Tutorial is really challenging

[Chaufaso]

I get Mortal Kombat isnt precisely a very welcoming fighting game, but these tutorials are very infuriating at times. Cant figure if its just me than im yet unskilled, the input in this game is extremely demanding with coordination, or if its simply bugged. I´ve tried with both XBOX controlled and the keyboard, and sometimes i still fail to time the inputs well. Is it the game? or am i just getting handed by the tutorial?

[Salander]

Are you stuck in that awful Raiden challenge, huh? If I remember correctly, you need to set off a setting called "Negative Edge" for it to work properly.

Otherwise, sometimes the inputs are tricky because the time window differs greatly between each of them. Sometimes you need to mash the buttons fast, other times is slower and more logical.

[jaywolfenstien]

Originally posted by Salander:

Are you stuck in that awful Raiden challenge, huh? If I remember correctly, you need to set off a setting called "Negative Edge" for it to work properly.

Otherwise, sometimes the inputs are tricky because the time window differs greatly between each of them. Sometimes you need to mash the buttons fast, other times is slower and more logical.

In this game, the option is actually called "Release Check." "Negative Edge" refers to the same thing, and it is the more broadly used term. But for beginners, in the MK11 options, it's called "Release Check."

And just FYI, unless the wrong move is coming out, it's generally better to leave this option on because it makes doing special moves easier. Basically, it gives you two shots to hit the timing of, say, Scorpion's Spear (Back Forward X). Once when you push the X button, and the second chance is when you release the X button (hence, "Release Check.")

Negative Edge/Release Check gets you in trouble for fast combos. So if you had to do a combo like X X back forward B, you might accidentally get X X back forward X because what's happening is you're hitting X X back forward RELEASING X which triggers Scorpion's Spear and not the other move. Turning off Release Check will fix that, but it also means the timing is going to be stricter on all special moves.

Alternatively, if the wrong special move is coming out in your fast combos, you can try leaving Release Check on and just coming off the buttons faster OR holding the button in question down until after the combo.

There's other options that deal with the window for special move inputs. MK11 is overly generous, actually. So you might make the windows smaller IF special moves are coming out when you don't want them to. A common example is guarding low, holding down, and when your opponent is done attacking, you go for a counter (Say, back+X with Kitana) and instead of a combo Kitana throwws a low fan.

In a nutshell, if special moves are happening when you DON'T want them to happen, that's when you go into the gameplay options and fiddle with Release Check and the Special Move Input Window.

If special moves aren't coming out at all, it's probably your timing. You're probably trying to cancel into the special too soon or too late.

[Salander]

That was actually quite a nice read and very informative :)
Truth is that it's been ages since I first configured the game (around 2022), so I thought it was always called "Negative Edge" in the options menu. Talking about some Mandela effect lol.

Although I recommended disabling it specifically to pull off Raiden's long ass combo from the tutorial. I had a hard time doing it, until I read about the Release Check and how is the reason the combo didn't want to happen.

I don't know if there's a solution but I have a problem with the interactables. They usually are activated in the middle of a combo, even if I didn't press their assigned key... Quite nice if some caught the opponent by surprise, but extremely annoying if you char suddenly jumps across the arena or waste the precious bar :')

[jaywolfenstien]

What's happening is actually the same thing I described earlier. There is a dedicated button for Interactables OR you can press both punches together. The thing is, it's actually very, very, VERY hard to push two buttons together at the EXACT same moment. So almost every game gives you a window where you can hit X first and then Y and it registers as X+Y. But, again, Mortal Kombat 11 is way too generous with this window, meaning you get X+Y when you want X and THEN Y.

Go into Options > Controls, and there's one about "Button Shortcuts" and it gives an example as Throw. Turn that off. That will disable X+Y triggering interactables. It also means you have to use the dedicated buttons for Throws and Interactables.

If you like having the option to push two buttons to get throws & interactables, you might try changing the Release Check option to Off. (I don't know if the interactable is considered a "special move" by the game.)

You might also try setting the Special Move Input Window to Short. Again, I don't know if that will actually apply or not. It all depends on if Mortal Kombat 11 considers the interactables as a special move or not.

Also, if the game is treating interactables as a special move, not every combo is special-move cancellable (ie, you can only throw Scorpion's spear in the middle of certain combos at certain times.) The thing there is I don't think there's any way to know what combos are special-move cancellable unless you just go into practice mode and try it. If the combo is A B X Y, just try A Spear, then try A B Spear. Then try A B X spear. Then try A B X Y spear. If the spear does not come out ever, then you can probably safely do that combo without fear of accidentally triggering the interactable.

You can also fiddle with the options one at a time, go into Training Mode, pick a stage with an interactable right at the starting point, and try a fast punch combo that uses both punches and see if that triggers the interactable. Go back and forth between the options and training until you get the result you want when you want it. I have a LOT of complaints about MK11, but I'll give it this: it does give you a lot of flexibility in the options on how to play the game.

Or you can just turn off the Button Shortcut and use the dedicated button for it and throws.