To "I suck at smash and it isn't fun any more in For Glory"

[imnotdannyboy]

Problem here is that you thought your meaning was 100% right instead of actually stopping and thinking before pressing the 'Post reply' button. You can continue to blame me due to my 'inability to articulate my thoughts' when its you just plain not reading properly and well making assumptions.

:/ so far two people didn't understand exactly what you meant, and there's likely more. It's great that you can beat those strats, and all of us (in this thread in particular) can probably take a lesson from your fighting game skills, but maybe understand that it wasn't 100% clear that you weren't complaining about losses!

 

[BBC7]

I usually don't get cheesed out by attacks unless the day just wasn't my day in general. Also, good ZSS players are nightmares. They juggle you like it's their job and they go really deep when it comes to gimping. I play Mega Man, and Mega Man's combo and juggle abilities are really under-average. His spacing is good though and it creates lovely mindgames that breaks down opponents who aren't necessarily thinkers.

 

[warionumbah2]

Oh the irony in this post. I'm not even gracing this with a real reply.

>Acts condescending on a forum about a video game

>Feels as if he must state how one cannot have a 'graceful' reply

>Joined a month ago with almost same amount as posts as me

I'm done, have a nice day this is way to funny.

 

[iVoltage]

Ah yes, these two. Toon Link is especially problematic because of his mobility and Link is still bad. To be honest the stage-format is partly to blame for my struggles with these characters; it's much easier to move around projectiles when you have platforms to hop onto and drop down from. Also helps to make your approach less predictable and let's face it, the Links get a lot of time to react to your advance. When all I have is a long, flat stage, all I can seem to do is dash-shield or pick Jigglypuff/Kirby and play the weave game.

I see you main Charizard. I played a Toon Link player in tourney today as Charizard (and one match of our set was on Final Destination). I have no idea if this will help (or if I even know how to play as Charizard at all lol) but I'll share my minor experience with the matchup. I found that jabs helped a lot because of their speed. Dash attacks are good at catching him when you invade his space and he tries run away to regain control. Flare Blitz is alright, if you use it sparingly but still often enough it's pretty easy to incite fear into the TLink player's head. Then start mixing up with punishes with dash grabs, aerials and the like to make him think you're not a mindless Flare Blitz spammer and eventually you'll find opportunities where he has no idea it's coming. Flamethrower is a decent way to hit him after jumping over an arrow/bomb/whatever.

All that said, your main complaint was the lag and that can't be helped. Hell I agree with you. Campers are much harder to deal with when you can't input stuff precisely. RIP everyone who doesn't camp + spam.

It's genuinely depressing that this is 100% true for me.

I know how to play against campers just fine, but when they lag tp above you and smack you with a dair its really hard to stop that. Made worse when your shield has input lag. Local or playing somebody that isn't playing with a rotten potato incognito as their router, I can handle these guys if I play right.

 

[RascalTheCharizard]

I know how to play against campers just fine, but when they lag tp above you and smack you with a dair its really hard to stop that. Made worse when your shield has input lag. Local or playing somebody that isn't playing with a rotten potato incognito as their router, I can handle these guys if I play right.

Fair enough. The shielding is a problem I have too. Especially against Sheik. I'll try to dash -> shield but because of the lag I get hit with her stupid Needles before I am actually able to shield, even if I already knew when the Sheik player would throw them. So frustrating :/

 

[viewtifulduck82]

Any time you are in hitstun you can't use your counter move. ZSS can true combo little mac from dthrow until a percentage such that she can finish you off with the up b, connecting on that as a true combo as well. You clearly haven't been playing good ones.

Would you consider yourself a good one..?

 

[SoujiroElric]

Here's the deal with the bad habit CPU thing. The problem with fighting against a CPU is that it's hard to learn how to tech chase and juggle properly because their DI/Vectoring and recovery isn't strategic or humanlike, making it far easier to do than against a human.

Did that make sense? Like, can you follow along and know exactly where the issues in the CPU lie vs a player? If not, you really can't develop bad habits, because you don't know what the bad habits pertain to.

These are basic mechanics of advanced play, but if you're not in the advanced stage yet then you shouldn't be trying to develop these skills.

EVERYONE started by playing against bots to at least some degree. The bad habits aren't crippling, and they won't even develop until you understand where they lie. It's fine to play against bots. Just don't get too used to all of the followups you can do. You'll be relearning those when you play against real players. For now, just get a grasp of the game's movements and controls, then get comfortable with online play.

...Huh? I... couldn't follow along your explanation. I guess it's okay to play against the CPU then, given that I still don't understand the problem. I should, idk, keep playing Smash mode until I get a better grasp of the controls and movements. Thank you, that's more relaxing.

I've found that saving replays of painful losses and analyzing them later (DON'T MASH A AFTER A SALTY LOSS!) helps a lot. Most of my frustrations with this game is lag screwing up my punishes, but watching replays helps my neutral game and helps me keep in mind what situations the lag can make things risky.

That's a good tip, too. I'll make sure to follow it, thank you!

 

[BBC7]

...Huh? I... couldn't follow along your explanation. I guess it's okay to play against the CPU then, given that I still don't understand the problem. I should, idk, keep playing Smash mode until I get a better grasp of the controls and movements. Thank you, that's more relaxing.


That's a good tip, too. I'll make sure to follow it, thank you!

The problem is the bare fact that CPU's are not humans. You can't just enter a fight against a human expecting pure utility to grant you the win, you need to think about what you need to do. Such is not possible against CPU's because they prevent mindgames by literally reading you and countering everything you throw at them. Humans can easily have better skills than a Level 9 and still get hit by things that a Level 9 CPU would shield.

 

[Funkermonster]

I have a 72% win rate so far and I have to say it sorta kinda feels good and bad at the same time.

Good because it seems to me that I am currently at least remotely competent at competitive play since I can beat the lower skilled casuals. It actually feels sorta good to beat someone less skilled than I am, because it reminds me that I am at least better than he/she was.

Bad because FD and Omega forms are the only stages allowed, which aren't even the most neutral stages and it's not gonna help me in other stages like Battlefield and Prism Tower, polarizes a lot of matchups without any platforms. When I do come across someone who actually knows what he's doing, I usually get stomped and then start wondering if I really am decently competent, or I feel embarassed when losing to a strategy that normally wouldn't work on other people and it makes us both look bad (such as not catching Mega Man's Metal Blades or giving back his Crash Bomber). I can do pretty well on For Glory, but not so much in Local Tournaments and 3DS Friend Code sharing.

On a side note, it can also be slightly bad for my health. When me and my opponent are both our last stocks and we're both close to beating each other, I feel my heart starts to beat a bit faster and my fingers feel a little jittery, and I think it messes with my physical execution. To try and calm myself, I consume bottles of energy drinks like Powerade or Gatorade, but Idon't think its doing the trick at all, and someone told me it might actually be making the jitters worse. I dunno how to keep a cool head when the stakes are high in a game, the adrenaline just really gets to me somehow and I seek a way to put a halt to it. Happens on any Fighting Game I play online, not just Smash.

 

[SoujiroElric]

The problem is the bare fact that CPU's are not humans. You can't just enter a fight against a human expecting pure utility to grant you the win, you need to think about what you need to do. Such is not possible against CPU's because they prevent mindgames by literally reading you and countering everything you throw at them. Humans can easily have better skills than a Level 9 and still get hit by things that a Level 9 CPU would shield.

Then how do I practice? For Glory's level is just too high for me (less than 15% win ratio? really?) and I can't rely on other people because they're not always available (or I'm not always available). But CPU makes bad habits and won't really help. I don't understand...

 

[Conda]

To try and calm myself, I consume bottles of energy drinks like Powerade or Gatorade

I'm not sure who gave you that advice, but that is not a good idea. Those drinks rehydrate you, but you don't get dehydrated playing a game - you get stressed out. You need a relaxant, not a stimulant. When you have too much energy, time moves quicker and you can't focus on specific things as well in a fighting game as they happen too fast. Happens when your heart beats really fast too - you get impulsive and go auto-pilot.

 

[Hitzel]

That's a good tip, too. I'll make sure to follow it, thank you!

No problem. It took me a while to get out of the habit of mashing A to exit the post-match screen though, because once you lave that screen you can never save the replay.

Then how do I practice? For Glory's level is just too high for me (less than 15% win ratio? really?) and I can't rely on other people because they're not always available (or I'm not always available). But CPU makes bad habits and won't really help. I don't understand...

You can practice in other modes too. I've been playing For Fun FFA's and just messing around to learn new characters.

Generally, just keep doing what you've learned is the best thing to do and don't worry about losing. This doesn't mean to just do the same few things over and over again, but don't purposely attack in ways that you've learned to be mistakes. Watching replays of yourself helps you learn what those mistakes are.

 

[san.]

I have more fun in training mode / CPUs than final destination all day. My win rate is just fine as well.

FD is fun sometimes but it gets old really quickly.

 

[BBC7]

I usually get stomped and then start wondering if I really am decently competent, or I feel embarassed when losing to a strategy that normally wouldn't work on other people and it makes us both look bad (such as not catching Mega Man's Metal Blades or giving back his Crash Bomber).

I wouldn't consider those two reasons as strategies that don't work. Catching the Metal Blade isn't even the best option you have against it because you lose ability to use any other Normals until you throw it. The throw will easily be seeked out by the opposing Mega Man since they know an item throw is inevitable if you need your Normals.

If a Mega Man lands a Crash Bomb, that means they want you to come towards them so that they can mess with your head if you don't re-attach it. Crash Bomb is really good at locking up options and it's harder to reattach than you may think, since diving head-in usually doesn't work and rolling to attach it is predictable.

Then how do I practice? For Glory's level is just too high for me (less than 15% win ratio? really?) and I can't rely on other people because they're not always available (or I'm not always available). But CPU makes bad habits and won't really help. I don't understand...

I used to play Level 1 CPU's for training. I'm at a 73% right now online so I'm assuming it works. You'll face people way more skilled than a Level 1, no doubt. Level 1's, however, don't have great shielding skills. I usually use them for technique practicing. There are two types of practice you need, one of which can only be granted by experience with humans, for the most part.

1. Technique (can be practiced against CPU's and will help against humans ex. juggling(to an extent), pivoting, perfect shielding, AT, tech, gimping and so forth)
2. Mindgames (cannot be practiced against CPU's)

 

[SoujiroElric]

You can practice in other modes too. I've been playing For Fun FFA's and just messing around to learn new characters.

Generally, just keep doing what you've learned is the best thing to do and don't worry about losing. This doesn't mean to just do the same few things over and over again, but don't purposely attack in ways that you've learned to be mistakes. Watching replays of yourself helps you learn what those mistakes are.

Oh I tried For Fun, I believe I got first in a battle, second in another, and progressively got worse until I got disheartened and just quit. But watching replays is a way I hadn't considered at all, which I should do. Thank you!

I used to play Level 1 CPU's for training. I'm at a 73% right now online so I'm assuming it works. You'll face people way more skilled than a Level 1, no doubt. Level 1's, however, don't have great shielding skills. I usually use them for technique practicing. There are two types of practice you need, one of which can only be granted by experience with humans, for the most part.

1. Technique (can be practiced against CPU's and will help against humans ex. juggling(to an extent), pivoting, perfect shielding, AT, tech, gimping and so forth)
2. Mindgames (cannot be practiced against CPU's)

What kind of techniques should I practice? I don't know where to look for that either, sorry I'm asking...

 

[SphericalCrusher]

I have not played a lot of For Glory due to lag issues. I'll play a couple matches and do well and then I start lagging a ton and I can tell the other player is not. It's not my connection and I have the same issue at other locations. Hoping this is all worked out soon.

 

[imnotdannyboy]

Then how do I practice? For Glory's level is just too high for me (less than 15% win ratio? really?) and I can't rely on other people because they're not always available (or I'm not always available). But CPU makes bad habits and won't really help. I don't understand...

What he's saying (I believe) is basically what I said. Playing against bots will eventually develop bad habits of advanced fundamentals. Don't worry about those yet. Just have fun.

 

[imnotdannyboy]

I used to play Level 1 CPU's for training. I'm at a 73% right now online so I'm assuming it works. You'll face people way more skilled than a Level 1, no doubt. Level 1's, however, don't have great shielding skills. I usually use them for technique practicing. There are two types of practice you need, one of which can only be granted by experience with humans, for the most part.

1. Technique (can be practiced against CPU's and will help against humans ex. juggling(to an extent), pivoting, perfect shielding, AT, tech, gimping and so forth)
2. Mindgames (cannot be practiced against CPU's)

You really can't practice gimping or juggling against AI. They move really predictably and don't recover low. It's very easy to gimp a CPU, but gimping against a human can be very difficult.

 

[BBC7]

You really can't practice gimping or juggling against AI. They move really predictably and don't recover low. It's very easy to gimp a CPU, but gimping against a human can be very difficult.

It will still give you a basic idea of what it is and which attacks are capable of performing these strategies. It won't teach you much else though, that I can agree with.

 

[LIQUID12A]

My sole complaint about For Glory.

I'm enjoying myself otherwise.

 

[Funkermonster]

I've found that saving replays of painful losses and analyzing them later (DON'T MASH A AFTER A SALTY LOSS!) helps a lot. Most of my frustrations with this game is lag screwing up my punishes, but watching replays helps my neutral game and helps me keep in mind what situations the lag can make things risky.

If only I could upload my own replays to the internet so I could have someone better than me to look at it... I'm not the greatest at examining my own weaknesses, or at least not finding what I could've done instead. Plus, I've ran out of space for replays anyway. If there'es a way to upload replays without a need for a $300 capture card, anyone could lay it on me..

 

[Neanderthal]

Oh boy. I registered in this forum exactly to ask for advice on SSB3DS (so nice to meet you all).

Let's see... My win ratio is below 15% and my top was around 20%, so I guess I can say I do suck badly at Smash, especially For Glory. I was suggested to play using aerial combat (which I didn't do because I tend to get my controls wrong) and my most recent losses were exactly because of that - I don't time my recovery correctly and I lose the life. Moreover I tend to get overwhelmed by other fighters who tend to act and attack faster (and my character, Lucina, isn't exactly slow). And I'm pretty sure it's not just a bad day, I can't even win against the CPU at high levels (Classic Mode's Master/Crazy Hand is impossible at level 6, and I tried to beat All-Star Mode with Lucina at Normal and I lose).

It's really frustrating to lose this much. I tried to learn how to do short hops so I could do aerial attacks at low heights, and when I manage to pull it off I don't even nibble my opponent. I tried to do aerial combat only to fall off the stage. I tried to learn I shouldn't do smash attacks all the time and... well it did improve my tech, but that's about it.

Help?

Most people go through this stage at the beginning.
It's nothing wrong with you, it's just lack of practise.

Just play at least an hour a day for a month. Focusing on improving things like your recovery, hitting aerial attacks consistently, jumping around and dashing lots.

Eventually you'll feel more in control of your character as your brain forms the neural pathways to do it naturally without thinking.

Don't focus on winning or losing yet. Just practise till you feel in control of your characters movements and actions. You can even do this while watching TV or something. Your mind will still be getting used to it as you play more.

At this stage it doesn't matter if you play against humans or CPU. But just do CPU for now since there's no lag and you can adjust their level as you feel comfortable.
(Better to be computers at least similar to your level though. Otherwise you'll get used to not being pressured)
Or mix it up.

 

[zozo]

If only I could upload my own replays to the internet so I could have someone better than me to look at it... I'm not the greatest at examining my own weaknesses, or at least not finding what I could've done instead. Plus, I've ran out of space for replays anyway. If there'es a way to upload replays without a need for a $300 capture card, anyone could lay it on me..

Record it with your phone, import to your computer, then upload it to youtube.

 

[Funkermonster]

Great Idea, I'll see if I can do it with my Mom's Phone.

 

[Neanderthal]

How do you save replays?

 

[Neanderthal]

But watching replays is a way I hadn't considered at all, which I should do. Thank you!

Don't bother watching. It will do nothing for your technique which is your problem right now.
BBC7's advice was much better. It's all about practising technique till it comes naturally.
Even if it's basic technique now like hitting aerials, short hopping, recovering, following up attacks with other attacks.. Etc...
As you get better, try new things things like jumping off the stage and hitting them while they recover, dash grabbing etc.

Also, focus on one character.
And try find a guide or advice from people on which attacks to learn to use alot with that character.


And like I said, if you're struggling for motivation to practise... You can even just practise while watching tv or something. As long as you keep focused on practising good technique.

 

[Naibr]

As a new player to Smash Bros. In battle, I feel like I can't DO ANYTHING. I just I get read every match, even by players that are obviously new as well. It's like everybody knows what i'm going to do from the start to end. Every move I take, they just move out of the way, and they control the entire match. I think I just have the inability to predict. Also so much lag, yet it feels like they don't even feel it. It's very frustrating to play this game online. I know the whole "oh you just need experience" speech, but why can people who are as new as I am beat me every match? Even when I play locally with friends. They're is also literally no way to approach the rival without getting handled with.
I'm sorry if I am just whining, I do this when i'm frustrated. Also to add however, I can almost always beat the lvl 9 bots with every character. It's as though when I play with people, I lost 100% of the skill I gained, even if i'm confident in a match. I have even recorded many replays, yet I really don't see what i'm doing wrong, other than lag issues.


tldr; im trash and I don't know why, even when I know what i'm doing, and I know the controls well. I'm getting bodied every match.

 

[imnotdannyboy]

As a new player to Smash Bros. In battle, I feel like I can't DO ANYTHING. I just I get read every match, even by players that are obviously new as well. It's like everybody knows what i'm going to do from the start to end. Every move I take, they just move out of the way, and they control the entire match. I think I just have the inability to predict. Also so much lag, yet it feels like they don't even feel it. It's very frustrating to play this game online. I know the whole "oh you just need experience" speech, but why can people who are as new as I am beat me every match? Even when I play locally with friends. They're is also literally no way to approach the rival without getting handled with.
I'm sorry if I am just whining, I do this when i'm frustrated. Also to add however, I can almost always beat the lvl 9 bots with every character. It's as though when I play with people, I lost 100% of the skill I gained, even if i'm confident in a match. I have even recorded many replays, yet I really don't see what i'm doing wrong, other than lag issues.


tldr; im trash and I don't know why, even when I know what i'm doing, and I know the controls well. I'm getting bodied every match.

Sounds like you aren't picking safe options. This is just a guess, maybe you need to work on reactions and predictions. These are things that new players might be on different footing for, and you might not yet be up to par in this regard.

But more likely you might not be picking safe options, putting yourself in risk of counterattacks. Then when your opponents punish you, it feels like they can predict your every move. Sorry if this sounds accusatory, but this is actually really common, even in higher level play. Hell, I just lost 4 or 5 games against a Dedede as Shulk simply due to not knowing my asfe approaches and getting punished hard because of it. He didn't predict a thing, I just played straight into him.

If you can upload a video, I can do my best to help..

 

[Dr. James Rustles]

This is the first game a lot of people have tried to play competitively and they don't realize they're not the only ones trying to get better at the game.

I say let them cry it out. It's basically a life experience. In time they'll find out that no one cares to hear their self-pity.

 

[Captain Norris]

I kno this is slightly off topic, but does anyone else get real lag issues when up agaisnt a ganondorf? I have never had a smooth connection against a ganondorf.

 

[Naibr]

Sounds like you aren't picking safe options. This is just a guess, maybe you need to work on reactions and predictions. These are things that new players might be on different footing for, and you might not yet be up to par in this regard.

But more likely you might not be picking safe options, putting yourself in risk of counterattacks. Then when your opponents punish you, it feels like they can predict your every move. Sorry if this sounds accusatory, but this is actually really common, even in higher level play. Hell, I just lost 4 or 5 games against a Dedede as Shulk simply due to not knowing my asfe approaches and getting punished hard because of it. He didn't predict a thing, I just played straight into him.

If you can upload a video, I can do my best to help..

Yeah, I guess you have a point. I'm very bad at predicting, at every game I am really. I just don't know how to. I can't get a video yet, since I lack the ability to do so since my phone is broken. But I guess I look up some stuff about prediction. Thanks for the advice!

 

[Deleted member 268018]

My win rate fell to 30%. I felt horrible. I felt angry. And then I realized it was a game. I took a break. I calmed myself. I lost some more, but then something happened. I learned. It's impossible to learn when you do the same mistakes over and over again, and that's going to happen when you let the game get into your head. Now my win rate is above 50%. But just remember. If you get frustrated, walk away. Take a break. Breathe. It's just a game. You're going to lose. Even the best players have bad days. Sometimes there's one guy who just can read you like a book. It happens. Just relax, and learn from your losses. I've matured as a player as a result, and so will you. I promise.

 

[TTYK]

Oh boy. I registered in this forum exactly to ask for advice on SSB3DS (so nice to meet you all).

Let's see... My win ratio is below 15% and my top was around 20%, so I guess I can say I do suck badly at Smash, especially For Glory. I was suggested to play using aerial combat (which I didn't do because I tend to get my controls wrong) and my most recent losses were exactly because of that - I don't time my recovery correctly and I lose the life. Moreover I tend to get overwhelmed by other fighters who tend to act and attack faster (and my character, Lucina, isn't exactly slow). And I'm pretty sure it's not just a bad day, I can't even win against the CPU at high levels (Classic Mode's Master/Crazy Hand is impossible at level 6, and I tried to beat All-Star Mode with Lucina at Normal and I lose).

It's really frustrating to lose this much. I tried to learn how to do short hops so I could do aerial attacks at low heights, and when I manage to pull it off I don't even nibble my opponent. I tried to do aerial combat only to fall off the stage. I tried to learn I shouldn't do smash attacks all the time and... well it did improve my tech, but that's about it.

Help?

Everybody is trying to throw stuff like spacing and edge-guarding and short hopping your way into your learning. But honestly just start by beating level 5 cpu's and then level 6 cpu's, e.t.c. This will make your reactions lightning quick. Man, it is such a great feeling knowing that you can dodge anything with such quick reactions. I got to that level last month believe it or not, and I only had brawl and a wii remote + nunchuk. Once you reach that sweet spot where you are competent with level 9 cpu's (not beating them every game, like 50-50) , THEN you can start worrying about short hops and edgeguarding and spacing. That's were I am at right now. You can add my fc if you want :D

 

[Deleted member 268018]

And a few general tips:

1.
Don't just blindly charge into battle. Your dash attack will be predicted, and punished. I'm SO guilty for this a lot of the time, but blind attacking is a surefire way to lose.

2.
It's a lot easier to be a pest and slowly rack up damage than to KO someone. So when you're constantly getting hammered and you can't get that KO move on that fool, it can suck. Try to find patterns in his movement so you can catch that little bumsack off guard.

3.
Sometimes, your character might just suck. Even if you're good. Prediction goes a long way, but in even matches of skill, the character may put you at a huge disadvantage. For example, Charizard can't just march up to Duck Hunt. (but really, it's hard period to get to a good Duck Hunt player)

4.
Mind games, mind games, mind games. Get into your opponent's head. Remember those times you get frustrated? Your opponent is as human as you are. They can feel what you can feel. Knowing this, use this to your advantage. Make it impossible to get hit. Dodge around. Sooner or later, your opponent will get greedy and thrust himself into your hands to smash you. Punish him for it. The more desperate, the easier it is to win.

5.
If you focus on winning and percentage and damage and tiny little things, you're going to lose because you have no plan. Get a game plan set up. Figure out in your head how you're going to beat the enemy. Think about what you would do if you were the opponent. Brawl is a game of Chess.

6.
Be unpredictable. Don't always roll. People who always roll can be punished with predicted attacks and down and up smashes that hit both sides. Don't always sidestep. They too can be punished. And don't always shield. You can get grabbed and comboed. Basically, what I'm trying to say is don't always use one move. Mix it up.

7.
Have fun. Don't beat yourself up when you lose. Learn.

Just some thoughts.

 

[SoujiroElric]

What he's saying (I believe) is basically what I said. Playing against bots will eventually develop bad habits of advanced fundamentals. Don't worry about those yet. Just have fun.

I've been doing that for the past hour or so. Apparently I can't beat lvl 9 CPUs consistently and it seems I tend to get off-screen most of the time when I try, mostly because of bad spacing with the edge.

Most people go through this stage at the beginning.
It's nothing wrong with you, it's just lack of practise.

Just play at least an hour a day for a month. Focusing on improving things like your recovery, hitting aerial attacks consistently, jumping around and dashing lots.

Eventually you'll feel more in control of your character as your brain forms the neural pathways to do it naturally without thinking.

Don't focus on winning or losing yet. Just practise till you feel in control of your characters movements and actions. You can even do this while watching TV or something. Your mind will still be getting used to it as you play more.

At this stage it doesn't matter if you play against humans or CPU. But just do CPU for now since there's no lag and you can adjust their level as you feel comfortable.
(Better to be computers at least similar to your level though. Otherwise you'll get used to not being pressured)
Or mix it up.

Thank you, I'm doing right that. My only question is, what kind of techniques should I practice? Right now I have short hopping and aerial attacks, edge-guarding, not smashing everything on sight, ukemi (press R before landing on the stage to avoid lag), shield grabbing... that's about it.

Everybody is trying to throw stuff like spacing and edge-guarding and short hopping your way into your learning. But honestly just start by beating level 5 cpu's and then level 6 cpu's, e.t.c. This will make your reactions lightning quick. Man, it is such a great feeling knowing that you can dodge anything with such quick reactions. I got to that level last month believe it or not, and I only had brawl and a wii remote + nunchuk. Once you reach that sweet spot where you are competent with level 9 cpu's (not beating them every game, like 50-50) , THEN you can start worrying about short hops and edgeguarding and spacing. That's were I am at right now. You can add my fc if you want :D

Then I'm about in time to worry about that. Add me!

 

[Conda]

I've posted this in the thread about approaches. I'll post it here too:

Honestly, as a new player, you'll notice an immediate increase in success if you stop seeing approaching as 'attacking', and start seeing approaching as 'staying in control'.

You won't be too good at starting crazy combo/string chains, so keep it simple at first and master the basics. And I mean MASTER them. The basics are the most useful set of skills to master. Let me explain.


I've been trying different characters, finding my main. Per usual for me and Smash Bros. And while each character may have a good fair shorthop approach, or dair approach, or dash attack approach, or whatever - they all have the ability to be patient, dodge the enemy, and land a grab or jab combo. THAT is the bread and butter of Smash 4, especially for players new to competitive smash.

A lot of us aren't at SSB64/Melee/P:M level where doing a great attack approach out of nowhere can actually lead somewhere for us, combo-wise. Sure, you may land that fair or ftilt, but then what? Do you know the options your enemy will have, and do you know the optimal way to follow up? And that's if you even land your attack - you may not. And what happens then? Likely, you start rolling around, or jumping, or spot dodging, or sending out random smashes because you hope the enemy makes a mistake.


Take it slow and boil your character down to its rock-paper-scissors essence when you're trying to learn and improve at Smash in general -- shield, grab, and/or punish. Do one of those.


Rolling is good, but you'd be surprised at how fine blocking attacks with your shield and attacking/grabbing out of it can be. Just make sure your enemy's hitbox is done.
If they grab after their attack, then you didn't punish them fast enough. You'll learn the optimal timings for un-shielding from enemy attacks, especially the multi-hit ones which are the trickier ones to un-shield from.

Rolling feels good, but it often doesn't accomplish too much when you are at the beginner stage of learning Competitive Smash. Don't get me wrong - use it for mobility and such, but stay focused when you're boxing in close range. Shield, figure out when their hitbox ends, and land a grab or jab combo.

Once you're better, you'll figure out the approaches that are nifty, safe, and lead to follow ups. Otherwise, a simple shield-jab combo will do the same damage as a non-combo fair or bair approach. Stick to the bread and butter, and move up to the fancy dishes when you're ready. Don't jump ahead yet, because you'll overwhelm yourself or get frustrated.

Keep it simple at first, basically, is what my advice is for new players.
Moving around too much and trying to look like the pros will overwhelm you and make you fumble, and also make you take your eyes off of your foe (oh yeah - look at the enemy fighter instead of your own).
Just focus on punishing and utilizing your current limited set of skills, and the rest will come in time. You'll move on to greater things, but not before you master the simpler basics.

 

[Hitzel]

How do you save replays?

At the post match screen, press AAY. Press A 3 times and the replay is gone forever so be careful.

If there'es a way to upload replays without a need for a $300 capture card, anyone could lay it on me..

Yeah, a cell phone and some small cardboard boxes or something to keep it in place over your 3DS lol

 

[SoujiroElric]

And a few general tips:

1.
Don't just blindly charge into battle. Your dash attack will be predicted, and punished. I'm SO guilty for this a lot of the time, but blind attacking is a surefire way to lose.

2.
It's a lot easier to be a pest and slowly rack up damage than to KO someone. So when you're constantly getting hammered and you can't get that KO move on that fool, it can suck. Try to find patterns in his movement so you can catch that little bumsack off guard.

3.
Sometimes, your character might just suck. Even if you're good. Prediction goes a long way, but in even matches of skill, the character may put you at a huge disadvantage. For example, Charizard can't just march up to Duck Hunt. (but really, it's hard period to get to a good Duck Hunt player)

4.
Mind games, mind games, mind games. Get into your opponent's head. Remember those times you get frustrated? Your opponent is as human as you are. They can feel what you can feel. Knowing this, use this to your advantage. Make it impossible to get hit. Dodge around. Sooner or later, your opponent will get greedy and thrust himself into your hands to smash you. Punish him for it. The more desperate, the easier it is to win.

5.
If you focus on winning and percentage and damage and tiny little things, you're going to lose because you have no plan. Get a game plan set up. Figure out in your head how you're going to beat the enemy. Think about what you would do if you were the opponent. Brawl is a game of Chess.

6.
Be unpredictable. Don't always roll. People who always roll can be punished with predicted attacks and down and up smashes that hit both sides. Don't always sidestep. They too can be punished. And don't always shield. You can get grabbed and comboed. Basically, what I'm trying to say is don't always use one move. Mix it up.

7.
Have fun. Don't beat yourself up when you lose. Learn.

Just some thoughts.

I've posted this in the thread about approaches. I'll post it here too:

Honestly, as a new player, you'll notice an immediate increase in success if you stop seeing approaching as 'attacking', and start seeing approaching as 'staying in control'.

You won't be too good at starting crazy combo/string chains, so keep it simple at first and master the basics. And I mean MASTER them. The basics are the most useful set of skills to master. Let me explain.


I've been trying different characters, finding my main. Per usual for me and Smash Bros. And while each character may have a good fair shorthop approach, or dair approach, or dash attack approach, or whatever - they all have the ability to be patient, dodge the enemy, and land a grab or jab combo. THAT is the bread and butter of Smash 4, especially for players new to competitive smash.

A lot of us aren't at SSB64/Melee/P:M level where doing a great attack approach out of nowhere can actually lead somewhere for us, combo-wise. Sure, you may land that fair or ftilt, but then what? Do you know the options your enemy will have, and do you know the optimal way to follow up? And that's if you even land your attack - you may not. And what happens then? Likely, you start rolling around, or jumping, or spot dodging, or sending out random smashes because you hope the enemy makes a mistake.


Take it slow and boil your character down to its rock-paper-scissors essence when you're trying to learn and improve at Smash in general -- shield, grab, and/or punish. Do one of those.


Rolling is good, but you'd be surprised at how fine blocking attacks with your shield and attacking/grabbing out of it can be. Just make sure your enemy's hitbox is done.
If they grab after their attack, then you didn't punish them fast enough. You'll learn the optimal timings for un-shielding from enemy attacks, especially the multi-hit ones which are the trickier ones to un-shield from.

Rolling feels good, but it often doesn't accomplish too much when you are at the beginner stage of learning Competitive Smash. Don't get me wrong - use it for mobility and such, but stay focused when you're boxing in close range. Shield, figure out when their hitbox ends, and land a grab or jab combo.

Once you're better, you'll figure out the approaches that are nifty, safe, and lead to follow ups. Otherwise, a simple shield-jab combo will do the same damage as a non-combo fair or bair approach. Stick to the bread and butter, and move up to the fancy dishes when you're ready. Don't jump ahead yet, because you'll overwhelm yourself or get frustrated.

Keep it simple at first, basically, is what my advice is for new players.
Moving around too much and trying to look like the pros will overwhelm you and make you fumble, and also make you take your eyes off of your foe (oh yeah - look at the enemy fighter instead of your own).
Just focus on punishing and utilizing your current limited set of skills, and the rest will come in time. You'll move on to greater things, but not before you master the simpler basics.

NOTED! Those are great tips, thank you!!!

 

[Deleted member 268018]

NOTED! Those are great tips, thank you!!!

I'm a noob too. Those are just some collective thoughts I have figured out.

Add me! >:O

 

[SoujiroElric]

I'm a noob too. Those are just some collective thoughts I have figured out.

Add me! >:O

Added! And at least you got to compile these, good job imho.