New here.. Need VF help!

Hello...

Im JJCC from the Philippines. In all honesty, I was going for Tekken 5 Dark Resu as my first video fighting game (PS3's pretty expensive in here, so are the CDs) and I was disappointed that they didn't support credit card payment from our country. Sheesh. Anyway, as I was browsing reviews and checking out in-game videos I fell in love with VF5. Also watching the exhibition matches from VF.TV really showed how high-paced, intense, and entertaining VF can be given the right players.

So I went to the mall and picked up the game about 6 days ago. I roughly play with it due to my school requirements but whenever I spend time I find it hard to learn the game. I am, for crying out loud, losing to Dural in NORMAL but that's natural... right?

Anyway I would greatly appreciate tips. I browsed through the threads and learned that Pai and Jacky are the newbie friendly guys but I still can't get the "hang" of the game per se. I see a lot of movement from pro players whereas I just stand toe-to-toe and hit them as hard as I can (of course I block). I would really want tips for those who are newly VF converts. I literally dont have any background on VF games and just became a fan recently. Thanks!

 

The best advice for any VF newbie who wants to get good at it is to go pick up a copy of VF 4 Evo for the playstaion 2. It will train you on the ins and out on how the VF system works. The only difference between the 2 are the addition of up or down pkg p or k, wall smash, and ground bounce. There are a few other technique differences but not many. Learning blocking, then learning combos, and finally throws will help you beat dural. On occasion after blocing a Dural combo go in with a throw or a combo, it is also good to learn throw escapes.

 

I would suggest looking up threads on movement especially one that I think Raul (wrong name?) from norcal posted up, very useful stuff.

Spacing and movement is really important in any fighting game and is something you can only truely practice with an opponent.

Learn your characters basic strong moves that make up their general poking and combo start, and set ups.

Actually before that, learn how to use jab and low jab (/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/p.gif , /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/d.gif/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/p.gif respectively)to set up advantage for bigger moves and to interrupt your opponent's moves.

Learn how to take advantage of when you are either at advantage or learn how to defend when you at disadvantage. Basic advantage strategy is a mid attack and a throw, and basic disadvantage strategy is to fuzzy guard or evade and input throw escapes.

Try to implement evading more into your game when you can as it makes this game sooo much faster.

Do practice throw escaping, either in quest, with friends, or in training/dojo mode.

TRY your best to find competition in the area or get people into the game. Playing the AI can mess with you, real people allow you to excercise your reactions and mind games. Not to mention being unable to play people at this game sucks, fighting games are meant to be played with people.

 

Thanks guys!

Actually the finding people part would be hard for me for now because I only have one willing VF player but he is not always available and I would probably whip him in a few days time.

BTW what is tech roll guys?

I appreciate the replies very much!

 

Fall recovery is inputting /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/p.gif+/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/k.gif+/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/g.gif right before your character lands on the ground (for example, after a throw or a mid air combo or whenever your character is falling to the ground). Pressing /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/d.gif+/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/p.gif+/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/k.gif+/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/g.gif or /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/u.gif+/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/p.gif+/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/k.gif+/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/g.gif instead will have you tech roll in different directions (fall recover in different directions).

It's used to get up quickly from a fall (very quickly) and to prevent taking damage from a fall. While at higher level play, sometimes it's better to just take the fall and not go for the tech roll, since you're a beginner, I suggest always doing a tech roll to practice your timing.

 

I find it helps to think about the game as kind of a 'your turn - my turn' type situation instead of a constant barrage of combo's.

You need to think about and react to what your opponent is doing, as much as build up a fluid range of attacks and combos etc.

Like doing a PPPK combo, if your opponent blocks the first P, not finishing the combo and blocking, in effect letting your opponent attack you, is a better option, even though you are giving up the initiative.

 

I find it's helpful to think of VF like chess...on speed.

It's still that "my turn - your turn" type of situation, except comparing it to chess exemplifies the amount of options and strategies one has available to them at any one given moment.

So it's the same as how you think of VF, except it's delivered in a nice analogy. /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/laugh.gif This particular analogy, I feel, clarifies what you're talking about in regards to options and strategies simply because chess also has many options and strategies. The "speed" part of the analogy should be obvious; VF is fast...much faster than chess.

Similarly, other fighting games are like checkers on speed.

(BTW, that sort of was/is someone's sig on VFDC; that's why you probably recognize it. =P )

 

Cool, Poppa, you used my old sig! Yeah, I think VF is like chess on speed because I crack my head open sometimes trying to come up with countermoves to my opponent's countermoves to my countermoves when I play chess and I get the same feeling when I play VF.

The biggest differences is the fact that you have more time to think of your next move in chess and the fact that the amount of options in chess are bigger than in VF.
Most good chess players try to think at least 8 moves ahead but for each one of those moves there are countermoves.
Therefore if I have 8 good moves and you have 8 good countermoves to my 8 moves, then I have 8 countermoves to your 8 countermoves then you would have 8 countermoves to my 8 counter-countermoves, etc. Multiply that times damn-near-infinity, lol.

JJCC, you could do the same thing in VF against your opponents by trying to anticipate what they're going to do next but since you will probably be playing move AI than human comp dont forget that the same tactics that work against the AI dont usually work against human opponents.
You should definitely get comfortable with the basics before you move to the more advanced techniques like that though.
Try adding a new tactic/technique every week. But dont forget the most important thing, have fun.
Oh yeah, other fighting games are like checkers, fun but mindless /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif

 

Alright. I'll write here once I'm able to beat Dural in NORMAL mode. I'm slowly getting the hang of this game and I'm liking it very much that's why I wanna raise my level and find competition here. Thanks guys.