KOF2002UM Input / system stuff

- When you press a button in KOF2002UM, the game checks your directional inputs on the 3rd and 4th frame after the button press. This check determines if the button is done "at neutral" or is forward+button, down+button, et cetera. This is the 4-frame input buffer. This is the main reason why you can press a button, then a direction, and the normal can change. This can also turn a close heavy attack into a throw.

- This applies across any direction+button inputs in the game, including throws and special move followups. If you find that combos seem to be dropping for no reason, or that it's difficult to cancel a command normal into specials or supers, this is the likely reason. Make sure to hold the direction for command normals briefly before starting your next motion.

- If you've ever felt like your inputs were "eaten" after a run, this 4-frame window and the way running works is to blame for that. For specific information, please refer to this thread: https://twitter.com/Juicebox_FGC/status/1317469954782842880
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Input Priority:

 - 3-bar supers
  - 1-bar supers
   - AB / BC
    - special moves
     - CD
      - command normals
       - A
        - B
         - C
          - D
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MAX MODE / MAX CANCELS
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- Light normals have a 9f max cancel window.
 - The first 4 frames give a clean cancel
 - The last 5 frames give a light kick (B)

- Heavy normals have a 13f max cancel window.
 - The first 8 frames give a clean cancel
 - The last 5 frames give a light kick (B)

- Command normals have the same 13f window to be max cancelled as heavy attacks, with some exceptions.

[Some light or heavy normals may have slightly different max cancel windows, unfortunately I have not yet tested every single one. However I did test every single command normal, for more info please continue reading.]
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Max cancel input tricks

- A Max "Bypass" is done when you activate max mode and a special move at the same time. For example with Kyo, when any normal hits, input qcf+BC and Kyo will cancel into qcf+C and enter max mode simultaneously, -bypassing- the cancel itself and eliminating the need for a run.

- A Max Bypass can be done during [any point] of any max cancel window. If your special move input is correct, the LK from the later cancel window will not occur. Using the "button hold" trick is especially useful here.

- If your character has a command normal assigned to a light kick or heavy punch button (B or C), then you can prevent an accidental light kick by holding the appropriate direction when you do a max cancel. If this is done during the clean max cancel window, you will still get a clean max cancel. If done in the later, "dirty" part of the max cancel window, the command normal will occur instead of the light kick. This is especially useful for Nameless and a few other characters, and is a reason why you might want to intentionally time your BC input for the later part of a max cancel window.

- In addition to the above trick with command normals, there is a different trick that is accessible to all characters. Max mode is normally activated by pressing B+C together. But if you are cancelling from a normal or command normal, you can also activate max mode by press C~B. This will cancel into max mode and then immediately give a standing heavy punch.

[If you are unfamiliar with '~' in fighting game notation, it means to press the buttons at nearly the same time. They should be offset by a frame or two. The word 'plink' also means the same thing, as in "plink C with B".]
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List of Command Normal Exceptions

These command normals more or less follow the standard 13f rule, but have a (gap) in the middle and have multiple 13f windows:

Andy df+A**	- 26f
EX Robert df+B	- 13f (11f) 13f
Vanessa f+A	- 13f (13f) 13f
Chris f+B	- 13f (2f) 13f
Yamazaki f+A	- 13f (3f) 13f
Blue Mary f/b+B	- 13f (15f) 13f
Heidern f/b+B	- 13f (2f) 13f
Hinako df+A	- 13f (5f) 13f
Kusanagi df+D	- 13f (13f) 13f
Mai df+B	- 13f (14f) 13f

**Two consecutive 13f windows with no gap.
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These command normals have a "7 frame rule". They still have the late 5 frame window to execute a light kick which leaves only 2 frames to cancel cleanly, making them more difficult:

Joe df+B	- 7f
Nameless df+D	- 7f
Ramon df+B	- 7f
Whip f+A (any)	- 7f
Xiangfei df+D	- 7f
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These command normals have a "10 frame rule", with 5 clean max cancel frames and 5 frames giving a light kick:

Kyo f+B:
- f+B has two versions. One is the standard overhead done at a distance. That has the standard 13f window. The other version occurs when you chain into f+B. For this alternate version:
 1st hit -> 10f window
 -> (5f gap)
 2nd hit -> standard 13f window

Angel f+B:
 1st hit -> 10f window
 -> (1f gap)
 2nd hit -> 10f window

Hinako:
f+A / f+A,A / f+B / f+B,B / df+C / df+C,D / df+D -> all have 10f windows

Kusanagi / Kyo-2 f+B:
 1st hit -> 10f window
 -> (8f gap)
 2nd hit -> standard 13f window
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These command normals have unique max cancels:

Nameless f+A	- 24f window
 - CANNOT be cleanly max cancelled. A max cancel anywhere in the 24f window produces an extra light kick.

Kula df+C:
 1st hit -> 4f window
 - CANNOT be cleanly max cancelled - always gives light kick
 -> (2f gap)
 2nd hit -> 4f window
 - CANNOT be cleanly max cancelled - always gives light kick
 -> (4f gap)
 3rd hit -> standard 13f window

Kasumi f+A:
 1st hit -> 9f window
 - 4f clean
 - 5f = light kick
 -> (6f gap)
 2nd hit -> standard 13f window

Kyo-1 df+C -> 17f window
 - 12f clean
 - 5f = light kick