One last Try

Newbie Saikyo Dojo
1

Hey guys, im 31 years old and in law enforcement and I don’t really game like I used to but ive always wanted to get into the fighting game scene. I’ve made a couple attempts over the years and I love the animations, the combos and all that entails but I always seem to get just past the very basics and then boom a wall. I don’t know if im trying to learn too much at once or if maybe I am just not able to play these types of games even though I want to. I don’t want to be a pro or in tournaments but I want to be able to log on and play, win some fights, have some close ones. Not either win by a landslide or get smashed by someone who can do all sorts of combos and im still trying to figure out how to do some most basic combos. I just don’t want to waste my time anymore but my question is can anybody really play these and enjoy these? Do I need a fightstick or just a mentor to help me get past the basics and like anything else help me improve like a coach in a sport would?

Are there fighting games that you would reccomend a newb to start with? Maybe some have shorter and easier combos or something. In the meantime i’ll keep googling and trying to search but I thought I would ask here in hopes of getting pointed in the right direction and end the discouraging feeling lol.

Any and all help greatly appreciated.

2

Easy mode games for combos and such are Street Fighter V (depending on character) and Super Street Fighter II Turbo. I try to tell people to at least start out in ST since the game’s mechanics and combos are so simple and it teaches you to avoid bad habits that can be your downfall in newer games.

You do NOT need a stick to get good. Too many players are beasting in tournaments that have never picked up a joystick in their lives. If you STARTED on one and played in arcades, then it might behoove you to, but otherwise you don’t have to sink that much of an investment into the game to get full mileage out of it.

Even if you aren’t going to go to tournaments, but you really want to learn how not to get bodied, you might find out if your area has a scene with weekly tournaments or meetups and show up. Even if you don’t enter the tournaments, you CAN go just to play casuals and players can even show you what you’re doing wrong. Did that at an event where I signed up for SFV and ST and wound up playing KOF14 casuals and learned a lot from the people I played with. Mentors online are few and far between and there’s a ton of players online that are just going to be dicks instead of helping you. Offline helps a lot because you can talk to players as you play them, ask questions, and get advice on where you’re screwing up. Unless you already have a strong foundation in the genre, playing online tends to hurt more than it helps.

I was able to learn how not to be ass at these games online, but more out of necessity than anything else, and I did have friends I knew offline who mentored me online. But because I developed that foundation from games like SF4 and ST already, I was able to learn a decent amount playing online in SFV. But even still, there were many things I learned offline by playing and talking with players in real time, so I strongly advise finding people who you can play offline.

3

That’s a weird question. Of course people play and enjoy fighting games. Do you mean do new players play and enjoy them? Fighters do get new players all the time. Most don’t enjoy it if they are just jumping online and trying to win. They lose badly and get frustrated. You basically need to know what you’re getting into with the genre. Most people are used to popping in Halo, CoD, GTA, or some other popular game, jumping online, and having some fun for an hour or two. That’s not what you should expect with a fighting game. You will be against people who have hundreds to thousands of hours playing against real opponent online. The genre has a high skill ceiling, so that means they will likely be somewhere above your skill level. It’s not a rule that they will win, but you should definitely accept it if they do. And even if they don’t have more time invested than you, you also have to accept that some people learn stuff at a faster rate than others. Or maybe they spent most of their time learning one effective gimmick that you can’t deal with.

I think the people who enjoy it most are the ones who know that it’s a marathon, accept their losses as they come, and view them as a learning experience. It’s really easy to say “that guy only beat me because he was spamming that move,” but that scrub mentality will make the experience worse for you, and it robs you of the lesson you should be learning. It’s far more effective to instead accept that you failed to counter that move, and then go into training mode or look online at how to counter it.

You don’t need an arcade stick these days. Fighters have gotten very easy when it comes to execution. Much of the pro scene for Street Fighter 5 are pad users. However, sticks have some benefits. They wear out much less over time(assuming it has Sanwa or comparable parts), and if a stick or button does fail, you can easily and quickly swap in a new part yourself. They also feel more consistent from platform to platform. For example, a PS4 and Xbox One controller feel nothing alike. There are alternatives though, like the Fightpad and Fighting Commander.

You don’t really need a mentor with all the guides out there, but, it’s good to play better players who can tell you what you’re doing wrong in a match. Sometimes you won’t realize what you’re doing wrong, so playing someone who can tell you to stop jumping or just block and stop pressing buttons when you need to hear it is helpful.

My suggestion for a game to start with is Street Fighter 5. It has the most new players and there are tons of guides for it. Gief’s Gym is a great guide for new players, and there a loads of youtubers who are dedicated to fighting game videos as well, like UltraChen, Vesper Arcade, JM Crofts, and many others. SFV also has easy combos and very lenient move input requirements.

4

It takes quite a while time to study and learn fighting games. Even to be just an average online player can take months and months of losing. If it makes you feel any better, I really started playing when I was 33 years old, so you can do it.

I recommend playing SFV. It has the largest player base by far and you can easily find more players on your level. Other games are less popular and therefore, will likely have tougher competition, as most of the people who play them are well experienced in fighting games in general. SFV is more popular amongst people who like fighting games, but don’t love them enough to learn everything about them.

5

Thank you guys for the serious replies, im sure this question has been asked a lot. I will definitely give this another try with those recommended games. What I meant by the question Can anyone play these and enjoy them was this. Part of the enjoyment is winning or having a close fight where you know you could have won (not getting blown out all the time). I just thought maybe I belonged to a percentage of people that just can’t grasp a fighting game past the absolute basics. I was thrilled when the new Mortal Kombat came out and once the combos started to get a little longer and I ranked up I would get blown out badly and have no clue why. After reading these replies and looking back I think its a more hardcore scene with that game because I did play some of the same people over and over again without even tying to. I also remember picking a character and going to the move list and I would try to keep going down the list learning all the moves. I probably should have progressed much slower with the move list. Its like…I really want to get into these games but didn’t want to keep trying if I belonged to a small group of people that should just play a different type of game. Hopefully that makes more sense. Not sure if any of you have ever met anyone that you wanted to tell hey listen this just isn’t your type of game hang it up or if anyone can really learn if they want to. The last street fighter I played was about 8 years ago on xbox one.

6

I would never tell someone to quit fighting games because of their skill level. It took me a really long time to get competent in fighters, and I felt like it was hopeless and wanted to quit for a while. For some reason I didn’t quit and eventually got to point where I was happy with my progress. I’m very glad I stuck with it.

But I would tell someone to quit if they were stuck in a scrub mentality though. I have a low tolerance for people who whine about how others plays the game or find anything to blame but themselves whenever they lose.

7

I did. The guy couldn’t even do a fireball. Practising daily. For several hours.

I can’t even make this up. Let’s just say he didn’t stick with it.

If you’re above that level, then you’re fine. I promise.

8

I am above that level

9

This is a tough one to really answer. It is purely a personal mater. I am more than happy to spend an entire weekend in lab just messing around doing the same shit over and over. I have friends who don’t lab at all because they don’t enjoy it, and would rather learn things on the fly in some online sessions. I typically advance a lot faster than them. But over time they have gotten better and win some matches. I think the idea of getting fun from winning is whats holding you back. I have more fun learning a difficult mechanic or combo than I do from winning online.

But that’s just me. And I am on some Umehara trip at the moment. I feel his goal of personal development with winning as a result of that growth just fits with me.

I suppose fighting games aren’t for everybody. They are fucking hard work. But when you get to the levels where you can confidently enter a match without worry of winning or losing. That’s where its at.

I hold my own against my COD mates who have focused on those games. They can’t keep up for nothing against me in a fighter. No mater how much they say they try. The mentality is different.

On the combo thing. You don’t need them. A combo looks good and it speeds up the rate at which you remove health from your opponent. In doing so it gives them less time and fewer chances to hurt you. But a good player with good footsies and no combos will beat a player with bad footsies and great combos. Any day, all day. So if you fighting games are something you want to play. Then suck it up princess.

10

I think what you mean is to work on footsies first. I would sort of agree with that, but ultimately combos are very important for capitalizing on opportunities. Even learning a simple 15-20% damage combo for punishing is better than nothing.

11

Hey, I’m also at this stage. 35 years old, couple of attempts over the years, want to give it “one last try”. There have to be others out there like us.

We should get to get together and play. I’ll send you a message.

For anyone: If there’s a thread out there for old people to unite and play let me know,

12

Every Street Fighter player is old at this point.
The fucking game sold to like 9 people.

13

You are correct, I did mean practice footsies first. Of course a combo is great. I just left learning them out because he said he can do some simple ones. But 100%, good footsies and a punish combo are where most people should start. Then get their anti airs on point and learn a combo to capitalize on a jump in.

I myself am an old player. I started in the arcades. Then the Sega 16bit system. Then PS1. Then took a huge gap. The people I played against weren’t willing to put in the effort to be really good. Up until that point I knew nothing about footsies and frame data and who gets to attack when. Now that I am back into it I have found out all this stuff and it has made me even more interested. SO I would say I have been playing FG’s for about 2 years now. I don’t count the old stuff I messed around with because I was learning all the wrong things. So there must be many people starting late. The joy is though that as a gaming generation we have more time to be competitive as we are growing up playing. Dudes in there 50’s now wouldn’t have a chance. A top player now in his 20’s-30’s, he will still be competitive if he chooses to be when he is 50. So there is plenty of time for you as an older player to get in. Just dig deep and push through the first few tough months.

14

Im already finding this game to be much more accessible than MK was. I do go in the lab and practice some things. Going online I have been entering matches with goals in mind. Sometimes I’ll go into it and just block everything, yes I lose but im starting to block more and more. I do need to learn some punishing combos.

15

It’s by far the most popular FG in the world, what are you talking about? GG sales are beyond pathetic and KOF sales are beyond pathetic. MKX sold more than SFV, but the majority of those sales are from drooling morons who don’t care about FGs and they just want to see fatalities and…“OMG u cann play as Jason and the Preditor in this gaem!!”

16

gamerbee got 2nd at evo at the age of 35 give or take a few years, i don’t believe age holds people back from getting good.

17

So I guess everyone should play Smash and Smash clones now? Because those are the only “fighting games” with more players than SFV.

18

It’s not even the most popular version of Street Fighter let alone the most popular fighting game in the world lol

19

The more you play any title the more other titles will be more accessible. I am sure if you played some MKX now you would feel it is more accessible than it was the last time you tried.

Dude, MKX is a fantastic game. And it has brought so many new players into the FGC, as has other games, but MKX exploded. There is nothing bad about it. Its just a different game to SF.

20

Wow…okay…sure. SFV isn’t the most popular FG in the world right now. Got it. I’m sure the OP will have a great time fighting the wide array of people who are playing ST, 3s, and SF4 these days. Those games are so hot right now, everyone’s playing them. You’re totally right. Nevermind, OP. Don’t get SFV. Download HDR or 3s on your xbox360 and wait in a lobby for 5 minutes so you can play the same 2 people over and over again.

Not sure how you got that, but I never said MKX was a bad game. I said a lot of it’s sales were from people who don’t really care about FGs who dropped playing the game after a month. The game has been dead for a long time. The OP wanted a recommendation on which FG he should start with. The answer is SFV. He could try GG or KoF, but that’s like jumping into a pond full of sharks, considering his skill level.