- Joined
- Sep 4, 2013
- Messages
- 907
- Reaction score
- 468
- Points
- 63
- Location
- Toronto
- Website
- youtube.com
- Steam
- Nuuance
NOTE: Also, if you can, be sure to voteup the video on steam hub so people who might not check out the forums still catch the video http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=186411327
Heyy, what's up guys, hopefully this is in the right thread. I've been in the Squigly section forever so other threads are still new to me, sad right lol. Anyways, I'd been planning on doing this for a while since when the game ported, people always would ask "how do i get better" and other questions involving improvement. Like the title announces, this is a guide on how to get better at skullgirls and fighting games in general. I wrote down the material in the video along with some additional stuff in case you just want to read the info. Anyways, enjoy!
1. Chunking & Repetition > practice 5-10 times in a row: Although debatable, fighting games aren't too different from sports in that they require practice and repetition, which is typically the first step towards getting better. Just like how a star player internalizes the muscle memory of a jump shot, free throw, or dunk, alternatively, the same thing must be done, except replaced by things like midscreen, corner, and grab combos. Chunking is where you break down a large sequence into bite-size pieces like doing the ground part first, then aerial section second, and so-on. Pace yourself and you'll get things down in no time.
Despite being fairly good myself (not compared to Duckator, Painsley, Severin, etc), the number 1 thing that holds me back the most is screwing inputs at vital moments. So when you finally get that combo down, DO NOT leave and jump online. if you can get the combo a solid 4-8 reps flawlessly, you're set to move on. In short, get some simple combos down before you hop online. It's for the best.
2. Situational Practice >> Practice similar things from: Time and time again I see on forums and community hubs the same thing: "I learned this huge combo that takes away half health...but Idk how to actually get in and do it." This is something everyone has to learn and for the most part, it'll take some losing and experimentation online, but that's ok, just stick with it. Now, in the skullgirls universe, for the most part, jump-ins are the best way to start a combo and since the jump-in and first chain of your combo don't set off IPS, it's a no brainer. In other games, like Blazblue for example, jump-ins are still a huge way of initiating an attack and help a lot.
Remember, when practicing, try to have the goal of learning at least 1 important thing when you're finished. Working on similar things in a session helps do this. So for instance if you're learning how to instant air dash effectively, don't just move on to throwing after you feel you have it down. Focus on resets using this technique along with combos that include it. You'll learn much faster that way. It's no different than learning addition and subtraction together since they're similar. You wouldn't go from addition to division now would you? Same thing.
3. Add people who are better, add "rivals," then people who show promise: Youuuu are the company you keep. So if you like practicing with people who arent as good as you and just like to beat up on them, the same will happen to you when you go and fight other people. If you fight people who are as good if not better than you, you're gonna notice you'll start to win more because you'll be so used to fighting against superior tactics that when an opponent does something wrong or uses inferior methods, you'll ready to capitalize on it.
To be honest, I feel this is probably the single biggest tip I can give if I could only pick one. When online and you fight someone really really tough a couple times and both of you are winning and losing equally against each other, and you're getting a good vibe from them, add them! I like to call these people rivals. When playing Blazblue, I had a lot of rivals and they were all really really good friends. The same thing goes in Skullgirls. Having someone to fight and get better with makes the journey much much easier and is way more fun that way.
4. Remember you will SUCK: It's a fact of life you WILL lose in fighting games. No matter how good you've been at another fighting game, you will lose and probably lose a lot in the beginning. It's sort of a rite of passage. Albeit a really messed up one when you look at it, but something required to grow. If you find you're losing more than usual, maybe it's time to get into training mode and learn some new techniques. Learn some new tricks, throw combos, or maybe better ways to use your meter. When you feel you've significantly improved and are beating people who used to constantly beat you, it's known as leveling up...something you'll be doing a lot of. If you're losing, you have to really think: is it because I'm making stupid mistakes? Am I messing up inputs? Or are they just beating me flat out? If it's the last one, then training mode's definitely a good place go once in a while.
5. Learn other opponents game: Knowing tendencies of gameplay is known as metagame, the things that fuel peoples decisions and everything around the mental aspect of the game. Some people call it mindgames, I just like to call it meta. So for example, in skullgirls, Filia players often are a bit more impulsive that other players and are prone to mashing their super when things get hairy. If you take that into account, you can trick them into doing what you want them to do, known as baiting. So for example, if you know most filia's like to frequently air dash at you while in the corner, do something to exploit that like a super. You don't do it all the time, but do it enough so that the opponent has to respect your space and doesn't feel like they can do stuff they'd normally get away with.
The funny thing though is many times, the stuff people often get away with are things that can often destroy you, but if you're able to stop them early, many times people move on to other things. Like for example, I love doing grab resets...but some players get really wise to what I'm doing and grab-tech me. So I have a choice: either I can try it again, and maybe catch the opponent with reverse psychology, or I can do something else. Now there really isn't a wrong answer to this, but I'll tell you what I'd do and why. I'd try the throw reset again. Main reason being many tech throws and think the opponent won't go for it again, but on the contrary thats one of the best times to. And plus if they DO tech the throw again, that means the next time you can do something else and most likely do your alternative move without fail because they'll be so used to looking for the grabs.
Use mix-ups, and when you get enough mix-ups down, mix-up your mix-ups to really confuse people. Learn what characteristics certain characters have, what they tend to do, then counter them.
6. Write stuff down: (How to use notation is slightly covered in the video) This might not apply to everyone, but it does for me since I like to post information in forums or in videos. Write things down. While in training mode sometimes I come across things on accident. I always write it down so I can have it for later and expand on it further. Writing down combos helps and writing down "tech," or things you only learn from playing with a character for a while help a lot. If you know filia can't air-dash directly after an attack while still on the ground, write it down...if you know squigly can only use silver-chord once, but can still use staggering assists and other throws, write it down. Things like that are really helpful not just for you, but for everyone else too. Don't keep good information to yourself. Unless it's something you just greedily want to keep to yourself, share it so other players don't have to spend hours learning something you already know. I share things because I want others to know and also so other players can join the discussion.
7. TEST on everyone: Due to different hit-boxes and character sizes and weight, many times, certain combos have to be adjusted to work on certain characters, and some combos just won't work at all. In order to really be good, work on combos with everyone and you'll do well. Don't get excited if you learn an epic combo just yet. Test on everyone and make changes accordingly.
8. Comprehension: Doing an incredibly long combo is great and all....but if you don't even know WHY you're doing certain moves as opposed to something else, then it won't really help you get better. You're just going through the motions. It's fine to do that at first, but sooner or later you're gonna have to understand why you start with certain moves as opposed to others. As a typical rule of thumb in most fighting games, if you start a combo with a light attack, multi-hit attack, or throw, then the rest of the combo might scale a lot too. starting with a light attack is typically the way you start most combos so you really can't do too much there, but if you can help it try to really optimize your combos. Optimizing combos is basically fitting in every little punch or kick you can in order to maximize damage. Mind you, sometimes it's better to do a shorter combo with easier execution and just a tad less damage than a realllllllyyyy long one that's hard to do and only just marginally better.
9. Use the internet..but be careful: The internet is definitely good, but it can really hurt sometimes with the overwhelming amount of information and no help to truly comprehend things. Unfortunately, all I can really say here is scour the net for everything you can find and try to compare things yourself. People who know what they're talking about have a good way of portraying they do so pay attention to those people and goto notable forums and get acquainted with the people. What I've noticed (at least in my experience) is if you give something useful to the community, you'll often get something just as useful back. I started a squigly thread on EVERY little thing I've found out about my character and from that thread, I've built my entire game around tips other people've given me...not even my own. And that really means a lot. So if you're looking for info, by all means, do so. But don't lurk. At least say thank you and post more later...it really helps. Oh and videos are obviously good too. And obviously if you're reading this, then it means you're already in the right place!
10. Frustration: You will get frustrated and you will lose at the most ridiculous times. Times when button presses aren't happening like they should be or perhaps the game's lagging. Or maybe it's just one of those days. You're gonna get salty...and to keep from getting overly salty, there are 3 things you can do: 1) Keep playing and beat-up on other people to make yourself feel better 2) Take a break orrr.... 3) goto training mode. You will deal with frustration, but you don't have to be salty forever! If you follow the steps I made, you'll be fine.
Heyy, what's up guys, hopefully this is in the right thread. I've been in the Squigly section forever so other threads are still new to me, sad right lol. Anyways, I'd been planning on doing this for a while since when the game ported, people always would ask "how do i get better" and other questions involving improvement. Like the title announces, this is a guide on how to get better at skullgirls and fighting games in general. I wrote down the material in the video along with some additional stuff in case you just want to read the info. Anyways, enjoy!
1. Chunking & Repetition > practice 5-10 times in a row: Although debatable, fighting games aren't too different from sports in that they require practice and repetition, which is typically the first step towards getting better. Just like how a star player internalizes the muscle memory of a jump shot, free throw, or dunk, alternatively, the same thing must be done, except replaced by things like midscreen, corner, and grab combos. Chunking is where you break down a large sequence into bite-size pieces like doing the ground part first, then aerial section second, and so-on. Pace yourself and you'll get things down in no time.
Despite being fairly good myself (not compared to Duckator, Painsley, Severin, etc), the number 1 thing that holds me back the most is screwing inputs at vital moments. So when you finally get that combo down, DO NOT leave and jump online. if you can get the combo a solid 4-8 reps flawlessly, you're set to move on. In short, get some simple combos down before you hop online. It's for the best.
2. Situational Practice >> Practice similar things from: Time and time again I see on forums and community hubs the same thing: "I learned this huge combo that takes away half health...but Idk how to actually get in and do it." This is something everyone has to learn and for the most part, it'll take some losing and experimentation online, but that's ok, just stick with it. Now, in the skullgirls universe, for the most part, jump-ins are the best way to start a combo and since the jump-in and first chain of your combo don't set off IPS, it's a no brainer. In other games, like Blazblue for example, jump-ins are still a huge way of initiating an attack and help a lot.
Remember, when practicing, try to have the goal of learning at least 1 important thing when you're finished. Working on similar things in a session helps do this. So for instance if you're learning how to instant air dash effectively, don't just move on to throwing after you feel you have it down. Focus on resets using this technique along with combos that include it. You'll learn much faster that way. It's no different than learning addition and subtraction together since they're similar. You wouldn't go from addition to division now would you? Same thing.
3. Add people who are better, add "rivals," then people who show promise: Youuuu are the company you keep. So if you like practicing with people who arent as good as you and just like to beat up on them, the same will happen to you when you go and fight other people. If you fight people who are as good if not better than you, you're gonna notice you'll start to win more because you'll be so used to fighting against superior tactics that when an opponent does something wrong or uses inferior methods, you'll ready to capitalize on it.
To be honest, I feel this is probably the single biggest tip I can give if I could only pick one. When online and you fight someone really really tough a couple times and both of you are winning and losing equally against each other, and you're getting a good vibe from them, add them! I like to call these people rivals. When playing Blazblue, I had a lot of rivals and they were all really really good friends. The same thing goes in Skullgirls. Having someone to fight and get better with makes the journey much much easier and is way more fun that way.
4. Remember you will SUCK: It's a fact of life you WILL lose in fighting games. No matter how good you've been at another fighting game, you will lose and probably lose a lot in the beginning. It's sort of a rite of passage. Albeit a really messed up one when you look at it, but something required to grow. If you find you're losing more than usual, maybe it's time to get into training mode and learn some new techniques. Learn some new tricks, throw combos, or maybe better ways to use your meter. When you feel you've significantly improved and are beating people who used to constantly beat you, it's known as leveling up...something you'll be doing a lot of. If you're losing, you have to really think: is it because I'm making stupid mistakes? Am I messing up inputs? Or are they just beating me flat out? If it's the last one, then training mode's definitely a good place go once in a while.
5. Learn other opponents game: Knowing tendencies of gameplay is known as metagame, the things that fuel peoples decisions and everything around the mental aspect of the game. Some people call it mindgames, I just like to call it meta. So for example, in skullgirls, Filia players often are a bit more impulsive that other players and are prone to mashing their super when things get hairy. If you take that into account, you can trick them into doing what you want them to do, known as baiting. So for example, if you know most filia's like to frequently air dash at you while in the corner, do something to exploit that like a super. You don't do it all the time, but do it enough so that the opponent has to respect your space and doesn't feel like they can do stuff they'd normally get away with.
The funny thing though is many times, the stuff people often get away with are things that can often destroy you, but if you're able to stop them early, many times people move on to other things. Like for example, I love doing grab resets...but some players get really wise to what I'm doing and grab-tech me. So I have a choice: either I can try it again, and maybe catch the opponent with reverse psychology, or I can do something else. Now there really isn't a wrong answer to this, but I'll tell you what I'd do and why. I'd try the throw reset again. Main reason being many tech throws and think the opponent won't go for it again, but on the contrary thats one of the best times to. And plus if they DO tech the throw again, that means the next time you can do something else and most likely do your alternative move without fail because they'll be so used to looking for the grabs.
Use mix-ups, and when you get enough mix-ups down, mix-up your mix-ups to really confuse people. Learn what characteristics certain characters have, what they tend to do, then counter them.
6. Write stuff down: (How to use notation is slightly covered in the video) This might not apply to everyone, but it does for me since I like to post information in forums or in videos. Write things down. While in training mode sometimes I come across things on accident. I always write it down so I can have it for later and expand on it further. Writing down combos helps and writing down "tech," or things you only learn from playing with a character for a while help a lot. If you know filia can't air-dash directly after an attack while still on the ground, write it down...if you know squigly can only use silver-chord once, but can still use staggering assists and other throws, write it down. Things like that are really helpful not just for you, but for everyone else too. Don't keep good information to yourself. Unless it's something you just greedily want to keep to yourself, share it so other players don't have to spend hours learning something you already know. I share things because I want others to know and also so other players can join the discussion.
7. TEST on everyone: Due to different hit-boxes and character sizes and weight, many times, certain combos have to be adjusted to work on certain characters, and some combos just won't work at all. In order to really be good, work on combos with everyone and you'll do well. Don't get excited if you learn an epic combo just yet. Test on everyone and make changes accordingly.
8. Comprehension: Doing an incredibly long combo is great and all....but if you don't even know WHY you're doing certain moves as opposed to something else, then it won't really help you get better. You're just going through the motions. It's fine to do that at first, but sooner or later you're gonna have to understand why you start with certain moves as opposed to others. As a typical rule of thumb in most fighting games, if you start a combo with a light attack, multi-hit attack, or throw, then the rest of the combo might scale a lot too. starting with a light attack is typically the way you start most combos so you really can't do too much there, but if you can help it try to really optimize your combos. Optimizing combos is basically fitting in every little punch or kick you can in order to maximize damage. Mind you, sometimes it's better to do a shorter combo with easier execution and just a tad less damage than a realllllllyyyy long one that's hard to do and only just marginally better.
9. Use the internet..but be careful: The internet is definitely good, but it can really hurt sometimes with the overwhelming amount of information and no help to truly comprehend things. Unfortunately, all I can really say here is scour the net for everything you can find and try to compare things yourself. People who know what they're talking about have a good way of portraying they do so pay attention to those people and goto notable forums and get acquainted with the people. What I've noticed (at least in my experience) is if you give something useful to the community, you'll often get something just as useful back. I started a squigly thread on EVERY little thing I've found out about my character and from that thread, I've built my entire game around tips other people've given me...not even my own. And that really means a lot. So if you're looking for info, by all means, do so. But don't lurk. At least say thank you and post more later...it really helps. Oh and videos are obviously good too. And obviously if you're reading this, then it means you're already in the right place!
10. Frustration: You will get frustrated and you will lose at the most ridiculous times. Times when button presses aren't happening like they should be or perhaps the game's lagging. Or maybe it's just one of those days. You're gonna get salty...and to keep from getting overly salty, there are 3 things you can do: 1) Keep playing and beat-up on other people to make yourself feel better 2) Take a break orrr.... 3) goto training mode. You will deal with frustration, but you don't have to be salty forever! If you follow the steps I made, you'll be fine.
Okaaayyyy, that's the guide! If you liked it, drop a "like" & comment w/suggestions or comments, thanks guys :)
Last edited:
