[Note: The frame data found in this entry was taken from NKI's translation of T.Akiba's page.]
A frame is one cycle in which the game updates everything on screen. Most fighting games run at 60 frames per second, which means they update the screen 60 times each second. Because this value is basically fixed, frames can also be used as a measurement of time:
1 FRAME = 1/60TH OF A SECOND.
This is a useful way to talk about various things related to Street Fighter. For example, when I say that Ryu's far standing roundhouse animates in 32 frames (on the lowest speed setting), I mean it takes about half a second to complete.
By talking about frames, we can analyze (at a very low level) everything that is going on at different parts of the move. For example, most moves can be broken into three pieces:
- Startup Frames: how long it takes before the move starts hitting
- Active Frames: how long the move remains out and hitting
- Recovery Frames: how long the move takes to recover
So, when I say that Ryu's standing roundhouse has 3 frames of startup, I mean it takes 3/60ths of a second before the move is able to hit the opponent. When I say it has 17 frames of recovery, I mean it takes 17/60ths of a second for him to recover from doing it.
