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Where do I start?

Moogle

The Moogle
I've recently purchased Mortal Kombat after a friend recommended it. It's fun but I'm not sure where to begin getting better at it. I want to be able to face my friends without it being entirely one-sided. The fighting game genre has always been difficult for me and I don't really know how to get any better at it.
 

coolwhip

Noob
What are the main things you're struggling with? I suggest starting with the basics, getting familiarized with dash blocking and movement in general, canceling your dash into normals for both footsies and combo purposes. Then go on the youtube/character forums here and learn some combos for your main. Liu Kang is easy to get you started and familiarize yourself with the juggle system in the game.
 

xenogorgeous

.... they mostly come at night. Mostly.
there is only a practical way to start :

A) training mode to learn the very basics gameplay mechanic (try to find what characters you like more)
B) go for the very easy mode in ladder (try this and go increasing the difficult level along the time)
C) after that if you feel confident go for some matches online

anyway, for fighting games, only practice + time can make someone better , so, you should not feel frustrated , cause experience in this kind of game just take its own time to build :D
 
Watch this, then part 2, then advanced. It will teach the basics of the meta-game. String pressure, cross-over jumps, neutral-jump punishes, d1/d3 interrupts. Footsie and jump-in distances, etc.


Then watch this and see how people use all that- and alot of new stuff that came out as the game developed:

 

Rickyraws

This mean you don't like me?
While there are a lot of videos and tutorials you definitely should refer to eventually, I'd start by familiarizing yourself with 1 character. Play your favorite, play a character that seems 'natural', or the entire cast for a few minutes to see which feels simple enough. You don't need to spend a copious amount of time doing this, just enough to know your special moves without second guessing yourself.

Now, play a bunch of similarly skilled opponents to get a feel for the game, learn subliminally and learn how to fight AGAINST other characters.

After this, you might want to Youtube your character and find high level match footage of a player utilizing your character's tools. No, no no, you don't need to take note of the things he's doing, after all it's going to be high level play. But it WILL give you some ideas, and a hint of how your character is meant to be played.

Then play a variety of different people, learn why you're losing if you are losing, learn why what you're doing is working, and reference the forums for tips, advice, and combos.

Feel free to ask, and never see a loss as a loss. See it as a opportunity to improve and learn from your mistakes. Never get upset, as then you'll have lost the match AND the opportunity to reflect and improve. After all, when you break a bone, it heals and becomes more resilient than it ever was.

Were all here to help, so feel free to ask.
 

RoboCop

The future of law enforcement.
Administrator
Premium Supporter
I agree with what others have said. Pick a character you're interested in and just mess around with their strings and specials in practice mode. Try to piece together some simple combos, and then look on their forum to learn their optimized combos (which will be much easier if you experimented first). Do the combos over and over in practice mode until they become second nature, since you'll need to be able to do them without really thinking about it. It really just comes down to repetition.

Try to learn a few different combos for different circumstances. For instance, you'll want a good "punisher combo", which may not deal the most damage, but it can be done off of a quick move that you can used to punish blocked specials or whiffed normals. This is probably the most important combo you can learn.

Next find your character's most dangerous tool (either a normal, a string, or a special) and learn how to combo off of that. For instance, Sonya's Cartwheel special is very good and it launches, so every Sonya player should have a go-to combo ready after a connected Cartwheel. Jax has his quick, safe, low-hitting f4, so learning to combo after that normal or its strings (f41, f413) is imperative to playing that character. (I might be saying the wrong numbers, can't remember, but you get the idea).

Once you've got your "punisher combo" and "offense combo" down, it's time to start working on your "neutral game", which is arguably the most important aspect in fighting games. This is where you and your opponent are both trying to open each other up while trying not to get opened up yourself. There's a lot to developing a good neutral game. You'll need to learn your character's frame data, and it's pretty imperative at a high level that you know your opponent's frame data as well, which can be a grueling task. You'll need to learn how to "poke" with safe normals in order to bait out unsafe or whiffed moves from your opponent, allowing you to punish with a combo. You'll need to learn when it's safe to use certain strings and specials. Finally (and this just comes from playing the game) you'll need to be able to start "reading" your opponent, where you can reasonably predict what they're going to do and react accordingly.

And that's basically a good starting point. After that it's just a matter of playing the game a shit load and getting a feel for how certain matchups play out. Don't be afraid to lose. The first few weeks/months of play should be experimental, meaning you shouldn't be afraid to experiment with different strategies to see what works. This means losing a LOT of matches, but the experience you gain will be invaluable. Basically, don't play to win, play to learn. The winning will come automatically.

Oh yeah, and like @Rickyraws said, you'll want to watch youtube videos of high-level players using your character.
 

HGTV Soapboxfan

"Always a Pleasure"
The fact that you have friends to play with means you are in a good position to get better really quickly. Focus on finding ways to beat them. Don't worry about being "high level" or anything like that. You have tons of resources to find your winning strategy just on this forum and YouTube. While you should get better with your character, put more of your energy into figuring out what your opponent is doing. Once you start beating them, they should do the same to you. It will go back and forth until suddenly you are playing optimally because you have to to beat your friends.
 
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I've recently purchased Mortal Kombat after a friend recommended it. It's fun but I'm not sure where to begin getting better at it. I want to be able to face my friends without it being entirely one-sided. The fighting game genre has always been difficult for me and I don't really know how to get any better at it.
If you have XBL I'll be glad to practice with you and teach you basics. Anf I agree with what everyone else is saying
 

Moogle

The Moogle
Thanks, but unfortunately I only have the game for PS3. Is there anyone out there who has it on PS3 that can help me train?
 

RelentlessOhio

Divekick x 1000
If I can even find my MK9 I'll try to get on, I've heard the online community is kind of weak now. But I haven't played since Injustice came out really. At least you have friends to play with.
 

Moogle

The Moogle
Yeah, having friends certainly helps I'm just trying to get a good grip on the game. I want to actually be a challenge for my friends instead of them constantly having to go easy on me.
 

Circus

Part-Time Kano Hostage
What is important in any fighting game to learn is knowing what moves your opponent's character could do that if blocked it leaves them in a vulnurable animation that could be"punished".

Typically moves that seem "too good" have a huge drawback to them, like teleports and fireballs. If you predict your opponent will toss a projectile then jump at them, thus dodging the projectile, and hitting them. And for teleports, if you predict them, just block and hit them out of their vulnurable "blocked" animation.

Identifing defensive counters for moves will not only boost your defense but also assure you won't lose to the lowest level of players who never block and just go for special moves.