Fairly new and having a few issues

[Khaine]

Alright so I've messed around with Soul Calibur 2, 3, and 4 in the distant past but never really played them much, and don't have any experience with other fighters. I just recently got 5 and am actually very interested in it now and looking to play it pretty extensively, but I've run into a few annoyances. I'm not sure if it's just me being slow or if there are mechanics I'm just not understanding. Also, note that as of right now I have only played against the AI; I want to learn a bit before I do any online play. The character I am playing is Tira.

• It seems that when I activate critical edge when my opponent is on the ground or not guarding, many times they still somehow get into guard state once the move actually goes off, but I have tried guarding after the fact when they use critical edge on me and it doesn't appear that I can do so. Though to be fair, most of the time they use it on me I'm still in the air and I haven't been able to use it on them that quickly.

• Many times I notice that I'll start an attack (even just a simple quick A or B attack) and then my opponent will start an attack after it seems like I'm close to halfway done already and I will be the one that gets nailed. I'll sit there blocking a chain of attacks and then when I have an apparent opening I'll start to attack and then eat another chain. I just fought against Setsuka style in quick battle and I just couldn't seem to do anything at all. It was chain after chain with no openings whatsoever. I just don't understand. Attacks seem far to fast for me to me able to switch between standing and crouching guard in a split second and if I miss one then I get utterly destroyed. Going up against Kilik in legendary souls felt the same way.

• Tying into the above, is it not possible to guard after you have gotten hit with the beginning of a chain? I've lost massive chunks of health because I just lose control over my character for a long period of time. Fighting nightmare can get especially bad in this respect. I swear the guy hits super hard and attacks super fast. But maybe I just need to get used to each character's attacks.

Sorry if I come across as whining, I'm just a little bit frustrated at the moment. I assume that mainly I just need to play more and eventually I'll naturally get the hang of things, but right now I just can't see it.

 

[IdleMind]

Alright so I've messed around with Soul Calibur 2, 3, and 4 in the distant past but never really played them much, and don't have any experience with other fighters. I just recently got 5 and am actually very interested in it now and looking to play it pretty extensively, but I've run into a few annoyances. I'm not sure if it's just me being slow or if there are mechanics I'm just not understanding. Also, note that as of right now I have only played against the AI; I want to learn a bit before I do any online play. The character I am playing is Tira.

Greetings, Khaine. I'll see if I can help you out by answering your questions. I've been a tournament level player at the game since SC1, so hopefully I can get you the info you need, without using too many genre-specific terms.

• It seems that when I activate critical edge when my opponent is on the ground or not guarding, many times they still somehow get into guard state once the move actually goes off, but I have tried guarding after the fact when they use critical edge on me and it doesn't appear that I can do so. Though to be fair, most of the time they use it on me I'm still in the air and I haven't been able to use it on them that quickly.

Critical Edges have startup time to them, even if it looks like they really don't. How fast someone rises off the ground also depends on what is used to knock them down; too. This means that a Critical Edge cannot combo off of every knockdown, only specific ones, or in juggles. As a general rule of thumb, the longer someone has been lying still on the ground, the faster they will get up.

• Many times I notice that I'll start an attack (even just a simple quick A or B attack) and then my opponent will start an attack after it seems like I'm close to halfway done already and I will be the one that gets nailed. I'll sit there blocking a chain of attacks and then when I have an apparent opening I'll start to attack and then eat another chain. I just fought against Setsuka style in quick battle and I just couldn't seem to do anything at all. It was chain after chain with no openings whatsoever. I just don't understand. Attacks seem far to fast for me to me able to switch between standing and crouching guard in a split second and if I miss one then I get utterly destroyed. Going up against Kilik in legendary souls felt the same way.

Some moves have built in evasive properties to them. Simple A's hit high, so moves which have crouching properties can avoid them, and simple B's hit mid and are linear, so they can be evaded with moves which have stepping properties to them as well. As to the idea of blocking and then being interrupted, this video should help explain the concept of "frames" which is how attack speeds interact: https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL11A8FECECB7C2030&v=-YLtTcaCpBg&feature=player_detailpage

• Tying into the above, is it not possible to guard after you have gotten hit with the beginning of a chain? I've lost massive chunks of health because I just lose control over my character for a long period of time. Fighting nightmare can get especially bad in this respect. I swear the guy hits super hard and attacks super fast. But maybe I just need to get used to each character's attacks.

A bit of terminology here: A String is a series of hits which the moves come right after one another naturally, as part of the same move. A Combo is a series of moves, such that, if the first hit lands, the subsequent hits cannot be blocked.

Strings come in two varieties: NC and NCc, which stand for "Natural Combo" and "Natural Combo on Counter Hit"

In a Natural Combo, the first hit lands and the subsequent hits are always going to hit, a simple example would be Tira's AA or BB strings.

In a Natural Combo (Counterhit), the first hit has to land on Counter-Hit, aka interrupt you moving or doing a move of your own, in order for the entire string to land. A good example is Tira's 6AB.

Sorry if I come across as whining, I'm just a little bit frustrated at the moment. I assume that mainly I just need to play more and eventually I'll naturally get the hang of things, but right now I just can't see it.

It's quite a bit of information to take in, don't be frustrated. It comes with practice and study, like any other skill.
Best of luck!

 

[Neo_Remirez]

Idle you didn't make that comment just from me in chat did you? But solid advice, you forgot to direct him to the soul arenas to learn characters.

 

[Khaine]

Thanks for the advice, Idle, exactly what I was looking for. That video was absolutely fantastic in helping me understand what was happening with attack speeds. The rest makes perfect sense as well. I'll definitely have to put more thought into the attacks I'm using.

And I'm checking the Tira forum out right now, Neo. I'll enjoy having the frame data up on my second monitor while I'm playing.

 

[Pocky-Yoshi]

Since Idle got you covered, the only thing I can say is hope to see you around. Ask for more help when stuck.