Hi, I just got ssf4 for my PC and I’m practicing like crazy before usf4 is released. I got up to Ryu’s trials where links are involved (I think they’re links?) namely the link that is ‘cr.MP cr.MP cr.HK’. So after awhile I managed, through pure luck I imagine, to get this completed. Because this was so difficult I went to training and kept trying it. After 30 mins i’d maybe done it 3 more times and started to wonder if this is actually achieved every single time by the better among us.
So that’s my first question. Can people pull this off every time? is it just a case of more practice?
I cheated a little bit to see what timing was required using my razer naga and it seems just to land the second cr.MP you need to be hitting it between 0.348-0.358s Is this one of the 1 frame things I’ve been reading about?
Second, should i forget about tough combos like this for now?
And lastly I do own an Xbox360 is it worth just forgetting PC and playing on that? The reason I ask is that I’m finding it hard to be matched with people when i choose ‘my skill level’ online.
Yes, that is a link. A link refers to timing two moves to combo such that the second one hits after the first one has already ended. The other way to combo is cancelling wherein certain moves (not every move is cancellable!) can have part of their animation cut short by another move. In SF4 this is usually done with specials and FADCs.
People at higher skill levels do tend to hit these with great consistency so it is just a matter of practice and technique. If the move doesn’t come out you are hitting the button too fast, if it comes out but doesn’t combo you are hitting the button too slow. After awhile you’ll get the timing ingrained. Plinking is a technique that can help you improve your accuracy and you can find a lot of videos on how to do that online.
If you are just starting however, I suggest starting with basic cancel combos.
(With Ryu)
c.mk xx hadouken. s.hp xx shoryuken.
Once you have these consistent you can do easier link combos
c.mp c.mp (2 frame link, meaning you have 2 frames you can press the second c.mp and have it combo)
c.lpx2 c.hp.
Then you can put them together for a complete combo!
c.lpx2 c.hp xx hadouken.
As for online, I’m not too sure. I’ve heard good things about PC, but Ultra is only out on Xbox sooooo…