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My Sodium Chloride Filled Journey to Being Somewhat Competent at this Game

scorptatious

The Resident Team ICO Fanboy
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Peacock Big Band
Some backstory:
I've played this game on and off over the years. Really enjoy watching high level gameplay, like the characters, and the story has a ton of potential should we ever see a "True" Story.

Anyway, prior to this game, the only fighting games I've ever really played were Street Fighter Alpha 2 on the PS1 when I was very small, the Smash Bros. games, a couple of Tekken games (only ever single player) and Soul Caliber... 4 I think? So I had some experience in the genre, but only on a very basic level.

Now I first started this game via the demo when it first came out. I was kinda am scrubby. Everything seemed kinda weird to me. You block by holding back? What nonsense is this? And I was getting my butt handed to me by the computer on the default setting. So I was feeling kinda grumpy.

I eventually caved in and bought the full game. After spending some time with the game, I decided to try Peacock. I fell in love with her playstyle. Playing keep away and throwing everything and the kitchen sink and my opponents from far away felt cathartic after having my ass handed to me up close. So she quickly became my main.

I played through everyone's story. Struggled with some of the characters as some felt weird to me. I remember rage quitting on the final boss as Painwheel. Came back a couple months later and finished what I started.

So it was time to try my luck online. Unsurprisingly, I had my ass kicked hard. After a while though, I finally won my first match with my Peacock/Ms. Fortune team. It felt like I finally got over my first wall as a player.

Later on, Big Band came out and I LOVED his design, fighting style, and story. And since he's pretty much with the same group as Peacock, and that the two have pretty funny banter, I decided to have him replace Fillia (Who replaced Fortune) on my team. I love this team on so many levels. From a narrative standpoint, it works as Big Band is kind of a mentor figure among the ASG units and tries to lead both Peacock and Painwheel down the right path in his story. From a aesthetic standpoint, it's the smallest playable character fighting alongside the biggest character, so I thought that was pretty neat. From a gameplay standpoint, the two compliment each other so well. Peacock can play her keep away game and Big Band can keep the competition back. Plus Argus Agony DHC into Strike Up The Band is one of most awesome ways to finish up a match.

So yeah, as stated previously, I've been playing on and off over the years this game has been out, and here I am yet again. I saw this sub-forum and perhaps I can get some feed back on how to improve myself as a player.

One of my main issues seems to be that I can't seem to figure out how to perform long strings of combos. Seeing other people who play the game who can gracefully perform long combos, resets, cross ups, and all that jazz both amazes me and makes me feel somewhat inadequate.

Now, as a Peacock player, I mainly go for almost pure zoning gameplay. However, I would like to figure out some decent close range combos to use if I'm in a pinch or if I need to throw off my opponent. As of right now, if my opponent catches up and catches me in a series of combos, it's hard for me to recover from it.

Right now, one of my major issues are ADC's. I know how to perform them by themselves, but I have trouble incorporating them into combos and figuring out the timing to them. So far, the only combo I can regurlarly perform with Peacock when forced to fight up close is LP,LK,MP,HK, item drop, bang bang, argus agony.

With Big Band, I have an easier time fighting up close. Mid Giant Step is pretty much the thing that gets me into my attacks. And frankly, against players of similar skill level of mine, I don't have too much trouble holding my own with him. My issue seems to be that I find myself using Giant Step too much. It leaves me open to attack and in a lot of cases, I should be using his DP. However, I have yet to figure out a way to getting that move down mid combo as the input is a little difficult for me to perform.

Plus, I have seen better Big Bands perform larger combos and resets, so I would like to know some decent ways to put on the hurt with him should my zoning game with Peacock get shut down.

In terms of character match ups, Valentine and Eliza seem to be my biggest obstacles. Valentine is very fast and can get close to my Peacock within seconds, and I find my Big Band to be a victim of her cross ups. Eliza has decent speed and her attacks can hit pretty far. Which kinda makes zoning kinda difficult.

I think I can confidently say that I've got Cerebella down though. The only thing I have to worry about with her as Peacock is her reflect move, and so long as I'm patient with my projectile usage and don't spam like crazy, I can dodge it. Parasoul is a bit tougher as if she hits me with that sniper shot, she can get in pretty quick and go for the kill. Again though, it's just a matter of patience and good timing with item drops.

Really though my biggest problem is I find myself getting really frustrated when I get bodied a lot. And that only makes me play worse, which adds to the salt. It's a vicious cycle. I try to remind myself it's only a game and sometimes it works, but not always. At the very least, I keep myself from rage quitting or controller dropping. Gotta fight to the bitter end I say.

I don't know, just wanted to get my thoughts out. Any advice for any of the above?
 
One of my main issues seems to be that I can't seem to figure out how to perform long strings of combos. Seeing other people who play the game who can gracefully perform long combos, resets, cross ups, and all that jazz both amazes me and makes me feel somewhat inadequate.
It's just practice. Wish I had a more revelatory answer for you but that's kind of it. Severin had a thing about combos that I've always felt is very true, it's like a list. I can't remember all of it but it was something like

1. I don't think this combo can be done
2. I did the combo once
3. I can do this combo most of the time
4. I can't remember why I ever thought this combo was hard
5. I can do this combo in netplay

The last one doesn't apply so much to Skullgirls I guess but you get the idea. Just find a combo online (on these very forums, perhaps! I have heard a rumor there are good stickied threads for both Peacock and Big Band) and try to replicate it. You're at step 1 atm, try to get to step 2 and work your way up from there.

Right now, one of my major issues are ADC's. I know how to perform them by themselves, but I have trouble incorporating them into combos and figuring out the timing to them. So far, the only combo I can regurlarly perform with Peacock when forced to fight up close is LP,LK,MP,HK, item drop, bang bang, argus agony.
Okay so ADCs with Peacock are weird. If you turn the training mode frame data tool on and do something like s.MK j.MP j.HP ADC, the game will tell you you're at +1000000 or whatever, but that's not really true. When Peacock air dashes, she kicks her feet in the air for a bit before she actually starts moving forward. If you press a button while she's kicking her feet, she'll fall straight down; if you wait until she starts moving forward, she'll do the attack while moving forward. FOR COMBOS you always want the second one (except in the corner where it doesn't matter which one you get) which means you have to delay your button press after the ADC, which means you don't have as many frames to get the link as the game says you do. BUT, you can do it, it just takes practice.

With Big Band, I have an easier time fighting up close. Mid Giant Step is pretty much the thing that gets me into my attacks. And frankly, against players of similar skill level of mine, I don't have too much trouble holding my own with him. My issue seems to be that I find myself using Giant Step too much. It leaves me open to attack and in a lot of cases, I should be using his DP. However, I have yet to figure out a way to getting that move down mid combo as the input is a little difficult for me to perform.
I came from Mortal Kombat which has no DP motions so I struggled with that for a while too. What I did was in training mode, try to do L Hornet Bomber with Double from one corner of the screen to the other without messing one up. I feel like that helped, maybe give that a shot.
 
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If you feel frustrated, take a break and play sometime later, helps a lot. A person's concentration drops after certrain amount of time anyway, better no play than angry play. As for combos, you just got to let them join your muscle memory in training room. Once you start getting stuff done right, you'll be able to perform it online fluently as well.
 
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Well, I've been able to figure out how to do a cross up with Peacock. Sorta. It's still a work in progress, and I haven't successfully implemented it into online play yet.

Basically, I do LP, CLK, MP, HK, item drop, dash, MK, j.LK, J.HK, then I hold right and I got on the other side of my opponent and do a combo similar to that, ending with an Argus Agony.

I've also been able to implement snap backs when I'm fighting with Big Band and if an opponent switches out their character who's at low health.