Editing Collecting Framedata and Hitboxes

[[File:Hitbox.png|thumb|right|800px|How to read hitbox images]]

= Tools =

[https://code.google.com/p/mame-rr/ MAME Rerecording] | All of your CPS-II frame data values (startup, active, recovery, etc) should come from this emulator. You might be able to use FBA for other systems.

[https://code.google.com/p/fbarr/ FinalBurn Alpha Rerecording] | Primarily used for capturing hitboxes that are incompatible with MAME-rr. Usually the throwboxes.

[https://fightanvidya.com/4a4a/lua.zip Framedata and Hitbox Viewer Scripts] Backup of https://code.google.com/archive/p/mame-rr/ scripts


= How to manually count frames (CPS-II specific?) =

If your game isn't supported by framedata.lua, you will have to turn on the hitboxes script and count the frames manually. Luckily it's not too hard.

Run mame.exe and select the rom you want to use. Then, hit ctrl+L to bring up the Lua script manager and load up the script you need. Hit run.

Press TAB, go to Input (General) and map a key for '''Frame Advance''' that's easy for you to press a billion times, and any '''Lua hotkeys''' you need to use. (Throwable boxes are off by default, so you will really want '''hotkey 5''')

Go to Input (This Game) and set up keys for both Player 1 and Player 2. I recommend mapping an extra '''UP''' input that is the same for both players so that you can very conveniently calculate frame advantage from a '''Jump Anchor Frame.'''

Insert coins and press start on both players, and if you're going to get '''Frame Advantage''' values select the same character for both.


== Core Concepts ==

=== Input Frame ===
This is the frame that the final button or direction of your desired command is entered. Sometimes called '''Frame Zero'''.


=== Startup Frames ===
These are every frame ''after'' the '''Input Frame''' up to and ''including'' the first '''Active Frame'''. 


=== Active Frames ===
These are every frame that contain an '''Attack Box''' (Red), a '''Projectile Box''' (Magenta), or a '''Throw Box''' (Yellow). Make sure this includes the frame you counted earlier as the last '''Startup Frame''' as well, so your sum total of '''Startup Frames''' + '''Active Frames''' + '''Recovery Frames''' should actually contain ''one extra frame'' since we're counting it twice. Using this method makes it easier to understand which moves can be used to punish or combo.

Some moves that hit multiple times will contain '''Gaps''' between multiple chunks of '''Active Frames'''. For this situation, you should count each Gap and Chunk separately. 

For example, let's say a move hits two times. If each of the ''two hits are '''Active''' for 5 frames'' and there is ''one '''Gap''' for 4 Frames'' inbetween the two hits. You would express it like so:

<code>5 (4) 5</code>


=== Anchor Frame ===
This is a trick you can use to determine the amount of '''Recovery Frames'''.  I'll write about it later


=== Recovery Frames ===
Coming soon in 2025