Using frame data in Dead or Alive 5In most fighting games, you'd have to buy a guide or scour the internet to find accurate frame data. But in DOA5, you can see frame data, as well as a wealth of other useful information in about any game mode by turning on the "Move Details" option in the Fight Screen Info section of the pause menu.
The game displays frame data in real time in the lower right hand side of the move detail pane. You will see two numbers separated by a "/". The first number is the number of execution frames of your last move. The second number will display with a "+" or "-" next to it. This requires a bit of explaination.
When you make contact with an attack, your opponent is temporarily placed in a state where they cannot do anything. If they blocked your attack, we call this state "block stun", and if they were hit by it we call it "hit stun".
Now, remember the recovery phase of an attack? Well, if we subtract that from the amount of block stun or hit stun it causes, the number that's left is useful, because it tells us who will be able to act again first, and how much faster. Thankfully, DOA5 does all the math for you, and just shows you the end result, like +2 or -8 and so forth.
So if I do an attack, my opponent blocks, and the frame display reads -8, we would say that move is -8 on block, meaning that I recover 8 frames slower than my opponent does. This means if they have a move that's 8 frames or faster, they can hit me with it and I can't do a thing. On the other hand, if I land a move successfully and it reads +22, I have all day to follow up, even with a slow move.
The key thing to remember about frame data is that you don't have to remember all the numbers. Just use the numbers to figure out what works and what doesn't. Once you know that, you don't even need the numbers any more!