Tokyo Street Fighter IV Format Change and Some News!

The Blog here at Tokyo Street Fighter IV is going to move away from strategy and advice and switch over to news in the Tokyo Street Fighter IV scene, as this is what I wanted to focus on initially.  In the next few days I will be talking more about Street Fighter Arcades here, get you some new locations and things like that.  

Also, some great news.  Local Shibuya Sports Land Gaijin player, JohnnyRotten from Shoryuken.com won the TRF Nakano "Beginners" Tournament.  This tournament is for players with an IC Card Battlepoint Ranking of 20,000 or Less... which translates to a few hundred games EASY.  The concept of a beginner in Japan is quite a bit different than the US, and once we get the vids from TRF you will be able to see what Japanese "Beginners" are like!

I am also going to see if Johnny will do an interview and talk about some of the differences between us and Japanese players and also about his experiences at TRF so stay tuned to All Is Fighter dot Com for that!

Tokyo Street Fighter 4 - What Makes a Character Good?

This is not a subjective question by any means, nor am I talking about how a good player can overcome their character weakness in Street Fighter 4.  This has been true of all Street Fighter games, if you need proof of that check out guys like PONY (Zangief) or America's own Jumpsuit Jesse (Fei Long) from Super SFII Turbo.  I wanted to discuss a little something that's been on my mind lately as I continue my search for "my character."

There's been a huge debate on SRK as to the newest Tougeki Tier List which places C. Viper in S+, a significant jump from the second published tier list.  On the Event Hubs lists the first tiering places her 4th from bottom, then the second list moves her up to 8th from bottom and now she's in the top 4!?  This has been hard for many to accept, but I think we can compare her attributes with a similar character who has NOT moved up very much.  In the original tier list Viper has only E. Honda separating her from El Fuerte, a character I think shares some of her attributes.  How does Viper move up from 4th worst (out of 17) up almost 13 spaces where El Fuerte tops out in lower mid?  Lets play a little Theory Fighter 4 and analyze it.

I believe both characters main strategy is or will ultimately revolve around putting the opponent in stun, and pressuring the wakeup.  Everybody knows about Fuerte's Tostada Press crossup on wakeup, and of course the Run Stop Fierce loop, as well as the run stops.  Viper has a similar game with her burning kick on wakeup, her great overhead, and her feints.  The real difference is what can come off of wakeup damage, Armor Breaker,  realistic damage potential, the ultra and how the initial knockdown comes about.  

Fuerte mostly operates on a single hit knockdown besides the obvious RSF loop that is not really that easy to land.  A single Tostada Press does 200 stun.  Moves off the run or slide kick is the same, and throws do 150.   One can also land an overhead kick combo but to keep things simple we're looking at 5 Tostadas/Slides to stun Ryu.  Of course, your opponent is probably not going to let you land it 5 times without doing anything and he will lose the stun potential, but that's not really the point.

Lets compare that to Vipers stun potential on wakeup, as she operates on combinations.  Her most basic combo on wakeup is low fowardxxMP Thunder Knuckle or SJ Burning Kick (200 stun).  The low forward TK combo does 300 stun by itself, so it takes her 3.33 of these to stun Ryu.  In most practical cases Viper will get that stun much easier than Fuerte because his major stun option is RSF punch loop.

Viper's basic combos and Stun Potential:  Jhk, hp, Seismo Hammer (EX), SJC Burning Kick will do around 500.  low short, stand short, low strong x MP Thunder Knuckle does 380 and low forward into MP Tunder Knuckle does 300, neither of these knock down so it is possible to continue the pressure.  These also take no special setup or even a bait to land, though the option is definitely there.

Fuerte's combos:  RSF Loop- can do up to 100% stun (though you wouldn't want to in general), as for other combos he's pretty limited... you can bait and do close HK, Guacamole Grab or overhead toward mk+a string of jabs but niether of these will top 300.  The only thing Fuerte can do that leads to that big stun potential is the RSF loop, which we all know can be a real bear to set up.  The Loop is also one of the most difficult techniques to master in all of Street Fighter IV as well.  (not saying C.Viper's combos are any easier!)  You will mostly be knocking your opponent down with a Tostada Press or a throw.

Also of note is the Armor Breaker-  Fuerte only has one move with this designation, though the Run Grabs will work as well.  The Quesadilla Bomb is very difficult to employ as an Armor Breaker or to even throw out as it takes a button charge.  Viper on the other hand uses a fireball motion and it is one of her most used specials to begin with, it is also very safe on block for the MP and LP versions of the Thunder Knuckle.

Connecting the Ultra:  Fuerte can't land his ultra except from his Focus Attack or as a fireball punish/anti air.  It is one of the hardest in Street Fighter 4 to use.  Viper can land hers from many of her options in any area of the screen, though it is harder to use than other characters.  

Comparing Anti Air-  Both of Fuerte's special options have to be done rather early.  The Guacamole Throw and the air throw both require quite a bit of pre-emption.  In comparison, Viper's thunder knuckle can be used similar to a shoto DP though it's not nearly as good.  Fuerte's low fierce is definitely a lot better than Vipers back+hk though I will admit.

Mobility:  Fuerte is obviously quite a bit more mobile.  His run definitely wins this category and (this is theory) he might turn out to be a bit of a runaway character.

On balance, I believe Viper is better because of all her options.  That's what Street Fighter 4 is all about anyway, having those options to counter or overwhelm your opponent... Fuerte certainly CAN do that, but he has a much harder time to do so.

Good luck with your learning Street Fighter 4.  I myself, still have a very long way to go.

Edit:  There are some things I wanted to mention, but it got a little long anyway.  One thing that definitely makes a character good in 4 is how good their low jabs and shorts are.  That's got to be at least 80% of Balrog's game!  (joke exaggeration, but Rog players do mash jab allllll the time)

More about El Fuerte: http://tokyosf4.blogspot.com/2009/02/regarding-el-fuerte-advice-part-1.html

Street Fighter IV Recommended Joysticks

Throughout my entire time playing Street Fighter I've heard a lot of things about joysticks, with the one common complaint that commercial joysticks suck.  Although it is true that most commercial joysticks DO suck, there are three that I can definitely recommend to you.  One is out of print and hard to find, and the other two are rather expensive.

Why is that?  Because any serious Street Fighter player needs a serious good quality joystick.  You will find that a top quality joystick is a lot more durable, reliable, and just plain better to play on.  Also, if you're using an arcade quality joystick you won't have issues in transitioning to live play.  A lot of players with a low grade stick will eventually "upgrade" it or have it break and need to put in new higher quality parts regardless, so lets skip that step shall we?

First on my list:  The Official Street Fighter 15th Anniversary Joystick.  Created to coincide with the release of the Playstation and X Box version releases of the Hyper Street Fighter II Anniversary Edition and Street Fighter III 3rd Strike port this was a top quality joystick in the American style and one of the few to be done correctly.  It featured the standard straight across layout, red white and blue buttons as common in the US, and featured a medium spring HAPP 8 Way Competition Bat style joystick and HAPP Concave buttons, this was the home version of the joystick we all played on as kids at the arcade or 7-11.

There is a used one currently going on Ebay for around 90 dollars.  

Why you might want to consider getting one:  This joystick and the American style in general have a much harder snap and shorter "throw", meaning you won't have to manipulate the joystick as far as on a japanese style.  The gate is also octagonal or round as opposed to square, so it can feel a bit more accurate when moving to a specific direction.  The snapback will also help with things such as charge supers as the stick will do some of the work for you, with japanese style you have to do the motion with wrist power.

Why you might not:   The American style joystick has fallen out of favor in the US due to newer players simply preferring Japanese style, especially Street Fighter III 3rd Strike players.  Also, the newer Joysticks being produced by US companies are ball style as well.  It can be a bit difficult to do double qcf motions due to the stiffness of the spring, you need a lot more wrist power to get it back to neutral and back around for the second fireball motion.  The buttons also must be hit with a lot more power to register than a Sanwa or Seimitsu manufactured button.

Games that are best played on a HAPP:  Marvel vs Capcom 2, America's game, is played almost 100% on American style joysticks so keep that in mind if you'd like to play that in the arcades.  

Other ways to play on a HAPP:  Get a custom stick builder to make you one, that's it!  I own a Custom HAPP joystick built by my friend that fits what I said about the Anniversary Edition, except mine has a HARD spring.

Hori Real Arcade Pro Series / Madcatz Street Fighter IV Tournament Edition:

There are a lot of people talking about the Madcatz TE and for good reason.  It has all Sanwa parts out of the box, a nice design, and a low profile.  It is going for fairly ridiculous prices due to supply and demand at the moment.

It is the only good Xbox360 joystick that I know of though.

I mainly wanted to talk about the Hori Real Arcade Pro.  Popularly known as the HRAP these joysticks are fantastic, I own two models.   I own the HRAP 3 for Playstation 3, and the HRAP 2 SA for PS2.  The main difference is that the HRAP3 is built with Hori buttons which are not bad by any means, they are quite durable and arcade quality, but they are a bit more difficult to activate than Sanwa.  Any HRAP model that ends in "SA" is a Special "Addition" (sic) that will feature ALL Sanwa parts, and a metal overlay.  The SA's are a super limited edition and can be resold at a premium price, for example when I bought my SA2 it was sold out in under a month from then... and I pre ordered!

Why you might want a Japanese stick:  It is more popular, and the motions are done with a lot less wrist effort.  Definitely get it if you are a  Street Fighter III 3rd strike player.  Buttons are also a lot more sensitive as well.

Why you might not:  Basically, the square gate is a tough adjustment.  Rather than doing qcf's you seem to be doing quarter squares, also the sensitivity of buttons is to such a degree that you might make some execution mistakes.  A Sanwa button can be activated by the weight of 2 quarters.

Have fun playing Street Fighter 4!

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Just a quick update.  Ones that came out too poor didn't get put up.  Sorry for poor quality my camera was on lo-res setting! Better, and MORE vids next time!

Street Fighter IV Character Selection, "Honorable characters" etc

If you click my user profile on AllisFighter.com and look under "Street Fighter 4" you will see that all my selected character portraits are Sagat.  This is because I have very little interest in playing anybody else, even for "casual" play.  Sagat is widely considered the best character in the game, and a lot of players are getting derided for choosing him, or for switching from a weak character to a better one.  As a utilitarian person, I don't see the problem with using a character I not only like but is also really strong as a bad thing.  I can, however, understand why some players feel "betrayed" when their favorite player switches to one of the top/upper tier characters. 

Are some matches made easily winnable by Sagat's options?  Absolutely.  Is this a bad thing?  Some players seem to think so.  Sagat has some tough matches as well, I consider Akuma and Blanka to be particularly difficult.  Some players also seem to want an uphill battle every time they play, by knowingly picking a character that THEY KNOW is bad simply for the reasons that the character they could be good with is "overpowered" or "broken."  Everybody is free to pick Sagat, Akuma, Viper, Fuerte whoever they'd like so I don't see the issue in wanting to switch.  The words Overpowered, Broken, Unbalanced all sound the same in my head as "cheap", some players can transcend the "throwing is cheap, fireballs are cheap" etc but seem forever unable to overcome the "this character is cheap!" mindset.  If you have a legitimate reason for picking a low ranked character, such as unlocking their hidden potential or you are very strong with them then I say go for it.  One player I always cite as making the best out of a bad character is Hayao (Hugo player) he makes Hugo's high priority and turtling style into an art form by using the system, his knowledge, and his execution talents to win against top tiers.  Hayao plays Hugo because Hugo suits his style and abilities, not because it's "HONORABLE" to do so!  Same thing in 4 with Iyo Dhalsim, Iyo has been playing Dhalsim in CVS2 for a long time and has figured out Dhalsim on a level others haven't in 4.

What I'm saying is, don't limit yourself because "honor" straps you to a character.  If you start playing "honorable characters" it's a slippery slope (back) to scrub mentality.  Just like you should have a reason for what you do IN MATCH, you should have a reason for what you do on the select screen!

Another thing that particularly irritates me is when a well known player changes characters to one that they are better with.  One case a lot of people know about is Tokido switching from Urien to Chun in 3s, Tokido was a great Urien player... but some think that he became an even better Chun player.  His results certainly reflected that.  Especially since 4 is so young, players are going to be switching all the time.  I heard recently that Kindevu changed from Rufus to C. Viper.  No doubt there will be players criticising them for these switches, I say it's nuts.  Why be a strongly ranked Urien when you can be a top of the line Chun player.  Don't feel betrayed if your favorite player switch one, two, or many more times throughout SFIV.  This happened with well known Smash player Gimpyfish, he announced he was going to switch from Fei long and his blog got completely buried in derisive commments.  The man has been playing for less than a month by my estimation, let him get accustomed to who he should play.  Myself, I went through the whole cast except for Viper, Ken, Rog, and Rufus to finally settle on Sagat.

Another note:  This game is not yet fleshed out 100%, somebody may take that throne from Sagat and others have moved into his S+ tier in the recent lists.  Not saying it will be as drastic, but during the earlier days of Marvel characters that could control space with a lot of projectiles and traps were the top ranked.  The character rankings of those days included Dr. Doom pretty much at the top, and Sentinel was considered terrible.  We saw that perception change completely and now Sentinel is one of the "Big four" possibly even the best character in the game!  There is still a lot to be discovered, and maybe the console characters will shift things a bit more.

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That Guy 1.5

My New IC Card for Sagat! (Arcade BP Ranking Card)

This is my quick update to my main page post on www.AllisFighter.Com, sort of a supplement to tell you something about those friends that you have, the ones not in your head, that are a negative influence and why it is so.

The walking personification of "that guy" is known in the rap world as the "hater."  A hater is anybody in your life that disrespects what you want to do and downplays your success.  We've all had a "friend" like this at some point, and my advice to you is that you're better off without him.  You might think that this guy is a good influence on your life because this type of person keeps you grounded in reality, I say... why stay "grounded" when it's better to FLY?  The sad part is, that even if you disregard what this friend says as nonsense, it gets to you on some level.  The human mind keeps a lot of stuff in the subconscious.  Personally, I'd rather not have a negative outside influence that can affect me even .001%.  Do you really think Edison kept haters in his life?  "Oh Thomas you will never make the lightbulb, you've failed 100s of times."  Probably not, he never gave up and today we have harnessed electricity and all the wonderful things it brings.

If you look at the life of a hater, you realize they never get anywhere with their own happiness.  They only seem to be having a good time when bringing you down, why is that?  Well, fundamentally I believe a hater is somebody who starts off wanting good things in life and wanting to achieve his goals, though when that doesn't happen he starts disrespecting those around him that do achive or do have goals.  The old saying goes 'misery loves company' and these guys are some of the most miserable of all.

Some do make a career of being a hater, some critics fall into this category.  Of course it is good to have them so that we know that "Street Fighter:  The Legend of Chun Li" is an even bigger shitbomb than "Street Fighter: The Movie" and can avoid watching it, but why do these people become critics in the first place?  Can they not "hack it" directing their own films?  Maybe, maybe not... how can we know without judging their creations?

The TL;DR of this article can basically be summed up in this quote from composer Jean Sibelius: "Never pay any attention to what critics say…Remember, a statue has never been set up in honour of a critic!"

Good luck.

--GnG

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The "Close Up" Game Problem in SFIV

This is my opinion, please agree or disagree with me as you wish.  I am going to try to present my argument with facts examples, and some light mathematics.

Let me preface this with the opinion of a respected player, Mike Ross, this is our conversation about this exact topic:

Sheil is the Man: Hey Mike I wanted to ask you something about 4

Sheil is the Man: if you have time.

The GreaterForce: yeah

The GreaterForce: watup

Sheil is the Man: I'm having a real hard time with the closeup blockstring game

Sheil is the Man: I kind of figured it out mathematically

Sheil is the Man: And no matter what you do it's a gamble in favor of the aggressor

Sheil is the Man: every time.

Sheil is the Man: Like lets say Ryu is up in my ass doing low short blockstring, dash+throw shenanigans

Sheil is the Man: What can you do really besides throw out a reversal and hope he's not going to bait it, or tech the throw.

The GreaterForce: nothing

The GreaterForce: LOL!

The GreaterForce: hahaha

The GreaterForce: seriously

Sheil is the Man: Fuckin hate this game

The GreaterForce: its so stupid

The GreaterForce: yeah

The GreaterForce: im sure u've tried it all

The GreaterForce: and it all fails

The GreaterForce: u just gotta react

Sheil is the Man: Pretty much.

The GreaterForce: to their shit

Sheil is the Man: God, so when you're getting RTSD'd

Sheil is the Man: you are like, up against the odds every time

Sheil is the Man: And if you play somebody with no crossup defense (Abel) its a wrap.

The GreaterForce: yes

The GreaterForce: correct

Depending on your style, this might be a boon or a bane.  For me, it is definitely the latter.  The issue is two-fold: No other Street Fighter game has so greatly rewarded the tactics of close low jabs and shorts, and no other SF game has made standing crossups so viable.  Sure, this style of game has been prevalent since the first ever "short short super" from Ken in Super Turbo or DeeJay's crossup trick, but each character had reasonable means to get around it.

In Street Fighter 4 the zoning game is a lot different due to the way your opponents are going to attack.  A lot of players will come out with guns blazing, trying to focus and dash up to get that range, from what I've seen it's becoming the dominant tactic for many of the characters.  Focus/Saving allows a great deal of mobility on the ground, similar to the parry, but coupled with the difference in SF3 and 4 it becomes a more worthwhile tactic.

I'm going to simplify the numbers to make things easier:

Picture the scenario:  you're Sagat fighting against a strong Ryu player, he's got range on you and he can do low short low short low jab etc into combo or dash up throw,  that string and then cross you up, or block and bait.  Let's assume that if he lands the combo you will take anywhere from 15-25% damage (depending on distance and meter etc), if he throws it does around 10%, and if he blocks and baits you will eat the same combo in a punish, or if he lands the crossup you will take the combo.  Your options against a tight blockstring are 1) Get out a Tiger Uppercut, 2) Break the throw or 3) try to push back with your own block string.  Lets say the Tiger Uppercut will do 15% damage when successful, and Teching obviously does no damage.

Anyway, the Ryu player has 4 damaging options: 3 where he will get 15-25% damage or lets say the two combos average out to about 20% (15+25/2=20) and one where he will get 10% damage so if we add these situations together and divide by 4 (situations)  his damage potential for this mixup game is around 17.5%. 

Your options are as such:  Block and try to tech which does no damage, uppercut for 15 percent on the block string or crossup, or try to make them block which can hit sometimes but I am not going to go into that right now cause it would be way beyond the scope of what I'm trying to do here. (we'd need ratios of hit and block)  Let's disregard that, I might take it up later.  So with the 3 viable solutions we have 2 with a damage potential of 15 and one with a damage of 0. (the tech)  The sum of the defender's outcome is about 15+15+0/3= 10%.  

At the very best you lose 7.5% damage on average to Ryu's options.  This is assuming that your execution is pretty strong as well.

Obviously there is a lot I haven't taken into account because the numbers would be too cumbersome, but overall the attacker has much the advantage.  Some characters can warp out, some have very poor crossup defense so the numbers adjust accordingly.  If you're playing certain characters with little anti air defense or a poor reversal you're in a bit of trouble.