Friends, please read my last post and post your thoughts in this thread or in the Ranbat threads.
Thanks for your consideration.
@ Jesse - I have those pictures Zach asked me to take for you. Want me to send them? If so, how?
oh man, seasoning’s beatings five was the best. the kraken got unleashed and EVERYTHING. and marn was fat.
It was on and Kraken all saturday night haha. walking to a giant vending machine at 3 am to get a pizza lunchable is priceless
Friday night was pretty fun, but the party got started way late. I was probably sober for about 2 hours on Saturday. Kraken open that pirate rum was hilarious, plus all the random people stoppin by for casuals and stuff, too crazy that night. I have like no voice left at all, and I’m pretty sure I coughed up a tonsil somewhere.
Also, was anybody looking to go to NEC? I’m interested because they will have 3s (I think on arcade) there. It isn’t too far away so I’m going to try and plan money accordingly, but if nobody is going I’ll skip it.
I’ve started to consider if it’s a possibility since I missed out on sb.
Ya I pretty much have to go at this point. So I’m going to want to go. I thought they were only doing console only though.
So how did everyone do in their games? I went 0-2 and GG singles. First loss was a mirror who I beat in casuals earlier, and he just guessed everything right in our tourney match and trolled me hard. Second was a May player because I was kinda sluggish and fell for many tick throw shenanigans into hurt. I did get an OCV in teams though, and our team I think got 3 wins in a 10 team bracket. GG is getting to that point where the remaining players are pretty dedicated and have been around for at least a couple years. Skill level is ranging from a little below me and up.
I do plan on stepping my game up though if that is even possible for me. I know there are a couple things I can work on, but a lot of my trouble seems to come down to having my head in the game and having better reaction time. I’ve also been wondering for a while now if I’m just too stupid to be any better. A lot of these guys just seem to play way smarter than me. Do you guys think intelligence level or some kind of mental capacity has a lot to do with limiting potential in fighting games? Do you know people that don’t seem all that bright, but are really super good at fighting games? Is Marn intelligent?
I think experience trumps all with fighters.
I’ve felt like you have for awhile with GG, but I’m always reminded that AC is my first iteration of the game, and it’s been a long way from just learning the system and getting run over by Fred for months when I first started and not knowing why… to getting run over by Mac and actually understanding why…
I think intelligence basically speeds up what you learn based on your experiences…particularly when it comes to GG. GG is a very cerebral game…especially once you finally start understanding why stuff is working against you. From the first attack, to the neutral game…there’s always something to think about, and it changes drastically every matchup…almost like you’re playing 23 different fighting games at once.
Also, I think reactions can help…but I kinda think that’s more of a shortcut to getting better at GG imo. When I was really into getting better at 3rd/trying to stop Josiah from killing me every match, I spent a few hours learning to down parry. Now…it helped, short term, but in the end, I just had to learn all the different ways Dudley had to deal with cr. MK…in my case it was basically baits and trying to train him to rely on it a little too much.
So I guess, maybe gaining more experience will just help you get better. And you have gotten better, because I know I’ve gotten better…and you’re still a good level or two, or three better then me so…I think you just hit a mental wall from playing so many people who are better then you this weekend. I hit one at the second TvU…and I’d of probably hit it again myself if I’d gone out to Seasons this year.
^^^^
Did you know I’ve been playing longer than Mac? And Jack G? And Kyle? And Chase Magic? And Jais? And SlyMoogle? And Brent? Sean is like the only person from around here that’s been playing longer than me, but he’s not the only person that I get blown up by. And Funkdoc. Face has technically been playing since before me, but he lost interest for a long time and now only sorta plays or maybe is getting back into it. I’ve also seen people pick up GG and be pretty close to my level in within a year. Sheppardsville KY kids were some monsters after a few months, but now I don’t see them anymore.
I’m waiting to hear from someone like Adam, who picked up 3rd Strike real quick and stood clearly above everyone before we even knew it.
I guess I just have natural talent? I dunno, nobody ever accused me of being smart lol. I pick things up quick generally, always have, provided it isn’t math related (which is why I’m still bad at Tekken frames frames frames). I didn’t know you played GG that long, but maybe its more on how much you play. Weren’t like Mac and Jack G and a few others all at Moorehead for awhile always playing? Maybe you need week long crack sessions of the game to get better and figure out what you need to work on specifically. Also, and I don’t know what qualifies as a Guilty Gear major, but you should probably try going out of your way for tournaments. Last year really leveled me up between Seasons/MWC/EVO and all of the AL tournaments.
I also play 3s nearly every day, either training mode or dicking around on GGPO/vs. the computer with 2-3 characters every time.
Also, how do you go into tournaments typically. Do you have any rituals or habits you like to do in order to get comfortable and play well? I know I play decent when I have a good amount of sleep under my belt (some people play better with no sleep at all), and a few cigs to keep the nerves down helps. I also don’t eat any large meals, something outside of a drink and crackers is too much. When 3s ended at like 1 AM I was starving, but I make it a point to never eat until my tournaments are done. This statement goes out to everybody, especially anyone with jitters/nerves that doesn’t know what to do about them. Find something that will calm you down…meditate, drink something, sacrifice an animal, just do what you gotta do.
You’re selling yourself short if you don’t think you’re in the mix with a majority of the people you’ve listed. Only person you listed of those who’ve been playing less then you who’re better is Mac…and by your own/his his own disclosure Mac is a training mode robot. He’s probably in training mode right now trying to figure out new Slayer combos on Bridget…you know, just in case.
Mac is just a freak, and like Adam said the rest of that group has been able to play each other everyday for at least a year or two right?
When Dayton was basically all about 3rd Strike, you could see how much better everyone got just because there was a true competitive environment, and nobody ever wanted to admit someone else was better then them…so everyone trained, and trained and trained. Then SF4 happened…and Joe moved…so…people went in different directions.
I guess I can’t understand your feelings on it though, so sorry if you thought I was being condescending or dismissive, but seriously…the only person you listed who I think is just straight better then you is Mac(and maybe FunkDoc, but I think that’s more you not liking the ABA matchup)…but Mac is a ton better then everyone except Kyle and Sean.
You’d know better then me though, I’m just giving you what I’ve seen.
I think you should just talk to the GG community and set up more get togethers and maybe specific events around here. I know you have the ranbats and a few other crack sessions but maybe there needs to be more, within reason of course. Also, traveling more would help. Frosty Faustings would probably be in your best interest if you can go. I think Ohio players have talent, they just lack the exposure to get better. I consider Mac and SH guilty gods but they didn’t get top 3 at SB. I know SH traveled for a minute, and Mac does too sometimes, but you just gotta dedicate more time and effort.
Look at someone like Frank, who got 2nd in ST and 1st in teams. If you knew his history and how much he traveled when he first started learning the game you’d understand why he can beat so many top players despite living in Ohio with little to no local competition. We should invest in an RV or bus or something, and make more majors.
We need better organization in general for when we travel. We’re all kind of a team when we are there and when we’re in town, but take SB as an example: People were staying at multiple locations(myself included, but hey it was free), most people didn’t know if they were going or with whom, and everyone just kind of planned their own way to get there and do shit.
As far as for the future though, I agree we need to focus on making it out to more stuff as a team. We’re the “Cincy/Dayton Crew” and we should act as such. I say everyone should budget right now for Final Round, MWC, and for those of you who think can afford it, EVO.
^ Nah, I disagree. CinDay is not a huge scene, yet it is heavily divided. That’s why people can’t be great at majors. Beating everyone here of the few that play your game, does not equal doing well at tourneys.
I would choose to stay where I’m going to based on who’s playing what there, especially at an out of town major. You want different types of casual/practice in a game before a tourney, not to play against the same people you play regularly. It also doesn’t help if nobody plays your game. A GG player isn’t going to get anything from staying with SSFIV players the night before a tourney.
Yeah but it could help to stay organized when we do venture out of town. You’re right when saying a GG player isn’t going to benefit well from staying with the SF4 players, so that’s why we could separate rooms by games played and stuff, at least for when casuals going on. Instead of “what’s going on in X’s room, I heard Y’s is doing this and that.” It could be like SF4 players get a few rooms, then the GG and BB players get a room or two down the hall. The point being that when I wanted to play BlazBlue casuals I had to ask around and go through the hassle of finding out what room, what hotel, and when it was going down. If I wanted some SF4 I had to find out the same shit but from asking around even further. It’s just more convenient to keep everything centralized.
^except cheaper hotel cost:) Also, just because you have a room doesn’t mean you’re not going to be able to walk down the hall and play whatever your game is. But you’re right, nobody wants to stay with those filthy sf4 players.
OK some of the points you guys have brought up are valid. I think there’s a lot that can be done if I get into training mode more and know what to practice for. Also, going to majors would help, but I’m unemployed for one thing, and for another, my family and closest friends (sorry guys) don’t play fighting games, so I can’t abandon them to go play fighting games all the time. I do think I might be able to make FF since it’s after holidays this year, and since going to Chicago is cheap and I have friends there I can stay with.
Jason, there’s actually not a single matchup in GG that I don’t love. The challenge with ABA is keeping her from transforming, which Testament can do better than probably anyone else in the game. Even if she transforms, if you maintain pressure, get knockdowns, and watch out for danzai (lol warrant) you’re golden. However if she gets on you, she gets plus frames into next year, jacks your guard bar, and kills you in one combo. It’s kind of an all or nothing sort of fight, and it’s also really exciting because the way it’s set up makes comebacks really easy for either side depending on what’s going on. I actually think I go pretty even with Josh, but I think the matchup is supposed to be more in my favor, so that just speaks to his awesomeness. Mac and Jack G I do kind of well against because I’ve played them a ton, especially Mac, but they still have the upper hand.
Another thing is just listening to people talk about the game, it seems like a lot of them have a much clearer understanding of what’s happening than I do, or in watching a match, they are much better in analyzing what’s going on than me. They might flip out about something crazy that just happened, and I’ll be wondering what the big deal is.
Or, in matches that I play, after the round, they’ll ask me what I just did or what I was trying to do, and I’ll frequently forget. Is that common? It seems like everyone else can kind of remember what they were doing and tell me why they did it.
I just made a huge edit explaining why Mac and Sean lost, but it got eaten. Long story short is that you didn’t know that people outside of Ohio are good at GG too. MarlinPie, Flash, Marn, Cue, MikeZ, and I think XAQ are all OG. Steve H is a beast at whatever he decides to pick up (just look at his results in other games he played). Woki is asian and who knows how long he’s been playing since he’s from west coast. Hellmonkey is a Baiken from wc that beat Sean in a money match at evo a couple years ago. Let me assure you that Sean and Mac are on the same level with these guys, but when everyone’s on the same level, somebody’s gotta lose. Also, Sean hasn’t been playing recently, and you know how ghetto Mac’s stick is, so that could have messed him up.
Oh yeah, I know who all of those players are in GG, I just didn’t know Mac/SH’s skill level in relation. I know SH can beat Marn, but no idea about the others. I have a giant TL;DR post coming addressing a lot more of issues in the community, when I have the chance.