Street Fighter 4 Thread

[mekkanic]

if you don't want to pay out the ass for a good quality stick, check out shoryuken.com's Tech Talk section. TONS upon tons of information there, there's even a thread that shows off custom PS3/360 sticks.

There are guys making their own for the PS3/360 for around $100-$150 bucks. I'm modding my mayflash stick with sanwa parts, which should make it just as good as the $200+ Tournament Edition sticks. Stick costed me $50 and the parts costs me $70. Minimal work (hardest part is soldering 9 wires to the PCB but that's a piece of cake to me). If you aren't into soldering and just want to plug in the wires, you can purchase pre-wired PCBS (like the Cthulu for the PS3/PC or the prewired 360 PCBs) from http://gamingnow.net/DIY.html or http://www.modchipman.com/arcade-parts-boards-c-144_146.html.

Sanwa parts are kinda hard to come by as of late, you can go for Seimitsu buttons/joysticks.

 

[Carlosinfl]

So this threads been going on for a while and the games also been out for some time. I picked up the game but must say I find the graphics to look a bit generic and cheesy. Am I the only one? I don't know but Ken and some of the other characters look strange. I think the game look so much better and played smoother as Street Fighter Alpha 3. I find this game to be decent but not as good as SFA3.

 

[Mr Jim Brown]

So this threads been going on for a while and the games also been out for some time. I picked up the game but must say I find the graphics to look a bit generic and cheesy. Am I the only one? I don't know but Ken and some of the other characters look strange. I think the game look so much better and played smoother as Street Fighter Alpha 3. I find this game to be decent but not as good as SFA3.

Youd be the first one Ive ever talk to think that. It plays better and looks better than any fighting game Ive played. I didnt expect near the level of entertainment out of this game.

Is the cheesy effect that you mean the cheesy way the game transitions between fights? Yeah, thats cheesy but thats just fighting games.

 

[syn3rgyz]

i actually like alpha 3 better too

 

[Domingo]

I prefer several of the other SF games to SF4.
SF4's biggest fault is the over-reliance on super and EX special moves. Essentially whenever anyone has an EX move built up or a super - you pretty much can't use any normal moves except a jab/short. Otherwise that super or EX is just going to blow through whatever you're doing.
You can play a perfect match and the opponent is "rewarded" by getting an ultra that literally makes them invincible for about 1/2 second and takes at least 1/3 of your life. There's just something wrong with that. In the older games, a well timed normal attack would beat a super because not every super had a zillion invincibility frames.
Pretty much any character that has to use a lot of normal attacks (Vega, Dan, Cammy) now sucks as a result.

 

[refraxion]

I wouldn't say Cammy sucks at all.

Plus I think everything other than Ultras is a welcome to the game. Everything else is fair game imo. Some characters (such as Viper) has very minimal invincibility frames for her EX moves and they need to be timed very very well, (split second timing) if you want to dodge something.

Viper uses a lot of normal attacks too, other than that it's Ex seismo, which you don't spam.

Edit: I agree that ultra's are kinda lame, I can't tell you how many times some stupid Ultra just barely knicks me into position and i lose 1/2 of my health pretty much. (viper has low stamina)

 

[Domingo]

Cammy has almost no stamina, her cannon drills are only safe from very specific ranges, and her ultra and super both miss people in the air unless they're really, really low. Plus, her two best moves (standing medium kick, crouching medium kick) are easily Focus'd because they don't have a quick enough follow up.
She's a good defensive character if she gets a lead, but if she's ever down, she might as well concede.
Her one advantage is that her cannnon spike seems to be among the best anti-ari moves in the game. It's not often it even exchanges with something, and it does inflict a fair amount of damage.

She's definitely not as bad as Vega, Rose, or Dan, but she's pretty low on the tier charts.

I really think the strength of someone's ultra is one of the biggest tier factors. That and how many quick combos they have to prevent being focus'd all day.

 

[mekkanic]

I prefer several of the other SF games to SF4.
SF4's biggest fault is the over-reliance on super and EX special moves. Essentially whenever anyone has an EX move built up or a super - you pretty much can't use any normal moves except a jab/short. Otherwise that super or EX is just going to blow through whatever you're doing.
You can play a perfect match and the opponent is "rewarded" by getting an ultra that literally makes them invincible for about 1/2 second and takes at least 1/3 of your life. There's just something wrong with that. In the older games, a well timed normal attack would beat a super because not every super had a zillion invincibility frames.
Pretty much any character that has to use a lot of normal attacks (Vega, Dan, Cammy) now sucks as a result.

Dude, I think I played you online...my psn is mekkanic....I remember seeing a x_Domingo on my PSN list. I play Guile as my main....still playing on PS3 pad and waiting on getting my stick before playing again.

Edit: The Focus Attack works against some EX attacks that have slow frame-hits (dunnno if that is the right term that I should be using), like Balrog's EX dash punch. You can get your Focus attack to hit before the 2nd frame of the EX attack. Fast frame-hit EX attacks like Ken's Shoryuken will plow through. I've seen Ultras cancelled out with EX/normal moves before, its all in the timing.

 

[Domingo]

I've got about 1200 matches on the PSN, so I've probably played you at some point I tend to start with Honda, Bison, or Zangief, but if someone plays more than 2-3 games, I'll use the whole cast. I taunt a lot if that's anything. I tend to do it to really defensive people especially. Nothing better than combo'ing into a taunt and then cancelling it with something else.
There are definitely some exceptions to the Ultra's killing everything, but the most popular characters (Ken, Sagat, Akuma, Zangief, Blanka) all have the overpowering ultra in common.
A lot of the weaker characters like Vega, Honda, Cammy, etc. all seem to have Ultras that aren't overpowering.
The strong characters with less overpowering ultras (Ryu, Viper, Balrog, Bison) all have the ability to nail theirs after a hit exchange or they can land every hit as part of a juggle.

 

[Tzzird]

I've been getting really good with Bison. The problem is that I play him so much that i'm afraid to play any other play on ranked matches because I don't want to lose. Working my way up from 1000 to 1900 BP yesterday on the PSN I had a 17 win streak (would've been 20 if not for disconnects/rage quitters). I've beaten the last 2 people over 3,000 BP after initially losing to 3 or 4 in a row. Haven't played anyone over 4,000 because I set the match to look for similar skill levels. My 360 version BP is around 2,500, but I haven't played a ranked match onlin for a week, ever since I got a stick for the ps3.

I feel like I should be more versatile and explore different characters. I've played the campaign through with all of them so I know all their basics. But I don't know if I have the time or patience to master another character. Anyone else get caught up in this trap?

 

[Wrench]

I feel like I should be more versatile and explore different characters. I've played the campaign through with all of them so I know all their basics. But I don't know if I have the time or patience to master another character. Anyone else get caught up in this trap?

I know I have. Been playing Blanka since SF2. I dabbled with Chun Li, and Guile back than. Now though ranked matches I only play with Blanka. Been working on Gouken, and Gen. I thought they we're weak characters at first than got rocked hardcore by a couple really good players. I'm just too chicken to pull them out in a ranked match.

Hell, I took a week break from playing due to RL bs and started having probs playing Blanka lol. I got up to 2500 BP after my break dropped back to 1800ish.

 

[Domingo]

If you like playing Bison, you might consider using Blanka. A lot of the same pressure tactics will hold true, plus his EX roll will go through projectiles...making him one of the few people that can truly frustrate Sagat. In all honesy, with Blanka you can pretty safely just abuse the 3 roll variants (use the jab/short versions) and you'll be frightened how much priority and damage those do.
While he's pretty weak against lots of other characters, Honda's another. Lately he's been my primary just because I've gotten so annoyed with Zangief. As long as you can stay close, Honda's deadly. The short sumo splash mixed in with his chokeslam and shortkick+headbutt = money.
Are you looking specifically to get a high BP score? I know on the PSN game, there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to play ranked matches. There are no trophies associated with it once you get past 20 wins in a row (I actually went 20-0 the week it came out) and you can get all of the icons and slogans with non-ranked matches.
I'm just not a fan of playing one match and then walking away with no chance to make adjustments.

 

[Tzzird]

I like ranked matches because they allow me to play better and better players. If I'm at, lets say, 5,000 battle points, I'll get a lot more matches with the top level players than I would if I were at 2,500. But I see your point about letting players adapt through continuous play. By the way, the achievement/trophy is at 10 wins, not 20. Otherwise i wouldn't have gotten it last night.

I really should consider giving Blanka a shot. I'm a lot better at doing charge moves on command versus fireball/"allyoucans" type movements. His blasts through fireballs can really take down the projectile crowd.

As for Honda, I feel like he is at a huge disadvantage to Blanka when his EX headbutt can't go through fireballs. The oicho throw somewhat makes up for it though.

 

[Domingo]

Honda lacks Blanka's ability to go through fireballs, but his ultra can from 75% of the screen. With Honda, it's best to start focus absorbing projectiles ASAP to build your ultra. Once you have that, fireballs aren't that big of a deal. Plus, his strong sumo smash is nice for clearing closer ones. Once you knock someone down, he's got a 3-way mix up with the short smash, jab (to bait a counter), and oicho.

If you want to play better players - I've found that the BP's don't always matter on the PSN. Icons really don't either. The 4-5 best players I've ever faced don't have a single BP and they're using the default icons.
Still, if you see someone with a crown or star icon - that's someone who has beaten several hundred people and is doing something right. If you see a trophy - they have 30 perfects. That's hard no matter what!

 

[refraxion]

Agreed,

I like playing ranked matches as well. But I usually do some warm ups in player matches.

Also, in player matches, its fun once the guy gets the hang of your character, after 6-7 matches or so, it gets interesting and you always have to switch up how you fight or else you'll lose.

 

[XamediX]

I'm just not a fan of playing one match and then walking away with no chance to make adjustments.

That is my beef. No rematch or revenge option. If they included one, with both player confirmations that'd make Ranked matches a lot better to play.

As far as people stating that the Alpha's were better than SF4, I think yous might have difficulty understanding the gameplay changes in the new one. I don't see them as worse or better, just different. I'm sure once yous get the timing down, you'll enjoy it much more. I do have to admit, I like the extra strategy involved with the EX moves. I now catch myself watchin their super meter much more than any SF game.

I really like Fei Long, but I just cannot consistently pull off his 3 punch combo with those damn hadoken motions. Damn, now I wanna play...

 

[Domingo]

There's definitely a ton of strategy with SF4. I just personally like the other ones better. I still think the game takes too much focus off of normal attacks and there are way too many invulnerable frames being given to spammy moves.
While I understand that's to keep the casual crowd happy - it's just something I don't like. We shouldn't have to shell up whenever anyone gets an ultra. I know some people might like that, but I don't.
It's definitely a preference.
I still prefer Super Turbo and Alpha 3 as my favorites. With so many normal attacks for each character, I think it's a shame to have them be so fleetingly useful in SF4.
I have a pretty big issue that someone who has taken more hits being rewarded with an overpowered invincibility laden ultra attack. I'd much rather see supers and ultras reversed. Supers are pretty weak (by comparison) and they lack the invincibility frames...BUT they can be buffer combo'd in many cases. I'd much rather see that and force people to earn a win rather than just nailing a 40-50% damage ultra when someone's trying to put them away.

 

[Wrench]

I have a pretty big issue that someone who has taken more hits being rewarded with an overpowered invincibility laden ultra attack. I'd much rather see supers and ultras reversed. Supers are pretty weak (by comparison) and they lack the invincibility frames...BUT they can be buffer combo'd in many cases. I'd much rather see that and force people to earn a win rather than just nailing a 40-50% damage ultra when someone's trying to put them away.

Got to agree. I know I'm guilty of letting someone get a few good hits in to build up the meter. Than turn around and pull a combo into an ultra to win. I think super's and ultras need to be swapped. Would really fix the issue.

 

[Domingo]

I don't really tend to take shots to build the meter, but characters like Honda are essentially crippled without an ultra in the bag. They waxed all of his headbutt/splash invulnerability so he's forced to play the ultra game to even compete. The focus attacks help, but nothing builds that ultra like just getting beaten up
The more I think about it, the more I just think reversing the supers and ultras would really help the game a lot.

 

[XamediX]

Maybe I still suck and don't have good comp yet, but I never had a problem with getting hit by ultras. You can basically block it after they execute as long as you're not caught in the middle of a Fierce Punch, Heavy Kick, double hit normal move, or special move.

 

[Tzzird]

Maybe I still suck and don't have good comp yet, but I never had a problem with getting hit by ultras. You can basically block it after they execute as long as you're not caught in the middle of a Fierce Punch, Heavy Kick, double hit normal move, or special move.

A halfway decent player could get you in a focus attack trap and then you'd be sitting duck.

 

[Tzzird]

gg's Domingo. We'll play again another day. I really should figure out how to "forward my ports" so that I don't disconnect all the time. I never have this problem on the 360 though. Weird.

 

[refraxion]

gg's Domingo. We'll play again another day. I really should figure out how to "forward my ports" so that I don't disconnect all the time. I never have this problem on the 360 though. Weird.

I pretty much gave up forwarding my PS3 ports. I just put it in the DMZ. My 360/Wii never had those problems.

 

[Tzzird]

I pretty much gave up forwarding my PS3 ports. I just put it in the DMZ. My 360/Wii never had those problems.

I'm a noob when it comes to networking terms. What is DMZ and how do you work with that?

 

[Domingo]

Definitely some good matches. Your Bison's good for sure. I think you're only the 3rd or 4th one I've ever played against.
Not sure what in the world was going on with the connection, though. Some matches were smooth as silk and with some it would freak out any time someone went into the air. Strange!

The port forwarding thing is mainly for matchmaking, but I've had friends that said it helped them from dropping SF matches. Considering we always had 3 bars, I have to think it might help. I believe you can just Google "PS3 port forward" to get some quick instructions. It only takes about 5-10 minutes, especially if you have a common router.

Give it a shot as I'd love to play again. 99% of the people online are just using the "allyoucan posse" so it's nice to face someone using Bison.

 

[Hulk]

can we make this a sticky?

 

[NSCTripleAgent]

I'm a noob when it comes to networking terms. What is DMZ and how do you work with that?

DMZ is short for demilitarized zone. It's basically "anything goes" network mode. You set this in your router. It generally fixes all NAT, port type issues, as it connects the device wide open to the net. Theoretically, the console can't be attacked over the network or get a virus, so it's way easier and you get maximum performance.I use it and get minimal error/connection losses on XBL. I suggest it for consoles.

As far as the game itself, it's good, but I've come to realize, it's for once, a disadvantage to be a SF veteran. Several theories/rules don't apply and some moves don't act the same. I am starting to use different characters and unlearning non-SF4 specific traits and am winning a lot more.

 

[Domingo]

As far as the game itself, it's good, but I've come to realize, it's for once, a disadvantage to be a SF veteran. Several theories/rules don't apply and some moves don't act the same. I am starting to use different characters and unlearning non-SF4 specific traits and am winning a lot more.

I think that's pretty much the key. I think the wake-up game is still what throws me off the most. It's just nothing at all like previous games.
Ditto for lot of the returning cast like Honda, Chun Li, Guile, and others. With Honda, I pretty much just had to start over and stop playing him anything like he was in the older games. Chun Li even moreso. She might as well be a new character.
Old habits are hard to break, though.

 

[Tzzird]

As far as the game itself, it's good, but I've come to realize, it's for once, a disadvantage to be a SF veteran. Several theories/rules don't apply and some moves don't act the same. I am starting to use different characters and unlearning non-SF4 specific traits and am winning a lot more.

Maybe that's why I was able to pick up on this game so quickly. I missed out on all the street fighters between the SF2 with 16 characters (t-hawk, cammy etc). and SF4. That's about a decade worth of SF skills lost. While in college, I would randomly stop by the arcades to play whatever version of SF was out (3, alpha, not sure on the names) and would promptly get my ass whoopped. Maybe that's why I stayed away for so long!

 

[refraxion]

I think that's pretty much the key. I think the wake-up game is still what throws me off the most. It's just nothing at all like previous games.
Ditto for lot of the returning cast like Honda, Chun Li, Guile, and others. With Honda, I pretty much just had to start over and stop playing him anything like he was in the older games. Chun Li even moreso. She might as well be a new character.
Old habits are hard to break, though.

So true, wake up game sometimes throws you off cause you're sometimes half expecting them to not wake up.. but then POOF insta-wake, then you gotta change up what you were doing before or get punished,

 

[Tzzird]

Definitely some good matches. Your Bison's good for sure. I think you're only the 3rd or 4th one I've ever played against.
Not sure what in the world was going on with the connection, though. Some matches were smooth as silk and with some it would freak out any time someone went into the air. Strange!


Give it a shot as I'd love to play again. 99% of the people online are just using the "allyoucan posse" so it's nice to face someone using Bison.

Thanks for the compliments. I do feel like I should display more of Bison's versatility when I play good players. But I get nervous when I know I'm playing someone good and stick to the basics so that I can win. I don't try to rack up impressive combos or anything like that.

Oh, and, I apologize for the last second throw in one of those matches. When I used to play SF2 in the arcades, you couldn't throw or you would be labeled as a "cheap player". With the advent of the reverse cancel and internet anonymous play, throwing is a lot more prevalent now. However, i still feel bad when I do it to win a round.

 

[Domingo]

Thanks for the compliments. I do feel like I should display more of Bison's versatility when I play good players. But I get nervous when I know I'm playing someone good and stick to the basics so that I can win. I don't try to rack up impressive combos or anything like that.

Oh, and, I apologize for the last second throw in one of those matches. When I used to play SF2 in the arcades, you couldn't throw or you would be labeled as a "cheap player". With the advent of the reverse cancel and internet anonymous play, throwing is a lot more prevalent now. However, i still feel bad when I do it to win a round.

There's nothing wrong with throwing - nothing at all. In SF4 you have to be super close to someone, and rapid jabs will snuff it. With Bison especially, it's something you've got to do. Otherwise, the other player can just hang out. With one of them I was trying to do the same thing, but I actually ended up hitting just the weak kick by mistake.

Honda and Balrog are usually my best weapons with Bison, but I'd like to get better with Chun Li and especially Zangief. You pretty much did exactly what I do to most 'Gief players. I know that the secret is focus attacks on the devils reverse, but of course, I never think of doing that when it's actually happening

 

[Tzzird]

There's nothing wrong with throwing - nothing at all. In SF4 you have to be super close to someone, and rapid jabs will snuff it. With Bison especially, it's something you've got to do. Otherwise, the other player can just hang out. With one of them I was trying to do the same thing, but I actually ended up hitting just the weak kick by mistake.

Honda and Balrog are usually my best weapons with Bison, but I'd like to get better with Chun Li and especially Zangief. You pretty much did exactly what I do to most 'Gief players. I know that the secret is focus attacks on the devils reverse, but of course, I never think of doing that when it's actually happening

Of course, FA is much easier when you have a stick. You're still using gamepad right?

 

[Domingo]

Yup, I'm still using the PS3 pad, and it's really only an issue when I want an ultra that uses kick x3. Everything else is fine, I just space on the FA's sometimes. I know how and I can do them pretty well...but I just don't always think to do 'em

 

[Tzzird]

You should definitely get a joystick! Even the $50 generic one I have is much better than any pad. I have issues blocking sometimes (I'll hold down-left, but it only registers as down) but suits my Bison play for the most part.

My biggest gripe with the one that I got is the cord length. But that issue is easily solved with a USB hub.

 

[jterp7]

Yup, I'm still using the PS3 pad, and it's really only an issue when I want an ultra that uses kick x3. Everything else is fine, I just space on the FA's sometimes. I know how and I can do them pretty well...but I just don't always think to do 'em

pad works pretty well but I usually set my R1 and R2 as the triple punch and kick respectively. It works out okay except for blanka, akuma, and bison which leads to weird moves coming out when I don't want to. That and extended sessions of doing hard trials leads to my left hand really hurting. I really want a TE stick but I missed out on all the local sales/BB/zon/buy.com and most recently the ecost thing.

 

[Domingo]

I'm actually not a fan of using sticks on the consoles. I do really well when they're bolted to a 500 lb. cabinet, but unless I super glue it to a table or something, I end up jerking them all around and missing moves left and right.
I have L2 mapped as Kick x 3 and the ultras that use all 3 kicks are really the only moves I miss. It's just too bad that two of my faves (Bison & Chun Li) have those
I'm honestly pretty happy using the PS3 pad, though. If I'm missing moves, it's usually just because I'm fried from work or sore from grappling or something else. I can't blame the pad.

 

[refraxion]

Yup, I'm still using the PS3 pad, and it's really only an issue when I want an ultra that uses kick x3. Everything else is fine, I just space on the FA's sometimes. I know how and I can do them pretty well...but I just don't always think to do 'em

Yeah I get frustrated using the PS3 pad playing Viper.. its just not consistent enough to pull off her more advanced combos due to the layout.

 

[Tzzird]

I'm actually not a fan of using sticks on the consoles. I do really well when they're bolted to a 500 lb. cabinet, but unless I super glue it to a table or something, I end up jerking them all around and missing moves left and right.
I have L2 mapped as Kick x 3 and the ultras that use all 3 kicks are really the only moves I miss. It's just too bad that two of my faves (Bison & Chun Li) have those
I'm honestly pretty happy using the PS3 pad, though. If I'm missing moves, it's usually just because I'm fried from work or sore from grappling or something else. I can't blame the pad.

I eventually got used to the fact that if I did certain moves (like hurricane kicks and allyoucans) I would lift the joystick. Maybe that's why I don't use ryu/ken/etc as much as i do charge characters.

When I do use the joypad, I change the triple kick/punch to R2 to the super/ultra of the character i am using at the time. This makes it easier to pull off the super/ultra, but I'll forget which side is punch or kick if I switch characters too often.

 

[Domingo]

For me, I started with the arcade SF2 and when the game came out on the SNES, I mapped roundhouse to the left trigger and fierce to the right. I've pretty much been using that same set-up since 1993, I just mapped the X3 buttons to the triggers once Alpha came out on the PS1.
What's odd is that I have no issue pulling off the kick x 3 supers in Alpha 3, but for some reason in SF4 I miss them about 1/2 the time. I can only guess it's just the speed of the input or something.