How should one approach fighting games?

[Ulquiorra4sama]

So i recently downloaded Tekken Tag Tournament 2 on the PSN, because after playing nothing but RPGs for the past few months i felt i needed some change.

I've only touched the genre of fighting games a few times before (a short-lived encounter with Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom, even shorter encounter with Blazblue, and some nostalgia surrounding Tekken 3 from way back when), but even so i felt the urge to dive into it again.

To me the fighting game genre has always been something i've wanted to be good at, but have always been terrible at, and since it's always seemed like such unfriendly ground i've stayed away from traditional fighters for most my gaming life. I mean for some fighting games even the basic arcade mode is incredibly harsh to new players even on the easy setting.

I'm just a bit curious what would be the best approach to actually get into the game, because i've tried practice mode and the Combot run (which i'm guessing was the game's tutorial) and it's still not getting me very far. And so i hit the wall again because i just don't know how to proceed, but i figured this time i would ask for some advice instead of trashing the whole thing again.

Basically what i'm asking is right there in the title: What is a good way for new players to approach the genre of fighting games?

 

[StriderShinryu]

The best ways to start, and easiest ways, are to A.)study and B.)play. I know that may sounds boring and simplistic, but it's the way to go.

There are so many good resources out there these days for pretty much any fighting game, as well as streamed tournaments held weekly, that it should be easy to find some resources for whatever game you want to play. Start out with watching some UltraChenTV (they have their own Yourube channel) to get a handle on the basic concepts. They don't cover much Tekken, but pretty much every well designed fighting game plays by many of the same rules, especially as far as the mental side goes. Then see if you can find information specific to your game and maybe even your chosen characters. A couple of great sources for Tekken are Level Up Your Game and Avoiding the Puddle. Also, watch matches with an eye to learn rather than just be entertained. Put yourself in the position of one of the players and watch what they do and don't do. See if you can start predicting both offense and defense.

When playing, always try and always try to come away with something, but don't be afraid to lose. You're probably not going to win all that much, especially at first and extra especially in Tekken. Tekken is a beast to learn even the basics of since you will be tasked with not only learning the basics but also your characters best options plus making steps towards learning the options of everyone else in the huge cast. Select characters you want to play and pick a handful of moves that seem to cover all of the bases. Don't be intimidated by the thought of learning huge move lists and go with maybe 5 moves that really seem good to you. (Watching those resource videos will probably help in this). Don't rely on fighting the computer or beating up a training dummy (though training mode can be helpful). Get experience by actually playing humans, online or off. If you can, find a training partner or group. Make it a point of having the winner tell the others why they won and why they lost. It will make everyone better.

 

[krazykidd]

I'll tell you what works for me . I recently just picked up SSF4AE .

Losing . Lose like you have never lost before . I'm not joking . Go into the game . Try out every chacter . Pick one you like . Do as much of challenge/ trial mode you can ( if there is one ). Pick a combo or two you feel comfortable with . Go into training mode . Practice those couple of combos . Get a feel for your character . Go online and lose . I find if you go in with the mondset that i am going to lose , i tend to experiment a lot . See what works , what doesn't . Every lost is data . Understand why you lost and what you could have done differently . Then try that . Eventually , you will start wining . You will understand the game mechanics . You will understand your character . You will learn from your mistakes . You will learn from your opponent .

Then once that is over and done with . Go into battle with confidence and vigor . And you will win .

 

[Ulquiorra4sama]

Tekken is actually pretty easy to get into. Use the arcade grip whilst playing and you're good as gold.

Sorry, "arcade grip"? Not familiar with the term :/

The best ways to start, and easiest ways, are to A.)study and B.)play. I know that may sounds boring and simplistic, but it's the way to go.

Select characters you want to play and pick a handful of moves that seem to cover all of the bases. Don't be intimidated by the thought of learning huge move lists and go with maybe 5 moves that really seem good to you. (Watching those resource videos will probably help in this). Don't rely on fighting the computer or beating up a training dummy (though training mode can be helpful).

Yeah, i've been narrowing down my selection of characters to about 3 core characters and a few that i'll "save" for when i get a better handle on things. As for the training i've really only used it to test out what moves would flow well together in a combo. I figured that was the best way to use practice, but i dunno...

I'll tell you what works for me . I recently just picked up SSF4AE .

Losing . Lose like you have never lost before . I'm not joking . Go into the game . Try out every chacter . Pick one you like . Do as much of challenge/ trial mode you can ( if there is one ). Pick a combo or two you feel comfortable with . Go into training mode . Practice those couple of combos . Get a feel for your character . Go online and lose . I find if you go in with the mondset that i am going to lose , i tend to experiment a lot . See what works , what doesn't . Every lost is data . Understand why you lost and what you could have done differently . Then try that . Eventually , you will start wining . You will understand the game mechanics . You will understand your character . You will learn from your mistakes . You will learn from your opponent .

Indeed, as infuriating as it may be (seeing as TTT2 keeps score of your win percentage) i've pretty much been forced to come to terms with that. Thinking about the fights i've had online it seems most of my problem now consist largely of being a slow starter. I guess better defense techs or a more explosive opening move would help.

 

[Tanis]

1) Play in easy mode.

2) DO NOT GO ONLINE.
-Mainly because many communities are BRUTAL 'noobs'.

3) Start with easier fighters like Tekken, Mortal Kombat, Soul Calibur, Bloody Roar and maybe even Peronsa 4 Arena

4) Read the manuals, look up a vids on youtube if you're having trouble, and don't be ashamed to look up game FAQs/guides

5) Get an arcade stick.
-It may sound stupid, but those thing (at least to me) seem to make some games 'easier' to play.

6) Always remember:
-It's just a game, have FUN.

 

[Guffe]

I think buttonmashing is the best way to get into fighters...
xD

Well maybe not, fighting games are games which you might enjoy with little experience but to master them you must practice a lot

 

[blackdwarf]

Find a friend to play with. That always has been the most important for me. it is more enjoyable that way and you can ask If you don't understand something about what he is doing. Most important for me is that I can slap his head if he is being a dick with play style and/or character choices. after that, you must really should use ghost battle. it is a great way to learn to move and play at the same time, and see if you can actually do those combo's in real play. Training is good, but doing a combo in training is a lot easier then doing in real play, so ghost battle.

I also play TTT2, but I stopped playing online. Like with many fighting games, the online mentality is horrible. Almost everyone just takes the teams that makes them win with the least amount of effort. So a lot of clones teams and gimmicks.

So find a pal to play with, it is always been my main motivation to to get better and remember: enjoying a good game is more important than winning!

 

[The Wykydtron]

I like to find a character (or team) that you like then stick with that 'til the end. That applies to most types of games for me.

I'm literally the only person who plays Phoenix Wright online except a few people who are actually GOOD. Even then there's only Lythero with his best PW in the world. Seriously the win screen with Maya bouncing around gives me all the motivation I need to continue playing him. Also random lvl 3s instakilling a character from full health is perhaps the funniest thing in the game.

It's a matter of learning what certain characters can do, put some time into it, preferably online since that's when people play characters to their full (read: cheapest) potential if they're good.

For example in UMVC3, respect the pipe, don't press buttons under Doom, Vergil or Dante and snap in any comeback characters. Learn which moves are invincible and use the power of random supers whenever you can.

Also post match taunt any failed Dark Wesker attempts. It's the only thing the scum who do that deserve.

 

[hermes]

1- Try experimenting with different characters. Although the characters might change, all fighting games stick to a set of different characters (slow, big and strong; weak and agile; combo based; proyectile based; etc.) Once you find a character whose style you like, try to get good at it.
2- Play offline and training. Get a feeling of the character, learn some combos and put them to practice with a CPU, start at "easy" and then climb up to a level you feel comfortable with. If you have a friend that is not a sore loser or winner (those get annoying), invite him over for some good old couch gaming.
3- Check online for content. There are a lot of tutorials on youtube and similar that have great combos and some advice for newcomers.

Then you can go online. Not to sound overly critic, but some games are quite unfriendly to newcomers and not very helpful at getting better through repetition. Street Fighter is a good game for that, Tekken not so much.

 

[hermes]

I'll tell you what works for me . I recently just picked up SSF4AE .

Losing . Lose like you have never lost before . I'm not joking . Go into the game . Try out every chacter . Pick one you like . Do as much of challenge/ trial mode you can ( if there is one ). Pick a combo or two you feel comfortable with . Go into training mode . Practice those couple of combos . Get a feel for your character . Go online and lose . I find if you go in with the mondset that i am going to lose , i tend to experiment a lot . See what works , what doesn't . Every lost is data . Understand why you lost and what you could have done differently . Then try that . Eventually , you will start wining . You will understand the game mechanics . You will understand your character . You will learn from your mistakes . You will learn from your opponent .

Then once that is over and done with . Go into battle with confidence and vigor . And you will win .

Just some disclaimer: In my experience, some games/systems are better at showing you what you could have done differently in a fight than others. Street Fighter, Soul Calibur or Mortal Kombat are good at it, since the fights are not decided by single hits alone. Tekken or Virtua Fighter, on the other hand, are very juggle based, so most fights had me in the air having no way to break away or defend against the opponent, which is incredibly frustrating; in which case, the only lesson I got from most of my defeats was "don't get hit"...

 

[wordsmith]

Basically, just play. As everyone else has said, play some single player, find a character you like, figure out a few basic combos and then take it online. Once you lose, try to learn why. Did you block too much and give them a chance to build up meter? Did you not block enough? When I was learning SSFIVAE, my problem was that I was constantly wanting to jump in on people, rather than walking up to them. That meant that as soon as they saw my jump animation, they could prepare their defences.

I don't know what his Tekken game is like, but @Caliostro was an awesome SSF teacher, particularly with the metagame. If he can't help, watch videos of others playing your character, how do they approach certain situations differently to you? why? And lastly, remember there is nothing wrong with messaging someone who has just absolutely ripped you apart and asking them to critique your style. For every 9 people who won't do it, you'll get one who will, and any wrinkles in your technique that you can iron out, the better.

Good luck!

 

[Lockling]

Try the characters, pick 2 that you like, and then spend time in practice mode learning all their moves. Youll have to know this stuff if youre ever going to make sense of any combo transcripts you find.
(eg. Bryan/Lars: ws1 , fb2~5 , d/b21 , fb21~5 , b24 , dash , ISW)
At least i find it really hard to do combos on characters just by reading the moves and having no idea what the combo atually looks like when executed.
Youll also learn what your characters can do at what range. One of the biggest mistakes ive seen novice players do in Tekken is constantly throwing out stuff regardless of whether it will whiff and if it does the opponent invariably gets a free launch.

Also once youve learned what all your characters moves look like youll get considerably more out of watching fights on youtube etc. as you can tell what the REALLY good players are using and why. At easier levels of play (all ranks before master/grandmaster basically) throwing out low/high crushing moves will be a valid tactic, but if those moves are easily launch punishable or steppable you will have a hard time unlearning those tactics and developing better ones.

One (and i cant believe noone posted this yet)incredibly handy place to look up combos, basic punishers etc etc.(i think they might have a "so youre new to tekken" thread in there too) is the forums over at Tekkenzaibatsu.com

 

[Windcaler]

The best approach for me has always been to jump in head first in the singleplayer mode and experiment till I find a character I like. Once I find a character I like Ill start using special moves, learning them through repitition makes them stick in my mind and helps me develop my own "style" of fighting.

One character that was especially true for that was Ogre from Tekken 3? Not only did he look cool with the aztec design but he was pretty big and extremely manuverable too. I had a similar experience with Krillan in Dragonball Z budokai 3. His special moves were good but it was his move set felt really fluid. My playstyle has always been one of aggressive and constant attacking so characters that have fluid and manuverable move sets work best with me.

 

[TrevHead]

A good pad or even better an good arcade stick should be a priority if your serious about improving. A good controller will make pulling off moves so much easier. If you get a good arcade stick (one that is easy to mod if you want to swap parts later down the line) don't expect to be good at using it straight away, it'll take time.

Learn the jargon so you can understand what other players are talking about.

Learn everything you can about the game mechanics of your chosen game, the deeper understanding you have the better you will be able to interpret what you see in game.

Practice lots, the more you play the better you'll get. Watch replays of other players, learn from them and adapt it to your game.

How you practice is important, while you will improve from naturally playing the game, it's better to have structured practice where you set goals that you want to achieve in each session. Also achieving little goals can make practicing more enjoyable. Remember to try to keep play as fun as possible as it's easy to get hooked on a game, going at it too seriously only to burn yourself out.

 

[DrunkenMonkey]

You need to use an arcade stick regardless of how awkward first plays are. There is a world of difference between sticks and controllers. Play online no matter how bad you are. It helps deal with performance anxiety early on and lets you get used to human opponents. Eventually you get into mini mindgames with strangers which is more entertaining then the actual combat. Combos skills all that comes after you get your ass kicked a few thousand times and some practice sessions offline. Experiment with all characters because one of them will become your favorite, and you might as well practice with the favorite.

 

[TrevHead]

Also you want lag free play, so wired controllers and a fast response time on your TV (PC monitors generally have better response times)