Melty Blood/FAQ

General

• What is Melty Blood Actress Again: Current Code?

Melty Blood Actress Again: Current Code newest version of the originally doujin fighter Melty Blood. The series originated as a spinoff fighting game based on Type-Moon's Tsukihime series, as a fighting game/visual novel hybrid. Over the years, the focus on story has been lost in the series and the game mechanics reworked drastically as the game became more and more popular, eventually receiving a release in arcades as Act Cadenza in 2005. After several revisions, a sequel was released in Arcades in 2008, a new revision, Current Code, was release in 2010, and has reached a home port with the release of the v1.07 edition at the turn of 2012.

• What platform(s) is this game on?/Where can I get it?

The arcade version runs on Ringwide. The latest Current Code edition is available for Windows PC. Older, deprecated versions have been released on PC and Playstation 2 in the past.

• Is this game for me?

Melty Blood is similar to many fast-paced, newer fighting games from Japan although it predates most of them. If you like games such as Guilty Gear or Arcana Heart you will probably enjoy it. If you find interest in the footsie side of Capcom games such as SF4 and are intruiged by the prospect of an aerial-dominated, faster-paced footsie game, you may enjoy it. If you enjoy the VS series' lean towards aerial gameplay and combat, you may enjoy it. If you like trapping people in the corner and preforming long and intimidating blockstrings, you may enjoy it. If you really like to jump, or like your fighting games to offer you a lot of movement options, you will definitely enjoy it.

MB features a lot of defensive "systems", including dodges, shielding (parrying), shield bunkers (Alpha Counter from SFA, CD Counter from KoF), and Heat/Circuit Spark(Offensive Burst/Defensive Burst). These balance MB's extremely fast paced offensive game which involves the ability to create long, flowing blockstrings with difficult-to-see vulnerabilities, instant airdash offensives, and some almost "unfair" mixups.

• How hard is this game to play?

Like most fighting games, the execution requirement varies greatly depending on the character chosen. Melty Blood is designed from the ground-up to be very user-friendly however, and the execution level is something that any modern fighting game player would feel comfortable with. Players coming from slower Capcom-style games may find concepts like instant airdashing strange and unusual, but the difficulty is no greater than most advanced tricks in games such as SF4 or MVC3.

• So it's an easy game for mashers?

Getting a solid grasp of the game is more about learning how the neutral and pressure game works more than mashing out combos. Like most games, MB has its fair share of easy and difficult characters, however it also seperates itself into 3 different gameplay styles to suit different kinds of players. If you're coming into MB from another fighting game, you may find more elements that you're familiar with in one style than the others. For example, the Full Moon style restricts the character's ability to free-cancel their normals (an element some people disliked about MB in the past) while gaining other advantages. For more detailed info, check Melty Blood/Moons

Gameplay

Training Mode

• Who's the best training dummy and why?

Sion Tatari.

She has the most consistent hurtboxes and combo-properties of anyone in the cast, making her ideal to practice combos and setups on. In addition, she also has the most average guts/defense modifiers in the game, making her the best to lab damage with. On top of that, she has the fastest wakeup time in tandem with the speed of her 2A, making her the most ideal for labbing okizeme. The fact her 2A is also the fastest (outside the Necos) makes her perfect for practicing delay pressure. Outside of the fact she doesn't have any exceptional properties or hurtboxes, there's no reason to not use her in training mode.

• What about other characters? For what reason should I use them as dummies?

Though Sion Tatari will cover a vast majority of the reasons you will ever need a training dummy, she does not cover every one. There are some character specifics you should know, in order to get the most accurate results from your testing. Here are the characters, with a description on what unique properties they have to offer:

• Kouma

Has the absolute flattest and lowest hurtbox when falling with his back facing downwards. This makes certain combos impossible on him specifically, as this makes him hit the ground significantly quicker than everyone else.

• How balanced is this game? What is the tier list?

For more information, please refer to the bottommost section

Tournament/Offline Standard

• What is the tournament ruleset?

Specific to Melty Blood, the winner of the previous match in a set may NOT switch characters. They may however, switch Moon Styles. This is to keep in accordance with native arcade ruleset as close as possible.

Though no stage is "officially" banned, communities typically tend to agree that being able to avoid certain stages due to dim lighting is preferable. For example, fighting White Len on the Archetype: Earth stage may be an annoyance. Fighting Akiha on Emerald Table is visually quite a dread. Usually people pick Classic Home; Evening Party, as its lighting is good and is quickly selectable.

The format itself is up to what the organizers decide. Whether it's Round Robin, Pools-to-Top-8, the Best-Ofs, everything can be different. Much like any other fighting game tournament however, granted there are enough people, the format is preferably Double Elimination, with BO3, until the Winners, Losers, and Grand Finals, which are all typically BO5.

Tech Help

• Wired? Wireless? Ethernet?

• Why does it feel like there's lag when a laptop with Melty is hooked up to another screen?

Balance

Overview

If you are concerned about how much balance affects your character choice, understand that everyone (outside of Neco Arc and Neco Arc Chaos) are viable. While there is no denying the egregious quantities of bullshit, Melty Blood's gameplay is rich enough for you to formulate strategies and cultivate skills which allow you to consistently play any matchup.

The overall quality of Melty Blood's balance is heavily debatable. The conversation can tackle many different topics, ranging from claims saying there is no 8-2 outside Necos, to criticisms on how design philosophy may (not) reflect the foundation for balance. However, it is undeniable that by the end of the day, no matter who is chosen (minus Neco Arc and Neco Arc Chaos), the system overall allows for you to outskill your opponent. While this sentiment is less apparent in a handful of certain matchups (particularly against top tiers), it doesn't change the fact that every single character has to block just about the same way. This complements the fact that every single character has something which makes blocking against them scary. And because neutral is so auspicious (for both the right and wrong reasons), it allows every character to be a very potential threat. Even if the worst aspects of Melty (whether contradictory to the positives, or ironically part of them) don't tend to really change at any level, everyone at the highest level is a real danger for the right reasons, more than they are a comparative setback for the wrong ones; no matter the matchup.

Tournament results are also a bit of a controversial topic. For certain tournaments such as EVO, the top tiers usually tend to win with very, very little exception. However, where this perspective begins to muddle is when you consider the biannual Melty Blood majors held at major arcades in Japan; where the turnouts are much higher, the entrants are far more experienced, yet the format of Ringwide is slightly different. a-cho and BigOne2nd's Melty Blood tournaments have a variety of different winners, none of which exactly tend to be "no-names" within the community either. And the winners tend to range from a broad variety of characters, ranging from top tiers to lower tier characters such as even F-Riesbyfe. Much like a reflection of the game's balance in and of itself, tournament results are variable, for both the right and wrong reasons. But by the end of it all, there is no changing the fact it is what it is, and that skill is the biggest centerpiece to what matters most in the end.

TL;DR: This may not be a KOF or Tekken, but it sure as hell ain't a 3rd Strike or Blazblue, so outside of Neco Arc and Neco Arc Chaos, play whoever you want.

Tier Listings

Though Melty Blood's gameplay has MUCH to consider, tier listing has always been rather agreeable. However, standout (and we mean REALLY standout) choices among experienced players that many others would not agree with are far from uncommon (e.g. Brazil claiming H-Len is Top 1 not C-Roa, Japanese players claiming C-Neco Arc is just barely viable, people having surprisingly eclectic opinions on Miyako). Because of that, many aspects of these tier lists cannot reliably be taken as gospel-truth, no matter who it is coming from or how widely accepted. That is how these go after all. So make of the information you understand and are given however you will. What is posted here will be done in the vein of information for information's sake above all else.

OP Note in this section will refer specifically to what the creator of their respective tier lists said about it

ScrawtVermillion's Tier List

(Click the above image for the link)

OP Note: Saying that C-Kohaku as Top 1 is a rather strong opinion altogether; one unique to him as a matter of fact. New players looking to get into this game should not be agreeing for the wrong reasons. Ordered within tiers, all Moon Styles individually considered.

Alps' Tier List

(Click the above image for the link)

OP Note: Ordered within tiers. Characters represented account for all Moon Styles at ocne, as that's how official arcade and tournament rulesets go. However there is a large leaning towards their best Moon Style as well. Note that this is accounting (theoretically) for only the highest level. Characters that perform differently at lower levels may see radically different placings for reasons typically unaccounted for until more experience is gained. For example, it is commonly accepted Aoko is top tier because of her incredible zoning and movement abilities. However from his perspective, those aspects are necessary for her to function. Especially because at worst, even with orbs, she commits as much as anyone else for just as average reward. On the other hand, in his opinion, Tohno is criminally underrated. It is true he still has to succeed honestly based off of good reads and play. But what he feels many people do not account for are his spacing-related strategies, and how little he commits in certain pressure situations; granted his ability to mix up answers at all sorts of different positions, with little commitment and risk.

• S Tier: God Tier. The absolute best. Breaks all of the game's rules with staggering character strengths. Reflects this in their comparatively ridiculous matchup statistics, lack of any "real" weaknesses, all while rarely even hitting 5-5 for worst matchups
• A Tier: Top Tier. Strongly defies many of the game's most vital conventions. Can easily make for many sitautions which are all-ways risky to attempt beating. Weaknesses in character design are hardly a reliable prospect for your victory.
• B Tier: High Tier. Potent but fair. The standard for how this game's character design should be. Has just enough so that you instill very apparent fears into your opponent, while leaving some weaknesses just blatant enough to make fighting fair without crippling them. Anyone above, within, or below this tier can fairly fight against it
• C Tier: Mid Tier. The same as the tier above, except either it's either one of two problems. Either their toolset isn't "complete" in some crucial aspects, or they lack the means to keep up with parts of the game. Could be a slight mix of both.
• D Tier: Low Tier. Same as C, except tack on either worst damage in the game by miles, or even more dreaded issues with their functionality. Still a threat when you pressure, but your skills have to be on-point.
• E: Unviable Cutoff Point. Almost a threat, but lacks the essential ability to play the game as it's supposed to be. Has nothing to compensate for it
• F: Jesus Christ