PTX-40A - Capcom

"This is a perfectly balanced VS. You can't even begin to compare to its weight, firepower, and mobility."

TATSUNOKO VS CAPCOM BIO:

A prototype VS (Vital Suit), nicknamed Ivan, no other VS comes close to the PTX-40A in terms of power and capabilities. It is equipped with heavy armaments attached to its shoulders, shotguns for close-up battles, and lighting quick moves never thought possible for its size.

CHARACTER ORGIN

PTX-40A originated in Lost Planet: Extreme Condition, a third person shooter.  In the game, the player can either roam around on foot or drive one of the Vital Suits as they become available, which have a variety of heavy weapons.

GAMEPLAY DETAILS

PTX is a very agressive offense-oriented character who uses his large frame to keep opponents pinned in the corner and under constant pressure. This character boasts powerful attacks and unblockable resets, making him a dangerous force in the hands of a skilled player.

In this game, PTX is a special character who plays differently from the regulars. Unlike most characters, PTX has one very large life bar and can't have a partner. Due to lack of a partner, PTX is not able to use any system functions that require the use of a partner. To make up for this, PTX has continuous hyper-armor at all times which can only be broken by a select few moves and command grabs.

When being hit by combos, PTX can't block the follow-up moves if the first hit wasn't blocked, even if he is able to move backwards. Being hit too many times over a short period of time will cause PTX to become dizzied, completely vulnerable to attack and without hyper armor. PTX also can't regain health from red life.

Certain special moves such as Tekkaman's space lariat and all level 3 supers will break the hyper armor and allow PTX to be juggled like a normal character, so these moves are very dangerous to PTX. Playing this character requires a patient and cautious mindset and a good knowledge of his many bad matchups and how to overcome them. He is not a character for beginners.

CHARACTER STATS

Difficulty: Advanced

Style: Rushdown

Defensive power: PTX  has the second highest HP in the game and has constant super armor, but his overall HP is still less than that of two regular characters, and he cannot heal by tagging. PTX still has better defensive options than Lightan, with various auto-guard functions on his jabs and full protection during Vs Tackle, but as a character PTX is still fairly fragile and must be very careful not to take damage if possible. It's often quite easy for opponents to exploit a giant character's weaknesses, so PTX must constantly be aware of what threats the opponent is capable of posing. PTX is also vulnerable to losing by time-out if opponents are dedicated on stalling out the match and running away.

Offensive power: This is where PTX excells. His powerful regular combos can lead to equally damaging resets. If PTX has a rocket he can easily ensure the elimination of one of his 2 opponents. Players just have to be very careful not to be overconfident or make any mistakes.

Approach strength: Most would think that a character with full super armor could approach without care, but this simply is not the case. Against an opponent like Tekkaman Blade, PTX has to work very hard to get in close. However once PTX does get in, he can easily keep the opponent in the corner and chip at them until they either get hit or manage to escape. PTX is sufficiently better at chasing an opponent than Lightan, since he is able to utilise Vs Tackle to cover distance. Baroque is often key to closing the gap, as it provides safety and instant movement after a tackle. PTX cannot instantly jump and block while dashing, which makes dashing risky against certain opponents who are ready to intercept with a well-timed Tekkaman assist or armor breaking attack of their own.

Combo ability: PTX can't chain attacks as easily as Lightan and relies more heavily on links. These small combos do impressive damage for the few hits they do land, and PTX also benefits from having fearsome resets when rockets are involved.

Meter Usage: Meter is mainly conserved for the L-P buster or Megacrash. Thankfully PTX builds meter very fast and can take a full bar with only a few hits.

Key Techniques: Learning how to safely drop a rocket and confirm a reset is pivotal to PTX's success, since rockets are easy for opponents to avoid unless used strategically after certain setups. Learning how to buffer charge input specials during a F+M,B+M is also a must for all significant combos. Chaining guns can be tricky and requires a little practice as does a general feel for how PTX can approach and pressure while still remaining safe from harm.

Partner Options: none

Special Moves

RIGHT WEAPON

   
QUARTER CIRCLE FORWARD + ATTACK

LEFT WEAPON

  
QUARTER CIRCLE BACK + ATTACK

PTX-40A can have two weapons; one on his left shoulder and one on his right. Inputing the motion forward causes him to fire the weapon on his right shoulder. Inputting it backwards causes him to fire the weapon on his left shoulder. After a certain number of attacks, the weapon will fall off. Using the command again once a weapon is gone will trigger a reload. A random weapon will be recieved as a replacement. The button pressed determines the angle the weapon is fired at. Light will cause PTX to fire the gun diagonally downwards, Mid fires straight ahead and Strong fires at an upwards angle.

Players will need to know the hit characteristics of the weapons and what their attack characteristics are. Although the replacement weapon that you recieve is random, some weapons appear with a higher frequency than others. The Machine Gun is the most common. The Buckshot is the second most common. The Rocket and Missile are the least common. At the start of every match, the Left Shoulder will always have a Rocket and the Right Shoulder will always have a Machine Gun.

Here's a rundown of the four types of Weapons:

Machine Gun:

Fires a fast barrage of machine gun bullets. It chews through projectiles and does good chip damage. It's a good multi-purpose weapon (which is good because it's the most common). The machine gun may be used three times before it falls off. Keep in mind that there is a blind spot right in front of PTX where the machine gun will miss most characters.

Buckshot:

The Buckshot fires a short-range spread of bullets. It is good for knocking opponents out of the air. It has a wider hit area than the Machine Gun, does more damage, fires faster, and causes more stun. The range is less, however. The Buckshot may be used three times before it falls off.

Rocket:

The rocket hangs in the air for a moment and then homes in on the opponent.it is one-time use only, so choose the shot carefully. The rocket itself does 7 hits in total, and only the first hit is unblockable. During some rare circumstances the rocket can hit the ground before the opponent and they will be able to block the explosion. Opponents can avoid taking damage by super jumping the rocket, tagging out just before it hits, or using a mega crash. However, there are many ways to set up for completely un-escapable rocket hits, making it PTX's most valuable gun.

Missile:

The missile will travel forward in a straight line and explode wildly on contact or when it reaches the edge of the screen and deal lots of damage if it hits. Unlike the rocket it can be blocked. Useful for keeping an opponent pinned for pressure or chip damage. These can only be obtained if PTX's barrage shot super is interrupted before it finishes.

Chaining:

Another note of interest is that by inputting the firing commands one after the other in a quick motion, PTX will rapidly fire both guns one after the other. This allows him to combo gunshots and deal sufficient damage, as well as build alarming amounts of meter and block off opponent escape routes with two calculated bursts in different directions. However there is a trick to getting off a third shot.

In order for the guns to chain into a third shot, you must start with the left weapon and alternate between right and left. The second shot must be the light version and it must hit the opponent if a third shot is going to come out.

CALIBER EXECUTION

   
CHARGE DOWN, UP + ATTACK

PTX-40A engages a chainsaw and swings it upward in kind of an uppercut motion. The chainsaw is not too slow to come out and hits multiple times and does a lot of damage, but it has some sufficient recovery. Its arch also gives it good horizontal and vertical range and the startup of the attack pulls PTX back quickly and so in some cases it can be used to avoid and counter close-range attacks. The Attack button pressed determines the Chainsaw Slash's speed, number of hits, and damage. The Light Attack version has the fastest start-up and recovery but does the fewest number of hits and lowest damage. The heavy Attack version is the slowest but does the most hits and greatest damage. The Medium attack version is in-between. Of special note is that the hard and mid versions cause knockdown at a very high arc, making this move quite useful in combos.

VS TACKLE

   
CHARGE BACK, FORWARD + ATTACK

After a brief pause, PTX rockets forwards for a hefty tackle that barges through many attacks and causes the opponent to slam against the wall if it hits. The light version travels a short distance but has the fastest startup and recovery time, the mid version has slightly less startup time but goes much further, and the heavy version has considerable startup, but propells him forwards extremily quickly and causes snapback if it hits. VS tackle is one of PTX's most important attacks, making up the brunt of his strong rushdown and aiding in his mobility options and combos. Another key feature of this special is that it not only will destroy lariats and chains with its huge hitbox, but also has auto-guard frames during the entire charge and for most of the recovery, which keeps it safe from counterattacks. When cancelled with baroque, it can be used as an alternative to dashing.

F+M,B+M

While not exactly considered a special move, F+M,B+M is THE most important attack in PTX's arsenal. This attack serves as both an offensive and defensive tool, changing PTX's laggy overhead chainsaw F + M into a lightning fast low-hitting backdash explosion that propels PTX backwards while blowing the opponent into the sky in a knocked down spinning state. It can be used for mixups, getting out of troublesome situations or even just moving backwards. The hitbox is huge and allows for PTX to combo afterwards into true specials, all of which will hit due to the amazing stun this attack causes.

Hyper Moves

ARSENAL BARRAGE

HALF CIRCLE FORWARD + ANY TWO ATTACKS

PTX spins around and then initiates a super flash, firing both shoulder-mounted guns at the opponent until empty, followed by a period of reloading after which he blasts the opponent with two missiles.

This attack has many unique properties and tends to confuse newer players. The output depends entirely on what guns are mounted on PTX's shoulders at the time. While completing the first spin, PTX will load both shoulders to replace any missing guns with a random weapon. If PTX already had two weapons equipped, then no guns will be loaded. After this, the weapons will fire for a few seconds while tracking the opponent, regardless of how much ammo the guns had previously. After PTX has emptied both guns they will fall off his shoulders and PTX will pause for a moment before loading in two missiles which are then automatically fired at the opponent. Unfortunately, PTX is very vulnerable while loading the missiles and the opponent has plenty of time to block them, meaning that the missiles will rarely ever actually hit an experienced player. Damage and effect varies depending on the weapons PTX has at the time. If PTX has a rocket and a machine gun, he will fire a long stream of machinegun bullets alongside 5 rockets. The weapons retain their usual properties, so if even one of these guns happens to be a rocket, then the attack is completely unblockable. As a general rule of thumb, players should NEVER use this super unless they happen to have the following combinations: 1 rocket + 1 machine gun, 1 rocket + 1 shotgun or 2 rockets. This super can be used in place of the rocket > LP combo if the opponent is at low health. It's more economical than using the regular rocket into level 3 finisher. Do not ever attempt to use this attack if PTX is carrying 2 machine guns or 2 shotguns. The damage is pitiful and PTX is left very open while loading the missiles.

TACTICAL CALIBER

   
FORWARD DOWN DOWN-FORWARD + ANY TWO ATTACKS

PTX poses for a brief moment before attacking the opponent with his chainsaw. The initial hit is an overhead horizontal swipe which launches the opponent and must be blocked high, followed by an uppercut and finally a chop which slams the opponent to the ground, grinding them in place Until the super ends. PTX takes quite a while to recover from this attack and the opponent will often get a few hits in whether they are hit by it or not, but on the upside it is very damaging for a level 1 super. This attack is not very commonly used by PTX players, mainly because of it's slow startup time and the fact that it leaves PTX very vulnerable, even if it connects. Against some characters (like Roll) who have no ways to break PTX's hyper armor, this attack is less risky to use. It should never be used against someone like Karas or Tekkaman unless it's sure to finish them off, and PTX often has better ways to achieve this. Shortcomings aside, It's a very damaging super and a good way to deal damage at the end of a combo without having to lose a precious rocket. It can be comboed into via wall bounce Riot Tackle.

L-P BUSTER

   
FORWARD DOWN DOWN-FORWARD + ANY TWO ATTACKS

PTX glows blue and initiates a super flash, pausing for a moment before charging across the screen. If he hits the opponent, a cutscene will ensue and PTX will strip off his armor to reveal two giant plasma swords. PTX rises into the air while slicing the opponent before hitting them with a final one-two and a dramatic finishing strike, after which the opponent plummets helplessly to the ground. Despite the slow start up, this move makes up the brunt of PTX's fearsome corner damage and is well worth the meter spent to perform it. When the opponent is cornered and knocked airborn by any one of PTX's launching attacks, PTX can fire a single rocket and then immediately cancel into this super. If set up correctly, it is a guaranteed reset in the corner for tremendous damage that very few opponents can reliably escape. Super cancelling into the rocket prevents the opponent from mega-crashing the unblockable projectile and disrupting the combo. It's best to get the opponent airborn first by comboing into standing strong attack or launcher, otherwise they can evade the rocket with a well-timed tag to their partner. This super does come with a small downside: after using it all of PTX's weapons will be dropped, though this isn't really much of a problem. After landing the attack, PTX will be given a moment of reprieve to either reload it's weapons fully, or go in for even more damage by dashing over to the falling opponent and hitting them on the ground with D+H attack before they recover. This effectively adds even more damage to the super's already respectable base power with the added benefit of regaining some meter in the process. This super can be used raw to punish certain level 1 beam supers such as Ryu's Shinkuu Hadouken or Megaman Volnutt's Machine Gun Sweep, but in general it's best to use it only with the correct setup, as it's too valuable to waste and the penalty for missing is too high (being stuck without guns, right in front of the opponent and vulnerable to attack is not pleasant for PTX at all.)

Assists

As a Giant character, PTX-40A can only be used alone.  As a result, this character has no Assists.

Combos

Standard Bread and Butter combo:

(F+M,B+M) > Vs tackle M > Dash > D+H(while opponent is down)

(F+M,B+M) > Calibur Execution M

D+L > (F+M,B+M) > Left gun L > Right gun L > Left gun M

This can be tricky to use and works best with two shotguns. It works better in the corner. The jab at the start is optional, since it's very hard to combo from but is possible.

D+M > Launcher > jump > air M > air M

Bread  and Butter combo with Baroque:

(F+M, B+M) > Calibur Execution M > BAROQUE > Vs Tackle M > dash > D+H(while opponent is down)

D+M > Launcher > BAROQUE > L > (F+M, B+M) > Vs Tackle M > dash > D+H(while opponent is down)

air H (3 hits) > BAROQUE > (F+M, B+M) > Vs Tackle M > dash > D+H(while opponent is down)

corner combo

(F+M, B+M) > Vs Tackle L > L > M > (F+M, B+M) > Critical Calipur M > dash > D+H

(F+M, B+M) > Vs Tackle L > (F+M, B+M) > rapid weapon fire C version (machine guns or buckshots)

corner combo > Hyper

(F+M, B+M) > Vs Tackle L > (F+M, B+M) > Calibur Execution H > Tactical Calibur or L-P Buster

corner combo into reset (for opponents with 0 meter)

Launcher > weapon fire (rocket) *combo reset* (F+M, B+M) > Riot Tackle L > (F+M, B+M) > Calibur Execution M > dash > D+H (while opponent is down)

corner combo into reset level 3 + Baroque (requires 3 meter)

(F+M, B+M) > Calibur Execution H > weapon fire H (rocket) > BAROQUE > (F+M, B+M) > Calibur Execution H > L-P Buster > dash > D+H (while opponent is down)

Note: the (F+M,B+M) after the Baroque is not meant to hit the opponent. It should be timed in such a way that upon wakeup the opponent is forced to block it if they stand or roll back. If they roll forward PTX's body will block them off and the rocket will still hit.