Hey all. I’ve recently begun my foray into the fighting genre after getting hooked playing a few games at a friend’s house. I’ve picked up a few games and my fighting stick (HRAPSA3) just arrived in the mail yesterday.
The games I’m currently playing are 3S, MvC2 and MvC3.
My first question is whether or not I should focus on one game. I have read that you should focus on one (or two) characters first in order to become competitively proficient with them, as opposed to continuously jumping around the roster where you won’t learn as consistently. Does this same logic apply across games as well? As in, if I’m focusing on (you guessed it) Ryu from 3S, is it a bad idea to also be looking at Spiderman & Captain America from MvC2 as well as other characters in MvC3?
Now a couple questions about stick usage. How do you usually put your fingers on the buttons? Right now I’ve been doing fingers across the top row, and then my thumb works the kicks at the bottom. Seeing as how Sanwa parts are so wonderfully sensitive, I’m actually having less trouble with this setup than I originally anticipated, since my thumb can actually reliably depress buttons. I’m curious though, are there other setups I should be looking at on the stick? Currently its:
Indx Mid Ring/Pink Pink
Thu Thu Thu [W/E reaches this button at the time]
When playing marvel I have the stick set to type b. I have my fingers on the top row and my thumb on s on the bottom row. Now I don’t necessarily use my thumb to hit s, if the timing on a h to s link is quick I use my thumb, if not I use my index finger.
That’s how I do it, I don’t know if it will help you. Best advice I can give is do what ever is comfortable for you for button layout and grip.
Now for your question as to if you should only play 1 character. I only suggest doing that in sf (or single.character fighters) once you know who you want to main, untill then play who you want. Same thing goes for marvel play who ever you like untill your set on your team.
The most important thing I can say is that when you get frustrated, relax. This genre can be a unforgiving bitch. Learning to use a stick comming from a pad is also a bitch and will take some time. I won’t tell you to practice because that goes for ANYTHING you want to get good at but, I will tell you to try and play all the time preferably casuals with your friends.
You are on your way, just keep your head down and keep at it. Soon you’ll turn into a monster.
"Should focus on one game?"
That really depends on you. If you can focus on multiple games without getting mixed up than go for it but me personally, I tend to only focus on one or two at the max.
"Should focus on one (or two) characters first in order to become competitively proficient with them?"
In something like SFIV or 3S it’s typically a good idea to concentrate on a single character for a bit to get a feel for the game and such. Once you have a real understanding of the game and your character and can consistently perform well than you can think about picking up a sub, possibly to cover your main’s bad match-ups. Whether or not this logic can apply to other games depends on the game but in my experiences the answer is typically yes. Simply put if you can concentrate on all those characters, go for it but if you feel like your not getting that much better consider narrowing the amount of characters/games.
"How do you usually put your fingers on the buttons?"
I use the same hand set-up as you although I tend to move my hand so my fingers are over the kick buttons if I need to kick but I typically rest them on the punch buttons.
Anyways good luck and don’t get discouraged. **
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just get down to moving your hands and adjusting to where each button is. It’s easy. I transitioned over in like a month. But it depends on your playstyle.
Consider your time as a resource for improving at a game. Of course if you spend ALL of your free time playing only one game, you will improve a lot in that game. If you split that time up to play THREE different games, you might improve slightly overall, but it will take more time to pick up all 3 at a high level. It’s very difficult for someone to be dominant in several games, so usually they focus their attention on one game. It really depends on how far you’re willing to go in the tournament scene. Do you just want to have fun going to casual sessions and tournaments? Do you want to take first place at every tourney you go to? Do you just want to get to know other people in the community and don’t really care about your tournament placing? You should consider what your goal is before you figure out how many games you should focus on.
I place my fingers on the top 3 punch buttons, whenever I need to use kicks I just move my hand down slightly. I generally just use my index, middle, and ring finger for playing with occasional use of my thumb, depending on the game I’m playing. That being said, do whatever is comfortable with you. As long as you can execute well without getting a serious hand injury, I say go with what works for you.
Thanks for the replies all! I have heard that playing multiple games can help develop your “game sense” a bit by putting you in different situations that require different reads compared to what you’re normally used to in your primary game. With that in mind, I think I’ll focus mainly on 3S (because man that game is awesome, parrying is just too much fun) but still dabble in MvC2/UMvC3 for fun with friends and a good change of pace every once and awhile.
I do have another question about the stick. Should your left hand be “grounded” on the stick’s surface, as in, I should have part of my hand touching the surface while I work the ball with my fingers, right? I have noticed that when I get nervous in a match I suddenly lose my grounding and a lot of my mechanical accuracy goes out the window. I’m merely looking to confirm this suspicion.
Ideally your joystick hand should be as free floating as possible. But your wrist does the majority of movement as Dj Antman stated.
Relying on your fingers other than maybe your thumb for dashing on the 2P side is probably less of a good idea.
Fingers should lightly grip the stick enough for you to move your wrist in natural directions.
I’m not sure what you mean by ‘game sense’, but playing different games can help develop different areas of your personal play. Some games favor turtling, others favor the rushdown, some favor gimmicks and resets, some reward pure solid gameplay, and this can help develop yourself as a more well-rounded player by playing different games. That being said, no reason you can’t experiment with different playstyles in ONE game and figure out what works for you. At the same time you get the benefit of gaining more knowledge about how the game engine works, what out prioritizes what, the strengths/weaknesses of your specific character, etc etc.
As long as you have fun playing 3s, stick with it. You’re going to get farther playing a game you truly enjoy, and that you want to improve at, rather than just playing a popular game that you can’t stand.
I personally rest my hand on the surface of the stick, but doesn’t mean that it should NEVER move. Most of the movements that you’re going to do on the stick should involve primarily your wrist, hands, and fingers, and as little movement of your arms and elbow as much as possible. This makes it so that you can do the movements quicker, with less effort, and more accurately without flailing your arms everywhere. It also helps to prevent getting any weird injuries and fatigue while you play in long sets.
