I think there are 2 ways of looking at this. It’s all a matter of perspective.
A) You find that you dislike not having manual controls, or that it doesn’t do anything to help you improve. Basically you find that you feel Combo Assist doesn’t work for you. You turn it off and don’t bother using it.
B) You find that Combo Assist opens up new possibilities for you, allows you to do things that you didn’t have the skill to execute consistently without it, basically doing its job. You keep it on to whatever varying degree you see fit.
As far as dealing with your opponent, whether or not they’re using Combo Assist…
If you think they may be using combo assist to get easy openers (or they are just good at opening you up), get defensive and watch for patterns so you can plan accordingly. If they start getting predictable or do something unsafe, punish.
If they do manage to open you up for a combo, then do the thing that this game has sold itself on as a feature (to the point where it became a meme) for its entire existence: Do a C-C-C-C-COMBO BREAKER! Regardless of whether they’re using Combo Assist or not, if their combo is just linkers and doubles, you’ll find a break point. If they’re someone who doesn’t know how to mix up combos with manuals and unique character traits and resets etc, then it won’t matter what control scheme they’re using.
When it comes to KI updates, I have a different philosophy than some. Instead of going to one side of the fence or the other, I generally try to look at any new updates, characters, buffs/nerfs/berfs, or features that are added to the game as neither positive or negative. I try to look at it as “Okay. This is in the game now. Can I utilize it, and/or how do I deal with it?” I admit I often fail at this, but it’s saved me a few headaches playing the game.
With the example of option select: Am I going to use it? Nope. I gave it a try for a few minutes and just couldn’t get comfortable with it. Could I still utilize it? Yeah, it means all the people I had to babysit and be gentle with the game before can now at least combo just as easily as I could about a year and a half ago, which means I can play with them more seriously and maybe teach them about meta stuff instead of saying "Oi, the A button’s at the bottom. This isn’t the Wii U, silly!"
Am I going to get miffed if I lose a match to someone I wouldn’t have before because they were using combo select? Probably not. If I lose to someone, I try to look at what I did wrong or the things they did that bent me out of shape. This is a game where I know that victory and defeat hinge on good decisions and/or tactical errors on my part.
It could be worse. After Pre Patch Model 1887’s Akimbo in MW2, I think I’ll live through some new players with easier buttons.
But again, perspective. I’ll do me and you’ll do you at the end of the day. Can’t really stop you from going through life, looking at the world in whatever way you see fit, and I’d be a buttmunch if I were going to try and make you stop doing that. Just think about it for a while.
Cheers, mate. I shall return to lurking in the thread.
(Speaking of thread, 500 posts holy cow this is getting traffic)