What's your angle?

Well in Tekken the risk/reward ratios can definitely be unporpotionate, in comparison to VF especially. Although in general you shouldn't be getting strung out, you have to interrupt and react promptly and properly in Tekken due to the much smaller buffer window.

 

actually, that's probably when playing online matters the most.

especially if you're still learning a game, playing online too much is going to screw you over.

 

There are very few situations where the pounce is guaranteed. Most common are when opponent hits a wall and falls back forward. (no techroll/ fall recovery possible) Also after crumples (Sarahs counterhit +) and flops, although theres usually more damaging combos there.

 

Even though it's offtopic AND I think people will throw stones at me, I feel the need to say that I disagree...

About punishment, with Sarah, I really use FC 6K+G(delay)K a ton.
And whenever they block the delayed kick, people always punish me pretty hard.
Same for several unsafe moves as well, I get blocked and I KNOW a hit is coming and I won't be able to block it, and indeed, they do punish me.

So for the big moves, online play with a fine connection doesn't matter at all.

There are moves that are only punishable by P,K though (or such fast moves...) and in those cases, lag MIGHT matter.
But if you punish these kinds of moves, I'd say you're way past mid-level already.

So I keep my opinion that lag doesn't really matter at mid-level. People have no trouble punishing my mistakes and I know I need to worry about frames.

I played SCIV for 2 years I think and I *never* worried about negative frames on block. Only execution frames matter to me there.
In VF5, I've played very little and yet I know I need to be careful.

The only places where it seems to make a difference is with JFs and things that require other precise timing, or very quick hit checking.

 

Nowadays with a good connection I feel you can judge a fighting game from playing online. As long as you understand that you will have to react much faster due to minor frame loss (only on good connection)

 

Be very careful what you say..

 

Well I guess I just speak for myself then. Under a good connection if I don't like the game online then I wont mysteriously like the game offline.

 

I think this makes sense.

 

^Wheres my number 2?

 

My reason for this is the simple fact that VF helps me fight better in other fighting games... My throw breaks are efficient in Tekken 6 because of VF... I fight cats and they try to throw and they're like "man you break almost all of my throws", and I tell them, "I play VF". My execution in Paul Phoneix's combos, or Feng Wei's oki, or Yoshi's MCF in SC4 is on point because of VF... Granted, the systems are different, but the fact that precision is important is the same.

I also find that in some games, I play with characters that put me in a turtling/baiting mindset (Gouki/Paul/Feng/Zasalamel/Hakumen/Mature/Face) and sometimes a pitbulling/mixup mindset (Ken/Lili/Yoshimitsu/Noel/Iori/Watson). When I play VF, it seems as if all of that is combined because its essential to be able to do all simultaneously... You have to know when to punish, what to poke with effectively, what tools do you have to mixup, etc... Many fighting games allow you to have one particular style, and you can win with that one style, although that particular character is capable of doing much more (I think of Samurai Shodown and how so many Andrew players would use the same Eagle Cross setup, and punish accordingly... No one would mixup or rushdown because they technically didn't need to... I don't feel VF allows the player to do just one particular style... Everything is up close and in your face, and you have to react correctly or catch an L...

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">* If you opponent is abusing a move that keeps defeating you how do you go about keeping a clear mind, staying focused to find the answer before calling foul, complaining or quitting?</div></div>
I don't really find myself seeing people abuse one move, unless its someone who dmpks out of desparation... Depending on the situation, I just evaluate myself and figure out what I can do to stop this certain move, or how can I evade it, or how can I punish it... If I lose, oh well... GGs... If its online, then I'm definitely not sweating it...

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">* Do you use Dojo mode or is all of your training solely based on Quest mode or Online play?</div></div>

It's a tie between online play and training... Just staying in training mode won't allow one to progress at all unless he/she attempts to do what was practiced elsewhere... Like a real dojo, people don't just stay in dojos training all day, there needs to be some type of application, whether its a tournament, or your getting robbed behind a 7-eleven at 2 in the morning...

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">* Do you prefer to mimic a style (say favorite Japanese player) or come up with your own unique one?</div></div>

I try my best not to become a Daigo clone, or a Chibita clone, because it doesn't really say anything about you as a person... It seems to groupie-ish for me anyway. If I fight, I want to be known as that Paul player who does frame traps either to force you to the wall, start a combo to the wall with a ff1+2, or just to get some space, or to throw you and oki from there... I want people to know that I'm that Jeffry player that can fight so well at any part of the stage, that you might wanna get thrown by him, because if you break it, you might knock yourself out of the ring, because thats one of the many options he was going for the whole time... I want to make sure the person I'm fighting truly doesn't know what I'm gonna do next, even after 20 fights later... Even if it seems like the same movements are being done, at any point and time that pattern can change, and that can be a dangerous thing for the opponent... I'm sure there are tons of people like that, but the simple fact that you stand out in a good way as that Paul player, or that Ken player or that Lau player that does this or does that, it shows that you're doing something right. Even if you lose, you still get props because you put on a good fight for the other person... And its not always about winning in the end, but when your fighting, you fight like its life or death, like its your only chance to shut down the Fuudos and Graham Wolfes and Ryan Harts and prove to yourself that you've got what it takes... But that's just how I see things... I'm very competitive in nature, but in the end its all fun...

 

My angle? I don't know... it's not like VF is rocket surgery.
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Lol, seriously, I'm in it for the thrill of the fight but also, I love figuring out my opponent.
I enjoy complicated puzzle games. Specially when they're engaging and exciting, like Ico.
When I play VF, I look at human opponents as evolving puzzles that, depending on their skill level, get easier or tougher. Sometimes the difficulty will change from match to match and sometimes it will change from round to round.
Really good players evolve in the middle of a round so that even if you're on the edge of winning, they can come back from the edge of defeat more often than not.

I'm not a masochist, but I love the challenge of a really tough puzzle. The more I lose, the more I want to play and figure out that tough, evolving puzzle.

 

I can sort of agree with that. In VF, I do look at opponents as puzzles to be solved. I'm never really satisfied until I've broken down a person enough to feel like I could beat him in a set of 5 on any given day. I basically take in patterns, analyze them, and give the output I feel has the greatest probability of putting me ahead over the course of the match. I refine that analysis for every match that I play, and when I'm satisfied, I usually don't play with the persons anymore for a while until they have the chance to get better.

In that sense, it's not really relevant to me that I don't exercise all the tools I could, although I recognize learning new things does make me better. But for me it's more fun to take on the challenge of winning with what I have, rather than expanding my repertoire. In this way, I guess I am the opposite of the typical VF player. I am aware this approach limits me, and is a big contributer to my less than spectacular defensive game. But I honestly do believe having a few tools you use well makes you a much better player than someone who has all the tools but no clue how to use them.

The interesting thing is, when people play me, my approach is often off-putting because it confuses those who try to win with solid moral play. At a fundamental level, we are just not playing the same game. They are trying to win by making the right choice, and I'm simply trying to shave off the margins enough to get ahead. When they lose believing they have done everything right, or even worse when we reach an ugly stalemate, they are not usually too happy. What's worse, because I don't play very moral at all, I never assume a move will be punished until someone starts doing it consistently. This creates a lot of frustration for those I play in laggy matches, because they know they are doing something that should work and I'm doing something that does work.

What I wish these people would notice more, is that my spottry defense really is the key to beating me. Once you find good ways to put my back against the wall, I can usually be shut down with a few well placed counter hits. Actually, part of the reason I play so offensively is that it keeps people from noticing this. Maybe if more people exploited this to beat me I'd become a better player.

 

RIIISE FROM YOUR GRAAAVE.

Sorry to resurrect a year-old thread but I had to quote this for truth and also cuz now more than ever I see just how good of a post it was/is.

 

Is above the explanation to an old recorded phenomenom (I noticed it since vf3) that some players play better after they have had few drinks

("play better the more relaxed you are")

 

I'm no expert and still need lots of training and practice, but I'll give my two cents anyway. I mainly play as Aoi.

Are there specific things you are looking for based on the character that he / she is playing?

I don't like playing against low-play characters like Lion and Eileen because Aoi's Tenchi doesn't catch them. Trick characters, generally, I have problems with because keeping up with them mentally is harder. Same goes for throw-based characters. But Brad, Jacky, Sarah and others are easier to deal with generally (depends on skill, of course).

Do you have a specific style that you use depending on whether or not your opponent is offensive or defensive?

I tend to do the opposite of whatever approach they take. So if their style is more offensive, then I tend to rely more on parrying, countering and watching their patterns. It's risky and usually ends up in a lost match, but it's more fun. But it's not to say that I don't use those tactics while playing offensively against more cautious players, but that I rely more on combos and being tricky.

How do you go about solving the problem to a new situation your opponent may put you in that you have never been in before?

If none of the current tactics work, it would then be a good time to try new ones, even if they end up failing spectacularly. Winning for me is nice, but having good style is better. The former doesn't necessarily follow from the later, unfortunately.

Are you looking for your opponent's habits or patterns?

Is this question a disjunct? If it is, what's the difference between habits and patterns? If not, then yes, I generally try to spot the opponent's patterns/habits to see if I can, with any luck and good timing, exploit them to my advantage. With good players this is very difficult, but with players who continually do the same move, it's quite easy.

If you opponent is abusing a move that keeps defeating you how do you go about keeping a clear mind, staying focused to find the answer before calling foul, complaining or quitting?

Good question. I don't! What happens usually is that I'll have his/her health down to a sliver, freak out and botch the potential win. To maintain focus and a clear mind are invaluable, but so is perseverance. You have to start from somewhere right?

If your opponent is always evading your attacks do you pay attention to something as simple as to which side of the screen they keep evading too and applying an answer to disrupt their flow?

No, and that's probably one reason why I keep losing. Haha. Evading, both dealing with and applying it myself still needs plenty of work.

Do you pay attention to whether or not your opponent likes to tech roll or stay grounded?

No, but I really should...

Is your opponent a fan of rising attacks or not?

Depends.

Do you use Dojo mode or is all of your training solely based on Quest mode or Online play?

I use Dojo to practice not only my character's moves, but also the others' because I think you need good knowledge of their movesets as well in order to play effectively, especially with things like escaping throws. I still need plenty of experience playing online (got the PS3 VF5).

Do you prefer to mimic a style (say favorite Japanese player) or come up with your own unique one?

I like watching matches on Youtube, particularly kingo's and those pages his links to. I also watched the matches with MalcomX and Kakurikon, which were spectacular and made me proud to play as Aoi. As for mimicking other players, I think I certainly draw from their experience, but I don't mimic them.

I tend to want to be flashy to a fault since I still have plenty to learn in order to be effective at winning matches. I tend to excel at reading the other player, but I don't yet have a good repertoire of moves and tactics nor the muscle memory to execute them properly. On that note, I think playing all those years as Xiaoyu and Xianghua have made me overly quick at execution, which ruins proper timing.

 

Playing as Jeffry certainly demands attention, where a match can be seized very quickly between an opening or a mistake. All in all, I enjoy a solid fight, especially when I have a challenging opponent which can expose holes. The saved matches really help focus time in the dojo so I can see what went wrong and how to fight against great tactics. While the AI is good for experimentation, it can never replace live opponents, standing shoulder to shoulder trading rounds.

The nature of VF has me exploring the character's moveset extensively as there's tactics for any situation. Feeling out the opponent and getting into favorable positions are the heart of the game. Even when on defense there's more going on that allows you to turn the tables. It's that essence that prevents me from abandoning the game.

 

I found myself in the intuition on the offense, but I try not to do so in an inappropriate situation. I recently tried defensive block intuition heavily in sessions than striking, but it doesn't suite me, because it created alot of unnecessary thinking and hesitation. If there is a pattern that I know can I could block it, then that is fortunate. The person's distance determines certain strategies formed.

 

My angle?

Shit my pants when the going gets tough.

 

My angle is to keep grinding till I win as a Sarah player for now but I'll always try new characters if it increases my chances of winning. However, I don't really worry about winning or losing until it's tourney time. Otherwise, I just play online and offline to put stuff I've been working on in the Dojo to use and see if it's a good idea or bad idea. Other things include:

1) Always make the toolbox larger: I want to know that at the start of each match, my opponent it not going to be able to do things that I can't do so I try to practice the crap out of universal things (i.e Fuzzy Guard, Throw Escapes, Failed DM ~ Crouch Dash Cancel, etc.)

2) Know all the properties of all my moves: I want to analyze every situation and see if there is a move that covers all of my opponents options? Do they DM and 2P a lot? Then I'll start using +. I always want to trim down the moves I have to use in a match to a bare minimum to cover as many options as possible regarding my opponent so I can allocate more mental resources to other things

3) Become an iron wall: Still working on it but going through the options of all the characters and making sure I know how to block everything. If I can frustrate my opponents because of defense, then I've won.

I figure if I can really master these things, the rest will follow