To be frank, there are difficult things in this game. While the execution of combos at its basis can be easy in terms of simplified motions, chains, and so many links being quite lenient or having buffers, the beauty of SG is finding a combo that -you- can consistently perform. Even after learning to do motions and press buttons with decent timing, it took me months, and even years (hi Painwheel!) to understand and do combos with some characters. I was doing particularly HARD Parasoul combos before I could even cough up a baby Painwheel bnb which took me so many tries that I eventually had to get help from a player who could coach me on why I was messing up so badly. (My timing was godawful.)
That Para combo IIRC is a tutorial combo? Or from someone in the community?
It's not my favorite. It's also a full combo it looks like.
You're not ACTUALLY expected to do these yet, even coming from other games...
I often disagree with some of the stuff in tutorials and I ALSO often disagree with some of the community bnbs because of my experience with various characters.
BEGINNERS do LMH Special Super, honestly. Like actual day 1 players. It's great you put in time on that Para combo, and the amount of time in which you actually got it down is very impressive. I'd say you're pushing yourself here..
Before I continue, let me backtrack a teensy bit and clarify something.
New to you != mean hard and also != easy!
I was very proficient in executing long, and sometimes hard combos with MANY characters in SG, and then going to play even a few others left me looking like a day 1 player in every way. Your experience in other fighters will pay off, it already has, but you're always gonna struggle, and moreso with some characters/combos/links.
So back to combos in SPECIFIC
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s.lk > s.mk > c.hp
basic string no big deal, abc
j.lk > j.mk > j.hp
awkward string imo but should combo the same on everyone as far as im aware, but not a huge fan of it
otg s.lk > s.mk > c.hp
simple pickup with abc string
j.lp > j.mk > j.hk
GOD NOOOOOO jHK restands. So straight up I detest these. They're not even universal... this isn't even universal.. I would never ever ever do this combo God whyyy whyyy do we do this to people aaahhhh
s.lp > s.lp > s.mp > s.hp > s.hp x b[hold],f+p[lp], qcf+kk
this feels slightly misleading in terms of how it's laid out? also.. LShot into bikes??
in reality, this is how I'd do this string though I can imgine you've already done it
(already holding back because these are all standing normals with no back+whatever command normal)
sLP sLP sMP sHP sHP forward LP qcf KK
but I'd either do forward MP qcf PP or (mshot into sniper)
sLP sLP sMP sHP hold down sHP up HK qcf KK (pillar into bikes)
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Here's the sort of combos I'd much rather give you at your level until you've played for a few weeks or however long it takes you to adjust to SG. It's foreign to you. You may be inputting things TOO FAST. I did, other players did. It's not always about being slow being why your timing is off. And it may, again, simply be unfamiliarity. You may click MUCH more with another character with a different combo.
sHP can be staggered heavily to allow for charge times. Charge times are short. Turn on stick input display in training mode and watch the trail that follows the cursor that represents your directional inputs. That's charge time. When it disappears, you have charge.
cLK cMK sHP [2] sHP 8HK QCF KK
cLK cMK sHP [4] sHP 6MP QCF PP
cLK cMK cHP jMP jHP jHK (it will otg here on some chars, its ok!) [4] sLK2 sMK2 sHP2 6MP QCF PP
cLK cMK sHP [4] sHP 6LP [4] sLP sMP 6LK (a tear will burst and an egret RC will happen) dash [4] sLK2 sMK2 sHP2 6MP QCF PP
First two are LMH Special Super
Next one is LMH launch MHH restand LMH Special Super
Last one is LMH Special LM Special dash LMH Special Super
It's OKAY to do these combos for now. It's FINE. SG is not about being optimal all the time. Seriously.
SG is a game with a lot more to worry about that doing a full, optimal combo.
I want you to know I disagree with what you posted as being a beginner bnb and I'm not jabbing at YOU for that. That's my gripe with other people, not you. I feel bad that you got dunked with a non universal full Parasoul combo with awkward timing that I wouldn't wish on anyone.
Also, the tutorials in this game are great but when they MAKE you do a combo, sometimes they act weird in regards to how successfully you executed it...
Unless you're dead set on playing Parasoul, consider going into training mode and trying out some characters who have incredibly easy times comboing.
Fukua cLK sMK sHP jHK cLK sMK cHP QCF HK QCF KK
Fukua beginner combo theory: anything into sHP (launches) almost anything into jHK (restands) and loop it
Cerebella cLK cMP cHP delay jLK jHK otg cLK cMP cHP DP LP+LK QCF PP
Cerebella has some hard stuff, but she has some pretty easy combos a lot of beginner/intermediate players do and get along with fine until they can learn her restands.
Beowulf (with chair) cLK cMP cHP delay jLK jHK otg cLK cMP cHP QCF PP
Look familiar...? I'd say Beo combos would take you some time but I wanted to show off that he has a combo very similar to Bella at a low level. I used to teach Beo/Bella players who were new to do basically the same combo with both chars as a start.
If you want to know what is hard about SG, I promise you, if you stay with this game, execution will not be your gripe most of the time. I think if you have FUN with this game (Which is what matters btw) and stick with it, YOU will be fine. Promise me. And you'll find out that dealing with the setups, assisted approaches, certain matchups, etc will be the things you find difficult, not pulling off your combo. And it won't be because you have no reason to deal with them. Training mode and the community can help you learn how to deal with these things. And we gladly will. Except some of the trolls I guess who have nothing better to do than tell you git gud. :^)
Git gud in your own time at a sensible pace where you're having fun. If you don't have fun.. go play something else! But I promise you we can get you doing full combos and even optimal ones in a reasonable amount of time if you REALLY want that, but for now, let's just get you on your feet in a way that makes you feel welcome and comfortable playing the game instead of alienated and confused.
That Para beginner combo is a full combo (That's never a beginner combo)
It's not universal (jHK restand is NOT UNIVERSAL and its finnicky and hard to learn)
It's far from optimal in any way
Who the hell does LShot bikes
I've seen like one person that ever had this as their bnb and they dropped that shit like a hot rock actually.
Congrats on pulling it all off in one day though! Also you shouldn't practice THAT long.. it's bad for you...
Take breaks! Treat it like piano practice...
I'm here to help and I can provide with you combos for any character, combos of any length, and also varying routes which account for your struggles. (Can't do shot link combos with Para yet? No problem, we can teach you something without one and learn a shot combo when you GET there.)
I really hope this helps sort out your predicament a teensy bit. Feel free to PM me, highlight me here, whatever.
EDIT: I'd like to add another note. While it took me 2 years to get to doing a Painwheel bnb, I had friends who played her that thought I was crazy. "She's so easy! She's the easiest character to combo with! You're insane!" They couldn't put together two Parasoul strings if they tried and she has a launcher. Easy is subjective. I don't want you to think PW is hard or unapproachable. She might be just right for you. She might 'fit your hand like a glove' which is so, so important.
EDIT:
Visual demonstration of some Parasoul combos. Not asking you to do these, maybe you could try doing half of some of them. Actually, tackle whatever you want, but be patient with yourself. But this should show you how flexible characters in this game are. You can learn a different combo that isn't hard for you!
EDIT: I now recall my first Para combo that I probably used in matches for 6 months and I won plenty of games. It's honestly GARBAGE but it ended in a burst bait!
cLK cMK cHP jLK jMK jHP otg sLK sMK cHP jLP jLK jMK jLP
jMK lets Parasoul 'chain backwards'
In this combo, when I'm at this string
jLP jLK jMK jLP
I'm already in 'stage 5' so that jLP got added to the IPS list since I started that chain with it.
Then I started a new chain off jMK.. with just jLP. After that I used to crouch to dodge mashing players who bursted it, get hit and end up bursted full screen (lol) or try to go low/high/throw. 3-6 months of that I guesstimate. Was also my best char and my best combo. I wasn't doing nearly anything as hard as you're trying to do yet. Now I'm more than capable of SO many things. (I'm 3 years in now, haha. You can learn all the stuff in that video in less than a month if you were dedicated.)
EDIT: I always think of one more thing. Last one I promise. :P
I can do very hard combos in MATCHES with large chunks of the cast now I've improved so much and.. I doubt I could sneeze my way out of a paper bag in SF4 or any Tekken game. I'd be garbage for MONTHS. Execution translates in chunks, not as a whole!
