Raiden instant lasers
Posted: 22 Nov 2016, 12:07
Now that I've learned how to gather accurate frame data without the need of any external devices, welcome to the second of hopefully many topics containing frame data.
Normal CW laser has a 14-frame startup. Frame 1 is the first visible frame of animation (the lasers also happen to light up), frame 14 is the appearance of the beam. The CW key press registers on frame 0 and the energy gauge will light up in white or green (it is random, as it flickers) on that frame. Normal CW can uniquely be canceled into a dash before it fires. Canceling on the 14th, 15th, or 16th frame lets Raiden both shoot and dash away.
Crouching CW has a 14-frame startup. If you walk diagonally before shooting, it will fire diagonally, though the angling is usually too extreme to be useful. A single frame of walking gives the full angle. To fire at a lesser angle, walk in straight directions just before or after walking diagonally. The imaginary walking trick can help to aim this. Note that stationary crouching CW can be better since it recovers immediately with Raiden.
Standing LTCW has an 11-frame startup. Standing RTCW has an 18-frame startup.
Stationary RW has a 9-frame startup. Frame 1 is the first visible frame of animation where he is starting to raise his launcher, frame 9 is the appearance of the rocket. The RW key press registers on frame 0 and the energy gauge will light up in white or green on that frame. Note that RW is actually pressed 2 frames before that, because unlike CW it takes 3 frames to register any LW or RW press. In general, if LW or RW is tapped for 2 frames or less, nothing will happen.
Instant Laser is performed by doing a stationary standing RW, then pressing CW on exactly the 8th frame. The beam shoots on the next frame so the instant laser has a 9-frame startup. Raiden can also cancel into a walk, dash, or jump, without shooting anything, on the 8th frame. Canceling into a walk or dash is easy as you can just hold it down. Raiden can also do an instant LW by pressing LW on exactly the 6th frame.
The normal instant laser works because of a glitch in Raiden's stationary standing RW. He recovers 2 frames earlier than a typical 9-frame attack, allowing him to do other actions on frame 8 and creating instant shots as a side effect. The drawbacks of the instant laser are that it cannot be canceled into a dash, and cannot be half-canceled. Instant RTCW is popular since it can't be canceled into a dash anyway. Instant LTCW is possible but rarely seen.
True Instant Laser is an unrelated technique. First do a walking LW, then let go of the direction on the exact frame after the LW input registers. This will cause Raiden to go into a LW animation which is different from normal. Nothing will fire. If you press RW or CW during the weird LW animation, Raiden will do another weird animation. At this point you can do a silly dance by alternating LW and RW, the timing is lenient. (This is the same as Grys-Vok's arm wiggle dance except his can be started without a frame-perfect input. The Raiden dance can also be started by doing walking RW and letting go of the direction 1 frame later).
During the weird LW animation, if you press a direction and/or rotate, then press RW or CW, the shot will come out instantly. The direction can be simultaneous with the attack, so the true instant laser can execute in as little as 3 frames! Furthermore, it can be aimed by pressing diagonal or straight directions. The mechanism is more intuitive than crouching CW, as pressing diagonal for a single frame gives a small angle. The walking direction prior to the LW input adds in as well.
The true instant laser cannot be canceled into a dash, is difficult to half-cancel, and does not work with turbo lasers. True instant LW can be performed by doing walking RW, letting go of the direction 1 frame later, then pressing a direction and LW. In fact the walk-and-stop glitch can be done by all VRs to cancel away their walking attacks, and most can afterwards do dances and instant walking attacks (but not aim them) using the same methods here.
Λ-Laser results when you do a perfect 3-frame true instant laser. The beams come out in a Λ shape and aim slightly to the right by default, instead of straight forward. This can be adjusted in much the same way the straight true instant laser is aimed. The Λ shape is not helpful, so a 4-frame straight instant laser may be preferred.
X-Laser is performed by doing a walking RW, letting go of the direction on the exact frame after the RW input registers, then pressing LW, then pressing a direction and/or rotate, then pressing CW. Performed perfectly, the X-laser can execute in 6 frames, and the beams will come out in an X shape. The LW input can be delayed, but CW cannot be even a single frame late, otherwise the X shape is lost and you get a straight instant laser.
Besides the drawbacks of the true instant laser, the X-laser has additional weaknesses. The angle of the X never changes and it typically aims at various directions to Raiden's right side. The default firing direction, which results from only using straight directions or rotation, is to the right. The aim can be adjusted slightly by pressing diagonal for a single frame at the end. The walking direction prior to the RW input wears off unless the X-laser is executed in 6 frames, in which case a little remains.
Here is the perfect X-laser. RW key press registers on frame 0. Press LW and let go of the direction on frame 1. Hold LW until it registers on frame 3. Press CW and a direction on frame 5. The beam appears on frame 6. A direction must be held on frame 6 to fire, but only frame 5 aims the beam. You can optionally tap a direction during frame 2 and frame 3. Though difficult, doing so allows the X-laser to be aimed freely, even to the left!
Don't forget that RW needs to be held for 3 frames to register. The walk-and-stop glitch also requires you to be free to move and press walk on the frame before the attack registers, so in some sense the true instant lasers are 1 frame slower than described. Performing the LW to CW input quick enough to get the X-laser or Λ-laser is tough. It helps to map a separate CW button and have a clicky LW trigger.
V-Laser can appear when CW or RTCW is fired during the freeze after a dash attack. The beams shoot instantly and in a V shape aimed slightly to the right. RTCW creates a more angled V. There is no way to adjust the aim. Instant attacks during dash freezes can happen with all VRs and are 0-frame attacks, appearing on the same frame the key press registers. It was originally thought they happen when firing on the first frame of the freeze, but this isn't always the case. The frame to fire instantly can be any time during the freeze, and varies with both the choice of dash attack and the attack used during the freeze.
Normal CW laser has a 14-frame startup. Frame 1 is the first visible frame of animation (the lasers also happen to light up), frame 14 is the appearance of the beam. The CW key press registers on frame 0 and the energy gauge will light up in white or green (it is random, as it flickers) on that frame. Normal CW can uniquely be canceled into a dash before it fires. Canceling on the 14th, 15th, or 16th frame lets Raiden both shoot and dash away.
Crouching CW has a 14-frame startup. If you walk diagonally before shooting, it will fire diagonally, though the angling is usually too extreme to be useful. A single frame of walking gives the full angle. To fire at a lesser angle, walk in straight directions just before or after walking diagonally. The imaginary walking trick can help to aim this. Note that stationary crouching CW can be better since it recovers immediately with Raiden.
Standing LTCW has an 11-frame startup. Standing RTCW has an 18-frame startup.
Stationary RW has a 9-frame startup. Frame 1 is the first visible frame of animation where he is starting to raise his launcher, frame 9 is the appearance of the rocket. The RW key press registers on frame 0 and the energy gauge will light up in white or green on that frame. Note that RW is actually pressed 2 frames before that, because unlike CW it takes 3 frames to register any LW or RW press. In general, if LW or RW is tapped for 2 frames or less, nothing will happen.
Instant Laser is performed by doing a stationary standing RW, then pressing CW on exactly the 8th frame. The beam shoots on the next frame so the instant laser has a 9-frame startup. Raiden can also cancel into a walk, dash, or jump, without shooting anything, on the 8th frame. Canceling into a walk or dash is easy as you can just hold it down. Raiden can also do an instant LW by pressing LW on exactly the 6th frame.
The normal instant laser works because of a glitch in Raiden's stationary standing RW. He recovers 2 frames earlier than a typical 9-frame attack, allowing him to do other actions on frame 8 and creating instant shots as a side effect. The drawbacks of the instant laser are that it cannot be canceled into a dash, and cannot be half-canceled. Instant RTCW is popular since it can't be canceled into a dash anyway. Instant LTCW is possible but rarely seen.
True Instant Laser is an unrelated technique. First do a walking LW, then let go of the direction on the exact frame after the LW input registers. This will cause Raiden to go into a LW animation which is different from normal. Nothing will fire. If you press RW or CW during the weird LW animation, Raiden will do another weird animation. At this point you can do a silly dance by alternating LW and RW, the timing is lenient. (This is the same as Grys-Vok's arm wiggle dance except his can be started without a frame-perfect input. The Raiden dance can also be started by doing walking RW and letting go of the direction 1 frame later).
During the weird LW animation, if you press a direction and/or rotate, then press RW or CW, the shot will come out instantly. The direction can be simultaneous with the attack, so the true instant laser can execute in as little as 3 frames! Furthermore, it can be aimed by pressing diagonal or straight directions. The mechanism is more intuitive than crouching CW, as pressing diagonal for a single frame gives a small angle. The walking direction prior to the LW input adds in as well.
The true instant laser cannot be canceled into a dash, is difficult to half-cancel, and does not work with turbo lasers. True instant LW can be performed by doing walking RW, letting go of the direction 1 frame later, then pressing a direction and LW. In fact the walk-and-stop glitch can be done by all VRs to cancel away their walking attacks, and most can afterwards do dances and instant walking attacks (but not aim them) using the same methods here.
Λ-Laser results when you do a perfect 3-frame true instant laser. The beams come out in a Λ shape and aim slightly to the right by default, instead of straight forward. This can be adjusted in much the same way the straight true instant laser is aimed. The Λ shape is not helpful, so a 4-frame straight instant laser may be preferred.
X-Laser is performed by doing a walking RW, letting go of the direction on the exact frame after the RW input registers, then pressing LW, then pressing a direction and/or rotate, then pressing CW. Performed perfectly, the X-laser can execute in 6 frames, and the beams will come out in an X shape. The LW input can be delayed, but CW cannot be even a single frame late, otherwise the X shape is lost and you get a straight instant laser.
Besides the drawbacks of the true instant laser, the X-laser has additional weaknesses. The angle of the X never changes and it typically aims at various directions to Raiden's right side. The default firing direction, which results from only using straight directions or rotation, is to the right. The aim can be adjusted slightly by pressing diagonal for a single frame at the end. The walking direction prior to the RW input wears off unless the X-laser is executed in 6 frames, in which case a little remains.
Here is the perfect X-laser. RW key press registers on frame 0. Press LW and let go of the direction on frame 1. Hold LW until it registers on frame 3. Press CW and a direction on frame 5. The beam appears on frame 6. A direction must be held on frame 6 to fire, but only frame 5 aims the beam. You can optionally tap a direction during frame 2 and frame 3. Though difficult, doing so allows the X-laser to be aimed freely, even to the left!
Don't forget that RW needs to be held for 3 frames to register. The walk-and-stop glitch also requires you to be free to move and press walk on the frame before the attack registers, so in some sense the true instant lasers are 1 frame slower than described. Performing the LW to CW input quick enough to get the X-laser or Λ-laser is tough. It helps to map a separate CW button and have a clicky LW trigger.
V-Laser can appear when CW or RTCW is fired during the freeze after a dash attack. The beams shoot instantly and in a V shape aimed slightly to the right. RTCW creates a more angled V. There is no way to adjust the aim. Instant attacks during dash freezes can happen with all VRs and are 0-frame attacks, appearing on the same frame the key press registers. It was originally thought they happen when firing on the first frame of the freeze, but this isn't always the case. The frame to fire instantly can be any time during the freeze, and varies with both the choice of dash attack and the attack used during the freeze.