Smash 3DS Beginner Questions

[rabbit.soaring]

So I downloaded the demo today, and spent a few hours on it, and I have a few questions about how to get better. My only previous experience with Smash was playing occasionally at a friends house, so I'm sorry if any of these questions seem stupid/obvious.

Performing Tilts - From what I've seen, tilts are more powerful A attacks that are executed by quickly jabbing the pad in a direction and pressing and holding A. I set a Mario CPU to level one and practiced this with Pikachu, but I only succeeded about 1/6 of the time, and I can't imagine how I'd be able to pull it off in an actual battle. Is there a better way to learn/perform tilts?

Approaching Enemies - When I want to close the distance between me and my opponent while on the ground, I have no idea what to do. Rolling behind the enemy sometimes works, but I usually end up just being knocked back, or having the (Level 9)CPU roll back as well and attack me from behind. Also, how should I defend? My knowledge of defending is limited to, "use your up A when they're above you".

 

[Texas Toast]

So there are two different type of stronger "A" attacks that are used in conjunction with the circle pad. What the community refers to as tilts are done by holding/moving the control pad in a direction before you press the A button. These will come out in quick succession and be stronger than the regular jabs, but not too strong.

Hitting the A button at the exact same time as moving the control pad in a direction will create what we refer to as a Smash attack. These can be charged up by holding the A button, and are much more powerful. These will be your primary killing moves at higher %'s because they launch the opponent further, but they are harder to land.


If you are playing as Mario and try to move the control pad forward while hitting A, his "tilt" will be a quick kicking move,

http://i.imgur.com/UxuFox3.jpg


and his "smash" will be a punch with a fiery effect.

http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20071206040822/ssb/images/3/35/Mariosmashattack.jpg

Being able to differentiate how you perform either one should be able to help, so just practice! (If you want to practice with the demo, go into the "group smash" option. Pick your character and a CPU, and then hit start. It will take you to a room with a sandbag and you can try things there all you'd like without being interrupted by a CPU. I can provide steps with pictures if necessary!)





As for how to approach/defend properly, I will allow someone else who is better at this game to explain it. These are major parts of the metagame and I do not have a comprehensive grasp on them to be dishing out advice It might help to watch how other players play, as boring as that sounds. There are thousands of smash videos on youtube among pro-level players. If you go to www.twitch.tv/zero there is a pro-player that streams his 3DS gameplay, but do not watch it if you do not want to be spoiled, as it is the full version of the game. If you are okay with that, then simply see how he acts in certain situations.


Also, welcome to Smashboards!

 

[Gameshow349]

Tilts should come to you the more you start to play on a higher level. Go to training mode when the game comes out to get a better grasp of the game.
As far as your approach it can differ highly on who you want to play. I would recommend going to the character discussion of who you are trying to play because they will be able to give you a more in depth answer.

 

[WoapGang]

From my experience as a newcomer to the smash series the best way to get the movement and feeling of tilts down is to play over and over. Eventually you'll have something reminiscent of a gentle fist when you play. Newcomers are always likely to mash and jam the stick every which way, but when you play just try to be calm. It'll come to you I promise.

 

[KaZe_DaRKWIND]

Play against level 8's. If you are new the level 9's are completely unfair. Also suggest watching the tutorial that the demo shows when you first start it or wait at the menu. Explains the basics. Here's a video of it.

 

[Mythra]

Welcome to the boards! Ok doing tilts its something tricky but after some practice it becomes natural but the key is moving the controls in a soft way, for example upper tilt is moving the pad up swiftly but not in tapping way (that will cause a jump) and press A immediately but not at the same time.

A personal tip is using the X button to jump instead of moving up with the pad, that is helpful to prevent confusions and leaves the pad open for aerial moves to use.

Approaching: well that's a very situational thing because the character diferences, projectiles etc. but sometimes is just moving foward and charging towards the enemy with a dash attack with a finger ready on the R button to roll or shield attacks.
You should start with Lv. 1 CPUs in 1vs1 matches in Omega Form to practice tilting and when you can spam it with no problem go to Lv. 3 and experiment approaches using dash attacks and rolls, and when you can attack your opponent safely jump to Lv. 5 to have more situational matches and start developing strategies while polishing your aerial moves, keep playing in that level until you can KO your opponent twice with no problem go to Lv. 6 and so on until Lv. 8. Hope this helps

 

[elliotnz]

To someone starting out I'd recommend just to have fun. Soon You'll find your play style. Later you can refine

Going against level 9s probably isn't the best to start because you'll start to do cheap tactics that a human will very quickly adapt to. Its good your practicing shield rolls, also practice aerials, grabs and down attacks too

Also short hops are great for offensive moves. This is where you brush the jump button so you jump half the height so you can attack quicker.

 

[Wintropy]

While I can't offer you any in-depth or tactical advice, what I will say is, practice with other players. The more you learn how to play against other folk and compete with each-other to get better, the more you'll learn to mutually improve. Just keep on keeping on and you'll get the hang of it before long. Don't be afraid to lose, either, as it's all a part of the gradual process of improving. ;3

 

[rabbit.soaring]

Thanks everyone. My tilts have gotten a bit more consistent, and I'll check out the Zelda discussion when the full game comes out in NA. Just one more question. Assuming I have an average strength shield, how much should I rely on it, and when should I use it? Right now all it is is a way for me to roll around.

 

[UnsuspectingVillager]

Always play above your level. You will get better. It's how I got to be able to destroy lvl 9's.

 

[ParanoidDrone]

Thanks everyone. My tilts have gotten a bit more consistent, and I'll check out the Zelda discussion when the full game comes out in NA. Just one more question. Assuming I have an average strength shield, how much should I rely on it, and when should I use it? Right now all it is is a way for me to roll around.

Everyone's shield is the same strength, as far as I know.

First thing you should be aware of when shielding is that if you let it break, it will shatter and leave you stunned for quite a long time, enough for your opponent to do basically anything they like. A shield shrinks by absorbing attacks, but it also shrinks over time if you simply hold it. Some attacks are particularly powerful against shields, such as Marth's neutral special, appropriately called "Shield Breaker." Bowser's down special is also known for obliterating shields in this game. Shields recharge over time when not being used.

It is possible to "shield poke" someone by precisely aiming at a part of your body that's not physically covered by the shield. This can be difficult due to how the hitboxes are shaped, but it's possible. To guard against this, you can gently press the control stick in a direction to slightly shift the shield, but this is a fairly advanced level of defense that you don't need to worry about yet.

Yoshi's shield is unique in that it is an egg instead of the translucent sphere everyone else has. It does not shrink and always covers his body completely. As a visual indicator, it gets discolored as it weakens.

Link and Toon Link have literal shields that they hold in front of them while standing still, which are capable of completely nullifying most if not all projectiles. Their idle animations sometimes move their shields to the side, so you need to be alert, but it's a thing to keep in mind. (They also have the standard "press R" type of shield, don't worry.)

...that was a lot of information to take in all at once, wasn't it? Sorry.

To directly address your question, a fun property of shields is that you can press A while shielding to perform a grab. This is colloquially known as a "shield grab" and is a pretty good defensive technique since you can shield an attack and grab them out of the ending lag. The value of this depends on your character's grab and throw game, and how much you get pushed back from blocking the hit, but it's a viable option at all levels of play.

 

[Orngeblu]

Learning Smash is a bit weird, it's not something you can really teach, I don't think. It's something the player has to learn themselves by playing. I can tell you many different tactics, but there's just too many to count, and it'd be a lot to take in. However, if you do learn a new tactic, whether it be from another player, or just your game theory, experiment with it and try to figure out what it's good for, when and when not to use it, etc. (Practice with specific characters moves for instance, and apply this)

I think one of the most basic mechanics you should learn, though, is spacing, which is a very important mechanic for Smash Bros. This is done by "spacing" your attacks close to the end of it's range to avoid getting hit the enemies own attack, or even a shield grab.

To improve, you really just have to play. I suggest playing with other players once you have a good grasp of the controls. It's good because you will learn how other players play in general, and how to play against that, and what tactics they use, which you may pick up on and use yourself!

Watching other players is also a key point to improving. Watching and analyzing high level play is a great way to improve. It's a good way to learn how Smash is played in general (much like playing with human players), and pick up on high level techniques to apply to your gameplay.

It's usually the basis for any game, just play, and you'll improve, however you may eventually hit a plateau, or, your skill cap, and then it requires more effort to improve.

There are other techniques such as Pivot Grab, Pivot Tilt, B-Reversal, and etc (not sure if I'm missing any) that you could brush up on in the future when you get the hang of things, too.

 

[elliotnz]

Thanks everyone. My tilts have gotten a bit more consistent, and I'll check out the Zelda discussion when the full game comes out in NA. Just one more question. Assuming I have an average strength shield, how much should I rely on it, and when should I use it? Right now all it is is a way for me to roll around.

that's a tough one to answer. I think if you do the following it will help.

Practise shield grabs, this is where you hold down shield and then press the A button. The advantage is the oppenents normal moves cant hurt you while in shield but you can grab them. This is safer option when youre not wanting to get hit e.g your at a high percentage. Most of the time you'll have to roll into the right position before doing a shield grab.

Also mix it up with right trigger grabs. The advantage of this is theres only one button to press (slightly faster)

Try doing at least 2 each of these against low level opponent while fighting. And repeat.

I think this will help you balance offense and defense.

 

[Orngeblu]

Now that I think about it, Shields are very good for approaching. You can run up, and shield to block any incoming attacks, or even projectiles, then you can follow up with another dash after the shield, if you want or need to get closer.

I don't think you need to worry about your shield breaking or maybe that's just because of how I play, that my shield doesn't break, ever. I personally don't think it should break unless you're holding it waaaaay too long, or get hit by a shield breaking attack like Marths Neutral Special.

Grabbing is also key as it lets you send your opponent wherever you want (good for sending people off stage if grabbed somewhere near the edge), and most of the times are really good for set-ups or even combo's. (Look at Mario Down Throw --> Up Tilt combo as an example of a combo) It depends on what character you're playing in which these things vary. You will gain game knowledge with experience, and the only way to gain experience is by playing.

I think that's really all the advice I have now, I hope this helps. c:

Practise shield grabs, this is where you hold down shield and then press the A button. The advantage is the oppenents normal moves cant hurt you while in shield but you can grab them. This is safer option when youre not wanting to get hit e.g your at a high percentage. Most of the time you'll have to roll into the right position before doing a shield grab.

Also mix it up with right trigger grabs. The advantage of this is theres only one button to press (slightly faster

This is kind of what I do, Shield grab for punishing on-shield hits (if they're close enough), or run-up grabs. And I use the default grab button for pivot grabs (easier to perform this way), and turn-around grabs, if I'm close to them, but facing the opposite way.