#setplay

Setplay is a logic.  It's the full optimization of any and all outcomes that could occur in any given situation during a fight.

Touch of Death confirm combos off the tiniest of Jabs.  (Maximum damage combos off any confirm, really.)

Vortex Option-select Mixups that anticipate the opponent's every single move with a perfect countermeasure.

Reading and countering all the opponent's movements.

The "objective" of Setplay is to completely shut down the opponent's movements, actions, and efforts to win.

From a competitive standpoint, this is what all pro-level players seek to achieve.

However, a truly balanced fighting game will anticipate and counter this logic every single time.

Damage Scaling, combo pushback, gravity, Psych Bursts, Dead Angles, Guts ratings, Danger Time, Instant Kills... all of these mechanics EXIST to prevent flawless setplay.

It's because fighting games are inherently a 2 player game... it isn't just one player running the show.

In a game of tug-of-war, both competitors will pull on the rope to gain their advantages... but setplay seeks to take the rope out of the opponent's hands entirely.

The "rope" in this case, represents the normal rules of the game, the mechanics that keep it balanced.

Skilled players know how to manipulate that rope in their favor, but setplay by its nature destroys all hope that anyone else can use the rope.

There are, of course, counter-logics to setplay, but again, it is really all determined by the amount of balance found within the game itself.

What happens to the opponent when they take too much damage but aren't K.O.'d?  Do they gain a lot of tension?  Do they get a lot of Psyche Burst gauge back?  Can they use those features to make a comeback?

A balanced game will allow for this in some measure.

From a general perspective (non competitive/casual) setplay is the bane of fighting games because it homogenizes all possibility within the game to make any other choices.  It literally takes all the "fun", "variety", and "randomness" out of the game.

You’re not looking at this from the perspective of someone who plays the game earnestly.

A lot of fighting games have corners. But what you do to get out of said corner is on you.

A fight is a problem you have to solve by making use of the tools in your arsenal. If you keep falling for the same traps, it’s not the opponent’s fault, it’s your own.

Sure, players get PROFICIENT at setting these traps, but for every trap set there are 10 ways out of that trap. Faultless Defense at key timings, Defense Shield to throw off their tempo, knowing an opponent’s guard strings and attack patterns, KNOWLEDGE CHECKS you yourself have to learn. Back Throws that put THEM in the Corner.

I know you’re gonna make some excuses like you don’t have time or motivation to learn and you just want a casual fight, but if you’re so dedicated to being casual, why are you so angry at losing?

I was casual too, for a very long time, I still consider myself casual, but all that time playing taught me important stuff along the way which I apply to my play style. Maybe to some that makes me strong, but it just means I learned things that other players simply do not KNOW YET how to take advantage of!

Letting other players play is not the responsibility of a player who is aggressive. If anything they are SCARED of letting others play because they hate losing more than you currently do. Rather, what you see as Inescapable Pressure is actually the other players taking MASSIVE RISKS to keep you locked down.

Instead of seeing it as you not being allowed to play, see it as them expecting all the generic methods by which you mount offense and setting traps for that. They have seen everything you can possibly do, so instead of following their scripted expectations of what you want to do, do something THEY WILL NEVER SEE COMING instead!

Patience is key. Timing is key. Letting them get too close or letting them spend all their resources and take incredible risks to convince themselves you can’t do anything and then PROVING they can’t cage a tiger is how you win.

A knowledge check is like a pop quiz, it asks the question “can you solve/get out of this problem?” When Sol mashes his close range Punch (close Slash), every time he does that he risks getting thrown, even if the timing is strict. Every time Axl throws out his chains, he’s risking a 6P low profile counter that can start a combo.

Every time a character uses an Overhead, it’s a slow moving attack. What do you DO against slow moving attacks? You counter them, even if it’s just a crouching jab to stop the momentum.

A fight is where both players present themselves with problems, but the stronger player sees those problems and finds unique solutions.

A beginner who is passive at the game won’t see these things right away, but being faster, reacting quicker, being smarter, being patient, looking for gaps, creating gaps, taking advantage of openings, just like any martial artist, it’s not about standing around waiting for your opponent to die on their own. Know your attacks, know their attacks, know what your mechanics and strategies are, knowing the matchup, knowing what to expect versus what they will ACTUALLY DO, all of these things are important.

Does it feel overwhelming? Yes, at times it is, that’s EXACTLY why you pace yourself in how much time you spend learning and applying the knowledge.

Finally, and most importantly you need to change your mindset: people aren’t playing this game just to spite you. They are playing to get skilled. And when they reach that skill they seek out others to match their own skill.

The question you then have to ask yourself: Do you have what it takes to learn everything? Maybe not in a day, a week, a month, or years from now, but do you have it in yourself to break through and turn the tide?

Sure, right now it feels confusing and frustrating, but every chunk of knowledge you digest and apply will not only make you better, but let you feel better about yourself and the situations you will face AND OVERCOME.

And yes, sometimes that means becoming more aggressive than usual, sometimes it means thinking outside the box, but it also means being smarter and NOT GIVING UP despite the odds against you.

Sure not all games are balanced, so it will feel ridiculously one sided at times, but knowing what you CAN do versus what they CAN’T DO to you will make opportunities and open doors.

If you were fighting an Arcade Boss how would you win? Sure there are lame patterns and strategies, but against an actual player you have to think about what weaknesses they actually have and how you can exploit them.