A little curious about the Homing Attack's reliability.

[Ereki]

I've been having issues using Sonic's Neutral B, as we all know, the Homing Attack. Not just to gimp, or recover, just in general.

I'm aware that it's better utilized if you cut the time in half, but, how reliable is this, really? The homing attack for me has given me mixed results.

Scenario One:
Sonic versus Pit, Final Destination. Pit is just camping at the ledge, waiting for me to come back after F-Smashing me in the face. Just for the sake of examples, let's say I can't use my Spring to get back. I use homing attack from just above the bottom of the screen marker [before it lets you know you're about to die], and I use Homing Attack. I somehow create an arc and lock in on Pit, and hit him away from the ledge, the fight continues.

Scenario Two:
Same situation, same stage. This time, I F-Smash Pit towards the Right of the stage, and I go off to hunt and U-Air/F-Air him, but instead, I use Homing Attack. This time, instead of locking on, I end up just going the downwards 45 degree angle, and end up sacrificing a spring, only to get D-Aired by Pit and die.

Scenario Three:
Sonic versus Meta Knight, Final Destination. Same situation as Two, except when I use Homing Attack, and Meta Knight is still off screen a bit, I hunt him down this time, gimp his recovery, and he loses a stock.


Well, I'm not exactly sure of how much I'll be using Homing attack after this, or, it could just be me not using it correctly. Just how can you be sure that the Homing Attack will be used properly in your attack, or if it will even register your opponent?

 

[Shadow5YA]

I'd like to know how far Sonic was away from Pit when you started the Homing Attack.

 

[Browny]

i find homing attack to hit A LOT more often when you attack from very far below. i mean a good 4-5 sonic heights below them in mid air. Try to use it when the enemy is in a line above you

 

[Ereki]

I'd like to know how far Sonic was away from Pit when you started the Homing Attack.

I'm assuming you mean for Scenario two. If I had to make an estimation, I just double jumped off the side and then initiated the homing attack.

 

[Uncle Fitzy]

I have had the same problems. You just have to make a judgment call I guess. I have actually SDed pursuing someone off stage because the homing jump missed them and flew into the KO-zone before I could react.

 

[Sonic Orochi]

Never double jump and then Homing Attack.

Well, unless you're sure that the HA will at least home into the enemy (it doesn't have to hit him) or if you double jumped backwards. Otherwise, you'll be too far from the stage after the Homing Attack and you'll only have your Spring to recover.

About the Homing Attack range, it covers an elliptical area around Sonic. I tested this with the smallest block on Stage Builder: about 4 1/5 block in front of Sonic, 3 1/5 back and 3 4/5 up and down. Something like this:

U = 4/5 block, ( ) = 1/5 block, O = block, S = Sonic, + = maximum diagonal range (2x2 back and 3x3 front)
. . . . . .U
. . . . . .O. . . .+
. . .+. .O
. . . . . .O
) O O O S O O O O (
. . . . . .O
. . .+. .O
. . . . . .O. . . .+
. . . . . .U

Needless to say, but the area "follows" Sonic when he uses the HA, which makes it seem that you have more range upwards.

 

[listentomook]

can you explain your diagram a bit more? i want to understand

 

[TwinkleToes]

I only use the homing attack after a whiffed spin dash or when I'm gimping someone that's very close to the side blast line and is recovering/recently recovered from hit stun. Otherwise, it's too unreliable. On the bright side, the fact that you don't use it that much means that when you do use it it will have decent knockback and damage.

Sonic's aerials work far better than his b moves as gimps for the most part. Only at some very odd angles with specific characters do I consider using a b move like the spring or homing attack.

I guess I'll make a guide later, if Zeal or Lucky doesn't beat me to it. I doubt they will though, we're all lazy *******s.

 

[FrostByte]

Homing attack works when your opponent is in the same place after startup and execution. So if your opponent jumps, you'll most likely hit. If they keep falling, you'll go just short of their head. It also has a "chase" effect, so if pit was rising it'll go for them. If they dodge/roll/airdodge then you'll do the standard 45 degree jump dash. That's probably why they allow you to time when you want to shoot off.

 

[TwinkleToes]

^I don't think that's necessarily true. I've used neutral-b against stationary opponents in training mode and missed them. At certain angles the homing attack will miss because it always curves (if it locked on to anybody). So there is some distance judgment that you need to make. Fortunately, I don't think this is something that most people that don't play Sonic realize so we'll just keep it a secret from them

 

[Sonic Orochi]

The Homing Attack's trajectory is completely random.

I've tested it with Mario standing on FD. Then I went to one of the stage's edge and used the Full Homing Attack. Sometimes it does a wide curve. Sometimes it will be almost a straight line.

Well, it >might< be due to Mario's stance when the Homing actually locked on him, but then it would be almost as controllable as Mewtwo's Shadow Ball trajectory (i.e.: virtually zero control.. lol).

Weird enough, right? Anyway, knowing how the Homing Attack works helps a bit on when to use it.

 

[MysticGod101]

i wonder how many times can you use the homing attack when your off screen?

 

[Tenki]

oops, should have searched for this thread first ^^;

^
I'd give it 2-3 times before you either SD off the side or into the floor.
-------------

I just realized that this thread existed :[
messed up and made a new thread a while ago lol

Though, that one was a little more recent, and there was interesting information that I got (and haven't checked yet ._.; )

The Homing Attack targets your opponent's back (as in the side that is not facing you).

Well, with that fact in mind, you'd better use it like this:

At a lower level (opponent above):

- opponent going towards you: use it.
- opponent going away from you: don't use it.

At a higher level (opponent below):

- opponent going towards you: don't use it.
- opponent going away from you: use it.

By the way, the angle varies (seems random to me) and this is as much as you can control it, AFAIK. Of course, that changes if the opponent is going down or up, but that's pretty much logic if you know that it targets your opponent's back.

Also, keep in mind that when you're above your opponent, it's more likely that, if you hit them, you'll send them to the side you were before the Homing Attack usage (i.e.: you were on the left and opponent is on the right. The HA will knock him left, due to the fact that it hit his back).

discuss. Is this leaning towards true?

I watched some videos and saw people who were facing the edge get sent flying toward the edge by a recovering Sonic's HA, so I'm starting to believe.

Also wondering about the difference in range if Sonic is facing toward or away from the enemy. If that's true, it might put a damper on an idea I had to use B-reversal Homing Attack when using it off-stage, so at least it sends you toward the stage (easier for recovery).

 

[sesshomaru]

Twinkle toes said my biggest problem with it. It just simply misses sometimes! I LOVE side b JCed into a homing attack. Sheild deteriorates so they really don't have any choice to block other than dodge or roll, and my friends just haven't caught on lol. But, then theres that time when he just misses. Nothing causes it other than sonic, it seems to happen when they're about 3-4 sonics away. Extremely frustrating, especially when they counter right after the bounce.

 

[Sonic Orochi]

^
I'd give it 2-3 times before you either SD off the side or into the floor.
-------------

I just realized that this thread existed :[
messed up and made a new thread a while ago lol

Though, that one was a little more recent, and there was interesting information that I got (and haven't checked yet ._.; )



discuss. Is this leaning towards true?

I watched some videos and saw people who were facing the edge get sent flying toward the edge by a recovering Sonic's HA, so I'm starting to believe.

Also wondering about the difference in range if Sonic is facing toward or away from the enemy. If that's true, it might put a damper on an idea I had to use B-reversal Homing Attack when using it off-stage, so at least it sends you toward the stage (easier for recovery).

Yes, that is true. Try it out yourself. =)

Oh, I forgot to mention one thing: Sonic will try to hit the enemy's back by going OVER them. That's why, most of the time, it seems that HA is aiming for their heads, which is not true.

 

[Tenki]

Ahh that explains why, when someone's recovering over me, but is closer to the KO wall, and I use HA, it knocks them forward, while if I'm coming back and use HA on someone near the edge, I tend to knock them toward the edge instead of toward the level o_O;

definitely have to mess around with this later. Thanks for the info :D

 

[JiangWei23]

Hm, this clears things up a lot. I guess it makes sense that Sonic would target their back instead of their front, since his HA might get canceled out by an attack if HA went for them face first.

Few more questions:

(1) Some people say HA can be directed? Is this true?

(2) What exactly am I supposed to do to cut down HA's chargeup time? Press B+B or B+A?

(3) Is HA more accurate or less accurate when its chargeup time is cut? Or does it not make a difference?

(4) Does not cutting the chargeup time give it more range? (More stuff I've heard)

 

[Tenki]

I do know (2), if this helps

B,B

 

[Sonic Orochi]

Hm, this clears things up a lot. I guess it makes sense that Sonic would target their back instead of their front, since his HA might get canceled out by an attack if HA went for them face first.

Few more questions:

(1) Some people say HA can be directed? Is this true?

(2) What exactly am I supposed to do to cut down HA's chargeup time? Press B+B or B+A?

(3) Is HA more accurate or less accurate when its chargeup time is cut? Or does it not make a difference?

(4) Does not cutting the chargeup time give it more range? (More stuff I've heard)

(1) AFAIK, no, it cannot.

(2) Whichever.

(3) No difference at all. It only changes the height of the attack (and, thus, the ellipsoid range area's height).

(4) Not that I know of. Haven't tested this throughly (sp), but I don't think it does.

 

[Tenki]

I just checked. 3 and 4 are a no. There's no difference in range from chargeup. However, trajectory/range is slightly affected by which direction you're facing (away/toward enemy).

Also, another thing. Here's what I found about Homing Attack:
- it does NOT target the opponent's back.

If you are above your opponent, it will aim towards the side that is further from you (hits enemy towards you)

If you are under your opponent, it will aim towards the side that is closer to you (hits enemy away from you, forward).

That is all.

 

[Veil2222]

I've been chasing with b a lot lately and it's been working very well, basically I use it a varying range depending on the position of the enemy. If they are under me or horozontal with me, I use max range, if they're above me, I try to use the shortest range possible. This means that's homing attack is great to substitute into spring/spindash+Uair combos to vary the timing up if your enemy has a habit of instant dodging the combo hits.

 

[Sonic Orochi]

I just checked. 3 and 4 are a no. There's no difference in range from chargeup. However, trajectory/range is slightly affected by which direction you're facing (away/toward enemy).

Also, another thing. Here's what I found about Homing Attack:
- it does NOT target the opponent's back.

If you are above your opponent, it will aim towards the side that is further from you (hits enemy towards you)

If you are under your opponent, it will aim towards the side that is closer to you (hits enemy away from you, forward).

That is all.

It does target the enemy's back...

Those two scenarios you posted are due to the fact that HA will always try to hit the opponent's back by going over them.

 

[Tenki]

I tried it, turning the dummy character around. I think it was just all about placement. Most of the time, if you're above someone, they're facing you, so it gives the illusion of aiming at their back, when it was really just aiming for the further side from your character

 

[Sonic Orochi]

The Homing Attack targets your opponent's back (as in the side that is not facing you).

There you go.

 

[Andee]

argh i hate when the ha misses completely and ends up RIGHT behind the dude with like the lag of 1.5 seconds!! >___<