This is short-sighted. Many of the prominent fighting games released today require combos that involve lots stick twirls and button presses. Do you have any idea how frustrating it is to be able to read your opponent but completely lose out in terms of damage because you can’t pull off a complex finger dance?
Games like Marvel, P4 Arena, and even KoF put a heavy emphasis on long combos, so much so that is absolutely essential in order to get anywhere. Just look at how many KoF matches end with HD combos. Look at how many Marvel matches end with near “touch-of-death” combos. These games instill a sense of need for long, involved, highly damaging combos because such combos drastically affect the outcome of a match. Certainly big combos alone don’t win matches, but good fundamentals exclusively can only take you so far (quite a way in some games, mind you).
I think his point is that players are too concerned with doing extended, flashy combos, but aren’t focusing on the core fundamental skills of SF. To summarize, they don’t focus on proper defense, learn how to adapt, learn how to identify and shift game momentum, and how to place themselves in a position to do damage. Even in games that require a lot of time training mode spend in combo optimization, it’s still important to focus on all the other aspects of a game that are important 100% of the time, and not that 20% max that you spend actually doing a combo.
So both are important skills, but you’ll get much farther applying basic bnbs alongside proper defense and spacing game, than you would spending ten hours practicing your combo with advanced links, chains, and cancels, but not knowing how to play against an actual person. You have to think of developing your skill as a player “from the ground up” attitude, instead of trying to play exactly like your favorite top players from the get-go.
Its not short sighted at all, i’m not saying don’t learn combos, I’m saying learn them in the proper order of skills needed to win at a fighting game.
Here is the difference between what I am saying and what Iron fighter explained.
You learn a combo, a basic combo, lets say it takes 15%, at this point with just that lets say it takes you 7 touches to win. If you work on your basics until you can get 7 touches and win, at that point every combo increase becomes extra confidence. If you can win when it takes 7 touches, your confidence will only increase now when you begin learning advanced combos and that number goes down to 6 to 5 to 4 to 3 or lower depending on the game.
In the situation Iron Fighter explained he may be able to win in 2 or 3 hits, but since he can’t land a hit it just makes things more frustrating.
Even if you can’t pull off a win at 7 touches if you are getting closer each game you can say it I can up my combos to get this down to 5 touches I could win these matches. but if your already at 3 touches and you can’t land a hit you’re just like “well what the hell do I do now?”.
Have you ever seen Justin play, KOF XIII, he still plays the same as he did back at NEC it all solid KOF play and no HD combos and he still gets into top 8 at like every major he enters. The game does get to a point were you can’t succeed without knowing HD combos but, heres the thing, that point is still top 4 at a US major. Hes one of the best fighting game players of all time does anyone think he can’t learn HD combos, he isn’t putting much effort into a game that is strongly based on long combos and hes still pulling top 8s. So yes, the point where you can’t advance does exist but its alot higher than most people are actually at. Hell, I’ve won a KOF XIII tournament without using HD combos before.
YES! THATS IT! You got it right on the head but the ques is HOW? How can I learn the basic stuff that I need to learn? I mean I got the concept of it but during a match I find myself brain farting a lot and I have my good days. But like you said I have played guys where they had decent combos but still can whoop me n actual game play. When I first got into the game that would make me so salty I would think my combos are way. Better than his y am I getting beat??? now I have better understanding but it’s. But the guy knows Wat he’s doin from the sec the match start till the second it ends. Every move he makes is for a good purpose. While I’m looking I’m kno Wat I’m doin lmaoo. And judging by my combos it really does but Wat methods of practice did you go thru? Ok yes if I have problems wit this the yes I am a scrub.but dammit this is Wat I’m here for got dammit and fck ur life if you think otherwise yall where scrubs to at on point lol
It has been already said, I suppose, but it’s that some people can’t get around zoning playing styles so they decide to whine about it because they’re too stupid to figure out a strategy. I will say that it can be pretty boring but hey, anything goes.
My point was not that combos are the most important thing ever. My point was that you really shouldn’t be surprised that many new players so focus on big combos given the growing emphasis on such in recent fighting games.
Defensive play styles can work pretty well, but there are going to be many cases where the player will have to adjust their play style. Like trying to go from turtle to rush down in case someone actually does smarten up to the style (which they likely will eventually during the match/sets). Some individuals will employ turtling to draw the opponent out… pick at their weaknesses/tendencies and punish them hard. I don’t really find it boring… some people will simply get frustrated because dealing with it is going to be a tedious process for them. Now some characters are made to serve very specific purposes but they may allow the player to employ a defensive or offensive strategy depending on what tools they may have - lots of factors to take into consideration.