kazanova_Frankenstein wrote:So whats a good technique for improving your ability offline? I'm currently playing Smash mode stock matches against 2 other CPU's, and setting a skill level slightly above mine. I guess limiting items would also be sensible for actually improving technique.
Any other good ways of monitoring meaningful improvement in skill?
Depends on what your goal is and what you class as meaningful. If it's just to get good at the singleplayer modes, then just playing them repeatedly is how you'd improve at them, and fighting vs CPUs in the way you suggested would help too.
If it's to get better vs human opponents, fighting CPUs aren't an ideal substitute. Good for getting basics down though (and if you look in the Tips section in the vault, it's quite comprehensive on basics/technique). For practising combos, the training mode is good because the combo counter (counts up for 'true' combos) - not exactly ideal either since actual players can influence the way they're launched when hit, but it's still very useful.
And then there's if you choose to play with items or not. And if you play on the more random/hazardous stages, or the more neutral ones that result in less randomness/jank. And also there's the distinction between formats like 1v1 and 3/4-player free-for-alls, the latter which emphasise randomness more. Different format variations emphasise different skills, and some are more skilled-based than others.
