Stop bullying me for the thumbnail drawing, I created this guide for informational purposes, not to show off my artistic merit or anything like that PLEASE STOP IT'S HURTING MY FEELINGS

⚠️Section 1 - Deals with getting the actual file
(you need to have -STRIVE- bought on STEAM and all that).

~~~~OPTIONAL~~~~
🎁 -100% SAVEFILE-
Section 2 - It's just me ranting.
Section 3 - Setting up a universal way to play local versus.
🔧Section 4 - Dealing with questions of fear about setting up -STRIVE- again.
(Plus all the tech thingamabob)

You don't really need this, but in case you plan on switching versions often (a lot) and want to make it less annoying-

~Script donated by ReverieMotif~

I recommend seeing SECTION 1 before this 0.5 SECTION to understand much of this text.

Q: What does this script do exactly?
A: 'GGSTOLD Installation' overwrites the ORIGINAL GAME data with the OLD version from another folder (while keeping the OLD as a copy), but not in reverse. See number 6. for how to revert.

(it's so you don't have to replace the files yourself, you can keep the script for exploitation every time Steam updates over the game.)

"GGSTOLD Firewall" changes FIREWALL internet rules so you can get over the CONNECTING TO SERVER loading screen without turning off your internet/adjusting the rules yourself.

So, see this as a quickswitch icon.


GGSTOLD SCRIPT (+AUTOMATIC FIREWALL RULES)[mega.nz]
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Read the TXT file inside, or read it here:

Following steps:



1. In the game's directory, create a folder called GGSTOLD
(See screenshot above to find directory; Click properties -> Installed Files -> Browse)

2. Drop the game files already downloaded using the DEPOTDOWNLOADER into that newly created folder. (OR if you are doing this instruction first, download these files into that folder directly if you haven't done so yet)

3. Drop the SCRIPT FILES into the same folder or somewhere more convenient (you might try to get it working from the desktop or different folders, but it might also autoclose on you)

Next…

4. CHECK


If you have -STRIVE- on...
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\GUILTY GEAR STRIVE
~~~
Then you don't have to modify the script
IF you have it on D:\ then edit with NOTEPAD++[notepad-plus-plus.org]
~~~
Replace all three -Destination with
"D:\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\GUILTY GEAR STRIVE"
or...
Whatever is your real directory destination.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

🥳 5. Run the script at your leisure (Right сlick and choose RUN USING POWERSHELL)🎉

Note: The text might be stuck on Beginning to overwrite... but after 5-10 seconds the overwrite is complete anyway (SSD speed, but wait a min just in case), script autocloses if something wrong happens.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NOTE: Script does not work back and forth (however the FIREWALL rules one DOES)

6. To quickly return the game to the previous (LATEST) version, Verify Integrity of Game Files
(Click properties → Installed Files → Verify Integrity of Game Files)



7. If you are losing the 100% save file during the switches, turn off Steam Cloud for the game
(Click properties → General → Steam Cloud)

notice that losing SEASON 3 items (current season) is NORMAL,
grind them back with that infinite MOOLAH

DEPOTDOWNLOADER
and 100% SAVE FILE
availble from below
↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓

Before doing anything further
You need to understand that by downloading an old version of the game,

NONE OF YOUR SAVES WILL REMAIN
(!!!! just the items/replays not the R-CODE !!!!),
ˢᵒ ᵇᵃᶜᵏᵘᵖ ᵗʰᵉᵐ ᶦⁿ ᶜᵃˢᵉ ʸᵒᵘ ˡᶦᵏᵉ ᵖˡᵃʸᶦⁿᵍ ᶠᶦˢʰᶦⁿᵍ ᵍᵃᶜʰᵃ ʸᵒᵘʳˢᵉˡᶠ ⁽ˢᶦᶜᵏ ᵇᵃˢᵗᵃʳᵈ⁾
and you won't be able to play online,
we will cover on each issue and provide a working solution LATER, but for now-

First you need to download SteamDepotDownloader.[github.com]



(Always remember to set location to install)
I recommend:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\GUILTY GEAR STRIVE/GGSTOLD


After downloading the program, you need to log into your account (don't worry, it's safe) and enter the game's ID number, which can be found on SteamDB.[steamdb.info] For your convenience, here is the information for Strive:

• App ID:
  1384160
  
• Depot ID:
  1384161
  
• Manifest ID:
  Choose one from below

(Сtrl+C, Сtrl+V)

1.28 - PRE SEASON 3
Manifest ID: 5570069171923860016
1.21 - No Bridget
Manifest ID: 1365934185168093259
1.16 - PRE SEASON 2
Manifest ID: 8031457302988432613
(version before Another Story, watch it on Youtube or something)




--------------
Want a specific? Simply go to Dustloop[www.dustloop.com]to choose the desired version, then go to SteamDB MANIFEST LIST[steamdb.info]and find manifest with corresponding realese date.
(log-in into steam to show more depots)
--------------

Let's proceed with actual steps:

~1. It'll download 20+GB so it may take some time. Ignore the errors, keep waiting for it to finish.


~2. Now delete, move or backup the contents of the current game version folder and then put the old version in its place. (Delete depot related folder in install directory.)

~3. All that remains is to block the game from accessing the Internet by using a Windows firewall. (NOTE: you can always just turn internet OFF/use the GGSTOLD FIREWALL[mega.nz])

• Open Windows Defender Firewall with Advanced Security.
  
• Click on Inbound Rules, then click on Action and choose New rule option.
  
• Select program.
  
• Specify the path to the game's exe file - GGST.exe.
  
• Press Next and choose Block the connection option.
  
• Press Next one more time and then give a name to new rule. It will help you find it if you want to play online after switching back to newest Strive version.
  
• Do the same for Outbound rule.

(If you feel yourself being a little silly, watch this video to understand the process visually.)

~OPTIONAL~
4th STEP: It feels more complex than it actually is, but-

Steam has no "Turn OFF auto-update button", so it may try to overwrite the old version with an update.
• You can trick Steam by puting newest patch infromation from SteamDB to manifest file.
• Or keep a spare copy of the old version (Engine, RED, GGST.exe)

Keeping a spare is always better, but if you feel like preserving the extra space, here's the steps to edit the manifest.

The usual directory for manifest files is:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\

Find file: (Reminder: You can copypaste into search) and edit it with Notepad++ so that it thinks it's the latest manifest (again correlate with the LATEST manifest ID and build ID number by using SteamDB).
After editing and saving, do the last step to the file itself:
Change properties → Attribute → READ ONLY checkmark ✔
(So steam will not revert it back)

NOTE:
By switching versions you will lose your SYSTEM file if not saved properly.

If by any case you do, one is always available.
~~~~~
Get it here[mega.nz]
(And NO, you won't get punished for it by VAC, STEAM or some ANTICHEAT stuff, not now nor ever, unless it's your friends shanking you cuz they played the fishing game for 10 hours)
~~~~~
Replace the SYSTEM file in:
%LOCALAPPDATA%\GGST\Saved\SaveGames\ <user-id>
↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑
To easily find it on your computer you have to
copy that












and paste it in a command line of your file browser.

(This is how %LOCALAPPDATA%\GGST\Saved\SaveGames\ looks like)

(If there are two folders, it means one of them is the OLD strive, if you switch versions and still lose progress then you might wanna replace for both, AND turn off Steam Cloud for the game)

Question, medium size: What are the downsides to DOWNGRADING -STRIVE- and reverting back to my version?

Answer: None, but you'll have to play the online tutorial on reverting back to the new version, plus grind gacha for CURRENT SEASON items despite having a 100% save (provided with 999999 W$ on it, the amount stays, as do ALL of the SEASON 2 retained items)
oh and
Take special care of your REPLAY files, upload them onto youtube and whatev.

THE BIGGIE QUESTION: Why all of it in the first place? Play the latest build, nerd.🤓

Answer:
In nearly all of ArcSys games you could revert the version. With REV2 you could turn the DLC content off and get REV1, big system changes would also mean different game title, not just SEASON strapped on top of already existing game with no revert option. With BlazBlue Chronophantasma you could revert to the previous balance patch. Look at how many versions of GUILTY GEAR XX are there for DOG's sake. There are positives changes, sure, but even small changes meant different games, and you wouldn't notice if you're new to fighting games, so stop being a consumer and actually pick stuff you like for a change, not cuz of peer pressure bullcrap that 'the hip kids are playing this and that version'. Who cares? Play with people you like and compare stuff up, maybe YOU're playing the worse version?
~~~~~~~~~~~

BIGGIE ˢᵐᵃˡˡˢ question: What changes made you want to revert SEASON 3?

: Well, it all comes down to preferences and applying them logically, otherwise you can easily become a little snotty brat who likes to make their own rules where they always win, simply narrowing to buffed/nerfed characters they LIKE and DON'T like, hm? Well, with fighting games a HEALTHY DYNAMIC between the players goes a long way, for that there should be no contradiction to system mechanics and how they serve the cast. Sometimes, a character can be ruined and become something else entirely, too. With SEASON 1 and SEASON 2 gap, for example: Nagoriyuki got so buffed, his entire blood rage strategy gone from "keep it cool and steady" to "I don't care if you die first", Giovanna combo structure was changed, Goldlewis plays a tad different, yadda yadda. Overall damage scaling system was increased so there's less room for errors. But it didn't change most other characters, it didn't balance the odds, it didn't give an option of having a character with MORE TOOLS fight against one with BIG DAMAGE. Instead, one was weaker, the other was obviously stronger, changes were made, but It was just different on a miniscule, the game stood in place. There is no dynamic. And it didn't need some nonsensical changes like "faster gameplay", Granblue Fantasy: Versus plays just fine and that game got better over time, spread rumors all you want about that title but it's great in its own way. -STRIVE- didn't need "instant kill" buttons either, just turn on NETFLIX as you're being tenderized in a Nagoriyuki's Wasureyuki, you want an animation that plays LONGER THAN THAT? How about "play the damn game" button? The game started slow and equal, but became more complex throughout duration of the round, with the use of ROMAN CANCELs, players could play -STRIVE- like any other guilty gear, that and plenty of hidden mechanics discovered as time went on. Since SEASON 3 roman cancel became tertiary. The game was easy to get into and hard to master, it's no secret. But the new changes kept on increasing the entry level skill curve for freshly squeezed newbies, it made people HATE learning fighting games again. Then came the "unifying" changes that were mostly a way for game designers to think even less about the game balance, it was for the sake of keeping up with the ever increasing cast, more numbers meant harder balance, so they switched focus from smaller adjustments, it became less awkward but more sterile, all for a game which had no interactive design anyway, so it was just masking the laziness behind the creative process. Like the universal 6P change beforehand, the gravity of all characters becoming similar in combos, so people don't have to keep in mind what character they're playing against when scoring a hit. Yes, more of the attacks have been added, as well as added properties. Which is amazing. But it's ultimately too late for that now. -STRIVE- is becoming more like its predecessor REVELATOR, but worse. I don't need a worse REV cuz I already have it, get to know your audience better than that and COMMIT, don't do it all at once.




In short: I hate the new GOLDBURST nerf and WILD ASSAULT mechanics, they suck, they add no depth to the neutral in my opinion. Game becomes more like BlazBlue with stupid invuls that are just better than others, plus no instant 200% from GB means less funky stuff in a moment. There are few CONFIRM attacks in the game but RC should've been your confirms.
If you were to ask my constructive solutions:
if
1. They kept buffing everyone and working individually with every character;
2. They didn't touch system mechanics, or kept integrating these changes slowly;
3. More moves.
NOT ALL at once.

ㅤㅤHEAVEN
ㅤㅤㅤor
ㅤㅤ HELL

ㅤㅤDUEL 2

Fighting game players don't play more than 2 out of 3 rounds.

~~~~~~~~~~~

THE STUPID QUESTION:

Is asking me any questions when I'm in my rant mode so-

-STRIVE- wasn't designed for SHORTER GAMES, it was designed for SHORTER ROUNDS, even the SOUNDTRACK is designed around it, although fighting game player psychology instills a deep ingrained fear of 5 OUT OF 6 so they don't get to experience a more emotional connection to it other than listening separately on a youtube channel or training mode. Having to prove yourself 3 times for a victory gives weight to your win, but to your loss as well, so people tend to avoid it, game does not gain or lose stakes, there is no climax moment.

Not to speak about inequality, it takes x10 more effort to beat modern Nago, than to play him (people thougt SOL was the problem on launch he wasn't, he was just strict, characters like Zato lacked defense against him) it escalated to the point where even #1 Nago champ thought changes were BULL*$@# BLAZING, it's a horrible FG genre after-tourney adjustment tradition, that ALWAYS goes wrong, but people were happy it's not nerfs this time. They thought that everyone would eventually get buffed (and they were, slowly but surely characters got good buffs up til SEASON 2 copium started hitting, no new moves were announced)

In fact, there was so little interaction within the game, look at how small is the projectile interaction:

Drunkard Shade Reflectable Projectiles Table

It's such a petty amount compared to the past titles, don't let me start on the LAUGHABLE Faust's Drive reflectable Projectiles Table, when put to practice, he only has dynamic with Ky and Bedman, I mean, SHEESH
But even then-

Past titles weren't better than
-STRIVE- For the longest time, fighting games genre was the most inaccessible one for the most people,
-STRIVE- was an ANSWER to that, it began as THE most ACCESSIBLE and PRESENTABLE fighting game to the new audience, the intent was not to reinvent the wheel, but to make a comfortable fighting game. A lot of toxic opinions about the game not being like the past titles are actually suffocating the player creativity, forcing them to wish and conform a different mentality from
-STRIVE-It makes them ruin THIS game rather than go in reverse to the more 'complex' previous titles.
The "EXPRESSIVENESS" of older games comes from a fact that most of the past communities were tightly woven together and more people likely knew eachother. The EXPRESSIVENESS in
-STRIVE- has to come from a FEELING of the opponent (no h0m0), not doing your own thing and winning because there is nowhere else to go and your character is 10 tiers below/above that opponent.

That means people in the past weren't playing with an uptight all-optimal boring dorks such as yourselves, so get over it, and stop making other people be boring as you are.

"Everyone gets in and learns how to hold it"
was the game's initial design.
The new design is
"$@#% you, I don't care"
as games become more streamlined, one learns to appreciate the past.
For…



If we all abide to consumerism and look at the past titles in the way we are looking now, it will be a horrible CIRCLE of suffering.

So instead of thinking "Oh yeah this is so much worse", think of "What makes THIS game work?"

Strive's creative directors changed two times during the development, the game faced many financial and creative challenges, this is not all work of the same people anymore.

This was the real answer to "Why we need preservation of the previous state"
Removing things from the game, or adding and replacing them, things like that are being done to Skullgirls, and even something non-fighting related like Disco Elysium, where games get into OTHER people's hands and are no longer being followed up upon the original vision. This is the times where not all changes are positive. Back when the new lobby system was integrated for the GG XX ACCENT CORE PLUS R, they silently removed 3 tag team mode and stated no reason why (old version still available in the BETAs section).

DO NOT ABIDE TO THAT
DO NOT LET THINGS BECOME GAME SERVICES
DO NOT LET DEVELOPERS LIE TO YOU
OR WE WILL NOT HAVE GOOD THINGS IN THE FUTURE

First of all, I want to re-introduce you to your old friend Steam Remote Play Together
and say that it's merely an ALTERNATIVE to what PARSEC[parsec.app]is.

Parsec[parsec.app]is a desktop streaming service with STABLE LATENCY with ZERO*¹ to MINIMAL DELAY, where you are able to invite friends over at your desktop and provide them Keyboard, Mouse and Gamepad support, separately or all at once-
If you are not afraid to show them your Baiken wallpaper
~~~
1*-Parsec[parsec.app]uses 20-30ms delay, essentially your keyboard
has more delay as you are writing angry comments ← Fact
(' see note below)*²
~~~

What's the catch?
(you ask)
NO CATCH
unless you miss rollback teleports and network errors.

All it requires is to REGISTER AT https://parsec.app/
Register noooooow~
Don't be LAZY, be BLAZING
~~~
2*-NOTE that was below:
Your cheap gaming chinese keyboard has an average latency of 300ms(note)*³ ← Factor
~~~

ALL OF THAT WHILE: Steam Remote Play Together suffers from latency and stability issues since it's release. Sure, there are "workarounds" like lowering your stream resolution to pixel mess state, but there no fix for frameloss and input lag. Buggy and chinese-server dependent built-in voice chat is cool, but it's much worse than any other program. So this time, let ME ask you a-

Q: Why use inferior methods?
A: The reasons are NONE, Parsec does not require any further option customization. It's Download-and-Ready, BUT there are DOWNSIDES and we're gonna talk about them NOW:

ʀᴇᴀʟ A: First(1), you can't change gamepad's order on a fly like in SRPT. Second(2), Unity
bought Parsec[parsec.app], so if something happens to Unity, Parsec[parsec.app] may also suffer from it. Third(3), you will need manual workaround to eliminate echo from voice chat, but it's pretty easy, see FAQ section for that. Fourth(?), In case you are actually from Zimbabwe, better stick to ROLLBACK because much further connections or bad internet may result in unstable internet bandwidth, unfit in playing fighting games.


*GASP!* DOWNLOAD IS BLOCKED!? WHAT DO?

Parsec[parsec.app]
>>>Mega mirror[mega.nz]<<< with Parsec[parsec.app]app if download from official website is blocked in your region.

(Note: Remember to force people to register and add FRIENDS to a PC you wish to connect)

~~~
3* It's actually tenfold from that, because chinese plastic slowly decomposes your brain. (There is not a single modern keyboard that has such latency. It doesn't go beyond 20. If you have a good mechanical gaming keyboard then it can down up to 0.5ms. Although, all of this does not matter, because peak physical feat allows only 50ms latency with every press*⁴. Zato-1 wih help from Eddie for example.) ← Factest
~~~

~~~
4* Sensory neurons in your skin for touch are about 30-70 m/s, and the big motor neurons that move your muscles are faster, at 100+ m/s. Ignoring the time that the brain takes to process things (which is a hell of a lot more complex than just adding things together), and if you're 6 foot tall, it should take less than 0.05 seconds for a signal to get from your toes to your brain, and then another ~0.02 seconds to get from your brain back to your toes.
So for your brain it's still around 300ms ← F*$%!
~~~

SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR SPONSOR → 🤓

Questions lil monkeys usually ask:

Q: Do DLCs work on an old version?
A: Every PRE-JOHNNY DLC you bought will automatically work.

Q: I can't set a controller for second player, it keeps flashing in and out.
A: Don't enter a game from title screen using keyboard. This is common issue for Strive since it's realese.

Q: Ok I did it, just in case, how do I set keyboard controls to arrow keys?
A: Look up the SYSTEM OPTIONS in the options menu: Set "KEYBOARD CONTROL TYPE: 1P&2P". After that you need to change player 2 contols for something else to get your arrows keys free for player 1 controls (you need a numpad or numpad emulation to trigger some of the player 2 buttons). If it STILL does not let you trigger Player 2 input options then re-enter from the title screen.

Q: I having trouble with stream stability when using Parsec.
A: Try to increase bandwidth limit (for host) or turn on H.265 codec (for client) in Parsec settings.

Q: Why can't I just pirate an old version?
A: Good luck finding old versions of Strive without controller issues for Player 2. Also pirate repack websites have fake-fronts with virus downloads.

Q: I SUSSPECT input problems, why's that?
A: Some versions have unfixed input hiccups, do your research or pick the later patches with hotfixes applied. ADDITIONALLY: EXIT Discord and try again. Discord (software version) is KNOWN for recording your inputs. It may cause some hiccups as well.

Q: Will mods work on an old version?
A: Maybe? Not all of them? I don't care.

Q: HJWDOInstall MOBS nude BOBS
A: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aN04YPUi2MM

Q: Thanks
A: You're welcome.

Q: OK I JUST INSTALLED PARSEC AND MY FRIENDS HEAR THEMSELVES TALKING IN VOICE CHAT, HOW DO I FIX!?
A: Fret not my bodacious babe. Just do as I say:

• If you are host, download VB-Cable[vb-audio.com], unzip and run the 64-bit version setup as administrator.
  
• Go into sound settings. In the Playback tab choose CABLE Input and click Set Default
  
• Go into the Recording tab. Double-click CABLE Output. In the new window, go to the Listen tab. Activate Listen to this device. Set Playback through this device to your original device. Click OK
  
• In the program you use for voice chat change 'Output device' in settings to your original device.
  
• Maker sure that VB-cable settings are the same as your original speakers and mic. For example: if your speakers are 2 channel, 24 bit and 44100 Hz, do the same for VB-cable in playback tab.
  
• Restart your PC.

If STILL problems, attend original visual guide[support.parsec.app]

- THE ORIGINAL STEAM DEPOT GUIDE

- ReverieMotif FOR THE JIMMY NEUTRON 200 IQ SCRIPT (If by any chance you forget how to play, you can check their guide at): https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2875675706

- MMVANHEUSDEN - depot GUI creator (savior of all those who wasted their time using janky CMD line or POWERSHELL for depot tools)

- THE GUY WHO DELETED THE THREAD SHOWING HOW TO DOWNLOAD DEPOT FILES ON GUILTY GEAR STRIVE FORUMS

- MANGACOUNCIL - providing a 100% savefile for an older version, from which the savefile used in the guide's save section is expanded upon

- SHADEMAN and NOBODY - suffering the hell eternity of fishing gacha and donating an 'all songs' savefiles for the season 3 saves (all for my pleasures mwa-hah-hah)

- CHEATENGINE TEAM - for convenient cracking technologies