An Attempt on explaining the Submission System of UFC 2010 - eeyor's Blog

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An Attempt on explaining the Submission System of UFC 2010 Stuck

Posted on June 5, 2010 at 06:06 AM.

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Note: This can be considered a �work in progress� article. I will try to add videos and further material in the following days. I might also consider adding sections as I dig deeper into the game.

Disclaimer:
This is a guide designed by a fellow gamer and it may not be 100% accurate as it describes the personal opinion of me. Also I give no guarantee that this system works for everyone, so please, if you are frustrated with the system, don�t blame me. Also, although the system is not perfect, it is not impossible and some error might result of your own gaming. Keep that in mind while reading this guide. In addition I advise you that it is all about constructive criticism. Please do not rant, or accuse in this thread and just post, if you really read the post in the first place. Also all my experience with the submission system stems from playing the expert cpu and using the practice mode of the game.

General Impressions of the Submission System:
In this years iteration, THQ tried to advance its submission system by trying to make variables other than your shine speed have more impact on the outcome of the submission. This has a major impact on how the system in itself functions. One aspect that influences the outcomes of the submission is the fact that there is not fighting for position before the struggle. This has influences also on the struggle itself. In real life, when it comes to struggling for the tap, a whole lot of things have gone wrong for the defender. He has lost its position and has lost numerous opportunities to stop getting in this position on the first hand. This is why in real life, struggles do favour the attacker stronger that in this game. With eliminating a fight for position at the first place, THQ had to implement mediating factors that help the defender fight of the submission:

Overall Success Rate:
During my time with the game and the practice mode for that matter, I have come to the conclusion that there does exist a certain success rate, even before the player influences it or ratings matter. Sometimes it seems that on random occasions a submission just won�t work. This means, even if you do everything right, there is a factor that does not allow you to submit someone. I do believe that randomly, you only have a 50% chance of submitting your opponent at the first place. This is a very, very important point to remember when going for a submission as you cannot really distinguish if you messed it up or it just wasn�t about to happen anyways. However there are other factors that can give you an advantage in the struggle:

Situation:
This is the first factor influencing the success of your submission attempt. THQ seems to have included some sort of �surprise� factor that helps the attacker. The more you surprise your opponent with a quick submission he will be more likely to loose the battle. Flying armbars, jumping guard and submitting from open guard down and strike catches or transition reversals are examples of this. This on the contrary means that situations, where a submission could be a very obvious choice are less likely to bring you success.
Another situational factor is dominance of position. The more dominant, the better. Rubberguard and to some extent Butterfly guard in this regard can be considered a dominant position for a BJJ fighter. In addition, hooks from backmount face up do increase the possibility of a tap.
Throws give you a window of opportunity for a sub, as the impact for a short period lowers the cpu�s awareness and increases your chances.
Also it is important to not try a second submission after an unsuccessful attempt. The cpu will anticipate that an will be much harder to tap.

Ratings:
Ratings are the second important factor. Really strong submission experts have a much better chance of submission. Keep in mind that 74 and below cannot really be considered an expert anymore as the dispersion of ratings for sub-defence aren�t that pronounced than in UFC 2009 anymore. Cardio and Strength also seem to have an direct impact and an indirect impact on submission success. Lower cardio reduces the stamina you use while shining but also reduces the regeneration of stamina overall, making you more prone to submission attempts in the first place.

Submission Level:
This is a widely overlooked aspect of the submission game. Lvl 1 subs can be considered useless until the CPU only has max. 1/3 of his stamina left. Other than that don�t even bother trying a LVL one sub unless you catch the cpu by surprise and he is low on stamina. LVL 2 subs can be considered an even ground game. Subs with LVL 2 are hard but doable also with regard to the cpu�s stamina. However stamina of the CPU should be lower than half for you to have a realistic chance of submitting. LVL3 subs can be considered moderately difficult. With the other mediating factors in place even a 2/3 filled stamina bar on the cpu�s end can result in a tap. But to increase your odds, it can be seen as a rule of thumb that half a stamina bar can be seen as a good chance to submit the opponent (with good chance I mean around 15-20% chance of a tap).

Damage:
The more damage you take, the lower the chances of submitting someone. Simple as that.
The same goes for the damage your opponent took. The more damage he incurred the more prone he will become. Keep in mind to target the spot you want to attack. Leg kicks help when going for leg submissions.

Know your fighter:
This is very, very important. Know your strength and weaknesses. Know, in which position you can perform level 3 subs and know which moves are at your arsenal.

Some Technical notes:
Training is important:
If you want to increase your odds, go into practise mode and train submissions and how to use your fighter effectively.

The shine method:
The shine method to me seems more complicated than the charge method. However some things need to be said beforehand.
For your shine to be considered good enough to submit the cpu on expert you need to be able to crank in a levle3 submission on a not defending opponent (practise mode: opponent at no action) with half your stamina left. If your take longer, the cpu will have a shine advantage over you, meaning that he will shine faster than you do and thus is more likely to win the struggle. If you, like me, can�t get to this point you might want to consider using the charge method.

The charge method:
The addition of the charge method gives you the opportunity to �charge up� a submission by bundling all your power and use it on one big yank at the limp or one big choke. Timing plays a very important role with this way of submitting. You should start pushing the right stick in when the struggle animation starts. Again, like with the shine, you will need half your stamina bar to submit a non defending opponent.
The problem some people have is determining, when to �let go� to get the most desirable outcome. Three tricks I have had success with:

Use a minimum of half a stamina bar (this means half a full stamina bar. Even if you are lower than full stamina, half a full stamina bar can be a good approximation)
Look at the animations, when you see your opponent �get out�, meaning that the animation changes can be considered a bad sign. Let go as soon as you see them get out to much. Then consult your stamina. If you are near the �neutral� point and have about half your stamina left, you can try and go for a second charge. If this is not the case, you might consider cancelling the attempt.
Look at how fast your stamina decreases. It will get slower and slower. The slower, the more pressure you can put in. You might want to hold the charge a little longer if you see that the stamina only depletes slowly.

Example �submission switching�:
Submission switching is the �easiest way� to make the cpu tap. It can be done either with the charge or the shine method. What you need is a cpu with maximum a little more than half its stamina and a position in which you can do a submission that can be switched. When you initiate the first submission just sit there and do nothing until the cpu has no stamina left. After that switch the submission and proceed with a charge or start shining. Odds are high that you can score a submission in this situation.

Further Comments:
It is important to mention that shine and charge can be combined. You can first charge and the shine for the finish. However you need to wait for the yank to occur visually and AFTER that start to shine to make it effective.
Second, remember that training is very important. You need to get a feel of the whole thing. After a while you will get the hang and will be able to get more and more successful or nearly successful submissions.
Third is try not get encouraged. It might take some time but it is possible to submit the cpu on expert.

Last note:
With everything in life, some people are better in some things, while others can do other things better. Keep that in mind. While I personally find the submission system fair, others might find it hard or even impossible. This does not mean something is broken, just because some people can�t get the hang of it.