Losing Interest/Motivation Dwindling

[Sulfur]

People will get good as time goes by, the newbie types will either drop the game or get better.
Take SF4 as an example, Vanilla everyone was bad now Ultra is out and anyone who is still playing (still the most popular fighting game) is fucking tough as nails. It just takes time.
Drop the game if you want but I really wanna grow with this community. If SFV is bad I'll probably officially call MKX my main game, MK9 is still IMO one of the best fighting games ever made and I think MKX will be that way for me as well.

 

[Heartwire]

I think about quitting sometimes but that's just cause for some reason I literally have days where I completely suck, can't get my moves out, dropping combo's and actually rage quit cause I feel it's pointless for me to continue if I can't translate what's in my head to my hands, it saves both me and my opponent some time anyway.
But then there are days where I get everything down to how I want it, not dropping anything, guarding properly, etc etc. and I feel happy again.
I've been having a really bad flu the last week, so now I'm even playing worse on my bad days, it's not helping my mood, but I know in the end I love this game, even if there are times I feel like ramming my head against the wall cause I can't get my shit together during a match.

In the end, it's a great game, I like playing it, and feeling the need to stop is just a spur of the moment, I know I won't do it anyway.
I'm sure I'm not the only one that has moments where he goes like "this is fucking bullshit, I'm so done!", but we all calm our minds (eventually) and continue playing.

 

[XxPlaneCrashxX]

i think i will quit this game too as soon as sf4 comes out for the ps4 so i can finally play it again.. i don't really like mk's mechanics with the combo strings and that you have to commit to your button presses and that everything gets nerfed/buffed as soon as some people cry..oh and the worst online netcode i've ever seen so far...wish they could fix the netcode because we don't have a fgc here in germany

 

[looktotheluna]

Is this you bro? lol

Nah but honestly, don't even look at online record. It doesn't mean a damn thing. It is about knowledge, understanding frame data and how to punish and stay safe, and knowing each characters strengths and limitations and exploiting them.

If I wanted to go online and rip off 1,000 wins and get minimal losses I could, but like I said in the video.... there isn't any reward for being the best online player.

Use online for practice and bring it all together in games where it counts. Learn from your mistakes. Don't get bitter. Don't complain. Simply, adjust.

I am just really getting into MK competitively but I have participated in gaming tournaments for over a decade. The formula is still the same.

That's a very good post and video. It's a shame how idiots have that mentality online, yet they are the real losers at the end of the day with their precious online rank stats.

 

[Barrogh]

That leads me to really ask myself if it's worth my time to try and get better. I see people with records like 900/20 and I think "What's the point? How could I even possibly beat someone like that?"...

- Handsome armor. Not a scratch on it.
- I know. People have been swinging at me for years and they always seem to miss.
- Chosen your opponents wisely, then.
- I have a knack for it.

...although you've already said it yourself earlier

 

[Drew9795]

It's probably your character holding you back. Mileena is just a noob stomper so anyone who knows how to block will full punish all your specials unlike new players who don't block.

 

[iMileena]

Omg I felt the same exact way when mkx first came out, the techniques , study of new moves takes some getting used to. My problem was that there were new techs i never knew about , but more i studied more motivated i became. Best advice is learn those mix ups & the new way to pressure opponents, when I learned I sure enough was hype af , now i gotta learn to deal with kitana spam

 

[iMileena]

It's probably your character holding you back. Mileena is just a noob stomper so anyone who knows how to block will full punish all your specials unlike new players who don't block.

You haven't played a REAL mileena player then

 

[CrimsonShadow]

Not too long after that, MKX hype started building and I had every hope and intention to really get into it and start getting good. I played around with some characters and ended up going with Mileena as my main. After practicing for a good long while and learning combos, techniques, etc, I felt I was getting pretty good. So, online I went. As it stands now, I am sitting at a respectable 520/91 ranked record but it's mostly because I've been playing scrubs and noobs. When I get matched against anybody decent, I get the wall wiped with me and get so frustrated because I simply am not up to par with the techniques that I need to compete at high levels with the newer gen MK games.

That leads me to really ask myself if it's worth my time to try and get better. I see people with records like 900/20 and I think "What's the point? How could I even possibly beat someone like that?" and it makes me not want to even bother. I find myself getting less and less motivated to even play the game. When I get stuck in the corner and get combo'd to death because I can't escape, even though I know how but these guys are just too good, I lose all interest in even continuing on and just shut my system down.

I 'got the floor mopped with me' online for the better part of MK9 -- it wasn't until the end that I started to catch on, and then we were close to moving on to IGAU. By the end I was bodying random people, but a lot of average people I played on TYM + better online players absolutely destroyed me.

In Injustice I started to really learn a lot more minutiae of fighting game mechanics, and although the average competition was a lot stiffer, it made me a better player. By the end, I finally felt comfortable playing a lot more people online.

In MKX, I started off in ranked with about an 800-50 record before it was wiped by the server glitch. It was the first time I made the leaderboard for a major fighting game. But it matters less to me, because my main goal has been to reach the point of being competitive with better tournament players. So far it's going pretty well, aside from being bodied by a few specific people who play at a pretty high level (thanks Ducky and Nick). But every day I learn something new.

You're only really limited by your willingness to learn. A necessary part of moving up to the next level is getting bodied by the people who are already there; but if you don't do it, you don't learn. It's really up to you, but don't let the losses discourage you.

 

[PANDEMlC]

First off, don't play ranked, you will learn nothing and get nowhere. Add people with good connections from TYM and start playing with them, talk to them, ask them questions about matchups, if they are knowledgeable on your character maybe they can even give you advice on what you need to improve on. Everyone I've met or played with here has been really cool even when I get salty. I've tried ranked myself when nobody is on and it's honestly fucking terrible, and I don't use this lightly. One game with an unstable and inconsistent and varying connection is not the way to get good or to enjoy the game. It's like rolling a die and hoping to get 4 or higher when it only goes up to 5. If you do get a good match(good connection, competent player) you don't get enough time with them and their character to learn or have fun and if you get the other 90%(shit connection and mashers) you learn nothing and it only hurts your own game.

TLDR: STOP PLAYING RANKED AND START PLAYING TYM MEMBERS

 

[Ray'sGoodLiquor]

Make a high level friend and play with him/her constantly. Playing random scrubs will make your record look nice, but records don't mean anything to competitive offline players. My record in MK9 was like 600-800 for a long time and when I played randoms they assumed I was horrible. Most of those 800+ losses came from playing long sets with players that were a level above me so it upped my game big time. Maybe hang out at a local tournament and get some casuals with people.

 

[beep_ima_sheep]

It's comforting to see the responses this thread has received as opposed to what I was anticipating. I'm in a similar boat. I've hit a wall and finding motivation to hurdle it is difficult because I have literally zero people to play this game with. No personal friends that are into the game, no offline scene that I can find (and I'm desperate for one) and not even any online people that I can get a good connection with who have a mic and want to talk out the matches rather than just trash talk or cry spam. Fighting games just suck when you have no one to talk with. Someone here even started an online team so I figured that'd be a good way to find people to play with, but I was just ignored twice.

MK9 was the only fighting game I thought I eventually became competent at, and like others have said, sometimes I'd feel like a god and then the next thing I knew I was getting my ass handed to me like nobody's business. I want to be able to reach that next level, but without an offline scene or a consistent training partner online I feel I've reached an impasse. Really just at a loss at this point.

 

[Charybdis]

I'm kinda at that stage too but I find an offline scene really helps. I get bodied by all of them, cos I'm new and they're so much better than me, but I just try to remember that it's about having fun. I've done martial arts for most of my 21 years and the most important thing I've learned from all of them is that you aren't in competition with anyone other than yourself. If you've improved on where you were yesterday or last week or last month, then you're winning the fight. Entropy is the true enemy, not other people.

Except Kung Jin players, obviously

 

[Big Pampering]

Same for me, but many players who are used to traditional 2d games have trouble changing their habits (like Justin:https://twitter.com/JWonggg/status/600044468285218816).

NRS makes 3d fighting games. So, if you don't like 3d fighting games, or didn't like 3d MK games then NRS games might not be your cup of tea.

It's funny, NRS's team is made up of the designers of the original 2d MK, and the players(Brian and Paulo), but they haven't made a traditional 2d fighting game since UMK3. The way you have to play NRS games is so counterintuitive to my 20+ years of 2d muscle memory and strategy that I can't play their games--not because I couldn't learn them, but because it's too jarring to be playing a 2d game with 3d attack moves. It would be like trying to get used to driving on the left side of the road, like they do in England.

You know whats funny about this. Justin once tweeted out that Nrs players would finally have to learn how to block because of no meterless wakeup attacks anymore. Now it is himself that is struggling to block stuff.

 

[EndofGameBoss]

Getting bodied is the only way you'll get better, even if it's a slow process.

 

[GLoRToR]

That's it. Thanks for your time.

You need to understand that there is a generation of gamers here who grew up with and maintained to have fighting games as a primary hobby. There is simply nothing an Arcade Kid such as you or I can do to beat that. We are older and have a lot on our plate usually.
If the game is no longer fun for you, or you simply don't feel like spending a lot of time with it, go ahead and quit playing.
If you'll just be casual, pick top tier and intend to win or pick who you like and do so well as you will, still you'll need to remember that there are more seasoned, more talented or in rarer cases luckier people who'll beat you.
In the end remember two things.
- Games are here to have fun with. You do not seem to be playing for the money matches, so no major loss if you "only" win 80% of the time.
- Stats show whom you play with, and not how you play.

 

[Skkra]

Snip

If you dont have an offline scene, I think its really, really difficult to get to a competitive level. The online in this game is nowhere near good enough, in my opinion, to provide a serious approximation of offline play. If youre already good, mkx online can be a passable training tool I guess, but the netcode is not even up to sf4 par.

If you really want to level up, find a way to get involved in a local scene if at all possible. However, you should also think about whether its worth your time investment. If you truly love and enjoy it, go for it. But the time investment to get legit competitive is often considerable.

Based on your first post, you may want to weigh that. Is it worth the effort for mkx, or should you work on getting a certification for your career? Take some contract work so you can redo your back yard? Spend more time with a significant other? Etc.

Just a few things to consider.

 

[fr stack]

Very well said and I'm not giving up on the game. I HAVE beaten highly ranked players by using their own tells against them and avoiding mine, but it's few and far between. I love the game and it's really fun to play. I'm not concerned about my rank or anything like that, I only mentioned it to convey that I'm not venting because I'm no good. I just get frustrated and annoyed at myself more than anything because I shouldn't have let myself fall so far behind competitively on the newer gen MKs.

EDIT: Recording the matches and reviewing them like football reels...that's a good idea.

i would say find some people on here to play as most randoms will try any scumbag tactic to win, find a player and train with each other practice your set ups with them and let them practice theirs vs you my friends list is full of helpful players who run long sets

 

[MadPropz101]

Every time you lose, try to realize what you did wrong and fix it next time, MK X has a pretty robust practice mode so that shouldn't be an issue. You can't expect to be on par with the best if you don't do everything it takes to improve. Also, don't play a lot against worse player, you will just get bad habits that will not work on high level play.

 

[Chaosphere]

Pro-tip: you don't get better from playing ranked. You get better from playing against someone for a long set so that you can practice adapting to what they do. It sounds like you have your offense down but don't know how to adapt. Private message people on here and get long sets in with people.

 

[YourMKArcadeSource]

You're only really limited by your willingness to learn. A necessary part of moving up to the next level is getting bodied by the people who are already there; but if you don't do it, you don't learn. It's really up to you, but don't let the losses discourage you.

Well said. Thanks. I don't. It's just my own self-loathing at not being good that gets me down, but that's my own fault. I am very willing to learn but I look at it like anything talent-related. Some people have a natural talent/ability to do certain things and some don't. You can teach someone how to read sheet music, but they may lack the ability to incorporate it to an instrument. I understand all the mechanics of the game but I have a hard time executing them successfully. I can learn and study endlessly but if the physical ability to pull said mechanics, the point is moot. Like I said, I'm not going to give up the game just yet. Hell, I built a damn arcade machine version of it. I'll stick with it but I just wanted to post the thread and convey my frustrations with not being that good against better players because I was sure that lots of other people here could relate.

- Games are here to have fun with. You do not seem to be playing for the money matches, so no major loss if you "only" win 80% of the time.
- Stats show whom you play with, and not how you play.

Very true. But like with anything competitive, if you're not winning, it's not that fun.

If you dont have an offline scene, I think its really, really difficult to get to a competitive level. The online in this game is nowhere near good enough, in my opinion, to provide a serious approximation of offline play. If youre already good, mkx online can be a passable training tool I guess, but the netcode is not even up to sf4 par.

If you really want to level up, find a way to get involved in a local scene if at all possible. However, you should also think about whether its worth your time investment. If you truly love and enjoy it, go for it. But the time investment to get legit competitive is often considerable.

Based on your first post, you may want to weigh that. Is it worth the effort for mkx, or should you work on getting a certification for your career? Take some contract work so you can redo your back yard? Spend more time with a significant other? Etc.

Just a few things to consider.

There IS a local Wichita fighting game association, but they mainly do Street Fighter, MVC, KI, etc. The MKX players are few and far between. I've already looked into it. I'll never completely quit the game altogether. I'll always be an MK fan, no matter the incarnation it may take, but you're right about other things in life being weighed against time spent on the game. However, my career is about as far as I can take it. I've been working in aviation for roughly 15 years and I've pretty much peaked with what I do. I in Avionics Modification for a major aircraft manufacturer and I've climbed as high as I can get with that unless I want to change fields. I have no plans to do anything of the sort at this point in my life.

Every time you lose, try to realize what you did wrong and fix it next time, MK X has a pretty robust practice mode so that shouldn't be an issue. You can't expect to be on par with the best if you don't do everything it takes to improve. Also, don't play a lot against worse player, you will just get bad habits that will not work on high level play.

That's exactly what I do. Also, the worse players don't tend to stick around on me anyway, but that's a good point.

 

[YourMKArcadeSource]

Is this you bro? lol

Nah but honestly, don't even look at online record. It doesn't mean a damn thing. It is about knowledge, understanding frame data and how to punish and stay safe, and knowing each characters strengths and limitations and exploiting them.

If I wanted to go online and rip off 1,000 wins and get minimal losses I could, but like I said in the video.... there isn't any reward for being the best online player.

Use online for practice and bring it all together in games where it counts. Learn from your mistakes. Don't get bitter. Don't complain. Simply, adjust.

I am just really getting into MK competitively but I have participated in gaming tournaments for over a decade. The formula is still the same.

Ha ha. No, that's not me. I really don't get bitter or salty because I get beaten by a better player. I respect that they were better and I move on, but part of me gets down because I feel that I should have been able to beat them and my mistakes ended up getting me beat, not their skill. You can understand. I take something away from every match I play but sometimes it's hard to incorporate it into the next one because each player is different from the last.

I'm sure I'm not the only one that has moments where he goes like "this is fucking bullshit, I'm so done!", but we all calm our minds (eventually) and continue playing.

Trust me, you're not. I say that almost every time a Kung Jin or Error Black player combos be to hell. But I'm right back on the machine the next night (I play the game on the custom machine I made for those who may not know about it. If you're interested, I can post a link to the pics).

It's probably your character holding you back. Mileena is just a noob stomper so anyone who knows how to block will full punish all your specials unlike new players who don't block.

I don't think so. I've gotten pretty good with her. The only thing I have left to really practice on is run pressure. I haven't really figured out how to apply it to my gameplay yet. I just need to practice it more.

 

[GLoRToR]

Very true. But like with anything competitive, if you're not winning, it's not that fun.

Not winning means you have still what to learn. Would you give that up? Think hard about that one. It's why you're even making this post, brother.

 

[YourMKArcadeSource]

Not winning means you have still what to learn. Would you give that up? Think hard about that one. It's why you're even making this post, brother.

I don't want to give up the game. That was never an issue. The main point of the post that I was trying to accentuate was that I never saw myself getting so good at the game that I would be able to compete at a high level. I am good enough to go online and beat scrubs and noobs all day, but as soon as a really good player came along, I was done for. I'm totally willing to learn, but I am unsure as to the point of doing so because there's no reason to if I can't use the skills I've learned in an offline, competitive field.

Bottom line, I'm an old school gamer. I prefer the shoulder-to-shoulder, head-to-head live action, standing in front of an arcade machine, battling it out. Those times are long gone, unfortunately and that's where I was most comfortable. These new days of sitting on a couch with a headset, trash-talking anonymously over the internet is B.S. Times change, I guess....and that sucks.

 

[GLoRToR]

I don't want to give up the game. That was never an issue. The main point of the post that I was trying to accentuate was that I never saw myself getting so good at the game that I would be able to compete at a high level. I am good enough to go online and beat scrubs and noobs all day, but as soon as a really good player came along, I was done for. I'm totally willing to learn, but I am unsure as to the point of doing so because there's no reason to if I can't use the skills I've learned in an offline, competitive field.

Bottom line, I'm an old school gamer. I prefer the shoulder-to-shoulder, head-to-head live action, standing in front of an arcade machine, battling it out. Those times are long gone, unfortunately and that's where I was most comfortable. These new days of sitting on a couch with a headset, trash-talking anonymously over the internet is B.S. Times change, I guess....and that sucks.

I think the reason why you get stomped is not that you are a bad player but that you are playing bad players who drag you down so by the rare occasion that you do get somebody worthy, you end up playing out of routine rather than actually putting it in. Try to get local casuals or play actual players from TYM, and forget grinding scrubs online. I'd sooner lose a set of 10 against a good player than win a hundred against online baddies. Waste of time, can do for the lols but don't measure yourself by your online stats, measure yourself by comebacks and tides turned.