawl. And the infinite level 1's? Well, I bet we all know someone who is just
gonna take the piss with them, and do about 100 super hadoukens in a row (I know cos I have done
it when really in trouble) which guard breaks the other guy so he/she gets hit. Using the method
above, you have about a 3-5 second gaps in the matches. Terrible!
This is why I slowly began to use Capcom groove. It may build up slow, but after playing with it
for a while, I realized how to gain the most from the groove. It builds a lot faster when you
block and counter opponents. And I mean VERY much faster. You can build a level 3 in a match
almost as quick as Alpha/Zero, and because your fighting throughout, you are:

A - not giving your opponent a chance to charge their bar with SNK
B - charging your bar well quick!

I've found the slowest matchs are those that involve an SNK team versus another SNK team. The
most fun and fast are the Capcom versus SNK, and the decent speed ones are Capcom versus Capcom.

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1.4  THE FINAL VERDICT
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

Here it is -

Capcom Groove - good for players that like countering and going crazy at close range with combos!

SNK Groove - good for those who go in, do damages, come out and charge. Makes for a more tactical
            game rather than an all out scrap.

================================================================================================
1.41  NOT SO QUICK TIPS
================================================================================================

Here are some quick tips on building your bar in either Capcom or SNK groove -

Capcom Groove  - Try and balance the amount of moves that you use against someone else to the
                amount of moves you block. Be cocky, and make the other guy attack you! Forget
                about block damage as it's pretty none existant in this game - blocking the
                other person's moves builds your bar up quicker than you could do it yourself
                and also lets the other person get too overconfident (Quote: Rule #6 Ryu FAQ
                by Darth states "NEVER! Become OVERCONFIDENT and never UNDERESTIMATE your
                opponent even if you constantly batter them never get too cocky" (I'm sorry on
                my mate's behalf on his terrible gammer!:p (Maybe next time Hazzard)) - the
                guy is fundementally right - so letting your opponent overestimate you is one
                of the best ways to throw him off guard - he thinks he's got you in a corner,
                but really, your using him to build your bar so you can launch a counter-attack!
              - Remember you have the luxury of choosing the strength of the super, don't always
                just go for the level 3 cos you've got it, 3 well timed level ones can be more
                powerful than one level 3 that misses and means your bar will need refilling.
                Also, suprise your SNK loving or countering opponent with a level 2 super -
                Kyo's especially catches some people off guard as it attacks in three different
                stages - the punch, the shoulder barge and into the dragon. A countering opp.
                who likes SNK groove will always expect either just the punch, or the whole
                thing, and this is where you can suprise him. Go for a level 2, and even if he
                blocks the punch and tries for a counter super/special, he'll get a flaming
                shoulder in his face!
              - "It doesn't matter" in the words of the ROCK - use your punch kick combos even
                if your opponent blocks them! Just as long as they don't have much recovery time
                finish them even if your opponent has blocked the intializing hit. This does two
                things - if you vary stopping them and finishing them, then it'll catch your opp
                off guard - he/she may stop blocking and start a counter attack because they
                don't expect you to continue, in which case you can continue the combo for some
                nice hits, albeit lose a few hits cos he blocked the first one. Second, your bar
                will still continue to build as long as your making physical contact with the
                other player. A good combo for building your bar with any character is jump in
                with a light kick, go straight into a crouch in front of your opponent, and then
                either a light kick twice, then a sweep (bad recovery) or a light kick, light
                punch combo. Notice I use the word light a lot - this is because faster recovery
                with very little difference in bar building!

SNK Groove     - For you dudes, there is only really one tactic, get the opponent into a combo -
                charge - get them into another combo - charge - yet again another combo - charge
                This will always work! As long as your reflexes are fast enough, you should be
                able to block anything thats coming to you!
              - One thing my mate Hazzard constantly used to do on me is to charge your bar
                until it's just on the fringe of being Maxed Out (DeeJay!DeeJay!DeeJay! The
                crowed of onlookers cheered - no he ain't in this game!!! ^o^) and as soon as
                your opponent hits you, your bar will max out and he'll be right next to you,
                giving him something to worry about. You could also try being almost in red
                flashing mode, and almost maxed out, that'll not only give you a max bar, but
                also level 3 super power! (Isn't that from Sailor Moon? You know - Moon Healing
                Power? Guess not!)

================================================================================================
1.42 STUFF YOU MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT GROOVE POINTS
================================================================================================

Ok, just to clarify - all this was written by Evil Matt, K?

Hey hey. I'm here to dispense some fun information for you to use in abusing
the GPS (I want Akuma's stage, damn it!)

First of all, hebretto's been wondering why you lose points for super
finishes (what's his e-mail address anyway?) in later matches. Here's the
reasons why -

- The higher your GPS, the LESS points you'll get for a Super finish. In
fact, once you bypass the 70s, you may start losing points for non-counter
Super finishes. It has nothing to do with how late you are into the game.
- This doesn't affect how many points you get for things that occur DURING
matches. Special move hits'll always add half a GP to your meter, regardless
of how high your GPS is. Normal super hits give you a full GP, usually.

Thus, here's a strategy you should employ for when you get a high GP total -

- Liberally abuse special moves. I prefer using EX Ryo's Gadouken wannabe, or
Yamazaki's snake arms. Try not to use Supers at all.
- Use the Capcom Groove if you're going to do that MAX Gauge cheat. A Max SNK
gauge raises your attack power, which is something you don't want.
- Set damage to its lowest possible level. More hits landed.... more GPS!
- Ratio 1 characters are perfect for the above setting. Yuri, specifically.
- Do finish off your opponent with a super. You might lose one GPS, but
considering that you've spent the match liberally whacking the opponent with
special moves, the loss won't be enough to counter your total gain.

If you get sick and tired of EX Beni's GPS-raising ways, this should be the
strategy you follow with everyone else. Guaranteed to work. Just be wary if
you do set gauges to MAX - CPU-controlled Ryu, Ken, Yamazaki, and Lugar (I
refuse to call him Rugal) will liberally abuse this feature.

~Evil Matt-MUN

*This was directly ripped from an e-mail he sent me so don't mind any of the Gammer!

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1.5  STUFF YOU MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT GROOVE SELECTION
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Right - here it is:

End boss          - "End boss - Ok, this is how it works... is not the groove you are in, but the
                   first character you selected... in adition to how many caracters do you have
                   from either CAPCOM or SNK. If there are more SNKs, you fight Bison, more
                   CAPCOMs, you fight geese...if they are the same number, it is the first
                   character you choosed the one that counts." - yoinked straight from an e-mail
                   sent to me by Jacinto - thankx

Art of your dudes - you may not have noticed, but selecting different grooves gives you
                   different art's of the characters, Capcom groove having old style and SNK
                   groove having 3D style art's.

NB: Right, this is really starting to kiss me off (remember Shenmue?), I have people shouting in
one ear about SNK drawing the SNK groove drawings and Capcom drawing the Capcom Groove drawings,
which makes a lot of sense but one adimant punk (yes you Hazzard!) who continues to preach that
SNK drew the Capcom Groove and Capcom drew the SNK groove (even had me believing, check earlier
versions of the FAQ) because he thinks CRAPCOM couldn't draw such crap drawings of all his
beloved Street Fighter Characters! Please - all who really know e-mail me about it! Tell me what
you believe!

Who drew the art  - There is a little controversy about this now. I am going to stick with what
                   I think is right - Capcom drew their own art, SNK drew their own art.
                   "SNK groove drawings seem to resemble poster art and Capcom groove drawings
                   seem to be a cross between SF3 and Alpha series art" - also yoinked from
                   Jacinto

Capcom are punks  - Capcom groove has one undocumented advantage to counter the SNK groove's
                   infinite supers thing (very technical ain't i?). Choosing Capcom groove
                   will, if anyone has noticed, give your moves more priority over SNK groove
                   character moves. Not everything is priotised - but most of the moves are.
                   Also, some lose priority (i.e. EX Kyo's jump forward double kicky thing
                   isn't prioritised).

123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525
1.6  CREDITS & REVISION HISTORY
525150594847464544434241404938373635343332313039282726252423222120291817161514131211101987654321

(THERE IS A PRIZE IF YOU CAN GUESS WHAT THOSE NUMBERS ARE! YOU GET A CONGRATULATIONS FROM ME!
DOESN'T THAT JUST MAKE YOU WANT TO RACK YOUR BRAINS? AND YES - THERE DEFINATELY IS SOMETHING
SPECIAL ABOUT THE NUMBERS - THEY AREN'T JUST RANDOM DIGITS)

I'm sure loadsa you people got what the numbers above are - didn't you? well plz e-mail me again
if you did before, cos my email address was wrong before - cheers

1st place for person who got what the numbers were was:

JACINTO !!! You receive my undying congratulations!!!

Second Place goes to...

SUPERDEVILJ!! Harder than u fink!

Third Place goes to...

Raistlin5 - nice one - but u did get bottom row slightly wrond - ahh..
I'll let you off

continuing - from 4th place to 10th so far are...

4th - Nikashi - sorry - no prize - not fast enough!
5th - Galactus - Checked multiple times - it's true!(as the intro states!)
6th - PeeJ2k1 - see...it pays to e-mail people about stuff dun it?


For all those people who don't know yet (Yes RUDI, including u), I'm waiting for 4 more
people before I fully anounce what the numbers exactly mean!


Thanks goes to.....

Lisaaarrrrrrggggghhhhh......the orochi awaits you babe!
Michelle: for convincing me to write an FAQ about grooves instead of Ferrari 355, which
         would have taken forever! Cheers babe!
Hazzard: teaching me the ways of Capcom (Your sorta like a Mr.Miagi! Wax on Wax off - LOL)
        also, used your SNK technique - cheers & a quote from your FAQ, cheers -
        by the way - Gill FAQ 90% complete & Also I WILL BEAT YOU AT CAP SNK!!!
        "THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE!!!"
Sonju:   for showing me how slow an SNK groove game can be - Used a couple of your tacs for
        section 4.1 - cheers
Mr. Keddy: letting me get away with writing this FAQ in a business lesson (thats why my gammer
          is kinda really good (apart from near the end when I needed to rush)
Agey Da Dennis: for getting me da game - gotta actually play you at that still as well
Jacinto: for info on end boss select and capcom/snk art - hope I can play you some day
Evil Matt: for e-mailing me some info

Revisions:

From 1.0A to 1.0B

# Lots of little niggles sorted out - however, never had a general release so you'll never know
 exactly what was changed!

From 1.0B to 1.1A

# More niggles changed, few things revised - not much really - also never had general release

From 1.1A to 1.1B

# Finally, noticable changes and therefore worth a general release! Changes are as follows:
# E-mail address changed cos it's wrong - please re-email me if you sent me a msg - thankx
# Section 1.5 changed end boss selection - plz e-mail if anyone knows why
# Added Section 1.41 Quick Tips
# Decided that on the size of it, section 4.1 should be renamed so it was renamed to...
 "Not so Quick Tips"

From 1.1B to 1.2A

# Changed "End-Boss select" info
# Changed "who drew the arts" info
# Added "winner" for Random Number thingy

From 1.2A to 1.3A

# Added some stuff written by Evil Matt
# Edited "who drew the arts" info AGAIN!!!
# Added top ten style for numbers!

This document is copyright Nav Dhanjal 2000 (c)

Laterz

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