general question on improving

[L1nk115]

Been browsing a lot through tuts etc. I've been playing for about 3 months now and kind of hit this point where I can't improve. Any tips? If you wanna get a gauge on my level, I can't full clear A beautiful storm, but I CAN full clear 600 AD in Piano - classics. I'm a guy who learns by mimicking or watching others play + seeing tutorials. Thought it'd just be easier for me if someone can point me in the general direction. Thanks!

edit: suppose i'd add a bit more info
kb: steelseries 7g
style: spread
speed: 2.0

[Hakulyte]

Use standalone.
Fix lag.
Buy better keyboard.
Keep your hands in the air inclined forward. (watch vids of top players for hand posture)
Play spread.
Congrats, you're top 10 in the world.
Constantly ask yourself the question "why did I get a good and how can I avoid it".

[L1nk115]

Originally Posted by Hakulyte

Use standalone.
Fix lag.
Buy better keyboard.
Keep your hands in the air inclined forward. (watch vids of top players for hand posture)
Play spread.
Congrats, you're top 10 in the world.
Constantly ask yourself the question "why did I get a good and how can I avoid it".

hmm i do all of those minus -> Keep your hands in the air inclined forward. (watch vids of top players for hand posture)
guess i should go watch some ppl play

edit: i lied. pretty sure i already do that lol. thought you meant to keep your hands in the air while playing which seems uncomfortable. o_O

[Tidus810]

Another good thing to do regardless of where you are in playing ability is to play songs that push your limits. If your best full combo is on a difficulty 15, for example, play some 16-20 and see how you do. When you feel warmed up play some songs on the upper extreme of your abilities. Setting short term goals is also a good idea. If you get 8 goods on a song, play for a few days or something and see if you can AAA. Stuff like that may help.

[Winrar]

Set a goal each day to get something like 20-50 mil gt. You can only get better by pushing yourself on songs slightly harder and trying to not mash. If you can feel the burn then you'll get better in no time.

[L1nk115]

Originally Posted by Winrar

Set a goal each day to get something like 20-50 mil gt. You can only get better by pushing yourself on songs slightly harder and trying to not mash. If you can feel the burn then you'll get better in no time.

what is gt?

[Emanresu13]

- don't slouch.
- wrists in the air, fingers fairly curved.
- learn how to play index.
- learn if you hit your keys too soft or too hard.
- learn if you have a tendency to hit early or late. if a section feels overwhelming, chances are you are hitting late.
- raise your speed mod and lower your speed mod. build your ability to react quickly and read deep. when you lower speed mod, you will probably tend to hit early.
- don't look directly at the target indicators, look more near the center of the screen.
- listen for the sounds that the notes are associated with. try to understand when a jump or hand makes sense.
- remember to go with the beat of the song.
- learn to BS your way through stuff (i don't mean mashing(more like intelligent guesses))
- i would say practice a bit on A Beautiful Storm


gt means grand total

[igotrhythm]

I'm going to combine these two indicators, and add a few of my own.

1. Take it from someone who did it for a number of years: Don't play on the arrow keys if you're doing spread. Aside from the hardware problem of ghosting, using both hands cramps them in a small space and forces a very awkward position for your right wrist. Under Settings, you can pick which key activates which arrow.

2. Listen for the sounds that the notes go to. If a sound is louder than usual, chances are that the step artist is going to emphasize it in the file with a jump (two notes at once). This also helps you maintain accuracy during long sections. On the off chance that you've heard a song before playing it on here, you can use what you know about the song to make educated guesses about the types of patterns you'll encounter. If the sounds the arrows go to aren't properly synchronized with the arrows (it happens sometimes), try changing the offset settings. Use a positive number if the arrows are slow, and a negative number if they're fast.

3. Learn to take advantage of the game's limitations. A surprising number of low-level files these days offer opportunities to hit two arrows in such quick succession that it's practically a jump. This skill of looking at a hard pattern and breaking it down into manageable chunks is one that many elite players seek to hone.

4. Experiment with various key setups (referencing point #1) and scroll speeds to find out what works best for you. The beta engine also offers a number of different ways to display the arrows that can be of assistance, as well as a possible reprieve from instances of lag.

5. Practice on songs that are just a little out of your comfort zone. In your case, if you have trouble hitting all the arrows on A Beautiful Storm (a feat known as a "full combo"), look for other songs in that difficulty range and try those on for size. Don't play the same song for too long, or you might start thinking too much about how to play it and not enough about actually playing it, a phenomenon called mindblocking.

[EzExZeRo7497]

Originally Posted by Emanresu13

- wrists in the air, fingers fairly curved.

This is subjective. If I were you I'd just play the style that most fits you. I play with my wrists on the desk, and I can play just fine.

For improving, the easiest way to improve is to play songs right above your skill level. If you can AAA 50s easily, try playing 57s or higher, and see if you can PA them easily. If you can't, you're probably playing files that are too hard.

Basically a no pain no gain concept, once you feel comfortable with 57s and are able to SDG/AAA easily, move on to 60s, or even more. It takes time though, so don't worry if you don't see much improvement after a day.

Setups matter as well, try not to use the arrow key setup, like what IGR said. It's too little space and chances are you're going to have a lot of problems hitting some patterns with your right hand. If you're using spread, the most common setup would be ASKL, but other people would use setups like AS56 or FGHJ. It's your choice. I myself use FGHJ, since I can hit one hand patterns easier by bringing my other hand to the other side of the setup. It does risks a couple of extra boos due to bad positioning, but it's a con. Most setups would have pros and cons.

[Emanresu13]

Originally Posted by EzExZeRo7497

This is subjective. If I were you I'd just play the style that most fits you. I play with my wrists on the desk, and I can play just fine.

true enough. maybe i'll start resting my wrists again.

edit:
nope didn't work xD

[Xx{Midnight}xX]

I would like to tell you this isn't a game you can learn by watching people play and mimicking the techniques, because the techniques are either very fast or are different per person.

The best way to improve is start with playing EVERYTHING in the game. Pass or fail. If you fail it try it 3 more times after the first fail, if you cannot pass it after that move on to the next chart. This opens you to knowing what sort of things you're actually good at pattern wise and gives you a good understanding of what you need to learn.

If you know what your strengths are you'll be able to focus more on what you are struggling on.

Also if you haven't read these threads you should consider doing so

This thread gives you an example of the types of patterns you're gonna deal with, but not the exact pattern as it changes per song.
Official FFR Picture Dictionary

If you suspect you are having issues with lag spikes affecting your scores...
FFR Standalone Guide

Hopefully you can keep improving and compete in the unofficial and future official tourneys. Those are also great ways to encourage yourself to spend time working on the game.

[L1nk115]

well i just know i have problems with continuous long jumps as it tires out my hands. i pretty much try to practice those charts everyday though.

[i heart candy]

If you want to get good, work on your weaknesses, try to stay as healthy as possible, learn to read patterns, and play stepmania. If you have a bad day, don't worry. It happens to everyone. The main thing is you must be consistent and practice.

[icontrolyourworld]

It really depends on how good you want to get. But I guess in general just play hard songs all the time that are hard for you to read and try to get good scores on them. (within reason, you don't want to just mash)
And since you mention you learn from watching others I'll take the opportunity to self promote:

[Patashu]

If you're bad at jumps, play something that has a LOT of jumps in it (for example Forgotten Planet) over and over