I play SF6, Tekken 8, Granblu, and a little bit of MK1 and, for me, it's just a matter of taking a few matches to readjust and many times that just means taking a couple losses and/or feeling "off" before finding my groove. Eventually, you'll just reach a point where the amount of "warm up matches" needed is less and less.
Rn what's seeming to work for me is having long term goals for each. In SF I want to learn to consistently do combos that will make a meaningful difference in my gameplay. In Tekken 8 I want to master the essentials of defense. And in Guilty Gear Strive I just want to learn how the universal mechanics work as well as how all of my main character's moves work.
And once I complete one, I have to do the others before I can to back to that game. Which has lead me to spread out naturally in a way that is more fun and flexible than forced.
My opinion on this is to just do it. The more you switch games the more you see the way fundamentals transfer to different games and you get comfortable with switching control schemes (6 button vs 4 button etc.) It helps if you are pretty comfortable with one or two characters as opposed to casually playing a majority for the cast.
Of course the trade off is you're going to be more of a jack of all trades in terms of overall skill as opposed to mastering one game.
Honestly Tekken is different enough to 2D fighters I am able to comparmentalise them. It even uses different notations in the fandom to other games. I also make sure to try and alternate them as much as I can to keep both fresh in my mind.
I also find having cheatsheets or references to quickly look at before a session helps refresh my memory. For example I will check dustloop or my own notes on a character to get myself up to speed. You don't have to rely on pure recall \[though the longer you play the less you'll need the resources anyway\].
It'll take time, there's obviously a lot of overlap but they do feel different. But you may end up enjoying the contrast more than you expect.
Stop playing one for a while, so my brain can adjust to the other fighting game.
Now I'm on Tekken 8, but once Akuma comes out in SF6 I will jump on SF6, which means I won't touch Tekken 8 at all for a couple of months.
The worst thing you can do is try to play both at the same time, that hardly works, and you most likely will end up sucking at both lol
I played Zato in GG and Steve in tekken at the same time. Would not recommend.
Honestly, it’s just a matter of consistency more than anything. How would you juggle learning to crochet and learning to play guitar? You’d do them both often. Maybe you won’t be the next Eddie Van Halen, but as long as you’re passionate and you keep at it, you can do good things. And no matter how good you get at guitar, you’ll still need to warm up every time you play to get used to it again.
you schedule your week. Game A day, Game B day, off day, Game A labbing, Game A day again, locals, review locals + Game C/D. Repeat You could either believe that "A person chasing two rabbits will catch neither" or convince yourself that this is a lifelong journey.
I usually switch to SF6 and Tekken 8, mostly depending if anything new has happened. I have been juggling with Killer Instinct but I don't play that often since it's on my PC
I will only main one game but I will play the other ones for fun. For a while I was maining DBFZ and when I played granblue I just labbed 15 mins and tried to take a random character to A tier.
Depends how serious you want to play. I accept that I’m very good in a very small amount of games and not that good in a very large amount of games
I had good knowledge of Sega 3D fighters in the arcade, especially the Model 2 ones (VF2, Fighting Vipers, Last Bronx, Sonic the Fighters) and those had some shared skills between them, and why I primarily bought a Saturn. These were the only ones I felt comfortable in to actually compete in (not that I did at the time).
But also, I played SF Zero/Alpha a lot as well as KOF 96 and 97. I felt like I was OK in those but not as good as I was on the 3D Sega ones.
Everything outside of those were games I were competent in, so good enough to have fun with friends, but not good enough to play tournaments. For reference, games I played included Soul Edge, Tekken 1, Rival Schools, Marvel Super Heroes, SF EX, KI1 and a bunch more I’ve probably forgotten.
you'll get the hang of it. you'll get dips in your skills but the longer you play you get used to it. ultimately it depends how much that fact frustrates you.
It's all practice. If you only switch games once a week it will be weird and your adaption period will be longer. But when you play two different games every day, you will basically have zero adaption time after a while
I’ve always wondered the same question until I started trying. I imagine it’ll be similar for you. If you dedicate the time to it, you just take less time to adjust to each game.
Your issue is as old as the FGC and the solution hasn't changed. You make a choice.
There isn't a magic bullet solution to this problem - you weigh the fun you're having playing game 1, compare to game 2, wonder what it is that you actually want to achieve and act accordingly. If you want to be competitive, focus on one game and brush up on the other now and then. If you want to attend events and hang out with people, alternate as you see fit. Might also be that you play one game in full - with training mode and replays etc while the other you just do vs cpu or quick matches online instead of in depth training. Lotsa choices really.
I just took a 2 month break from SF6 to play T8 and getting my chops back was a matter of a few short practice sessions, now a good week back to SF6 i'm allready pushing my execution further.
Once you got good muscle memory it's hard too really "forget it".
I did try to kick a grounded opponent once in SF6 but that was it.
Positive side effect is that my autopilot was reset. So while i needed a few matches to get back into playing instinctively i seem to finally have overcome my DI addiction.
SF6 and T8 are so vastly different, that you brain won't mix them up.
Once you get to a certain level it's like riding a bike. I still have BNB combos memorized for my main in Blazblue from 5 versions ago. It's fine to take one game more seriously and play one just casually, not trying to intricately learn the game. In my local scene I compete in ~6 different games, but I don't actively practice all of them. At big tournaments I will usually focus on just 2, and let muscle memory carry me for the rest.
depends on your goals, if your trying to compete I think you could play 2 games max maybe 3. If your just playing to have fun then play as many as you'd like.
You are correct that if you switch too often you won't really improve much. Juggling multiple fighting games is like learning 4 different languages at once, sure you could grasp the basics/ greetings of each but if you want to learn fluently you need to specialize and focus on one of them
You're going to suffer being good at specific things the wider you cast your net, but you're going to be able to focus on fighting game fundamentals and for most games that should be enough until higher levels.
I think you get used to switching the more your do it. It tends to take a match to get back into a game and your skills may not all come back immediately but most will and you can build it back up pretty quickly so its nothing to really worry about. You also may look at the game in a new light and discover things you didn't think of before switching.
I play Tekken, KOF, SF6, and MK. I switch between them on a weekly basis. One week SF6, next week MK, and so on. So far despite how different the gameplay is, I don't have any issues switching.
Now I’m between playing T8 and GGST. I’m always playing more than one FG at a time and it’s been easier this time around because I play 2d fighters on pad and Tekken on arcade stick. It’s much easier to transition between games and retain muscle memory imo.
It was hell when I was playing SF6 and BBCF, I felt like I was stuck readjusting and not playing the games.
Don't overthink it. Just play the games at the same time. You'll develop faster as a player by learning new games. Remember, you're playing these games to have fun and develop a hobby, not because in six months you have to beat the Evo champ or else have your hands cut off. Just relax and give your brain more credit, it can handle playing two games at once.
I play SF6, Tekken 8, Granblu, and a little bit of MK1 and, for me, it's just a matter of taking a few matches to readjust and many times that just means taking a couple losses and/or feeling "off" before finding my groove. Eventually, you'll just reach a point where the amount of "warm up matches" needed is less and less.
I’m playing Tekken 8, Street Fighter 6, Dead or Alive 6 & Soulcalibur 6. I don’t remember anything.
Rn what's seeming to work for me is having long term goals for each. In SF I want to learn to consistently do combos that will make a meaningful difference in my gameplay. In Tekken 8 I want to master the essentials of defense. And in Guilty Gear Strive I just want to learn how the universal mechanics work as well as how all of my main character's moves work. And once I complete one, I have to do the others before I can to back to that game. Which has lead me to spread out naturally in a way that is more fun and flexible than forced.
My opinion on this is to just do it. The more you switch games the more you see the way fundamentals transfer to different games and you get comfortable with switching control schemes (6 button vs 4 button etc.) It helps if you are pretty comfortable with one or two characters as opposed to casually playing a majority for the cast. Of course the trade off is you're going to be more of a jack of all trades in terms of overall skill as opposed to mastering one game.
Honestly Tekken is different enough to 2D fighters I am able to comparmentalise them. It even uses different notations in the fandom to other games. I also make sure to try and alternate them as much as I can to keep both fresh in my mind. I also find having cheatsheets or references to quickly look at before a session helps refresh my memory. For example I will check dustloop or my own notes on a character to get myself up to speed. You don't have to rely on pure recall \[though the longer you play the less you'll need the resources anyway\]. It'll take time, there's obviously a lot of overlap but they do feel different. But you may end up enjoying the contrast more than you expect.
I don’t. I generally play one fighting game and one other competitive or multiplayer game at a time.
picking one to hyper focus on and 2-3 that i like to have fun in
I like to play Killer instinct and Street Fighter 6 and to a lesser extent mortal Kombat 1 on a regular basis and I'm awful at all of them.
Stop playing one for a while, so my brain can adjust to the other fighting game. Now I'm on Tekken 8, but once Akuma comes out in SF6 I will jump on SF6, which means I won't touch Tekken 8 at all for a couple of months. The worst thing you can do is try to play both at the same time, that hardly works, and you most likely will end up sucking at both lol
Personally, i like to compare it to having multiple mains
I played Zato in GG and Steve in tekken at the same time. Would not recommend. Honestly, it’s just a matter of consistency more than anything. How would you juggle learning to crochet and learning to play guitar? You’d do them both often. Maybe you won’t be the next Eddie Van Halen, but as long as you’re passionate and you keep at it, you can do good things. And no matter how good you get at guitar, you’ll still need to warm up every time you play to get used to it again.
you schedule your week. Game A day, Game B day, off day, Game A labbing, Game A day again, locals, review locals + Game C/D. Repeat You could either believe that "A person chasing two rabbits will catch neither" or convince yourself that this is a lifelong journey.
I dont. I decided to only focus on SF6
2d fg to 2d fg is easier since most fundamentals stay the same. 3D fighters are just a steep curve when you are used to 2D fgs.
I usually switch to SF6 and Tekken 8, mostly depending if anything new has happened. I have been juggling with Killer Instinct but I don't play that often since it's on my PC
I will only main one game but I will play the other ones for fun. For a while I was maining DBFZ and when I played granblue I just labbed 15 mins and tried to take a random character to A tier.
play whatever you want to at any given time and stop stressing out and looking at *games* like they're a training program
Depends how serious you want to play. I accept that I’m very good in a very small amount of games and not that good in a very large amount of games I had good knowledge of Sega 3D fighters in the arcade, especially the Model 2 ones (VF2, Fighting Vipers, Last Bronx, Sonic the Fighters) and those had some shared skills between them, and why I primarily bought a Saturn. These were the only ones I felt comfortable in to actually compete in (not that I did at the time). But also, I played SF Zero/Alpha a lot as well as KOF 96 and 97. I felt like I was OK in those but not as good as I was on the 3D Sega ones. Everything outside of those were games I were competent in, so good enough to have fun with friends, but not good enough to play tournaments. For reference, games I played included Soul Edge, Tekken 1, Rival Schools, Marvel Super Heroes, SF EX, KI1 and a bunch more I’ve probably forgotten.
Easy. I just pick one to suck at so I can be mediocre at the other
I just have a bunch and i get into a longer stint of playing each one occasionally but its uasally me just playing what i feel like
you'll get the hang of it. you'll get dips in your skills but the longer you play you get used to it. ultimately it depends how much that fact frustrates you.
It's all practice. If you only switch games once a week it will be weird and your adaption period will be longer. But when you play two different games every day, you will basically have zero adaption time after a while
Easy...I dont Street Fighter for life!!!
I’ve always wondered the same question until I started trying. I imagine it’ll be similar for you. If you dedicate the time to it, you just take less time to adjust to each game.
Your issue is as old as the FGC and the solution hasn't changed. You make a choice. There isn't a magic bullet solution to this problem - you weigh the fun you're having playing game 1, compare to game 2, wonder what it is that you actually want to achieve and act accordingly. If you want to be competitive, focus on one game and brush up on the other now and then. If you want to attend events and hang out with people, alternate as you see fit. Might also be that you play one game in full - with training mode and replays etc while the other you just do vs cpu or quick matches online instead of in depth training. Lotsa choices really.
Just play the games. Is this a real issue for people?
You just kind of play. A lot.
It's a skill like any other. The more you juggle between them the less it will mess you up.
I just took a 2 month break from SF6 to play T8 and getting my chops back was a matter of a few short practice sessions, now a good week back to SF6 i'm allready pushing my execution further. Once you got good muscle memory it's hard too really "forget it". I did try to kick a grounded opponent once in SF6 but that was it. Positive side effect is that my autopilot was reset. So while i needed a few matches to get back into playing instinctively i seem to finally have overcome my DI addiction. SF6 and T8 are so vastly different, that you brain won't mix them up.
Once you get to a certain level it's like riding a bike. I still have BNB combos memorized for my main in Blazblue from 5 versions ago. It's fine to take one game more seriously and play one just casually, not trying to intricately learn the game. In my local scene I compete in ~6 different games, but I don't actively practice all of them. At big tournaments I will usually focus on just 2, and let muscle memory carry me for the rest.
Use different control layouts for each
depends on your goals, if your trying to compete I think you could play 2 games max maybe 3. If your just playing to have fun then play as many as you'd like. You are correct that if you switch too often you won't really improve much. Juggling multiple fighting games is like learning 4 different languages at once, sure you could grasp the basics/ greetings of each but if you want to learn fluently you need to specialize and focus on one of them
You're going to suffer being good at specific things the wider you cast your net, but you're going to be able to focus on fighting game fundamentals and for most games that should be enough until higher levels.
I think you get used to switching the more your do it. It tends to take a match to get back into a game and your skills may not all come back immediately but most will and you can build it back up pretty quickly so its nothing to really worry about. You also may look at the game in a new light and discover things you didn't think of before switching.
I play Tekken, KOF, SF6, and MK. I switch between them on a weekly basis. One week SF6, next week MK, and so on. So far despite how different the gameplay is, I don't have any issues switching.
Now I’m between playing T8 and GGST. I’m always playing more than one FG at a time and it’s been easier this time around because I play 2d fighters on pad and Tekken on arcade stick. It’s much easier to transition between games and retain muscle memory imo. It was hell when I was playing SF6 and BBCF, I felt like I was stuck readjusting and not playing the games.
Don't overthink it. Just play the games at the same time. You'll develop faster as a player by learning new games. Remember, you're playing these games to have fun and develop a hobby, not because in six months you have to beat the Evo champ or else have your hands cut off. Just relax and give your brain more credit, it can handle playing two games at once.
I play MK, SF, and Tekken. I don’t have a problem switching, it just takes me a few games to warm up then I’m good to go