Concerns with IaMP

[Colticide]

I'm at mt breaking point with this game that I just don't understand some of the mechanics and have tried to see what I'm doing wrong so hopefully someone can help me out with this older game. I recently got this for Christmas and I do enjoy it but a few of my concerns are a few things.

1. The quarter circle attacks
2. The Spellcards being set with the Dash button

The QC attacks just don't seem to work half the time for me, on occasions I'll get it to work but it may or may not be the move I'm using, I'll sometimes end up doing the -- | \ attack when I've done a normal QC move. And I've tried to use two different controllers and even keyboard, and keyboard seems even stranger since I can't get the moves to activate close to the CPU but only works when far away.

My biggest grip has to be using spellcards, I'm all for a dash button but when I can activate my spell setup just fine but when I need to use QC+D It almost never works, I need to be standing very still and then hold down for a split second longer and then it will work. But I just got done with a practice match where when I tried to use it all I kept doing was forward dashes and a backflip dash.... constantly. I've no clue if there is some kind of optimization problem or not, I'm very new to PC gaming and patches and whatnot. (Note: I do have all the latest patched and English patch and everything works fine but it just seems to be game mechanics.)
Any help would be great, thank you.

Edit: Also not sure if this should go into the technical part or not, I'm either having the issue on my end or its the games problem so it's kinda in between.

[Critz]

Get a controller. When I started playing IaMP with the keyboard, I had the same problem - 236/623 inputs barely worked due to the need to input diagonals on the keyboard. Switched to Dual Shock 2 with a PS2>PC adapter and all worked like a charm. Now I play on Logitech Precision and the d-pad feels even better. Some current logitech controllers have identical d-pad.

[Serela]

This is why I use the keyboard's numpad for any arrow-using game that supports it.

That being said, it was a little awkward for me too at first (Mostly just the strange back-forth inputs, not the quartercircles, admittedly), but after I figured a precise way to press the buttons it became a breeze.

[Star King]

Keyboard works just fine. Keep practicing and get used to it.

If you're dashing forward when trying to do quarter circle D, that means you're pressing down too early (or D too late, whatever way you want to look at it).

[chirpy13]

get good scrub

[Colticide]

Get a controller. When I started playing IaMP with the keyboard, I had the same problem - 236/623 inputs barely worked due to the need to input diagonals on the keyboard. Switched to Dual Shock 2 with a PS2>PC adapter and all worked like a charm. Now I play on Logitech Precision and the d-pad feels even better. Some current logitech controllers have identical d-pad.

I've used two but I have yet to use a PS controller. That logitech looks interesting, is the d pad special? I mostly see PC controllers with analog sticks so does this one replace that in a way? My current one I use mostly is a steelseries and is modeled after a ps2 one, but I'm starting to wonder if that is my problem. Also is your logitech good with the Shmups?

This is why I use the keyboard's numpad for any arrow-using game that supports it.

That being said, it was a little awkward for me too at first (Mostly just the strange back-forth inputs, not the quartercircles, admittedly), but after I figured a precise way to press the buttons it became a breeze.

That does seem likely, I've been a console gamer since as far as I can remember so it would seem that I wouldn't be very good with it. It just feels awkward for some reason, Ill keep practicing.

Keyboard works just fine. Keep practicing and get used to it.

If you're dashing forward when trying to do quarter circle D, that means you're pressing down too early (or D too late, whatever way you want to look at it).

OK then it would have to be controller then, the QC in this works like in other fighting games then, Ill probably switch to keyboard for a while and get use to that till I get a better controller. (At least I spent good money on my keyboard lol.)

get good scrub

Ahh... but the scrubbing bubbles was suppose to help. In all seriousness I'm not sure if your joking or not sorry. I'm no stranger to fighting games, I'm not good enough for competitive but I'm experienced.

Spoiler:

Also Suika's last spell card is just crazy for me to perfect on especially when I'm using Alice, any advice?

[Critz]

I've used two but I have yet to use a PS controller. That logitech looks interesting, is the d pad special? I mostly see PC controllers with analog sticks so does this one replace that in a way? My current one I use mostly is a steelseries and is modeled after a ps2 one, but I'm starting to wonder if that is my problem. Also is your logitech good with the Shmups?

That's not an analog, just a d-pad (I've found pad analogs to utterly suck at fighting games and I don't feel like moving to an arcade stick). Type "logitech gamepads" in google images and see that most of their gamepads have an identical d-pad, which served me very well (the notable exception being this, which I don't even need to touch to know it will suck at FG movements, I'd rather avoid that shape of d-pad entirely, Logitech or not). The Logitech Precision I linked before is the cheapest of them that has that nice circle d-pad, but Logitech is surely not be-all-and-end-all solution. I've had moderate luck with Dual Shock imitations though (real DSs perform movements well), so if you want a no-name pad, you might want to get one with a circle d-pad and make sure it isn't too loose when going upwards, or you'll keep jumping when trying to 623. And avoid Xbox ones, I've heard they plain suck for FGs  :V.

Also is your logitech good with the Shmups?

Sorry, I play shmups exclusively with keyboard. Might try in the future though.

Also Suika's last spell card is just crazy for me to perfect on especially when I'm using Alice, any advice?

Sorry, it's been a while since I played IaMP (12.3 veteran here), but as Alice you should propably just graze until you get an opening, hit her with j.5A poke flurry:

And get back to grazing. Don't rush it. Also, her 2-1 card (Return Inanimateness) should be highly helpful there, you might use it instead.

[Serela]

Because of the nature of Suika's last card, dashing in for a jumpkick and dashing back out was really the only way I saw to do it with Alice after it gets going- and it's really slow damage, so you're liable to get trashed sooner or later. And yeah, Return Inanimateness absolutely destroys most (or all) problematic story mode cards. Thank goodness for unblockable-in-air.

[chirpy13]

Ahh... but the scrubbing bubbles was suppose to help. In all seriousness I'm not sure if your joking or not sorry.

It's a fighting game thing.  Though getting good would obviously help.  Don't worry too much about your input device as long as it's not something objectively awful (like a controller with a crappy pad, a keyboard that locks up when you press too many buttons, etc).  Just pick whatever you're most comfortable with and go for it.  It's not gonna make a big difference any which way in the end.  Also I'd practice with people in #iamp on mizuumi or something.  Lunatic story is basically just an interactive tutorial on the mechanics.

[Colticide]

Sorry, it's been a while since I played IaMP (12.3 veteran here), but as Alice you should propably just graze until you get an opening, hit her with j.5A poke flurry:

And get back to grazing. Don't rush it. Also, her 2-1 card (Return Inanimateness) should be highly helpful there, you might use it instead.

The j.5A I would assume to be a half jump A attack correct? Alices 2-1 card hits in the air as well? If so I can see how it helps. Also I found out what my problem was for the attacks, I switched to keyboard for a bit and found out the QC attack isn't like other QC attacks on consoles (the ones I've played anyway). The ones I've played (Street fighter, Soul Calibur and others) have needed the attack button pressed the same time as the last direction which is why I kept dashing since I just was able to chain my spell cards because I needed to just D just after the last direction. That may not seem like a big deal but when you've played like that since childhood it does, especially when you assume that's what the game wanted. Well the games manual is in Japanese so there's no way I would have known unless through trial and error.

Anyway thank you everyone for the help, and the tips will come in handy as well. Now I can finally not rage so much lol.

[shadowbringer]

for Suika's last spellcard.. I forgot how to play vs it, haven't tried lunatic either, but maybe you can save meter (spirit) for it and 236c (at least before Suika starts sucking Alice towards her), and try to hit her from afar with jA or jC bullets (don't forget to airdash cancel them), wouldn't try to perfect it though

as for keyboards, the inputs for 236D could be understood as

- press down
- press forward
- release down
- press D

don't release forward before pressing D. This could be useful for pads/arcade sticks as well. If/when you can consistently do 236a/236b/236c, you should be able to do 236d as well, so it's a necessary hurdle to overcome.. hope that this helps.

[chirpy13]

I think the safest way for Suika's final is to just hj9 j44 jb.  On the last phase you can just block in the corner until you get an opening.  Chip damage isn't a concern since it can't kill you and it's pretty easy to not take an actual hit during it.  Guardcrush changes nothing either since if you airblock you're pretty much fucked anyway.

[Colticide]

hj9 j44 jb

I'm not sure what that means, is that fighting game lingo or PC fighting game specific?

[Sahgren]

Fighting game lingo. This page of the wiki describes it.

[Colticide]

Thank you very much, I had to go to IaMP's version since a few things are different then Soku or SWR. I actually didn't know I could use 1379 for the diagonal movement, and all the other buttons I didn't know about either.