Frame Data

Frame Data refers the the animation and time data of attacks in fighting games. Frame Data also consists of Frame Advantage values.

Many websites devoted to various fighting games usually list the frame data for each character. In M.U.G.E.N, most of this information can be obtained by looking at the character's files through a program such as Fighter Factory. Animation times are listed as frames or ticks (most fighting games run at 60 frames per second), which should not be confused with the individual animation elements in a character's AIR file.

Frame Data for each move consists of the following:

Startup Frames
This refers to how many frames it takes for the move to start. The move is not yet capable of hitting the opponent at this time.

Active Frames
This refers to how many frames that the attack is capable of hitting the opponent. Active frames for M.U.G.E.N characters can be identified with red CLSN boxes.

Recovery Frames
This refers to how many frames that the player must wait after the last active frame before the entire animation finishes. If the move allows it, the player can Cancel into another attack during this time.

Total Frames
This refers to how long the entire animation lasts, in other words, the sum of the Startup, Active, and Recovery frames.

Block
This indicates how the move should be blocked, either High (H), Low (L) or both (HL). This information is equivalent to the values of the guardflag parameter of the character's Hitdef for the attack.

Damage
Self-explanitory, this refers to how much damage the attack does on hit and block.

Stun (Street Fighter Only)
How much stun the move adds to P2's stun meter. When full, P2 will go into a dizzy state and cannot act until they are hit again or until a set amount of time.

Meter Gain
This refers to how much power is gained back from performing the attack and having it successfully make contact with the opponent. It may also list how much power is gained by the opponent on hit or block.

Frame Advantage (Hit)
See Frame Advantage for full article.

Frame Advantage (Block)
See Frame Advantage for full article.

Cancel Ability
This information indicates whether or not a move's Recovery Frames can be cancelled and, if so, what they can be cancelled into. Most Frame Data use the following notation:
 * C - The move can be chained, that is, cancelled into another Normal attack
 * Sp - The move can be cancelled into a special move
 * Su - The move can be cancelled into a super move