Simply saying the three words “find out yourself” does nothing. Even what you have said now is better more substantial advice that what you said earlier. Why not go into at least the most basic details as to why its beneficial to try a variety of characters? Why not touch on how he should be concerned less with combos at this point and more with fundamentals such as footsies and space control? Why not simply tell him that you will need to learn how to plink and do combos regardless of what character you use? Why not tell him that experimenting with more than one character will give you a more nuanced understanding of how each individual character’s playstyle interacts with the greater whole of the cast and thereby greatly increases your match-up knowledge?
I’m sure you understand the importance of this learning process yourself, and how using multiple characters is indeed beneficial, but did you really believe that you would seriously impart a similar sentiment in your perfunctory 3 word response? No, your answer was not spam nor does it tear him apart, but it’s simply a vapid useless waste of an answer. It grants absolutely no knowledge or any any reason as to why he should listen to you. Its lacking any real substance to the point that I find it offense, if that was the only “advice” people gave around here then noone would get anywhere. All you needed to say earlier is what you said now, but you didnt earlier, so i was simply calling you out for it. I dont even necessarily disagree with you (not saying i completely agree with you either), its just it takes more than 3 words to explain the importance of playing multiple characters. If you’re not willing to help someone by going into at least the most basic detail than what you said earlier than why even post here in the first place??
I disagree, i think that there are some answers that you can barely even call answers to begin with. “find out yourself” is a BS answer, even if it had the good intention of informing the OP of the beneficial nature of character experimentation. Also your logic in the second part of that answer can technically be turned on its head. Hypothetical situation, you have two players: Who would do better, the tournament rufus player who also played sagat as a secondary who had to go up against a tough gief, or the tournament rufus player who solely played rufus but spent all of the time the other player had spent with sagat playing against characters who rufus struggled against as rufus, thereby giving him a more well rounded understanding of how rufus can overcome his bad matchups? In one situation you have a person who can play multiple characters and pull a secondary out of his pocket to deal with hard matchups, and in another a player who knows his characters strengths to the point that he may be able to overcome his bad matchup with his main. This is painting something that is shades of grey in black and white but i think you get the picture as to how it can be agrued that both of these viewpoints (one of which you are supporting) have a sense of validity to them. Not saying one answer is correct and one is not, but im saying that simply claiming that your answer is indefinitely correct is a rather brash statement.
I’m pretty sure if you had just said “The best way to find out what character you have an aptitude for is to try them all for yourself”, nobody would have flagged you. The actual answer you gave could be interpreted in many different ways.
I’d generally stop talking here since the questions has been answered and i think ive gotten my point across, and i feel that you’re probably done talking as well, but not in this case, not “whatever”. I feel that what you said is a pretty good example of the type of snarky self-indulgent answers that get posted here and are subsequently just agreed with on a regular basis. What you said was not advice, plain and simple, but more importantly your answer was indicative of what i feel is the biggest problem with the whole of the FGC: the chip that everyone has on their shoulder. What you said felt more disingenuous than anything else, you straight up didn’t sound like someone trying to help someone else. What you did sound like is someone who wanted to turn this topic into a giant circle jerk for users who think that the OP asked a dumb question. I hate to break it to you but if questions like the one asked here were the type of thing where everyone told the OP to look up their own answers to then this entire sub-forum would pretty much be obsolete.
I’m gonna bring you back to something you said earlier,
You are absolutely right here, fighting games do not hold your hand. This is the exact reason that we, as a forum and a community, should take educating incoming players with the utmost sincerity. I think fighting games are incredibly goofy, and I am a strong believer that all players primary objective should be to enjoy them. That being said they can be incredibly frustrating to learn and really getting to the point where you understand how to play them can incredibly disheartening, especially considering how seriously a lot of people (including new players) take these games. Almost everyone who picks up fighting games is going to run into a plethora of problems when they start, whether it be having a character crisis, not being able to combo correctly, or simply losing an overwhelming majority of the time. I think anyone who is really serious about fighting games deserves a great deal of respect for being willing to endure/embrace this process. I feel that giving and condoning answers like the one you gave is the most surefire way to alienate and turn away new players. It’s disrespectful and it fails to give the new player even the remotest shred of credit for the work they have put in/are willing to put in to learn.
I can tolerate people asking simple or straight up dumb questions and I can tolerate players giving bad advice. What I cannot idly sit by and watch is someone who is obviously not an idiot give a new player a snide esoteric maturbatory answer to a straightforward question and then rationalize it only after you get called out. It belittles the player and the process of learning, both things that should be held in the highest regard. Again, of all the things that should be treated with sincerity i think answering the questions of new players is the one that needs to be the most tactful. If you’re gonna post here just don’t be a dick about it or just keep your mouth shut.
Prof
25
Lol.
Edit: In your windbag posts, you keep yammering about this subforum. Y’know. I thought I was pretty clear, but I’ll reiterate. When I posted that, the topic wasn’t in this sub forum. I personally find that pretty arbitrary, but you seem pretty stuck on it. I don’t just come to the newbie forum to make people feel inadequate for asking dumb questions, or whatever you’re on about.
I still stand by my answer, and y’know, I still stand by “Whatever”, too.
Got any more comments, save 'em for someone who has the patience to detail every little inaccuracy and misunderstanding you make, 'cuz that’s not me and I don’t apologize for it.
I’m done here. Happy New Year.
It doesn’t matter that its in the subforum, you are right on the arbitrary nature of that fact. Didnt mean to harp on that, my sincerest apologies. I still fully stand by my opinion that your answer was some disrespectful bs, would have been regardless of where it was posted.
As long as my windbag posts gave you a good hearty chuckle (which to my delight they seem to have done) then i guess my work here is done. Id love to hear you tear my yammering apart and systematically scrutinize all of my falsities but i guess that would require you to be out of character, and id hate to make this all metadramatic.
So i bid you adieu, Happy New Year bromigo!
Prof
27
Edit: Made another snarky comment, but forget it. Really am done here.
Thanks. I’ll adjust to the conduct here quickly, I hope. 
