How to start?

[dyuman]

Always wondered how to start playing Guilty Gear well and be on the right track in terms of concepts to understand and things to practice.

As you all know, to say my fighting game skills suck would be an insult to people that suck. My experience with street fighter is basically limited to firing fireballs over and over again with a sweep put in there for good measure. Never can pull off any moves that are 360 movements and had a bitchy enough time learning to sonic boom and flash kick.

With a copy of guilty gear where would it all start to be on the right track and not get bad habits?

[buhwhyen]

Well. John Choi just fireballs over and over again (see his o.sagat) and hes probably the number 1 street fighter player in the US. *shrug*

The first thing you need to do is really pick a character that looks interesting to play. Learning Guilty Gear is a lot easier if you can stick with 1 character until you become more comfortable with the game engine. Though..by this I don't mean you have to pick and stick with the first character you play, rather once you try a few characters, try to settle on a single character to learn.

The good thing about Guilty Gear is the motions for special moves are less execution intensive - there is no painting the fence, roll canceling, 1 frame windows to reversal dragon punch, or even 360/720 motions. Some characters liberally TK (tiger knee), but its really only needed for one character in the game, otherwise you can get by fine without it.

Regardless of where you start, you'll almost always get into bad habits. Its just something that is inevitable, really. And the reason for that is everyone has preconceived notions about whats good and whats not, though as you play more and try stuff (NO HOMO) you'll start to see what works and what doesn't. So don't be overly concerned about not developing any bad habits, just try to learn what your normal moves look like, where it *looks* like the hit boxes are (hit boxes are like Ryu's leg when he kicks, or his fist when he punches, places on the screen where the game registers an attack existing) and learn how to move yourself around the screen via: walking, running, jumping, double jumping, super jumping, and air dashing. All of which are really the same as in any other game, input wise, double tap a direction for running, super jumping is down then up, double jumping is hitting up again after you're already in the air, and air dashing is double tapping forward or backwards while in the air.

So..to summarize it all.
1) Pick a character - try a bunch and find one that looks interesting (not Eddie or Ino).
2) Get more comfortable with moving around the screen.
3) Learn your normal attacks and specials (theres a command list in training mode for special moves).
4) Watch other people play. This can be via youtube or IRL, take ideas of what is good and what isn't from other people who have played more than you - we all do this still. This step, however, should be done AFTER you learn what your normal/special moves look like, otherwise you have no clue what the hell is going on.

[Pikachu]

Brian has covered the mechanical aspects of the game, so I'll cover some points that I think new players (and gamers in general) should know about fighters that are not readily apparent, but are vital to success. None of this shit is turning anyone into an overnight pro, but it's just stuff you should be aware of, especially while playing us after we've played for years.

1. Remember that fighters are games influenced by human tendencies. If you cannot accept this axiom, fighters are not for you.

Good fighters are not all that different from sports. My forehand in tennis wasn't bad at all when I played. Roger Federer's forehand makes mine look n00b. In the same vein, a crouching short from me is just that. John Choi's crouching short is nigh unblockable.

I can't stress this point enough, because if a player does not accept this fact, he also subtly accepts the fact that he himself cannot get any better. Guilty Gear is not like Final Fantasy, where there isn't really anything to get good at. Anyone can just play the damn game and beat it with some proper stats and levels. No one practices Final Fantasy. People practice Guilty Gear because there's something to actually improve in.

2. You need to play a good deal and be willing to try hard things. This isn't something that appeals to everyone. This is also something that isn't nearly as bad as it sounds... but the first step is probably the most intimidating. Any of us can explain stuff, but it's up to the individual to try it out, just like learning how to ride a bike or how to dive.

3. There are a lot of situations that have no easy answers. Bill (as in Vagina Bill) once explained to me that SF2 could be won with E.Honda using standing Fierce. He is going to die to Dhalsim.

Just as one needs to try hard stuff, one should avoid trying to look for almighty answers. Chances are, they don't exist. If one really does, you'll know because it's going to be buttfucking obvious (because it'll be buttfucking you).

4. Read. There's tons of knowledge for every fighter out there. It's hard to digest at first, like your people's curry, but when your stomach is used to it, it's no big deal.

These four parts are probably sounding like a turn off, but honestly, conquering its difficulties is a rewarding experience. Whether that's something anyone wants to undertake... well, that's up to the individual. Fighters do not float everyone's boat, plain and simple, and that's cool. I just want to warn you so you know what you're actually getting into and not get discouraged partway into it.

[Pikachu]

And, of course, get Guilty Gear Accent Core and not X2.