KCMmmmm

@ Sharakonta What would you think of removing Hazama entirely from the artwork, making the background gradiate from black on his side to green towards the right side/corner, and putting a plexiglass engraved with the Hazama image over the black section? Something like this: If you decide to go that route, that was made by the same guy from whom I ordered my plexi and art cuts at http://www.tek-innovations.com/arthobbies/. Shipping is slow but he's legit.

Ok, so it isn't BlazBlue or Guilty Gear related, but when I sat and thought about what represented me well as a gamer, this is what I decided on. Of course, Ammy is confirmed for MVC3, so this carries the added benefit of supporting that game (BB will remain my prime fighting game). Specs: HRAP3 for PS3 with original Sanwa stick and square gate, replaced original Hori buttons with Sanwa snap ins (and two screw-ins for start/select buttons). Using plexiglass, not lami-label. Just finished it today!

A lot has been said already, and it's all great advice. I'd just like to add a few things. First, you definitely need to block more. Tager has the highest health in the game for a reason: he was designed to be beat up. You can take more hits than any other character in the game, so don't be afraid if you fail to read a high/low mixup. Also, take into account the character you're playing against. A character like Ragna or Makoto needs to get close to deal real damage to you, so in that situation you might consider waiting for them to approach, and punish them for doing it. If Makoto is turtling, spaming projectiles, then sit and block them, or voltic charge. Having more health gives you the right to turtle and waste the clock, a viable strategy against those afraid to approach Tager. This will force them to move in. Zoning characters like Lambda and Rachel will require you to move in, however your sledge will be more effective than against non-zoners like Makoto. Throw out spark bolt. It's debatably the best projectile in the game; it comes out of nowhere, hits full screen, is extremely difficult to punish, magnetizes even on block, and absorbs other projectiles. Too bad you don't get a lot of them. So watch that little yellow meter at the bottom of the screen. Try not to be to predictable with it. And bursting out of an opponents larger combos is a great tool, especially for Tager whose large primer count makes up for it.

That video is remarkable simply because of the incredibly epic trolling going on.

How late do the casual game nights on Friday and Saturday usually run? I usually get off at work around 7:00 on Sat and I'll definitely come by if it's still going on.

This is somewhat off topic, but rather than create a new topic for a single question, I'll post it here. Is there a reason that the online record of Score Attack scores only displays version 1.00? I swear I uploaded my score with 1.01, but it seems to have been removed, despite being considerably higher than the current lowest score. Is only version 1.00 allowed for competitive ranks?

My second favorite feeling in a BB match against a player is just barely losing; the thought that I could have won, if I hadn't made THESE mistakes. It's matches like those that keep me improving, and keep me playing. This feeling is just beneath the delight of just barely winning an extremely close match. Nothing in BB beats getting to the third round with a worthy opponent, both bursting at 5-10% HP left, and walking away with the win, only to have them challenge me again for another close match that could end up in their favor. Finally, I'd rather get my ass handed to me than destroy my opponent. There's nothing I can learn from an easy win. Edit: Oh, and yeah, Ragna main in CT is a safe bet since he's just about the same in CS.

I didn't mean to imply that a CPU will help you improve against players. I really only meant to use it as a warm up, and a sort of "mood checker" before going online. Real improvement can only be gained from fighting other players. On the other hand, basics can be learned and practiced at the CPU level; if you can't beat the hell mode CPU (or, better yet, clear up to the unlimited characters in Score Attack mode), you will hardly stand a chance against a player. After a certain point, however, it becomes necessary to move on. CPU is designed to help you learn, but after a very early stage, your growth will discontinue.

Warm up in Arcade or Score Attack before going online. Make sure you're on the top of your game before you try to compete against other players. If you're losing and getting frustrated fighting the AI, then don't bother going online - it's only going to frustrate you more. The wins against the AI will help to counteract your losses online as well. Wait until you're in a decent mood to even start playing online. In terms of how to deal with the losing streaks, everyone finds a different way to handle it. Simply quitting for the night (or even a few hours) once frustration sets in is a good idea. A better idea for you, especially since you consider yourself a casual player, would be to spend more time in Player Matches than Ranked. Plug in a mic, and just have a conversation with the people beating you. The conversation will relax your mind about the game, and most players will give you tips on how to improve. If you really want to stop losing...pick a main, and practice. Stay calm in your matches, and avoid players with poor connections to yourself; nothing is worse than losing to a poor player because heavy lag causes you to drop the game.

Anybody find one closer to (or preferably IN) Las Vegas?