I’ve recently decided to try taking SSF4 seriously (which meant buying a fight stick, learning all of the frame data, playing as many matches as I possibly can). I’ve been playing ranked like crazy recently, but it’s so annoying because everyone just wants to win without any skill. I’m not that frustrated with it, but I’m just wondering if it’s actually benefitting me or hurting my actual skill in this game because I feel like I’m developing a lot of bad habits (ex. wake up EX Pinwheel Kick, unsafe dive kicks)
I feel that Endless would have more people who would actually try and play the game to learn it. The problem with Endless, in my opinion is the lack of 1v1 lobbies and the lack of people online in general. It’s very hard to consistently find matches for me because I’m either trying to find a new room or waiting for a match to finish. And that is why I go to…
Training mode monsters. This is the one that’s the most daunting to me. I know that people like Combofiend just practice by themselves in training mode when they don’t have anyone else to play with, but I’m at a slight disadvantage because I don’t have a local scene that I can go to consistently (school gets in the way a lot); however, I’m planning on going to UCLA in the future and I’m hoping to join the fight club there, so would being a training mode monster benefit me the most since I wouldn’t develop bad online habits? I’m just wondering which style of training would help me become the best possible player I can be. Thanks!
Winning is winning, whether you surgically outplay your opponent or mash on DPs for the win. You can learn even from playing low skill players, because you will undoubtedly run into this playstyle at some point, and you need to learn how to beat it. Unsafe and risky moves is counter-intuitive to playing solid, however, if you’re winning matches, then you’re winning. If your opponent has no idea how to punish EX pinwheel kick, or unsafe dive kicks, why stop doing it? Remember that you’re always playing the player, and not a character, which is why it’s so important to identify the strengths/weaknesses of your opponent in the first round, so that you can develop a sound strategy to beat them. It could be as simple as mashing on wake-up EX moves, or turtling defensively to keep them out. Of course…if you KNOW the person you’re playing, and you know that they know the matchup and is a good player, then you would resist the temptation to play too loose and aggressive.
If you have no local scene (check the matchmaking forums to confirm this), then your only best of improving is online. Move up through the ranks, past the scrub players who mash on uppercut all day long, until you get to the point where you’re playing higher ranked players (B and above). At this point, you will generally find pretty competent players who will teach you, the hard way, that you can’t get away with your low-level tactics, and you’re forced to improve in order to keep up. Of course, not EVERYONE will be a skilled player, but by then you should be able to learn how to deal with scrubs right? Plenty of people can improve greatly by playing online because it’s a great tool to be able to play a lot of games against varies characters and skill types. It’s how Latif does it, and there’s no reason you can’t either.
UCLA has a pretty good scene, in fact I know some of the players from that area, and they are top notch. And while you can learn a lot of things in training mode, such as practicing your execution, learning certain setups, the proper counters to a character’s attacks, etc etc, it all means nothing unless you can do it in a REAL match. Whatever you learn in training mode will not transfer easily to a real match, but it will give you a base from which you can improve quickly.
In the end, it’s up to you to decide whether you should be a training mode beast or an online warrior (assuming you have no offline scene to go to). Everybody learns differently, so you need to figure out which is best for you.
I go between the three Rank: to level my character up (feels good when you see your points go up, also helps motivate me and pushes me to get better), Endless: to apply my execution in real life and other tactics, Training: to work on my damaging combos, anti-airs, pokes…etc Lately I’ve been doing alot of endless to learn match ups and work on everything said above.
Although I feel I plateau’d so Im still workin on getting past that. And I agree with eltrouble, I feel training will help you with execution and everything else but it won’t “mean nothing” unless you CAN do it in a real match. But in the end it is entirely up to what you prefer and what you think will help you better progress.
The only problem I have with Ranked is that it is so demotivational sometimes. I hadn’t touched SF4 over the past week because of finals for school and all, and I just went on today to lose 400 points. And the wins I did get were against people who didn’t know what they were doing. BUT this has happened to me before and I know that if I keep going I’ll regain my “skill” again I guess.
The only problem is that I don’t know why I get worse after I don’t play. You would think something like that would be retained like an instrument (I’ve played drums for a long time and I’ve never “forgotten” to play them after not playing them for a while) and I guess that’s the one aspect of the game that is most frustrating to me.
But I’ll keep trying. Maybe I’ll break my goal of 2000 PP someday. Btw another question: does playing against players offline help when you go online? If you’re good offline does that necessarily mean you are good online as well?
Unless you’ve spent years playing fighting games to the point where you’ve honed your mind to never forget how to play, then you’re going to be worse after not playing for a period of time. Unless you’re a skilled master in an instrument, your skills will quickly degenerate without constant practice. Same basic principle applies to fighting games and sports.
Offline and online play are fairly different worlds. Some setups and risks that are sensible online won’t necesarily work offline, and vice versa. However, meaningful practice will only improve your skill set, it doesn’t matter whether you do it in your underwear at home or grinding matches down at the arcade, getting experience will always benefit you in some way.
What you just said right there makes so much sense to me. Thanks man, my mental attitude towards this game changed a lot from this, now I know I have to practice a lot more to be consistent!
Oh and I’m not too worried about points. Or at least I try not to let it affect me. What makes me mad isn’t losing points, but losing to people who I feel that I should beat. Even in Endless that makes me annoyed because I usually just lose because I did something stupid and not the opponent doing something well.
I hear you on the whole goal thing which is good ( gives you motivation to get better and aim higher ). Im still trying to make it to the 2000pp mark myself but I’d be lucky to be that close, let alone keep those points. And as to the whole not playing for awhile, I like to think everyones different. For me I can take a two week break maybe more and still remember my character’s combos, But the thing I have to re-learn after that break is spacing, timing on my moves…etc I play online because theres noone in my immediate area to play offline atleast not that I know of ( I checked match making and was surprised to find alot of people who play casuals and tournaments in my state but its 2 and a half hours away from here and Im vehicle-less). So Im stuck training and learning online. Which to me with decent friends and players isnt a bad way to learn. I mean dont get me wrong online has it’s BS too but thats with every game, but like I read in another thread there’s always a way around it.
And as for your questions:
[SIZE=4][FONT=Georgia][FONT=Georgia]does playing against players offline help when you go online?[/FONT][/FONT][/SIZE]
this question atleast for me is kinda hard to answer but I’ll try anyways. I think it all boils down to who the player/s is. Is the person/s your playing against a decent player? a average player? a high level player? …etc
I would like to say that it does in terms of your execution, timing, spacing and everything else you want to learn with your main char. assuming you have one. But then again when you play online you’d have to worry about lag in some matches and adjust accordingly…so in short I’d say 50/50.
2.** [FONT=Georgia]If you’re good offline does that necessarily mean you are good online as well?[/FONT]**
** - [SIZE=3][SIZE=3][FONT=Arial]eltrouble pretty much answered this. Man your good!![/FONT][/SIZE][/SIZE]**
protip: make a 1v1 endless lobby, I do it all the time. I hate waiting. Add me if you want to play GT is my name. I’m in oc so the connection should be solid
