I need advice..

[Gabukin]

Hello guys, First off I'd like to apologize if I this was worthy of its own topic, I was just unsure where else to put this. also my post my seem a little random and everywhere but please bear with me.

Anyways. I Started played Project M back in September of last year, and I must admit I enjoy this mod far more then any other version of smash I've played. But.. I'm really awful at this game, which Is a shame to admit since smash brothers is my all time favorite game, you'd assume I was good at it. I just don't know how to improve at this game. I feel like I'm plateaued at my current skill level, which isn't very high. which is demoralizing because I feel like I'm never gonna get better at this game. Its sad because its a dream of mine to actually go to a high level smash brothers tournament and do well, but I can barley master the basics (like L-Canceling and Short hopping) so what hope do I have of actually accomplishing this dream of mine? I play as Ness and Lucas, but I feel like I shouldn't be playing them since they are highly demanding of tech skill. I constantly lose matches, usually get 2-3 stocked. Its rare that I'll get my opponent to 1 stock or even win a match. I'd like to mention that I don't mind losing but after Losing for so long, I'm beginning to get incredibly discouraged. Like I'll play a few rounds with someone, and at first i'm excited and I'm interested to see how well I do. but then I start losing more and more and ever match I get more and more demoralized to the point where I keep asking myself "why am I even playing this game..." and it'll literally get me incredibly depressed. and I'm not sure how to cope with this. As I said before I don't mind losing, Losing means you have room to improve from your mistakes, but Most of the time I'll get to the point where I'll will ask myself "What mistake did I make? What did I do wrong?" I feel like I don't have an answer to these questions which puts me down even more and eventually I get to that point where I give up and stop playing the game for a week sometimes more. I just don't know how to fix this issue I'm having. I really do wanna become a successful smash player but I'm just losing hope that that'll ever come true..

 

[Altanic]

Hello guys, First off I'd like to apologize if I this was worthy of its own topic, I was just unsure where else to put this. also my post my seem a little random and everywhere but please bear with me.

Anyways. I Started played Project M back in September of last year, and I must admit I enjoy this mod far more then any other version of smash I've played. But.. I'm really awful at this game, which Is a shame to admit since smash brothers is my all time favorite game, you'd assume I was good at it. I just don't know how to improve at this game. I feel like I'm plateaued at my current skill level, which isn't very high. which is demoralizing because I feel like I'm never gonna get better at this game. Its sad because its a dream of mine to actually go to a high level smash brothers tournament and do well, but I can barley master the basics (like L-Canceling and Short hopping) so what hope do I have of actually accomplishing this dream of mine? I play as Ness and Lucas, but I feel like I shouldn't be playing them since they are highly demanding of tech skill. I constantly lose matches, usually get 2-3 stocked. Its rare that I'll get my opponent to 1 stock or even win a match. I'd like to mention that I don't mind losing but after Losing for so long, I'm beginning to get incredibly discouraged. Like I'll play a few rounds with someone, and at first i'm excited and I'm interested to see how well I do. but then I start losing more and more and ever match I get more and more demoralized to the point where I keep asking myself "why am I even playing this game..." and it'll literally get me incredibly depressed. and I'm not sure how to cope with this. As I said before I don't mind losing, Losing means you have room to improve from your mistakes, but Most of the time I'll get to the point where I'll will ask myself "What mistake did I make? What did I do wrong?" I feel like I don't have an answer to these questions which puts me down even more and eventually I get to that point where I give up and stop playing the game for a week sometimes more. I just don't know how to fix this issue I'm having. I really do wanna become a successful smash player but I'm just losing hope that that'll ever come true..

You really just have to practice grinding out your tech skill. Tech isn't essential to win but it will help you follow up on your combos and move around the stage. Practice by yourself doing l-cancels, short hops, and wavedashes. Double jump canceling with Ness and Lucas is a useful technique to learn.
I'm not really sure what else to say other than just keep practicing. I play with some guys at my local college that are good and some of them are better than me, and it's hard to adjust since I haven't really developed my mind games yet, and that will take a while. I feel discouraged sometimes when I'll get like 3 or 4 stocked by them consistently. But just keep pushing on. Whenever it isn't my turn to play, I usually watch what the other guys do really intently, trying to break down their gameplay and how they play and what they do.
Don't feel discouraged though man. These boards are a great place to be to learn things about the game, maybe as you read stuff on here you'll learn things to help you improve. The Melee boards are good places to look for information about tactics (since PM is based on Melee) and other information about competitive play in general.
I hope your experience gets better for you in time.

 

[GeZ]

Just practice. You don't get consistent without putting in work. You don't get anything without putting in work. I started playing the game seriously a year and a half ago and I'm one of the top 5 players in my town just by being a lab monster.

Just put in work.
Thas it mane.

 

[Gabukin]

Just practice. You don't get consistent without putting in work. You don't get anything without putting in work. I started playing the game seriously a year and a half ago and I'm one of the top 5 players in my town just by being a lab monster.

Just put in work.
Thas it mane.

Well I'm unfortunately only able to play this game on Wifi, I don't really have a group of friends I can really play against. I use the site http://xat.com/dabessdi and there are a lot of pretty skilled players who use this site. Its hard for me to keep practicing though since I'm constantly getting discouraged when I lose like 15 matches in a row.

You really just have to practice grinding out your tech skill. Tech isn't essential to win but it will help you follow up on your combos and move around the stage. Practice by yourself doing l-cancels, short hops, and wavedashes. Double jump canceling with Ness and Lucas is a useful technique to learn.
I'm not really sure what else to say other than just keep practicing. I play with some guys at my local college that are good and some of them are better than me, and it's hard to adjust since I haven't really developed my mind games yet, and that will take a while. I feel discouraged sometimes when I'll get like 3 or 4 stocked by them consistently. But just keep pushing on. Whenever it isn't my turn to play, I usually watch what the other guys do really intently, trying to break down their gameplay and how they play and what they do.
Don't feel discouraged though man. These boards are a great place to be to learn things about the game, maybe as you read stuff on here you'll learn things to help you improve. The Melee boards are good places to look for information about tactics (since PM is based on Melee) and other information about competitive play in general.
I hope your experience gets better for you in time.

Well as I mentioned in my reply above to GeZ, I'm only able to play the game on wifi. I don't really have any friends who like playing smash competitvely they are the 10 stock all items on kinda of players. and I'm WAY to anxious to actually go out and go to tournaments and stuff. I feel like using training mode is a little useless since there is lag during online play and training mode cannot emulate that.

 

[Altanic]

Well as I mentioned in my reply above to GeZ, I'm only able to play the game on wifi. I don't really have any friends who like playing smash competitvely they are the 10 stock all items on kinda of players. and I'm WAY to anxious to actually go out and go to tournaments and stuff. I feel like using training mode is a little useless since there is lag during online play and training mode cannot emulate that.

Training mode isn't useless because you can still learn your tech skills and adjust to the lag. Playing competitively does push you to go out and play and meet people you've never met or played before. I mean I obviously can't force you to go out of your comfort zone, but you should because then maybe you'll make some friends that will play competitively with you, and you won't have to deal with lag online because that **** sucks.

 

[River Shoetailor]

Grind your techskills. It's a chore, it really is, but the payback is well worth it. Being able to consistently short-hop took me a while and at first, and I didn't know what to really do with it. But once I started to watch SRS BSNS players, putting that together with hastily aquired L-Cancelling skill changed my game COMPLETELY. Even if you can't do it yourself right off the bat, understanding the techniques your enemies can potentially use will certainly help.

Push hard, you're hopping into a community of players who have thrown anywhere from tens to thousands of hours playing with the intent of pushing forward.

Also watch Pinkfresh's games on youtube. He's an awesome Lucas player.

 

[GeZ]

I don't have any close friends in town who are serious about the game either. I had to go to the competitive community to get in those matches. You either want to get better and participate or you don't. What you do with that is up to you.

But really, just playing against computers and playing in training are fine for getting better. That's mostly what I did.

 

[proxibomb]

There isn't any magical way to become a pro player. Trust me, I've been in your shoes, I've had a mental block with Smash and it sucks. I just needed to play lots of people to understand my problems. Play with friends, play with CPUs, go to tournaments, practice in training mode. There are little things you could do to get better. Let's take short hopping for example, just flick the analog stick or quickly tap X/Y. If you can't short hop, practice doing so until you see results. If you can't short hop correctly, it means you have too much strength on your fingers.

It's about practicing, I can't say anything else really, good luck mate.

 

[Raijinken]

Not quite sure how good you are in general (or if you're just facing far better players, which happens), but if you're having trouble with things like L-canceling and short-hopping, I would recommend practicing against level 9 CPUs. Not optimal, of course, but they're decent for letting you practice consistently teching and learning the other basics before you face experienced human players. The best solution is to try to find other Smash players in the area, but as someone who lives out in the middle of nowhere, I understand that can be hard.

Of course, if it turns out you really have just hit your skill ceiling, that's nothing to be discouraged over. Enjoy the game for what it is, play as you can, and if you enjoy watching, watch some of the streams people run. Smash is great, but despite what Smashboards sometimes would have you think, most players aren't nearly pro, and it's okay to not be spectacular at the game.

 

[Y-L]

If you have a strong computer definitely start using Netplay as opposed to WiFi. The input lag drops to only 1-4 frames and you can play against different people all over the country without having to exchange friend codes or anything. There's more information in my siggy.

If you want to get better first practice your tech until you can do it consistently. Get your shffl's and wavedashes down in training mode until you can get them semi consistently. Then try to incorporate it into your game play even if it makes you play worse. Play lots and lots of different people with different play styles. You'll start picking up on what works and what doesn't on what characters and learn some fundamentals. If possible, record your matches and watch them back/post them in the character forums for feedback. You're at the most exciting part in your smash career, you'll soon get better rapidly.

 

[raymundoTheGod]

Hello guys, First off I'd like to apologize if I this was worthy of its own topic, I was just unsure where else to put this. also my post my seem a little random and everywhere but please bear with me.

Anyways. I Started played Project M back in September of last year, and I must admit I enjoy this mod far more then any other version of smash I've played. But.. I'm really awful at this game, which Is a shame to admit since smash brothers is my all time favorite game, you'd assume I was good at it. I just don't know how to improve at this game. I feel like I'm plateaued at my current skill level, which isn't very high. which is demoralizing because I feel like I'm never gonna get better at this game. Its sad because its a dream of mine to actually go to a high level smash brothers tournament and do well, but I can barley master the basics (like L-Canceling and Short hopping) so what hope do I have of actually accomplishing this dream of mine? I play as Ness and Lucas, but I feel like I shouldn't be playing them since they are highly demanding of tech skill. I constantly lose matches, usually get 2-3 stocked. Its rare that I'll get my opponent to 1 stock or even win a match. I'd like to mention that I don't mind losing but after Losing for so long, I'm beginning to get incredibly discouraged. Like I'll play a few rounds with someone, and at first i'm excited and I'm interested to see how well I do. but then I start losing more and more and ever match I get more and more demoralized to the point where I keep asking myself "why am I even playing this game..." and it'll literally get me incredibly depressed. and I'm not sure how to cope with this. As I said before I don't mind losing, Losing means you have room to improve from your mistakes, but Most of the time I'll get to the point where I'll will ask myself "What mistake did I make? What did I do wrong?" I feel like I don't have an answer to these questions which puts me down even more and eventually I get to that point where I give up and stop playing the game for a week sometimes more. I just don't know how to fix this issue I'm having. I really do wanna become a successful smash player but I'm just losing hope that that'll ever come true..

You have to open your mind and start practicing. I know sometimes advice might make you think, "Yeah right, it's not that easy", but you have to take everyone's advice and try to capitalize on it. My advice to you in sticking to one character and really learn the basics of your character and the game itself. Learn how to do general tech (like l-canceling, wavedashing, and such. You REALLY need to get these down, so don't cheat yourself) while learning combos of your character and his/her weaknesses and strengths. Then treat EVERY match as practice and training (unless money is on the line). You should not be focused on winning or losing, but learning the game and improving. Ask yourself what is working and what is not working. And I think the most important thing is to play often and visit this site often too, as you can learn an unlimited amount of knowledge.

A friend of mine wanted to enter the Smash scene because he saw how successful I became in eight short months playing against people who have been playing for years. His skill level is only limited to sometimes beating me, and anyone he has more experience than. He gets discouraged when playing me because I usually stomp him, and doesn't have the motivation to practice because he doesn't feel like he cannot reach that level. This was Old Matt. I taught him how to wavedash two weeks ago and although he knew how to do it, he couldn't do it in battle. Yesterday I sat him down and told him to not focus on winning, but learning. The next game, he magically picks up wavedashing during battle (because he was trying to learn and practice) and now he can do it. Now he's motivated to train and play other people. This is New Matt. Be New Matt. It really does just click like that. I'm sure it does for everyone. You just have to take the first step.

 

[FoxBlaze71]

I'm in pretty much the same boat, though I was a relatively decent Brawl player. Some of these have been mentioned, some not, but here are the main tips I would give a beginner.

-Get consistent with your tech skill.

-Watch your own replays, and see what you did wrong. Having others critique them helps a lot as well.

-Watch top players, and see how they play. How do they approach? How do they handle pressure? How do they play the neutral game? What moves do they get a lot of mileage out of, and why? Breaking down high-level play helps you improve your own game.

-Play whoever you can, scrub or pro. Wifi is great for exposing you to a lot of different players, matchups, and play styles. Don't just play people who **** you all day, play those who just hit buttons and those in-between. You need to learn how different people play and react in different situations.

-Just get comfortable playing the game. This is huge. If you can't comfortably do all of your moves and techs in the middle of a real match, you're going to have a difficult time.

Good luck.

 

[TheKmanOfSmash]

Hello guys, First off I'd like to apologize if I this was worthy of its own topic, I was just unsure where else to put this. also my post my seem a little random and everywhere but please bear with me.

Anyways. I Started played Project M back in September of last year, and I must admit I enjoy this mod far more then any other version of smash I've played. But.. I'm really awful at this game, which Is a shame to admit since smash brothers is my all time favorite game, you'd assume I was good at it. I just don't know how to improve at this game. I feel like I'm plateaued at my current skill level, which isn't very high. which is demoralizing because I feel like I'm never gonna get better at this game. Its sad because its a dream of mine to actually go to a high level smash brothers tournament and do well, but I can barley master the basics (like L-Canceling and Short hopping) so what hope do I have of actually accomplishing this dream of mine? I play as Ness and Lucas, but I feel like I shouldn't be playing them since they are highly demanding of tech skill. I constantly lose matches, usually get 2-3 stocked. Its rare that I'll get my opponent to 1 stock or even win a match. I'd like to mention that I don't mind losing but after Losing for so long, I'm beginning to get incredibly discouraged. Like I'll play a few rounds with someone, and at first i'm excited and I'm interested to see how well I do. but then I start losing more and more and ever match I get more and more demoralized to the point where I keep asking myself "why am I even playing this game..." and it'll literally get me incredibly depressed. and I'm not sure how to cope with this. As I said before I don't mind losing, Losing means you have room to improve from your mistakes, but Most of the time I'll get to the point where I'll will ask myself "What mistake did I make? What did I do wrong?" I feel like I don't have an answer to these questions which puts me down even more and eventually I get to that point where I give up and stop playing the game for a week sometimes more. I just don't know how to fix this issue I'm having. I really do wanna become a successful smash player but I'm just losing hope that that'll ever come true..

As someone who's played you a bunch on wi-fi, I thought your Ness was pretty solid until you went on that long hiatus from DabessDI for some time. Then when you came back for a bit, you definitely weren't as good as before. However, I believe that is to be expected. As others in this thread have said, you just have to keep playing the game. If you stop playing the game for a significant amount of time, you can't possibly expect to be at the same level or better than where you left off.

Also, something that helps tremendously is asking advice from the people who beat you. Everyone sees the game differently than you and they may have insight on things that you're not seeing or things that you may have never even thought of.

Reading things about fighting game philosophy and strategies also helps as well.

I understand that just having wi-fi sucks. I was pretty much in the same boat as you and I kind of still am. But I achieved my current skill level by doing exactly what everyone in this thread is saying and I did it all on wi-fi. Some people improve faster than others. Many people also hit walls that can be difficult to overcome. But the only way to get over those obstacles is to just keep playing and strive to improve.

 

[Purple Stuff]

Seriously, don't knock training mode. It might not seem like a lot of help, but all L-canceling and various other techs are about is just drilling them into muscle memory. And you can get a lot of this memorization done in training mode. The other half of the battle is getting use to using them in the heat of a match. Try anthrzy ladder if you want to play more competitive games: ladder.anthrzy.com

 

[Gabukin]

Another silly question and what should I be doing in training mode, is there a routine I should do that'll help me improve my tech skills. I keep fighting level 9 computers but It feels like it doesn't help. Its embarrassing to admit but I lost to a level 9 Squirtle and I'm sure most high level players would stomp the CPU badly and i'm over here trying my heart out just to win.
but even then I feel like I'm just doing stuff. like I'm just throwing out random attacks and grabs and hoping they hit.
I'm just now sure how exactly to train.

I do have a few match's on my youtube channel but its definitely not high level play.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_X6j9bMSQE&list=PLeoUFQ42PpsT3JtcYQxEo7KdaDN3go3Kj&index=1

 

[Bellioes]

Well you shouldnt be playing cpu's to win anyways. Practice combos and applying tech to your gameplay without really trying to win if you want to play cpu's. I would even suggest not playing lvl9 because of their inhuman reaction times. I just go body a lvl3 if I wanna get some combo down in a match-like situation. Throwing out random attacks will not help you even if you are able to win.

Also, the way you worded it in the op, it sounded like you had a lot of trouble with basic tech skill. But I took a look at your wifi matches on your channel and it seems pretty solid to me. Shffling, double jump cancelling, pivot grabs, dash dancing etc. you get the picture. I saw you actually applying it to your game which is a whole lot harder than just knowing how to do it. Give yourself a little more credit. You dont need to say your horrible because youre not pulling off Neon level Lucas tech. Just keep playing, dont get discouraged and dont take huge breaks that will just hold you back. You cant improve if you arent even playing. Keep playing and looking at what works/doesnt work to refine your own gameplay.

Recording and watching your own matches helped me a ton as well. If you play on wifi set, that means you can save replays so rewatch them and look for flaws.

 

[raymundoTheGod]

Another silly question and what should I be doing in training mode, is there a routine I should do that'll help me improve my tech skills. I keep fighting level 9 computers but It feels like it doesn't help. Its embarrassing to admit but I lost to a level 9 Squirtle and I'm sure most high level players would stomp the CPU badly and i'm over here trying my heart out just to win.
but even then I feel like I'm just doing stuff. like I'm just throwing out random attacks and grabs and hoping they hit.
I'm just now sure how exactly to train.

I do have a few match's on my youtube channel but its definitely not high level play.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_X6j9bMSQE&list=PLeoUFQ42PpsT3JtcYQxEo7KdaDN3go3Kj&index=1

Dude that's not bad at all! Just keep playing!

 

[Raijinken]

CPUs follow certain predictable strategies, but are also rather quick. I just play against them to keep my reaction speeds up, and to practice defensive play (since they, like most people I play with, are easiest to beat by luring them into a mistake). They're also better at actually trying to get out of things than, say, a L3, but all the same, they're not the best players. For lack of skilled players, though, I don't think they're a bad substitute.