How can I improve my skill if I only have the CPU to play against?

I love fighting games (mostly 3rd Strike on PS2), but I’m more comfortable using a control pad than a stick. My friends could care less about SF and if they do play, it’s shotomania with low roundhouse being their primary move all day. So basically I’m stuck playing my games on the highest difficulty.

Is there some place I can go where other ppl play on consoles as well to practice? Or is it time to make the transition from pad to stick?

Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated…

play like a3 on mame or sumthing

you live in brooklyn

edit - learn stick

If you don’t have access to higher-skilled opponents, and are stuck playing your friends or the cpu what’s the problem? You’re doing fine as is. if you’re one of those guys that goes to tourneys, then find opponents…somewhere.

Learn what common moves and or combinations you can punish with your character.

an example, if you’re using ken, you can block a lot of crouching roundhouses and some cr. forwards and then super right after. assuming you have SA 3

and there’s a lot of similar things all over the place.

Another thing to do is watch videos, and try to figure out certain points where they silly things like grab, and turn that into an opening for your attack.

Example: A lot of people empty jump in and grab and are then teched cause its so common, so my advice to you would be something like, empty jump, with a parry on hand, and if you don’t parry then ( assuming you’re using ken again) try jumping back and roundhousing him/her in the face. or dash back cr. forward super.

Though, small seemingly unimportant things, these might turn the tide in your favor because for lots of players this’ll reduce their mind set to fear!

now go off and bring the pain, if you want, I can try to help through PMs or AIM. I’m not too great, but I have my shining moments and when that happens I go off to the side and write it down.

but yeah. I dunno why I’m posting here at this hour…

What dander said. Also, learn BIG combos. If you can record with your training dummy in the game, do so. It’ll help you learn how to punish attack patterns.

  • wait, doesn’t a majority of SRKers live in New York? and doesn’t Empire Arcadia have their main base there too? My advice:
  1. get a stick for PS2,2. get a converter for PS2/PC, 3. Find these opponents., 4. that’s up to you…, 5. Constantly practice your movements and learn characters as stated.
  • and yes, MAME is the way to go.

…that went well.

MAME is overrated.
Also, just because there’s a bunch of players in NYC doesn’t mean they’re close enough to get together regularly(although, there ARE web2zone and nyclan threads in the AN Matchmaking Forum…).

Dude you play 3rd strike. Stop being a homebody and just go to CF and get your ass kicked already.

Learn stick I would recommend JUST FOR THIS PURPOSE- So you can enter Arcade tournies.

I will never just play on stick and stop playing on a pad…just wont work…I am a born diehard pad warrior so ain’t gonna happen, so I learn Stick so I can play in the stick tournies.

But yeah you live in New York so there really shouldnt be a reason you dont have any competition…

Yeah MVC2’s CPU on ANY console ver, is a pushover at maxed out difficulty.

You don’t really LEARN anything from playing a CPU either. Its like a whole new game with playing against a real player.

I used to think the same, but after getting my first custom sticks recently and using them whenever playing. The stick is slowly but surely becoming almost second nature, like playing on the gamepad was.

I don’t use a pad for fighters anymore(or try not to anyway).

Its hard to respect your opponent when they dont give a shit, and they dont give you treats. Its time to respect yourself, Go get yourself a treat. Learn stick and find the competition.
Creativity and the fuckin will yo, treats.

AHHH SHIT IT’S BACK!
calls quiche

but seriously, no competition and you live in Brooklyn? Something about that equation doesn’t add up.

Not everyone is half an hour away from CF. :[

it doesnt matter if you’re a half hour or an hour and a half. You wanna play 3s and you live in nyc, you go to cf. Then after you learn some faces and some tactics you can go to some tourneys and win your last place a few times.

And thats the reason why i gave up on fighting games. Today isnt like the 90’s where you can walk to any 7-11 and find competition. Today, you actually have to travel 50-100miles just to find competition. If you want to make your life easier, go with xbox live fighting games. You can still learn things fron CPU opponents, its just that they can only do so much when you already pass the level your at.:wgrin:

The answer to this question and to this thread boils down 2 one question Iron Claw- Are you a hardcore gamer or a casual gamer???

I travel from Texas to Philadelphia and am going to North Carolina to get my SNK fix in the USA…but thats because I am a dedicated hardcore gamer striving to be the best.

If you are a casual gamer then you may not be willing to go the “extra mile”/miles lol just to get your fix…but you first must come up with your goals…long term and short.

If both are just to find some competition then CF is the way to go…if its to be the best CF and all Majors and tournies in general are the way to go!!

Cot damn, you ppl give great advice. I always knew about CF, but never gave it much thought just for the fact that I would be using a stick. I guess I will start there to gain experience against others who actually care about the games they play.

I’ll never give up the control pad (I use the purple Saturn pad or SF pad), but learning the stick will help balance things when looking for future competition. I figure it will also give me more options as to the places I can play.

I’ve never played in a tournament before, but hopefully this year I can get my ass kicked in a local one while learning in the process. I’ll check out those web2zone and nyclan threads too. I really appreciate the suggestions. Thanks a lot.

Just one more question though, what’s a good stick to start with so I can practice at home?

Buy a SF AC stick and mod it with some good Happ stuff. Happ competition stick and buttons will do.

hori