How do you use May's doplhin

[OrangePopPlayz]

The input never works and it just comes out randomly sometimes

[Troispoint]

Never works! Clean up your inputs, idk man.

[Meseki]

You have to hold back or down for probably a bit over half a second before doing forward/up + attack. Holding back/down can be done during other actions, and they can both be held simultaneously if you don't want to commit to which dolphin you're preparing to use before doing the attack.

[Rhaoul]

Originally posted by OrangePopPlayz:

The input never works and it just comes out randomly sometimes

it's not funny dude...

[OrangePopPlayz]

I know you all probably think Im trolling but I literally cannot use the dolphin like what the ♥♥♥♥ is a charge input supposed to be why cant it be a actual input like quarter circle or something

[Ysen]

Charge input is holding the input for a while (about half a second). So you need to e.g. hold back for a while, then quickly press forward + the button you want.

The charge input does actually have an impact on how the character is played - it means you can't walk forward and then dolphin, for example.

[Rhaoul]

Originally posted by OrangePopPlayz:

I know you all probably think Im trolling but I literally cannot use the dolphin like what the ♥♥♥♥ is a charge input supposed to be why cant it be a actual input like quarter circle or something

i'm kidding :)

[orbies (7MD)]

Originally posted by OrangePopPlayz:

I know you all probably think Im trolling but I literally cannot use the dolphin like what the ♥♥♥♥ is a charge input supposed to be why cant it be a actual input like quarter circle or something

You can charge dolphins while doing other moves. As long as you're holding back or down, that counts towards the charge timer for charging the dolphin.

The dolphin only comes out when you smash forward or up and the button.

That means while you're doing down heavy slash, you're also charging a dolphin if you're holding down the whole time.

If you hold down and back, you are charging both up dolphin and sideways dolphin.

This means you can do stuff like close slash (can can start holding back during or before close slash) -> down heavy slash (keep holding down) -> then release up heavy dolphin or side light dolphin to go underneath them and get another set of close slash > down heavy -> up heavy dolphin.

[Rook]

Originally posted by OrangePopPlayz:

why cant it be a actual input like quarter circle or something

Because the dolphin move, especially the Slash version, would be way too powerful if you could do it as fast as you can input a quarter circle. Quarter circle projectiles, like Ryu's Hadouken in Street Fighter, can be executed as fast as you can input the motion, but are balanced by relatively longer recoveries. Charge projectiles, like Guile's Sonic Boom also from Street Fighter, have shorter recovery animations, but you have to charge it up first by holding backward to compensate. If Ryu and Guile threw their projectiles at the same time at close quarters, Guile would recover first and be able to hit Ryu. If Ryu and Guile spammed Hadoukens and Sonic Booms at each other from full screen, Ryu would eventually win the projectile war because of how fast he can throw out his Hadoukens, while Guile has to charge his Sonic Booms.

May's Slash Totsugeki is VERY fast and has a short recovery (albeit she recovers five frames after you get done blocking it, meaning you have the frame advantage afterward). If she could mash quarter circles and instantly get out Totsugeki, she'd be truly overpowered (and she is already a strong character). You wouldn't be able to tell as easily when she's gonna throw out S Totsugeki if she could just do it from a quarter circle input. When you see a May player crouching, they're likely holding down-back to build charge. That's how you know when they're gonna try to take you to Seaworld.

In short, there's a reason why special moves have the motion inputs that they do. It's to balance them.