Really getting to me

Newbie Saikyo Dojo
#1

Ok… ive had SSF4:AE for a while now but due to not being able to do much of anything with a controller … barely played… I now got myself a stick… but im so bad… a friend who doesnt even have a ps3 can come over and kick my ass so easily just by button mashing… jumping… and normal moves…

I really don’t know what im doing wrong… granted i need more practice with the stick but thats a given… but even then i shouldnt be THIS bad… even the computer on EASIEST can give me trouble…
I cant get past most the level 9 trials… timing is so strict it seems…

Is there any tips anyone can give me to help me improve even the smallest bit…Im not total noob to fighting games… im pretty decent at mk9 and put up a good challange for alot of people… i picked that game up instantly and have the ability to make combos pretty easy… but street fighter is just so hard for me.

as you can see… this is really getting to me… as one day i would love to be some kind of decent player

to put it into perspective … out of 5 hours me and my friend have been playing tonight on and off… ive won twice against him… he doesnt even have a console!

#2

id imagine if u can hardly do ur usual moves button mashing would be actualy better… wont have any future… but seemingly “better” … its like u try to do some nice combo and fail, wich means nothing happends cus ur control is off VS friend who only does 3 moves at most “mashing” the hell out of u.
for now thats as far as friend coming over and beating u goes.
umm when u would get urself adjusted to that stick and be able to do everything u had been before then things gotta get back to normal,
think of it as beggining anew… but faster xD… i think

#3

It kind of sounds like you need to get used to your character as well since you’re having trouble with anti-airing. What character do you play? And are there any specific things you are having trouble with? Street Fighter is very much different from Mortal Kombat.

Persevere; don’t lose your determination!

#4

I enjoy Ryu, Sagat, Akuma and Rose… those are the ones id pick to focus on… things i have trouble with are people who relentlessly attack… even just punches… when to super/ultra… when to apply pressure… when to defend… when to focus … basicly… how to play… i know this isnt a get good in 5 minuts game but its really hit me… im usually the guy who can pick up a game and play it… figure it out pretty quick but this is just a joke for me :(… … if it helps… on mk9 i play sub-zero and kenshi… 2 totally different character play styles… so i dont have just one style of character i like to play.

sorry if this sounds like a whine post but theres only so much dieing on easiest difficulty one can take :frowning:

#5

Ive been playing with a controller for 10 years and i just switched to stick a couple weeks ago. Yes, its very hard to get used to, but the only thing you can do is either stick to the controller, or practice like crazy with the stick. There is no other way. Make sure to grab the stick properly, in a way that allows you to do the motions properly and comfortably, there are many ways to hold the stick. Other than that… just gotta suck it up and expect to lose a lot until your more accustomed to playing with stick. To this day i envy people who were basically born in arcades and learned it as a kid… but hey… controllers are good too.

#6

With those types of characters, you’ll want to play pretty carefully. Try your best to deny jump-ins and attempts at approaching. Control space with your fireballs, but also be ready to anti-air when you suspect it. It sounds like your friend is getting a little too close too often. You need to be at a distance where you can react to whatever your opponent does.

Apply pressure when you have a chance, like off a knockdown. As for defending, remember your options. As Ryu, you can block, backdash, uppercut, throw tech, jump, focus, and whatnot. Do what you think is best for the situation. If your opponent is playing recklessly, then it might be a good idea to uppercut. If you opponent is playing very cautiously, maybe it’s a good idea to jab out or throw to regain some momentum as it might be safe enough to do so.

You probably already know all of this. Just keep calm and make good decisions.

#7

you’ll have an easier time playing if you don’t concentrate on winning so much. try to set goals for yourself like anti airing every jump in, learn the spacing of your normal’s that way when that friend of yours decides to mash you will know the ranges of your attacks and his. execution is important when it comes to punishing/maximizing your damage against someone who just threw out a reversal or something unsafe. sweeps,grabs and some certain moves gives you a hard knockdown that way you can plan some kind of offensive strategy. also when it comes to ssf4 patience is very very important espcially in the defense department.
the worse that can happen when you block is an overhead or grab.

#8

Practice your execution before working on combo’s. Combo’s are useless when you only execute a SRK or hadoken 50% of the time. Try to do a hadoken from the left side of the screen a 100 times in a row. If you miss one, start over. Then do it again from the right side of the screen. Your specials should be automatic and require no thought.

Also, pick 1 character and stick with him/her for a while. Ryu is good for learning the fundamentals of the game. Use the lines on the floor in training stage to learn the distance that your normal moves hit from.

As mentioned, set small goals to begin with. For example, think “This match I want to AA every jump in” or “This match I want to…”

Keep at it. Eventually it’ll start to “click”.

#9

Thanks for all the helpful tips… hes gone home so now i can practice without feeling competetive… hopefully i will be able to put all your info and tips to use and become a better player…

thanks again

#10

for 1 week pick ryu and pratice all his special moves and ultra in training mode on BOTH player 1 and 2 side. this is to get used to stick. After about 30 minutes or more try and complete arcade level on the easiest. this is not to fight the CPU but to make you get used to navigating your character to do as you command. Losing to the CPU should not bother you. do this for a week or 2 and i garantee you will be fine. i got into the scene in 2009 as a pad player and doing these routines got me feeling comfortable with a stick within’ 5 days or so. it will be impossible to anti air if you’re having a hard enough time maneuvering your character/stick

#11

thanks Terry!

#12

So you weren’t too good with a controller picked up a stick and want to be automatically good at this game. I recently made the switch it was disheartening at first I couldn’t even beat the CPU at medium. Like with all things it just takes time practice the fundamentals you could probably win a game just with normals off you wanted to. Give it about a week or two before you expect to see any progress.

#13

Learn combos and block. Anything else at this point for your skill level is too much. Practice a lot and lose a lot, and you will get better. No advice here will get you better when you could be playing and practicing.

#14

Another tip: Don’t worry about losing. When I got back into FG’s when vanilla SFIV came out (The last FG I had played seriously was MKII in arcades and on Genesis) I lost. A lot. Every. Freaking. Night.

I’d play ranked and lose 25 - 30 matches in a row, but kept at it. Forget about BP’s and PP’s and your win/loss record. Play and learn. Watch your replays and figure out why you lost.

#15

No… I didn’t expect to be instantly good at the game… but coming from mk9 where im pretty decent to this where i cant even time 3 hit combo on the trial shocked me… then as said… a mate comes along… button bashes the hell out of my controller and i cant do nothing shocked me so much… since i generally thought button bashing on this game wouldnt work…

anyways… im getting better at QCF motions now… just need to figure out how to do Z motions and 360/730 motions consistently lol

#16

I’m not 100% sure but doesn’t MK9 use chain combos instead of links nearly all of the time?
If your used to chain combos. Where your imputing a set order of attack buttons in quick succession to do the combo instead of Links you will have to take some time to get used to the difference. If your having trouble timing a 3 hit combo its either: your not linking the attacks so you need to slow down. Or its a tough 3 hit combo with tight links (Ryus cr.Mp, cr.Mp, cr.Hk comes to mind).

You sound like 3 things are stopping you though:
1: New to using a stick = Practice. This could take a good amount of time before your comfortable with using it, But you will get used to it. :slight_smile:
2: Unable to time links so unable to combo attacks= Practice. This should come easy enough, but also don’t forget you have plenty of options outside of combos, spacing, antiair, poking are all very important too so don’t get caught up worrying if you cant do huge combos :slight_smile:
3: Not comfortable with a character yet ( or at least not the shoto style) = Practice, experiment and have fun. Don’t take it all so seriously, losing is part and parcel of the game.

Also you say your friend is mashing, who is he playing as and what is he doing?

#17

he likes to play Rose, that mexican cook (el fuerto i think??) seth and Ibuki are his main pics but to be honest i dont think he is overly bothered about who he mashes with lol.

after this thread and some more tutorial/tourny videos i have relised alot of SSF4 is not about big combos… you can get by with footsies, anti airs and good control of how close your opponent gets… for the most part… so i figure i will focus on those tihngs before i start thinking of combos etc… seeing as combos look much more used for punishing and im not at the stage where i can punish at a whim like mk9.

thanks alot guys… back to the lab

#18

That’s the spirit don’t give up you’ll wonder how you ever played without one in no time!

#19

Don’t forget to play around with the button configs. If I play with a stick, I have to have them a certain way because of the way my hand naturally falls on a stick.
Honestly, some people may find my setups weird, but hey, it’s about what feels most comfortable to you. Just (like these guys said) practice.