Attention, good UMK3 players, play me!

[DEADPO0L XI]

A robot smoke player on XBL is generally a cheapie. I'm referring to the Smokes that block until they see an opportunity to throw out a spear or a teleport. If I see somebody go straight for Smoke I'll pick Sindel. Cancel HP to block while rushing in to bait a teleport out of them and get in as many screams as I can (which isn't a lot for me when countering a robot teleport). I prefer games where both opponents rush in and collide midscreen. Smoke players that sit on block just get under my skin. And losing to one of those really gets under my skin because it means I suck.

i only pick smoke when ppl pick...other than that i pick whoever

 

[REO]

lol @ sheeva making ppl rage quit by jump kicking the whole match.. ever heard of aa?

also its your fault for throwing out unsafe shit against robo smoke, play safe or keep eating that spear otherwise.

and im not even gonna comment on nightwolf rhino charge spamming lmao.

 

[9.95]

Ok guys, take it easy...LOL

the word "cheap" can mean different things to different people.

Juggs, yes, based on "Playing to win" you can call him a scrub, but I don't think you're encouraging him to improve by just outright saying, "dude, you're a scrub" over and over. Helping with some tactics to beat the R.Smoke tactic he's talking about, giving advice based on your experience, that is helping and encouraging. Doesn't mean it is wrong to explain why you call him a scrub, but I don't think you need to be so aggressive about it. He may not have read "Playing to win".

FatalTragedy - to understand where juggs is coming from, you need to read David Sirlin's book called "Playing To Win". Basically, what Juggs is saying is that calling legal moves, tactics and strategies that work "cheap" and making an excuse for losing to them(and thereby making up rules of honor, or codes of conduct that do not exist within the game) labels you as a scrub who is not trying to improve, but simply a player who is not willing to use all available legal strategies to win. It sounds odd, but you need to get rid of this train of thought in order to improve. Think of football. If a team is up by 3 points in the final 2 mins, with all 3 timeouts and the losing team has no TO's, the winning team has the ball... what does the winning team do? They snap the ball, kneel, run the clock down, and snap the ball again and kneel again to run out the clock. Cheap strategy? No... SMART strategy. If you're having problems with R.Smoke players who are beating you with a strat like that, then that is them being smart and you trying to make something of a situation that you can't... so change your reaction and instead of playing into them, play against them, make them come to you. However, don't call them cheap and refuse to use a strat that works. Adjust your gameplay and your attitude toward winning and losing.

 

[Dreamcatcher]

Very good post, Phil.

Arion: Runjab from wherever you are to where they are and cancel your jabs with block instead of run. This way when you're hit with a spear or teleport you can punish it with a counter. You can also jab over and over, hold block right after you start. These are karajabs, and are used mostly for baiting teleporting ninjas (Ermac, H. Smoke) but also work for Robo Smoke. Like anything else, these defensive strategies take practice. When someone does something to freeze you in your tracks, you have to counter them and stop them from doing it. Once you punish a few of these, any player should know they can't do it against you anymore.

 

[OJuggernaut0]

Ok guys, take it easy...LOL

the word "cheap" can mean different things to different people.

Juggs, yes, based on "Playing to win" you can call him a scrub, but I don't think you're encouraging him to improve by just outright saying, "dude, you're a scrub" over and over. Helping with some tactics to beat the R.Smoke tactic he's talking about, giving advice based on your experience, that is helping and encouraging. Doesn't mean it is wrong to explain why you call him a scrub, but I don't think you need to be so aggressive about it. He may not have read "Playing to win".

Actually I didn't call him a scrub, I said that he will sound like a scrub when he complains about how people play, and label things cheap.

I gave him the best advice he will ever hear as far as gaming goes, and he acts like I was attacking him or something.

You just can't help people with these mental barriers. And he obviously doesn't want to improve by the responses he gave.

 

[9.95]

Actually I didn't call him a scrub, I said that he will sound like a scrub when he complains about how people play, and label things cheap.

I gave him the best advice he will ever hear as far as gaming goes, and he acts like I was attacking him or something.

You just can't help people with these mental barriers. And he obviously doesn't want to improve by the responses he gave.

That depends... again, he may not have ever read Playing To Win. You can't immediately write someone off for simply not knowing. We have had the luxury of time on our side, so you have to give him the same luxury. Keep in mind, even Sirlin isn't so harsh in his book, even he admits that we've all been through it before and that its part of the learning process. Just because our thought process is more advanced in terms of "Playing to win" doesn't mean that fataltragedy is a lost cause because he doesn't think exactly as we do at this moment. It just means he hasn't gotten to that point.

I'm not saying that you're wrong about what you said to him(because you're very right) but what I'm saying is that the way things can be said can influence how a person reacts to them. Honesty without sensitivity is brutality. No need to scare a potential player away because he wasn't ready to hear what you had to say just yet... patience... he'll get there.

 

[OJuggernaut0]

I don't see how I am being harsh. It's not like I called his mother a whore or something, or said he sucked at the game. I implied he is a scrub because he is one. We all were at one point, sure. I'm being honest instead of sugar coating it.

 

[9.95]

I don't see how I am being harsh. It's not like I called his mother a whore or something, or said he sucked at the game. I implied he is a scrub because he is one. We all were at one point, sure. I'm being honest instead of sugar coating it.

Juggs, I normally support what you write, but I gotta be honest... you're coming off as pompous and arrogant this time. It's like your entire attitude is "Anyone who thinks like us(the people who have read and believe in Playing To Win) are so far superior to those of you who haven't... even if you haven't read it simply because you didn't even know it existed".

Yeah, you are being harsh... dude, there's no reason to sugar coat something, but there's also no reason to take an opportunity to take shots at someone and hide behind the "I'm only giving him the best advice of his gaming life" excuse.

If you want to give advice, then obviously you're being nice... or implying that you want to be nice... so then if you plan on being nice, there's no need to light someone up like that on a public forum... that's what pm's are for... you want to be honest like that with someone, pm that to them and explain yourself, but don't try and make someone look like a fool in public, especially if it's only because they haven't read a damn book about competitive fighting games.

The point to my big post after your post about an MK Evo was to make it clear that the MK community needs to be nicer to each other and more understanding. Jumping on people like that is not going to do that.

 

[ZAQ]

He's got a valid point Juggs, there is no reason to speak like that to someone who is a beginner.
Especially over an e-book, or poorly made website about a free book.

Common courtesy can go a far way with people that are willing to learn.

 

[FatalTragedy]

I appreciate you fellows for seeing my side. Don't feel you need to back me just because I'm new to the site and the scene, though. I'm new to the UMK3 scene but throughout my life Mortal Kombat was the only game I played. I used to be staff of an MK forum full of pompous nerds, I even made the mistake of getting Scorpion tatted on my arm when I was 18. I just never had anybody but the computer to compete with and I had no idea what combos I could pull off with a little practice and research. Hell I just learned how to use the punch block glitch last week, thanks to Aextreme. Damn fine player I might add.

The average Smoke player IS easy to counter and that's why losing to one aggravates me. I think I stated that in my initial response. It's a somewhat rare occasion, but I still make the mistake of jumping in a little too early sometimes or simply rushing in with complete disregard of my right trigger. A lot of these players don't even wait for an opening to teleport or throw out their harpoon. It seems that they simply assume that there's a good chance it'll hit. My first couple days of online play were a lot like that, except I was the Smoke player and that tactic won me way too many matches. Almost one third of my matches are against carbon copy opponents. However I've run into some SICK Smokes during my MK trysts. Those guys keep me on my toes and that's far more enjoyable.

I can't believe this much debate spouted over my use of the word "cheap". Different strokes. I'm sorry I never got around to reading an eBook about videogames, Juggs. It sounds riveting, really. I do want to get better and start playing more competitively but I'm not going to stop having fun just to better a rank. I don't see what joy can be derived from spamming a single move an entire match. I hate coming off like a dick so early on here, I'm trying to blend in here and mingle amongst better players and I have you calling me out. Almost understand why UMK.com shut down its forums now.

I want to bury the hatchet, man. I've played you before and you're a stellar player. If you really want to help a scrub, you'll add Megumi8682 and beat the shit out of me online until I start shaping up.

And that goes to anybody. I'm not afraid to get my ass kicked. I don't give a shit about the rankings. I just want to catch up a little.