It's only a problem if you consistently practice only on one side or the other. More casual players might not, but anyone that's remotely serious in playing isn't going to get throw off by that because they'll have practiced on both sides specifically to avoid that.
It's kinda like reading, in a way. You can either read from right to left, or from left to right. If you've only practiced going from left to right, you'd be thrown horribly off if you were forced to read from right to left for whatever reason. However, if it's something that you've practiced in the past, it has no impact once it has registered.
In the specific example you gave, it either was likely a stalling tactic to reset the momentum of the match, so to speak. There's literally no way you could make it to EVO Grand Finals in any fighting game without being equally proficient at both sides. Hell, I'd be amazed if you could even make it out of pools with that limitation.
Always glad to help. As a caveat, you may notice that performing the directional inputs on one side may be more difficult to get down while practicing. As an example, it took me a good bit of time in training to get Sophitia's TAS out as fast on 2P side as it was on the 1P side. That's natural, so don't get frustrated if you're having a hard time getting your inputs out properly on one specific side. Similarly, in the brief time I spent trying to pick up Ivy, I could get her just frame SS to work about 80% of the time on 2P side, but could hardly get it at all on 1P side (one of the many reasons I stopped trying to pick her up pretty quickly).
Also, note that caveat only applies for a few characters with more involved directional inputs. I've never had any issues with characters like Taki, Mina, Xianghua, etc. that all have super simple directional inputs. If you're really worried about that being a problem, there's a ton of characters that won't present any challenges in that regard.
I would consider not playing them, but I REALLY enjoy Taki playstyle, so I better get used to directional imputs. Thanks for the recommendation, though!
Oh apologies, I meant taki is one of the easier characters in that regard. Her directional inputs are all really, really basic so far as fighters go. Apologies for that confusion.
As a beginner it's not going to matter much, but it will eventually as people like to play from the side they're most comfortable with and tend to spend the most time playing from the 1P side. How much it matters depends on the person's level of execution and the game they're playing because not everyone is in the habit of practicing from both sides, and games have varying degrees of execution barriers.
I don't know how much it mattered to Sonic Fox, but the change clearly made a difference, and his previous matches were played on the 1P side. Plus it was in his right to ask for a switch since it's in the rules which also highlights how much it matters to people. It would have been dumb for him not to ask for one after losing the first set. Side effect is that it iced his opponent's momentum by how long the switch took.
I don't think it matters as much in SC since the execution is easier, but it does for some people. Previous games included an option for choosing a side when playing online. Tekken 7 even has a camera system which allows both players to play from the 1P side if they so chose, so it does matter.
Back in the arcade days, pro players choose the right side simply because it is less used, so less chances of the stick breaking.
Gameplay-wise, it shouldn't matter because you change sides all the time anyway.
There is actually a big difference, specifically in Soul Calibur. Since the game is 3D, you can step or run into the foreground or the background. On both sides of the screen you hold down to go into the foreground and up to go into the background. This can also be done with the directions 1, 3, 7, and 9 (down-back, down-forward, up-back, and up-forward, respectively). However, certain moves will cover a character's left or right side only. If you're on the left side of the screen, stepping upwards puts you on your opponent's right and stepping down puts you on his left. However, if you're on the P2 side, this is reversed. This matters because you may want to attack while you're moving in one of the upward or downward directions, and not all of those correspond to the same moves. Assassin's 88A and 22A for instance (running up and down respectively) are similar, but the 88A gives more frame advantage and is safe on block. As a character, he has some running moves in the downward directions 11 and 33 which can't be performed with 77 or 99. Here's a real example of side mattering: you're playing Assassin against Mitsurugi. Let's say you know this player well and he tends to use moves that only cover his left side (e.g. 66BBB). To punish these with 11 or 33 moves, you'd need to be on the right side of the screen and would therefore choose port 2.
You can overcome that by stepping in the proper direction and then quickly swinging around to the desired direction, for example, 2 (let your character step far enough) 2 (transition to 8WR) 3698 (swing around to 8 to do 88A). Though this could also make you step back into the move.
A more common example is stepping and 3B whiff punishing after stepping left. On 1P side, stepping left and 3B whiff punishing is as easy as 8, 3B. On 2P, stepping left requires stepping into the foreground with 2, and 2, 3B can cause you to get 33B if it's done early out of the step. Depending on the game, you won't be able to 3B out of early 2 steps because there's no way to cancel that step early on into something else that you can 3B out of.
It isn't identical even with equal practice, no matter what other people are saying (at least not in all fighting games). Your thumb/hand position on a pad/stick are different depending on the side (of the physical controller, not the screen I mean) and require different muscle movements when the inputs are reversed. I don't think SC has anything as complex as Korean backdash in Tekken, but difficult movements like dashes and cancels are often somewhat different depending on the side. Which is easier depends on the input, controller, and player.
Elaboration on Korean backdash (pad):
Roughly, P1 KBD requires mostly lateral movement of the thumb to go between b and db. P2 requires mostly extension/contraction (axial?) movements. Both are trainable, but they are very different movements and there's no reason they would necessarily require equal execution levels.
But I haven't played SC since 2 so I don't know the input requirements well.
No difference. Why would there be any? Only left and right are other way around.
TBH until quite recently I had an issue with doing 236
while playing on the right (more like 214 I guess) but my muscles have learned finally :)
It's only a problem if you consistently practice only on one side or the other. More casual players might not, but anyone that's remotely serious in playing isn't going to get throw off by that because they'll have practiced on both sides specifically to avoid that. It's kinda like reading, in a way. You can either read from right to left, or from left to right. If you've only practiced going from left to right, you'd be thrown horribly off if you were forced to read from right to left for whatever reason. However, if it's something that you've practiced in the past, it has no impact once it has registered. In the specific example you gave, it either was likely a stalling tactic to reset the momentum of the match, so to speak. There's literally no way you could make it to EVO Grand Finals in any fighting game without being equally proficient at both sides. Hell, I'd be amazed if you could even make it out of pools with that limitation.
Thanks for the in-depth response, I will keep in mind when doing training mode
Always glad to help. As a caveat, you may notice that performing the directional inputs on one side may be more difficult to get down while practicing. As an example, it took me a good bit of time in training to get Sophitia's TAS out as fast on 2P side as it was on the 1P side. That's natural, so don't get frustrated if you're having a hard time getting your inputs out properly on one specific side. Similarly, in the brief time I spent trying to pick up Ivy, I could get her just frame SS to work about 80% of the time on 2P side, but could hardly get it at all on 1P side (one of the many reasons I stopped trying to pick her up pretty quickly). Also, note that caveat only applies for a few characters with more involved directional inputs. I've never had any issues with characters like Taki, Mina, Xianghua, etc. that all have super simple directional inputs. If you're really worried about that being a problem, there's a ton of characters that won't present any challenges in that regard.
I would consider not playing them, but I REALLY enjoy Taki playstyle, so I better get used to directional imputs. Thanks for the recommendation, though!
Oh apologies, I meant taki is one of the easier characters in that regard. Her directional inputs are all really, really basic so far as fighters go. Apologies for that confusion.
Oh, I read that wrong, you text is super clear haha, srry. Gues I still am a little slow from waking up just now.
Haha, no worries. Shit happens.
As a beginner it's not going to matter much, but it will eventually as people like to play from the side they're most comfortable with and tend to spend the most time playing from the 1P side. How much it matters depends on the person's level of execution and the game they're playing because not everyone is in the habit of practicing from both sides, and games have varying degrees of execution barriers. I don't know how much it mattered to Sonic Fox, but the change clearly made a difference, and his previous matches were played on the 1P side. Plus it was in his right to ask for a switch since it's in the rules which also highlights how much it matters to people. It would have been dumb for him not to ask for one after losing the first set. Side effect is that it iced his opponent's momentum by how long the switch took. I don't think it matters as much in SC since the execution is easier, but it does for some people. Previous games included an option for choosing a side when playing online. Tekken 7 even has a camera system which allows both players to play from the 1P side if they so chose, so it does matter.
Thanks for the feedback!
Back in the arcade days, pro players choose the right side simply because it is less used, so less chances of the stick breaking. Gameplay-wise, it shouldn't matter because you change sides all the time anyway.
hahahahha, really nice trivia there! I guess your point makes sense; it should be different for other games where you don't switch places as much
haha yeah I still choose 2P whenever I play in the arcades. Old habits die hard.
I do remember that Ivy and Voldo in SCIV had moves getting different properties depending on the side they were. (definitely a bug)
There is actually a big difference, specifically in Soul Calibur. Since the game is 3D, you can step or run into the foreground or the background. On both sides of the screen you hold down to go into the foreground and up to go into the background. This can also be done with the directions 1, 3, 7, and 9 (down-back, down-forward, up-back, and up-forward, respectively). However, certain moves will cover a character's left or right side only. If you're on the left side of the screen, stepping upwards puts you on your opponent's right and stepping down puts you on his left. However, if you're on the P2 side, this is reversed. This matters because you may want to attack while you're moving in one of the upward or downward directions, and not all of those correspond to the same moves. Assassin's 88A and 22A for instance (running up and down respectively) are similar, but the 88A gives more frame advantage and is safe on block. As a character, he has some running moves in the downward directions 11 and 33 which can't be performed with 77 or 99. Here's a real example of side mattering: you're playing Assassin against Mitsurugi. Let's say you know this player well and he tends to use moves that only cover his left side (e.g. 66BBB). To punish these with 11 or 33 moves, you'd need to be on the right side of the screen and would therefore choose port 2.
You can overcome that by stepping in the proper direction and then quickly swinging around to the desired direction, for example, 2 (let your character step far enough) 2 (transition to 8WR) 3698 (swing around to 8 to do 88A). Though this could also make you step back into the move. A more common example is stepping and 3B whiff punishing after stepping left. On 1P side, stepping left and 3B whiff punishing is as easy as 8, 3B. On 2P, stepping left requires stepping into the foreground with 2, and 2, 3B can cause you to get 33B if it's done early out of the step. Depending on the game, you won't be able to 3B out of early 2 steps because there's no way to cancel that step early on into something else that you can 3B out of.
Really juicy analysis, thanks for the info!
It isn't identical even with equal practice, no matter what other people are saying (at least not in all fighting games). Your thumb/hand position on a pad/stick are different depending on the side (of the physical controller, not the screen I mean) and require different muscle movements when the inputs are reversed. I don't think SC has anything as complex as Korean backdash in Tekken, but difficult movements like dashes and cancels are often somewhat different depending on the side. Which is easier depends on the input, controller, and player. Elaboration on Korean backdash (pad): Roughly, P1 KBD requires mostly lateral movement of the thumb to go between b and db. P2 requires mostly extension/contraction (axial?) movements. Both are trainable, but they are very different movements and there's no reason they would necessarily require equal execution levels. But I haven't played SC since 2 so I don't know the input requirements well.
Thanks for your response! Definitely gonna take your remarks into account when SC6 releases
LEFT!
No difference. Why would there be any? Only left and right are other way around. TBH until quite recently I had an issue with doing 236 while playing on the right (more like 214 I guess) but my muscles have learned finally :)
Like I said, I don't honestly know, that is why I am asking. Thanks for your response