Pretty simple questions to those with lots of fighting game experience. How long did it take you guys and girls to find the particular style of character that best matched how you wanted to play the game? Would you even classify yourself as primarily adhering to a style, especially across games, or do you simply pick cool characters and dedicate yourself to learning that style? Have you ever drastically changed what you associate to be your style? How did you go about all this?
I certainly do not know all the styles, and I am talking as broadly as possible, though feel free to get into as much character intricacy as you like. I mean things like grappler, rushdown, zoning/turtle, strong poker, charge/circle turns, things like that. Just getting into watching the FGC and the like, I realize how they’ll call one guy “a grappler user” or “a poker/footsy pro” and that they will tend to stick with these styles across different games.
As for me, I am having problems finding what style is the most interesting, but also the one that best suits my personality. Let’s talk SFxT:
I seem to have a penchant for more zoney/poke characters because I associate them with being more cerebral and less reliant on super combo reactions, and I certainly find the impenetrable defense or super counter style to be appealing. Even so, friends tell me that this style takes just as much reaction and speed as any other, but even so I feel a little afraid to learn a rushdown or a grappler because it seems like it takes more speed and face-to-face manfighting, but in the end I may end up liking those if I just give them effort.
Imo people are too eager to pigeonhole themselves into a particular style. Just find a character you find fun and dedicate yourself to learning everything about them. No matter what character you play you’ll be a shallow player if you only learn how to play keepaway, or only learn rushdown or w/e else. Aspire to be well rounded. It’s kind of ridiculous to me to think you can have a handle of what kind of player you are when you barely have a handle of the fundamentals.
Hence the “how long would it take part:” weeks? Months? Years? It’d make sense that I’m most comfortable with pokes, having played Kaijin no Soki from TvC longer than any other fighting game character. I suppose a lot of players (myself included) believe in the fairy tale that they’ll come across a character and style that fits like magic, and they can say “ok, now I can start learning everything,” and in time become known as “that guy who does/uses so and so,” on their board, among their friends, etc. I remember being “that chump who just abuses El Fuerte’s mixup game.” Good times…
As for characters I want to learn, I’ve said it before but they seem a little intimidating. Paul’s pretty low tier and lacking in tools, being a huge puroresu fan I love King but his multiple grapples seem needlessly difficult and he’s used just as a second to extend combos, and as a boxer I appreciate Steve but you have to have mad execution to use him. Using Nina now on account of high damage output, good footsie, and “easy” comboing thanks to most being special cancelable rather than linking. Having real problems finding a second now, or if I should just focus on Nina and worry about a second once I really get a handle on her.
I want to thank you pherai. Your responses are always quick and helpful in the Saikyo Dojo.