EHRGEIZ "God Bless the Ring" - "Guardian" Cloud FAQ/Movelist Version 2.1 EZ and Zack (he's the same as Cloud) By Dan GC (Guardian Cloud) for the Arcade (it's the same for the PSX) version of Ehrgeiz Last updated: 05/23/99 08:57 AM PT First Edition: Early-Mid to Mid '98 Document Info: 132 K (132, 944 Bytes) Designed for at least IE 3 or NN 3 at 640x480 Resolution and Courier New font enabled 132, 944 characters (letters, numbers, symbols, etc.) Ehrgeiz was... Created by: Dream Factory Licensed by: Squaresoft Published by: Namco Released: Late March 1998 in America If you can help me with anything: moves, techniques, etc., or if you just have questions, comments, etc., E-mail them to One more thing, don't E-mail with questions that are already in the FAQ section or in the FAQ, otherwise, I'll discard them or tell you to check the FAQ. Well, actually, I won't, I just put it there so I don't get annoying mail, heh. _________________ Table of Contents ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ 1. Updates 2. What is Ehrgeiz, anyway? (General Details about Ehrgeiz) 3. Legend 4. Move List 1. Basic Attacks 2. Executed Attacks 3. Executed Running Attacks 4. Just Frame Attacks 5. Running Against Wall 6. Executed Throws 7. Special Attacks 8. Launchers 9. Combos 10. Special Combos 11. Taunts 5. Strategy, Hints, Tips, and Comparisons/Contrastings 6. Move Analysis 7. Cloud VS. CPU & Person Guide 8. Plot/Storyline 9. Cloud Info - Cloud Character Profile - More Cloud Info 10. Basics (Basic Moves available to most characters) 11. Secrets 12. Frequently Asked Questions 13. After Getting Ehrgeiz... (with any character) 14. Remarks I've received for beating the CPU or people with Cloud 15. My Best Records 16. Special Thanks 17. Author Information - What I'd like (or not like) in Ehrgeiz 2 Copyright Disclaimer: Unpublished Work Copyright (c) 1998, 1999 Dan GC This FAQ is for private and personal use only. If reproduced, it must be my electronic means, and if placed on a Web Page or Site, may be altered as long as this Disclaimer and the above Copyright Notice fully appears. This FAQ is not to be used for profitable/promotional purposes; this includes being used by publishers of magazines, guides, books, etc. or being incorporated into magazines, etc. in ANY way without FULL AUTHORIZATION from myself and any cohorts I may have. This FAQ was created and is owned by me, Dan GC Any Copyrights and Trademarks not specifically mentioned in this FAQ are acknowledged. Always give credit where it is due. Ehrgeiz, Squaresoft, and Dream Factory are Registered Trademarks and Copyright (c) to Square Co., Ltd. Any other things are Copyright to their rightful owners. Alright, writers of EGM, GamePro, other Game Mags, and plaigiarizers, you plagiarize, many people know that, you can be sued. If I find out ANYTHING from any of my FAQs in a Game Magazine or in another FAQ w/o my permission, I'm suing. It clearly states not to copy anything without my FULL AUTHORIZATION and PERMISSION unless put on a non-profitable/ non-promotional Web Page with the above Copyright Disclaimer. This FAQ can be found at: ________________________________________________________________________ GameFAQs www.gamefaqs.com Dan GC's Ehrgeiz Home Page i.am/dan_gc Available later in the future ________________________________________________________________________ Part 1: Updates ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Version 2.1: Changed "Special Thanks" section Version 2.05: This probably is the final version. Anyway, I changed some Basics, Author Information, FAQ, etc. Version 2.0: Could this be it? The "final" version!? Probably... Anyway, fixed the "Counter" part on the Executed Attack "Windmill," another attempt at grammar and layout corrections, etc.; also changed a bit of the Battle Mechanics section, and I even added 10 more combos; added what combos work on what characters (weight type) in the MOVE ANALYSIS section; also fixed many "unofficial" things Version 1.9: Changed some stuff, not really noticeable unless you really look Version 1.8: FINAL Version!? Possibly. I'm not sure, but it's highly possible. Anyway, what was updated was the Comparisons part in the Strategy section. Version 1.7: Listed the Damage for the attacks (in the Move Analysis section), also added mini-battle mechanics section in the Basics section (now you'll know how the battle mechanics of this game works, kind of ^_^'). The Battle Mechanics is the second to last thing in the Basics section. I also added one more move in the Move List Version 1.6: Added one more move, added some more in the "One More Thing" in the Basics section, added three questions in the "FAQ" section Version 1.5: Put some more strategy, and tried to correct any typos/errors, etc. Version 1.4: I actually put some detailed and pretty useful strategy and tips in the Strategy section. Changed some Ratings in the Move Analysis, partially changed some of the Basics in the section, but I've forgotten what I've changed ^_^' , and added one thing in the Legend section, and that thing partially modifies the attacks. Version 1.34: Put some more Strategy in that section, took out some unnecessary moves, corrected more mistakes, etc. Partially modified Character Profile. Version 1.32: Changed some of the Hit ratings, part of the Strategy section, some moves, and the usual. Also changed the Version numbers, I reassorted it into orderly numbers. Version 1.3: Changed a bit of the strategy section, changed the ratings, re- arranged most of the FAQ, etc. Everything is in order of importance. The most important stuff are Parts 2-5, then things get less and less important after Part 5. Version 1.27: Changed some ratings, reworded some things, and some other little stuff like some rewording of the strategy section Version 1.25: Wow, I added a couple more moves, added three more combos, added little strategy, and some other stuff, eh. Something next that is the closest thing to a diary: Expect stuff in my FAQ to be in Mike's FAQ(s)...he is the only person I gave permission to freely use ANYTHING from my FAQ(s) without even asking me...only one person asked to use my FAQ, which was Aaron McKeever , any other people, only one, took it from me without even thanking me or asking...I should've told CJayC about it so the FAQ could've been taken down, but that FAQ was useful, so I didn't. Plagiarism sucks! Version 1.22: Organized some stuff a little more and added "Just Frame Attacks" in the Basic Stuff section Version 1.2: I stayed up late last night and found some more interesting stuff. When I tried to sleep, I was thinking of what to put in this FAQ. Okay, what's new is...I added 25 or so more combos, changed Cloud's self-made profile, and umm...changed some other stuff. Because of one of Mike's combos (H+S, H, H, #G+H, H, #H, L, *H), I found out many more crazy combos, now there's 45! I also moved the former Combo 21 to Special Combo 3. Version 1.19: Mike Allen completely corrected me on the Character Weight Classes, I also changed five Hit levels. And...drum roll please ... added seven (that's 7!) MORE COMBOS of my own! And kudos to Mike Allen for telling me two MORE combos (20 and 21)! Version 1.17: Corrected the "Character Weight Classes" in the Basic Stuff section Version 1.15: Umm...corrected some stuff, reworded text, tried to correct as many things as possible. Version 1.1: Corrected some Basic Attacks, altered one Combo, fixed some Hit Levels for some attacks, added more complicated Combos, and other stuff. Version 1.0: Changed a lot of stuff, his moves, his combos, the basic moves section, the strategy section, the best stuff section, added the "How do you do a a Just Frame attack?" and a new Secret in the "Secrets" section...it's the newly remodeled FAQ! Version 0.9: Made some more changes to moves, added various things Version 0.8: Tried to make some changes Version 0.7: Changed the format of the document, added some stuff, changed names of moves, and some other stuff. Version 0.6: Was going to be the Final Version with everything there is to know about Cloud in Ehrgeiz; well, almost everything. Everything correct, except for a little bit of typos and stuff. Won't include how to make Cloud turn blue as if he were trying to do a Magic Spell and anymore Custom-Made Combos and Special Attacks. Only thing new is Special Weapons (Objects) since the last update (10/22/98 8:43 PM PT). This last update is 10/23 (when enpingy@yahoo.com E-mailed me and told me some stuff) Version 0.57: Edited the whole thing and moved stuff around. How to make Cloud turn blue as if he were trying to do a magic spell in FF7 and any Custom-Made Combos are the only things missing. Added Blade Catch. Version 0.55: Everything except for custom-made combos and how to do the Two-Hand Grab, added a Remarks section. Version 0.5: Should have everything including unknown moves, unanswered questions, etc. Version 0.45: Added more stuff and fixed typos, errors, throws, and more. Stuff still needs to be confirmed though. Version 0.4: Added more stuff and answered some questions, added more stuff, but I still need questions answered. Version 0.3: Added storyline of Ehrgeiz (finally! ^_^' ) and more Version 0.2: Changed format of document Version 0.1: First edition ________________________________________________________________________ Part 2: What is Ehrgeiz, anyway? (General Details about Ehrgeiz) ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ If Tobal No. 1 is the only Dream Factory fighting game you've ever played, you're missing a lot; the sequel, Tobal No. 2 (released only in Japan) is considered in some circles to be the finest fighting game on the PlayStation (PSX). Dream Factory produced the first(?) completely true 3-D fighting game in arcade history: Ehrgeiz allows complete three- dimensional movement over a series of plains, high-rises, and other areas. The terrain also includes special objects - knives, dynamites, boxes, and other various items - that can be used to augment your offensive and defensive strategies. The game's four-button layout includes a "Guard" button as well as "High" Attack, "Low" Attack, and "Special" Attack buttons. The combo system is similar to that of Tobal 2; calculated, timed attacks with not much room for error. Unlike the gameplay of Tekken (Tekken's engine isn't good: you only block and attack in that game) - which rewards your opponents greatly when you make a simple mistake - Ehrgeiz only rewards a player when skills and strategy are used. For example, once a player inputs a special move, you can follow that up with a specific move(s) that juggles the opponent for multiple hits. Mastering the basic techniques will take some time to comprehend. Of course, the one feature that may put Ehrgeiz over the top - particularly Square fans - is the fact that some of the most popular characters from Final Fantasy VII are hidden in the game as secret bosses and selectable fighters! The game would've been great without this, but Square and Namco had to put it in to get some publicity and attraction. Of course, Cloud is okay, but Tifa is much better. There are also other FFVII characters in this game in the PSX version, but basically, they're just clones of other characters with some differences. The only "original" characters are the original eight, and Cloud, Tifa, and Django. The characters added in the PSX version are based upon those characters (except for Koji, to an extent, and Clair; they're also original) with sometimes noticable differences. No characters in Ehrgeiz are based upon Django. But this game is not, I repeat, is not a "Final Fantasy Fighter!" If I ever hear anyone say that, and if they're not kidding or much bigger (and stronger) than me, I'll wail on them! Don't say those three very words in my presence. "Ehrgeiz" is a German word that means "ambition." The pronunciation of Ehrgeiz is "air-gaits" and in terms of some sort of a dictionary, it would be "e:r gaits". This is a type of 3-D fighting game that I haven't ever experienced. The Learning Curve to playing this game is only a few days, although to master a specific character takes much longer. After a week or two, you could learn most of the basics and learn how to do them easily. Some kind of general knowledge and strategy is needed to get on the Hi-Score List (and play well against true players). I decided to type all of the things I know about the "Guardian" Cloud and how to beat some opponents with him so people can read it if they choose to do so (and many people already have done so). Attribution goes to Jason E. Wilson ________________________________________________________________________ Part 3: Legend ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Controls: UL U UR Up-Left Up Up-Right \ | / L -- N -- R Left Neutral Right / | \ DL D DR Down-Left Down Down-Right Arcade Button Setup: P1/P2 Start L H S Low High Special G Guard *: Just Frame Point QCF: Quarter Circle Forward: Down, Down-Right, Right QCB: Quarter Circle Back: Down, Down-Left, Left /: Or +: simultaneously DB: Deathblow (Jumping Slash) FC: Fully Crouched ( ): Hold (exp. (G), hold G) ^: Unofficial Name 360: 360 degree spin %: Not Counterable (if there isn't a % or &, then it is Counterable) &: Counterable on a certain condition, which is, if the attack is done when the character doing the attack is on the ground, but if done when all the way in the air, it is not Counterable SF: Soldier Feint Left or Right counter hit: a hit to your opponent while they are doing an action Start (in move list): Start button (in Arcade); Select button (PSX) (rH): you can do the rising H after the last attack this is listed in (rA): you can do this attack when rolling (referring to Get-Up attacks) (wA): you can do this attack while walking (only will list for basic attack; i.e. the move with the first command for other moves will only have a (wA) Original Damage: the damage for an attack not done in a combo or used as a counter hit Hit Level: H: High M: Middle L: Low U: Unblockable UH: Unblockable High UM: Unblockable Middle UL: Unblockable Low |: whatever is past "|" is the Hit Level (except Rating) |: (the one below the Hit Level one) whatever is past "|" is the Original Damage for that/those attack(s) ________________________________________________________________________ Part 4: Movelist ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Name Input Hit Level(s) ________________________________________________________________________ 4.1 ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Basic Attacks: Soldier Jab H H Soldier High Low (rH) H, L H, L Soldier Chain H, H, L H, H, L Shinra Chain Disrupt H, H, H, H H, H, M, M Shinra Chain KxK (Kicks) H, L, L, H H, L, L, H Soldier Knee% H+L H Soldier Elbow H+L+S M Disrupt Shot H+L+S, H M, M Soldier Hook H+S M Shinra Chain Wheel H+S, H, H M, M, M Shinra Genesis Chain H+S, H, L M, M, L Soldier Low Kick (rH) L L Soldier Double Low L, L L, L Soldier Original L, L, H L, L, H Shinra Needle L+S L Soldier High Kick (wA) G+H H Soldier Double High Kick^ G+H, H H, H ________________________________________________________________________ 4.2 ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Executed Attacks: Soldier Feint Right QCF+H M Soldier Feint Left QCB+H M Soldier Front Kick^ rising H M Moonsault% H+L (above opponent) UM Low Spin Kick (wA) FC, L/G+L L Mako Punch Step, then L, H M Zack's Kick (rA) H (when getting up) M Kaiten Ashibarai^ (rA) L (as above) L Head Spring% (near head) H+L (as above) M Rotational Kick (near feet) H+L (as above) L Soldier Flip^% G+L+S M Soldier Axe Kick^% G+H+S M Jumping Turn (Side) Kick^& Jump, H M Landing Shinra Needle^ Jump, almost land, H L Landing Low Spin Kick^ Jump, L L ________________________________________________________________________ 4.3 ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Executed Running Attacks: Escape Back Kick% Tap G, H M Air Slash% H H Soldier Needle G+H M Slide Buster L L Soldier Tackle% H+L M ________________________________________________________________________ 4.4 ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Just Frame (*=Just Frame point): Shinra Front L, *H L, M Cold Chain H, L, *H H, L, M Zack's Chain H, H, L, *H, H H, H, L, M, M Shinra Chain Alpha H+S, H, L, *H, H M, M, L, M, M Shinra Chain Beta G+H, H, *H H, H, M Zack's Shot FC, L/G+L, *H, H L, M, M Zack's Landing Shot^ Jump, L, *H, H L, M, M Cross-Slash (Limit Level 1B) H+L, H, H, *H UM, UM, UM ________________________________________________________________________ 4.5 ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Running Against Wall: Soldier Elbow Drop^% H UM Triangle Slide Buster^% L UL Soldier Flip 2^% H+L M ________________________________________________________________________ 4.6 ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Executed Throws: Crescent Suplex% (front) G+H+L Throw Crescent Dive% (front) G+H+L, hold L Throw Variation Waist Suplex% (left side) G+H+L Throw Neck Fall% (right side) G+H+L Throw Manhattan Suplex% (behind) G+H+L Throw Soldier Grasp (front) G+H+L , then: Grasp - H, H, H: Face Punch x3, Stun (can dizzy) - L, L, L: Hold Kick x3, Stun (can dizzy) - Rope Throw: Push opponent in direction being held Soldier Takedown^% Running, G+H+L, then: U Tackle - H/L repeatedly (max. 3 hits) then a Leg Toss; release all buttons, Leg Toss; hold H or L, Rolling Leg Toss Omnislash (front) 360+G+H+L Special Throw ________________________________________________________________________ 4.7 ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Special Attacks: Sword Stance S (Draws Sword) N/A Sheath Sword^ G N/A Deathblow^ Jump, S UM Braver (Limit Level 1A) H+L, G+H UM Cross-Slash (Limit Level 1B) (see Just Frame Attacks) Climhazzard (Limit Level 2B) G+H, H (moving) UM, UM Meteorain% (Limit Level 3A) S (3 seconds) N/A x3 Omnislash (Limit Level 4) (see Executed Throws) Shinra Single Slash H UM Buster Sword Chain H, H, H UM, UM, UM Shinra Low Slash L UL Skull Break L, L, L UL, UL, UL Sephiroth Combo Incomplete H+L, H, H, H UM, UM, UM Rune Blade Combo H+L, L, L, L UL, UL, UL Butterfly Edge G+H, H, H UM, UM, UM Clim Slash G+H (moving) UM Clim Mirage% G+H, L (moving) UL Shinra Beta Slash S (Special Gauge empty) UM ________________________________________________________________________ 4.8 ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Launchers: The following are just launchers which launch your opponent high enough in order for you to juggle them, not attacks that just launch your opponent. Also, they are launchers that give you enough time to juggle your opponent so they have a pretty quick recovery time. Note: These are actually just regular attacks somewhere in the Move List, but these deserve to stand out somewhat Note 2: The launchers are ordered from worst to best Soldier Knee% H+L H Shinra Chain Wheel H+S, H, H M, M, M ________________________________________________________________________ 4.9 ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Combos: I'll list many juggles, not all of the possible ones, but many of them and some tricks. Tricks are used to hit your opponent at one time or another, but if they are really good and block all of the attacks or Counter, then...I have nothing to say. You can also mix-up the Tricks to hit your opponent. Note: All of these combos must be done when very close to the opponent Note 2: All combos should be used as a counter hit, which launches the opponent high in the air Note 3: These combos can end with "G+L+S," "L+S," "run+L," or even Soldier Feint Left/Right... so, I shall not list any of those in the combos Note 4: There are different combos to be used against different types of characters: light, medium, and heavyweight characters; see the list to see who is light, medium, or heavyweight; try the combos yourself to see who it works on Note 5: Some combos require the wall, others do not require it Note 6: The "Tricks" are used to trick your opponent, similar to a mix-up, that's what they can be used as, Mix-ups Note 7: Combos 56-58 are not juggling combos Note 8: Combos 29-55 are for EXTREMISTS only! Of course, if you have the right setup and all that stuff, you'll be just fine I've tested every combo on every type of weight, and I've figured out which combos can be done on which weight classes. And most of these combos do have to be used as a counter hit. Check the MOVE ANALYSIS section to find out what combos work against what characters. Combos 9 and 15 usually do not work on heavyweight characters, pity... Ĥ/ The beginning of the combo is the launcher, after the launcher is the juggling. # = Different Type of Attack (instead of saying "then" or "-->") Combo 1: H+L, #run+L/L+S Combo 2: H+L, #L, L, H Combo 3: H+L, #H, L, L, H Combo 4: H+L, #H, H, H, H Combo 5: H+L, #H+L+S, H Combo 6: H+L, #L, *H Combo 7: H+L, #H, L, *H Combo 8: H+L, #H, H, L, *H, H Combo 9: H+L, #G+L, *H, H Combo 10: H+L, #G+H, H, *H Combo 11: H+L, #G+H, H, #run+L/G+L+S/L+S Combo 12: H+L, #G+H, H, #L, L, H Combo 13: H+L, #G+H, H, #H, L, L, H Combo 14: H+L, #G+H, H, #H, H, H, H Combo 15: H+L, #G+H, H, #H+L+S, H Combo 16: H+L, #G+H, H, #L, *H Combo 17: H+L, #G+H, H, #H, L, *H Combo 18: H+L, #G+H, H, #H, H, L, *H, H Combo 19: H+L, #G+H, H, #G+L, *H, H Combo 20: H+S, H, H, #run+L/G+L+S/L+S Combo 21: H+S, H, H, #L, L, H Combo 22: H+S, H, H, #H, L, L, H Combo 23: H+S, H, H, #H, H, H, H Combo 24: H+S, H, H, #H+L+S, H Combo 25: H+S, H, H, #L, *H Combo 26: H+S, H, H, #H, L, *H Combo 27: H+S, H, H, #H, H, L, *H, H Combo 28: H+S, H, H, #G+L, *H, H Combo 29: H+S, H, H, #H+L, #run+L Combo 30: H+S, H, H, #H+L, #L, L, H Combo 31: H+S, H, H, #H+L, #H, L, L, H Combo 32: H+S, H, H, #H+L, #H, H, H, H Combo 33: H+S, H, H, #H+L, #L, *H Combo 34: H+S, H, H, #H+L, #H, L, *H Combo 35: H+S, H, H, #H+L, #H, H, L, *H, H Combo 36: H+S, H, H, #H+L, #G+L, *H, H Combo 37: H+S, H, H, #H+L, #G+H, H, *H Combo 38: H+S, H, H, #H+L, #G+H, H, #run+L/G+L+S/L+S Combo 39: H+S, H, H, #H+L, #G+H, H, #L, L, H Combo 40: H+S, H, H, #H+L, #G+H, H, #H, L, L, H Combo 41: H+S, H, H, #H+L, #G+H, H, #H, H, H, H Combo 42: H+S, H, H, #H+L, #G+H, H, #H+L+S, H Combo 43: H+S, H, H, #H+L, #G+H, H, #L, *H Combo 44: H+S, H, H, #H+L, #G+H, H, #H, L, *H Combo 45: H+S, H, H, #H+L, #G+H, H, #H, H, L, *H, H Combo 46: H+S, H, H, #H+L, #G+H, H, #G+L, *H, H Combo 47: H+S, H, H, #G+H, H, *H Combo 48: H+S, H, H, #G+H, H, #run+L Combo 49: H+S, H, H, #G+H, H, #L, L, H Combo 50: H+S, H, H, #G+H, H, #H, L, L, H Combo 51: H+S, H, H, #G+H, H, #H, H, H, H Combo 52: H+S, H, H, #G+H, H, #L, *H Combo 53: H+S, H, H, #G+H, H, #H, L, *H Combo 54: H+S, H, H, #G+H, H, #H, H, L, *H, H Combo 55: H+S, H, H, #G+H, H, #G+L, *H, H Combo 56: H+S, H, L, *H, H, #L, L Combo 57: G+L, *H, H, #L, L Combo 58: Jump, L, *H, H, #L, L Trick 1: L, *H, #H, H, L, *H, H Trick 2: L, *H, #H+S, H, L, *H, H Trick 3: L, *H, #H+S, H, H, #(a juggle from above) ________________________________________________________________________ 4.10 ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Special Combos: Combo 1: Meteorain, slight pause, Rune Blade Combo/Skull Break Combo 2: Climhazzard, Deathblow Combo 3: Omnislash, when Cloud stops glowing red, Braver ________________________________________________________________________ 4.11 ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Taunts: Impatience^ Direction+Start ________________________________________________________________________ Part 5: Strategy, Hints, Tips, and Comparisons/Contrastings ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ **Note: If you'd like to see strategies for other characters, see Mike Allen's Ehrgeiz Expert FAQ. :etoN** Cloud is not the best fighter in Ehrgeiz, but he can be used in such a way that would make him seem an above average character. Cloud doesn't have the most moves in the game, but has quite a lot (70+). ANYONE can match Cloud; he has a slow sword, so you should rarely use it, only when your opponent turns their back (their body appears to be blue), they can't Blade Catch or Counter, so do some damaging combo such as Cross-Slash. Otherwise, you'll have to resort to his mix-ups and counter hit juggles. Some of his best mix-ups are: LL; LH; L*H; LLH and similar attacks. Those would probably only work against some human opponents because the CPU blocks most attacks and most humans know when and how to block everything. Blocking is too easy. Okay, when your opponent is physically attacking you with high or middle level attacks and you're facing your opponent, don't push or hold anything, unless you're going to do a Counter. If your opponent attacks low, hold G. So, since you can see most attack coming at you, just do the appropriate attack. If your opponent is only going to do a high attack, then you can hold G to crouch and attack while crouching. When an opponent attacks you and it is successful, try blocking the rest of the attacks or Countering it, it depends on what attack(s) is done. If an opponent jumps at you and is about done through the jump, try running under the opponent and attack them as they are in the air or wait for them to land then attack them. _______________________________________ Time for some human strategy for Cloud: ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Okay, Cloud is a difficult person to use. But he has many skills, yet too many weaknesses. I guess it's about two strengths for every three weaknesses, or something similar to that. Do mix-ups like LL, LH, L*H, LLH, HLLH, HHL, and other stuff like that. You should use the Escape Back Kick (when running, Tap G, H), since it is quick, can't be Countered, and Cloud is out of range of the opponent after the attack is done. Use it when you are going to run towards your opponent to attack them. Or use it when you are pretty close to your opponent to dodge an attack (the Tap G part is the Fade-Away Dodge and you can push H anytime during the dodge) then push H when your are close to hit your opponent. If your opponent makes a mistake or is open for a while, you can do Zack's Shot (G+L, *H, H). It's quick, it's one of his best, if not his best, Just Frame attack. You can wiff the G+L if you think your opponent will block it. Or if your opponent is busy doing an attack and misses you, do Zack's Landing Shot (Jump, L, *H, H) to attack your opponent from the other side. Do juggles to take damage off of your opponents, but you should only use some of them as counter hits. After you knock down an opponent, you can step back, take out his sword, and wait for the opponent to turn their back. That's your signal to do Cross-Slash, so do it to take off a huge chunk of their power, but if your opponent is going to attack you, push G to put his sword away and either... A) Counter B) Run C) Attack or D) Jump and attack. I've decided not to put my very personal strategy for Cloud, people could read it and know my strategy, so they could counter it easily and I'll get lots of damage. But I'll tell you what I don't do...I don't use his sword unless I'm really desperate, spaz, or injure the human opponent. My basic strategy with Cloud is: Always be careful: ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Whenever using Cloud, watch out for your opponents' attacks. If you know you won't be able to block a certain attack that can be Countered, then Counter it. Always Blade Catch sword attacks to cause very little damage to your opponent, just to stop your opponent from attacking. Attack an opponent who misses you with a slow (or fast) attack that has some lag in between or after the attack. You can also do the Moonsault (when on higher elevation, H+L) and when your opponent jumps up to hit you, push H+L to attack them as they're jumping. Buster Sword: ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ I tell you what, never use his sword unless you want to be humuliated, you are a major "scrub," or you are fighting against a beginner who knows little to nothing whom purposely challenged you and you just happen to be using Cloud. But if you had to use the sword, always use Cross-Slash, Skull Break or Rune Blade Combo when your opponent's back is turned. You can even try Clim Mirage (moving, G+H, L) just to fake out your opponent ONCE, since they just might think you are going to do a different attack, but in the case of most players, they'll attack you right there while you are doing that slow start-up attack. Speed: ŻŻŻŻŻŻ NEVER use slow recovery attacks, they leave you open, and you are bound to lose a lot of power. IF you do use one of those attacks, it better be a very quick start-up attack that knocks your opponent back if they block, or don't, far away so you can't be countered easily. The Running G+H is an example, if your opponent blocks it and is not in a corner: they'll be knocked pretty far away so you have a chance to block; if they don't block: they'll be knocked down. Whenever you block an attack, or if your opponent misses you with an attack, counter it as quickly as possible. Use the HHHH attack, it takes about 20% on default settings, is quick, and your opponent can't block if one of the hits are executed on the opponent, the only thing they can do is Counter. ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Cloud is a character not for beginners. It is for professionals or intermediate players looking to become professionals. Cloud isn't the hardest character to master, but it isn't very easy. You can check the Expert FAQ in the Character Rankings section for character rankings. If you want to do some difficult and/or dangerous combo, you should dizzy your opponent first. Try the Throw from the front of your opponent and push HHH or LLL. You can also mix-up the HHH and LLL together to hit different parts of the opponent's body, but it won't dizzy the opponent, usually. It seems HHH has a more success rate of dizzying your opponent, though, than LLL. To dizzy your opponent, you just have to hit them with the same thing three times in a certain period of time. You can grab the opponent and push H once, then grab again and push H twice, then your opponent will be dizzy. Anyway, you can do that combo you want to do after your opponent is dizzy. Here's a little odd cruel trick: okay, if you or your opponent breaks a box, and there is a Special Weapon, which there will most likely be in anyway, you can pick it up (just by running into it), then when your opponent is chasing your and/or is going to attack you, you can push G to drop the Weapon and if your opponent accidentally runs into it, and picks it up, your opponent will be temporarily busy picking it up, so you'll have some time to do a damaging combo...heh heh heh :) . _________ Juggling: ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ As you can see in the Combos section, currently, there are 55 juggles and three regular combos in there. Cloud has some good juggling, but some of them are better when used as counter hits because if it's a launcher, they'll be knocked into the air much higher. Juggles are usually best when you're very close to your opponent and away from a wall and you're keeping them there, but some juggles require the wall. The juggles don't work very well against heavyweighters. Heavyweighters fall down too quickly, but some juggles work better on them than other characters - juggles usually work well against medium and lightweight characters. You should try the Soldier Knee (H+L), then do some juggling. But what's even better is the Shinra Chain Wheel (H+S, H, H), it launches them even higher. Then, you can hit them with the knee (or G+H, H), then juggle them for even more hits. There are many different things you can do. With the juggling, you can deal your opponent some easy damage, if you can actually do it. ________________________________________________________________________ Beating the CPU is easy, just knock them down with a fast recovery attack, then step back a little and keep doing the Skull Break. You may have to move back a lot, if you do, then do the Rune Blade Combo, which is exactly the same thing as Skull Break, except you rush in with H+L. That's all it is to it. Call it...the "Death Trap." If the CPU opponent is just wasting time and standing there, then knock it down and start doing the Skull Break. Cloud is somewhat extraordinary. His sword has the farthest reach in the game (except projectiles, they can go almost anywhere) plus his sword is taller than his opponents are, and he has the quickest recovery time for Special Attacks, for most of them. So, if you want to have some fun bashing and slaughtering beginners, if you are good, Cloud is one of the people to choose. :) ________________________________________________________________________ =+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ *******************************READ!!!!!!******************************* Since I know many people are misusing the Death Trap, I must ask you guys to stop doing that! You shouldn't use it when playing against a human opponent! Use it when playing against the CPU, not humans! It's just to beat the CPU an easier way to get a high score. When you play against a human opponent, it's VERY EASY to Counter or Blade Catch his attacks, unless you're playing against a spazzer (the word "scrub" has been excluded from usage). But you probably won't listen to me, anyway, will you? If you don't, you'll lose! If you want to use it against a human opponent, go ahead, and when you lose, well...too bad. You can't justify I didn't tell you. *******************************!!!!!!DAER******************************* +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ _________________________ Comparisons/Contrastings: ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Cloud and Sasuke are pretty similar. First of all, Cloud has Climhazzard, while Sasuke has Cutting Rage. Those two moves are similar. Cloud slices into the opponent's body, stunning them, then does a low slash upwards to cause the opponent to fly into the air. With Sasuke, the Cutting Rage, he also slices into the opponent's body to stun them and then slashes them up into the air. That's a similarity. Also, with throws. They both have suplexes and things like that. Also, they both have a slide. And, of course, they both have a sword that can be lethal. And they both have a sword attack when their Special Gauge is out. But Sasuke is faster and has better juggles and moves. Sasuke and Cloud, they have many similar attacks, Special or not. Cloud, he...isn't easy to use if you don't know how to mix-up, juggle, counter attack, Counter, Blade Catch, Flip Out, and all of those other basic moves. Sephiroth has some pretty slow attacks, but his sword is very quick. I've played Sephiroth a few times, and well...I tried to do some combos with him, but he was too slow for me. I hear people boasting about Sephiroth, and not just about his sword, and, well, he is pretty good with his physical attacks, it's stronger, so that's why it's a little slower. Actually, Sephiroth's physical attacks aren't really stronger, they are just slower, don't stun as long, and some single attacks stun the opponent really long, but are pretty weak. You can compare the Original Damage of Cloud's attacks with Sephiroth's. You should see it. Most of their attacks are the same strength, except for some attacks in the middle of Basic Attacks. So really, Cloud is better with his physical attacks, but Sephiroth is better with his sword attacks. Also, many people think they're very good, and some of them really are, but a lot of them aren't and can be beaten easily; I'm not one of the really good people, yet, but it is a fact some people brag without their skills backing them up. Actually, now that I've tested out Sephiroth, he is pretty good. He IS easier to use than Cloud, but I still prefer to use Cloud over Sephiroth. Anyway, Sephiroth has a manual rising uppercut, so it's easier to execute instead of using a Just Frame attack for Cloud. But it is also easier to counter. Sephiroth's only good launcher is the rising uppercut, as for the knee, his recovery time is too slow so you can't do as much as you could with Cloud. Sephiroth has some interesting moves which are pretty useful. Anyway, expect a FAQ by me on Sephiroth in the future sometime. Sasuke has one very deadly juggle, but what your preference is, is what your preference is. Sephiroth's sword attacks are very good and quick, but I think some of them have a pretty slow recovery time, he kind of retreats for some of his attacks, but that can be a good or bad thing. Sure, Cloud is good, but of course, you have to know how to use him well...like me! ^_^' The strategies for Cloud probably do not apply to Sephiroth, since he doesn't have all of the moves Cloud has and is also barely slower than him. How shameful... -_-' ________________________________________________________________________ Part 6: Move Analysis ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ In this section, I shall rate every move I know Cloud has. On a scale of 1-10, the rating is the level of effectiveness. 10 being the most useful, and 1 being almost useless. Name and Input |Hit Level Rating |Original Damage ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ 6.1 Basic Attacks: Soldier Jab: H |H 8 |10 Good for starting mix-ups like HL, HHHH, HL*H, etc. ________________________________________________________________________ Soldier High Low (rH): H, L |H, L 9 |10, 10 Good for some juggling to an extent. It's pretty quick. ________________________________________________________________________ Soldier Chain: H, H, L |H, H, L 8 |10, 10, 15 Good for doing a Just Frame: HHL*HH ________________________________________________________________________ Shinra Chain Disrupt: H, H, H, H |H, H, M, M 9 |10, 10, 10, 15 Good for juggling after launching the opponent. If you hit the opponent with one of the hits, keep pushing H and it will count as a combo, so your opponent can't block or anything, except Counter, unless you miss with one of the attacks. ________________________________________________________________________ Shinra Chain KxK: H, L, L, H |H, L, L, H 8 |10, 10, 12, 20 Somewhat better for juggling than the Shinra Chain Disrupt. ________________________________________________________________________ Soldier Knee%: H+L |H 7 |10 Good for counter hits and launching. ________________________________________________________________________ Soldier Elbow: H+L+S |M 7 |12 Slow start-up, but overall, pretty strong, good for juggling. ________________________________________________________________________ Disrupt Shot: H+L+S, H |M, M 8 |12, 20 If you want to continue juggling after the first H+L+S, you have to have a slight pause, then push H. Once the first hit connects, the other hits always connect. ________________________________________________________________________ Soldier Hook: H+S |M 8 |18 Useful for counter hits and beginning the launch. ________________________________________________________________________ Shinra Chain Wheel: H+S, H, H |M, M, M 8 |18, 15, 25 Very good for launching. ________________________________________________________________________ Shinra Genesis Chain: H+S, H, L |M, M, L 7 |18, 15, 20 Use as a mix-up to surprise your opponent. ________________________________________________________________________ Soldier Low Kick (rH): L |L 7 |10 Can hit a semi-juggled opponent with this and do the second L. Good to start mix-ups. ________________________________________________________________________ Soldier Double Low: L, L |L, L 8 |10, 12 Good for semi-juggling. ________________________________________________________________________ Soldier Original: L, L, H |L, L, H 8 |10, 12, 20 Good for juggling. The H can be widely delayed to surprise your opponent. ________________________________________________________________________ Shinra Needle: L+S |L 8 |12 You can do this while running, you can also do it for semi-juggling. Also, you can do this when your opponent is on the ground as soon as your opponent it getting up and you might hit him/her, it depends what your opponent does. ________________________________________________________________________ Soldier High Kick (wA): G+H |M 7 |12 Sometimes good for starting a juggle. ________________________________________________________________________ Soldier Double High Kick^: G+H, H |M, M 8 |12, 15 Same as above, but after that, you can do the Just Frame attack: G+H, H, *H. ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 6.2 Executed Attacks: Soldier Feint Right: QCF+H |M 5 |20 Good for psyching your opponent, for a few tries. You can also use it to attack an opponent on the ground. ________________________________________________________________________ Soldier Feint Left: QCB+H |M 5 |20 Same as above. ________________________________________________________________________ Soldier Front Kick^: rising H |M 5 |16 To do this attack, you HAVE to push H when rising after certain Low attacks since this is a rising attack, otherwise it won't work. To do this manually, when your character is fully crouched, release G then push H right afterwards. There has to be little delay time. You can use this to psych out your opponent. This attack has a very quick start-up, but somewhat slow recovery time. ________________________________________________________________________ Moonsault%: H+L (overhead position) |UM 6 |20 A wonderful attack. If your opponent isn't running around crazily, then this attack will hit them. You can also do it when your opponent jumps to attack you. ________________________________________________________________________ Low Spin Kick (wA): FC, L/G+L |L 6 |15 Just use it for the Just Frame attack, wiff this attack then do the Just Frame. ________________________________________________________________________ Mako Punch: Step, then L, H |M 7 |20 Charges forward and does a punch, you can sidestep then do it to attack the opponent. ________________________________________________________________________ Zack's Kick (rA): H (getting up) |M 3 |10 Quick spinning back kick when getting up. It usually knocks the opponent down and is quick, but if missed, well, basically, you'll get hurt. ________________________________________________________________________ Kaiten Ashibarai^ (rA): L (getting up) |L 3 |10 It's just a Low Spin Kick, do it when you are getting up. ________________________________________________________________________ Head Spring%: H+L (when getting up) |M 3 |10 **NOTE: Occurs when opponent is away from your feet when you are on the ground.** He flips up and can hit the opponent if they are close enough. ________________________________________________________________________ Rotational Kick: H+L (when getting up) |L 3 |10 **NOTE: Occurs when your opponent is away from your head when you are on the ground.** He does a kick similar to a windmill (breakdancing technique). ________________________________________________________________________ Soldier Flip^%: G+L+S |M 5 |23 Can be useful to end combos. You can just hold G and push L+S. ________________________________________________________________________ Soldier Axe Kick^%: G+H+S |M 5 |15 Somewhat good attack. You can just hold G and push H+S. ________________________________________________________________________ Jumping Turn (Side) Kick^&: Jump, H |M 8 |18 It's a jumping spinning back kick. Has good air advantage, use to attack jumping opponents. ________________________________________________________________________ Landing Shinra Needle^: Jump, almost land, H |L 6 |20 It's just the Shinra Needle. You just push H when Cloud is going to almost land. It does knock the opponent down. ________________________________________________________________________ Landing Low Spin Kick^: Jump, L |L 8 |15 Use this to jump over opponents and hit them when they're shocked. ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 6.3 Executed Running Attacks: Escape Back Kick%: Tap G, H |M 9 |20 It's quick, can't be Countered, and after the attack, Cloud backs up plenty, so you can't be attacked easily, but you can be attacked while attacking. You can also say "push H during a Fade-Away dodge." ________________________________________________________________________ Air Slash%: H |H 1 |23 Slow and useless. ________________________________________________________________________ Soldier Needle: G+H |M 9 |18 This attack has a lot of range, so use the full range so you cannot be countered. It's a spinning back kick when running. If blocked: your opponent can't counter attack easily; if not blocked and your opponent is hit by it: they are knocked back far enough to not be able to hit you. ________________________________________________________________________ Slide Buster: L |L 2 |10 Good to get an extra hit on a grounded opponent. If blocked, your opponent can counter for easy damage. ________________________________________________________________________ Soldier Tackle%: H+L |M 2 |20 Like above. ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 6.4 Just Frame Attacks: Shinra Front: L, *H |L, M 7 |10, 16 Push last Just Frame H after you hear the collision sound, but don't delay too much, or push the H after Cloud is done yelling. ________________________________________________________________________ Cold Chain: H, L, *H |H, L, M 7 |10, 10, 16 Like Shinra Front. ________________________________________________________________________ Zack's Chain: H, H, L, *H, H |H, H, L, M, M 8 |10, 10, 15, 20, 25 Like above. Can do quite a lot of damage. ________________________________________________________________________ Shinra Chain Alpha: H+S, H, L, *H, H |M, M, L, M, M 8 |18, 15, 20, 20, 25 You push H after the L hits. Does more damage than the above. ________________________________________________________________________ Shinra Chain Beta: G+H, H, *H |H, H, M 8 |12, 15, 25 You push the Just Frame H just as the first H hits your opponent, this can be done blocking or not. Or you can say just as Cloud is done yelling, push H. ________________________________________________________________________ Zack's Shot: FC then L/(G)+L, *H, H |L, M, M 7 |15, 20, 25 Like Zack's Chain. ________________________________________________________________________ Zack's Landing Shot^: Jump, L, *H, H |L, M, M 9 |15, 20, 25 Like Shinra Chain Alpha. ________________________________________________________________________ Cross-Slash (Limit Level 1A): H+L, H, H, *H |UM, UM, UM 6 |15, 15, 20 You push the Just Frame H after you hear the collision sound from the H before the Just Frame H. **NOTE: You can only do Cross-Slash when the sword is unsheathed; for Cross-Slash's Hit Level, it's only for Cross-Slash, not the first two slashes of Sephiroth Combo Incomplete, otherwise it'd be UM x5.** With several powerful slashes, Cloud causes massive damage to any opponent. If the opponent survives the attack, he/she is temporarily paralyzed. When you push H after the *, the Cross Slash sign appears and he does Cross Slash (three hits) and does cause massive damage, and the opponent is temporarily stunned (on the ground, that is). ________________________________________________________________________ These Just Frame Attacks are useful, especially if you are able to get the first hit(s) off on your opponent. Or you wiff the first attack(s) then do the Just Frame attacks. ________________________________________________________________________ 6.5 Running Against Wall Soldier Elbow Drop^%: H |UM 6 |20 ________________________________________________________________________ Triangle Slide Kick^%: L |UL 6 |15 ________________________________________________________________________ Soldier Flip 2^%: H+L |M 6 |20 ________________________________________________________________________ These Running Against Wall attacks are useful if your opponent is tailing you. ________________________________________________________________________ 6.6 Executed Throws: Crescent Suplex%: G+H+L (in front of opponent) 7 |N/A ________________________________________________________________________ Crescent Dive%: G+H+L, hold L (in front of opponent) 7 |N/A ________________________________________________________________________ Crescent Slash Dive^%: G+H+L, hold H (in front of opponent) 7 |N/A ________________________________________________________________________ Waist Suplex%: G+H+L (left side of opponent) 7 |N/A ________________________________________________________________________ Neck Fall%: G+H+L (right side of opponent) 7 |N/A ________________________________________________________________________ Manhattan Suplex%: G+H+L (behind opponent) 7 |N/A ________________________________________________________________________ Soldier Grasp^ (front): G+H+L, then: 8 - H, H, H: Face Punch x3, Stun (sometimes dizzies) |10, 10, 14 - L, L, L: Hold Kick x3, Stun (sometimes dizzies) |12, 12, 12 - Rope Throw: Push opponent in direction being held You should push either HHH or LLL for a better chance of dizzying, if you mix-up the HHH and LLL (like HLH or something like that), it usually doesn't dizzy the opponent. The Rope Throw is useless, basically, it can be broken out of relatively easily, and is only good if you are near a wall to throw your opponent into. ________________________________________________________________________ Soldier Takedown^%: When running, G+H+L, tap L/H rapidly 7 |10 each hit (including takedown) H/L repeatedly (max. 3 hits), hits opponent's face, then Leg Toss; hold H/L, Rolling Leg Toss; release all buttons, Leg Toss; Unblockable The maximum hits during the Takedown is three. If you are not pushing any buttons when you do the Takedown, you'll do the Rolling Leg Toss. If you hold H or L, you'll do a roll-over. ________________________________________________________________________ Omnislash (front): 360+G+H+L (sword sheathed) 7 since it usually hits as a combo: |7, 5, 4, 3, 3, 6, 5, 6, 5, 4, 30 The True Original Damage: |7, 7, 5, 4, 4, 8, 7, 8, 7, 5, 30 All of the slashes are Unblockable Middle attacks. Cloud assaults his opponent with a long series of powerful sword attacks. When this is used against an opponent, it is an extremely powerful attack. If done in the correct area, this can nearly kill your opponent even if they have a full power bar. This hits up to 15 times, if you've never seen it, then you got to try it. It looks very cool. Yes, that's right, 7. It can be Blade Catched. To do Omnislash in an easier manner, hold G and rotate the joystick 270° very quickly then push and hold H+L while still holding G; must be up close to your opponent in order to execute. You should hold the buttons until Cloud, or Zack, does Omnislash just to be safe. If you miss the Special Throw, you know you did it right if your character stumbles and lunges forward. Omnislash is also possible to break out of. No matter what, when Omnislash is done on you, you have little chances of running away, even if Cloud misses a few hits and you have the chance to move out of the way, you still get followed and you shall most likely be hit by one of the slashes of Omnislash. You'll have to resort to Blade Catches, but you can only do it on certain slashes, such as the first slash, the sixth slash, the eighth, the 10th, or something like that because certain slashes make a combo. You can Counter it. Here's a little chart what slashes of Omnislash you can Blade Catch (shown by a "Blade Catch"): 1 Blade Catch 2 3 4 5 6 Blade Catch 7 8 Blade Catch 9 10 11 Blade Catch Actually, you can Blade Catch all of the slashes, but only if the slash before it misses, or it's the beginning of a combo. ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ All of the throws here are rated 7, which means they're okay. There's a chance your opponent can break out of the throw at some point(s). The Soldier Grab is better, since it can dizzy your opponent to set them up for a combo. And, of course, Omnislash is also very possible to get out of, possibly even easier than a regular throw. ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 6.7 Special Attacks: Sword Stance: S (Draws Sword) |N/A N/A ________________________________________________________________________ Sheath Sword^: G (Puts sword away) |N/A N/A ________________________________________________________________________ Deathblow^: Jump, S |UM 6 |20 When you are executing this, the sword must be sheathed. This is very useful. Use it wisely and it can be of great use to you. This can be used to start the Death Trap. This can also be used to escape from your opponent when you are in a corner. ________________________________________________________________________ Braver (Limit Level 1A): H+L, G+H |UM 8 |20 Cloud performs a leaping chop that splits a single opponent in two. This is usually your best Level 1 Limit Break. It's quick. ________________________________________________________________________ Cross-Slash (Limit Level 1B): (see Just Frame attacks) 8 ________________________________________________________________________ Climhazzard (Limit Level 2B): G+H, H |UM, UM 7 |30, 20 You can only do this while you are moving. Cloud skewers a single enemy and then hits the opponent high into the air to cause greater damage. This is best used when your opponent's guard is down. ________________________________________________________________________ Meteorain (Limit Level 3A)%: S (3 seconds) |N/A x3 6 |20, 20, 20 (as a combo: 20, 16, 15) While leaping into the air, Cloud unleashes a barrage of meteors upon the opponent causing up to three separate hits. This is actually best used when your opponent cannot dodge this, or if they are running away. Also good to fake out your opponent. ________________________________________________________________________ Omnislash (Limit Level 4): (see Executed Throws) 7 ________________________________________________________________________ Shinra Single Slash: H |UM 6 |20 Useless, too easy to Blade Catch. ________________________________________________________________________ Buster Sword Chain: H, H, H |UM, UM, UM 6 |20, 20, 20 Useless, too easy to Blade Catch. ________________________________________________________________________ Shinra Low Slash: L |UL 7 |20 It's average. ________________________________________________________________________ Skull Break: L, L, L |UL, UL, UL 7 |20, 20, 20 It's okay. I'd only use it when the opponent's guard is down or the opponent doesn't know how to Blade Catch or Counter. ________________________________________________________________________ Sephiroth Combo Incomplete: H+L, H, H, H |UM, UM, UM 6 |20, 20, 25 Be careful when you do this, H+L is the starter for Braver so he'll rush forward then start the attack when you push H. The slashes in this combo are really slices Sephiroth would do, and Cloud doesn't have a Masamune, so he slices as if his sword were like a Masamune, except he uses two hands and takes a lot of strength to execute. That is why the real name of this attack is Sephiroth Combo Incomplete, while Sephiroth's Sephiroth Combo is called Sephiroth Combo Complete. Useless except when your opponent's guard is down, and you only do the first two slashes then proceed to do Cross-Slash. ________________________________________________________________________ Rune Blade Combo: H+L, L, L, L |UL, UL, UL 7 |20, 20, 20 Just a rush-in Skull Break. ________________________________________________________________________ Butterfly Edge: G+H, H, H |UM, UM, UM 7 |20, 20, 25 Useless, too easy to Blade Catch, albeit it's quicker than most other Sword Techniques. ________________________________________________________________________ Clim Slash: G+H |UM 3 |30 Only good to start Climhazzard. ________________________________________________________________________ Clim Mirage%: G+H, L |UL 3 |20 Almost useless, except to fake out your opponent once. ________________________________________________________________________ Shinra Beta Slash: S |UM 3 |15 Push S when your Special Gauge is empty. All Cloud does is raise the sword above his head, do some movements and slash. It's Clim Slash, except weaker. ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 6.8 Launchers: Soldier Knee%: H+L |H 7 |10 ________________________________________________________________________ Shinra Chain Wheel: H+S, H, H |M, M, M 8 |18, 15, 25 ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 6.9 Combos: #Different move 55 Juggles, three combos, and three Mix-Up-like Tricks: ________________________________________________________________________ Combo 1: H+L, #run+L/L+S 9 ________________________________________________________________________ Combo 2: H+L, #L, L, H 9 ________________________________________________________________________ Combo 3: H+L, #H, L, L, H 9 ________________________________________________________________________ Combo 4: H+L, #H, H, H, H 9 ________________________________________________________________________ Combo 5: H+L, #H+L+S, H 9 ________________________________________________________________________ Combo 6: H+L, #L, *H 9 ________________________________________________________________________ Combo 7: H+L, #H, L, *H 9 ________________________________________________________________________ Combo 8: H+L, #H, H, L, *H, H 9 ________________________________________________________________________ Combo 9: H+L, #G+L, *H, H 9 ________________________________________________________________________ Combo 10: H+L, #G+H, H, *H 9 ________________________________________________________________________ Combo 11: H+L, #G+H, H, #run+L/G+L+S/L+S 9 ________________________________________________________________________ Combo 12: H+L, #G+H, H, #L, L, H 9 ________________________________________________________________________ Combo 13: H+L, #G+H, H, #H, L, L, H 9 ________________________________________________________________________ Combo 14: H+L, #G+H, H, #H, H, H, H 9 ________________________________________________________________________ Combo 15: H+L, #G+H, H, #H+L+S, H 9 ________________________________________________________________________ Combo 16: H+L, #G+H, H, #L, *H 9 ________________________________________________________________________ Combo 17: H+L, #G+H, H, #H, L, *H 9 ________________________________________________________________________ Combo 18: H+L, #G+H, H, #H, H, L, *H, H 9 ________________________________________________________________________ Combo 19: H+L, #G+H, H, #G+L, *H, H 9 ________________________________________________________________________ Combo 20: H+S, H, H, #run+L/G+L+S/L+S 9 ________________________________________________________________________ Combo 21: H+S, H, H, #L, L, H 9 ________________________________________________________________________ Combo 22: H+S, H, H, #H, L, L, H 9 ________________________________________________________________________ Combo 23: H+S, H, H, #H, H, H, H 9 ________________________________________________________________________ Combo 24: H+S, H, H, #H+L+S, H 9 ________________________________________________________________________ Combo 25: H+S, H, H, #L, *H 9 ________________________________________________________________________ Combo 26: H+S, H, H, #H, L, *H 9 ________________________________________________________________________ Combo 27: H+S, H, H, #H, H, L, *H, H 9 ________________________________________________________________________ Combo 28: H+S, H, H, #G+L, *H, H 9 ________________________________________________________________________ Combo 29: H+S, H, H, #H+L, #run+L 9 ________________________________________________________________________ Combo 30: H+S, H, H, #H+L, #L, L, H 9 ________________________________________________________________________ Combo 31: H+S, H, H, #H+L, #H, L, L, H 9 ________________________________________________________________________ Combo 32: H+S, H, H, #H+L, #H, H, H, H 9 ________________________________________________________________________ Combo 33: H+S, H, H, #H+L, #L, *H 9 ________________________________________________________________________ Combo 34: H+S, H, H, #H+L, #H, L, *H 9 ________________________________________________________________________ Combo 35: H+S, H, H, #H+L, #H, H, L, *H, H 9 ________________________________________________________________________ Combo 36: H+S, H, H, #H+L, #G+L, *H, H 9 ________________________________________________________________________ Combo 37: H+S, H, H, #H+L, #G+H, H, *H 9 ________________________________________________________________________ Combo 38: H+S, H, H, #H+L, #G+H, H, #run+L/G+L+S/L+S 9 ________________________________________________________________________ Combo 39: H+S, H, H, #H+L, #G+H, H, #L, L, H 9 ________________________________________________________________________ Combo 40: H+S, H, H, #H+L, #G+H, H, #H, L, L, H 9 ________________________________________________________________________ Combo 41: H+S, H, H, #H+L, #G+H, H, #H, H, H, H 9 ________________________________________________________________________ Combo 42: H+S, H, H, #H+L, #G+H, H, #H+L+S, H 9 ________________________________________________________________________ Combo 43: H+S, H, H, #H+L, #G+H, H, #L, *H 9 ________________________________________________________________________ Combo 44: H+S, H, H, #H+L, #G+H, H, #H, L, *H 9 ________________________________________________________________________ Combo 45: H+S, H, H, #H+L, #G+H, H, #H, H, L, *H, H 9 ________________________________________________________________________ Combo 46: H+S, H, H, #H+L, #G+H, H, #G+L, *H, H 9 ________________________________________________________________________ Combo 47: H+S, H, H, #G+H, H, *H 9 ________________________________________________________________________ Combo 48: H+S, H, H, #G+H, H, #run+L 9 ________________________________________________________________________ Combo 49: H+S, H, H, #G+H, H, #L, L, H 9 ________________________________________________________________________ Combo 50: H+S, H, H, #G+H, H, #H, L, L, H 9 ________________________________________________________________________ Combo 51: H+S, H, H, #G+H, H, #H, H, H, H 9 ________________________________________________________________________ Combo 52: H+S, H, H, #G+H, H, #L, *H 9 ________________________________________________________________________ Combo 53: H+S, H, H, #G+H, H, #H, L, *H 9 ________________________________________________________________________ Combo 54: H+S, H, H, #G+H, H, #H, H, L, *H, H 9 ________________________________________________________________________ Combo 55: H+S, H, H, #G+H, H, #G+L, *H, H 9 ________________________________________________________________________ Combo 56: H+S, H, L, *H, H, #L, L 8 ________________________________________________________________________ Combo 57: G+L, *H, H, #L, L 8 ________________________________________________________________________ Combo 58: Jump, L, *H, H, #L, L 8 ________________________________________________________________________ Trick 1: L, *H, #H, H, L, *H, H, #run+L 7 ________________________________________________________________________ Trick 2: L, *H, #H+S, H, L, *H, H, #run+L 7 ________________________________________________________________________ Trick 3: L, *H, #H+S, H, H, #(a juggle from above) 7 ________________________________________________________________________ All of the Combos can be useful if you use it correctly. But if not, then too bad. Okay, now, here's a chart to show which juggles work on which character types and the circumstance to doing it (only juggle number): Terms: none: no "special" circumstance counter: must use as a counter hit wall: _should_ use against wall no wall: _shouldn't_ use against wall N/A: can't do # Lightweight Mediumweight Heavyweight Best Against... ŻŻ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ 1 none none none All 2 no wall no wall no wall All 3 none none none Heavy 4 none none none Heavy 5 counter counter counter All 6 none none none All 7 none none none All 8 none none none Heavy 9 counter counter N/A All Available 10 none counter counter All 11 none counter counter All 12 none counter counter All 13 none counter counter Light 14 none wall counter All 15 none N/A N/A Light 16 none counter counter All 17 none counter counter Light 18 none counter counter Light 19 none counter counter Light 20 none none none All 21 none none none All 22 none none none Heavy 23 none none none All 24 none none none All 25 none none none All 26 none none none Heavy 27 none none none All 28 none none none All 29 none none none All 30 none none none All 31 none none none All 32 none none none All 33 none none none All 34 none none none All 35 none none none All 36 none none none All 37 none none none All 38 none none none All 39 none none none All 40 none none none All 41 none none none All 42 none none none All 43 none none none All 44 none none none All 45 none none none All 46 none none none All 47 wall wall none Heavy 48 wall wall none Heavy 49 wall wall none Heavy 50 wall wall none Heavy 51 wall wall none Heavy 52 wall wall none Heavy 53 wall wall none Heavy 54 wall wall none Heavy 55 wall wall none Heavy ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 6.10 Special Combos: Combo 1: Meteorain, slight pause, Skull Break 6 ________________________________________________________________________ Combo 2: Climhazzard, Deathblow 7 ________________________________________________________________________ Combo 3: Omnislash, when Cloud stops glowing red, Braver 7 ________________________________________________________________________ All of these Custom-Made Specials are okay because they are Specials so they can't be blocked, but their weaknesses are the Blade Catch and Counters, if possible. Of Combo 1, the weakness is Meteorain, it's too hard to do that and actually hit your opponent to do the Skull Break or Rune Blade Combo. ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 6.11 Taunts Impatience^: Direction+Start ________________________________________________________________________ You may have noticed no attacks were rated 10, that's because any person's attacks has one or more weaknesses. ________________________________________________________________________ Part 7: Cloud VS. CPU & Person Guide ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ I have no real strategies against humans, but...I'll include it here somewhere. If you wanna see some real strategy, see Mike's Ehrgeiz Expert FAQ...VERY in-depth, if it wasn't for his FAQ, I wouldn't be practicing again! The first part about the Death Trap is for the CPU, the second paragraph, if there is one, is little human strategy, as I said earlier, READ the Expert FAQ, if you want to learn how to play [better]! One general thing about humans is to prevent them from throwing you, if they do throw you, try to break out. VS Inoba: Just do the Death Trap. (Do a Deathblow and keep doing the Skull Break or Butterfly Edge repeatedly; I do it another way more efficient). Watch out for his Special Throw and his mix-ups. He can do some major damage. Some of his attacks are quick but may have a pretty slow recovery time, so if you block them, you can attack right afterwards. VS Jo: Just trap her in a corner and do the Death Trap. She's quick, so if she turns into a wolf, run+L or Jump, L. She has some nasty mix-ups, juggles, and other stuff, so watch what you're doing, otherwise you'll get hurt. Her Wolf-changing is an invincible counter hit at the beginning of transformation. VS Godhand: Just start the match with a Slide Buster or a Soldier Tackle and do the Death Trap. Better do it early or he'll run away. If he gets away, just do a Moonsault, Meteorain, or jump down with a Deathblow and start the Death Trap. He tends to shoot a lot. He has the rising uppercut, so if he hits you with that, Flip Out as early as possible, otherwise, he'll juggle you for some major pain. He has many quality attacks. Watch out for his Rolling Set Mine, it's much quicker than the regular Set Mine, and he rolls away from it, so he can roll by you, set it, and blow it up when you are trying to hit him. VS Shuwen: Do the Death Trap. If he gets away, run and do Meteorain or follow him and knock him down. Do the Death Trap afterwards. Watch out for his spear. If he hits you with one of his attacks, try Countering it. If you don't, he'll make you lose a lot of power. His regular basic attacks suck, they're slow in many ways, but since they are slow, he might be able to attack you when you are trying to counter. VS Yoko: Keep some distance and do a Deathblow. Do Sword Stance (Draw Sword) and keep your distance until she gets up, she will most likely to a Get- Up Attack (H), then start the Death Trap. Her Yo-Yo sucks, so don't worry too much about it. She can do many mix-ups to hurt you, then she can launch you and do a crazy juggle which makes you lose over 40% of your power or so. VS Naseem: Keyword: Death Trap. If you stay in one place and turtle, he shall throw you and do all sorts of combos on you. And if you run away, he shoots that Special projectile of his. He has too many good attacks at first, but some of his attacks are almost useless, so he can trick you all day and cause you to lose lots of power. He has extended links and stuff for his attacks, so either block and counter in between, or...just Counter. Watch out for his fireball. He can also juggle you for lots of loss of power. VS Han: Note: Death Trap. Same as Naseem, except Han's Special projectile is much slower. Also, his kicks are high, so, if he does some high attacks, get him when he's recovering or in the middle of the attack(s). VS Sasuke: Now, this can be pretty hard. But do the Death Trap. Alright, watch out for his jumping special, if he hits you with it, it'll dizzy you then he could do some crazy attacks which makes you lose too much power. Watch out for his HHH, HHL, HHHLH attacks, he can use those to mix-up and attack.. VS Guardian (Cloud): Death Trap? Yep, but he's somewhat HARD. Anyway, just like Cloud, (duh!) he is Cloud, he has good juggles, mix- ups, and other stuff. He can make you lose power, if the player is good with him. But once he pulls his sword out, attack with a jumping L or even H. If he does a Deathblow, then run away or run under him when he is about halfway to the ground then attack him, or even juggle him. You shouldn't worry too much about him. VS Summoner (Tifa): Heh. Hard. Try to do the Death Trap. Well, here goes nothing: she is very good at her wake-up games, so if she knocks you down, well, you can try the limited invincibility get-up or try a quick flip-up get-up, not the attack, jump, or run! Her running HHH is deadly, so...be careful, if she attacks you with it, Flip Out as early as possible, if you block it, counter after the first or second hit. She has many good juggles and mix-ups, so don't try to get hit by one. VS Django: Easier than Cloud and Tifa. DO NOT try to a Death Trap. Django can't even block, ha ha ha! Start with a Slide Buster or something else that knocks him down and move back a little bit. Since you are not close enough for Django to do the Knights of the Round Dive (when Django rolls repeatedly in the air), then do a Sword Stance and knock him down with a quick combo. Sheath Sword, move back a little bit, if he does a Knights of the Round Dive attack, just take out Cloud's sword and attack him with high attacks while he is in the air and Sheath Sword. Just keep doing that pattern.. Here's another way to beat the CPU: Go in that corner in the bottom of the place, after you go in, hold Guard and wait for Django to jump down. Let go of G and push L infinitely. You'll hit him repeatedly with the Soldier Double Low. If you knock him down with an attack and keep doing the Soldier Double Low, you could juggle him for many hits. VS Red Scorpion (AKA "?"): EASY! Just break those two boxes containing those knives and throw them at him. The easiest way to knock down the boxes is to do G+H+S. Break the boxes by throwing (or hitting) them at him and throw the knives at him. After you hit him with the knives, he dies, get all the items (including Han's leg) and then get the Ehrgeiz that falls into the center of the arena. See the ending and see the "After getting Ehrgeiz" text and celebrate (maybe). You can't really use Red Scorpion (known as "?") unless you use a GameShark code in the PSX version. But if you do fight against someone who does use a GameShark code, choose a stage with boxes, so you can break them and throw the weapons at Red Scorpion. PSX Characters: VS Sephiroth: Similar to Cloud, but Sephiroth's sword is much faster, but weaker, and his physical attacks are stronger, but just a tiny wee-bit slower for some of his attacks. VS Vincent: Same as Godhand, but some of his Vincent's attacks are shorter or longer. Also, Vincent Jump, S is a shooting one, not a grenade like Godhand's. VS Yuffie: Same as Sasuke, except Yuffie has a few different attacks, but she still has the Smoke Bomb to dizzy you then damage you for a lot of damage. VS Koji: Watch out for his S Throw, it's cheap, quick, and does a lot of damage. If he does the Running Tackle in an attack (...L, H), the H would be the Running Tackle, push G just before the Running Tackle hits, like a Counter or Blade Catch. He has some ground attacks, but if you are quick, it won't be much of a threat. VS Clair: I don't know much about her. But she has some good attacks, and she's good at her wake-up games. Also, watch out for her Special, she can fake you out with it if you try to jump to dodge it. If you do do that, she can charge it and hit you when you come down. VS Zack: Same as Cloud. VS Rio (Character Modifier GameShark Code): Same as Django. Rio is a big dog/wolf that can be seen in the Arcade version of Ehrgeiz. Just don't bother the game (or truly beat the game, I forgot) after a while and you'll see Jo (wolf form) and this big dog, Rio, chasing each other around in Naseem's stage. ________________________________________________________________________ Part 8: Plot/Storyline ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Fifty years ago, a mysterious weapon constructed from an unknown material was discovered in the remains of an ancient German castle. The blade of the sword was broken, and a mysterious stone was set in its handle. That mysterious stone was a "Materia." The weapon came to be known as "Ehrgeiz" and became the name and symbol of a tournament, which would decide the world's greatest fighter. The sword was presented to the champion as a trophy. Meanwhile, a secret excavation of a Middle Eastern desert ruin was ordered by a particular organization called "Red Scorpion". It was rumored the ruins contained the secret of immortality. As a front, Red Scorpion claimed to be an international organization established to protect international archaeological treasures and ruins. In reality, it is a weapons manufacturer collaborating to develop bio-weapons. They hope to rediscover and use the technology founded by hyper-ancient cultures. After months of excavating, Red Scorpion located the ancient ruins. They located the final door to the ancient ruins but it couldn't be opened. A special key was needed...Does the key still exist? If so, where is it? The strongest theory points to a mysterious stone set in the Ehrgeiz sword. On the same day the door was discovered, the Ehrgeiz stone radiated an eerie glow and brilliance. Legend says those who come in contact with the stone will be overwhelmed with a burning desire to answer a mysterious calling. Koji Masuda, the defending and consecutive three-time champion is the current holder of the EHRGEIZ. Like a magnet, the sword navigates Koji to the Middle East and eventually the ancient ruin. The Red Guardians are not at all pleased by this intrusion onto their secret finding, one of the Red Guardians is Sasuke. Disregarding the call of the sword, Koji has no choice but to flee the Middle East. If caught, he would surely be executed. Koji realized the danger of the tournament and the sword. It's far more than a mere symbol of fighting experience. Understanding the sword brings danger to his life, Koji reluctantly decides to withdraw from the tournament and relinquish his right to the sword. In a letter to his daughter Yoko Kishibojin, Koji asks her to succeed his will and use her martial arts skills to regain the sword. The ambitious, hoping to finally unveil the mystery of the ancient ruings, are set on obtaining Ehrgeiz in the championship tournament. Anticipation rises as the aircraft informing the public about The Ehrgeiz Championship Tuornament flies around the world. The exhilaration of the participants slowly began to puse through the air. Source: Dream Factory Home Page - http://www.drf.co.jp ________________________________________________________________________ Part 9: Cloud Info ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ I made this profile for Cloud myself. I got some information from Final Fantasy VII. I made up some things and speculated a couple of things like his age. Even if he is short, he's still cool. For the Birthplace, I naturally put Nibelheim. And his Story, I made up many of those things. __________________ Character Profile: ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Name Cloud Strife Birthday August 19, 1976 Height 5'7" Birthplace Nibelheim Sex Male Occupation Former 3rd Class Soldier, Former Mercenary, Unknown Blood Type AB Weapon Buster Sword (Zack's sword, originally) Story: Cloud Strife, along with his friends, once saved the life of the planet. He moved back to Nibelheim with Tifa Lockheart, and got hitched (it means married!), after saving the planet and thinks deeply about what to do next. He wants to revive his dead friend, Zack, when he hears rumors about the Ehrgeiz and the power of the mysterious Materia in its handle. He himself enrolls in the tournament, along with Tifa, in order to get the Ehrgeiz to bring back Zack from the dead. __________________ More Cloud Info: ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Cloud Strife is more fun to use than any of the other characters in the game (at first it seems, but later, he becomes okay compared to many of the other characters when played too much). His sword is taller than his opponents are! The extended range of this giant weapon reaches above and beyond everyone else's ability to successfully maneuver around it (but people can Blade Catch and Counter his attacks, so...). For this reason, it's good to draw the sword as little as possible; just remember that Cloud's "Special" gauge will be continuously depleting while the sword is drawn, even if you're not swinging it. Use his attacks wisely, but don't try too many massive combos; Cloud's sword is powerful, but it's also easy for the opponent to counter if used unwisely (only use his sword when the opponent's back is turned). ________________________________________________________________________ Part 10: Basic Stuff (Basic Moves available to all characters) ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Running: Unlike the "dash" function of other popular fighting games, in Ehrgeiz you actually run! Your character can run in eight different directions; just hold in the direction you wish to run. This comes in handy for many techniques and for safety reasons; you can hide behind boxes and various objects on the screen, or you can use the run to initiate an offensive attack. Also, you can run away from your opponent. Walking: Muhammad Ali, eat your heart out. One of the great things about Walking is it allows you to evade and retaliate without running out of control and possibly forcing you to miss. Also, you get more control and less running. Another great thing about Walking is the CPU still thinks you're running. Try this: Walk, when you see an opening, move towards your opponent, Throw them. Instant takedown without running like a chicken with it's head cut off. To Walk, hold G while moving and you'll move while facing your opponent so you'll be able to block high and mid attacks without staying in one place. There are some cool things you can do while Walking. You can also initiate offensive attacks while Walking. Blocking: Blocking in Ehrgeiz can be tricky. The basic technique is similar to that of Tekken, in which your character blocks automatically when the joystick is in a neutral position facing your opponent (blocks high and mid attacks). You can also hold G while moving (not crouching) and your character can block high and mid attacks. To block low, just hold Guard while standing in one place to Crouch then you can block low attacks, but you can't move. You cannot block Unblockable attacks. Fully Crouch: Unlike other fighting games, crouching is done in a different manner. To crouch, you must hold G until your character crouches. This can be used to do some offensive attacks or to block low attacks. After you have crouched and you want to stand up again, just release G. Jumping: Tap joystick twice in direction you wish to jump or hold G and push S (hold G+S to jump higher). Use jumps to surprise your opponent and/or set up an offensive attack. Throwing: The argument will continue for generations - for all of the fighting game players who think throws are "cheap," there's an equal number of game designers who continue to include throwing as an integral element of their games. Throwing is generally best used when your opponent is "turtling;" i.e. standing around and waiting for you to attack so he or she can counter. Simply press G+H+L to toss 'em into the action. There are different variations of throws; each person has quite a few. You can always hold G then push H and L to do a throw. There are different types of throws. - Regular Throw: G+H+L (can hold buttons, push buttons, hold direction, do it from different body parts of opponent, etc.) - Tackle: Running+G+H+L (push H/L for a max. of three hits, don't hold anything for a Leg Toss, hold H/L for a Rolling Leg Toss) - Special Throw: rotate joystick 360 degrees+G+H+L To do a Special Throw a pretty easy way, hold G and rotate the joystick 270° very quickly then push and hold H+L while still holding G. There are two types of breakouts from throws: - When being grabbed/thrown and you want to break out of it, push G while your character is blinking white and you will break out (harder than it sounds), you need the right timing to break out of it - To prevent being tackled (running G+H+L), push G just before the tackle hits your character (similar to Blade Catch and Interrupt) Special Attacks: Performing Special Attacks are easier than ever in Ehrgeiz; just press the Special button! Unfortunately, you have a limited Special Gauge that only allows you to use a certain number of attacks or for a certain period of time. When your gauge is completely empty, there is a Special Attack for each character that does something. These are usually unblockable. All Specials SHOULD be unblockable. Some people just don't understand there is a limited Special Gauge and when you use it all, there is no more, unless you get a Special Item. Launchers: You can use launchers to setup difficult juggles. As with one other type of fighting game, the VS series, you can launch your opponent in the air, but in Ehrgeiz, there's no such thing as an Infinite, and it's much more difficult to do a good juggle. Anyway, each character has a few launchers. Usually, the basic M is one of their launchers, but some characters have their basic M in a Basic Attack. So, there are usually only two launchers per character, but that might be proven differently. The first launcher is the basic M, the other one, you will have to find it for yourself. The other launcher is usually better because the opponent is launched higher in the air. Rolling: When on ground, just push direction you wish to roll. Or when standing, hold G and push the direction twice in which you would like to roll twice. Use the roll to avoid obvious ground attacks and Special projectiles. Rolling also acts similar to a Rising attack, but it only works for H and L for most characters if you push the button in the middle of the roll. The character will do the attack as soon as they get up. So, you can roll to set up an offensive attack. Evade: When running, tap G once and your character will turn become partially transparent and a kind of lightning beam will surge through them and spin around. This can also be done in the air (when you jump); it can be used to advance your capabilities of movement in the air. Use this to dodge projectiles coming towards you. You can tap G repeatedly to dodge multiple projectiles. This can also be used to Evade any types of Special attacks. Step: Once fully crouched, tap the direction you wish to step. You can setup offensive attacks with this, or take a quick small retreat from your opponent. Rising Stuff: I will still call this stuff "Getting Up Stuff" so it won't cause confusion in the move list for rising attacks. The first four on the list are not attacks, the last four ones are attacks, though. Here's the Getting Up Stuff I know of so far: - G: Rise in position with limited invincibility - Direction+tapping G: moving Evade - Direction: roll - G+S (when on back): Jump Rise - G+S (when on stomach): reverse Jump Rise - L: rising low attack - H: rising middle attack - H+L (opponent away from head): Rotational Kick - H+L (opponent away from feet): Head Spring [See Recovery for something similar to Getting Up] Recovery: Use this to your advantage. As with one other fighting game (SFA3), you can land safely when you are knocked into the air. Before you fall to the ground, push G while airborne. Use this to surprise your opponent and get in a quick hit before they can react. It also reduces damage (slammed into the ground gives extra damage) and the chances of being juggled when knocked high into the air. There are two types of Recoveries: - Before your character is slammed into the ground, push G: you will Recover with limited invincibility - Anytime in mid-air, push G and hold a direction: your character will either Recover or roll in the direction you are holding, depending when you push G and hold the direction Counter (Interrupt in PSX version): Push S right before impact of hit. You can only Counter physical attacks. If you have an empty Special Gauge, you cannot do a Counter. Counters take up some of your Special Gauge. Somehow, if you can provoke your opponent into wasting their Special Gauge quickly, they can't Counter and are forced to block your attacks if there is no other way. Most ground attacks can be Countered, but airborne attacks can't be Countered because, well, you can't hold someone's whole body then attack them, unless you're very strong...but that's not how it is in this game. You also can't Counter some very Low attacks. Blade Catch: Right before impact of hit with a sword, push G. Your character will grab the sword with two hands and throw the person to the side. To break out of a Blade Catch done on you, just Recover (push G before character falls to ground. To do a Blade Catch, push G right before a sword hits your character. This won't work if you tap G repeatedly. Just Frame Attacks: Just Frame attacks are attacks when you can push the button(s) at certain frames of certain attacks to continue the combo. There's only one time when you can push the button(s). And that's near the middle frame of all of the frames of the attack (exp. L,*H, when the Low Kick is all the way out, that's the middle frame because he still has to put his leg back, then push H), push the button that goes along with the Just Frame. Also, here's another way: when the attack hits your opponent, after you hear the colliding sound from the hit, push the Just Frame buttons. Just Frame Attacks don't require you to hit your opponent: you can just wiff the attacks or push the button at the right time, although, some Just Frame Attacks DO have to be done by wiffing or hitting your opponent; you can tell if you have to hit your opponent if the attack you have to do before you do the Just Frame button pushes is blocked and your character is partially stunned, so you can't continue the attack. These work for most characters. Despite what I believed, Just Frame Attacks are Counterable, but it's very difficult to do so. Taunt: Some taunts are attacks (if an opponent runs into you while Taunting), it depends if your character's Taunt has something that could hit your opponent; to Taunt, hold the joystick in a direction and push Start. Characters may have more than one taunt. Some characters have funny, cool, or just plain odd taunts. Special Objects: Any advantage you are able to gain over your opponent - even a minor one - can be magnified greatly in battle. Various stages in Ehrgeiz contain power-ups that can advance your character's defense status and attack status, refill some Energy and Special Gauge, give points, and other various things; they can be found in the boxes that are scattered throughout the game. Pushing the boxes at your opponent during the course of a match can cause them to break and release objects that can upgrade your fighting status. To break a box, simply use the Throw command (G+H+L) when you are facing it. Your character will grab the box and throw it at your opponent. Or you can hit it at your opponent with an attack that hits low or middle. A box hit/thrown towards a character is unblockable (must be thrown or hit; if you hit it, there must be enough speed). Special Weapons (Objects): By request from Enpingy , I have included this section that has to do with the Special Weapons you can pick up from normal boxes. This may only seem as a little advantage when compared with people's attacks. But, people may not notice it can be helpful if used wisely. All of the Special Weapons are unblockable, use it wisely to your advantage. As said earlier, "any advantage can be magnified greatly in battle." You can pick up weapons, drop them, and throw them. To pick up a Special Weapon, you must move into it. To drop the weapon, push G. To throw them after you picked up a Weapon, push H or L. No Special Techniques are known you can do with a Special Weapon. There are a couple of weapons you can pick up; the current ones known are: Sword It's a pretty strong weapon to throw. Axe This may be a little stronger than the Sword. It's just an axe that you can throw. Dynamite Now, this Dynamite is an odd Special Weapon. It has an unknown timer so you aren't really aware when it will blow up unless you focus on it and see it blinking. So you should use this with care. The timer is about as long as Godhand's Time Bomb or whatever it is, if Godhand doesn't push G. Character Weight Classes: Mike Allen told me what characters are in what classes. Light characters rise high and descend pretty slowly. Medium characters rise pretty high and descend at an average speed. Heavy characters rise lower and descend quickly. Here they are (for PSX version): ______ ________________ ______________ ______ Light: Medium (female): Medium (male): Heavy: ŻŻŻŻŻŻ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ ŻŻŻŻŻŻ Yoko Claire Cloud Godhand Jo Yuffie Han Inoba Tifa Koji Django Naseem Sasuke Sephiroth Shuwen Vincent Zack Battle Mechanics: Okay, the battle mechanics of Ehrgeiz really isn't difficult to understand. Each attack has its own damage, and everything from then on is based on it. When an attack is used as a counter hit, you multiply the original damage by one and one-fifth, and that's the new damage. You also round up if there is no definite number for the damage. To know the original damage of an attack that was used as a counter hit, you multiply that damage by four-fifths. You also round down if there is no definite number. If an attack is part of a combo, the second hit or beyond that, you multiply the original damage of that attack by four-fifths and that's the new damage. You also round down if there is no definite number. To know the original damage of an attack that was done in a combo, multiply the damage for that attack by one and one-fourth. You also round up if there is no definitive number. To make it easier to understand... - counter hit: original damage multiplied by 1.2 (round up if not whole number) - combo (2nd hit or beyond): original damage multiplied by 0.8 (round down if not whole number) - original damage of attack used as a counter hit: new damage multiplied by 0.8 (round down if not whole number) - original damage of attack used in a combo: new damage multiplied by 1.25 (round up if not whole number) The same rules apply to attacks done on your opponent when they are jumping or rolling (damage deduction). For some attacks, the damage reduction is one less than if it was reduced for another attack. In other words, get the reduced damage, then add one to that and you have the new damage. Also, if you do an attack as a counter hit, it stuns the opponent longer, and if it's a launcher, it launches them higher, and you already know about the damage. One more thing: For some attacks that have a G, you could hold G then push the buttons while still holding G. In the "Throwing" part of this section, it has already been noted you can hold G then push the buttons. For 360 degree moves, when you push the button(s), you have to hold it until the move is done. Also, you don't have to rotate it 360 degrees, only 270 degrees, like it is in other fighting games. ________________________________________________________________________ Part 11: Secrets ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Secret Characters: To fight against Cloud (AKA "Guardian"), simply defeat the first eight opponents in less than 6' 40" 00 minutes, using no more than one continue. If you manage to defeat Cloud, you will then face Tifa (AKA "Summoner"). The BG music that is played when fighting Cloud is the Final Fantasy VII Random Battle Theme Song. Tifa's is the Final Fantasy Prelude Theme Song. To fight Red Scorpion(?), you must beat Django under 10'. You can also play as Cloud or Tifa if you're patient; both are "time-released" characters that will simply appear as selectable fighters at the character select screen after the machine has been installed at your local arcade for a set period of time. Cloud will be "released" as a selectable character first (30 days after installation), followed by Tifa (60 days), then Django (90 days), a mysterious animal that looks similar to Nanaki (Red XIII) or Seto, Nanaki's dad in Final Fantasy VII; in fact, Cloud, Tifa, and Django are already available in most locations by the time you read this. Other FFVII characters in the PSX version of Ehrgeiz include, Sephiroth, Yuffie, Vincent, and Zack. Koji Masuda (Yoko's dad) and his assistant, Clair Andrews, will also be available. Secret Taunts: Some characters have secret taunts, and they aren't done by holding a direction and pushing Start. The secret taunts are done by pushing some button(s) during a Just Frame attack. (For example, instead of pushing H for a Just Frame attack, you can try pushing L). I don't know them, so you have to experiment yourself. Move Character's Eyes: During a victory pose, you can move your character's eyes. To move your character's eyes, just hold the joystick in the direction you want their eyes to move. Alternate Costume: To choose a character's alternate costume, hold up and push G. Mess with character's running after victory pose: After a character's victory pose, hold G. When your character runs to the next stage, they'll do a fade-away dodge. This will only work once per stage, if they run do run at all. If you can help me with any secrets that are unknown or tell me secrets not listed here, E-mail them to lbdangc@aol.com. Thank you. ________________________________________________________________________ Part 12: After Getting Ehrgeiz... (with any character) ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ You got Ehrgeiz! You got a great sword with "Materia" The mysterious stone never exists in this world At last its eternal power is in your hands You could be anything. Even god or... All of the characters in the arcade version don't have endings, I think, just this text, if you get Ehrgeiz. The US Home Version: You got Ehrgeiz! You got a great sword with "Materia" The mysterious stone radiates an eerie glow At last its eternal power is in your hands You could be anything. Even a god or... ________________________________________________________________________ Part 13: Frequently Asked Questions ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ How do you jump? This question was a side question of the question below this one. To answer this dumb question...read the BASICs Section! Learn! Didn't you read that this FAQ is for the Arcade Version of Ehrgeiz!? It says it in the beginning, it's also listed as (ARC) which means Arcade. It doesn't have the PSX buttons, but those are still the correct buttons! There's a thing actually called "reading." Use that ability! Cloud can't jump or can he? This is even funnier than the one below this question! Heh heh heh. Hey, stupid! He can jump! Everyone (humans and animals) can jump in this game! You're supposed to test out the stuff before asking a damn question like that! Didn't you read the Basics before you played this game!? Logic, use LOGIC! How do you know when you build your Limit? What!? This is funny! There is no such thing as Limit Break building in this game. If somewhere in the Move List it says "(Limit Level xx)," it's just there to show you it's a Limit Break from Final Fantasy VII. If there was a Limit Break meter, don't you think they would show it? Have some common sense, you damn people who would ask a question like that! Besides, you should try doing the attack a couple of times before asking stupid questions like that! How do you do a Just Frame Attack? Okay, here goes, near the middle frame of all of the frames of the attack (exp. L,*H, when the Low Kick is all the way out, that's the middle frame because he still has to put his leg back, then push H), push the button that goes along with the Just Frame. Also, here's another way: when the attack hits your opponent, after you hear the colliding sound from the hit, push the Just Frame buttons. Also, for some Just Frame attacks, you push the Just Frame button after the character is done yelling, but some require you to push it before or right as it ends. This is the case for most characters. How do you do the Blade Catch? Push G right before a sword hits your character. Sound easy? I DON'T THINK SO! ĤP Well, actually it is easy, after some practice. How do you crouch? Hold G until you crouch. Why can't I block Cloud's sword attacks? You can't block his sword attacks because it is a Special, you can do Blade Catchs and Counters, though, but not block. How do you do Cross-Slash and Omnislash? Cross-Slash: H+L, H, H, *H; Omnislash: 360 degree spin+hold G+H+L (sword sheathed). To do Omnislash easily (or a Special Throw for any character), hold G and rotate the joystick counterclockwise 360 degrees and then push and hold H+L while still holding G. You will be facing your opponent, but you, of course, have to be close to throw your opponent. How do you beat that red guy after you beat the game and what's his name? His name should be/is possibly "Red Scorpion" and to beat him, just break those 2 boxes containing the knives and throw them at him. To knock down the boxes easily, do an airborne attack, but if you don't knock the box down but you are still in the air, then run against the box until it is knocked down. Then throw the boxes at your Red Scorpion. Throw the knives at him and he will start fading way, then items will pop out of his disappeared body, you must get all of the items, then the Ehrgeiz will fall down into the center of the ring. You must get it to see the person's ending. I only beat the game with Cloud, so I saw his ending. How do you jump when the sword is unsheathed? You can't. So to do a Deathblow (or a combo that has it), the sword must be sheathed and then jump and push S. Cloud will then turn red and do a Deathblow. I received information from Enpingy saying that some people might ask that question because they'd like to do an attack while the sword is sheathed that jumps. Well, you can do a Braver, although you must keep some distance so you can charge forward without risking the chance of getting hit. How do you pronounce "Ehrgeiz?" You pronounce it (e:r gaits), "air-gaits." It's a German word. And it means ambition. Source: Dream Factory What is the plot/storyline of Ehrgeiz? Check out the storyline section. What's your highest score? My highest score? It's 96, 760 (1st Place!). And my time was 5' 31" 92 and that was 1st place. I've combo'ed an opponent for 12 hits! I fought Cloud and Tifa a lot of times, beat them each time. I'm up for a good challenge, if anyone wants to challenge me, go to the Regency Family Fun Center at Pixie and Carson in Lakewood, California. There's an Ehrgeiz there. Just E-mail me before you do and set up a time with me. My initials are "DAN" for the hi-score list or whatever. If you live in the area, check it out sometime. Tell me your highest scores, what character you used, and your time, and don't lie! I can probably tell when you're lying or not. Are you going to make anymore FAQs for other characters? Right now, I'm working on Vincent, then Koji. I won't make a FAQ on Yuffie because I don't know her moves and move names. How do you do those Special Combos? Alright, here's the process: just do the hits it says. If there's a move that requires you to have the sword out, then take it out, if it doesn't require you to do that, then don't. After Omnislash, the sword automatically stays out, unless your Special Gauge is empty. Are there any endings for anyone? Yes, there is. To get it, you have to beat the game. Then fight that red guy, "Red Scorpion" but some people call him "Armored Django", well whatever the name is, you have to kill it. Just break those 2 boxes containing the knives on those altar-like things, and throw them at him. Then he will disappear and stars and coins will pop out of his now-gone body, you must collect them all. Afterwards, the Ehrgeiz will fall down into the center of the arena. There is no ending in the arcade version for anyone, I think. Have you ever lost a match against a human player? Yes, I have. My current record is 32-32, the 32 losses are against Mike and Dave, but for all of the matches (except six or seven), I always won at least two rounds. It's even, 32 wins and 32 losses. How do you do that thing when Cloud turns blue and sticks his hands out like he is trying to cast a magic spell like in Final Fantasy VII? It's nothing. It's just a regular punch that looks like a two-hand punch. What is "Just Frame"? I'm not sure, but I always thought "Just Frame" was in reference to the detail that the "Just Frame Combos" had only a few frames where you had to press the button to continue the combo. Unlike the regular combos where you could press the button in a relatively wide time period, some of the "Just Frame" moves really were just a few frames. Here's an example: Zack's Chain: H, H, L, *H, H Do the H, H, L combo just by pushing it, then pause for a certain amount of time, then push H, H which is after the *. You push the first attack of whatever is after the * at the middle frame of the attack before the *, in other words, if you hit your opponent, after the hitting sound, push it, don't try to time it, just push it after you hear the sound. But if you wiff the attacks, then push it at its middle frame. You know if you did it correctly if there is blue sparkling stuff coming out. What does "Just Frame" mean? Well, I don't know the exact answer, but see above. I guess you could call it a "certain frame" or something like that. Have any questions or if you can help me answer any questions that need confirmation, then E-mail them to lbdangc@aol.com ________________________________________________________________________ Part 14: Remarks I've received for beating the CPU or people with Cloud ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ "You're mean. Do you always have to trap 'em in the corner?" What? That's part of my strategy. If you can't get out, too bad. The guy whom challenged me just SUCKS. He only hit me twice in the first round and once in the second. He claims that I trapped him in the corner, but I didn't. He was running towards the corner, I just finished the task for him to be in the corner when he was very close. So I did the Death Trap. It's not part of my strategy anymore, though. But that guy was a major spazzer, so I thought, why not just kill him easily? "You can't beat me again! I have a secret weapon now!" It was the same guy I beat above, unfortunately, he was unable to challenge me again because he had to go home. What secret weapon could he be thinking of? Anyone help me figure it out? I think it's just pushing S, wow, or Blade Catch, or something stupid he can't do very well. It doesn't matter anyway. "Dayam!!! You whooped my ass!" Okay. "Man! You suck! You can't do Omnislash! I wasted my money on you!" Well, let me explain. What happened was I was trying to do Omnislash against the computer, but was unsuccessful. So...someone I know challenged me, but instead of fighting, he told me to do Omnislash. So, after two rounds, I still couldn't do it. But now I know how to do a Special Throw (Omnislash for Cloud). Then he said the quote above. Hehehe :) "Aww, man...I lost..." Yep, that's right. "Man! You're good!" Yea, practice can help you get better. But he should see me now... "How did you get so good!?" Ohh...I practiced. I think I'm an intermediate Ehrgeiz player, if not lower. Of course not the best, but a pretty good one. Well, back then, I was crappy, but now, yes, now, I'm getting even better, I'll practice for oh so long, I'll keep practicing until I can do things with little thought. Nice match...heh. "Damn! I lost!" Too bad. That's what that guy deserved for turtling TOO much. ________________________________________________________________________ Part 15: My Best Stuff ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ My best Arcade Hi-Score, Time, and Consecutive Wins Hi-Score 96, 760 Best Time 5' 31" 92 Best Consecutive Wins 21 (no one else started challenging) Character Used Cloud (I could probably get a better score with Sasuke, since he's much easier to use, but not the same time record as I did with Cloud.) I've noticed one thing, in the arcade version of Ehrgeiz, when you fight Red Scorpion, how much time you spend before getting the Ehrgeiz is added on to your time record, but in the PSX version, it isn't logged on to your record. Also, in the PSX version, you always spend how much the time limit per round is on Red Scorpion, but it doesn't matter, since the time isn't logged on to your record. ________________________________________________________________________ Part 16: Special Thanks ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Mike Allen (mallen@csubak.edu): Letting me play against him and his friend Dave in Ehrgeiz. It was lots of fun. Told me many useful things other than corrections. He's helped me a lot. He's told me two combos (Combo 43 and Special Combo 3). Corrected me on many things: Special Throw, HLLH and LLH moves, G+HH and G+H moves, Windmill move, and corrected my misleading text in the "Strategy" section, and the "Character Weight Classes,"; suggested a lot of stuff (like where to put stuff), also told me some of his opinions; strategy ideas coming from him and his Expert FAQ; "Secret Taunts;" see his Expert FAQ which contains strategies and other very good stuff the Ehrgeiz player is looking for to succeed. Square (www.square.co.jp): Owning SquareSoft and part of Dream Factory. SquareSoft (www.squaresoft.com): Licensing the game Dream Factory (www.drf.co.jp): Making this game Namco (www.namco.com): Publishing this game in arcades Kao Megura: I got some ideas for things from his FAQs (Copyright Disclaimer and Legend) Jason Wilson: "General Details about Ehrgeiz" (first paragraph), "Secret Characters," "Running," "Blocking," "Jumping," "Throwing," "Rolling," "Special Attacks," "Special Objects," "Alternate Costume," and "More Cloud Info." Shinomori Aoshi : "Rope-A-Dope" and two combos (Combo 1 and 5) Ilja J. Sillman AKA faust : I got the VS Guide, Move Analysis and Strategy idea from him after I saw his FAQ, besides, he got some stuff from me, so, I decided I had the right to copy him. You should see his Sasuke Character Guide. Enpingy : Requesting "Special Weapons (Objects)" and said that you can do Braver to answer part of that question, "How do you jump when the sword is unsheathed?" Also, the names of some moves. Billy Bissette : Answering the question "What is 'Just Frame'?" ________________________________________________________________________ Part 17: Author Information ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Name: Dan GC E-mail: LB Dan GC@aol.com Web page: None still in the process of creation ICQ: None "You're funny. But keep it up and you'll just piss me off." ~ Xenogears' Fei Don't plagiarize! It's bad! And always give credit where it is due! Some NEWS: Well, on Saturday, May 8, 1999, I played against Mike and his friend, Dave. I stayed for over three hours. When I first played against them, I was getting the feel of the game, and trying to learn their strategy, so it took me a while to do that. I used Cloud and Sasuke the most, while they used everyone, except for Django. I got a few EXCELLENTs and PERFECTs against the both of them, but they got some, too. Actually, I only got two PERFECTs on Mike, as for the rest, there were done on Dave. But I got more on them than they did on me. For most of the matches where I didn't win and only won one or two rounds, I usually annihilated them, I truly mean it. When I went up against Dave's Koji, I beat him two rounds easily, then he beat me the next three rounds, then I beat him the next round. For the fourth round, we were at the end of our power, well, at least he was, I made a mistkae then he pushed S and got me in Koji's Special. I broke out after the four punches (I had no power left!), then I killed him. For the last three matches I had against Mike, he beat me in all of them. I beat him one round for the last match (he had Tifa), I did win one round against his Koji (second to last match), and for the third to last match, he used Sephiroth, he also beat me in that one. But I almost beat him (power-wise, not rounds-wise). I also won one round when he used Sephiroth. Mike whooped my ass! I never threw once when playing against Mike and Dave, I hardly used wake-up (rising) attacks), and only used Sephiroth's sword once, the same thing for Cloud. I just attacked and stuff, I tried to do a Special Throw with Cloud, it came out both times when I did it, but it didn't connect. Mike's a really nice person, he complimented me when I did something good and whatever. Whenever I did do do something good on Dave and Mike complimented me, Dave would say, "Commentary, Mike." I think it means commentary means "series of comments." So Dave was basically saying, in my point of view, "You're making too many comments, Mike." Dave would usually say that whenever I dizzied him with Sasuke's Smoke Bomb (Jump, S) and Mike would say something. I used a lot of juggles with both Cloud and Sasuke. I saw Dave try to do Cloud's H+L, LLH juggle a couple of times on me since he saw me do it a few times and it always connected, but when he did it, it never connected. Mike also put pillows under my head when I first layed down on one of the beds in the room. My back was hurting from sitting up (I was playing against Dave the time it started to hurt), so I lay back to relieve some of the pain, but I could barely see, so then he said, "A pillow, Dan?" then he put a pillow under my head without me answering, but I would've said yes anyway. Then a few seconds later, he put more pillows so I could see better, and it helped. We played a lot of matches, like 32 or something, I don't really know the true count, but that's basically it. I beat Mike in one match, and I don't really remember who he or I used. I beat Dave like three times. Mike beat me about 20 times. That's all for now. If I ever get to play against Mike (and his friends) sometime much later in the future, I'll be ready and be much better than I was when I played him. I need to throw and do rising attacks more, but I don't mind. I'll work on those some day. I've been thinking of what should and should not be in Ehrgeiz 2. In the Expert FAQ, there is already stuff they already don't and do want in part two of Ehrgeiz. Well, I have some of their stuff, but I do have extra stuff I'd like, too... I hope this stuff does appear in Ehrgeiz 2. If Dream Factory reads the following stuff...then, it could be a good or bad thing... - No Interrupts - No Partial Invincibility when getting up - If there is a Quest Mode, make it like the real game, and everyone would have separate stories, they could use the DVD Disc to put all that info on one disc; also, some people could be partners, or even more than just one or two persons, they could make it just like Tobal No. 1 and 2 except make it even better - More Mini-Games - More Characters (keep everyone in Ehrgeiz and add more characters) - If they had to have Interrupts, then make it something like this: it would depend on how much Special Gauge you and your opponent have, how much HP you and your opponent have, what attack(s) your opponent is doing, and other stuff. The more Special Gauge your opponent has, the less likely the Interrupt is to work against your opponent; the same would apply if you had a low Special Gauge. Also, depending on what attack(s), you may or may not be able to Interrupt it, but instead, you would have something that could Interrupt at times if an Interrupt could not be done even though it was done correctly, the replacement would be an Interrupt Block, in other words, just a normal blocking of the attack, but sometimes the Interrupt Block would also not work. Also, if the Interrupt or Interrupt Block wouldn't work, you would get hit by the attack(s), but damage would be reduced by half from that one attack. Call that the..."Half Damage" or something like that. So far, there would be an "Interrupt," "Interrupt Block," and "Half Damage." That's quite some good stuff. If you had low energy or your opponent had more energy, it would be less likely for the Interrupt to work. There would be many factors determining if an Interrupt, Interrupt Block, or Half Damage would occur. The above also applies to Blade Catches, except there is only Blade Catch or Half Damage for that. - And some other stuff; I really think the above is really good and would make Ehrgeiz 2 even better ________________________________________________________________________ Unpublished Work Copyright (c) 1998, 1999 Dan GC ________________________________________________________________________ END