I don’t know every fighting game term out there but while playing fighters online (specifically 3S and MK9) sometimes people hate on me through mics or messaging for doing something called “Turtling”. I’m not quite sure what it is. Everytime I hear the phrase it’s negative. Like in that Rejected MVC3 characters video. If the way I play the game bothers people I’d like to know why it does.
Ctrl+F (windows) : turtle
or…
top link
Anything short of an unknown player, using a low-tier character and rushing that shit down on a top player for the win will get hated on. Hell I’m not even 100% on that either.
People hate turtling because throws are cheap.
Turtling is playing patiently and cautiously. People hate it causes you’re less likely to make a mistake that way, especially in a game like SF4.
OP, you’re basically being hated on for not playing like a dumbass.
Well, it’s not quite that simple. Defensive playstyles can be frustrating to play against because a) there is little sense of progress and b) it can draw matches out. But you should be playing for your own enjoyment and not the other guys’ anyway. So do what you need to do.
Turtling is a very defensive play style. People hate it because they don’t know how to play against it.
stop turtling you scrub and fight LIKE A MAN u pussy bitch ass bitch. or u afraid to acually fight like the way the game is SUPPOSED TO BE PLAYED lmao scrub go home
This is a valid question but on the wrong forum.
http://shoryuken.com/forum/index.php?forums/newbie-saikyo-dojo.52/
There’s a reason SRK made this, what made you think this isn’t a newbie question?
I wouldn’t say it’s just “playing defensively”. It’s more like playing passive defense, i.e. a strategy that involves exposing yourself to as little danger as possible, only using the very safest of moves (high priority and unpunishable on whiff, e.g. Chun low forward in many games) and long stretches of doing nothing. Something like Shoto fireball zoning is defensive, but involves more inherent risk and thus can’t be classed as ‘turtling’ IMO. If true turtling is very viable in a game, it probably isn’t a very good game.
Yup turtling can be just playing defensive or even running away. Justin Wong use to get tons of flack for turtling. I love the answers here. I don’t hate turtling for the reasons listed here such as “cause people aren’t playing like a dumb ass” or “you’re likely to make less mistakes” cause those are wrong. Just cause you play defense doesn’t mean you’re making less mistakes. Some people turtle and just get rushed down and die since they don’t fight back.
I’m sure everyone has their own reasons for disliking it. I dislike it cause it’s boring, that doesn’t mean I don’t expect people to play that way. Or I look down on anyone who does it, but doesn’t change the fact of how I feel about it. It’s a viable strategy if you’re good at it, but obviously it isn’t fun to watch or play against. Sometimes when I ask another player for advice at a tournament on a match they tell me to “Lame it out” which means to turtle. 
Some games heavily favor turtling, one of them that instantly comes to mind is SF4 :P.
Turtling is a defensive strategy that people who rush down without thinking tend to hate. Heavy use of jumping back, back-dashing, blocking, using pokes to keep people out of their effective zone of attack, and tossing projectiles. Idiots think that this strategy is a bad or cowardly one.
One of the goals of a turtle is to frustrate the opponent to the point where they start playing sloppily or taking punishable risks. Sometimes that frustration spills over into the real world and manifests itself as cursing, ragequitting, or salty messages.
It’s when you play like a turtle. Isn’t that obvious?
This is exactly the turtle that I do. I think the best example for this is samurai showdown 2 game play.
I hate turtling characters, but even more turtling charge characters in games with no guard break… hints SSFIV, one of the many reasons i dislike that damn game. Shit’s just funny to me, especially characters that can benitfit from turtling like no other.
(Chuns, Rogs) Just any character that a person can play by constantly walking back or holding down back and benefiting from it greatly with not many re-precautions, then having no guard break makes them somewhat very annoying.
Not saying these characters scrub, or top cause yes with the right rush down tactics they can be overwhelmed and beatin, its just these characters are easiest to play at times with a low risk factor. Hints why some people hate them and call the people who play them scrubs, noobs, easy mode, Runaway whatever F.E. (Runaway Chuns, Guiles, Rogs Etc.)
Only game I like that has turtling characters with no guard break is ST. That game for me catered to both playstyles turtle and rushdown well.
Lol same shit, I hate turtling in slow paced games with no guard break. At least it would make those turtle viable characters play a little more offensive/ aggressive and make them cut that Low Risk playstyle bullshit out.
People hate turtling because their offense is repetitive and uninspired. Every scrub goes through a laundry list of things to do while they’re on offense and then they wonder why it doesn’t work.
Uh huh… Says the person who plays Charlie in alpha 2.o_O
Even if a person offense is repetitive, uninspired, sloppy, godlike, etc. It does not matter.
A turtling low risk playstyle, is…a turtling low risk play style. As Bigg said of course with the right rush down tactics a turtler can be overwhelmed / opened up and get annihilated from there. But the fact is turtle type characters (Chun Li, & Etc) will always be repetitive and or annoying to fight no matter what skill level because of how there played or meant to played. To keep you out of range as much as possible, (and if a charge character) while the advantage of (blocking) holding back, or down back.
Someone with a high-risk predictable rushdown playstyle is a whole lot more boring than someone with a low-risk turtle playstyle.