How are you learning the game?

[Durango]

A) Beat Story mode.
B) Pick a character.
C) Learn one style's main combos.
D) Briefly experiment with the other two.
E) Play through Traditional Towers and get a feel of how they move in battle while practicing their combos.
F) Start playing them online.

Rinse and repeat.

 

[John Grizzly]

A) Beat Story mode.
B) Pick a character.
C) Learn one style's main combos.
D) Briefly experiment with the other two.
E) Play through Traditional Towers and get a feel of how they move in battle while practicing their combos.
F) Start playing them online.

Rinse and repeat.

G) Get fucking pissed because nothing you just learned fucking works online

 

[Scott The Scot]

I went to the lab picked D'vorah didn't like how she felt, picked Cassie fell in love, made combos, played casuals, went to lab with a bunch of characters to figure out how to fight em', played casuals.

 

[Scott The Scot]

G) Get fucking pissed because nothing you just learned fucking works online

H) Look at the Achievement/Tropht list and get even more pissed because you HAVE to play online :/

 

[Chaosphere]

1. Figured out combos off of all of my starters, meterless, with 1 bar, midscreen, and corner.

2. Watch good players to see what they're doing.

3. Training mode to learn what is unsafe about whatever character I want to learn how to fight against.

4. Training mode training mode training mode.

5. Play against people. Get blown up? Go back to step 2 and repeat the cycle.

 

[Johnny San]

I actually play through a character's tower and learn their specials and normals there. That way I get an immediate feel as to how they'd play in an actual fight.

 

[SZSR]

1) Play Story Mode
2) Get all the skins
3) Get pissed that you can't get all the skins without online

 

[Ugodimak]

1) Play the game hours upon hours each day, completely neglecting food, water and social interaction.
2) Realize that next week is finals and you haven't done shit since the game came out and you're extremely behind
3) Limit your playing time so that you can get your shit done, and at the same time check TYM to stay hip on new tech, info, complaining and shit threads
4) Get through the week so you can get back on the grind
5) Repeat step 1

 

[bdizzle2700]

A) Beat Story mode.
B) Pick a character.
C) Learn one style's main combos.
D) Briefly experiment with the other two.
E) Play through Traditional Towers and get a feel of how they move in battle while practicing their combos.
F) Start playing them online.

Rinse and repeat.

Pretty much the same but with no towers.

 

[Odoyle]

Here's pretty much how it went down for me

Release just played hella offline casuals not knowing how to do much of anything
Story Mode/Lab
More offline casuals
Finish story mode
Lab
Lab
Lab
Lab
Offline casuals
Lab
Lab
BLT local
Lab
Online
Lab
Offline casuals/helping other people learn the game
and now I'm in the lab lol

I've never spent so much time in the lab but I know it'll pay off lol

 

[Wingman]

- Training mode to learn moves/specials.
- Play Tower, get basic feel for character.
- Training mode. String together combos.
- Grind training mode.
- Play casuals and online.
- Grind training mode.
- Play casuals and online.
- Grind training mode.
- etc.

 

[villainous monk]

Lab
Lab
Lab
Story mode
Towers
Towers
Towers
Towers
Offline
Rest. Reset. Check. Lab.
Online
Lab
Lab
Lab

And MORE Lab. I LIVE in Pratice mode.

 

[Jack Slate]

1. Training mode.
2. Go Online
3. Get blown up by Online Scorpion.
4. Pick New Character.
5. Training Mode.

 

[Tokiwartoothxdk]

Shitposting the forums

 

[Hitoshura]

D4

 

[Voodoo]

I went to the lab picked D'vorah didn't like how she felt, picked Cassie fell in love, made combos, played casuals, went to lab with a bunch of characters to figure out how to fight em', played casuals.

Yeah it sucks. There's no local scene in my area so i'm usually just playing online and I'ved reached a point were I feel like I can't get better until I play someone in person. The lag is just so hard to overcome.

 

[Voodoo]

Shitposting the forums

This is the most important step, imo.

 

[Runninonwater]

Just went straight into the lab with Kotal Kahn. I then started to dabble with Sub Zero and Kung Jin since it felt like Kotal Kahn can't fight evenly against some characters.

I haven't touched Story or any other content yet. I've played online, training mode and some towers to get certain costumes.

 

[MK_GDROM]

Experiment in Practice mode
Test on AI Dummy
Try Online
Check my fighters thread
Check what combos people find and post my own that I find
Get bodied?
Go to lab, practice what beat me
Go back online
Back to TYM on character threads
Ask for Help
Practice in Lab again
Go Online

The best thing I ever did was turning off all three options on controller preset. Input Shortcuts feel inconsistent and IMO will form bad habits.

 

[ZeZe]

I'm passing what I have left of free time at work reading TYM. At home I get tired and immediately fall asleep dreaming about Subs inputs in training room (no kidding). Then I find out my problems with keyboard inputs when I take P2 position are not only my own, so I'm practicing combos left and right, left and right until I get a right feel about them. Next step will be fighting mirror matches with AI. Net code for me sucks too bad. With keyboard input problems it's even more frustrating.

 

[RexxyC]

I'm going to beat online now, but I just go into practice and read tips from people in their character forums; it helps a ton. I'm just fast at learning I suppose.

 

[RM Jonnitti]

1. pick a character and variation
2. analyze the ranges and properties of your normals/strings
3. see what your special moves do
4. check the pushback/frames on all your moves to see what you can do on block/hit
   1. general rule of thumb is you can push buttons at up to -2 or -3 if you are reading a slow move, but in most cases you woud want to block
   2. if you want to create distance, a lot of d4s give a lot of pushback with advantage, this gives you a free opportunity to get around 3/4 screen away by doing d4 backdash, i do this with shinnok
5. create a combo off of a jab starter, a low starter, a far reaching normal, njp and air to air punches.
   1. Make sure you know where your opponent is after the combo (full screen, up close, midscreen)
   2. Don't worry about maximizing damage just yet, landing the hit and playing neutral is much more important, what's the point of having huge ass combos if you can't hit people?
6. create okizeme options, find options for when you want to create distance
7. check out your other 2 variations and go through steps 2-4 on the variation specific moves and make new combos (some will stay the same)
8. take what you have learned to whatever place you go to for matchup experience (whether it is offline or online)
9. find what you lost to, record AI to do it and figure it out
   1. make sure you test literally every option, even the ones that aren't obvious, this is the hardest part

one thing i want to stress, dont spend too much time making combos, just find something that does respectable damage and work on your neutral. IMO maximizing damage, although it is very important is not nearly as important as playing strong neutral and working on that will give you the most success.

 

[DevilMaySpy]

1. Read the Cassie combo thread by @Pan1cMode
2. Take the most optimal combos and tweak them so they're easy for me to do at least 8/10 times.
3. Play long sets with my casual friends.
4. Finish story mode.
5. Play online and win with unsafe gimmicks.
6. Take note of said gimmicks and watch tournaments to see how top players react to them.
7. Follow every top player who uses Cassie and take useful elements from all of their games.
8. Dabble with the rest of the cast to see what strings/specials are unsafe so I don't get hit with gimmicks and provide correct commentary.
9. Improve my neutral game with this newly learned information.
10. Use less gimmicks and more solid play.

 

[Vjeekes]

1 run 10 miles
2 try out basic combo's on your friends/collegues
3 try out fatality on your pet
4 run 10 miles
5 buy the game

 

[Scott The Scot]

Yeah it sucks. There's no local scene in my area so i'm usually just playing online and I'ved reached a point were I feel like I can't get better until I play someone in person. The lag is just so hard to overcome.

I don't have a scene. Well, my only "scene" is me and Youphemism going to each others house.