Fighting games are so difficult....

T

tzhu07

Gawd
Joined
Nov 21, 2010
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I purchased Street Fighter IV AE from Amazon for $10 and so far I just did a little bit of training mode. But even there the timing required to pull off combos is very precise. I'm going through the combo trials with Ryu and I'm stuck on #12 or #13. And I hear that using the Xbox 360 controller doesn't help either.

I have more respect now for people in the professional fighting game community. I guess it just takes practice and a quick hand.
 
Are you using a keyboard?

I play SF4AE on my pc too but I use an arcade stick. I started on a keyboard and was doing ok but some things actually became a bit easier on a stick after getting used to it.

Despite controller options though, the highest level fighting game players might as well be on another planet. They do put in a lot of practice too.
 
The regular 360 d-pad is as bad as it gets for this type of game. I'd use the stick instead. PDP controllers sold at gamestop would be a good replacement if you don't want to drop what it costs to get soemthing like a Madcatz AE stick.
Also see if there is any game-mode setting for your display to reduce input lag. The timing is super brutal on some of those combos in that game. I don't know about the trial you sere doing, but there are "links" in some AE comobs that require the button press on the exact frame needed. And this game runs a 60 fps so yea, some of the stuff isn't worth mastering unless you really want to be a pro. Its not needed to be able to do all the trials to go online and be competitive anyway.
 
It's all practice and muscle memory. don't expect to learn all the link combos in one sitting. I've been playing sf4 since it first came out and while bi can do my combos, I'm nowhere near a pros level. Still lots of fun though

I also agree that the Xbox pad sucks. I'm a stick player so.I can't comment on.other pads but I know the Xbox pad is crap
 
Damn, I don't think I can buy a stick just for this game, especially since I'm not pro or anything. I was watching some pro videos of this game and they make it look so easy. Especially that player Poongko with Seth.

I feel like this game was made for pro players, especially since there are 1 frame tolerances. The casual player can probably only do one of the complicated combos once in 100 tries.
 
You simply can not play fighting games on the pc..with a keyboard I mean that's like driving a car with a thumb tack..

You need a controller. I would recommend at least a quality arcade stick of some kind , check Ebay , people make customs all the time that aren't expensive. X-arcade makes sticks as well ($129.99 for the dual setup). If you play fighting games you REQUIRE this.
 
I use an Xbox 360 controller right now. And this is the only fighting game that I own.
 
360 controller (use the nubs at least) is definately a good enough. If you get to a point where you see you are definately putting hours into the game, you can buy good arcade sticks for $40-$50.

While looking at the pro's can be inspiring, just aim to be as good as you can and just have fun. Takes a while to be good, even longer pro. Most of all: TRY TO REMAIN CALM heh :) biggest challenge actually! If you are panicing, combos never come out and you start telegraphing to the other player.
 
Netrat33 said:
360 controller (use the nubs at least) is definately a good enough. If you get to a point where you see you are definately putting hours into the game, you can buy good arcade sticks for $40-$50.

While looking at the pro's can be inspiring, just aim to be as good as you can and just have fun. Takes a while to be good, even longer pro. Most of all: TRY TO REMAIN CALM heh :) biggest challenge actually! If you are panicing, combos never come out and you start telegraphing to the other player.
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Well said on all counts. I use the stick on my 360 pad and do well.... nowhere near pro but I would say above average as a player.
 
PS3 controller is a lot better than the 360 one for this, with it's non-shit dpad. As praised as the xbox controller on PCs is, if you subtract the games that work better with kb/m, and then consider it's Dpad is horrid, PS3 controller for me all the way. MotionInJoy, I believe, is the name of the driver. Of course, it's no joystick when it comes to fighting games, but a lot better than the flawed 360 controller (not sure about the updated one if it hit our shores, normal one, just a horrible dpad design). Of course, this advice is best taken if you already have one. Otherwise, it's up to you what to spend money on, how much etc. Nice joystick (best) or functional dpad (suitable).
 
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I can see why you feel this way op. I've got over 3000 hours in the SF4 series since 2009. I'm actually going to a SSF4AE tournament tonight. Anyways, yes the tolerances are tight. Yes, the learning curve is crazy difficult. That said, this game is also very rewarding. I don't even look at it like a game anymore, it's like a separate hobby. You mentioned Poonkgo, good. Keep watching youtube replays and guides. Find a main character that you connect with somehow. Find a pro or pros that main your character and watch all the vids you can. Go to shoryuken.com forums and find the sub forum for your main. There will be a wealth of knowledge there. Spend a lot of time in training mode. Once you know what the bread and butter combos are for your main(hell write them down at first), go into training mode and learn each one. What may seem like an impossible combo at first can be tackled by breaking it down into chunks that are easy to digest. Youtube and shoryuken.com forums are going to be key. First priority I would say would be to somehow ditch the controller if you can. I have gotten so much out of this game over the last 3 years. I've made so many friends, had so many good experiences, and just had so much fun. If your willing to put in the time it will reward you with an experience that is totally unique in the world of gaming.
 
BTW...Wanna get a [H] dojo going for SSF4AE 2012?

steam id =theto3
GFWL = theto3
 
My GFWL: qwertypower

I just won my first online game against another noobie player minutes ago. :D
 
practice = get better. I play with a cheap logitech controller and it works just fine. It also works just fine on the 360 controller once you get it down.
 
I bought a $120 fightstick and still get my ass kicked online in SF4, even after 1,000 hours of play.
 
Sly said:
I am by no means a pro and barely even a casual player (My specialty is FPS).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQbjx-kbW-8

PS: That's at maximum difficulty
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So? I could probably tie one hand behind my back and still do my everyday routine without issue but that doesn't mean I should do it.

Its great that people seem to be using keyboards for fighting games (??????) but I would recommend regardless , against it.
 
Godmachine said:
So? I could probably tie one hand behind my back and still do my everyday routine without issue but that doesn't mean I should do it.

Its great that people seem to be using keyboards for fighting games (??????) but I would recommend regardless , against it.
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Maybe you can explain it then? What advantage does a joystick have over a keyboard? Both are digital input devices, the joystick does tend to be more durable, but keyboards don't need any kind of hard pressure to work, they're designed to be squashed while touch typing. Joysticks do have an advantage on 360 rotations, but the keyboard is faster with 180's and back-forward since you're not countering your hands physical momentum. Gamepads have a single thumb split between four primary buttons, the directional have a single thumb that has to slide across four buttons, and two more at the back for each of the buttons. Fighting sticks, have a single fist on the joystick, and three (maybe four) finger on each of the buttons. On the keyboard, a single finger is on each strength (ring=LP/LK, middle=MP/MK, index=SP/SK) and can press both of them at the same time if need be, arrow keys have three fingers dedicated to direction.

I honestly would like to know, because i do have a fighting stick, and even went up against a friend who hangs out at arcade parlors. And after half a day duking it out, we felt that the keyboard really was faster.
 
If you play fighting games a lot or even fairly often then a fightstick is an excellent investment. Purchase a decent one with Sanwa parts (for example the Madcatz TE Fightstick) and after a month or two of practice you'll be way better than you could ever have been with a pad. It will help in taking your game to the next level.

I bought one years ago when SF4 was released and I've been using it quite regularly with all manner of fighting games, definitely was worth it.
 
TheToE! said:
I can see why you feel this way op. I've got over 3000 hours in the SF4 series since 2009. I'm actually going to a SSF4AE tournament tonight. Anyways, yes the tolerances are tight. Yes, the learning curve is crazy difficult. That said, this game is also very rewarding. I don't even look at it like a game anymore, it's like a separate hobby. You mentioned Poonkgo, good. Keep watching youtube replays and guides. Find a main character that you connect with somehow. Find a pro or pros that main your character and watch all the vids you can. Go to shoryuken.com forums and find the sub forum for your main. There will be a wealth of knowledge there. Spend a lot of time in training mode. Once you know what the bread and butter combos are for your main(hell write them down at first), go into training mode and learn each one. What may seem like an impossible combo at first can be tackled by breaking it down into chunks that are easy to digest. Youtube and shoryuken.com forums are going to be key. First priority I would say would be to somehow ditch the controller if you can. I have gotten so much out of this game over the last 3 years. I've made so many friends, had so many good experiences, and just had so much fun. If your willing to put in the time it will reward you with an experience that is totally unique in the world of gaming.
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I agree with most of what you said there. Apart from Youtube and Shoryuken, Eventhubs is also another good resource. I wouldn't go out of my way to ditch the controller if you are already comfortable with it or it's your preference as there are very good players who have used a pad (wolfkrone, vangief, shizza, rico suave, inthul, shiiine, etc). It would also help if you have friends to play with locally, as you might be dropping execution inexplicably online... only to realize you can hit them time and time again offline.

Speaking of tournament, I should go hit up [AG] LuckyD since he lives near me. Was pretty hyped when he took down Shungoku Neurosis at Evo last year.

*edit*
I'd be down for some [H] Dojo... but schedule permitting and I'm very out of practice (though I suppose that's the point :D)
 
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I've been playing on a pad for years. With some games it's not as effective (mainly because you're using your thumb to hit buttons while on a stick you can have 4 fingertips hitting them at once) but SF4 isn't really one of those. It's more evident in the games where you're hitting tons of different buttons quickly.

The 360 controller's a bit of a dog for fighting games, but the PS2 and PS3 controllers work well. You can use a PS3 pad wirelessly with a bluetooth dongle or you can just buy a PS2 pad USB adapter for much cheaper.

While I personally prefer the older SF games, SSF4 is a pretty amazing game for the modern era. It plays well at both high and low levels...and most in-between. I've grown sick of it and have moved on to the (admittedly) inferior SFxTekken, but SSF4 is still a great game. Short of a few dud characters, most of the cast can keep up and compete. That's more than you can say about a lot of other fighting games.
 
The fighting game community seems real awesome. Mike Ross is a cool dude and his CrossCounterTV videos are fun to watch.
 
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