This game is so hard and the tutorial don't help much.

[Amogus]

compare to super smash this game just so hard, , and the tutorial don't really help, i understand that the goal is to get combo going but how are anyone suppose to remeber all of that i checked the tutorial and some of them i can't even pull it off even WITHIN tutorial like for example the thrid combo tauth in the tutorial for dragon knight u gotta press U U I DOWN+I then PRESS BACK+K THen PRESS DOWN+J and then Forward+J. (i am sure i remember this wrong at this point) like you expect me to remember all of that?

i can't even do that in the tutorial despite trying to do it for TWO HOURS! JUST FOR A SINGLE MOVE. AND I COMPLETELY FORGOTTEN HOW TO DO THE FIRST 2 COMBO THEY TEACH ME IN THE TIME OF THEY ARE TEACHING ME THE THIRD ONE! How do you actually play this thing!?

[Shizuma]

You know, usually fighting games do involve harder motions than this one. The genre needs dedication and time to get into. This is rewarding but not everyone can go through this difficult process.
I’d suggest you to have fun with friends and learn at your own pace.

[ele]

Smash is a party game, this is a fighting game; totally different expectations of the player. If this is your first fighting game expect months/years of playing to get to an average place. Practice is everything.

[The Tuba]

If you can convince a friend to play it really really helps. We both just went in and smashed our faces into eachother for 8 hours. And now we both know enough to play against other people to learn new matchups. The beginning of learning feels awful, but its not bad with a buddy

[GTCv Deimos]

Originally posted by WAFFLE:

compare to super smash this game just so hard, , and the tutorial don't really help, i understand that the goal is to get combo going but how are anyone suppose to remeber all of that i checked the tutorial and some of them i can't even pull it off even WITHIN tutorial like for example the thrid combo tauth in the tutorial for dragon knight u gotta press U U I DOWN+I then PRESS BACK+K THen PRESS DOWN+J and then Forward+J. (i am sure i remember this wrong at this point) like you expect me to remember all of that?

i can't even do that in the tutorial despite trying to do it for TWO HOURS! JUST FOR A SINGLE MOVE. AND I COMPLETELY FORGOTTEN HOW TO DO THE FIRST 2 COMBO THEY TEACH ME IN THE TIME OF THEY ARE TEACHING ME THE THIRD ONE! How do you actually play this thing!?

Dude... I also picked DK as a main, and SHE'S REALLY HARD TO PLAY AS! She's a lot of fun, but compared to most of the rest of the cast, her strings are REALLY unreliable. I've also been watching a lot of DNF tournaments lately, and it's hilarious, because I've seen diamond ranked DKs just constantly drop those combos. so, yeah. Be aware that if you're focusing on DK, she's going to be harder to master than say... Gas Master, who can trip on his own crotch and land a 17 hit combo.

THAT having been said, welcome to fighting games! I'm relatively new as well, and for all the talk about how easy this game is, and how simple the inputs are, IT'S HARD! And as others have pointed out, it's a time investment and that's very good reason to make sure you have a friend, because you can crack heads, and then spend the rest of the time apart happily practicing so you don't get one-upped the next time.

As a matter of fact, my plan for this evening is to get home and practice the core concept behind combo #5. I'll devote 1-2 hours on that alone. Let me know if you're looking for some guidance, cuz I've spent a fair amount of time trying to crack DK and I'm making some good headway. More than your average Diamond player :p.

For combo trials 1-3... my recommendation is... pretend you're playing a brawling game (that mentality works with this game, a lot!). You're just using some punch macros, moving up the chain until you get to the finisher.

[Amogus]

Originally posted by GTCv Deimos:

Dude... I also picked DK as a main, and SHE'S REALLY HARD TO PLAY AS! She's a lot of fun, but compared to most of the rest of the cast, her strings are REALLY unreliable. I've also been watching a lot of DNF tournaments lately, and it's hilarious, because I've seen diamond ranked DKs just constantly drop those combos. so, yeah. Be aware that if you're focusing on DK, she's going to be harder to master than say... Gas Master, who can trip on his own crotch and land a 17 hit combo.

THAT having been said, welcome to fighting games! I'm relatively new as well, and for all the talk about how easy this game is, and how simple the inputs are, IT'S HARD! And as others have pointed out, it's a time investment and that's very good reason to make sure you have a friend, because you can crack heads, and then spend the rest of the time apart happily practicing so you don't get one-upped the next time.

As a matter of fact, my plan for this evening is to get home and practice the core concept behind combo #5. I'll devote 1-2 hours on that alone. Let me know if you're looking for some guidance, cuz I've spent a fair amount of time trying to crack DK and I'm making some good headway. More than your average Diamond player :p.

For combo trials 1-3... my recommendation is... pretend you're playing a brawling game (that mentality works with this game, a lot!). You're just using some punch macros, moving up the chain until you get to the finisher.

well the game list her as "easy to play" and she is cute as a button

[NohevaMortti]

Just don't try to learn too much at first, your head will explode :) Learn 1 easy combo that does decent damage and you can get started easily from neutral. Then go play to get a feel how the game plays. When you feel like your ready for new stuff then go learn something new.

Also, your brain works on your muscle memory when your not playing. So sometimes it's best to just give up and come back next day. Then you might notice a difference. How fast it happens depends on amount of experience you have with fighting games.

[GTCv Deimos]

Originally posted by WAFFLE:

well the game list her as "easy to play" and she is cute as a button

Lol. Well she's not, but DON'T LET THAT STOP YOU! As far as I'm concerned, the only reason you need to pick a main is that the character appeals to you, tier lists be damned.

Cuz I'm in the same boat! Cuz yeah, DK's combos are finicky in a way that most characters are not, and sure... I could probably have more success with less effort if I went with hitman or striker. But, you know what? I like her balance of sweet n' sassy, she's got a diverse kit (though she doesn't really excel at anything. that's important to keep in mind), and she's got a fun style that's... almost kind of indicative of my other fav fighting game: dbfz.

Anyway, to bounce off of @NohevaMortti, combos in fighting games are largely about developing muscle memory. You'll find yourself getting into trouble trying to think of it on an input-to-input level, because that requires active thought. If you ever have to think through a checklist in the middle of a heated match, you'll find yourself dropping.

So their advice on not learning everything all at once is rock-freaking-solid. Take two basic combos - adaptive ones that can be converted from jump ins, standing, lows, etc - and make those combos your life. From the training room, to arcade, or even online, those combos are your main goal. Do that until you don't have to think about it anymore.

Then move up the chain, which you will probably naturally start doing on your own.

Also, try not to think of these as inputs, redux :p. Eventually, you'll want to think of each button in terms of intent. like:

A Button: fast starter for short combos
B Button: Powerful combo starter, or bridge to finisher
2S (so down + Special button): Launcher which goes into....
cont. 4S: Bridge to MS Finishers

Anyway, like I said, I've devoted most of my DNF time to decoding DK, so if there's something specific that you want to ask on her, be my guest!

[Grizmo]

100 matches, 20 wins.

I don't know what I'm doing. Welcome to the club, pal. I still enjoy playing this game. It's hella fun.

[NikDanger]

You'd be surprised how many people play this game at a competent level without being big-brain combo savants. Simple 2-4 hit combos that end in a magic attack are more than enough to "play the game", and win. Big combos are optimal, yes, but you don't need to be optimal. I don't play Smash at anything other than a party-casual level, but I know for a fact there are optimized combos and whatnot in that game, and yet people seem largely fine playing without knowing all of that. You don't need to be able to do Luigi zero-to-deaths to play Luigi, and 2D fighters like DnF are secretly no different. Good lord, could you imagine if Smash had combo trials? The game wouldn't be any different, but I wonder if it would suddenly make people nervous about "needing" to do them? I digress.

Beyond that, there's a lot more to improving at a fighting game than combos. Learning how to utilize system mechanics, learning character match-ups, the fundamentals of spacing, anti-airs, pressure, what to do on wake-up as an attacker and defender... Lots of things to learn that will drastically improve your win-rate that have nothing to do with doing the biggest, fanciest combo.

Play matches, try to improve at the myriad of things there are to improve upon. We're all flawed players, good at some things, less good at others. None of us will ever know how to do everything just right, and that's fine. In fact, that the journey of self-improvement is never-ending is -- dare I say -- a part of the appeal.

[lawlessX]

repeat the same combo over and over and over and over until you dont even have to think about it. its all about muscle memory

Im not much of a combo guy myself..i envy most players who can remember 10 move combos

[cinless]

Smash has combos too, you just don't worry about them as a casual player right? So ignore that for now, just go online and have fun, mess around, get into the brain bending stuff later if you feel inclined.

[Amogus]

Originally posted by cinless:

Smash has combos too, you just don't worry about them as a casual player right? So ignore that for now, just go online and have fun, mess around, get into the brain bending stuff later if you feel inclined.

it's not very fun if you losing 10 to 20 games non stop...and that is against my other beginner friends.

[Misas-Senpai]

Originally posted by WAFFLE:

Originally posted by cinless:

Smash has combos too, you just don't worry about them as a casual player right? So ignore that for now, just go online and have fun, mess around, get into the brain bending stuff later if you feel inclined.

it's not very fun if you losing 10 to 20 games non stop...and that is against my other beginner friends.

So you got a winquota of 50% ? Thats pretty decent for someone you claims to be not good at the game. I am trying to get the hang of Inquisitor in casual games at the moment and get my ass beat 19 out of 20 times vs Gold and Diamond players.

[Rikuto01]

The speed at which you learn will not define the potential at which you can reach. Do with that what you will.

[Kitneko]

Originally posted by WAFFLE:

compare to super smash this game just so hard, , and the tutorial don't really help, i understand that the goal is to get combo going but how are anyone suppose to remeber all of that i checked the tutorial and some of them i can't even pull it off even WITHIN tutorial like for example the thrid combo tauth in the tutorial for dragon knight u gotta press U U I DOWN+I then PRESS BACK+K THen PRESS DOWN+J and then Forward+J. (i am sure i remember this wrong at this point) like you expect me to remember all of that?

i can't even do that in the tutorial despite trying to do it for TWO HOURS! JUST FOR A SINGLE MOVE. AND I COMPLETELY FORGOTTEN HOW TO DO THE FIRST 2 COMBO THEY TEACH ME IN THE TIME OF THEY ARE TEACHING ME THE THIRD ONE! How do you actually play this thing!?

Smash bros and Multiverse will be a fighting party game
Why do you think smash bros doesn't have championship on EVO? Don't you know?