I'm Brand New To Fighting Games - Jin or Noel - Who will teach me more?

[liquidrain]

Hello, all! I recently got a copy of BBCP from my friend. Its my first fighting game, and from playing it (with what little knowledge I have so far), I really like it. BlazBlue is awesome. I have a problem, though. I have no idea how anything really works. I've gone through the tutorials and all that, but I feel as if that isn't enough. I want to pick an easy to intermediate character that will teach me how to play the game, how all the mechanics work, and so forth. I know that Jin and Noel are typically deemed as "easy" characters, so I figured I'd start with them. However, these characters, because they are easy, seem to have a stigma behind them that you shouldn't play them because they are so ridiculously easy, especially Noel. Do you think its worth learning a slightly harder character in order to not carry that stigma as a player?

 

Also, I've found a few things while playing: I like to pressure people, so I kinda like Taokaka with her agility and ability just to get in the opponent's face, I like how Kagura/Hazama have a stance where they can do a number of moves to fake out their opponents, and I need someone who can teach me the ropes. I feel like I'd play Hazama, but he seems so super hard!! Practically impossible. 

 

So I pose the question: Who is the best character in BBCP to teach a new player the ropes of anime fighting games? 

And if you had to choose between the two: Jin or Noel?

[BlackYakuzu94]

Ragna's even easier tho and moar rewarding :V

 

 

 

Ok real talk, I don't really know enough about Jin or Noel to say anything substantial, but if you're just starting out. I highly recommend you reconsider Ragna, as he's simple enough for any newcomer to understand and easy to get down. Jin or Noel offer this too, but if you really wanna get those basics down, any one of those three would suffice. Although, I feel you should lean a bit more towards Ragna or Jin. 

[liquidrain]

Thanks! I guess I should consider Ragna... I'll check him out tonight and see how I do.

[Ried]

Shoto that he is, Jin has everything you need all laid out in an easily comprehensible manner. He's about as solid and well-rounded as it gets.

In the same way that Street Fighter players might tell you to start with Ryu, beginning with Jin isn't a bad way to get familiar with BB, and fighting games in general.

Ragna would be fine too though; Noel maaayybe not as much, but if you're really determined to learn, you can jump into things with any character you want.

Actually liking the character tends to motivate you to stick to it and get better faster.

The 'easy' character stigma isn't worth paying any mind. Nobody should feel any inherent sense of superiority for picking a more obtusely designed character.

It's really hard to be a legitimately 'good' player of any character, but that's part of what makes fgs endlessly fun; even with the simplest characters, there's always room for improvement.

[Airk]

I think Noel is a terrible character for beginners, because she inspires a lot of really bad habits, mostly around mashing buttons under all circumstances.

Jin is perfectly fine - possibly even better than Ragna, as he's less likely to teach you to rely on certain things that won't work well as you get better (Lookin' at you, Gauntlet Hades!).  His DPs are also less good, so that makes for less of a crutch.

 

So yeah, totally play Jin. Or play whoever you like, really.  Just not Noel. Or Arakune, who is another character who basically doesn't play the same game as anyone else.

[TITANIUM BEAST!!!]

It's more important to pick a character you like than one who will "teach you more about the game". Especially if you like a character like Hazama, it makes no sense to learn a more orthodox character like Jin and then end up having to almost relearn the game when you switch to Hazama. This applies to characters like Noel and Arakune as well. True, you may learn some bad habits, but it makes more sense to learn the game from the perspective of the character you intend to play.

[Airk]

It's more important to pick a character you like than one who will "teach you more about the game". Especially if you like a character like Hazama, it makes no sense to learn a more orthodox character like Jin and then end up having to almost relearn the game when you switch to Hazama. This applies to characters like Noel and Arakune as well. True, you may learn some bad habits, but it makes more sense to learn the game from the perspective of the character you intend to play.

 

I don't entirely agree; Lots of stuff translates from "basic" characters to Hazama.   Sure, you have the added aspect of having to learn chains, but that's just that - added.  If you are looking to get better, faster, you're better off playing a character that teaches you stuff quicker, rather than distracting you with gimmicks.  Then, once you feel comfortable with the game, you can move to someone more complex.

 

Yes, some people don't have the patience for this.  Some people also don't get good at fighting games. (Note: These are not necessarily the same people.)

[TITANIUM BEAST!!!]

I don't agree either with the whole "get better faster by starting with a basic character", especially if you don't like the basic characters. I just haven't seen this tactic work out very well for people who have tried it. They usually just end up sticking with the "basic" character because that's what they got used to.

 

The idea that orthodox characters will teach you more about how to play the game just doesn't seem all that true to me. Most of the players I know who play complex characters started with that character or a similar one and that's just how they best understand the game.

[BlackYakuzu94]

I mean, its ultimately up to the person in question; there's no right answer to this, using the "basic" characters is just something generally recommended because it gives you a foundation to build off of. Like, when I first got into Blazblue and Guilty Gear, I went immediately to Hakumen and baiken respectively, but also dabbled some time into Ragna and Sol as well so I'd have a decent base. 

 

You don't necessarily have to use guys like Ragna or Jin to learn the game, but they are significantly easier to win with but get harder to use the better players you face, which would require you to think more outside the box. 

[Airk]

I don't agree either with the whole "get better faster by starting with a basic character", especially if you don't like the basic characters. I just haven't seen this tactic work out very well for people who have tried it. They usually just end up sticking with the "basic" character because that's what they got used to.

 

The idea that orthodox characters will teach you more about how to play the game just doesn't seem all that true to me. Most of the players I know who play complex characters started with that character or a similar one and that's just how they best understand the game.

 

I bet most players you know who started with complex characters didn't actually start playing fighting games with complex characters.

 

The fact is that this genre is insane complicated, and if you're an ACTUAL beginner (see thread title) you don't need to pile on EXTRA complexity while you're trying to learn spacing.

[TITANIUM BEAST!!!]

I bet most players you know who started with complex characters didn't actually start playing fighting games with complex characters.

 

The fact is that this genre is insane complicated, and if you're an ACTUAL beginner (see thread title) you don't need to pile on EXTRA complexity while you're trying to learn spacing.

 

We used to have a player who went by Zoogstin here in NC, and the entire time I knew this guy he played Zappa in GG and Carl in BB. The closest to "orthodox" he got was Faust.

 

The problem here is assuming that everyone learns the same way. There are players for whom the oddball characters just make "sense", and orthodox characters simply don't work for them.

[Airk]

We used to have a player who went by Zoogstin here in NC, and the entire time I knew this guy he played Zappa in GG and Carl in BB. The closest to "orthodox" he got was Faust.

 

and you knew him for his entire fighting game life?

 

I've never encountered anyone who said "I understood Carl immediately, but just couldn't wrap my head around Ragna!"

[DJ_Blactricity]

Just play who you like. You can learn the game with any character. Being simple or complex doesnt matter as long as you have fun. No matter who you decide to play your going to run into walls you have to climb or breakthrough. Try out multiple characters. It'll help you find out what you like in a character whether that be space control, good pressure/mixup, freedom of movement, varied toolset, damage, etc. Figure out who has the tools that meshes with your style of play.

[Hollysmoke]

I don't agree either with the whole "get better faster by starting with a basic character", especially if you don't like the basic characters. I just haven't seen this tactic work out very well for people who have tried it. They usually just end up sticking with the "basic" character because that's what they got used to.

 

The idea that orthodox characters will teach you more about how to play the game just doesn't seem all that true to me. Most of the players I know who play complex characters started with that character or a similar one and that's just how they best understand the game.

 

I am going to both agree and disagree with some of your points. I usually use simpler characters not to learn the character, but to learn the rules and system mechanics of a game. For a character like Sol, you can learn the essentials really quickly. You don't necessarily have to master the character, but you can understand how the reversal system works, the RC system works, the slash/blitzshield system depending on the game, etc. You get a feel for the speed and pacing of the game as well. At that point you can just pick a character that works for you within the confines of the game since you know how the game actually works. I played Sol for a few weeks just to feel out Xrd before going back to I-No and Axl. However, this falls into a point you also made about how people learn in different ways, to which I totally agree.

[TITANIUM BEAST!!!]

and you knew him for his entire fighting game life?

 

I've never encountered anyone who said "I understood Carl immediately, but just couldn't wrap my head around Ragna!"

 

Thus my point that not everyone learns the same way.

 

Note that I'm not totally discounting the idea of picking a more orthodox character to learn the rules of a game. Just that I think it's more important to pick a character you actually enjoy playing. Because if you hate Ragna or Jin, you won't learn much playing them, no matter how "basic" they are.

[Hollysmoke]

Thus my point that not everyone learns the same way.

 

Note that I'm not totally discounting the idea of picking a more orthodox character to learn the rules of a game. Just that I think it's more important to pick a character you actually enjoy playing. Because if you hate Ragna or Jin, you won't learn much playing them, no matter how "basic" they are.

 

I'll drink to that

[Airk]

Note that I'm not totally discounting the idea of picking a more orthodox character to learn the rules of a game. Just that I think it's more important to pick a character you actually enjoy playing. Because if you hate Ragna or Jin, you won't learn much playing them, no matter how "basic" they are.

 

Sure, but it's pretty clear the OP doesn't hate either of them.  Also, how do you know if you enjoy playing them until you've played them for a while? (Barring certain obvious things like "I don't like zoners" or "I can't play charge characters.")

[TD]

No one is wrong really. Play who you love the most, period. Well unless they are bad and you're the extremely competitive type. Might not want to pick bottom tier then, but anyway.

No one can deny playing who you love and slowly understanding them is very rewarding, frustrations aside. Playing a basic character is not a bad strategy but I think that is more in line with people who have experience with fg's and just want to be on board with the mechanics as fast as possible. Considering you OP are a completely new slate, progress between playing a beginner friendly character and who you like even if they are hard, -may- be affected negatively. Not to say it will, or it won't, but there is a higher chance because regardless of who you pick, you need to learn the game in its entirety at your level with no prior fg experience.

I think you should try both. Although I personally lean toward playing who you love, you yourself need to figure out how you want to do this. If you play a basic character, you might learn faster, then again you might not, and there isn't a huge reason to stay with the game if you end up not liking them down the line. You also have to learn your fav character from scratch if you do get good with ragna for example, which you may find to be frustrating.

Playing who you want if they are an advanced character, WILL frustrate you and might make you quit for a bit, but landing those combos or getting the gameplan down potentially amplifies the good feelings you would have doing so compared to doing a regular character's combos and stuff.

Either way you are going to need some support. Whoever you are interested in playing at the end, be sure to check the forum's character threads for videos, combos, and ideas. Ask questions, you will get the support you need. No question is too stupid for an answer - just make sure you look around before asking. No one likes repeating themselves ad infinitum.

[susano]

I agree with the others. Play who you enjoy the most.

[vrj_rrls_2015]

When in doubt pick the poster boy