Fighting Games: Are you a button masher, or a fancy pants maneuverer?

Just what the title says. Are you the kind of guy who takes stuff like endurance, moveset, and combos seriously, or are you the guy who mashes all the way until February.

As much as i want to use complex juggles and combos, there's nothing more fun than me and my friends, sitting down, and mashing the controller like crazy, before our sisters hear our screaming.

If it's for fun, then yeah, I don't mind some mindless, harmless button mashing with friends. It's enjoyable, and tends to be quite hilarious at the right time. Usually, though, I do take the time the learn the nuances of the characters I main, even if I'm not a competitive player. Button mashing is liable to bite you in the rear in a legitimate game in most of the fighters I play.

Tried moveset, tried combo, never really works...sometimes trying to do movesets end up with me mashing buttons instead...

"Flailing" is probably the most accurate term in my case...

I always try to at least look like I know what I'm doing. Usually I remember a couple of moves or(in case of character I try to main in the current game) a fair share of them and try to use them wisely.

Button Mashing is only applicable when it works(i.e Eddy and Christie).

edited 24th Mar '12 3:25:29 AM by FergardStratoavis

And even then, it doesn't work against players who are used to that kind of thing and know how to dissect it and counter it.

I only try mashing for a short while to see if I like a character at all (since this usually goes for the entire cast, I generally stick to mashing with most of them). If I do, I'll sit down in practice mode and learn a few of their tricks and try to improve as I go.

Depends on the button scheme. Simpler games I do actually attempt to combo. Which is to say, in Brawl, I have learned to chain together several moves with characters I like, namely Pit and Ike. For things like Blaz Blue, psha, I just pick a character, figure out what each of the four buttons do and maybe some extra moves and just go.

Ice Car, yo.

I can pull off most of the specials in Hisoutensoku pretty reliably, except 623B/C moves. Those are touch and go. But then again the controls are simple and everyone has the same inputs for specials. 214, 236, 421, 623, 22. All easy to memorize.

I'm more concerned, with my overly aggressive play style.

edited 24th Mar '12 8:22:24 AM by hnd03

I tend to learn a few of the things each character can do (1 or 2 long combos + most specials in Mortal Kombat, general playstyle and some specials in Blaz Blue, etc.) and stick to those things. It's not button-mashing, but it's nowhere near competitive style play either.

The time between my thoughts and my reactions isn't quick enough to use too much strategy. That said, I try not to button mash once I know what I'm doing.

I mash buttons in a pattern, hoping something will happen. If it doesn't, I'll attempt to memorize a move or two off the list.

I button mash, then look at what happens and figure out my moves from there. Better than just random pressing but I'd probably get my ass kicked by a decent enough combo-er.

However, some games I've played enough that I've memorized the moves and can pull off decent combos. The best example would be Tekken. I seriously learned a lot of the nuances just by button pressing combined with careful observation.

edited 24th Mar '12 7:54:26 AM by fillerdude

depends on the game. If it actually uses a directional command move list, then yeah, I try not to button mash. But if it's frantic regardless (I'm looking at you, Marvel Vs Capcom), I'll button mash the fuck out of everything.

I'll button mash in button string move list games, if only to learn how to do them more prudently when I discover them.

I don't button mash, but I can't combo like a pro, either. So I normally go ultra-aggressive and try to pressure foes into defeat. Which often fails.

I try and fail to do some move over and over again in a pattern that looks remarkably like button mashing.

This made me realize something...

SSB is the Mario kart of Fighting games.

You can get very good at it, and adjust it to be more fair (in the versions that allow item removal for both games), but it focuses more on fun and accessibility then on balance.

On that note, fancy pantser, but if I panic, I start mashing.

Eventually, I stopped playing fighting games that had overly complex inputs to disguise real balance and fighting games where hitting random buttons will take you to victory over another player who is looking at the screen and has a grasp on the basics.

That has lead me to games that require button mashing(build up attack, escape a hold, ect) but there is a method to it, not random wailing on buttons.

Fancy pants for sure. I don't take fighters super seriously but if I'm playing a character I better know what they're doing.

edited 24th Mar '12 12:58:24 PM by VertigoHigh

Buttons mostly. I dont really get how to do combos in brawl. I still do decent though.

Depends on the game. My usual MO when playing a new fighting game with friends is to flail around until I find a couple things that work. When they take a bathroom/pizza break I memorize the movelist, and when they come back I spam whatever moves I can remember. Then back to flailing.

I always like knowing what I'm doing. When I fail, button mashing to the max.

Some of each. I got twitchy fingers, so I prefer less "specific" inputs.

For Brawl, yes, I'm a fancy pants. I know all the advanced strategies for just about all of the characters, I keep in mind all the abilities and tricks every character possesses, and I'm always aware of how my opponent plays and their patterns.

For just about any other game, no, especially games I pick up for the first time. Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, most of Soul Caliber now, but I got kinda OK with Kilik at one point. I don't own many traditional fighting games, nor did I in the past, so I never got familiar with how they work.

I try to be a fancy pants. I don't actually fail most of the time since F Gs are my main game, but I will have trouble with a game I just picked up. I need about 1 week to 2 weeks of practice before getting (semi)-tourney ready.

edited 24th Mar '12 5:07:06 PM by SuperFrost