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Renvalt

New to BlazBlue, FGs, these forums, PSN, and.... well, just about everything modern to gaming

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Having grown up with gaming, but not being skilled with it (to the point where I really balk on some stuff), I've really wanted to play an ArcSys game for some time, but I never could afford a PS3/360 to join the ranks of what I term "Present Day Gamers" (I call myself "Ancient History" for not having the latest and greatest console).

So now that I got it, I'm pretty much at odds. See, I've tried the game out, and... I just now get confused at all the stuff I have to learn. For the record, I've done the Tutorial - but only because I'd get yelled at if I didn't (I know a good amount of the stuff explained in there).

But my biggest problems are execution and blocking. The former is an easily explainable problem, but the latter.... I have the biggest headache trying to remedy this issue.

See, I'm like a bull when I play FGs. I'm not so much mashing, it's just that the word "defense" doesn't exist to me. It's either kill or be killed. So it's no surprise I'm getting my ass kicked in matches with semi-skilled players (we'll refer to them as Advanced Tier, because the super-pro players fall under Expert Tier), and even some Intermediate Tier matches (I actually start flaking in Arcade Mode at a certain point on Normal or higher).

I really can't understand how to remedy my lack of blocking, because usually if I *am* blocking, I'm in a corner, and I can't get out. So I often mash, which to me feels like I'm flailing about like a helpless, scared little boy (if we were to visualize this in a real world sort of mentality) - again, cue that raging bull-like instinct.

I really want to gain the moderation to overcome this and start winning, but I have no idea where the root of the problem lies. I cut the leaves (I started blocking more), I trimmed the branches (I started mashing less), but the damn parasite keeps growing back.

Another serious problem I have is a lack of dedicated friends to play BlazBlue with. See, not only am I pretty much a loner IRL, but this is the first console of this era (360/PS3/Wii/PSP/DS/etc.) that I've ever owned. So the console net communities have never met me, and it's like transferring to a new school in a foreign country - I'm seriously shy and trying so hard to find my group, but usually I balk and fall short.

Then there's the final problem - I have a chronic problem of constantly wiping my PS3 Hard Drive. I'm trying to solve that, but overall I'll have some trophy issues because it'll look like I've got something, but truly don't.

In the end, my message is this: I'm new to BlazBlue and want some friends to play with, because I'm from the ancient land of emulation and online RPGs, and I'm trying to fit in with the times. Will you hang out with me? (Corny I know, but I can't think of much else to say other than that).

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Hey there!

If you ever want to play with someone in a non-competitive environment, feel free to add me on PSN and send me a pm if you want to play!

I'm hardly spectacular but I think I have a decent grip on the game and would love to help someone else improve their game.

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Blocking more and mashing less is good. When someone has you stuck in a corner you should look and see if you can spot them using a move that has a lot of recovery, then throw out your fastest move (standing A usually works). Or use something with invincibility (a lot of characters' shoryuken type moves [forward, down, downforward]). Or burst, but you can only do that two times a game, so you have to use them wisely, and I prefer to use them in the middle of the enemy's combo rather than while blocking.

Look around in the Match Finder forum to see if there's a thread dedicated to the area near you. It may be scary to show up when you're not confident about your skill but playing offline with people is really the best way to learn, and most people will be nice about it and try to coach you.

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Well the first thing you wanna do is hit training mode and try to be a good as you can be, then when you feel good enough, (You should stay in training mode for about 3 years, joking* you should at least get used to a character, this can take a week to several months depending on your affinity and how much work you put in)

Then you play other people, either online or locally, and interact with your new rivals or whatever. Its all about getting better, and you can do that in several ways, but you wont get better unless you put in that effort, play or you wont improve at all.

You'll figure it out as you go along, you should be able to tell whos on your level and whos not, especially when you start off all new and what not.

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That's normal to be honest and how I started in this.

First thing you do is get knowledge. Since you can do some of the stuff already, expand your repetoire and use that training mode to practice combos.

Depending on your character, you should be able to find stuff with respect to them here. Look at the wiki, character forums, videos.

As for blockstrings, that comes with practice and knowledge.

Watch some videos and see what people do, the more you play the more instinctive you can be

Enjoy your stay!

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The basic rule of thumb for blocking is:

Always block low and react to overheads (And possibly tick throws)

It's a tried and tested system. But you ALWAYS need to watch for overheads, since people can use them first ect. It's worked for me since SSF2.

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My problem with blocking doesn't stem from position or what part of the stage I'm in - it's the fact that the mental command for "blocking" doesn't technically exist in my mental fabric. I have to pull it out frantically, like digging through a room filled with heaps upon heaps of books to find and catch a loose rat. Once I have the rat though, I have to struggle to keep him, otherwise I lose him and then the process begins all over again (with me losing any and all progress that I've obtained).

So my lack of blocking stems from mentally being unable to tell my body to "block". It's not say, knowing when and how to block, it's getting myself to even fall back and defend. I'm like, pure offense. To my brain, I won't win if I block, because if I have to block, then the match is already out of my hands.

Once I lose that momentum, it's seriously difficult to get it back. I was told "block more" but to me that said "you've already lost". It's more of a psychological battle than a technical one in this case. Especially where most of Ragna's combos are concerned.

For example, with 5B>5C>214A>214D, I usually whiff the 214D and it doesn't come out - and knowing that 214A is punishable, I reap the consequences of what I've done, leaving myself open like that. It gets even worse once you involve any combo concerning Inferno Divider. 623 motions have outright been chaos for me, no matter what setup I use (I sampled a stick, a pad, and a keyboard. While I have more successes on keyboard, it's not genuine - a fact I was told wouldn't work in the FG world).

I really believe I could be something, but those psychological hurdles are what are keeping me from excelling. If I can get past them, then I probably could get decent. Not great, not godly, but decent. That's all I want, really.

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Basically, when you lose momentum, the only option to gain it back is to accept that you're on the back foot for a bit and deal with it, blockstrings don't last forever. Also, if you're opponent realises you just push buttons all of the time, he's just beat you out with his frame advantage from oki and so many DPs. If you suddenly start blocking, there's a good chance he'll throw out some really punishable move, allowing you to restore momentum. Having to block is not a failure, you're only at a slight disadvantage when blocking most things. Heck, if you play Tager, blocking is a fact of life and your whole game centres around exploiting holes in their attacks. Playing against the CPU is bad for learning this, since the CPU can see when you're blocking and will always attempt to aim around it, and will seldom attempt blockstrings the way a human would.

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I understand the problem, getting defense into your head is difficult as Hell!!

Then I hit a particularly rough losing streak, and looking back on it i realized that I could have won if I had a more solid defense. I think that made defense become more important in my mind, so it was easier to find when I needed it. The other thing I did was watch Spark in EVO and how his defense was so solid, it's what got me thinking that defense can win matches (well it doesn't really win, but it makes it so you don't lose if that makes sense). Also, you said you play Ragna, so the instant there is a gap you can attempt an escape with Inferno Divider, just be careful of peole baiting it.

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I don't really *like* maining Ragna, I just do it because everyone (even the game) suggested it. I'd play Hakumen, Jin, or Makoto if I had to pick mains I like.

But of course, I usually judge my mains by how many challenges I can beat straight with them. The only two that have had that luxury is Ragna and Jin.

As far as staring at a character goes, Hakumen takes first places for looks. Playstyle? Not so sure. At the very least, he's decent to look at. Jin? Not so much.

Makoto looks like a Female Fighter clone furry from DFO, although with a more perky personality (and I like 'em perky) - so really, those are my choices. It's just... y'know, that DP motion gets me every time. It looks like I'm mashing, but my inputs aren't coming out when I intend them to.

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In laymans terms, it sounds like you just cant block, this is something many players have trouble with.

Well you know the rules, if you cant block, theres only one other option, DP to victory.

But your going to need to learn how to react to opponents, after a few matches you should be able to easily understand when something changes in their attack patterns, like a sudden pause, or they retreat knowing that their pressure has lost power, thats when you get in there and attack them.

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I don't really *like* maining Ragna, I just do it because everyone (even the game) suggested it. I'd play Hakumen, Jin, or Makoto if I had to pick mains I like.

But of course, I usually judge my mains by how many challenges I can beat straight with them. The only two that have had that luxury is Ragna and Jin.

As far as staring at a character goes, Hakumen takes first places for looks. Playstyle? Not so sure. At the very least, he's decent to look at. Jin? Not so much.

Makoto looks like a Female Fighter clone furry from DFO, although with a more perky personality (and I like 'em perky) - so really, those are my choices. It's just... y'know, that DP motion gets me every time. It looks like I'm mashing, but my inputs aren't coming out when I intend them to.

If you don't like to block, I seriously wouldn't recommend Hakumen, defense is very important to him, though he really does it well with his counter drive and the fact he can just sit building meter along with the meter gained from blocking, especially if you instant block. At least thats how I played CS2 Haku (doesn't own CSE).

Though if you play him, you might just be able to get blocking into your head as important, but I don't really know how that works.

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If you just like to block. Play Bang.

Seriously. If you're quick enough, you won't be blocking as much as other characters like Hakumen. Especially if you harness the power of 6D.

*But learning and mastering the 623 input is pretty much...Well. No. You need it without question.*

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When I pick characters, it's not the playstyle that gets me - it's how they look, visually. Since with BlazBlue I can more or less pick what song goes with what (even though SUSANOO rocks equally as well as the song I'd normally choose), it's a matter of how the game appeals to me on an aesthetic level.

I'm willing to make changes if I can play a character I like, just because my emotions are ruling my play at the moment (most notably anger - yet unlike some idiots I tend to be more silent fury, rather than cussing up a storm). I'm also not arrogant - but my emotional anger is that of a silent, murderous fury - it blinds me, it cuts off my voice (and my breath), and the only thing I think of is trashing and mauling whatever it is that's causing me such fury - and pain.

In this respect, I'm a wounded beast - if I'm gonna die anyways, I'll at least rip off a leg in the process (figuratively speaking). That's how I think when I'm playing FGs.

Stupid, I know - but it's the truth. Not one I like, but I don't really know how else to deal with it.

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When I pick characters, it's not the playstyle that gets me - it's how they look, visually. Since with BlazBlue I can more or less pick what song goes with what (even though SUSANOO rocks equally as well as the song I'd normally choose), it's a matter of how the game appeals to me on an aesthetic level.

I'm willing to make changes if I can play a character I like, just because my emotions are ruling my play at the moment (most notably anger - yet unlike some idiots I tend to be more silent fury, rather than cussing up a storm). I'm also not arrogant - but my emotional anger is that of a silent, murderous fury - it blinds me, it cuts off my voice (and my breath), and the only thing I think of is trashing and mauling whatever it is that's causing me such fury - and pain.

In this respect, I'm a wounded beast - if I'm gonna die anyways, I'll at least rip off a leg in the process (figuratively speaking). That's how I think when I'm playing FGs.

Stupid, I know - but it's the truth. Not one I like, but I don't really know how else to deal with it.

That's a good way to pick characters, I myself am obsessed with ninja so I usually play ninja characters (except Chipp because he's impossibe on my PSP d-pad, Sol I can at least play, and surprisingly I can 8 hit grand viper.)

If you really want to, you'll find that Hakumen is a very fun character, and maybe knowing that he actually stands to gain from defense will help you feel less helpless while blocking. than and a single well timed press of the D button can save your butt.

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A match is like a flow between both players. You exchange offense and defense, there's nothing wrong by definition of being on defense. You just have to wait until it's your turn to attack again, basically.

What you should do is spend a few matches deliberately trying to block things, and not worry about winning or losing. After a while it should become easier to see what's coming and deal with it.

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Blocking exercise #1: Go to training mode. Set health to "Normal" and the training dummy to 'level' 100.

Push no buttons. See how long you can last with JUST BLOCKING. Repeat.

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Blocking exercise #1: Go to training mode. Set health to "Normal" and the training dummy to 'level' 100.

Push no buttons. See how long you can last with JUST BLOCKING. Repeat.

Trust me when I say this works, I did it with Fuurinkazan Bang.

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As far as character choice, just pick the one you have the most fun with. You can and will EVENTUALLY be able to do all the moves, and the combos, and all of that with anyone given you work at it. You can train skill, you can not train yourself to find someone fun and interesting if you dont find them fun and interesting (There are exceptions, but thats a general rule I tell everyone). I personally pick characters with certain moves that i like doing (like actually LIKE doing, like sol's sidewinder, platinums 5a, lambda 236c, anything with wall bounce, anything that makes the screen shake. all these are things I just enjoy, couldnt explain why.) or if I like the look or something silly like that. Not whether they *would* fit my playstyle the best.... not that its the easiest to pick up. You need to have investment, or you wont want to learn or play. Dont fall into the trap of playing an easy character..... play the guy you WANT to play... its better for you in the end.

The blocking thing.... maybe its a mental thing that you need to get past. Not so much the know how, or anything, but the reason you would block. If it makes more sense.... you might value it as an action more often.

Lets try that.

If you are new, maybe you don't know what your opponent can do. If you run at them, smash buttons, take guesses..... you might do something... but you might get blown up. Blocking is safe. Only ways to get hit while you block is to not block.... get thrown (universal in some capacity) or eat an unblockable (rare, but easy to learn and avoid). In a game that the goal is win.... playing safe usually yields better results... especially against better players.

If you can block everything, then it becomes less a guess of "Man, the fuck do i do that will be beat what he does" and it becomes "Okay, im blocking.... ill just wait until i see one of these x number of moves. I know how to beat THOSE moves. I'll just wait until then." Its simple, though it takes a lot of practice to block well enough where that strategy works.

Same reason if you watch football, a quarterback in a shitty situation will throw it away, rather than risk a bad pass that might get intercepted. Risk vs reward. Other analogies would be in a first person shooter (You got a machine gun vs a sniper.... you can run right at him, and hope he doesnt kill you first... or you can be patient and see if he moves away from his advantage into yours.) or a strategy game (most strategies in RTS are 'I can deal with all these options, but i have trouble vs strategy x y z. I am fine if he does anything else.' Limited set of options you have trouble with vs larger set of things you can wont have an issue with. This kind of goal is easier to do on the defensive, since you have more time to set up, and more time to make your army bigger) or poker even (i have a shitty hand. fold and dont lose anything/very little... or stay in a hand, hope my shitty hand lucks out, but risk losing a lot more).

TL:DR

Play who you like, you can learn everyone given enough time.

Blocking is the safe option, better risk/reward than doing random shit and crossing your fingers. If you wanna win, playing safe is better usually.

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Also. You need to understand that every single character can win. I don't feel like any character really sucks this time. Of course a typical Ragna player will still walk on a typical Tsubaki player. But if you become better, your character does too. Don't feel the need to pick someone because they're good.

I did in CS1 :(

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Not familiar with the game on a CT/CS1/CS2 level. Hell, I'm hardly familiar with it on an Extend level, I just got the game (and by extension the PS3) last month on the 23rd (birthday present, wouldn't be able to play and wouldn't be here otherwise). Also, I'm heavily more familiar with the keyboard control style, since most of my gaming days were done via keyboard. Switching to pad's been somewhat easy, but.... it's not flawless, can say that right now.

Also, when feeling helpless on defense, it's because A)I realize I suck enough to get into that position, B)it was on a character whose playstyle was built on offense (at least as far as I know, and I know next to nothing), and C)I knew full well from previous FG experiences that if a pro gets you in the corner, your only option as a total noob is surrender.

Because I haven't fought anyone at my level, it gives me this.... well.... degradation. This sense of fear and of demoralization.

Some people have told me to study and train in practice mode, but I didn't buy this stuff to just sit alone by myself and continue to be a loner, goddammit! Gaming's all I know, the old crones 'round here don't like me for that, and it means I've got no one. If I'm gonna learn, I'll learn on the go. But not with the pros constantly kicking my ass out the gate (though I humorously - and pathetically - keep trying to storm the gate).

EDIT - I want to thank the snuffy squirrel who recommended that training mode variant. I'll try it out when I hook up my PS3 again.

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Also, when feeling helpless on defense, it's because A)I realize I suck enough to get into that position, B)it was on a character whose playstyle was built on offense (at least as far as I know, and I know next to nothing), and C)I knew full well from previous FG experiences that if a pro gets you in the corner, your only option as a total noob is surrender.

I think you need to stop making bad assumptions.

A) Blocking does not mean you "suck" for getting into that position. Believe it or not, blocking is almost always better than the alternative (namely, getting hit). Even in completely uneven matches where you are much better than your opponent, you're probably going to want to block a few times during the match. That's part of being better than your opponent, because you are blocking and they are not.

B) Ragna has some of the strongest defense in the game thanks to his ridiculous DP, so don't go out assuming that now you're doomed because your character is "based on offense" whatever that means. It's not as if there are any characters in the game that somehow win without attacking.

C) ...

Honestly. You NEED to stop putting yourself down so much and mentally giving the game away. You're even doing it IN THIS THREAD when you're NOT EVEN PLAYING. Just. Stop.

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Does your "previous FG experience" involve MUGEN or something? Honestly in any decent fighting game, and even the majority of bad fighting games, no offense is impenetrable. Be patient, and wait for your opponent to make a mistake. If they won't make a mistake on their own, force a mistake. Instant block, throw in a reversal, do something with invulnerability, hell even just burst. This whole "waah, I suck, but I wanna learn as I go" mentality isn't going to do you any favors, or win you any friends.

Just go online and mash for a bit. I mean seriously mash buttons at all times. Marvel at the silly shit Ragna (and really any character) can get away with. If that doesn't build your confidence, sell the game now while it's still worth something.

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Winning mentally is half the battle (if that makes any sense).

Losing hope halfway through a match is probably the worst thing you can do.

I know that you have said that you didn't buy this to "sit alone by yourself" but you should seriously hit Challenge mode, if you haven't, and training mode. Not ALL the time mind you, but it's good for getting better at your inputs, combos, and blocking.

You'll probably get the best experience and improvement from playing online though.... I'm sure there are some people around here with PSN who would be more than glad to throw down with you.

I'd play a few matches with you but I don't have PSN.

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Does your "previous FG experience" involve MUGEN or something? Honestly in any decent fighting game, and even the majority of bad fighting games, no offense is impenetrable. Be patient, and wait for your opponent to make a mistake. If they won't make a mistake on their own, force a mistake. Instant block, throw in a reversal, do something with invulnerability, hell even just burst. This whole "waah, I suck, but I wanna learn as I go" mentality isn't going to do you any favors, or win you any friends.

Just go online and mash for a bit. I mean seriously mash buttons at all times. Marvel at the silly shit Ragna (and really any character) can get away with. If that doesn't build your confidence, sell the game now while it's still worth something.

Some of it; most else involves single-player Easiest CPU difficulty spamming. As you said, it's a battle of mental wit. Now I'm not saying I don't win every now and then (indeed, since playing Hakumen I can maintain at least 45~55 PSR with him). The problem comes when you have players who have like 500+ Top PSR steamrolling you. Granted, I do *try*, because miracles CAN happen. It's just that once I lose, that bitterness comes in. I try to swallow it, mostly because I'm not the kind of guy who wants to be "THAT guy". And believe it or not, I'm not super-duper mashy; with Hakumen usually I can notice a pattern and assuming it's not a cheap spam shot and I can get out of it, I can usually figure out how to break their momentum.

Indeed, right now my current "playstyle" (if you can call it that) is using Hakumen's range and power with various B and C movements, 214A and 236B, and then of course, if I have a free shot and I feel like it's gonna hit, I use 632146C (what I term "Shirafune Ougi" since I can't be assed to remember the real name, and that's easier to remember).

As for challenge mode, I have Hakumen at 33%, Ragna/Jin/Lambda/Noel at 23%, and pretty much everyone else except Tager at 13% (Meaning Hakumen has 5 Completes, Ragna/Jin/Lambda/Noel have 4, Tager has 1, and everyone else has 2 - with the exception of Makoto, Valk, and Platinum).

Oh yes, need I mention how much I *HATE* fighting Mahou Shoujo Sankishin Platinum? Seriously, if I fight her on someone who's the king of using her, I'd feel the desire to ragequit (but I wouldn't - my pride commands me to see a fight through to the end, even if it pisses me off like hell).

EDIT - To point out how I usually can retain a sense of urgency and caution: I was fighting a Rachel not too long ago, and they were spamming Gii's Energy Rods (AKA the rods that channel sword Iris, I forget what they're ACTUALLY called) - I knew if I left that corner it was gonna be game set match because they were planted to bait me out. What I intended to do was clinch it with Shirafune Ougi, but I couldn't get the motion out. The button was okay, but that HCB+F motion was just NOT listening to me. Eventually, they stopped once they realized I wasn't gonna leave the corner and they won because of a simple mis-press.

My point is that it's not because I'm not trying, I just happen to feel the sting of losing far harder than anyone else. But at the very least I swallow my anger and take it like a man (or try to, at least).

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