Oh hey look it's Monster Hunter

[Esau of Isaac]

Hey hey hey guys look the Wii U finally has a game! I ran out and picked up this bad boy last night. I'd totally do a Let's Play of it or something but there's that whole "on the consoles" thing that kind of gets in the way of that.

Anyways this is my first ever Monster Hunter game so I'm walking into this completely blind. Anyone have any recommendations for me before I get farther than the first ten minutes?

[Komeiji Koishi]

Get good armors. Bowgun is crap when going solo. Carry potions. Greatswords and Gunlances are where it's at.

[AstraLunaSol]

Yeah GS and GL are good weapons, though since he's a first-timer, GS may be a bit hard to use for him. Read up on what weapons do what, and try out whichever you think best fits your style of play.

Should maybe start out with Sword and Shield or something.

[Esau of Isaac]

Jesus Christ this game's controls are beyond awful. Is there any way to make battles even the slightest bit bearable or am I supposed to get used to maneuvering my attacks like I'm driving a tank?

[AstraLunaSol]

Well it depends on what controller you're using, Classic controller is the optimal setup, Wiimote/Nunchuck is absolutely terrible, and wiipad was just unwieldy.

[Komeiji Koishi]

But but but I use Wii remote+Nunchuk in MH3, it makes GS combos stupid easy. I don't really know what to tell you, but classic controller is probably the best.

[Esau of Isaac]

I only have a WiiPad. It's not so much the buttons --I mean, the position of the face buttons is a bit uncomfortable next to the right analog stick-- it's just that the actual maneuvering of the character feels seriously dated. Hitting enemies reliably with attacks is a pain in the ass, because you can't move your character after you've begun the attack and they all take forever.

[Komeiji Koishi]

Sword and Shield has a pretty quick attack combo, it's good for getting used to the controls. After that, Dual Swords and Long Swords are pretty quick, they lack blocking but have a greater damage output and are quick if used correctly. But many people online will hate you if you use LSs.

Sure, GSs seem slow, but are strong and can combo well once you get used to it.

[Zanarkin]

I only have a WiiPad. It's not so much the buttons --I mean, the position of the face buttons is a bit uncomfortable next to the right analog stick-- it's just that the actual maneuvering of the character feels seriously dated. Hitting enemies reliably with attacks is a pain in the ass, because you can't move your character after you've begun the attack and they all take forever.

Thats part of the thing you have to learn about the weapons. A lot of it from movement with the controller to timing attacks comes with time. At first they are extremely awkward (moving the camera with the wiimote+nunchuck was extremely difficult for me while i was attacking the monster). Eventually you'll get it all down. Also, while lances are very slow to take out and sheathe, when used correctly can do a 3 hit combo pretty quickly (just make sure to dodge after the third attack). This is as far as i remember though.

Edited March 20, 2013 by SlayerX

[Esau of Isaac]

Is there a way to record other friends' cards for later looksee-having? I want to keep up on one of my bros actions, but I don't know how to enter his name and such in to get his guild card.

[Constable Reggie]

Doesn't this game have a lock on system? I'd be surprised if the controls were just as bad as they are in Freedom Unite.

[Esau of Isaac]

Doesn't this game have a lock on system? I'd be surprised if the controls were just as bad as they are in Freedom Unite.

There is none. You can direct the camera to point towards the enemy, but only if it's a boss monster. Doesn't work on normal enemies. ;__;

[Ike-Mike]

Oh no, the huge weapons to fight huge monsters control like huge weapons!

[spoiler=Also you don't want to be like one of those, do you?]

Edited March 20, 2013 by Ike-Mike

[Esau of Isaac]

Oh no, the huge weapons to fight huge monsters control like huge weapons!

In that case why don't I die when I get bitten in the face by a raptor? Why am I able to breathe underwater for minutes at a time? And so on and so forth. Arguing that it's more realistic doesn't mean it's better. For that matter, the players you control absolutely do not wield the massive weapons as a real person would. I can do blindingly fast chops if I extend a combo that a person could not possibly do with such a huge beast of a sword, so using realism as an argument is braindead.

Also, just because they're big and slow doesn't mean they can't still be wieldy. Dragon's Dogma for example featured a class that made use of massive, weighty two-handers. They were quite slow for the most part, but it still felt fairly responsive and easy to attack opponents.

[Nightmare]

In that case why don't I die when I get bitten in the face by a raptor? Why am I able to breathe underwater for minutes at a time? And so on and so forth. Arguing that it's more realistic doesn't mean it's better. For that matter, the players you control absolutely do not wield the massive weapons as a real person would. I can do blindingly fast chops if I extend a combo that a person could not possibly do with such a huge beast of a sword, so using realism as an argument is braindead.

It's not braindead. First, there's realism, and then there's stuff that will make it inconvenient to play at all. Second, he seemed to mostly just talk about game physics rather than anything else. A lot of games these days have realistic physics but make compromises in other areas so that the game remains enjoyable.

I don't think the controls are awful at all, btw. You really just need to get used to it. Also, Wiimote + Nunchuk isn't objectively terrible. A lot of people just can't seem to want to put up with learning how to play with it, but I did and I think it's actually superior to other forms of control.

If you're having trouble hitting monsters with the large weapons, well, you'll really learn how to be more accurate with your strikes as time goes on. Or if you think you can't get into it, the smaller weapons are easier to strike accurately with. Maybe you can try playing with them and by the time you're used to monster patterns and other stuff, you'll have an easier time with big weapons. Also, my advice is to keep the camera centred on what you're hitting, all the time. The lock-on feature is really only good for 3DS. Manual camera control beats it all the way. Camera control is one of the keys to playing efficiently and effectively.

Edited March 20, 2013 by Nightmare

[Murdok Dracul]

The original version of Tri is the only Monster Hunter I've played, but my advice would be: pick a weapon class, stick with it, learn it, grind a LOT, try to craft a few weapons with different effects, and always bring whetstones and mega potions.

The lock-on feature is really only good for 3DS. Manual camera control beats it all the way.

While playing the demo, I've found the lock-on feature useful on both platforms when trying to aim with long range weapons.

[Constable Reggie]

Also, my advice is to keep the camera centred on what you're hitting, all the time. The lock-on feature is really only good for 3DS. Manual camera control beats it all the way. Camera control is one of the keys to playing efficiently and effectively.

So uh, I've been trying to play through Freedom Unite, and fuck this game.

[Freohr Datia]

Yeah I just played with wiimote+nunchuck because I couldn't afford a classic controller. But I became super super good at motion controls. I just don't do the swingy thing, only the tilting thing to use different combos.

I think I'd agree to choose one weapon and stick to it (unless you really really can't stand it). The biggest part of the game is to get yourself used to the weapons. It's great for a challenge ^~^

I used to complain about how slow the lance is because you take baby baby steps and it takes a long time to simply draw your lance. But now I've gotten so used to it, I've learned how to use it effectively and learned that it can be a very fast weapon.

Great sword definitely focuses a lot on timing =o Timing is easier when you learn monster patterns.

So the main thing I'd beg is please don't get discouraged at how cumbersome the controls are XD If you keep playing you can really learn to hunt effectively and you can feel super accomplished when you get better~

[Komeiji Koishi]

Or just tank everything with absurdly strong armor.

Anyway, I started with MHTri and used Wiimote+Nunchuk becsuse screw getting stuff. I started with SnS to get used to it, then I moved to LSs, then Hamners, then sticked to GSs. What I did was make weapons of the different types to fit my needs needs- facing a Jhen Mohran? GS that guy. Going up against a Rathian? Either LS her or go in swinging a Hammer. It helps out to main one weapon type and learn the other weapon types on the side offline, so you can do that.

P.S., who here is interested in trading MHTri info?

[Nightmare]

Have fun trying to tank Ceadeus, Deviljho, Jhen Mohran and Alatreon, among others.

By which I mean tanking is a terrible strategy and you shouldn't try it.

Also, real men stick with one weapon for every monster.

[Freohr Datia]

I killed an Alatreon in low rank armour ^~^

But I did spend most of that time blocking/healing... I wasn't good enough yet.

[Komeiji Koishi]

Real pros can solo Alatreon without armor or items, and without dying. By kicking.

[Esau of Isaac]

It's not braindead. First, there's realism, and then there's stuff that will make it inconvenient to play at all. Second, he seemed to mostly just talk about game physics rather than anything else. A lot of games these days have realistic physics but make compromises in other areas so that the game remains enjoyable.

Again, I'm not referring to physics. Being slow isn't the problem, it's the inaccuracy and inflexibility I'm having difficulty with. It's manageable now by using rolling constantly to reset when you make a mistake, but it still needs a lot of work in my opinion.

[Nightmare]

Again, I'm not referring to physics. Being slow isn't the problem, it's the inaccuracy and inflexibility I'm having difficulty with. It's manageable now by using rolling constantly to reset when you make a mistake, but it still needs a lot of work in my opinion.

Oh well then yeah, you already discovered one of the tricks to overcome stuff. Just give it some more time and you'll see that it's every bit as accurate and flexible as it needs to be.

[Freohr Datia]

I don't think it could use any work, with the controls or game play, at all. Maybe if you watched what happens when people become good at the weapons, you could understand that it's very manageable. I say quit your whiniiiiiing. There is a purpose for those controls.

Real pros can solo Alatreon without armor or items, and without dying. By kicking.

Only problem is, you probably can't do that without hacking x3 Sooooo pro *hackers can do that~