This game presents a unique problem due to the fact it has two control schemes that both allow full use of all the game's mechanics, unlike some of its contemporaries that offer a simple and full control scheme.

This quickly becomes cumbersome when we want to discuss specific moves or combos between two or more people who use different control schemes. To make matters worse we have a lot of clunky language like "boosted forward special" that I think we could concentrate down into much more efficient and legible notation.

To make matters even worse, this is many player's first experience with fighting games due to the mass appeal of the Invincible IP. I feel that this makes it even more important to land on an agreed system of notation sooner rather than later, to avoid confusion and frustration within the community.

My main goal is to provide a notation scheme that will require the least amount of effort and adjustment for Standard players, while providing easy translation for the Motion user minority.

My suggestions for this are as follows:

I think traditional numerical notation for directional inputs is optimal, as it translates across both control schemes.

Same goes for attack and assist notations.

L = Light Attack

M = Medium Attack

H = Heavy Attack

A1 = Assist 1

A2 = Assist 2

Beyond this point is where the confusion begins, and the necessity for standardization becomes apparent.

First and foremost are the special attack notations. This is one of the main differences between the control schemes and tends to cause the most confusion. As we know, Standard Specials are performed by pressing a dedicated special button (S) along with one of three directional inputs (6, 4, or 2), while Motion specials are performed by performing one of three directional motion inputs (236, 214, or 623) and then following it with L.

To avoid confusion and the necessity for double notation any time we discuss commands, we should use the Standard special inputs as the name of each Special type, as they are typically analogous across control schemes. (Rex is the only character whose special inputs differ between Standard and Motion controls - 6S is 623L, 4S is 236L, and 2S is 214L. I don't know why he was designed this way, when discussing Rex commands it will always be necessary to list notations for both control schemes.)

6S = 236L

4S = 214L

2S = 623L

Next, we have Dash. Because there are multiple inputs for Dash in both control schemes, it seems best to simply designate it as a single character rather than any one input.

D = Dash

We now come to the issue of Boost, which serves as this game's "EX" modifier. This is another mechanic that is handled very differently across control schemes. While Standard features a dedicated Boost button that must be pressed in conjunction with the base input for the command you're performing, Motion uses the aforementioned directional motion inputs followed by M for boosted specials, and M+H for boosted dashes. To simplify this, I propose we use a universal notation to denote a boosted version of Dash or Special.

B! = "Boosted"

Examples:

B!6S for boosted forward special (B+6S/246M)

B!4D for boosted backdash (B+4D/4M+H)

Everything else can simply be referred to by an abbreviation, perhaps within parenthesis during combo notation, to avoid confusion.

T = Throw

CT = Counter Tag

HS = Heroic Strike

AB1/AB2 = Assist Breaker 1/2

SB = Snapback

AS = Arena Shift

There are a few things I haven't fully worked out yet as this is a rough draft. For example, I'm not sure of the best way to denote jumps and aerial techniques. Perhaps reverting to the classic "j" before notating the command to signify an aerial technique may be best. (Jumping down heavy would read as "j2H")

Let me know what you think.

Just wondering where everyone's head is at on this. I've been spending way more time labbing than I have in matchmaking, and I'm just trying to figure out what most people's metrics are for combo damage.

Obviously Active Tag has the potential to make any combo a ToD, but since it's breakable, I don't think they're important for this discussion. I think the focus needs to be on solo combos that we can see guaranteed damage on.

With that in mind, it's useful to consider a few different subcategories of solo combos for various conditions.

1. Pure Solo - no assists, no boost, no super

2. Metered Solo - no assists, full boost, at least 1 bar of super

3. Assisted Solo - both assists, full boost, at least 1 bar of super

4. Loaded Solo - both assists, full boost, at least 3 bars of super

I know there are a lot of other conditions that we might find ourselves in, but I think the conditions described in these categories are the most common to find ourselves in, and therefore the most useful to measure.

So, what kind of damage should we be expecting to see from each of these categories?

I wanna hear about your teams and why you picked them. Have you dropped/picked up any characters since you started?

TL;DR - combo rules are vague ~ let's share what we know. Tell me if I'm missing something or wrong about anything.

I've been in the lab trying to put combos together, and keep coming up with question after question, like "how many ground bounces can I do in a single combo?", "is it better to spend my boost meter on boost dash or boost specials?", and generally just wondering how the game *wants* us to put combos together.

Unfortunately it seems like there's not really a comprehensive resource out there that gives us all the information we need, so Im hoping we can put our heads together and compile the information and resources that we DO have, in hopes of making that necessary information available.

With that said, I'm gonna do my best to try and list what I know so far in an organized way. As replies trickle in with more info, I can make additions and amendments, and if something useful results from this, I'll try to find a good place to make this info readily available online.

GENERAL COMBO SYSTEM:

> As (most) attacks land, the Combo Gauge is filled. Once filled, one final hit is allowed, and afterwards the gauge will break and the combo will drop.

> This game allows most normals to be chained into one another so long as the sequence doesn't move from a stronger attack to a weaker attack (Reverse Beat)

> Most normals can be cancelled into specials or supers

> Most specials can be cancelled or followed up into supers, normals, double jumps, or dashes

> While in the air, only one Special and one Boost Special are allowed until touching the ground.

> Any number of special hit effects (ground bounce, wall splat, crumple, OTG) can be performed within a single combo.

COMBO GAUGE MANAGEMENT:

> Abilities that can reduce the combo gauge: Active Assist, Boost Dash, Active Tag

> Abilities that will override gauge breaks: Boost Specials, some Active Assists, Supers

BOOST METER MANAGEMENT:

> Each character on your team has an independent Boost Meter (this means that technically you have 9 full bars of boost to use in any given combo if everyone is full, not considering refill)

> Boost refills slowly while characters are active, but quickly while characters are benched.

I'll add more later, let me know if I'm missing anything big or have gotten something wrong.