This game leads me to despair

[Legacy Edge]

Im a lambda player, been into this game for 2 years always with the same charachter, which quite honestly i love. A lot.

I have been playing with friends since Extend came out (was vs bots on PSP before) always with awfull results, something like 5-40 or something, but it didn't really matter i always thought i would get better.

But not matter how long i played or how much i thought about it i could never improve. Well my combo execution improved, i can do quite a lot i believe in practise and my blocking also improved but when i got into an actual match vs real people i couldn't apply anything.When i watch the replays i can spot my mistakes, i know what i should have done but i can never do it because i loose my cool. I just can't think when the other guy dashes towards me i can't apply any of my knowledge and this in turn leads to dissapointment after the loss.

So after not improving at all and loosing to even more people (even to random people online that do nothing particular) and still getting destroyed 0-40 to the people i have been playing regularly with i started to avoid playing online alltogether, and even when my friend got me to play again i just got too dissapointed after a couple of loses which in turn turns to frustration.

Basically i practise and practise and practise and its just impossible to get any better, i feel i am exactly the same as i was 1,5 years ago when it cames to actual matches. So i just don't know if i am just able to play this game. Atm i don't even wanna try to go online, it feels like all of the work goes to waste.

I like the game and i love my charachter, i even just throw random combos at practise dummies because they look pretty, but when it comes to actual playing vs opponents i feel like i just wasn't born to do this.

I look everyday for Nu matches on the channels that upload arcade tournaments, and i enjoy them quite a lot, but when it comes to playing vs other people it has come to one huge dissapointment that i don't even wanna try to play.

It feels line no matter how much i try i could never be able to beat Ragnas that just charge and jesus kick me etc etc.

So is there any advice you guys have? Something to help me get past this bad mentality. I know i might be asking for a lot here but i am at a complete dead end and i really wanna try to fix this, just can't.

Apologies if this is not the place to ask for help with that stuff.

Thanks in advance

Edited May 26, 2013 by Legacy Edge

[Tong]

My advice? Find suitable opponents.

It's much more easier to spot mistakes on his and your gameplay this way. But *first* you must stop, and *think* about what makes you lose, what hits you, why you lose your health...

This works against any player, but there are times you aknowledge all that but can't do anything to counter, since the player is clearly superior and you're just getting outplayed/outskilled.

It seems the issue here is far from being bad execution, and has more to do with your mind and how to play against humans...

[Delrian]

As a terrible lambda player I feel your pain.

My advice would be to take a look at certain situations where the opponent takes you from neutral to pressure (ie. forces you to block), or actually hits you, then imitate that situation in training mode and see what your best answer against it is.

Sometimes the best answer will be blocking, but you also need to find ways to get out of blocking (backdash, barrier, instant blocking to a poke from abare, chicken blocking, -maybe- reversal super) and take it back to neutral where Lambda runs best.

[RurouniLoneWolf]

As far as bad mentality goes, I think the most important thing for you to do is to stop caring about winning and losing. The biggest problem with using winning and losing as a measure of your improvement is that it doesn't really properly reflect your growth as a player. Often times, people really will be improving a bit as they play but ultimately, they won't actually win more games than when they first started simply because they're still lacking in one or more areas or just because the other player was more skilled than them. In my opinion, it's much more important and rewarding to set smaller personal goals that you wish to meet in your matches. A good example of these goals would be landing a combo, block string or set up you've been practicing, successfully anti-airing a jump in, blocking a mix-up, etc. If you find you're having trouble reaching your goals, go back to training mode and reflect on what's going wrong.

However based on your post, I think your problem is simple. You don't know what to do in neutral. This is fine. This is to be expected when you're still learning. Right now, you see your opponent dashing in and immediately blank out because you don't know what you should do. Your best bet right now is to head on over to the Lambda forums and ask for advice specifically about her neutral game and controlling space. But, if you haven't already, you should first check out the 3 part video tutorial for lambda in the dustloop wiki. It's very detailed and it'll give you a better idea of how to best make use of Lambda's tools.

Well, I hope that helped a little.

[Dreize]

Don't just casually watch Nu matches, scout out competent Nu players and analyze how she/he is conveying herself/himself in neutral and jot things down accordingly.

Practicing against bots for executional purposes is fine and all but getting to play real people whether it be offline or online (preferably offline) helps a person develop a strong neutral game. Also, playing people who are similar in skill level is also a plus.

If I were you, I'd do this:

1. I'd have a few practical BnB's down pat.

2. I'd then take a look at my frame data in order to better understand my character (especially since the Dustloop BlazBlue wiki is quite neat & accessible).

3. I'd then attempt to create a few semi-decent blockstrings (you should at the very least have a rough of understanding of how to apply pressure with your character).

4. Lastly, I'd watch a busload of competent Nu play and adamantly take notes/observe and attempt to implement things I've seen into my play.

After that, going online and playing people is a solid option. Try new things. Build upon your neutral regularly while religiously watching Nu play.

When you start winning a bit, begin expanding on your reservoir of combos. Learn how to combo off of random hits, start to learn how other characters work in order to improve blocking/match-ups, keep expanding on your neutral, etc, etc.

[TD]

Find a way to relax before playing so your mind can open up. Loosen your limbs and take deep breaths. Some other things may come to mind for a deeper level of relaxation, for some people that may be meditating. For others it might be smoking weed. Whatever works for you.

Relaxing is important for the overall flow of the body, not just the mind. If you are not absolutely comfortable, you will not play at your best. Period. Your body will be distracted and focused on other things, and there will be some inner conflict causing some outer mistakes. A relaxed posture is very important.

Next, you need to set some goals in your matches. Since you have been playing a long time I won't really recommend small ones, but rather some tough ones. Stuff like, instant blocking 10 moves in a match on purpose, not jumping in a match, etc. something that is fun, yet tough. It doesn't have to be general, like blocking Rachel's j.a 5 times (or any overhead, really) is a plausible goal.

The benefits of goals is that you are actively tracking your progress. If you can reliably[\i] block, stuff, or otherwise counter the opponents options, then you have improved. Goals divide several fundamentals into sizable chunks for you to accomplish and put together each time you play. It's like learning a new skill and showing it off on the basketball court, now that you know how to do it, and the conditions needed, it's almost impossible to forget.

Ill refrain from saying things like practice combos, since you said you have that down. I will say that you must learn how to fight every character differently. As lambda, a matchup specific character, the only similar fact in every matchup is that you need to keep the foe away. 5d may work well on say, Jin, but how well does it work on tager, taoaka, and hazama? Matchup videos and online are what is going to help you here. See, net play has so much more diversity than offline in most cases, and with a good connection, there isn't anything wrong with using net play as your regular training grounds. match videos help polish your gameplan by showing you how the pros would handle that situation. So the next time you're lost on a matchup situation, look up your favorite player and see how they deal with the matchup.

Yeah, that's it. As a wrap up:

Relax.

Set a few goals.

Analyze matchups.

Frustration is a good sign, but you want to turn that into winning, and to do that, you need a little more dedication that you currently have. You can do it.

[Dark Ranger88]

1.)Post matches so we can see what you are doing, and hopefully give you advice. No one is going to judge you, because we all know how hard it is to jump into the fighting game genre. You have to get your ass kicked A LOT to become competent vs human players. Then you have to get your ass kicked EVEN MORE to actually become good or great.

2.) If I may ask. How many matches have you played online exactly? Also you should stop playing against the computer altogether and limit the amount of things you practice in training mode. There are some things, like blocking and neutral, that you MUST learn by playing against real people. IMO training is only good for practicing combos, blockstrings, and okizeme. Playing against the computer is actually detrimental your skills.

3.) You should get a sparring buddy, someone really good, someone who can talk to you and give you advice. Preferrably this would be a Lambda player, but anyone who is really good should suffice. I've had a few breakthroughs while playing 50+ matches with the same person over and over again. When you've found your sparring partner you shouldn't worry about winning or losing. You should worry about getting better. Also tell your sparring partner that you are trying to improve (and that these are not serious duels to the death), and make sure he is not a complete and total asshole. Getting your corpse beaten or purple grabbed after you lose can multiply the frustration of improving in this game to unbearable levels.

4.) Also you should think for a minute about what exactly you want to get out of this game. Do you love your character and simply like using her no matter what the game mode/opponent is? Do you love the story/art/style/discussion of BlazBlue and like posting on these forums? Or do you like the competitive aspect of the game and want to beat the shit out of people? Think about that. If you just like watching Lambda fight and think she's cool or beautiful, then the added frustration of playing online versus real people might not be neccessary. If you DO want to become competitive or competent at this game then stay the course and play against the best people you can. Fight them hundreds of times. Fight them thousands of times. Fight them until the game makes sense.

(Also, it is possible to like EVERYTHING about this game)

Edited May 26, 2013 by Dark Ranger88

[LeonD]

My solution: STOP BEING SO DETRIMENTAL!

I mean yesterday I played with Jin, my MAIN, and I kept loosing to a good Haku player 30-40 times and I don't give a shit.

I said to myself: practise makes perfect, and today: MY JIN WINS!

True story, bro.

Just keep practicing, and stop being detrimental like that, games are meant to be fun!

PS: I won... once XD but seriously, training worth it!

[YukiBlue]

I feel your pain.

When I hit a plateau in this game, I made an effort to save replays from all of my matches, both wins and losses. And I looked carefully at each one to find out where I went wrong / right.

"Did I need to throw those nails?"

"How could I have countered that?"

"Why didn't I counter assault?"

Stuff like that. Then I worked those problems into my game and hey presto. I got a lot better. I always watched footage of Dora, too, to find out what works with Bang and what doesn't, then I shamelessly 100% stole his strategy. Hey-ho victory!

[InWithTheAshes]

POSITIVE THINKING.

No, seriously, just thinking positively, while not a magical cure all, can help you keep dedicated and focus on whatever problems you have during the game better than you already do, and thus discover what you're doing more and correct it. If neutral is your problem, I'd just recommend you experiment with different things against other certain things (with help from your match videos) until you find something that works: If somebody is doing the same thing repeatedly against you, and it repeatedly keeps working, then I would say that your not doing things right as to avoid it.

[The Loli Otaku]

For a start, never play when you're frustrated. It will ruin your focus and you will not be able to play like you want to. Whenever you feel annoyed by the Hazama who grabbed you at every opening just head into your kitchen, pour yourself a cold drink and relax for a few minutes.

[Legacy Edge]

Thanks all for the advice

Biggest problem is that when i play vs other humans i feel really nervous. Its like taking the university entry exams all over again. I played for a while starcraft 2, had the same problem there. When practising things vs bots it was ok but when i went online my fingers froze. I didn't like that game much so i quit after a while but with BB i try to make it work, just always fail.

Most of the times i know what to do in Neutral, i just can't do it. When i watch my replay vs lets say a Jin and he jumps towards me i know that it would be wise to throw a 6A anti air, or go under him to the other side and throw a D when he lands, but i never do that. I always block or backdash. I say to myself "don't do that" or anything else but my finges always block or backdash on their own. I believe i almost never mash except when i get frustrated after been stuck in the corner after multiple losses. In almost all of my matches i end up only blocking blocking blocking and doing backdashes at wrong times, never attacking untill i finally die.

A friend told me i have many bad habits i developed because i play a lot with bots. I tried to avoid bots but after dissapointments online i just went vs them just to have some fun.

I don't know where the anxiety comes from, maybe inside me i believe my opponents while laught/flame at me if i fail.

2.) If I may ask. How many matches have you played online exactly?

1300 roughly. That was 4 months ago that i quit after dissapointmets.

[InWithTheAshes]

I would also advise you stop playing against those AI's. It does indeed tend to develop unfavourable habits and that probably won't help your aim much.

[Celerity]

A big problem I assume you are having is, you lose online and then just jump into the next match without thinking. You need to take some time and reflect on your losses. Whenever I play online, I keep a notebook of stuff I want to work on and look out for, and after I play 5-10 sets I'll go into training mode and look over my notes, practice those situations to get them into my reflexes. Even if it's something really, really simple like "I need to react faster when Valk jumps at me", watching your AA connect over and over against him will reinforce your instincts in that situation.

[Moy_X7]

The thing about playing a heavy zoning character is that you have to be confident in your ability to predict from what angle the opponent will rush at you and intercept them with the right tool. At this point, it seems that you're not very confident if you "freeze up".

My advice is to try and learn a sub so that you can get more familiar with how neutral works.

In the beginning of CT, I tried Nu out since I loved her character design and her black/pink palette. However, as I played more matches with her I realized that I wasn't meant to play a zoning character so I just turned to my sub, Jin, and eventually he became my main.

Some people are just not cut out to play certain characters, I know that I'm not cut out to play heavy zoners because I'm not all that confident about predicting my opponent's approach. I'd rather play characters with a balanced fighting style, Jin and Platinum are just perfect for me since they can fight fairly well up close and at a distance and have the defensive tools (Plat not as much) to deal with pressure as well.

[Legacy Edge]

I have been advised to try to sub another charachter in the past too in order to gain more experiance with zoning, tried Hakumen, Ragna, Mu, Hazama, they were all entertaining but eventually i started practising less and less in order to practise more lambda

I picked them all thought based on how much i liked the charachter from the storyline (except for Mu who i picked bcause i liked her...voice and SWORDS), maybe i should try all of them once again to find if there is someone i am naturally good at.

Though yea you are probably right and im not cut to play lambda.

[Moy_X7]

Yeah, give other characters a try and see if there's one that's just right for your fighting style. I'm probably going to end up dropping or subbing Yukiko in P4A since I seriously fail at zoning, I play her as aggressively as possible but that doesn't get me too far against people who know what their doing lol.

Different strokes for different folks

[susano]

I share your pain as well.

I never really cared about winning in the first place, but I would get frustrated every now and then when moves don't come out or I just black out against someone I know I can at least put up a good fight with. It happens to the best of us. I sometimes get discouraged because I do black out at times, and keep in mind its with characters I do know how to use. Then when that happens, I get frustrated. Then I lose more. Then I get even more frustrated. It's a vicious cycle when that happens.

I agree with InWiththeAshes. You have to remain positive, no matter what happens. Now, I tell myself that I can do it. One day I'll reach my goal but it will take time. You need that type of mentality. Right now, I'm playing Persona with probably one of the hardest characters to win matches with if you don't know what you're doing. I lose matches every now and then but this hasn't stopped me from using her, watching videos, hitting up training mode, and dealing with her hard matchups.

It's hard, and you may feel as if you can't compete with better players. I have been there, but I am slowly getting out of that mindset.

YOU CAN DO IT.

I'm not sure if you're on XBL or PSN but I can help you out with Lambda/be a sparring partner. I don't play as much but I still remember how to use Lambda.

Yeah, give other characters a try and see if there's one that's just right for your fighting style. I'm probably going to end up dropping or subbing Yukiko in P4A since I seriously fail at zoning, I play her as aggressively as possible but that doesn't get me too far against people who know what their doing lol.

Different strokes for different folks

Waaaaat? I liked your Yukiko.

Don't go to the darkside with Yu damnit.

although I am submaining him...^^;

Edited May 26, 2013 by susano

[Moy_X7]

Yu fits the "balanced" fighter archetype that I tend to end up maining but Chie has that godlike oki and rushdown. Yukiko is fun with the unblockables and Agi oki but at the end of the day, I'm just not cut out to play heavy zoning characters.

[susano]

Yu fits the "balanced" fighter archetype that I tend to end up maining but Chie has that godlike oki and rushdown. Yukiko is fun with the unblockables and Agi oki but at the end of the day, I'm just not cut out to play heavy zoning characters.

I see. I'm trying to find a balance atm.

[Legacy Edge]

I'm not sure if you're on XBL or PSN but I can help you out with Lambda/be a sparring partner. I don't play as much but I still remember how to use Lambda.

Thanks for the offer but im in eastern Europe and you seem to be from America (judging from your location) so i don't think it will be possible to play without tons of lag

Well i regained some confidence. I will try to take it easier (lets say going 1 step at a time, setting goals for each match, etc) and also finally find a sub for real, who knows maybe my interest for this game will increase even more with that.

Thanks again

[susano]

Thanks for the offer but im in eastern Europe and you seem to be from America (judging from your location) so i don't think it will be possible to play without tons of lag

Well i regained some confidence. I will try to take it easier (lets say going 1 step at a time, setting goals for each match, etc) and also finally find a sub for real, who knows maybe my interest for this game will increase even more with that.

Thanks again

Poo, that's a shame. Well I wish you good luck and np. I've been through it so I know how you feel.

[Antaiseito]

Hey,

i remember when i started playing Soulcalibur 4 online i sometimes tended to get really nervous when playing ranked. Later even more so, when i played people from ger-calibur, which i knew are very good. That could also lead to just blacking out sometimes, standing around just blocking the whole time and losing.

My personal solution would be to just play longer sets (10+ matches) against people i knew, or at least knew that i didn't bore them with my inferior skills back then xD

If you know that the other guy is having fun anyway you can focus on what you want to do, and also try "crazy" stuff, like not blocking and back-dashing but doing what you really feel is right. I felt that after 2-4 warm-up matches the nervousness subsides and you can just play...

This will carry over to fighting randoms after some getting used to.

I'm also from Europe, so if you're up for some matches or healthy longer sets just friend me! Possible on both consoles, though for xbox you could send a reminder here ^^"

Hazama and Lambda, though my Lambda-combos need more practice, but i think i can get the neutral game right at times

[Legacy Edge]

Thanks, i will add you later on PSN, my connection is not the best thought, hope we can play without lag