Here comes more from the Virtua Fighter 5 Developer Tohru Murayama, and this time he will talk about the Dojo (aka training hall).

Hi, there! I’m Tohru Murayama from SEGA AM-2. In this fourth installment of the VF5 developer diaries I’m going to talk about the Dojo mode this time.

Regarding the title "Dojo", which means training hall, I’m a bit worried since I have no idea to what extent it will be accepted. Those who love martial arts or professional wrestling would understand the term, but I don’t think it is a well-known Japanese word like sushi or samurai. In short, a DOJO is the place for practice or training of Martial arts such as JUDO and KENDO (Japanese fencing). As far as the DOJO in VF5, this is the mode that lets you train the characters of your choosing.

First, I’d like to talk about the standard "Command Training". Since you have as many as 17 characters in all, and each has a set of individual techniques, this practice mode is essential. Of course, you can have fun playing the game even if you don’t know all the moves, but the experience grows exponentially the more you learn. This mode is also recommended when you feel like trying characters you do not usually use. It is also possible that you could find out that technique you always receive can be pulled off that simply! There is no doubt your experience will grow by knowing opponents – both in their offensive and defensive capabilities.

Command Training also has what we call “Time Attack” mode. Time Attack is a very frenetic way to play. During the development, the team members got seriously fired up. We played the game competing in a tenth of a second. Clearly, we completely forgot about work. We would love to release our best times as a development team if given the chance!

Another feature is "Free Training". This should appeal to intermediate and advanced players equally. One of its main selling points is the options. Players score an extensive list of customization options. The game does a good job of narrating what’s happening, helping you become familiar with the flow of battle. You’ll see things like "the opponent is always hit by the player’s counterattack", or "he/she fights back with Offensive Move after guarding him/herself"!

Concerning the health bar, we prepared two types this time: one will be "recovered at once", and the other will be "recovered if the player is dead". We basically wanted to let players practice in a way that is closer to actual fighting. Additionally, we included the option to let you move the practice opponent with controller. We suggest you tackle an advanced character as your opponent.

If you want to aim even higher, training yourself in this mode is a must. We definitely want you to train to the core. You can see several development staffers even today who are intent on training while pretending to be working.

Then, that’s it for today. I hope you all engage in intense DOJO sessions soon!