Fighting Game Guide

Hitboxes

Before 3D models became the standard in video games, boxes were used to calculate collision in 2D games. Red boxes are hitboxes and they attack. Blue boxes are hurtboxes and they get hurt. Yellow boxes are throw boxes and they throw. Don't worry about the rest for now. When a red box overlaps the character's blue boxes, the character gets hit.

An attack has good priority when it has more hitboxes than hurtboxes or the hitboxes extend past the hurtboxes. When one attack beats another attack it's because of priority. When two attacks both hit and trade it's because they have the same priority.

Iceman has this very annoying poke. It has huge range but look at the boxes. The hurtbox extends past the hitbox. It's a giant blue box with a small red box. We say this attack has low priority.

Spiral's attacks have much better priority as you can see her red boxes extend past her blue boxes. When Iceman's and Spiral's attack hit at the same time, she wins. Her hitboxes overlap his hurtboxes more than his hitboxes overlap her hurtboxes. She out prioritizes him and he takes damage.

In Street Fighter, the shotos Ryu and Ken have crouching medium kick and crouching heavy kick. Crouching heavy kick does more damage than crouching medium kick. However crouching medium kick can be canceled into a combo to be more damaging than crouching heavy kick.

Why use crouching heavy kick if crouching medium kicks seems better in every way? Crouching heavy kick has more priority and single hit damage. It out prioritizes many more attacks.

The two attacks trade at a certain range. Crouching medium kick is more damaging when you cancel it into a combo but cancels are not possible during a trade. Crouching heavy kick is better in trades because it has more single hit damage.

Trades happen in scrambles. In scrambles it's not clear who has the advantage so both players send something out because they want to make the first move in an unclear situation. When a scramble happens try using an attack with good priority and single hit damage.