Answers within quote
Now, questions for clarification:
1) Stage 1 and 2 basically don't matter aside from the fact that they are stepping stones, right?
Answer: Stage 1 is specifically the jump in starter. If you don't do a jump in, your ground chain is Stage 2. Mike is currently testing if your jump in has an airdash or fly after the hit like if Filia starts her combo with jHP jHK airdash jHPjHK, then you go up a stage.
2) Why can't I just loop this 3 times in the Parasoul combo to start out with; I just tried it, and it breaks on loop 3 - but why, if IPS didn't start keeping track of my inputs until stage 3?
sLP sLP sMK sMK sHP sHP xx L Napalm Shot
Answer: Because Stage 1 is your jump in, your ground chain will be Stage 2 so you can do it twice, third time will trigger IPS burst
Stage 1 (no watching) This would be you jump in or air hit.
Stage 2 (no watching) sLP sLP sMK sMK sHP sHP xx L Shot
Stage 3 (start watching) sLP sLP sMK sMK sHP sHP xx L Shot
Stage 4 (watched) would be the air chain, but you didn't launch so skipped
Stage 5 sLP start which you used in 3 gets you IPS burst
3) Given this combo:
Why would using s.MK or c.HP cause IPS? I thought it was all about what you started chains with, and we haven't started any chains with MK or HP in the above example.
Answer: The rule of thumb is "If you use it in a watched section at all, you are locked out from starting with it."
4) How do specials affect the IPS? For example, compare these two Painwheel combos:
c.LK, c.MK, s.HP (fly)
j.LK, c.MK, c.HP (fly)
j.HP, s.LP, s.MP
j.MP, j.HP, j.HK
c.LK, s.HK
c.LK, c.MK, s.HP (fly)
j.LK, c.MK, c.HP, qcf.LP
s.LP, s.MP
j.MP, j.HP, j.HK
c.LK, s.HK
How are my combo options different after s.HK in both of these examples?
Answer: I'm not a Painwheel player, I'm not sure how flight, air attack into ground string works in IPS.
5) Flight causes a stage change now. So let's look at this Painwheel combo:
s.LP, s.MP
j.MK (fly)
j.MK
s.LP, s.MP
Do I have that right? Have I put myself in stage 4 already because I fly-canceled the j.MK? I know that if I do j.MK, fly, j.MK at IPS 5, the combo breaks immediately, so I'm inclined to think so.
Answer: Yes I believe so and it doesn't trigger the IPS when you do it that early correct?
6) If flight causes stage changes, then when I do a Painwheel combo, are the stages happening like this:
c.LK, c.MK, s.HP (fly)
j.LK
c.MK, c.HP
Or like this:
c. LK, c.MK, s.HP (fly)
j.LK, c.MK, c.HP
It seems like it's the first one, but that seems awfully stringent for just a j.LK.
Answer: I'm not a Painwheel player, I don't know how IPS treats it and I suck at combos on keyboard. Sorry. Visit the IRC #skullgirls on mizuumi.net and ask there.
7) If aerials and ground attacks are counted separately, then what about (still Painwheel):
j.HP, c.LK, c.MK, s.HP
Is that 2 stages, or 1, since I started with j.HP?
Answer: jHP = Stage 1, the rest is Stage 2
8) What about undizzy?
Answer: The stun that counts toward undizzy doesn't begin until Stage 5. Each strength has a set value, specials have a set value, supers don't. I don't remember the values or the # undizzy is set to. The burst is the same as IPS burst, except you see a green spark. Undizzy won't trigger in the middle of a chain, only at the start of one.
So let's say the sHP in stLK LK stMK MK stHP stHP x L Napalm Shot is when you officially pass the undizzy limit, your opponent won't get to burst. If you link something after the L Napalm Shot, then they get the Undizzy burst.
Full undizzy stun drains in 60f but not while they are in hitstun or blockstun.
Knockdowns you can tech (like sweeps) will reset undizzy back to 0. If you do sliding knockdowns that didn't use your OTG or crumples (meaning they can't tech and forced to rise in place), they don't put undizzy to 0.
I'm thinking that once I understand the system, I might write a guide for new players to understand the IPS system better. Spread the love, and all that.