Coming from SSF4AE - need help with mechanics

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If you want to know what every attack looks like then seeing every attack for yourself is a pretty good way of doing that. One of the best, in fact.

If you want to be able to block every attack in the game on reaction without having seen any of them before then I guess you could find a way to artificially boost the human nervous system so that your reaction time can be improved to the point where that's viable.

Or you could just play the game for a few hours and eventually learn to recognize most moves done by most characters, like people have been doing in every fighting game since the dawn of time.

If you're so violently apposed to actually learning the game then learn the players instead. Apply yourself to recognizing mixups instead of exact attacks. What would your opponent do in this situation? A mid? A low? How are you responding to their attacks? Are you stepping a lot? Are they going to throw out a horizontal? Are you blocking too much? Do they want to throw you? Many players in many situations will be thinking along the lines of mid/low/throw and horizontal/vertical more than just string A/string B. As long as you can block slow lows on reaction and break most throws then you'll do well enough once you figure out the movement.

 

[Zidiane]

In the few other fighting games I've played, combos had a rythm. If they stop for a period of time that was longer than the beat of that rythm, that means it's not a combo anymore and you can either begin your counter attack or block. You didn't have to go and learn what every move looked like and be able to recognize it instantly. What I am asking is not "Is there some way I can avoid learning the game", but "Do combos have a rythm I can adjust myself to so I can enjoyy the game without being frustrated because I thought their attack was finished." I've had about 200 matches, a 35% win ratio, and I can't find any rythm. Is there something like that, or do I have to learn everything in the game? That I can't find a rythm (combined with my inability to sidestep) is ruining my defense, so am I just missing it, or does it not exist?

 

[Zidiane]

I know how to play mind games. I know how to watch my opponent. I know when my opponent falls into a pattern. I've been playing online for quite a while, but getting hit by something I know I should be blocking throws me off, and ruins the entire round. and it happens every other round.

 

[JCBarber]

If you are good at other fighters why don't you use the parry system to gain frame advantage? I mean, it seems to me like you can play SC5 in many different styles.

 

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You are typing words and that's about it. Your points are nonsensical so it's difficult to give advice.

Combos have the exact same rhythm in Soulcalibur as they do in every other fighting game. If you're getting hit by one and it's actually a combo you can't do anything. That's why it's a combo. That's the definition of combo.

For attack strings, or canned combos, you're going to need to learn them. That's all there is to it. How you expect to be able to deal with attacks without learning them is beyond the scope of any fighting game thread.

You didn't have to go and learn what every move looked like and be able to recognize it instantly.

So you instantly recognize moves in other fighting games without ever having seen them before? Good for you.

Do you expect to be able to block crossups without knowing which attacks cross up? Do you expect to never fall for a frame trap without knowing which moves give enough frame advantage to cause one? Do you expect to escape block strings and tick throw attempts without even knowing what a character's block strings are?

I've been playing online for quite a while, but getting hit by something I know I should be blocking throws me off, and ruins the entire round. and it happens every other round.

Except somehow you also get hit by moves you know you should be blocking? How do you know you should be blocking them? Because you know how to block them? Or because you know that a normal player would be able to block them? Because they're really slow and obvious? Because your opponent is telegraphing them like it's 1875? If you should be able to block them then why aren't you? And whose fault is it?

If you've played 200 matches and still don't recognize basic strings for even a few characters then maybe you should trade the game in. If you recognize them for some characters but not others then congratulations, you're making progress and if you keep at it you'll keep getting better.

How you choose to respond to the strings once you recognize them is up to you. The rule is not step everything all of the time. Step is really unsafe. You step things when it's appropriate to step them. You block things when it's appropriate to block them. You duck things when you should be doing that. And so on.[/QUOTE]