I thought I was good, until I came here...

[MadeFromMetal]

Hey everyone,

I'm a long time fan of Mortal Kombat (MK on Sega Genesis) but I'm brand new to TYM and the greater Fighting Game Community as a whole. When MK9 came out, my friends and I would play all the time. I'd go home and spend hours in practice working on combos with my two mains, Smoke and Ermac. I thought all it took to be considered "good" was being able to hit combos for 40% damage and enraging my friends. I was WRONG.

Well, in the hype for MKX, I was checking out info online and came across TYM and immediately signed up. While I waited for my email confirmation to go through, I lurked and lurked and lurked some more and realized, I know next to nothing about fighting games in general. I had never heard the terms Zoner, Rushdown or Grappler, let alone things like footsies, BnB's, teching, or blockstrings. I watched a lot of tournament videos on YouTube and looked up a glossary on Shoryuken and I still struggle at times when I read some threads but I'll learn the terminology on my own eventually. However, what I won't learn entirely on my own is how to be a better player.

I've checked TYM, MKO, Shoryuken and TRMK but the last time anybody posted in a regional thread for my area was in August of 2014 for a Street Fighter get together on Shoryuken. I'm in Northern CA, but I don't have the time or money to drive 90 minutes south to Sacramento on a regular basis. Not only would I like to get better, but just being able to play against folks offline would be cool too. I hope to find a local scene and if one doesn't exist...I might start one.

Until then, I was hoping to get some tips on how to get better at my offline game. My connection isn't that good and results in a lot of lag and dropped games, so online isn't the most viable option. I was wondering, what do you guys do to practice on a regular basis? What should I be doing in Practice Mode or against the AI to better myself? Random question...say the top guys around here are rated a 10 and a complete noob is rated a 1. What would be the rating for the AI on expert? A 3 or 4?

Anyway, thanks for reading and I look forward to getting involved on TYM and in the entire scene a little more as well. Any help or resources is always appreciated and I'll see you all out there.

 

[LABound93]

I feel the same way about learning all these terms and strategies, and I'm still pretty lost. I am a noob to competitive gaming and such. Are there videos on here explaining these terms and strategies?

 

[Cossner]

Welcome MadeFromMetal! I hope that metal is not Khrome!

If you need any help, send me a PM with your questions and I'll try and be as thorough as possible.

I'd rate the AI in expert at 2.

@LABound93 this is for injustass but what gives a lot of it is the same http://testyourmight.com/threads/information-for-new-players.30656/

 

[SCK ERR0R MACR0]

Welcome to TYM. Unfortunately, MK9s practice mode is not very good.

I can give some general tips, but a lot of them will require a 2nd player due to the lacking practice system. The most common thing I see with new players is that they tend to solely focus on their main character. While this is good to an extent, it can hinder progression in real matches.

Focusing on your main is great for execution and to make sure when you get an opening that you don't drop your combo, however, it's equally important to focus on what your opponent can do. For example, I'll practice common punishes for moves that each character is likely to do. Kung Lao's teleport for example, I will have a second player do the teleport and mixup what they do to practice my options. That way it's ingrained in me to react a certain way when I see a teleport. This is just one example.

Combos are great--especially high damage ones, but practice should also be done on converting combos from common hits that occur in a match. Examples are Air-to-Air interactions, Anti-Airs, etc. This is just some general stuff to think about.

 

[Johnny San]

I thought all it took to be considered "good" was being able to hit combos for 40% damage and enraging my friends.

I had this exact mentality when I first got into MK9. Unfortunately, I can't really tell you how I learned to understand the game since those things take time and we generally don't pick up on our changing gamestyles that early.

I like to think that a good way to improving is figuring out why you lost a match and see what you could do differently.

 

[MadeFromMetal]

Welcome MadeFromMetal! I hope that metal is not Khrome!

If you need any help, send me a PM with your questions and I'll try and be as thorough as possible.

I'd rate the AI in expert at 2.

Definitely not Khrome! Although, I think the character could be decent with a fleshed out story. And AI rated a 2? Well I know I'm at least a 3 then! So that's something. Thanks!

 

[Shark Tank]

I knew I was bad when I came here.

 

[Pnut]

I can already say you have a better attitude than 90% of the people on this site. Keep trying to learn instead of settling and you have what it takes. Never settle and you can be great.

 

[STB Shujinkydink]

welcome man! Terminology took me awhile to learn as well. Let us know if you need clarification on anything.

We do our locals in Seattle. I know its a ways from Northern California but our yearly major is April 24th this year. Might be worth coming up to meet some people and have some fun!

 

[Deleted member 5032]

Welcome to TYM! I'm typing on my phone so I'm going to keep this short.

To answer your AI question, it doesn't really compare to a human opponent. It's not a matter of difficulty. However, playing against AI can be a good way to try out things you work on in practice mode. You might practice a new combo or setup and then just try using it against the computer to get the muscle memory down.

As far as the first thing to learn from TYM, I'd say frame data. In order to play at a high level you have to know how to read and use frame data. Just google "[character] frame data" to find a list. Most MK9 frame data threads have a link at the top to a thread on how to use frame data. It's really just addition and subtraction. Good luck!

 

[MadeFromMetal]

I can give some general tips, but a lot of them will require a 2nd player due to the lacking practice system. The most common thing I see with new players is that they tend to solely focus on their main character. While this is good to an extent, it can hinder progression in real matches.

Would you recommend focusing on getting one main down to muscle memory before moving on to studying match-ups and whatnot?

Combos are great--especially high damage ones, but practice should also be done on converting combos from common hits that occur in a match. Examples are Air-to-Air interactions, Anti-Airs, etc. This is just some general stuff to think about.

This right here is something that should be so logical to grasp, but I never would have thought of it. Rarely will you be able to set up the combo exactly like in practice mode.

Thanks!

 

[MadeFromMetal]

I like to think that a good way to improving is figuring out why you lost a match and see what you could do differently.

I agree. I read the top sticky in "Fighting Philosophy" and it resonated, which is really what got me looking into a local scene.

 

[True Grave]

Welcome to the realm of violence, knowledge and trolls. Enjoy your stay, and please, don't feed the trolls. They love fresh blood.

If you're on Xbox, add me at KHTC True Grave and I'll help you with whatever I can.

 

[MadeFromMetal]

As far as the first thing to learn from TYM, I'd say frame data. In order to play at a high level you have to know how to read and use frame data. Just google "[character] frame data" to find a list. Most MK9 frame data threads have a link at the top to a thread on how to use frame data. It's really just addition and subtraction. Good luck!

I think frame data is what intimidated me most when I first started reading. Memorizing each characters frame data for each move seems like such a daunting task, let alone being able to recall it on the fly when battling. I'll definitely work on it though. Thanks for the advice.

 

[MadeFromMetal]

Welcome to the realm of violence, knowledge and trolls. Enjoy your stay, and please, don't feed the trolls. They love fresh blood.

If you're on Xbox, add me at KHTC True Grave and I'll help you with whatever I can.

Playstation here, but thanks for the offer.

 

[Cossner]

I think frame data is what intimidated me most when I first started reading. Memorizing each characters frame data for each move seems like such a daunting task, let alone being able to recall it on the fly when battling. I'll definitely work on it though. Thanks for the advice.

You don't really need to know all of it, just the frame traps and the fastest moves imo. If you wanna know if a move is punishable or not you can always go to the character subforums and look for the move. But you don't really really need to memorize it, just know your options.

 

[Deleted member 5032]

I think frame data is what intimidated me most when I first started reading. Memorizing each characters frame data for each move seems like such a daunting task, let alone being able to recall it on the fly when battling. I'll definitely work on it though. Thanks for the advice.

You actually only need to learn the frame data for specials, and then any strings or normals with exceptional properties (at least starting out). This is because most strings will be canceled into specials. You also only need to worry about execution (or how fast the move comes out) and block advantage. Once you get that down, you can use hit advantage to work out combos and setups.

You can also start by classifying moves as "safe" and "unsafe". Kano's Upball is -13 on block, so I know to be careful using it against any character with a 12-frame or faster punish.

With Deathstroke, his f23 is +9 on block, which makes it a great frame trap when not canceled into a special. He can do f23 and then throw (which takes 10 frames), meaning the opponent pretty much has to tech the throw since there are no 1-frame moves (other than parries).

However, you also need to take spacing into account. Some moves might seem unsafe on block, but they push the opponent far enough away to avoid punishment.

 

[MadeFromMetal]

You don't really need to know all of it, just the frame traps and the fastest moves imo. If you wanna know if a move is punishable or not you can always go to the character subforums and look for the move. But you don't really really need to memorize it, just know your options.

That definitely helps ease the mind. Haha. I also assume that after a while it just becomes second nature, like anything if you do it long enough.

 

[TotteryManx]

I believe a lot of us felt the same. If you can execute combos I would start investing time into the basics of fighting games. Such as anti airs, whiff punishing, and etc. Improving those two areas alone will put you above a lot of players. Playing the AI can help with a few things, reaction, punishing, and what I listed above. After having a strong grasp of things I would suggest learning about frame data.

The trick is to not overwhelm yourself. If learning one thing at a time is effective.....then do so.

P.s. nice attitude

 

[Swindle]

I think frame data is what intimidated me most when I first started reading. Memorizing each characters frame data for each move seems like such a daunting task, let alone being able to recall it on the fly when battling. I'll definitely work on it though. Thanks for the advice.

Playing with another person (in-person, preferably) is key. A lot of the terminology/data looks intimidating. But like any learning, it makes so much more sense when you are able to apply it in-game. Going to tournaments/casuals and such are helpful as well, as many other players are great at guiding you through the learning curve.

 

[MadeFromMetal]

Such as anti airs, whiff punishing, and etc. Improving those two areas alone will put you above a lot of players. Playing the AI can help with a few things, reaction, punishing, and what I listed above.

Definitely something I can work on alone. Thanks a lot.

Playing with another person (in-person, preferably) is key. A lot of the terminology/data looks intimidating. But like any learning, it makes so much more sense when you are able to apply it in-game. Going to tournaments/casuals and such are helpful as well, as many other players are great at guiding you through the learning curve.

I hope to get involved sooner rather than later.

 

[VenomX-90]

Just dont let the Ego's with the ppl have here get to you, just laugh at them.

 

[FOREVER EL1TE]

If you have MK(360) we can play

 

[MadeFromMetal]

Just dont let the Ego's with the ppl have here get to you, just laugh at them.

I've already been enjoying some of the arguments on other threads. I swear some people post topics just to start an argument between two others. It's already funny.

 

[MadeFromMetal]

If you have MK(360) we can play

PS. Thanks for the offer, though!