Soku noob requests guidance

[Anonymous No.]

Hey guys, recently I've been being eaten by a doubt I have regarding my attitude when playing Touhou Hisoutensoku.

Long story short, is being able to take half an hour of nearly continuous, merciless beatdown better than what most people can take? Is it the right way to get started in fighting games?

Basically, I am an absolute, absolute, absolute noob at fighting games. As in, Soku is literally the very first fighting game I've played that is more serious and complex than Super Smash Bros Melee (which I always, always used to play on Very Easy). To give yourselves an idea, on my first match against my human my "strategy" was mashing Z, X and C until my finger hurt. Therefore, in an attempt to learn to play actual fighting games and because a national fighting games champion said it is actually very simple and easy to learn, I joined a little group of Soku players.

However, since there is an absolutely abysmal disparity in fighting level between a CPU and an actual human, and even at my rock-bottom level of non-skill I can beat up the computer on Normal, I have no choice but to play against people.

For a long time I have been too afraid of getting pummeled mercilessly in the hands of a more experienced opponent (i. e. absolutely everybody else). But after one time I went with a bunch of friends who are pretty skilled at LOL and Smash, I was like OH FUCK I NEED TO BE GOOD AT SOMETHING BUT WHAT DO I DO I DON'T LIKE BEATDOWNS... WELL SHIT YOU MIFHT AS WELL ENJOY THE PAIN. And so, I immediately proceeded to call myself the group's designated punching bag and called for a match.

[Anonymous No.]

Continuing from >>10036286

And so, on my last matches I proceeded to take continuous beatdowns while slowly learning the controls, first starting off with Reimu's basic punches, then with how to block, and then with her ranged attacks. And no matter how hard I get whacked, when I start the matches I put my phone's timer in 30 minutes and never stop or quit until the 30 minutes are over.

Is it more than what most people can take? Is it the right way to begin my first steps?

Pic of smoking Mokou is unrelated

[Anonymous No.]

Yeah, with fighters (espcially a three year old one) you're gonna lose a lot when you first start playing. Read up on your character on the wiki,ask other people who play your character for advice on how they work, and hit training room. You'll still lose though in the beginning, but hey it's progress. I started playing about 3 months ago and I vastly improved, though that just may be my natural affinity for fighters.

[Anonymous No.]

Look, I want to help you, but I'm not very good at teaching because I'm not smart myself. What I will say are my opinions and they can be contested by other ones who may post here, but regardless I hope what I have to say can at least guide you to something.
Touhou Hisoutensoku is not a normal fighting game. It is very different. It TRIES HARD to be a different fighting game. There are many mechanics on it that are kind of weird, like deck construction and weather. Which means that you have to get used to it and learn. Until you do, this game will seem very hard.
You say you are very noob/ignorant at fighting games. HTS may probably not be the best choice to start. I was going to recommend a more "basic standard" fighting game for you like Super Street Fighter IV, but then it could make it even harder for you, because of the differences. But still, they share many things. Taken from /vg/ - fighting games general: http://pastebin.com/hnvQMbXz there is this pastebin with lots of links regarding information and tips on fightings.

[Anonymous No.]

>>10036332
(continued) but now I talk about the most important part: don't give up. You seem determined, since you are requesting guidance, setting up a timer and not quitting until the end... good. Proceed with this determination, and you will go far. I'm not kidding, the secret is keep practicing. I know sometimes you will see a combo video and think that it is IMPOSSIBLE to make what they are doing. But guess what, when you look behind, you notice how much you have improved, and now you can do stuff you thought you would never be able to.
Playing with more skilled people help because they can teach you what you are doing wrong, while at the same time it can be exhausting if they only beat you up and the gap on the skill level is too high. I recommend you to read the wiki a lot (just google hisoutensoku koumakan). Learn the nomenclatures of the buttons (like j5a, 6c, etc), and train everyday on practice. You don't need to die on practice, just take it easy and train a bit on it everyday.
The rest, my friend, is to play. Play, play, keep fighting, don't lose hope, and have fun. You will get there.

[Anonymous No.]

>>10036362
I could ask for your information so we could meet on Soku Lobby someday (which, by the way, can be also a good place to ask for help), but that would sound creepy.
And yes, playing with people is the road to victory. Playing with CPU is only good for you to learn what you character can do and other things like the game mechanics in general. Watching replays of more skilled people also help, but it's important to move at your own pace. Even being a punchbag you can learn a lot more than you know.