Q&A Game Play Advice and General Discussion

[Mangoh862]

Any practice, tips. or matchup help will be greatly appreciated. And I'm always up for playing some friendlies on smash 3ds (don't have wiiU, hope to get one soon)

 

[capfalcon159]

On the age thing. IIRC M2K was around 12 or 13 when he first got into competitive Smash and is now considered one of the best players in the world. There's also a play in my region known as MegaFox who I believe is around the age of 15 and is one of our best Brawl/Smash 4 players. There's also a Project M player in Dallas called Lunchables who is considered one of the best players in his region. Starting at a younger age is generally better, I think, as it allows you to learn more at a faster rate. Most of the people you'll meet for competitive Smash IRL will be mostly nice and willing to help you get better and not care about your age.

....

Also. I get the chance to play Smash 4 U today for the first time, thankfully will be getting the game tomorrow. But I was having a hard time finding a character(s) I liked playing, I also don't like playing characters I main/sub in other games (64 is Fox, Melee is Sheik, Brawl is Olimar main Marth sub, and Project M is Toon Link main Mario sub) so they're out of the equation. I seem to have a tendency to favor character with, at the very least, decent mobility, a projectile or disjoint of some kind, or both even, and I seem to have a preference for shorter characters but it isn; a huge deal on this last thing. However most characters I try there is something I dislike that makes me go ehhhhhhhh, maybe not. Like Robin fits the bill for disjoint and projectiles but sheesh that mobility. Or Palutena, which is a character who I want to like and at first glance she seems to fit the bill decently well but there is something making me go eh maybe not. Or Villager, who is another character I want to like as I love his Specials and Fair/Bair but I find his other moves awkward as hell to use. Diddy and Pikachu also seem as if they fit the bill but something about them also makes go eh maybe not. I just seem to be having one hell of a time finding, at least, a few character I want to play around with on the quest to find a main and sub.

Once you get the game you will have no trouble finding a character. Trying it out at GameStop is just different. Once you play any character for longer than 2 matches, it will be clear if you like them or not. Worst comes to worst, just play a character that you used in melee or brawl. Yes yes, its different, but the movesets are the same. I'm just happy that I can play as falcon again after they completely nerfed him in brawl.

Yeah I want to focus "bloggish"/personal advice to this thread, or at least a central thread for them. Not only does it give people a reference to look for similar questions being answered (search for it or just read through it), centralises a place for smart/helpful people to answer (subbed threads and stuff) it also keeps the board itself uncluttered for other discussions.

I'll be merging new threads into here as they come, but people are fine to highlight a question they had go "missing" in one if it didn't get caught.
If traffic/activity for such stuff is too high for everyone to have a good conversation or give helpful advice at all, then we'll try split it up further with another system.

I've heard from many people that playing CPU's develops bad habits. But how much does this matter? Sometimes when I dont have any friends around, and no internet connection, I play the level 9 CPU alot. I know its not great, but does it help at all? Or does it just make Terrible habits? It must help a little bit, right???

 

[mimgrim]

Holy crap, that quadruple post, the 2 of the quadruple post ar the same post which means it must of glitched for you. There is a little thing called an edit button on your post that you can use. You can also multi-quote people by hitting the quote for the different posts you want to reply to in a single post. Staff frowns on double posting and crap.

Once you get the game you will have no trouble finding a character. Trying it out at GameStop is just different. Once you play any character for longer than 2 matches, it will be clear if you like them or not. Worst comes to worst, just play a character that you used in melee or brawl. Yes yes, its different, but the movesets are the same. I'm just happy that I can play as falcon again after they completely nerfed him in brawl.

I got to play more then just 2 matches lol. I didn't play it at Gamestop. Played it at a Smashfest with other Smashers. I've also had 3DS version since releases but haven't played it since the release of 1.0.4 due to lack of WiFi to update. So I've messed around With characters quite a bit. It is never easy for me to find a main in sub. But it is proving especially difficult with this game to even find a handful of characters to just mess around with until I find a main and sub.

I've heard from many people that playing CPU's develops bad habits. But how much does this matter? Sometimes when I dont have any friends around, and no internet connection, I play the level 9 CPU alot. I know its not great, but does it help at all? Or does it just make Terrible habits? It must help a little bit, right???

Don't play against CPUs. If you want to practice by yourself go to Training mod and just practice movement, combos, and ATs. If you want to use the compute as a test dummy the best way to do that is to set it to level 9 and just attempt to survive for as long as possible without attack back, this kind of training can help with getting your movement better.

 

[capfalcon159]

Holy crap, that quadruple post, the 2 of the quadruple post ar the same post which means it must of glitched for you. There is a little thing called an edit button on your post that you can use. You can also multi-quote people by hitting the quote for the different posts you want to reply to in a single post. Staff frowns on double posting and crap.



I got to play more then just 2 matches lol. I didn't play it at Gamestop. Played it at a Smashfest with other Smashers. I've also had 3DS version since releases but haven't played it since the release of 1.0.4 due to lack of WiFi to update. So I've messed around With characters quite a bit. It is never easy for me to find a main in sub. But it is proving especially difficult with this game to even find a handful of characters to just mess around with until I find a main and sub.



Don't play against CPUs. If you want to practice by yourself go to Training mod and just practice movement, combos, and ATs. If you want to use the compute as a test dummy the best way to do that is to set it to level 9 and just attempt to survive for as long as possible without attack back, this kind of training can help with getting your movement better.

Oh cool. Thanks for the help! (Sorry about the multiple posts, I'm using the mobile version, and it's a bit wonky)

Have you e

Any practice, tips. or matchup help will be greatly appreciated. And I'm always up for playing some friendlies on smash 3ds (don't have wiiU, hope to get one soon)

Have you ever been to a tournament?

 

[Ultimastrike]

Every time I lose, I seem to feel like I'm getting worse and worse than I'm getting better. Even the wins don't seem to matter for me now. Am I depressed? Or am I just doing something stupid enough that lamenting on both wins and losses is bad?

 

[M15t3R E]

Every time I lose, I seem to feel like I'm getting worse and worse than I'm getting better. Even the wins don't seem to matter for me now. Am I depressed? Or am I just doing something stupid enough that lamenting on both wins and losses is bad?

Losing is fine because you can learn from a loss better than a win. Learn from your mistakes. Record the replays and figure out where you went wrong and how to do better and you'll get there.

 

[ep1c_marf]

so i hate getting camped by villager and olimar, who do you guys think is the most anti camp character? as in who can get in and deal with it the easiest?

 

[Jigglymaster]

Fox and Shiek easily come to mind. Both of them have anti camping projectiles (lasers and needles respectively) and they're incredibly fast and strong in general.

 

[rabbit.soaring]

Learning to deal with it would probably be a better option. There's a thread for questions like these. So what character do you use? Knowing what one's character can do is pretty important.

But if you're really intent on switching characters to deal with projectiles, Rosalina is completely immune to every form of long range projectile camping, except for Din's Fire, ironically. The worst projectile in the game bypasses the best projectile defense in the game . Rosalina also kind of murders Villager and Olimar, so there's that too.

 

[GdspdUblkprzdnt]

Every time I lose, I seem to feel like I'm getting worse and worse than I'm getting better. Even the wins don't seem to matter for me now. Am I depressed? Or am I just doing something stupid enough that lamenting on both wins and losses is bad?

Depressed? It's just a game, man. Don't let losing get to you. Every time you lose you're getting better whether you notice it or not. You might be lacking in the meta-cognitive department and your assessment of your learning process is stunted. In any case it's just a game. It's supposed to be fun not bum you out. Take it easy, you might need to just take a breather,

 

[V_x_I_D]

I've always been told that "Good players don't roll" and I believe it, I've seen vids of high skilled players and they rarely roll.

My question is:

If I'm not rolling to keep myself spaced/safe/etc. What SHOULD I be doing?

 

[HeroMystic]

I've always been told that "Good players don't roll" and I believe it, I've seen vids of high skilled players and they rarely roll.

My question is:

If I'm not rolling to keep myself spaced/safe/etc. What SHOULD I be doing?

Using your spacing tools such as projectiles to keep yourself safe, and not commiting fully with attacks until you get hit confirm.

 

[V_x_I_D]

Using your spacing tools such as projectiles to keep yourself safe, and not commiting fully with attacks until you get hit confirm.

Thank you, should I be using SH, Dash dancing, Perfect pivots, and stuff to play mindgames to bait an opponent into being open to punishment?

 

[CoolBoyCorporate]

I've always been told that "Good players don't roll" and I believe it, I've seen vids of high skilled players and they rarely roll.

My question is:

If I'm not rolling to keep myself spaced/safe/etc. What SHOULD I be doing?

Yea, most of the time when you see a player doing a roll, its to end up directly behind the opponent after a bait. Dodging in the same position is another tool many players don't use due to the level of risk. But I assure you it's something that will be used more effectively.

 

[HeroMystic]

Thank you, should I be using SH, Dash dancing, Perfect pivots, and stuff to play mindgames to bait an opponent into being open to punishment?

Dash Dancing has limited use, otherwise yes. 80% of this game is essentially fishing for opportunities to attack. Some characters have it easier than others, of course.

 

[WorstSSBPlayerInTheWorld]

what's better against projectile spam; perfect shield or spot dodge (I main Ganon so those are my only options lol)

thx

 

[rabbit.soaring]

Spot dodging takes a pretty long time, so perfect shielding. Ganon's vanilla wizkick can I actually clank with a lot of projectiles.

 

[SilverRiolu295]

I'm relatively new to the series. My first game was brawl and I recently got smash u. I only fought my little brother and I mainly used lucario, so when I tried out For Glory mode, well, my win count is 6 to 46. I need help. I see these people moving so fast and pulling off combos and I just can't do the same. I really want to get good at this and maybe even get good enough to put up a fight in a tournament. Please help me out. I don't even know where to start

 

[Darklink401]

1. Go to training mode and try out your character. Explore him for a while, to see what works and what doesn't. What strings together, how fast he can follow up, or retreat, etc.

2. Practice, practice, practice.

3. Watch videos of pros playing. If they play your main, that's a +

4. Browse around for tips, tricks, etc regarding your character that you can adapt to your playstyle, such as Lucario being able to wavebounce aura sphere.

 

[stancosmos]

I'm relatively new to the series. My first game was brawl and I recently got smash u. I only fought my little brother and I mainly used lucario, so when I tried out For Glory mode, well, my win count is 6 to 46. I need help. I see these people moving so fast and pulling off combos and I just can't do the same. I really want to get good at this and maybe even get good enough to put up a fight in a tournament. Please help me out. I don't even know where to start

Have you tried sucking less?

But in all seriousness, just practice. Decide on a main, any character you feel you're a little better with. Then check out his page in the character discussion forum. Theyll have some guides for you. What I did was look up guides and try to replicate every techique and combo exactly how it was done in the game. Master your character. From there it's a matter of learning to read what opponents are going to do. Develope an eye for predictable behaviour. Practice your timing with rolls and dodges. What I did was play with a friend, rayguns only. This taught me to properly time my dodges. Even if down the road you decide to pick a new main, you can always use your old main as a secondary.

 

[Spak]

Practice wavedashing/wavelanding, JC grabs, instant arials, SHFFLing, multishinging, pivot grabs, waveshining, pillaring, dashdancing...

Oh wait, I'm in the wrong section...

At the moment, basically all you can do now is practice against your friends. If your friends aren't available, practice alone.

 

[CURRY]

Practice wavedashing/wavelanding, JC grabs, instant arials, SHFFLing, multishinging, pivot grabs, waveshining, pillaring, dashdancing...

Oh wait, I'm in the wrong section...

At the moment, basically all you can do now is practice against your friends. If your friends aren't available, practice alone.

Ehh... Keep in mind that his friends also may not be as experienced as the people in For Glory.
My advice is just explore your character forum.
You'll know your best options, what your mindset should be, etc. etc.
It's also really nice to watch videos of your character on YouTube.

 

[Spak]

Ehh... Keep in mind that his friends also may not be as experienced as the people in For Glory.
My advice is just explore your character forum.
You'll know your best options, what your mindset should be, etc. etc.
It's also really nice to watch videos of your character on YouTube.

Yeah, I guess you're right. I'm just fortunate enough to have really good friends.

 

[ChemicalExperiment]

I have the same problem as him, but for another reason. I know my character. I've looked at all their tips here on Smashboards. On YouTube. I know my character inside and out. I've practiced. I've been playing For Glory whenever I can since I got the game on launch day. And yet, I still keep doing badly.
My problem is that I simply can't react fast enough. No matter how hard I try, I can't process the information on screen and imput the correct controls in time. Usually I just end up dodging and shielding everything, all out attacking, or doing a combination of the two. None of it has anything to do with the attacks the other players use, because when I try, I just end up making it worse. I can never react to my enemy at all. I'm always too late. Is there anything I can do to help this? Because I'm at the end of my rope here. I'm questioning just giving up on Smash.

 

[Darklink401]

I have the same problem as him, but for another reason. I know my character. I've looked at all their tips here on Smashboards. On YouTube. I know my character inside and out. I've practiced. I've been playing For Glory whenever I can since I got the game on launch day. And yet, I still keep doing badly.
My problem is that I simply can't react fast enough. No matter how hard I try, I can't process the information on screen and imput the correct controls in time. Usually I just end up dodging and shielding everything, all out attacking, or doing a combination of the two. None of it has anything to do with the attacks the other players use, because when I try, I just end up making it worse. I can never react to my enemy at all. I'm always too late. Is there anything I can do to help this? Because I'm at the end of my rope here. I'm questioning just giving up on Smash.

What character do you use?

Honestly everyone has a different playstyle, but if you're struggling to react, the only trick I'd say, is to keep practicing enough so that instead of reacting, you can predict and act based on that.

 

[ChemicalExperiment]

What character do you use?

Honestly everyone has a different playstyle, but if you're struggling to react, the only trick I'd say, is to keep practicing enough so that instead of reacting, you can predict and act based on that.

But there are so many options that people use! Whenever I try to predict something, they always do something else. And I don't really want to say my character because then you'll give me specific tips. I have the feeling that my problem lies in something more general.

 

[Darklink401]

Well we can play sometime if you want, so I can see what the so called 'problem' is, since I'm decent.

Would that be good?~

 

[ChemicalExperiment]

Well we can play sometime if you want, so I can see what the so called 'problem' is, since I'm decent.

Would that be good?~

That would be great! My ID is scienceboy. (Don't ask)

 

[Darklink401]

Alright, I'll add you. What day are you free?

 

[ChemicalExperiment]

Alright, I'll add you. What day are you free?

I'll be free for tomorrow at pretty much any time. I've got winter break.

 

[Darklink401]

What about tomorrow night after 10 PM eastern?

 

[ChemicalExperiment]

What about tomorrow night after 10 PM eastern?

If that's all you can do then sure. But I may want to do it a bit earlier. Would 9 be fine?

 

[Brango]

An advise once said by a brilliant smasher: "Don't get hit"

 

[lolreconlol]

Hi all,

I haven't really been involved with tournaments in a while, and now I'm confused with 'Smash 4'. When tournaments are advertised for Smash 4, or WiiU - can they be played with the 3DS, or do you have to use a different controller? It seems all tournament pages just mention Smash 4. Hope someone can clear all this up. Thanks!

 

[Thinkaman]

Hi all,

I haven't really been involved with tournaments in a while, and now I'm confused with 'Smash 4'. When tournaments are advertised for Smash 4, or WiiU - can they be played with the 3DS, or do you have to use a different controller? It seems all tournament pages just mention Smash 4. Hope someone can clear all this up. Thanks!

Typically players are allowed to use any controller they want. However, Gamecube controllers are widely regarded as optimal, due to their speed and the absence of possible wireless interference of any kind.

It's also kind of a pain to pair controllers wirelessly in a tourney setting, and many tourneys require strict procedures regarding this, to prevent accidental pausing of other games.

 

[Mrawesome48]

This is a serious question. Whenever i play online i cannot hit anyone in the air because everyone keeps air dodging. I dont understand how everyone else is able to have thier air attacks connect when the opponent air dodges but i can land anything

 

[M15t3R E]

Are you examining how players counter an air dodge? You wait it out and attack once the invincibility frames are over.

 

[Ranias]

Read the air dodge and follow up with an attack as soon as the air dodge finishes. Or you can keep an active hitbox in the direction your opponent is falling so it would hit whether or not your opponent airdodges.

 

[ChronoPenguin]

There is input lag online, depending on connection you may struggle. You want to see the air dodge and then throw out a quick aerial than catch them in the vulnerable moments as the air dodge ends (or a new one begins). If you do not have fast options or the lag is hampering your ability to do so you need to make a prediction. Note that this is fairly 50/50, either you read it correctly and get a hit or you do not and miss. I assume you can guess when your opponent is going to air-dodge your attack based on how frequently they've done it before. If they have a pattern then you have essentially conditioned them to air-dodge in prediction to your attack. Hold your attack back for a small delay and then throw it out.

Additionally landing isn't "free". Even fast-falling (without doing anything) has a moment of vulnerability upon landing (impractical to focus this window). Air dodging into the ground makes you vulnerable for about a third of a second. Attacks into the ground basically have a 6th of a second or more where they are vulnerable, otherwise they AC and have normal landing lag. If the attacks going to come down with that AC lag it means they activated it fairly early in the air so that it's animation was about to end typically anyways or they activated it really close to the ground (to the point the attack hitbox doesnt actually come out) which technically is still vulnerability

Basically because landing always has a delay before you can shield/roll, even if you can't follow up in the air, you can attempt to "trap" the landing giving you another area where you can try to land your offense.

Some atttacks "linger" for awhile so even if the opponent dodges they may still get hit by your attack. A common example is Jigglypuffs N-air, a lot of N-airs linger (for example Link, Kirby, Luigi, Mario) and of course multi hit moves like Sheiks U-air, Pikachus B-air or Mii Swordfighters D-air. As a clearer example, Pits N-air is a multi-hit move meaning it stays out for awhile. As a sword the hitbox is unrelated to his hurtbox so it's fairly safe, If someone attempts to air-dodge using N-air can be more effective then F-air/B-air or D-air because N-air while "linger" and hit them afterwards, with such a large hitbox it's difficulty to traverse through in time during the invulnerability frames of an air dodge to avoid getting hit.

 

[Meek Moths]

if you cant figure out how to attack airborne opponents then you shouldn't even try