Like a phoenix. I'm back from the ashes!

[Red Witch]

The Introduction!
Hi there, I'm A Red Mage.

I love Smash Brothers and Tekken, but this little game weaseled it's way into my fighting game heart with it's merry band of misfits. While I do intend to master this game as a whole, i've noted little progress in all the years I have played fighting games in general. So I figure if I target getting better with a focused laser, rather than being an incandescent scrub bulb, I will finally get steps in the direction to being the best.

I will try my hardest to make this a daily entry. If, for whatever reason, one of you scrubs are enraptured by the beauty of my words or training formulas, please send me a kindly reminder on a day that I forgot to update. It's important.

The Cast!

My current team of choice:
I'm playing EVVVERRRYYYYYOOONNNEEEEEEEEE.

Current PROBLEM TO OVERCOME!

Options up close. Gotta win the showdown.

 

[Red Witch]

Actual journal entries:

1/13/2015

The struggle begins

• Actually, the struggle began awhile ago.
• It was about ethics in... crap.

• Learning to actually combo with Fukua
• The combo is simple and straight-forward; (*8.HKx3), 5.LP, 5.MP, 5.HP, j.LP, j.MP, j.HK, 5.LK, 5.MK, 5.HP, j.LK, j.MK, j.HK, j.HP, 214 PP.
• Neutral game is looking a bit solid due to range on normals and 236 specials
• Learned she had no standard overhead. Oh dear. Gonna have to mindgame for that shadow

• Working on my Squigly neutral game
• I probably need to use a lot more 236 MP > SBO
• Found out just how terrible keyboards are for Seria cancels (It hates buttons.)

1/14/2015

Yesterday was a bad day

• I did bad in Danisen
• Like really bad
• Frustration!!!! And alcohol.
• Finally have a workaround for my pushblock problem until my Hitbox gets in
• Buttttttt.... I'm still a bad.

• Fukua's neutral game is my strongest asset right now
• I need to learn how to follow up 2HP, someone recommended 236MP xx BFF (And I finally know what xx means!)
• I'm a predictable fuddy duddy

• Today I am working on very few follow ups, though. I'm gonna practice more poke > simple combos. But mostly only that.

1.17.2015

• Darn, already missed two dang entries! Bad me!... Partly because I haven't really been playing. :(
• Had to set-up a computer
• Enough excuses

• Watched a vid of a terrible (not at fighting games) pro player
• It helped me think about defense and spam
• Played Peacock, Parasoul, Fukua
• Actually worked out ok

• Not gonna drop Squigly though
• I also want to mess around a bit with Ms. Fortune and Valentine
• Hitbox will determine who my team is. Squigly is the only guaranteed member

1.18.2015

Hitbox is RIGHT. AROUND. THE CORNER.

• Poked around and i'm not playing Valentine.
  
• I just can't get a good feel for her, and there are a myriad of great characters to play

• I am liking Squigly's neutral game a bit more
• 2HP/2HK -> (charged) 236 Seria cancel are excellent spacing tools
• Need to work more on 236 MP > LKMK SBO methinks

• Fortune has phenominal movement
• I'm getting tricksy tricksy with 8HP/8HK and dash cancels
  
• How i'm practicing it:
  • HK/HP
  • Jump -> HK/HP
    
  • Jump -> HK/HP -> PP
    
  • Directional Jump -> HK/HP -> PP
  • etc... adding new layers

1.19.2015

Now with MORE MINDGAME

• Today I figured out how to wavedash!
• All on my own!
• Yeah!

• Now my poke game is gonna get silly, 'cause I also learned... MICRODASHING
• My tools are now more potent.

• Today I practiced:
  • Instant Air Dash to HP/HK on Ms. Fortune! Woot!
  • Wavedashing and Microdashing into better spaced normals
  • A fancier Fortune Air Game.

• Gonna drop Fukua for Fliia, as 2HP and 5MP are the same and Filia is not getting a silly projectile nerf
• I like Fortune.
• Squigly is cute.
• So is Parasoul.
• Between those four lies my team.

1.20.2015

I REPEAT! THE HITBOX HAS LANDED!

• IT's FINALLY HERE!!!
• 
  
  
• WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

• Darn, that also means
  • No more execution excuses
  • This is the most technical controller. It won't get any better until something even more creative pops up
  • I now can't forget to bring it to tournaments
  • (cause most people will not, in fact, have a 'stick' I can borrow)
• My battle plan
  • Go to a coffee shop OR bar DAILY to practice. At home is distracting.
  • Need to now work on myself physically to improve reaction speed
  • To remember to NOT NEGLECT SMASH BROS, One week of AGDQ threw me off, I swear.

1.21.15

Another day ridin' the waves

• I did 100 each of the following today:
  • Ringlet Spire L
  • Ringlet Spire M
  • Ringlet Spire H
  • Ringlet Feint
  • Updo L
  • Updo M
  • Updo H
  • Hairball L
  • Hairball M
  • Hairball H
  • Airball Dash Cancel L
  • Airball Dash Cancel M
  • Airball Dash Cancel H
  • Gregor Sampson
  • Fenrir Dive
  • Tricobezoar
  • IAD to 8HP
  • IAD to 8HP to 8HK

• I think I have Filia's wavedash down to an art
• Also, combos don't feel... impossible anymore.
• I feel I just need to study up on frame data to figure some out

1.22.15

Repetition. Repetition. Repetition. Repetition.

• Another day another "LET'S GO SAMPSON!" "HELL YEAH!!!!"
• I did 100 each of the following today:
  • Ringlet Spire L
  • Ringlet Spire M
  • Ringlet Spire H
  • Ringlet Feint
  • Updo L
  • Updo M
  • Updo H
  • Hairball L
  • Hairball M
  • Hairball H
  • Airball Dash Cancel L
  • Airball Dash Cancel M
  • Airball Dash Cancel H
• I did those things live on stream, so I probably bored people.
• Like, imagine watching 100 Updos. 3 freaking times. Boring.
• It's helpful though. I get to work on some weak fingers.
• A visual demonstration:
  • 
    
    
  • (Also included, my current default finger positioning on Hitbox)
  • (It helps me not have to lift my fingers, except for two kicks
• I also worked on pure wavedashing to get around Peacock's projectiles.
  • It's much more efficient and easier with an air dash
  • But mastering ground movement is vital in my book

• While i'm digging out the basic muscle memory, i'm also digging out basic knowledge
• I'm takin' notes on terminology, strategy, and am busting out the frame data. That said, if anyone actually reads this journal, if you have a link to an up to date compendium of Frame Data, I would appreciate if you dropped that in here.

1.23.15

Min maxing IRL

• I made a thing on the internet
• It's in the post below. Check it out! I think it's important
• Couldn't get it to work as a GIF so I had to do it the hard way.
• Kinda ironic?
• It will make sense of why i'm doing this little section~
• I did 100 each of the following today:
  • Ringlet Spire L
  • Ringlet Spire M
  • Ringlet Spire H
  • Ringlet Psych (Finally got the name right!)
  • Updo L
  • Updo M
  • Updo H
  • Hairball L
  • Hairball M
  • Hairball H
  • Airball Dash Cancel L
  • Airball Dash Cancel M
  • Airball Dash Cancel H

• Learned more fighting game terms and whatnot
• I'm also pouring myself into the raw frame data
• TIL:
  • Tiger Knees
  • that weird thing with button priorities
  • Safe Jumps

1.24.15

Blah.

• Bad IRL things happening.
• I also feel like my progress is slow
• Then I scroll up and am reminded that it's only been two weeks.
• Did all the stuff 100 times again, but don't feel like writing all of it down considering no one really reads this...
  • And I can't C/p from my phone.
• Learned what Plinking and crouch tech are.
  • Neither are useful
• Working on combos. And cross-ups.

1.25.15

Break Day.

Did not play Skullgirls today.

1.26.15

Back in the Saddle

• Played more Filia.
• Worked on hit confirms
• My wavedash game is suffering a bit when I go on offense
• Made a bad combo, but it'll suffice
• Also working on cross-up.
• I'll get more frame data before I go to sleep.
• Tomorrow will be a data day.
• Filia's 5MP is a bit better than I originally anticipated.

1.27.15

Too much irl.

• There are stuff going on.
• I don't really feel like talking, I'll be brief.
• Squigly: 236 MP > LKMK SBO > 5LP, 5MP, 5HK, 9LP, 9MK, 9HK, air 236 MK, 5LK, 5MK, 5HK, 9LK, 9MK, 9HK, air 236 HK, 236 (Tecnically 214) MK, Daisy Pusher, 236 LP.
• Filia:
• 

1.28.15

Hatred Guard

• Ugh.
• Not gonna rant here.
• Not that it matters if I did. This might as well be under lock and key, because i'm the only one reading this diary.

• Training stuff
• Did Squigly things.
• Cleaning up serias.
• Here is a video a combo starter i'm getting smoother on Filia.

1.29.15

Everything is awful.

• Everything is awful but this diary is forever.
• Even when my family is being emotionally catastrophically damaging, and my mental state is utterly decimated, I am still. Updating. Daily.
• Opened Pandora's Jar
  • It contained the answers to all my frame data questions.
  • Including how soon they cancel
  • Hint: Frame 1 of the active frames.
  • You can also kara if you cancel sooner.
• My ground normal moves on Filia will now no longer have more than 28 frames of recovery.
  • I'm looking at you c.MP, c.HK, and c.HP.
  • Oh, and s.HK

• Going to try to math some combos.
• I hate Double's fall speed.
• Confused as to why the invulnerability frames listed on the Shoryuken Wiki do not match what is displayed on training mode for Updo.
• Doing more homework on Fighting game theory.
• Getting better at chess by proxy.
  • I figured that threat is the same concept as spacing
  • Or at least close in nature.
• Execution on my end is currently garbage.
• So i'm taking the trash out, so to speak.
• Didn't touch Squigly today.

1.30.15

Queen of Wands

• Got a new idea for titles
• Tried to block things
• Still arbitrarily throwing out heavy attacks
  • It's not a good thing
  • More inhibition needed.
• Finished a visual transposition of Filia's frame data in Excel
• Combos with Squigly are getting smoother. Might be able to learn a new one soon.

1.31.15

Ten of Wands

• Today was a theory day
• Took some notes from Sonic Hurricane's blog
• Gonna read into footsies tomorrow
• Also analyzed some Skullgirls games
  • Considering it's mostly 2013, the actual combos have little application
  • But the decision making still applies
  • (that and all the grab resets almost look viable)
• Need to also learn how to analyze a bit better.
• Also, assists make everything so hard to pay attention to. How the hell do I focus when it's a messy 4 people on screen?

2.1.15

Three of Cups

• did my gosh darned homework
• Will be moving on to Xenozip's blog in the next couple of days.
• Footsies are a very complex subject.
  • My take on it currently is that:
    • It's maintaining advantage in your favor
    • Knowing how to press your advantage
    • Mindgames sustain it's success
    • ALWAYS WATCH METERS
    • There is no strict method to dominate footsies
    • Never be predictable. Ever.
  • This by no means summarizes everything.
• I will continue to read and re-read the footsies handbook until I have a true grasp on it's function.
• Did not play the game much today.
  • Toyed around a bit on arcade mode.
  • Realized I cannot combo outside of Filia, Fukua, Squigly... yet.
• Finally am understanding how to piece together combo links in the most remedial of levels on SG
  • I want to be advanced.
  • Master it's mechanics and all the math involved with how it calculates weight, fall speed, etc.
  • Where do I even get this info?

2.2.15

Four of Cups

• Finished the footsies handbook
• And Sonic Hurricane's blog for that matter
• They were good reads.
• Gonna definitely re read them often.
• Projectile lesson was a bit confuzzling
• But I get the basis for it

• Back to some manual training for me
• Still need a spot for all the data.
• I'll probably check the Shoryuken Wiki first

2.3.15

Ten of Wands

• Played some games today via the internets
• I feel like i'm getting legitimately better
• I am also a Turtle
  • Despite not being teenaged
• I should figure out some stronger options out of block
• I like wavedashing
• Grabs are pretty darn good
• Need to stop that instinct of the desperation super.
• But I can trick people into thinking i'm gonna jump.

2.4.15

The Sun

• Sad face.
• Didn't really play at all today, nor did I do much homework.
• Toyed around with a few other fighting games
• Actually did a not bad job on P4AU. Yay me. Actually winning games!
• Also learned how to do Peacock's charged Shadow of Impending Doom.
• Gonna just focus on SG for now and mayhaps drop everything else until i'm good enough to place
• This game'll either be a stepping stone, or, who knows, could also be the only fighting game I play ever.
• That or Smash or some BS.

2.5.15

Justice

• Played around with random
• Other characters are super confusing.
• Learned some Carol basics though
  • Like how her flight works
  • And chaining down
• I still hate playing her
• And I still hate Double.
• And Big Band.
• And Beowulf.

2.6.15

Eight of Wands

• WHOA! BREAKTHROUGH DAY!
• IRC can be a bit nonchalant, but they dropped a huge mental bomb
• Now I know what I need to focus on is RESETS rather than COMBOS
• But the concept of resets are super hazy to me.
• Gonna poke Severine with a stick to see if I can get a good sit down lesson on it's functionality
• Like I know what it is kinda, I don't understand the "How to" outside of one Squigly burst bait.
  • That I learned in a video
  • And is predictable.
• So for today, I focused on combos anyway.
• Learning this link combo for Filia courtesy of Gllt
  • Thanks for this by the by!
• I picked it up because it looked hard, so it's probably a good tool for mastering combo timing
• Got a heavy dosage on how weight affects combos

• Oh! Also! Learned there is a weird thing with this game.
• I don't quite have the language to explain it properly, but i'll try.
• If you make an input on the first frame after Ringlet Psych recovery, you can cancel into another thing.
• Take too long, and the game locks out your dash/attack inputs until it's finished with an animation or something.
• I dunno why it does that, but it's something I have to be mindful of.
• New vid below. Check it!

2.7.2015

The Hanged Man

• Practiced the combo again
• That was it, really.

2.8.2015

Ten of Wands

• Again with the Ringlet styling combo.
• I don't know why i'm putting off learning resets.
• Looked up some chess related things.
  • It has a staggering amount of similarity with fighting games.
• Practiced efficient button presses
  • I have an idea on how to further enhance practice
  • Probably gonna play along to piano exercises. Cuz Hitbox.
• I need some Squigly frama data visualized.
• And the basic Startup/Advantage for the rest of the cast
• Considering moving my right hand position on the buttons
  • 
  • This layout feels much more comfortable, as my fingers prefer going up rather than down.
  • The flip side is, i'd have to relearn a bit, so it'll set me back a tad.
  • It's better to learn a new way now, though, before I actually get good and it's harder to change habits.

2.9.2015

The High Priestess

• Big strides today!
• I now comprehend the concept of the reset
• Huge thanks to Severine! And everyone on IRC who helped to clear it up
• I'll need more practice
• and more combos
• and study on the execution
• A long road awaits
• The animation lock I complained about earlier?
• Turns out PP dash doesn't buffer.
• Bummer.
• Practiced more of that gllt combo
• more on that later.

2.10.2015

Two of Pentacles

• Didn't play today. Sad face.

2.11.2015

Strength

• Another day of not playing sadly.
• Going to try and squeeze out 30 minutes before bed.

2.15.2015

Four Card Mega Pack

• Been so tired and busy these days.
• Didn't actually play until Friday and Saturday
• But WHOA NELLY did I play
• Learned that am garbage
• Nah, worse than garbage.
• And a complete, complete noob. It was humbling. And a bit breaking.
• I thought I was getting somewhere, but was going nowhere at all.
• But I now have a sense of direction
• Shoutouts to Weatherbee who took me to UGC
• Shoutouts to Midiman, Wingzero, stuff and Devita
  • It was cool meeting you guys
• Shoutouts to shouting out for Beowulf
• And shoutouts to Mike Z!
  • Thanks for all the pointers and pointing out all the bad crap I was doing
• The advice I jotted down
  • From Mike Z:
    • I am not using jab for it's intended purpose
    • I still am not capitalizing on my hits
    • My combos are too complicated for my current play level (garbage tier)
    • My defense is abysmal still
    • I don't pushblock enough.
    • I mash
    • I don't use assists enough.
    • I'm not blocking obvious things
    • My Filia is not anywhere near ok.
    • Squigly's Daisy Pusher is a reversal
    • How to dodge Daisy Pusher
    • Which direction to dodge, then punish, Daisy Pusher
    • I'm not punishing
    • I miss DHC opportunities.
    • How to disable jab
    • I'm not dedicating a series of hits. I'm too poke intensive.
    • I need to use simpler combos
  • From Midiman
    • Filia's wavedash has some good circumstantial use following Gregor.

2.16.15

Ace of Cups

• Did one thing for my entire playtime.
• Just dodged Big Band's Giant Step
• Things I learned from that:
  • Only the HK version bounces up when not jumped (I had forgotten)
  • This means that the other two could be used as baits to get the opponent in the air
  • The potential follow-ups from being deceived by that are an air grab, an A-Train, etc.
  • I hate Big Band.

 

[Red Witch]

Conservation of Movement!


Behold the concept passed down from the musicians of yore!
Now compatible with your local buttons.

So this section is dedicated to something that is guaranteed to make you a faster and more efficient player. Something that adds a level of precision that will only improve your game. Conservation of Movement.

Tell me, what takes longer to reach the ground? A ball falling from 10 feet, or one falling from 1000 feet? The answer is obvious, right? Then why the hell are you pressing so hard?!? The closer your finger is to a button, the faster you can press said button. The higher your finger is, and/or the harder you press, the longer it takes to press it and move on. This is an essential for many a musician when min/maxing their practice to get faster.


Correct example:

Although I admit that this example is a little flawed (Hard to hold camera and press buttons), I do my best to keep my finger squarely resting on, but not pressing, the button and it lets me access a quicker press. My one flaw was pressing a little too hard, but I return my finger to the top of the button. It conserves some energy, grants me some easy access to press again, and facilitates speed in precise manner. So much less work!!!


Incorrect example:

Lifting your finger is baaaaaad business. First of all, so long as your buttons aren't concave, you don't need 5,000,000psi for your input to register. And lifting after you press is a bad idea too, especially if you need to press the same button in succession. It's clunky, it's noisy, and it's stopping your low frame links from being perfect AND efficient.



----------------------------------------

This concept applies to your arcade sticks too for the majority of you. Your joystick flicking left and right twelve ways from Sunday stops you from accessing faster motions that are optimal, going from a DP to a HCF in a smooth manner. Just minimize the amount you move it and you'll get better speed! Only do enough to get the game to go "This direction? kay." and nothing more.

In all your movements, minimize them. As all of you know, that fraction of a second you saved is super important.

It's why I've been doing several specials consecutively. Each time I try to be THAT MUCH MORE precise. The less sound my button makes, the better my press was. Especially to those of you using Sanwa parts (Cause I am), those things are super sensitive. It doesn't take that much for them to register what you're trying to do.

 

[Red Witch]

New! VIDEO DIARY SOMETHING OR OTHER

Post some comments on the videos, or here. Whatever floats your boat. If you want to reply here, just mark down the weeks topic in this format:

Week: Defense

blah blah blah
---------------------------------------------------------------

The videos:

2.3.15

2.6.15

 

[Red Witch]

The NEW Diary section!

4.27.15
I AM BACK.
YES.
Lots of irl stuff that was even worse than the irl stuff before happened. I was under too much stress and could barely function.

But it's ok now! Water under the bridge!
Also; i'm revamping EVERYTHING. And i'm adding a new section as i'm following the principles of the Go Rin No Sho (A Book of Five Rings) very closely to start getting a better hold of strategy in general. And it's first huge breakthrough that it handed to me: NO FAVORITES. I cannot say that I won't play Big Band or Beowulf. I won't avoid Double and Painwheel. I will learn every character to their utmost proficiency and I will learn to LIKE IT. >: (

So no huge practice logs today, but I will include the Go Rin No Sho note entries in the separate post. So YEAH. A RED MAGE COMES PREPARED. STRATEGIES BITCH! LET'S GO!!!!!!

5.11.15

• Finally started Go Rin No Sho thread
• Learning Valentine and Ms. Fortune BnBs
• Got faster QCF motion.
  I used to do something like:
  Down
  Down Forward
  Forward
  -wait-
  ATTACK BUTTON
• The new QCF motion takes more advantage of the Hitbox. And stops that stupid thing I was doing before.
  Now it's closer to:
  Down
  Down Forward
  Let go of down and hit attack AT THE SAME DAMN TIME.
• It's faster. I'm proud of me.

5.13.2015

• Learned Valentine's BnB
  • It's really rough at the moment, but I know it
• Learned a use for Squigly's j.MK/j.MP link
• Did not get to Fortune, Val took really long to get down
• Played some games.

5.14.2015

• My game is piecing together a bit better
• Feeling much more comfortable in the neutral
• Filia's BnB is really difficult. Going to have to grind it a bit more
• Also screwing up inputs because reasons. And those reasons are stupid reasons.
• Still have not gotten to Ms. Fortune
• Currently can combo with the following characters:
  
  • Fukua
  • Squigly
  • Valentine
• Wavedashing is still awesome.