So, I bought MvC 3 on release day. Played it with some friends for about 2 weeks and put it away. Recently, I started playing again (about 2 weeks now), and wow, how can I get better at this game? I’m constantly watching videos, constantly reading all the threads on here etc but no matter what, I can’t get my timing down on anything other than a :l: :h: :s: and maybe a :h:
It’s getting to the point where I just want to give up- is there any advise anyone can give me? I’ve gone in training mode alot, but the problem persists there too.
Comboing in MvC 3 felt quite strange to me too, I must say. Took me a bit to get used to it but it grew on me. I can’t really say what you could do to improve because I don’t know what your real problem is. My problem was that I sorta went into a panic mode because the game felt so damn fast. So I just broke down the combos into small parts and did reps of them until I felt comfortable enough to put them all together. This is the remedy that has worked for me in most FG’s when getting combos down. It all depends on how much time you put into training mode as well. You can’t expect to make combos feel natural with a few minutes in training mode. It requires persistence and patience. Furthermore, applying combos in matches also takes some time to get used to because your opponent is no longer a training dummy. You have to keep trying to complete them whenever the opportunity arises. This all of course depends on how much time you can invest in practicing. People with jobs/spouses/etc. usually can’t invest so much time to train so their progress is slower compared to others. Generally, don’t beat yourself up if your combos aren’t happening just yet. Some people get them down slower than others (I’m on the slow side myself). No shame in that, this isn’t a race.
A small disclaimer: I’m merely making some assumptions here as I don’t know what exactly your problem is.
Well this is mainly what’s going on… every combo I try (in training mode) I just can’t complete. For example, I play wesker on point. The :l: :h: after :f: :h: won’t come out (I’ve posted in the Wesker thread, and basically I have to keep trying to time it apparently). No problem. Then I notice that my execution on :f: :d: :df: sucks, and I feel that by continuing to practice to it can’t be healthy if my “trained” motion is incorrect. I’ve read the execution guide on SRK, but kind of didn’t help with how to correctly input the srk motion.
Then I try a Wesker combo I saw posted/online/Viscant’s video on MvC 3 1.0 by crosscounter. So I do c :l: c c:h: :d: :df: :f: :l: (knockdown) but then the dash to :df: :h: rarely comes out. No problem it’s timing based I guess so I keep practicing it but for the last 3 days I’ve spent about 6-8 hours in training mode and still can’t get it right after the dash (not even close). So I try it in the corner, I can maybe 30% of the time get the OTG but then can’t follow it up with a c or anything else for that matter.
So I guess it comes down to the fact that:
I have poor execution on a fightstick.
I have absolutely no timing
I continue to “train” incorrect motions/combos etc
So I guess this is merely the tip of the iceberg of my problems lol
Well, Are you actually practicing? MvC3 is the first fighting game I ever really played, so when I first started out the game seemed completely unplayable to newbies unless you were playing on simple mode and because the interwebs gave off the impression that the only way to be good at this game was if your playing on an Arcade Stick, which I didn’t have and still don’t.
So i stuck with simple mode for a while and eventually just gave up the game all together since it was evident Simple mode just couldn’t compete with someone playing on normal online. After watching a couple of videos online I got motivated to pick this game back up and stop giving up like a little b*tch, I researched online for combos, tips, tricks, strategies, terminology, characters weaknesses, strengths, match-ups etc. and eventually I came across SRK, things got a little easier from here… I made a list of stuff i’d find on SRK that were worth learning and practicing and then went into training mode and I’d put in work! I mean I’m talking 2-3 Hours on weekdays and 4-5 hours on weekends just straight practicing my characters and things I took from SRK.
I’d practice, go online to test my progress, get bodied, then going back to training mode to practice some more. I think I did this regimen for about a month till eventually I could get online and not drop Combos and actually put up a fight. Now 5 months later, I still practice, I still search for new technology on SRK but I dont do it even near as often as that first month with the game. I’m still nowhere near the skill level I’d want to be but I can be pretty confident online and Consider myself pretty good at the game. I guess the best way and simplest way to get better at this game is to simply just play, playing and sharing with friends can only help the process as well as make it more enjoyable. Play, play, play, play, you will eventually notice that you’re steadily improving and learning some things you never knew before. Its only natural with any video game.
Tip: Dont try to learn too many characters at once, you’ll just end up getting frustrated with not being able to do certain combos and feel as though the character is unplayable. Learning 1 or 2 Characters first and getting comfortable with them is the best way to go. Then you can experiment with other characters you feel would be good pairings to the character(s) you already learned. Also when picking characters you want to play, Mission mode is your friend, go through the first 3-6 or missions with said character and by the end of it you’ll know whether that character suits your play style or not. Also try practicing mission mode combos till your comfortable first before trying any combos on SRK for example. Doing this will help you get familiar with the basics of the character your learning and you can then progress on to more advanced combos.
That sounds solid. Thanks for that, I guess it’s really too soon to put the game down. I haven’t even passed mission 5 or 6 on most of the characters I play/like, so I guess first thing I should do is try to complete those/practice those in training. It is pretty frustrating trying to learn this game, and even when I think I gotten a little better, I just get destroyed online lol.
Oh well, thanks for the replies, I have work to do :tup:
:df:Shame, I was going to say you’re one up the rest of the world by quitting but seems you’ve decided to take another stab at this mess of phoenix mashing…
Couple notes about execution:
Accuracy is more important than speed. Practice slowly, make sure you’re getting the right motion. Even if it whiffs if the moves come out properly that will help much more in the long run than mashing it out. If your hadouken motion is :ub::d::uf::f: then you need to focus up. You can speed up later.
If your execution is so off you can’t perform the generic combo, then spend all your time there. Matches cannot help you yet. Marvel compared to SF is much faster and looser, the speed can be daunting if you’re used to SF and terrifying if its your first game in general[esp given the additonal combo options, particularly assists].
If you’re generally just starting with a stick, don’t worry about long combos. You’re working against yourself to begin with no need to get into complexities. Working the early levels of the mission modes will definitely help here. Up til about 6 or so they’re fairly generic and will help you get the concept down.
I consider my execution to be fairly good, but even still it took probably 10 hours aggregate to get into the combo system, and maybe 40+ to be able to accurately do whatever I wanted. And I played SF for a year+ before that so patience is key here.
Execution is the baseline to enter into fighting games, but its not intuitive. It takes time to get started and is an ongoing journey.
Your problem seems to stem around from being more worried about combos than the essential basics of the games like setups and mixups. Combo execution will only get you so far if your set ups and mixups are shit.
You have one thing in your favor and its the fact that you are in the right place. Unfortunately the time you took writing your post could have been better used looking for information in the right places. First thing you need to do is find a local group of players and play there. Don’t worry about winning, right now you just need to learn. Secondly you need to pick a character that just feels right in your hands and work at it. The ability to play random people will come with experience. Thirdly, when it comes to combos there are two ways to practice in MvC3, I use both: 1) standing dummy and you do your drills, 2) you turn on the computer in training mode and wail at it. Number one is good to practice your combos period, you are going to need to learn at least your Bread and Butter combos for your characters, as in the go to combo when you land a hit.
Number 2 is really useful for Marvel because it helps you practice moving around and hit confirming with your character. The online for the game is laughably bad. So turning the computer opponent on in training mode lets you have something that you have to move in to hit. This will also give you practice against different hitboxes and thinking on the fly when you land random hits and need to convert.
Most importantly its going to take time. The amount of joy you get out of fighting games is more or less directly proportional to how willing you are to learn it.
This guy gives you truth. I’m poor at execution. I can do LMHSMMHS easily, but very little beyond it. But that is fine for me. That does decent enough damage to kill a guy if you get good at getting in on the other guy.
I focus my playing on killing the other guy by basics. I stick to easy stuff. Sentinel drones assist lets my X-23 do her Neck or Decapitating Slice easily, or I could Talon Dive (divekick type move) to the other side and if the other player doesn’t switch to blocking me fast enough, the drones leave him open for that basic little combo. With Chun-Li, I dash a lot and spam B. Just before they fall out of the Lightning Legs, I pop a super, and then go right back at mashing B. And Sentinel, I learned a very simple combo from my friend that works for him, right into a super, or I can do the basic newbie method and spam drones/laser. Easy stuff, decent damage, leaves me free to think more about HOW to hit the other guy, rather than what to do once I theoretically do.
Like my signature says, I’m nothing amazing, but it’s enough to beat your friends and play online, and most importantly have fun. Find really easy things you can do that make damage happen with little effort, and just learn the basic LMHSMMHS combo that almost every character uses (no timing necessary for that :D). Make your focus about the basics (not getting hit, hitting them, when to assist) and less about combos.
Plus, nothing more fun than listening to the opponent rage because they keep doing stupid things into your Chun’s Lightning Legs I may not be clearing all the Missions, but I’m winning matches and having fun with it!
Really what it sounds like the problem is you need more repetition. You have to train your hands basically. I assure you after a certain amount of time your hands will be able to handle the timing much better but until you are at that point it’s going to not be fluid. My prescription is you play at least a few times a week on training mode for a few hours. Call me in about a month. If the problem is persisting after that, either you haven’t really put the time in, get too wasted while you play, or you may not have the natural hand-eye coordination. Giving up isn’t the answer imo.
Thanks for all the advice, it’s really appreciated. I can proudly say that after 3 hours in training mode last night, I can now hit the LMHS MMH combo efficiently- now I’m trying to throw in the S at the end b/c I fall alot lol.
So in the end, it’s time that I need to dedicate more in training mode to learn majority of my problems.
Wesker’s combos don’t follow the “dial it in” formula that most magic series combos do. Pay attention to his actual movements. When is his attack ending? Watch for his fist to connect, then pull away. I became aware of actually watching my characters’ attacks when learning links in SFIV. Make sure you aren’t inputting the next attack before the previous one connects and finishes. When cancelling from normals into specials, make sure you aren’t inputting the special command too early. You may cancel from the normal to the special before the normal fully activates and connects with your opponent. Other than that, do not be lenient with your inputs. Be mindful of your hand movement, don’t take shortcuts, and be mindful of your character’s onscreen actions. As soon as you’re aware of the problem, you can learn how to fix it.
I understand the “learn your character” part, but even when I rarely get off a crouching :l: :h: to :d: :df: :f: :l: I just can’t figure out how to dash to his :df: :h: and when it actually ends so I can do the :d: Atleast I can do the regular magic series now so that’s cool. But after the air :s: I have no follow up.
:h: :s: and maybe a 
:ub::d::uf::f: then you need to focus up. You can speed up later.
I may not be clearing all the Missions, but I’m winning matches and having fun with it!