Akatsuki Blitzkampf/FAQ

General

• What is Akatsuki Blitzkampf?

Akatsuki Blitzkampf (Japanese name - アカツキ電光戦記 (Akatsuki Denkou Senki)) is the sequel to Akatsuki Shisei Ichigou, a doujin fighter created sometime in 2002. The original Shisei Ichigo has long since been forgotten as it only had five playable characters and was still largely incomplete. ABK is unique in the doujin fighting game community in that it plays more like traditional Street Fighter games than Guilty Gear, in that the focus is upon space control and footsies instead of flashy combos and intense aerial combat.

The game was designed to be easily controllable, with no complicated command motions, as well as easy to grasp with its "San Sukumi" system (roughly translated: Three Way Deadlock, or a Rock-Paper-Scissors Trifecta). This way, both casual players and hardcore can get into the game quickly, reaching the next level of gameplay in a relatively short time so that the emphasis can be placed upon proper movement, spacing, baits and punishes instead of practicing difficult execution or grasping the intricate mechanics.

• How do I download Akatsuki Blitzkampf?

You can get a download for all versions of Akatsuki Blitzkampf on the community Discord Server. Check the #downloads channel for more details!

• How do I unlock characters/modes/etc?

Keep beating the Arcade with different characters, though the common downloads for the game should have all characters unlocked.

• I have unlocked Blitztank and Murakumo, but not Adler. Why?

Patch the game by getting the latest major version here, Adler becomes playable together with Blitztank.

• Is Perfecti unlockable?

In the PC version no, she is just a palette swap of Mycale. However, in the arcade version, Perfecti was introduced as a completely new character (design-wise she is still an upgrade from Mycale) with her own movelist and sprite set. She will appear the in PC port of Ausf Achse whenever that releases. Read the next FAQ for more information.

• Arcade version?

Akatsuki Blitzkampf has an arcade port called "Ausf Achse". The biggest change is the addition of Perfecti. Aside from that, there are several improvements in animations and overall graphics plus some changes to the character balancing (see more in Akatsuki Blitzkampf/Changelog/Ausf Achse). Many people have chosen to switch to Ausf Achse as their main game in recent years but some have stuck with the original, so there is a player base for both games.

Akatsuki Blitzkampf Ausf.Achse is getting a PC port, according to this blog post from Subtle Style, which describes a networking test. It is unknown if this version will be released for western audiences. Unfortunately, no new information has been released in two years.

• Shisei Ichigou?

Shisei Ichigou is the game that came prior to Akatsuki Blitzkampf, and is effectively its prototype. The game objectively is not very good, as it only features Akatsuki, Mycale, Sai, Fritz, and Kanae (who are missing some of their moves), runs poorly on modern systems, and is incredibly jank. However, if you can get it working, it's fun to screw around in thanks to the aforementioned jank (things like Akatsuki nj.C loop and Kanae's j.A), and it's fun to see where the series came from.

• EN-Eins Perfektewelt?

EN-Eins Perfektewelt is effectively a full on sequel to Akatsuki Blitzkampf released in 2010. With three new characters, several new mechanics, and many balance changes, it is a very different game from ABK. It is arcade only and as such is harder to find a way to play, but it's possible. For more information on it, check out its mizuumi wiki.

• Netplay?

Both the PC and arcade version of Akatsuki Blitzkampf have viable options for netplay. PC can be played through a caster or the built in netcode, although this is delay based. The arcade version has a delay based option through BEAR and a rollback option through Fightcade 2/Flycast Dojo. Read more in Akatsuki Blitzkampf/Netplay. Neither Shisei Ichigou or EN-Eins Perfektewelt have actual netplay options, and must be played through Parsec.

Gameplay

• What are the tiers?

Japanese PC tier-list (source: http://sailsblog.blog.fc2.com/blog-entry-2418.html )'

God Tier: Marilyn Sue

S: Sai

A: Akatsuki, Anonym, Wei, Murakumo

B: Fritz, Blitztank, Elektrosoldat

C: Kanae, Adler, Mycale

Ausf Achse Japanese tier-list (same source)

S: Marilyn Sue, Akatsuki, Fritz, Anonym

A: Murakumo, Wei, Elektrosoldat

B: Adler, Sai, Kanae

C: Mycale, Perfecti

D: Blitztank

2014 Ausf Achse Japanese Matchup List (source: https://wikiwiki.jp/akatsuki/%E3%83%80%E3%82%A4%E3%83%A4%E3%82%B0%E3%83%A9%E3%83%A0)

Explanation

• 5:5 A perfect 50-50 split. The winner is decided entirely from ability.
• 6:4(4:6) The matchup is a little tough, but it can be won through countermeasures and ability.
• 7:3(3:7) The difference in matchup clearly shows and it feels pretty hard. If the players have the same ability, then it is difficult to win.
• 8:2(2:8) It's hard just to play against them, and if at even ability you can win once every 50 games.
• 9:1(1:9) There is no way to win this game. 10:0 matchups rarely exist, so this is much more common. Could theoretically be won if the ability gap is massive.
• 10:0(0:10) The game ends immediately from a specific action and it is literally impossible to play. These rarely exist since the conditions are so specific.

Note that many positions in these lists are ambigious, every character can be viable with enough skill, and matchups matter. Just play your favorites and remember that fundamentals universal to each character are important.

Troubleshooting

• My config.exe doesn't work!

Set it to Windows 2000 compatibility mode. Right-click on the akatsukibk.exe file, go to Properties, Compatibility, and check the box and select Windows 2000.

• My controller doesn't work!

If the issue is related to directional inputs, check which type of directional input your controller performs. Akatsuki Blitzkampf does not recognize digital input (from the directional pad, for example), or analogical input from the Z-axis (often assigned to the right stick). Most arcade sticks have a switch that allows you to select which input type the lever returns, but if you don't have access to this option, try joy2key. It may also help if the issue happens to be on the buttons.

• I have just discovered a horrid bug / came up with awesome ideas for the game. What do i do?

Report to the author of the game. For ideas, suggestions and whatnot you can just send an e-mail to subtle70[at]hotmail[dot]com. The person behind Blitzkampf knows english to a certain extent, but, alas, it doesn't guarantee you'll get an answer. Still, you could give it a try.

As for bug reports, there is a dedicated BBS on SUBTLE STYLE. You will probably want to keep it tidy and use the submit form presented there. Here's what it looks like:

【ＮＯ】 - bug report number, in XXXX format (refer to the previous poster to figure out your number)

【Ｖｅｒ】 - game version (people also tend to note whether it's trial or fullver, but that's optional)

【ＯＳ】 - your operating system

【場所】 - where in-game the bug occurs

【カテゴリ】 - Category （システム - System、グラフィック - Graphic、停止 - Game Crashes Etc.）

【キャラ】 - Character (if any)

【再現性】 - how frequently this bug can be reproduced (if it can be)

【概要】 - short outline of the bug

【内容】 - details (like what you did for this bug to happen)

Just copy/paste the brackets and fill in the info. Observations show that author keeps note of said bug reports and actually replies to them.

Interview with Subtle Style

There was an interview with Subtle when the arcade version was released. This is a translated version done by nekich, with some of the greetings removed.

Q1 What kind of fighting game is Akatsuki Blitzkampf Ausf.Achse (ABK:AA)?
A1 An extremely simple one, that takes both from classic 2D fighting games and modern ones.

Q2 What audience does ABK:AA target?
A2 Since it was aimed at simplicity as well as stressing deep mindgame, I think it's potentially suitable to be played by everyone - from beginners to experts, from students to businessmen.

Q3 In game's title, what does "Ausf.Achse" mean?
A3 "Ausf", in German language, denotes weapon's pattern number and is short for "Ausführung". "Achse" means "axis" in German. If joined together, in the context of the game it would mean "Axle Type", you can think of it as "A-class". It's somewhat the same as "alpha-bravo-charlie" within the radio alphabet. Needless to say, that in the beginning it was chosen because of single-character "A" and "AC" arcade versions are denoted with.

Q4 What kind of story does ABK:AA tell?
A4 It's centered around the secret "Blitz Engine" weapon, brought forth when an inexhaustible supply of electrical energy had been developed during WW2, and the battle of those connected with it in the past and modern agents after the technology.

Q5 Are there any recommended characters?
A5 First of all, it becomes important to choose a character, as in this game each one was created with strong individuality. But when it comes for recommendations for everyone, then of course it would be Akatsuki, the protagonist. Because he can deal with every situation and is an overall standard character, I think it's ok to get the general idea of the game by playing him. I also recommended him, as a rather combo-friendly character, to those seeking fun. Another choice would be, for example, Fritz. He's a character that can deal tons of damage with one-hit moves, a rarity these days. There's some freshness in this kind of moves. Since this alternative requires timing skills, I recommend it to those who prefer such a play style.

Q6 The ABK series also had doujin titles in the past, which one gave the most troubles with development?
A6 In short, it's "own hands are not enough", but, to make matters worse, during the arcade development time restrictions were added to this statement.

Q7 During the development of the ABK series, were there any interesting moments?
A7 There was an accident in the final stages of the arcade version development, when a fire alarm went off close to the place I worked at. I expected some troubles with development, but surely not of this kind. At once I had to hide all of the data and machine parts, and after I went out to find out about the source of fire, it, naturally, turned out to be a joke.

Q8Following the steps of Melty Blood, ABK from a doujin game turned into an arcade title. Any details on how it happened?
A8 Last year, in April, a little while after the distribution of ABK had begun, I was invited to the ABK tourney, where many times I came along the conversations regarding ABK's transformation into an arcade title. Shortly after being presented to this development "proposal", I was confused with how to use the NAOMI board, but the results of studying it somehow led me to the decision that it seems possible.

Q9 From now on will you concentrate on developing the arcade version, without the doujin production?
A9 It's undecided, as of now. I think it will be decided depending on how the arcade version will perform. One way or another, I'll resume the interrupted (since I have to make sure all machines are operational) planning for the arcade version.

Q10 Well then, in conclusion, one word to all of the ABK:AA players, please.
A10 First of all, try this game out. It all depends on players whether this series will live on or not.