Combo help

Hey im new to VF just started w/ 4. The only other fighting games i play are Street fighter and Tekken (im sorry about the tekken ill never to it again.) But i usually just smashed the controles and sucked.

Then i got VF4 and my life was changed i saw the depth of it, how cool it is and the compleatly diffrent playing styles for the diffrent characters.

My question is can any of you guys give me hints on how to build good combos. I have tried but they all suck and get reversed or just guarded by the comps and other people. I got to 8th dan by cheesing my way threw and have a record of 213 wins and 4 losses by doing the same thing over and over again. I really want to get good at this game because its so interesting. I would appreciate any help you guys could give.

 

The best thing I would suggest after learning the moves is to do the trial training. Go through it to learn most of the concepts of the game; learn the mechanics, what some moves would do if they hit normal, if they hit on Major Counter (MC). Look at the movelists here in the site and look under the notes columns for any move, and then try it on training to see what the meaning is. For example, you see a move that says " Head Crumble " under notes, so you can try it in free training and see what it does and think of how you can use that to your advantage.

Also, search the board here for information regarding specific characters and how to use them effectively. Almost anything you can think of to ask has been answered here before, so be patient and search.. /versus/images/icons/smile.gif

Finally, don't fall into the "Akira Trap" !!! Hehe, I am not suggesting to stay away from Akira or anything, but he is one of the charecters that have cool-looking-yet-hard-to-do-moves, and being able to do those moves doesn't necessarily means one is a great player. Pick any charecter you like, but focus on the strategies that will help you win, and not just doing the moves over and over.

 

Thanks. I started as Jacky because of the easy combos he had and soon grew bored because there wasent anything very intresting to do with him.

So then i changed to Vanessa after reading her very long thread about her in the Vanessa discusions. I did her command training and liked the moves she had so i want to use her. I think it would be easier to use her because she has the 2 diffrent stances wich would help me with plans against certain characters.

I also finished her trial training and found it helpfull but it didnt really help with my combo creation problem. I found myself using the same moves and bad combos like p,p,p,k or just using a move without following up with anything.

I have looked but havent found any real usefull faq's that show what certain moves do. Spotlights Vanessa in general helped alot and i posted my cheese move there if you want to see. But nothing else is really helpfull for me.

Maybe you could give me acouple of easy combos for me that could help me see how to use her. Also some of her strengths and weaknesses so i could see what to focus on.
Thanks again!

 

It sounds like you're doing very well so far. It's important to remember that you're just starting to learn Virtua Fighter, while most of the veterans on this board have been playing for years. There is a definite learning curve, and even with VF4's excellent training and trial modes, it will take you a long time to come to grips with everything.

First thing to do, of course, is to learn the moves your fighter can do. It's okay for a beginner to punch out PPK's or PPPK's, that's cool. The trick is to learn the canned moves, and then learn how to string things together and improvise. Be sure to learn the basics, like minor/major counters, differences in weight (lighter characters float higher), quick dashing, 8-way movement, and blocking (you'd be surprised how long it takes someone to learn blocking).

Another crucial thing to do, obviously, is to play with some friends. The computer is good to a point, but VF is made to be played with people and all the wonderful mindgames that follow. And go to the arcades, while yer at it; you'll find plenty of other people to learn from.

Finally, I would suggest checking the VF3 sections on VFDC. There's plenty of combo FAQs and guides on all the old fighters. If nothing else, it gives you some different ideas to bat around and practice with. And I guess it would help if you describe what moves/combos you're using. Hope that helps.

 

To make basic combos:
if the opponent floats high into the air after you do a big move, a typical combo is do one punch (or two or three punches depending on how high they are) then end in a big move, ideally one that's fast and hits low to the ground.

If an attack causes the opponent to slowly crumple to the floor, or slams them onto their back so that their legs kick up, you can usually start hitting them. For example (crumple or slam) ---> low punch ---> big move.

Easiest way to learn combos is with lau or aoi or someone else with PPPK or PPPd+K type combos. You can get a sense of what floats are good enough for you to stick punches in the middle, which floats are too low for punches (so try low punches instead) and which floats are too low to use anything at all except maybe a move that scrapes ppl off the floor.

 

"""I started as Jacky because of the easy combos he had and soon grew bored because there wasent anything very intresting to do with him. """


Just an area I would like to talk abt...seems like many newbies on the board have 'fixed views' abt Jacky.(I am not here to defend Jacky....as far as I'm concerned, everyone's entitled to their own views...which I might not agree..but I MUST accept. I'm only using Jacky as an example)

Views about Jacky.

A)cheap
This is a result of not learning how to defend and getting continually killed by Jacky players. Here, I am referring to defending from either high, mid or low attacks...not simply just 'defending' from Jacky's attacks.

B)Easy/Beginner character

Yes...he is truly an easy character to use...but, only in terms of combos(and that's the only beginner thing abt Jacky). Off the top of my head, I cannot think of any combos that are really *that* hard to do in VF4...unlike VF3(Arcade).

To win with Jacky at high level play requires the player to have rock solid defensive skills and be able to rumble with the best in mind games. Newbies will be suprised just how teachnical Jacky is. I suppose, it's the same with all other characters...the point I am trying to make is; don't be mislead into thinking that Jacky is a 'limited' character(usually, ppl that call Jacky a 'noob' character or has some anal comments abt Jacky = They don't know how to play the game)...Never EVER think ' oh...I better drop Jacky if I wanna advance from beginner to intermediate/advance'.

C) Boring.

Actually...as the player starts to 'grow'...Jacky will grow with the player. Initially...it's all abt simple mind games like p-->throw, elbow stagger--->throw/eblow/beatknuckle etc etc etc.

But as the player starts to gain an understanding of how to play the game, he/she will find that there are just so much more creative possibilities with Jacky. (or with any characters as well)


Therein lies the problem...too many newbies pick up one character...pass the training mode(note: some are too damn lazy to even learn from training mode)...go into kumite...earn their ranks/items/run into rainbow bugs etc etc etc...then declare 'aiee...such a boring character..'

Many of us here that started to play the game yrs ago followed a simple and yet highly effective method of learning how to play the game/master a character.

We find a character we really like...stick to it like glue...we stick with it until we are truly comfortable with saying ' I know how to use Akira/Jacky/Sarah etc etc etc' effectively. (This usually can take quite a while...months..yrs...someone I know stuck with ONE character all his life..never ventured outside) Then we move on to our secondary character.

By being able to use a character effectively, I'm not talking about 'winning' with the character of your choice. It's got more to do with knowing 'what ur character can do in specific situations' , 'what he cannot do in specific situations'...knowing how to use ur chances to create setups...knowing what moves gives u an advantage over ur opponents, knowing when u've lost your advantage, knowing how to use the game engine to give ur character an edge over the opponents...knowing what cannot be done with ur character because of the game engine....etc etc etc

These are things that one can only learn from pure dedication...not grasshopping around.

I seriously recommend anyone who's interested in learning to do the same as many of us here did.

 

[Actually...as the player starts to 'grow'...Jacky will grow with the player. Initially...it's all abt simple mind games like p-->throw, elbow stagger--->throw/eblow/beatknuckle etc etc etc. ]

I wasnt saying jacky was bad or a n00b character. All i said was for me i found him unitresting and boring.

You say to play him you need mind games. Well none of my firends like VF so i cant play mind games with a comp in Kumite and there are no VF arcades in my area that i know of, so for me Jacky was all about using combos like Lightning kick and lightning storm that the comps would just duck under.

I like Jacky for reasons like his speed and combos that i can pull off by pressing the same button over and over again. By no means did i want say that Jacky sucked or wasnt deep. All i said was that for me i would rather play with somebody like Vanessa who can reverse punches and kicks, who has many throws and plain all around potential for my play style.

so dont take me as one of thoses Jacky bashers who get angy at him for his fast powerfull combos or for catching there punches when he stands still. I read post that said something like "Jacky is one of the heaviest fighters in the game so why does he move so fast. Thats unfair! Its like hes cheating"

Well thats about it Thanks to everyone for replying its helping me so far lets hope in sometime ill be able to hold my own against you guys!

 

I wasn't specifically reply to you...so there was no need for you to get so overly defensive

At no point did I mention that u referred to Jacky as a 'noob' character.

I was more interested in letting other newbies( n YOU) to read the post.

Those were advices once given to me...which in turn, I shall hand it down to the next generation of new players.