How do you guys do it?

Riako-san

How on earth do you guys continue to play Street Fighter, without giving up? Now, don't get me wrong, this isn't a rant post or a post about someone who lost a few times and is posting his lamentations for all to see. I just want to know how you lesser known players keep going forward? When you these really great players who have replays on youtube, like Juso (Sakura) Otinhoso (Guy) Kunste (Sagat), and just other players who have like 4000PP 5000PP or higher, with 10,000Bp or more, how do you guys keep yourselves from saying, "I'm never going to get that good. I'm gonna go play something else."

And for those who did make it to that high rank and who constantly play with high level players everyday, how did you get there? Was it hard for you? Easy? Did it take months to do? Or years?

I hit a certain peak in my gameplay and I can't seem to get any better or any worse, so I'm just looking for information on how you guys do it.

Meteo2

The way I do it, is I try to play Starcraft. Then, I come back to SF and beg players to kick my ass in under 3 minutes to relieve the stress.

At least in SF, when you make one mistake (such as failure to be psychic), you can get back on your feet and be evenly matched except for a life lead. In Starcraft the mistake bites your dick off and eats you inside out faster and faster for the next 30 minutes of relentless demoralizing play. Like if every time you blocked an attack your moves started permanently losing frame advantage...

STREET FIGHTER IM SORRY
TAKE ME BACK

my more relevant stories/motivations and answers:
http://shoryuken.com/forum/index.php?posts/7558059/
http://shoryuken.com/forum/index.php?posts/7039667/
http://shoryuken.com/forum/index.php?posts/6564626/

Ryuken9

I've been playing since 2008, just like you I hit my peek, I can't compete worldwide but being a top player in my area would be a good achievement. Other than I only really practice when I have tournament coming up.

There were times when I was playing 3 hours a day, I was getting better at every aspect of the game except execution, not matter how hard I practice my execution stays the same

TheBlackHombre

You have to realize that the people who've made it to that level have put in not only the time and work, but the sacrifice it requires to reach that skill level. Top players don't just play the game, they are a part of the game. Street fighter is an active and major part of their lives, it's not something casual. They have put in the work, time and time again to withstand any plateaus and see the breakthrough that occurs after. This kind of time takes years and can only be obtained by not wasting time. It's more than just going to tournaments and becoming an active part of your local scene, it's about actively improving every single time you play.

To put it into perspective:
"Everybody wants to be a bodybuilder but nobody wants to lift no heavy ass weight." ~Ronnie Coleman

SevenDaggers

For me its because, I actually think I am able to become that good. And that I really enjoy every small improvement I make. I also am having fun while doing it. But if you sometimes need a break, theres nothing wrong with taking one. This sometimes helps me stop doing bad habits. Gl mate.

Sp00kyFox

for me it's like amateur sports. yeah I know I probably don't become so good like all these top players you know from tournament streams. but that's not stopping me from appreciating the game and trying to improve myself. and in the online environment I defeated one or another high ranked character specialist, so I don't feel too bad about it.

Pasky

So if you're not Bo Jackson, do you stop playing football? I dunno, this is just a wild idea but....Maybe it's just fun???

K1MOCH1

pick cammy, beat poongko in top 8

Riako-san

Thanks for your input guys! :D

BERSERKERRR

Well, I've never thought "I'm never going to get that good" regarding anything as far as videogames goes. I mainly come from a first-person shooter background, and only really started playing SF a year back. However, for me it's things like you mention that KEEP me interested. I'm not demoralized by it at all, I think it's awesome that I've still got plenty left to learn.

A lot has to do with your mentality as a gamer. I played a lot of Q3 CPMA/Quakelive/whatever, and what keeps (err, kept, I guess) me going in that game (and now street fighter) is the presence of a high skill ceiling.

I prefer games with higher skill ceilings for a multitude of reasons. Firstly, it means differences in relative skills will be more distinguishable in such games compared to more casual counterparts. Which I consider a strength. Secondly, a higher skill ceiling means some people will be hampered by their predispositions within certain skill areas of the game, which means more individually determined playstyles, as opposed to generic/bland.

I just go, "man, I need to get good enough to do that, stuff is sick!" Whether it's a great combo in street fighter or one-pixel mapwide rail in quake.

But I think a lot of these limitations are self-inflicted. The moment you're uncertain of whether you can do something is often the moment you're limiting yourself from doing it. Games nowadays are way too casualized, dumbed down and simplified to cater to very casual players, so it's good to have something left. I.e. most contemporary multiplayer games are mostly team-based and severely handicap individual prowess and significance in outcomes, in turn, to "promote teamplay." Indeed, this does increase the skill ceiling and dependence on teamplay for success, but any oldschool multiplayer gamer remembers the moments where he soloed 5 people and felt like a boss. And those moments are, and still were, the best. Teamplay-oriented games with individual limitations also often end up in snowballing, either one way or the other.

But I digress. Short answer, I just think you need to get more hype for becoming the best.

w00denTEETH

I would also like to know how you guys do it considering that the game barely works online.

Meteo2

w00denTEETH, post: 7703340, member: 62807 wrote:

I would also like to know how you guys do it considering that the game barely works online.

It works very well online. Luckily, I have great internet and live near high population, and only choose to fight with green bars on xbox live.

SevenDaggers

w00denTEETH, post: 7703340, member: 62807 wrote:

I would also like to know how you guys do it considering that the game barely works online.

For me it may be because I have no other option. Small norwegian town. I am probably the best of the 20000 population here, and I wish that wasen't true. I also play on Pc, which makes the load time shorter, and being able to have fun with custom skins is a bonus. Beating people with Deadpool Dan, is great fun.

CaptainGinyu

I want to become the best. Every lose learned from is a giant step toward that goal where as every win where I learned nothing is a tiny step back.

My goal is to take EVO one day.

Blue Comet

Am from a small Canadian town with no FGC nearby. Tho I've recently moved to a nearby city, the same still holds true so I know where your comin from with this OP. I've been playing since vanilla and with my Vega I have only just recently broken 8000 BP in this version of the game while holding to the 1800-2500 PP range, a personal best for me.

I've been taking smaller steps in the online world because I do believe offline to be much more satisfying, but those smaller steps are in fact paying dividends. To elaborate, I've basically limited my playing time of the game altogether and focused much more on watching replays and broadening my character choices in training mode. This has helped tremendously as for me it's always "the more online I play, the more angry I become and the less focused I get", so by playing less and taking in more information about the game, I feel my playstyle has improved considerably.

Of course in the past this has always been tricky considering I just wanted to play and have only one friend atm that I can play with offline, the rest of that experience going to whatever he and I can get out of the ranbats in Edmonton. Still I think this new approach is helping me out, information is king after all. Plus I should start playing more Endless, I get destroyed whenever I do atm lol.

SevenDaggers

Blue Comet, post: 7704765, member: 15675 wrote:

Am from a small Canadian town with no FGC nearby. Tho I've recently moved to a nearby city, the same still holds true so I know where your comin from with this OP. I've been playing since vanilla and with my Vega I have only just recently broken 8000 BP in this version of the game while holding to the 1800-2500 PP range, a personal best for me.

I've been taking smaller steps in the online world because I do believe offline to be much more satisfying, but those smaller steps are in fact paying dividends. To elaborate, I've basically limited my playing time of the game altogether and focused much more on watching replays and broadening my character choices in training mode. This has helped tremendously as for me it's always "the more online I play, the more angry I become and the less focused I get", so by playing less and taking in more information about the game, I feel my playstyle has improved considerably.

Of course in the past this has always been tricky considering I just wanted to play and have only one friend atm that I can play with offline, the rest of that experience going to whatever he and I can get out of the ranbats in Edmonton. Still I think this new approach is helping me out, information is king after all. Plus I should start playing more Endless, I get destroyed whenever I do atm lol.

Yeah, I am planning to move to a place where I get a local scene, but need to finish education. Also, awesome, You play Chipp so much fun!

bkfst_sausage

What keeps me coming back - there's always something new that kicks my ass that I have to learn how to get around.
The challenge of playing.
I've been playing Super Turbo for 14 years, still get my ass handed to me in many matches, but those losses are what keeps me going back, saying, "NAH FUCK THAT, I can beat that shit"

Blue Comet

SevenDaggers, post: 7704773, member: 64108 wrote:

Yeah, I am planning to move to a place where I get a local scene, but need to finish education. Also, awesome, You play Chipp so much fun!

Lol ya although I do still have to pick up the new version, and if I do I would have to seriously brush up on my skillz with him since I remember him being very combo heeeavvyyyyy XD

The Furious One

Meteo2, post: 7701398, member: 17690 wrote:

The way I do it, is I try to play Starcraft. Then, I come back to SF and beg players to kick my ass in under 3 minutes to relieve the stress.

At least in SF, when you make one mistake (such as failure to be psychic), you can get back on your feet and be evenly matched except for a life lead. In Starcraft the mistake bites your dick off and eats you inside out faster and faster for the next 30 minutes of relentless demoralizing play. Like if every time you blocked an attack your moves started permanently losing frame advantage...

STREET FIGHTER IM SORRY
TAKE ME BACK

my more relevant stories/motivations and answers:
http://shoryuken.com/forum/index.php?posts/7558059/
http://shoryuken.com/forum/index.php?posts/7039667/
http://shoryuken.com/forum/index.php?posts/6564626/

You summed up what I don't like about SF4

ST Forever

Bakuhakubasugasu

*See's topic* "How do you guys do it?"

So first I talk to the girl for a bit you know? Buy her a drink or two and show her a good time. Crack some jokes, kick back and have a good time. You know how it is. Get a little personal if and you...

Oh shit, my bad. Cocaine is a helluva drug.

It seems like you got all the real input you needed anyways.

The Furious One

Bakuhakubasugasu, post: 7705049, member: 11665 wrote:

*See's topic* "How do you guys do it?"

So first I talk to the girl for a bit you know? Buy her a drink or two and show her a good time. Crack some jokes, kick back and have a good time. You know how it is. Get a little personal if and you...

Oh shit, my bad. Cocaine is a helluva drug.

It seems like you got all the real input you needed anyways.

Ah obviously you've read

Spoiler:

J.D

Riako-san, post: 7701176, member: 23082 wrote:

How on earth do you guys continue to play Street Fighter, without giving up?.

You enjoy competition, and a lifestyle of competition which means continuos self improvement.

Sinekyre

J.D, post: 7705107, member: 2138 wrote:

You enjoy competition, and a lifestyle of competition which means continuos self improvement.

Amen brother, amen.

Bakuhakubasugasu

Sinekyre, post: 7705132, member: 48546 wrote:

Amen brother, amen.

You have the best AV I have ever seen.

I can't stop laughing at that shit.

Sinekyre

Bakuhakubasugasu, post: 7705136, member: 11665 wrote:

You have the best AV I have ever seen.

I can't stop laughing at that shit.

I was inspired by your post:



Hand drawn by me, using MS paint. Ignore the birds.

Terry Bogarde

I have a full time job and many other hobbies. ill never be able to really attend tournies. I've never cared about what my BP is, it means nothing to me. Where does that leave me? should i give up when i don't care about these things? are these even the reasons why i play SF?

The spirit of being a Street Fighter. People were playing these type of games before they knew anything about Tournaments, Local scenes or PP/BP. You're playing the game for the wrong reasons, or should i say, the MAIN reason you play Street Fighter, is not as important to others as it seems to be with you.

PointBreak91

I played SF for almost 20 years, and then a really cool version of VF came out that works well online and has plenty of players. I always played for enjoyment and graphics, and yeah, I just love those hot female characters! I honestly feel at this point in time, SF as it stands, has regressed, or least, they've completely repackaged it to appeal to a much younger generation. I would play 3s which still looks and plays really nice in my view, but all the online versions seem terribly flawed. Same deal with ST which played OK on GGPO, but the room was so small, it kinda became pointless. It's great to see guys like Jason Cole though, probably in their late 30s by now, still going strong at it, in the 'real world'

Kikuichimonji

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

I am convinced that 80% of how good anyone is at any fighting game is related to how hard and smart they work at it.

GordonsBeard

A lot of people have been playing fighting games for years, and unfortunately for you - you've started to play during the era of stat tracking. Back 15 years ago when you were playing SF2 in the arcades nobody knew your name, nobody kept track of your wins and losses. When you got games in your own house there was no online play - nothing to track the amount of losses you've been getting through the years.

The people who are really good have been playing fighting games for a long while - and they have more losses than you have games total, they've been playing a lot. Day in, day out. The only difference is we only get to see Daigo's #1 ranking and his billion points now - if we followed him from day 1 it would be a much different story.