Ugh, why am I not good at any fighting game?

Newbie Saikyo Dojo
61

Not new with fighting games but I have had a bit of a break since I work and do school part time. Just recently there was a SF4 tourney that was held where I live (The Bahamas) so I took some time to prep. Trust me its hard to get anywhere near competitive when you lack time but practice makes perfect. I dont consider myself totally awesome but I can take players to very close matches which essentially is what shows that you know your stuff.

This stuff must have been said before but these are always important:

  1. Know your character (especially the one that your most comfortable playing as)
  2. Spend some time learning a few tricks with them (this involves going into the training mode, watching vids online, etc)
  3. Most important of all, have fun playing cause if your not then your all tense which is gonna leave you open while fighting…
62

What is an effective way to develop and learn a gameplan?

63

The best way is the learn your character. Learn when and where to use your normals (standing v. crouching, close v. far standing) and special moves. What type of character are you? For example, you’re not going to win any games as 'Gief if you turtle. All of this is pretty much developed in real life matches.

For the love of god, don’t practice on the computer regardless of the set difficulty. The computer reads your inputs and reacts accordingly to you. Tick throws will be countered, combos will be blocked, fireballs will be dodged - playing against the computer is like playing against a psychic; everything you do won’t be affective.

Oh, last thing, don’t look at top level play for advice. Look at them for ideas (and I use that term in the most nebulous way possible), not techniques.

64

I’m no expert, but here’s what I’ve discovered. First off, practice is key to everything. The first thing practice will bring you is knowledge of your character. If you don’t know what your options are and the pros and cons of those options, then you’re screwed from the start. The flip side of that is learning your opponents’ characters so you know what options they have. Beyond that, think about your matches. Think about what worked and what didn’t work. Keep exploiting what works till you see someone defeat it, then try to tweak it to make it better. Also, pay attention to what other people do with your character. I’ve learned a lot this way.

65

How devoted do you have to be? Like fighting games are a fun hobby, but I’m also into writing music and I’m a workaholic in school.

I just got SSFIV, I haven’t played the first SFIV. I will probably be playing SSFIV for a long time now. I don’t know who to main, but I’ve been using Cody, and have been losing a lot against my friends. Though they don’t try getting free wins off me. Not always…

Anyway, add my GT if you have XBL and hit me up sometime. I will play.

66

It’s about quality, not quantity. You need a good rival who will tell you what were your mistakes after each match. Then you’ll improve faster.

67

So i’ve been playing sf4 for a bit enough were i feel i have a handle on things and can bust out a combo that saves my life but i have a big problem: i’m in love with cross-ups and seem to have bit of addiction in were even most of the characters i use are huge crossup monsters(juri,sakura,akuma,cammy) and in the second round my oponent can just read me like a book and just lead to me eating a dp and a bull ultra. since i tend not to use my ultra and my ground combos don’t sometimes end correctly im asking for advice on what i can do?

68

This works very well.

You have this forum, online resources, and in-game training room.

Try learning the character properties first. Then maybe play against computer on very hardest mode to see if you got your character’s properties down.

Also don’t get side tracked by fancy combos on YT videos.

Although its not hard pulling them off in training mode or trial mode, you get one wrong input in and it will cost a match.

Learn what the mainstream bread and butter moves are for other characters as well.

It takes time to be good at particular fighting game. You gotta make sure that you’re having fun when you’re playing.

Half the fun in fighting games is seeing yourself improve one step at a time.

69

You have to be more devoted than the person you are fighting.

70

I pretty much grew up with street fighter.
You got to remember that people have been playing these games forever.
So all you can do is try and learn,experience matters.
As far MvC 2 you definitely can`t just stroll in thinking your going to just win.
I got ditched on that game 8 years ago lol.

mikeb916 (the claw)

71

Stop crossing up every time?

72

Ever watch Finding Nemo?
There’s a line that goes "Just keep swimming, Just keep swimming."
Just keep practicing, Just keep practicing.
Also, watch a couple of videos of people playing your character and observe what they do. I know that sounds weird ,but trust me, it helps a lot.

73

Added you on XBL =)

74

This. I’m just a newb myself, and youtube videos really help me a lot when it comes to understanding why people do the things they do. Even if I don’t understand it right now, I might improve and then see it.
And yes, playing against others…most people on here probably can’t even imagine just how bad most people are at fighting games that haven’t touched one since SSF2T- it is baaaaad. So I started playing against a friend of mine who was into third strike and played against him for a few weeks, now I can beat him or go toe to toe. Good competition that’s not miles above your level (but above) helps** a lot**.