If you were new to fighting games, what approach would you take learning DOA6?

Snake & Crane

New Member
Quite pleasantly surprised at the gameplay of this game, but as a new player it seems to have a pretty overwhelming set of mechanics and command lists across a pretty big roster. I'm watching all the FON content on YT which is really good but not really aimed at the new new player, requires a fair bit of time effort to break the videos down to actionable (although there are several that do this also, really useful stuff!)

But still would be interesting to hear as experienced players, if you were starting from scratch and had yourself as a student, how would you go about teaching yourself DOA6? Specifically what kind of order you would go about learning the mechanics, what kind of practice/training you'd do to get them down, and what kind of stuff to focus on and what stuff is a waste of time to focus on early etc.
 
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Snake & Crane

New Member
Why is that? I'm more interested in learning the fundamentals of the game (and the genre), than winning specifically. Is she so well rounded that she can cover all bases?
 

TheIndustrialCowboy

NiCO Evangelist
Premium Donor
I picked up DOA6 in Spring of 2022, and was absolutely new to the genre of Fighting Games. I started out playing a lot of Versus mode with my father - we originally got DOA6 as something to entertain us while we got high on the weekends. It wasn't long before I started taking the game really seriously though - there was a time when I would play Ranked Matches two to three nights a week every week (in addition to playing Versus with my Dad every weekend, which I still do). On top of this, I'd also frequently play against the AI (which is arguably one of the most useful tools in improving one's gameplay).

There came a point a few months in when I felt like I had reached a metaphorical "ceiling" to my skill improvement. That's when I watched and started taking notes on FON's videos. The videos expanded my view on what "options" I had available to me in matches, and solidified my understanding of my main character's strengths (I'm a NiCO main, as you can probably tell from my profile picture).

Late in August, I got the idea in my head that I wanted to get the Platinum PS4 trophy for DOA6 - it required completing the entire combo challenge for one character (arguably one of the hardest/most frustrating things in the game to accomplish imo). I was persistent though and completed it - as a side effect, the Combo Challenges helped to build my understanding of the concept of "juggling".

I am by no means a great DOA player - there are people in this community who have played this series for longer than I've been alive (the kind of people that play tournaments and win real money). But I am a hell of a lot better than I was when I first started.

Just pick Kasumi and win. Don't waste your time on any of the other characters. /thread
This will only get you so far - if you're playing ranked, you'll probably be able to use Kasumi to beat most new players with slower characters. But once you play against anyone faster, or with a remote understanding of how holds work, you're going to need more than just Kasumi's speed to win. I've played against and beaten a lot of predictable Kasumis in Ranked just by figuring out where her jab strings land alone. If you like Kasumi, then play Kasumi by all means. But you will reach a point where you'll need to actually learn the character in order to win against better players. I know this from experience, because NiCO shares a similar strength in speed that Kasumi has.

What platform are you playing on? This is a dead game so it's going to be difficult finding other people to play against regardless of platform. If you're playing on PS4 may God have mercy on you.
Disagree. I play on PS4 - it really doesn't take that long to find Ranked Matches (I played four ranked matches last night at around 1:00 am EST). Public Lobby Matches will be hard to come by though, but you'll probably want to stay away from those as a beginner anyway because most active lobbies are hosted by diehard experienced players. Another bit of advice for playing online: be wary of players on a WiFi connection. A bad WiFi connection can make a match virtually unplayable.
 

Rikuto

P-P-P-P-P-P-POWER!
When picking up any new fighting game, first I watch some vids of other people using a character I might like. Then I try to break down exactly what they are getting damage from, and why. Winning in a competitive game you are unfamiliar with is ultimately an exercise in critical thinking. The game is, before anything else, a puzzle to be solved. After you solve the important parts, you can start to battle other players in earnest.

If there is a recurring move they keep using, I look into that move and try to figure out its properties and why it works as well as it does. Then I attempt to emulate that success as I find my footing with the rest of that characters kit. But you really need that first foot in the door, something that -works- and a basic understanding of why it works before you can solve the rest of the game.

Now in terms of simply understanding the basics of what a term or phrase means, I would point to the terminology page on the wiki.
 

deathofaninja

Well-Known Member
Premium Donor
News Team
Quite pleasantly surprised at the gameplay of this game, but as a new player it seems to have a pretty overwhelming set of mechanics and command lists across a pretty big roster. I'm watching all the FON content on YT which is really good but not really aimed at the new new player, requires a fair bit of time effort to break the videos down to actionable (although there are several that do this also, really useful stuff!)

But still would be interesting to hear as experienced players, if you were starting from scratch and had yourself as a student, how would you go about teaching yourself DOA6? Specifically what kind of order you would go about learning the mechanics, what kind of practice/training you'd do to get them down, and what kind of stuff to focus on and what stuff is a waste of time to focus on early etc.

When I first started playing DOA5 I knew in advance that my skills in prior DOA games were very limited. I decided to go up against veteran players whenever I could such as: Sly Bass, Lopedo, Master, Awesmic (they were on my XBOX platform for a while) and my skills developed a lot faster than if I just played randoms in ranked. Make friends with people that play on your platform and game with them when you can. Randoms also develop skill in ranked, but not if you are destroying everyone in that pool of players. You will need to lose often to get good at this game.

Probably the most important thing is going to tournaments. We have Winter Brawl 3D coming up and we are encouraging the new players that have emerged to attend.


As I said in this post, this is a very accepting community, and veterans show up to the tournaments not just to win, but also to share tech and give advice. Matt Ponton and Rikuto are prime examples of players you would want to take advice from as they has been playing DOA for over two decades competitively.
 

TheIndustrialCowboy

NiCO Evangelist
Premium Donor
When I first started playing DOA5 I knew in advance that my skills in prior DOA games were very limited. I decided to go up against veteran players whenever I could such as: Sly Bass, Lopedo, Master, Awesmic (they were on my XBOX platform for a while) and my skills developed a lot faster than if I just played randoms in ranked. Make friends with people that play on your platform and game with them when you can.
This is where I'm at right now actually - I've become good friends with one of the Top 50-ranked Kokoro players on PS4. We've been playing sets together one or two nights each week in January. It's sometimes really frustrating, but playing against higher-skilled players is a really good way to noticeably improve. Plus it feels really satisfying when you're able to get wins against them lol.
 

The 4th phase

Well-Known Member
Standard Donor
This is where I'm at right now actually - I've become good friends with one of the Top 50-ranked Kokoro players on PS4. We've been playing sets together one or two nights each week in January. It's sometimes really frustrating, but playing against higher-skilled players is a really good way to noticeably improve. Plus it feels really satisfying when you're able to get wins against them lol.

that’s the best way to improve your game. Play better opponents and see what’s working and what’s not working. also helps your learn practice the art of blocking strings lol.
 

The 4th phase

Well-Known Member
Standard Donor
There is definitely a satisfying and artistic way of blocking everything thrown at you.
Yeah it does if you read it properly lol, guess wrong you’re eating a combo. plus I think it’s important
you try all the characters so you know what to expect.
 
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