The Overwatch Guide That Made Me Better At Fighting Games (And Enjoy Them More)

[@wildcard126]

The switchboard is a great analogy for fighting games. When most new players start out, no one even tells them there IS a “switchboard” let alone how to light up more green lights. I’ve never really heard the situation mapping of fighting games broken down like this. I’m also more on the platform fighter side of things, but still.

[@thralleternal]

I fully believe the advice in this video was exactly what I needed to hear, when I needed to hear it. Been at a bit of a plateau in general for FGs, and this video helped give me ideas on how to get above it. Thank you!

[@MikeyDLuffy]

Glad I could help! Good luck on breaking that plateau 💪

[@BasementMinions]

This was actually a really nice way to visualize it. Love the switchboard, will be taking that going forward.

[@bright_and_breezy-n2e]

I think people forget that the way you win often matter more than winning itself. Someone telling me to swap Widow because I'm missing shots doesn't bother me nearly as much when I think to myself "I could win, but would I feel as badass as I could". There's nothing to be mad at myself for; I'm learning a new character, and if I end up winning on my terms, it feels even better than if I won because I swapped.

[@SoGnarlyy]

Super useful way of thinking and can be applied to pretty much any game. I don't play Overwatch and only occasionally play SF6 but I just sent this to someone who's trying to improve in Rocket League because the core concept is universal

[@MikeyDLuffy]

Yeah agreed! It can easily be applied to learning any skill tbh. Appreciate you sharing the video btw!

[@Just_Manny305]

This video is golden. Loved the switchboard analogy, and loved that you called out the frustration that comes with losing to gimmicky things. Thanks a lot for this one it definitely opened my eyes. I gotta hit the lab more often.

[@MikeyDLuffy]

Glad you enjoyed it! Yeah losing to gimmicks is the hardest thing to deal with in Fighting Games imo. But shifting the focus on flipping a switch on the switchboard definitely helps you stay focused on what matters to beat those gimmicks down the line.

[@gentlekef8653]

MY GOAT the mental video's are back we hyped!

[@MikeyDLuffy]

Haha they'll never go away, just less ideas in the tank for them lately 😅

[@gentlekef8653]

​@@MikeyDLuffy I remember you talking about schematic once, that's pretty awrsome to have it in more detail. As for more idea's I always loved your mkleo analysis type video's maybe do the same for "NEUTRAL LIKE PUNK" "DEFENSE LIKE MENARD" "ABARE WITH KAZUYOLO" Could always be funyour vod analysis was always top tier

[@Skycube100]

Though I gotta say, the thing that I love about Overwatch design is that besides Doomfist, the game has mechanics and abilities that make it feel like a Fighting game. I played other FPS multiplayer comp games and I just didn't get that same feeling. It's probably because so many abilities in OW are responsive, get value through LOS (sleep dart, Orisa spear, etc.), are mobility-based, and get a ton of value when combo'd with other abilities. Doomfist is definitely the best example, but you can get the same fighting game feel from other OW characters too.

[@ForceofNature99]

Doomfist I think is an homage to fighting game characters. He has an f,d,d+f,+P haha.

[@sweethistortea]

I play both Overwatch and Street Fighter and I never would have thought the two could be connected. 🤔

[@kylespevak6781]

Skill building is universal

[@jettmanas]

Interesting subject. I very rarely get tilted from playing since when fighters started in arcades, where you usually had to keep cool. 😉 Good example w/Gladius punish. I wouldn't find things like that without a matchup vid or random high level match. I agree on playing for improvement, though it may be very slow & gradual. Got gold rank in SF5, but it took 5 years. Some games were better or worse. Hope to try ranked in this game. Nice vid.

[@stanm4410]

@8:25 "Don't throw a fireball at a Cammy with Level 3... Everyone lights that one green quickly." Me, a Diamond Ryu player watching my vs Cammy replays: "Don't throw a fireball again, don't throw a fireball, Don't-- " .... ☠️

[@MikeyDLuffy]

Haha sometimes you gotta test them to see if they got the reactions 🤣

[@VegaVibing]

I think often its easy to lose focus of that big picture and realize you can learn to fill another gap in your knowledge instead of staying stuck on one thing or another. I actually used to play overwatch a ton and I got really good before role lock became a thing. I had good aim for the time that I put in but I for whatever reason felt like I should keep trying to maximize it. I paid for a coach and he yelled at me for wasting time pushing a skill I was already good at instead of focusing on a larger issue in my gameplay, really like drilled the idea into my head. Like a season or so later I had gained 2 ranks and started scrimming with top tier teams.

[@MikeyDLuffy]

That's dope! You still playing FPS's?

[@DestroyerOfDoom]

Who's that coach lol. Spilo?

[@PrecludeLP]

Great advice.

[@RED_XLR]

Instead of calling it "gamifying it," call it "statifying it" because it's already a game, and I'm sure that fighting games have stats, but for some people, it might be better to visualize what they learned in a fight, regardless of whether the fight has finished or whether you have lost or won yet. It's basically the long-term version of adaptation. It is literally learning and remembering how to deal with things in the long term, and then applying it to your gameplay consistently. And "statifying" your learning process can be more fun and, hence, more rewarding that way, like a level-up system in an RPG with specific stats that directly translate your improvement to what you're doing. For example, in a fighting game, you can imagine having a lv against a specific MU, and the more you fight and learn that MU, the higher your level against it. This is how you can track progress in the knowledge part of a fighting game. This is what sets apart a newb to a pro imo. So Idk if this is a quote that anybody has said before, but the way I think about it is that a newbie players mash until they win and their focus is on winning, but a real pro player hopes to learn from a fight and adapt to improve forever and hopefully get more consistent wins because of it moving forward. The mashers will eventually start losing more because they're not adapting, and the pro players might lose a lot to the mashers but eventually learn how to deal with it and win more against them. Then the newbie mashers have some catching up to do.

[@astjuly8239]

I wish fighting games had a better stats screen at the end. Like, showing how many aa/a2a the players landed, how much damage they deal, how much damage they've talen, how much damage they blocked, the number of punishes and counters, their gauge economy and something like this, it would make it easier for newcomers to learn the process. Your video talks about great things to learn for a newer player or someone who wants to get better and already plays the game

[@ReezyDoesIt]

W Fire Emblem reference

[@DStarsthy]

This has been incredibly useful, hope to see more. How would I know what my "red dots" are while building that schematic? I feel theres stuff I wouldn't know until I encountered it or that I just wouldn't be aware of at all during my gameplay.

[@chasepalumbo2929]

Thanks for this man

[@Kanoa99]

Thanks for the nuggets of wisdom.

[@kevinwong9353]

for me, that was hibike euphonium, it put the passion and thrill of improving back in everything

[@MikeyDLuffy]

D̶i̶s̶joint

[@Roze_aye]

My biggest issue is that I usually cant get myself to focus mid match. Like i will go into the match telling myself to pay attention to xyz. and then i pay attention to *nothing* I dont realize how much drive guage I have (Im still at a point where I barely use it). how much they have. Both of our healths (To an extent), our super meter, what moves the opponent is using, what moves im using, etc. The match will end and I realize. I didnt learn *anything* from it. And i dont know how to just switch it on. The only time I find that I can actually start focusing is when my opponent starts downright spamming something. or if they use the same move at the start of a match . Then ill be able to pay attention to it. other than that. Im not noticing anything else

[@kylespevak6781]

Always try new things

[@PhoenixAndTheGoetians]

ooooooooooo thank you this sounds fun to learn with

[@sergiok6660]

I'm here to find out where you got that marvelous chun li thumbnail lol

[@MikeyDLuffy]

Hungry clicker art! He's the goat. Twitter link in description

[@10XSeiga]

This is a solid general gameplan

[@sladedari8595]

Really good video

[@MikeyDLuffy]

Thank you!

[@rewrose2838]

Basically, build a muscle memory for reacting to as many situations as you can

[@nekomekoplays]

this

[@Endless_sea_]

Something I learned recently is that reads actually suck, because honestly if youre constantly adapting to you just make yourself become backed into the corner with being so conditioned. I now view the game in a more risk reward based way because regardless of the frequencies of patterns the opponnent is making, its all rps and risk reward on those rps situations. If im fighting a purely adaptive player I can easily mess with them because I can literally make them do whatever I want. I know what the obvious adaptations they will make are.

[@MikeyDLuffy]

I wouldn't say it 'sucks' per se, but yeah I agree it definitely should not be what you base your playstyle around. The fundamental skills of FGs are more consistent and hard to deal with already for your opponent, but going for reads can be mixed in. Especially when you are confident that your opponent has shown you some bad habits, but yeah, it should never be the default way to approach the game imo.

[@Endless_sea_]

​@@MikeyDLuffyyeah that makes sense 100%

[@okbutwhatif9905]

What if I don't have the knowledge to establish a switchboard, nor the time

[@bovid2750]

Someone better than me needs to make a switchboard just so I can visualize what skills I want to improve at

[@jadedbreadncircus9159]

My controller just came back from repair & my first goal getting it back was to just stay calm to make less mistakes.

[@MikeyDLuffy]

Good luck 💪! Some of the characters and mechanics they've been making makes it hard to stay cool sometimes haha, but it's a good goal to have if you want to improve!

[@RED_XLR]

Did you throw your controller? If that's the case, you have to learn to control your anger, and this will 100%, without a doubt, help you make fewer mistakes in the game too.

[@jadedbreadncircus9159]

@@RED_XLR ESD electro static damage. I have mass loaded vinyl on my floor for apartment drum practice & it creates a TON of static.

[@Nerf_Jeez]

Mm, most intriguing..

[@yeiha]

You should bring back the smash content 👀 I swear u were wanna of the best in the game at discussing what you see and turning it into attainable information that anyone could understand. Still love your videos now

[@MikeyDLuffy]

I definitely want to one day, but since I haven't been playing as much I can only go by what I watch, and I won't lie I am not a huge fan of Sonic and Steve LOL. Maybe I can make a video on Sparg0 or Twerk in the future though

[@yeiha]

@@MikeyDLuffyyeah or recently they had to super majors++ in Japan and they had tons of character variety. There are definitely still great mus to watch/analyze aside from the corny ass Steve and sonic 😭. I don’t blame you regardless tho.

[@efemji]

so that's why im still playing fighting games..

[@MrM30w]

Cool video, do you want to do some 1v1s

[@radumotrescu3832]

I think that in relation to the switchboard analogy, for some people, the moment that they inherently learn that there is a switchboard, and understand how big the switchboard is, it can become quite discouraging to grind it out. So they take one of two paths: they take each switch individually and lab it out in isolation, or they continue to play the game as there is no switchboard, and just try to enjoy the mechanics and the pretty moves while slowly filling the switchboard. I think knowing of the switchboard can also lead to something similar to ranked anxiety, where you know how many things you are missing, and you don't want to start grinding for it, sort of like dumping a 1000 page book in front of someone, instead of 5 smaller books. Maybe its a topic for a future video?

[@zergtoss1]

Lol why you use the term schematic?

[@PrecludeLP]

Because it's what you use to build your game plan.

[@zergtoss1]

@@PrecludeLP ah si. Never heard the word appropriated in this manner before. Sweet. Makes more sense now. So pretty much a term for your systematic game plan.

[@friendlyanomaly6109]

Street Fighter is most fun for me when I stop giving a fuck.

[@MikeyDLuffy]

@@friendlyanomaly6109 also a fine way to play it haha

[@Pretzels722]

Chun li so thicc MMMMmm

[@MikeyDLuffy]

You right Pretzels, you right

[@crSIMBA]

Sche-Ma Balls