having trouble with my gameplay

I have one friend I often play against, his using Aoi.
I'm using Vanessa. The problem is: we're getting so used to each others style of play, we know how to utilize one another. This results in us both improving very slowly, and I was wondering what could be done to accelerate this, making our gameplay vary more. After some playing, we usually end up at a 50%/50% win ratio. I'm in the habit of using the same moves over and over again and throwing a lot, and he's having trouble adapting to new 'tactics' and is really good at reversals and poking. He's the only competiton I've got, so I was wondering how we could get better. We're not "good" by vfdc standards, but as I mentioned, slowly improving. Anyone got advise?

 

there's alot of videos on this forum of high quality players. download and watch some of them and try to adapt their style into yours. and watch the DVD replays on EVO and see if that helps any. and try to do things unexpectedly that would catch him off-guard, since that may help not only you but him to learn to better adapt.

 

yes, watching top players allows you to get an idea as to how that character should be used at expert levels of play.Than catch a few new combos here and there, and if all else fails, than just play opposite to how you play, instead of throwing a lot, try poking, and him insted of so many reversals, try throwing or evading. than keep switching back and forth until you can integrate both play styles into one. Thats mostly how I handle my friends and my Goh anyways.

 

I have some ideas for your friend since i used to be an Aoi user. Tell him to start doing her chain throw. It's really effective.

 

BouyaBay: If you're refering to the +,++, ++ throw, it ain't workin' since I always escape the + part.

Okey, so I watched carefully through all the Kurita videos on the Evo disk yesterday (too slow internet to download), and I made some notes.

*His (seemingly) main tactic: 1-knock the opp. down
2-change to OS
3-beat the opp. up
*He is very fond of the OS b,f+p,p with these folowups:
-p,k (delayed)
-FC k-->f,f+k-->f+p+k-->df+p+k,k
-b+p-->f+p+k
-f,f+p
*Poor variation of throws.
*He use (fairly) few moves.

So, what I will try to do something about is:
*fewer low punches as 'defensive tactic'- will try to learn to use E(D)TE-G more efficiently (except that won't stuff his damn spammed low sweep. Advise?)
*chrouch dash more (is that something I ought to learn?)

 

Actually, the key here is that both of you NEED to maintain focus when you play. In addition, you both NEED to think of what you are doing as a habit and learn to do different things when you play. This requires you to think of strategies before you sit down and play. When you are actually playing, remember to focus and apply the different things you come up with while also focusing on NOT doing the same thing over and over. It's hard to do when you play against someone who is very used to the way you play. At the beginning, it may seem like nothing you come up with works. Even if this happens, do not go back to the way you used to play. Many times it's just because your opponent is not used to the new way that you are playing. Once he or she gets used to this, he or she will begin to apply new strategies. I have to say, however, that this requires effort on both parts. If one of you change and the other doesn't, then it would not work. Another simple thing that you can try is just to switch to a sub character that you play. Of course, most of the time the matches will degenerate into both of you playing characters you are not familiar with and mess around.

It's hard when you only have one guy to play against, the important thing is that both of you feel the urge to improve yourselves. Once one of you begin to pull ahead in win/loss ratio, if the other player is good enough, he or she should raise their level and this will accelerate the process.

 

Thank you for the tips- will try to do that.
[ QUOTE ]
Another simple thing that you can try is just to switch to a sub character that you play.

[/ QUOTE ] Actually, I did just that the other day (tried Goh after reading CreeD's excellent guide), and you know what- after bout 10 matches, my ratio was 100%!!! Fun, but I would rather try to improve my not-too-good Vanessa... [ QUOTE ]
It's hard when you only have one guy to play against

[/ QUOTE ] True that. Been trying to arrange small gatherings and search for turnaments here in Oslo, but there doesn't seem to be any around. The only ones I could find were in Sweden and Denmark, but b/c of my occupation, I can't travel away so much. Therefore, I try to hook my friends, and now two years later, I have one vf mate. It's not too easy when you're not good enough to compete in national turnaments, but you feel like kicking every scrub you know, and seemingly, there ain't no one 'on your level'. /versus/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Anyways, thanks

 

Something that should improve your game in OS is to try to master the kindah option select behind +k (counter) ++.
Try to master the timing for the catch throw followup until you quite never miss. The timing allows you to buffer ++ and to still keep guarding if the move was blocked. Moreover +K is -3 when blocked so it is "very uncounterable". Training advise you to use a + (10 frames) after + is blocked because it would interrupt any mid attack your opponent would try (except for akira's doublepalm) proceed with throw to take advantage of the "surprise effect" of the interrupt. You may keep doing that until your opponent adapts and begin to + or or even CD --> throw under your + (which is a high) after the blocked +. But then again nothing is garanteed for him.
I find + being a very useful move it acts kindah like a mid kick , 16 frames, staggers on crouchers, quite a good range due to the part in it but with the advantage of having the ++ "option select" followup embeded in it wich makes it deadly (up to ~80/90 damage with the catch followups) and a greater recovery on block (as sidekicks are often -6/-7 if blocked). Once you masterd the timing, the key is to react properly to the type of hit, ie : keep applying pressure on normal hit or stagger or act defensively if it was blocked, which is kindah hard and require practice.
Hope this helped /versus/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

Vane's + is also a very useful move...it puts you back a few paces, can be cancelled to put some distance between you and your opponent, used to change stances, can can be cancelled during the second half of the attack to put you up in your opponent's face. I've used it before becaues normally my opponent expects a kick comin out of the attack, so I cancel the hit and instead go for a throw. It's usually free money, unless they get good at interrupting it.

Another useful move is Vane's + in defensive. This move is great if you know your opponent will try a rising low-attack on wakeup, because it floats over low rising attacks. If it hits you get a , followup most of the time, and if it hits on counter against the lightweights, you can sometimes get the ,, followup for some nice damage.

 

I use reversals, but not many. My freind who uses Vanessa used to do alot of them. If Aoi is reversing your moves then SLIGHTLY change your timing and patterns. You can make them usesless unless he interupts your combo's or moves. I hope you can download this vid. Mixture can be the key to your sucsess also. http://www.crystalbargains.com/This%20week%20on........wmv

 

Since Aoi uses a lot of elbow moves I advise to go for + sabaki in defensive stance when your at disadvantage, be careful with reversal because Vane mid reversal doesn't reverse elbows.

 

Thanks a lot for all the replys...

Didn't know about the + buffering thing, will try to use it more often.

Dealing with +, I think I use it more than I should already. I kept using it all of the time, but I feel it's been toned down in the transaction to evo (doesn't interrupt that often etc), so I only use it in raising attack situations (Kurita also did this I noticed).

My perhaps most abused move is +- it beats his spammed low sweeps and low punches, and makes a small float with mc. I usually go for something to make him attack (like DS), then instantly - back dash and +. It works. I'm currently trying to make a believeable setup to make him eat the sabaki more often.

The 'best' matches I win is usually several quick hits in different hights (so that he cannot easily reverse me, but tries, and eats even more), and finishes with

open stance DS- , --> ,,
closed stance DS- +--> ,,
any stance OS- ,, / +--> ,

I'm rarely using strings at all, since he know them all, and knows how to reverse it all. A setup he hasn't learned to avoid yet, is DS , (cancel) throw. I used to try and delay the last kick before, but now that I've stopped doing it, he does the reversal almost as a reaction, and I throw his @$$ every time...

btw BigBoyYoass- I got to watch the vid, nice.