STREET FIGHTER IV

cozen - I get what you're feeling (I think). I mean, I'm definitely picking up the game, but at the same time, I'm still a bit burnt out on SFIV and some of the stuff that surrounds it (online comp), and definitely don't see myself getting as into it as I did a year ago (though I still see myself playing it a lot over the long haul, if SSFIV Turbo isn't just around the corner next year).

nhex - can't you maybe sell some stuff and get a 360? They're only US $200 now & you won't have to wait six months for the game! You can even plug the 360 into your monitor and pretend you're playing on PC if necessary.

my monitor has no inputs, and my net worth is... pretty low

now i'm gonna go cry myself to sleep

http://iplaywinner.com/news/2010/4/23/special-video-tribute-to-street-fighter-iv.html

sorry nhex - I was just teasing (there is a VGA adapter for the 360 though). Hopefully a pc verion won't be too far behind this time and will also sell at a discounted price.

The funny thing about SF, we keep buying it, but it's basically the same game for the last twenty years. I don't think one really gets anything more out of playing SFIV compared to playing 3rd Strike or Super Turbo on GGPO, just cause the graphics are a little flashier. In fact, in a certain sense we get less, since GGPO has better net-code. It's a shame they apparently haven't done anything to tighten up the net-code for SSFIV - new modes are fine, but what people really wanted was a system that dealt better with lag :(

i'm on an iMac yo! nah it's ok iz life.

It's true to an extent what you're saying that these games aren't immensely different from each other, but (bear with me for making this point for the nth time) in real world terms, by the time Super Turbo was even out in arcades, most of the arcade audience was dead. I still went to those arcades every so often, but basically the same very tiny group is out there, and shrinking. This was true basically for the last 15 years until SFIV came out and now millions of people are actually playing Street Fighter again. Yeah, there are broader successes out there like Soul Calibur, Tekken, and Smash, but it isn't the same. Without Capcom making SFIV and pushing it as hard as they did, even with the online system, this would still be ghettoized, even with HD Remix doing well for a downloadable game. And even I feel somewhat like those old games are dead ends now, and SFIV is still pretty great, it doesn't need too many excuses. (Hell, MvC2 was the sloppiest, most slapped-together game ever, no online at all, yet many people love it.)

And yet I still have to agree it's a goddamn travesty they're not using GGPO for SSFIV but for Final Fight HD it's worth the effort. Fucking hell, Capcom. I guess there's still hope for MvC3.

Anyway check out this Wong (Rufus) vs. Daigo (GUILE!) final from this weekend's event, the ending is WTFness.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfJgS1C0ZUU

can't believe capcom licensed/bought GGPO and then have only ever used it in final fight

fuck why am I pre-ordering fuckkkkkk

just scored 10/10 over on EG btw

can't believe capcom licensed/bought GGPO and then have only ever used it in final fight

There's something weird about the way Capcom is organized / dis-organized - I think there's a split between Japan and US development or something? The US team is into GGPO and the Japan team is indifferent, wants or needs to do things their own way. Of course Japan's way works fine in Japan, where everybody is close enough together to get nice pings even without great netcode, but take that same code out of Japan and the probs start showing up - this is what completely fucked up Tatsunoko vs Capcom online, for example. For some reason, the Japanese side of Capcom either hasn't figured this out yet, or is to stubborn to ask the western team to help out with the netcode? It's a mystery...

This was true basically for the last 15 years until SFIV came out and now millions of people are actually playing Street Fighter again.

I'm not so sure about this, SFIV still feels very niche to me - yes one or two or three million people bought the game, but I feel the numbers that held on to it and kept playing are actually pretty small. I also get the feeling that SSFIV is going to sell a lot less (half?), but end up with basically the same niche, hardcore player base.

And even I feel somewhat like those old games are dead ends now, and SFIV is still pretty great, it doesn't need too many excuses.

I guess I don't feel like those old games are exactly dead ends yet, though I haven't been playing 'em for 15 years (in fact I've still barely put any time into Alpha or 3rd Strike). I don't feel like chess is a dead end either. Great games should last and last. I don't feel like SFIV has brought anything massively new to the game either, it seems like it just brought some of the best stuff from those games over into one game (basically keeping the characters the same with mostly the same moves and combos). The one "new" thing (besides a small handful of characters) is the focus attack, which I'm not exactly a fan of - think I'd like the game more without it, for a more straight forward, simplified Super Turbo style. That said, I've still loved me some SFIV and am not trying to dismiss it, just feel like one can get the same kind of pleasure still from the older games too. They're all good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EB4HpbKbFoQ

SSFIV is going to sell a lot less (half?), but end up with basically the same niche, hardcore player base

this is true because the game is fucking impossible to play

just scored 10/10 over on EG btw

smdh just smdh

I think there's a split between Japan and US development or something?

yah from what i understand japcom is p resistant to using any outside code & i think the "culture" there is p insular

its impossible 2 imagine a fighter shipping w/o netplay but @ the same time netplay is really the reason im not getting this. tryna play online makes the skill disparity 2 real 4 me & just dont have the time energy or inclination to get good enuff @ this

I'm not so sure about this, SFIV still feels very niche to me - yes one or two or three million people bought the game, but I feel the numbers that held on to it and kept playing are actually pretty small. I also get the feeling that SSFIV is going to sell a lot less (half?), but end up with basically the same niche, hardcore player base.

Great games should last and last.

HDR was, to a large extent, a special case of a single man, himself a Top 10 ST player for the last decade, working his way into Capcom and fighting with corporate to get the game rebalanced and repolished graphically so new players wouldn't automatically reject it - the company didn't even want to do this - and now he doesn't even work at Backbone anymore.

Capcom isn't going to push TF2-style balance updates onto their games unless they have a major corporate restructuring. I'm guessing now they only even put out the MvC2 re-release because MvC3 is coming out next year. I can only think of Blizzard and Valve are companies designing their evergreen products around multiple updates over a very long lifetime instead of making sequel after sequel.

this is true because the game is fucking impossible to play

its impossible 2 imagine a fighter shipping w/o netplay but @ the same time netplay is really the reason im not getting this. tryna play online makes the skill disparity 2 real 4 me & just dont have the time energy or inclination to get good enuff @ this

(man i feel old. and i've got stop typing these ridiculous missives if i'm going to heal up from this CTS)

tryna play online makes the skill disparity 2 real 4 me & just dont have the time energy or inclination to get good enuff @ this

If I were designing the online portions of these games, I'd make every player take a skill test before letting them play online, then match them up with people of a similar skill. Every week you could take a new test and see if you can play at a higher level, or if you're winning a certain percentage (say, 75%) of your games, you'd automatically be sent up to the next level.

sounds similar to halo: reach's arena, which I'd love in SSFIVT

halo's innovation intentions for reach, trying to take their matchmaking beyond reliance on M$' opaque truskill algorithms, are something to behold

http://i39.tinypic.com/20gchkx.jpg

lol. actually, though, i am curious to see a serious write-up on that match

Quake Live and I think the current beta of Starcraft 2 are trying similar things on that front (requiring a bot/practice match to determine your initial rank online), but I haven't heard that either is a smashing success so far... could be wrong though, I haven't touched QL since it launched. How is Reach's matchmaking going to be different?

c&p'd from gaf

The Arena |
A ranked, ultra-competitive set of Slayer playlists featuring an overarching seasonal rating model. Ratings and Divisions are Arena-specific, and separate from the overall Reach Ranking system.
Level Field | Spartan vs. Spartan or Elite vs. Elite, using fixed Loadouts. Utilizes Trueskill for matchmaking (which remains hidden).

Personal Rating |
In each game you receive a Rating based on your individual performance (even on team games). The rating formula will be published prior to the Beta start.

Daily Rating |
Play 3 games in one day to get a Daily Rating, which is an average of your best game ratings that day.

Divisions |
Achieve 3 Daily Ratings to enter a Division (Steel, Bronze, Silver, Gold and Onyx). You progress up - and down - Divisions over the course of a Season based on your Daily Ratings.

Seasons |
Seasons span a calendar month; the Beta will run for one Season. At the end of a Season, your Divisional Rating becomes final, and your performance becomes part of your Service Record (e.g. Top 10%, Silver Division). All Ratings reset after each Season.

that's just for the v.competitive arena mode but their regular matchmaking is going to be much more granular

got my pre-order in on this btw

set my communications to "friends only" too :)

Played for about an hour (so far) tonight. As somebody who was pretty satisfied with SFIV (hell, it was my GOTY 2009), it's really surprising to me just how much more substantial SSFIV feels. I think some of the changes are pretty smart, like they way they've broken up the challenge mode into individual moves now, and if you get stuck on a particular challenge, you can skip ahead to the next one. It's also great that every character starts unlocked, especially considering I never even had the patience to unlock Seth in SFIV. I also really appreciate that the game now saves a replay of every online match you have - this should really help with learning to correct mistakes. Played a couple green bar matches online that were perfect, but the game still has that problem where you have to keep clicking through a list of games over and over sometimes trying to find one that hasn't already been filled.

I'm dreading how shit at this I'm going to be. I might just main Gen and try and claim the moral high ground over how weak and """nerfed""" he is.

The Tony Mowbray of Street Figher IV - that it's come to this

got sucked into playing a few hours of this last nite

my hands are traitors to my tactical brilliance atp but it was fun 2 play cody

Man, this is fuckin slick, menus all juggling pictures and images in front of you and subtly changing the theme of the music every time you go to a different menu.

Complete shit at it; probably barking up the wrong tree playing as Adon anyway.

That's right, pictures and images. Slick.

got myself one of those datel arcade pro joysticks which are the only sticks on the market which are dual-PCB so I can get in on some blazblue: continuum shift action on PS3 when it drops

playing this game on a pad is p.frustrating : /

can't believe they didn't fix some of the issues from the first game and in fact exacerbated some by reducing everyone's damage output; wtf they needed to up the damage not lower it, games take an aggggge

also be careful what you wish for: the lack of lobbies in vanilla might actually have been an unknown godsend cos this game is so slow and stages so big... spectating can be a v.dry (and loooooong) experience

lol do not like a single one of the new guys either; still rufus is p. much unchanged

it's good to be back! /sharp intake of breath

ok

dudley

2 sick

I haven't really played SF since SFII, but picked this up on a whim the other day. Having fun with it, though I am at that early stage of new fighting game feeling of being totally lost and have no idea who to make my main. Leaning toward Rufus. Might break down and buy one of those arcade stick things- these controls aren't really doing it for me. Already forming a blister on my thumb.

rufus is a good choice: lots of health, most of his special moves are safe, and he has hundreds of ways to combo into his ultra I... depending how deep you want to get I can give you tips on ruf gameplay; think I had abt 1200 games down w/him in vanilla

good dudley guide w/gifs
http://www.exceedgaming.com/SuperSFIV/Dudley/DudleyGuide.html

I played against a German Dudley guy online for a few games last night while slightly pissed; his EX moves are so fast he was rushing in and hitting me from across the screen and I was sitting there stupefied completely failing to block them on reaction.

no interest in levelling up or anything w/this just really enjoying chilling in lobbies

i suck so bad at this game that i don't think paying $150 for a fighting stick is gonna help

how bout $55
http://www.etokki.com/Joytron%20Paewang%20Revolution%20arcade%20stick

I was gonna say that just looks like a slightly shinier, most expensive version of the Mayflash stick, but it actually has double compatibility! Too bad the artwork kinda sucks, but some people will probably buy it just for the PCB for modding.

Personally I find playing with a stick much easier and less tiring, however, I'm not sure playing with a stick makes anybody "better." I've fought some pad players who have been pretty amazing. It's all about putting in the time either way - it's the only way to get decent...

yeah, nhex, it's just the mayflash but with dual compatibility. maybe the mayflash would be more suitable; it's not a great stick by any means but it's a start and if it comes to it some time down the line you can relatively easily solder in some sanwa buttons and a JLF (for another £30) and you'll have a dece stick

I will pay lots of money for Adon if that is true; it is imperative they get whatever shrieking lunatic did his voice work in SFA

Close enough.

the HRAP VA-S3 looks amazing; I hope it gets released in europe
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2496/4162447886_61d67e6a92_o.jpg

still only played a couple of hours of this, lobbies are fun tho

some more new character guides:

ibuki
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkMKlgJdy3c

cody
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jr06BafBGeQ

daigo (allegedly) (losing) on xbl
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpvOBL6ELhQ

mago using fei long? the arcade release of ssfiv should be p.interesting, especially considering arcade vanilla wasn't even seeded w/the console chars
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktoRiCve5Ts&feature=related

Are there enough XBOX guys on here to do lobbies, or will it just be pointless with US/UK divide?

dunno bout that; probly just you and me by this point; I've a few friends who play regularly (mixed abilities), will send you an invite if I'm on

alex valle adon tutorial:
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/6711926/highlight/71228

£15 in sainsbury's apparently btw

might double dip